A Short History of Apostasy

prepared by Daniel Keeran, MSW

 A Short History of Apostasy
prepared by Daniel Keeran, MSW
Apostasy definition: This is a concept in different world religions, describing a departure from
the accepted or required view of metaphysical reality. The following persons or events are
described in sacred writings believed to be the revelation of a transcendent intelligence.

The Serpent of the Garden of Eden and His Angels

“but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not
eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. “For
God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like
God, knowing good and evil.”
And the great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan,
the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper
dwelling--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on
the great Day.
Adam and Eve
And the man said, The woman you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I
did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that you have done? And
the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Cain
Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in
the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Descendants of Adam, and Eve and Cain
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted
his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before
me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them
with the earth.
Tower of Babel
And the LORD said, “If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same
language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them. Come, let Us go down and
confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

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Descendants of Noah and idolatry in contemporary culture
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him,
but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although
they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal
God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. (See Gobekli Tepe)
Sexual immorality among the Gentiles
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a
depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every
kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and hatred. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,
and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and
boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents.
Idolatry and sexual immorality among the children of Israel
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with
Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the
sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods.
Judas
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays
the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Then Judas, the one
who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
All of the followers of Yeshua of Nazareth
Then all His disciples deserted Him and fled.
Demas
Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.
Elders of Ephesus
I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the
flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw
away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never
stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
Hymenaeus and Alexander and Philetus
…holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby
shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have
handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus

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Those who demanded circumcision of Gentiles.
Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:
“Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be
saved.” This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So
Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to
Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
Those who denied the physical body of Christ.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from
God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can
recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come
in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from
God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is
already in the world.
Those who denied Yeshua of Nazareth as the Word that was God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing
was made that has been made.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they
picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
The crucifixion of Yeshua of Nazareth by Jews and Gentiles.
As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify
Him!” “You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge
against Him.” “We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to that law He must
die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take
him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but
Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally, Pilate handed him over to them to be
crucified.
Diotrephes
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So
when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense
about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also
stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
The rebels of Corinth
But now reflect who those are that have perverted you, and lessened the renown of
your far-famed brotherly love. It is disgraceful, beloved, yea, highly disgraceful, and

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unworthy of your Christian profession, that such a thing should be heard of as that the
most steadfast and ancient church of the Corinthians should, on account of one or two
persons, engage in sedition against its presbyters. And this rumour has reached not
only us, but those also who are unconnected with us; so that, through your infatuation,
the name of the Lord is blasphemed, while danger is also brought upon yourselves.
Ignatius of Antioch
Remember in your prayers the Church in Syria, which now has God for its shepherd,
instead of me. Jesus Christ alone will oversee it, and your love will also regard it. But as
for me, I am ashamed to be counted one of them; for indeed I am not worthy, as being
the very last of them, and one born out of due time.
Those false teachers and false prophets among the people
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false
teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the
sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will
follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
Nicolaitans
But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of
Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would
eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. In the same way, some of you
also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to
you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.
All Humanity
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the
LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

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