George W. Bush—Apostate

"Let no man deceive you
by any means: for that day shall not come, except there
come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition." (II
Thessalonians, 2:3)

This passage of Scripture has been one of the most
subjectively interpreted verses of the entire New
Testament. Early Christians believed various Caesars to
be the predicted "man of sin." During the Dark
Ages and into the Reformation age, many Christians
believed various popes to be the predicted "man of
sin." In Arabia around 600 AD, many Christians
believed

Mohammed to be the "man of sin." During our

War for Independence, many Christians believed old
King George to be the "man of sin." During the
Twentieth Century, many Christians wondered if Hitler or
Stalin could be the dreaded "man of sin." Today,
many Christians (including this writer) believe that the
predicted "man of sin" is none other than a
coming Antichrist.

However, regardless of one`s interpretation of who
the "man of sin" is, there is no doubt about
Paul`s prediction that before this man comes, there will
be a great "falling away first." By "a falling
away," Paul was clearly referring to a state or
condition of "apostasy." Paul is saying that
before the "man of sin" (whoever he is) will be
able to seduce and deceive humanity, the church will
fall into apostasy.

By definition, apostasy is the condition of those who
once (in some degree) embraced the truth, but have now
abandoned or forsaken it. Obviously, this applies only
to professing Christians. Infidels, agnostics, and
unbelievers have no profession from which to apostatize.

Accordingly, whether on a local or universal scale,
before various men of sin can seduce and deceive their
respective societies, the Church must first be in a
state of apostasy. Saying it another way: churches that
are sound in the faith, strong in truth, and steadfast
in the Word serve as a resistance and retardant to evil
men. No wonder the Lord Jesus said we Christians are

"the salt of the earth."

That said, I am personally convinced that, by and
large, the churches of America (regardless of
denomination) are in a state of apostasy. And as such,
offer little or no resistance to the men of sin who seek
to seduce and deceive our people.

When a professing Christian President can openly
acknowledge his belief in universalism and attack the
supreme doctrine of Christianity, that Jesus Christ is
the Creator-God become flesh, and there is not an uproar
of protestation and denunciation from pulpits all over
the country, the Church is in a state of apostasy. And
that is exactly what has taken place.

When interviewed by ABC`s Charles Gibson, President
George W. Bush revealed his lack of even basic
understanding of Christian doctrine. Here is a

verbatim transcript from that interview:

Q.  "Do we all worship
the same God, Christian and Muslim?"

A.  "I think we do. We
have different routes of getting to the Almighty."

Q.  "Do Christians and
non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven in your mind?"

A.  "Yes they do. We have
different routes of getting there."

Then, just a few days ago, President Bush,

in an interview with Al Arabiya television, said,
"I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all
the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any
other religion, prays to the same God." In the same
interview he said, "I believe there is a universal
God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the
same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from
Abraham. I believe in that universality."

Obviously, George W. Bush is a universalist. His
confession is not that of a Christian, but

that of a universalist. Any true Christian knows
that there is but one mediator between God and man:
Christ Jesus. Any true Christian knows that Jesus is the
incarnate God—the Creator-God become flesh. Any true
Christian knows that Jesus and the Father are one. Any
true Christian knows that there is salvation in no other
name, no other god. Any true Christian knows that no one
has access to God except through Jesus Christ. Any true
Christian knows that there is no God other than Jesus:
that Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. That
is Christianity 101.

With the above understanding and because President
Bush
claims to be a Christian, his statements should be
regarded by Christians everywhere as an admission of
apostasy and an attack upon the fundamental doctrine of
Christ. Yet, there has been no reaction. No
admonishments. No calls for repentance. No warnings to
Christians to reject such heresy. No protestations
whatsoever. Why? There is only one answer: the Church
itself is in a state of apostasy!

I will say it plainly: today`s pastors and Christians
seem to display more loyalty and devotion to George W.
Bush than they do to the Lord Jesus Christ. This stands
in stark contrast to Christians throughout Church
history.

Has the reader ever wondered why the early Christians
were persecuted by the Roman Empire? After all, the
Roman Empire prided itself in being one of the most
tolerant and pluralistic of all societies. People were
free to worship any god they chose. There was complete
freedom of religion throughout the Empire. An old maxim
said that there were as many gods in Rome as there were
people. Why, then, were Christians singled out for
persecution?

The reason Christians were persecuted while people of
other beliefs were not was not because they worshipped
Jesus Christ. Obviously, Jewish leaders
persecuted the early Christians because of their
hatred of Jesus, which was due to the fact that He
claimed to be their Messiah and Savior—a claim they
vehemently rejected. However, the Roman Empire`s
persecution of Christians was for an entirely different
matter.

Rome persecuted Christians because they believed that
Jesus Christ was the ONLY God. Under Roman law, Caesar
was a god, equal to any other god. Therefore, to be a
good Roman, one had to worship Caesar. If one chose to
worship another deity, it was fine. As long as he also
bowed to Caesar. This was something the early Christians

could not and would not do.

You see, from the very beginning of Church history,
Christians believed that Jesus Christ was not a way, He
was THE way; not a truth, but THE truth; not a god, but
THE God. And for this declaration, for this conviction,
and for this belief, early Christians were persecuted,
imprisoned, and fed to hungry lions.

Yet today, the Church of Jesus Christ sits silent and
still when the President of the United States, himself a
professing Christian, publicly denies the central
doctrine of Christ and embraces the pagan doctrine of
universalism. Again, there is only one explanation: the
Church is in a state of apostasy.

Of course, as apostasy spreads throughout the
country, the men of sin will increase in strength and
number. They will aggressively seek to seduce and
deceive the people—something they are already doing.
Furthermore, our Lord already instructed us as to what
would happen when such a condition occurs. He told us
that when "the salt have lost his savour . . . it is
thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to
be trodden under foot of men." (Matt. 5:13)

No wonder Jesus asked the question, "Nevertheless,
when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the
earth?" (Luke 18:8) Finding faith and truth in the
midst of apostasy would seem to be the challenge for
every true child of God these days.

Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the
pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola,
Florida. He hosts a

weekly radio show. His
website is

here.