apostates
"The Son of Man will dispatch His angels to collect from His kingdom all who draw others to apostasy." —Matthew 13:41
At the end of the world, the Lord will hurl into hell those who have drawn others to apostasy (Mt 13:42). After they've done their "dirty work", then God puts them out of business! Why doesn't God deal with those who confuse His people before they do their damage? It's because He wants to give them maximum time to repent. Therefore, we all have to suffer while waiting for those who draw others to apostasy to be drawn to Jesus.
While we wait in the midst of confusion, lies, and apostasy, the Lord protects us by sending the Holy Spirit to the Church. The Spirit:
- raises up teachers who interpret the Bible rightly,
- works through the Pope infallibly in matters of faith and morals, and
- gives to members of the Church the gift of discernment of spirits (1 Cor 12:10). Because the Spirit works through the Church, we will not apostatize and will even reject the mass apostasy at the end of the world (2 Thes 2:3).
At this point in time, the Lord is not stopping the spirit of the antichrist but rather is pouring forth the Spirit of Truth (see Jn 16:13). The Lord desires to convert His enemies, not defeat them. While guarding us from apostasy, the Lord keeps apostates alive so that all will "be saved and come to know the truth" (1 Tm 2:4).
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for delaying Your Second Coming so that as many as possible will be saved.
Promise: "Is it not You alone, O Lord, our God, to Whom we look? You alone have done all these things." —Jer 14:22
Praise: For more than fifty years Matthew not only resisted but fought the Church, until he finally accepted the grace of repentance and accepted Christ.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our leaflet, Spiritual Warfare, or on audio AV 57-3 or video V-57.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 29, 2009
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