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translation uses it in four places (apostasy in Hosea 5:2; Acts 21:21 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and apostatise in 1 Timothy 4:1) The Authorised version speaks of ‘revolters’ in Hosea 5:2. In Acts 21:21 it has ‘to forsake’ and in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 it has ‘falling away’. In 1 Timothy 4:1 it has ‘depart’. Newberry’s marginal notes to the passages in Acts and 2 Thessalonians give the alternative rendering ‘apostasy’ If we look at Young’s concordance we have the following meanings for the relevant words in the foregoing passages: Hosea (turning aside); Acts (apostasy from, Greek: apostasia apo); 2 Thessalonians (the falling away, Greek: apostasia); 1 Timothy (To place off from, Greek: aphistemi). Marshall’s literal New Testament translation has ‘apostasy’ in Acts and 2 Thessalonians. In 1 Timothy it has ‘will depart from’. Those who are interested can of course consult other translations if they wish. The Greek word apostasia is only used twice in the New Testament, that is, in the passages indicated above. A dictionary such as Chambers can be used to confirm the meaning of apostasy.

What the New Testament passages amount to is this. In Acts the idea is of giving up Moses - setting him aside and ceasing to follow his customs. In 2 Thessalonians the true God is no longer recognised and the one who opposes him is accepted in his place. It involves the actual giving up of Christian profession. 1 Timothy, which as we have seen uses a different word from the two foregoing passages, indicates the giving up of the faith without necessarily giving up Christian profession.

In the present time we are, so far as the Western world is concerned, on an ebb tide. However this does not mean that there is departure everywhere. In some parts of the world there is blessing and increase in the number that are turning from false gods and false religions to Christ. There is therefore no reason to be despairing as to the future of the testimony. When Christ comes there will be substantial numbers of his saints alive on the earth (see for instance 1 Thessalonians 4:15). The testimony is not going to die out.

July 2004

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