Brothers and sisters, we are living in a dangerous time. A time full of distractions and temptations. Especially those of us in western countries where we are not being openly persecuted as our brethren in the Middle East and Asia. Over the past 15 years I have seen many brethren I have been close to fall away from the Lord Jesus. They have fallen victim to false prophecies, self delusion, love for family over Jesus, lording over others or lifting up other brethren above Jesus. All of these fell victim to walking in the flesh rather than walking in the Spirit as the Lord called us to. A slow warming of the pot so that they didn’t notice how far they had fallen from their Savior. It was one step, then another, and another and another. And before long there was disagreement over Scripture, ignoring Scripture or making accusations without listening to sound reason. And now I and my family who have loved them. Miss them and are lonely with out them. But we have been strengthened in the Lord as we seek Him in these darkening hours.

If we are listening though, we were warned millennia ago to beware of strong delusion. To keep our focus on Christ alone.

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ² not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. ³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2Thess. 2:1-4)

No doubt it seems to me a great falling away has been happening for quite some time. I am not the only one to have noticed this. For it is prevalent in institutional churches. But we are also seeing this with those who also claim to have come out. For many, including those I have known have left the accountability of following Christ and the love of the Truth and have turned aside to their own knowledge. For if you refuse the truth no matter how much it hurts, where will you find yourself?

We were exhorted not to forsake the gathering of ourselves so that we do not fall away.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Even Christ Himself warned us about being accountable.

³³ “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. ³⁶ But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Mat. 12:33-37)

If we will then be condemned by our words will it profit us to ignore the Truth of Scripture when we have tasted of His goodness? Is there not time to repent while there is still breath in our lungs? Yes!

Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. (Hosea 1:1)

⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, ⁹ and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(Mat. 3:8-10)

⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

If you love the Truth and I have walked with you, return to Christ Jesus that we may feast abundantly in Him! Just as we did in the past. If you love the Truth and we have not yet met. Let us rejoice in the Lord together. Even if the road is long and hard we are called to be over-comers.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ (Rev. 2:7)

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’
(Rev. 2:11)

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’(Rev. 2:17)

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— (Rev. 2:26)

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
(Rev. 3:5)