We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him,

not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.

Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to perdition,

who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god—

do you not recall that while I was still with you I told you these things?

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his time.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed from the scene.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord (Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of his coming,

the one whose coming springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs and wonders that lie,

and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved.

Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie,

that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned.

But we ought to give thanks to God for you always, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in truth.

To this end he has (also) called you through our gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace,

encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.

II Thessalonians 2

The Church is the Body of Christ and Founded upon Jesus Christ Who is the Rock, The Rock of My Salvation.  The early Church was called the Gathering and the believers of that Gathering are the True Church. The Christians were those gathered together as followers of Jesus Christ.  They were not followers of Paul, John, or Peter. Jesus if the Rock and He said that Peter was a stone and that Jesus would found His Church upon the Rock, He founded the Church upon Himself.  The word Jesus used to describe Peter means the kind of rock that comes off of a rock promontory. The Old Testament refers to Yahweh as the Rock, not Peter. Different denominations have believers that are members.  As the denominations in the world fall away by declarations of apostasy as official church doctrine the believers that continue to follow Jesus and reject those doctrines of men and demons are still part of the Gathering, scattered and alone as they may be.  Jesus judges by what is true, not the appearances and conceits of vain mankind, but according to Righteousness.  Yahweh is Righteous, Jesus is Righteous, the Holy Spirit is Righteous, not mankind.

Still it is important as to the state of the churches that comprise Christendom denominationally.  Many churches have adopted heresy as the guide to faith and morals and have become apostate. John Calvin noticed the corruption of the church he came to oppose and noted what he saw.  Attempts to correct administrative error, heresy, and apostasy is ineffective in some cases; but noting how one may know how the ministers are gravitating toward the state of apostasy is important. The true Church is the Body of Believers, not a denomination. Paul explains the things that corrupt people and if these things are present and practiced, it may be reform is necessary or the believers who are members of that denomination should decide to flee. Our allegiance is to Jesus.

How much the ministry of the word and sacraments should weigh with us, and how far reverence for it should extend, so as to be a perpetual badge for distinguishing the Church, has been explained; for we have shown, first, that wherever it exists entire and unimpaired, no errors of conduct, no defects should prevent us from giving the name of Church; and, secondly, that trivial errors in this ministry ought not to make us regard it as illegitimate.—French, "Secondement, qu’encore il y ait quelques petites fautes, ou en la doctrine ou aux sacremens qu’icelui no laisse point d’avoir sa vigeur."—Secondly, that though there may be some little faults either in doctrine or in the sacraments, the Church ceases not to be in vigour.—  Moreover, we have shown that the errors to which such pardon is due, are those by which the fundamental doctrine of religion is not injured, and by which those articles of religion, in which all believers should agree, are not suppressed, while, in regard to the sacraments, the defects are such as neither destroy nor impair the legitimate institution of their Author. But as soon as falsehood has forced its way into the citadel of religion, as soon as the sum of necessary doctrine is inverted, and the use of the sacraments is destroyed, the death of the Church undoubtedly ensues, just as the life of man is destroyed when his throat is pierced, or his vitals mortally wounded.—Calvin here answers the question, "How far into error can the (visible) Church go before it ceases to deserve the name?" Minor defects or trivial errors, whether in doctrine or in conduct, do not bring the Church to that point. But if the fundamental articles of religion are injured or suppressed, and the essential elements of the sacraments are destroyed, then the Church dies, and ceases to exist.—  This is clearly evinced by the words of Paul when he says, that the Church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone" (Ephesians 2:20). If the Church is founded on the doctrine of the apostles and prophets, by which believers are enjoined to place their salvation in Christ alone, then if that doctrine is destroyed, how can the Church continue to stand? The Church must necessarily fall whenever that sum of religion which alone can sustain it has given way. Again, if the true Church is "the pillar and ground of the truth" (I Timothy 3:15), it is certain that there is no Church where lying and falsehood have usurped the ascendancy.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Henry Beveridge, translator

Instances of Apostasy

We live in the Age of Grace and we know that there are none among us who have not sinned.  The application of the death penalty for infractions of the Law of Moses are not ours to execute.  The Law was a tutor to show the difference between kinds of sin and was instituted when civil law and criminal law was invested in the Priests to discharge according to its statutes.  The Book of Romans explains how the Law of the Spirit has allowed Grace.  Paul teaches that we are not to be taken to task over when we celebrate Sabbaths.  As members of the Body of Christ we have freedom in Christ.  The purpose of this section is to point out what constitutes apostasy, not an excuse to take the Law for our destruction or persecute people by stoning them.

No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God.

My servant David shall be prince over them, and there shall be one shepherd for them all; they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees.

Ezekiel 37:23-24

"Every command that I enjoin on you, you shall be careful to observe, neither adding to it nor subtracting from it.

"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer who promises you a sign or wonder,

urging you to follow other gods, whom you have not known, and to serve them: even though the sign or wonder he has foretold you comes to pass,

pay no attention to the words of that prophet or that dreamer; for the LORD, your God, is testing you to learn whether you really love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

The LORD, your God, shall you follow, and him shall you fear; his commandment shall you observe, and his voice shall you heed, serving him and holding fast to him alone.

But that prophet or that dreamer shall be put to death, because, in order to lead you astray from the way which the LORD, your God, has directed you to take, he has preached apostasy from the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and ransomed you from that place of slavery. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst.

Deuteronomy 13:1-6 (NAB)

See In the Beginning