I’ve mentioned on this blog before that I focus a lot on Church history. In these modern times we have so many resources available to us that it’s so easy to learn Church history. We can start with the book of Acts which is the earliest chronicle of the Church. After that, the church continued to grow in the Roman Empire and beyond it and the sources are readily available.
The idea of a Great Apostasy is popular with the cults such as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness’, and the Seventh Day Adventists. Whether the Protestants like to admit it or not, they believe in a lesser form of the Great Apostasy.
Believe it or not, the first group to claim a Great Apostasy are the Muslims. The true religion of the prophets of God has always been Islam but apostasy has always existed with the exception of prophets and their immediate followers.
Now, a Great Apostasy goes against the promises of Christ recorded in the sacred Scriptures. We read:
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
– Matthew 16:18
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:19-20
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever
– John 14:16
We know that the scriptures talk about apostasy in individuals, in communities and even on a large scale. However, the idea of a total or Great Apostasy is foreign to the Abrahamic tradition.
The Abrahamic religion is built on pedigree. Obviously there is a connection between Abraham and Moses. From Moses, to the Kingdom, to the later prophets, there is also a connection. Obviously there is connection between both testaments as Jesus claimed to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Catholics aren’t the only ones who don’t have to deal with the Great Apostasy. The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, the Assyrian Church and even Orthodox Judaism are immune to this. Pretty much everyone else has to claim it. In the case of the Muslims, their own scripture doesn’t even talk about a great apostasy. Either way, we should make every GA group justify their GA position, especially the Muslims.
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