33 Bible Verses about Warnings Against Apostasy

For if those who were once for all brought into the Light, and learned to appreciate the gift from Heaven, and came to share in the Holy Spirit, and learned to appreciate the beauty of the Divine Message, and the new powers of the Coming Age-- if those, I say, fell away, it would be impossible to bring them again to repentance; they would be crucifying the Son of God over again for themselves, and exposing him to open contempt.read more.
Ground that drinks in the showers that from time to time fall upon it, and produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is tilled, receives a blessing from God; but, if it 'bears thorns and thistles,' it is regarded as worthless, it is in danger of being 'cursed,' and its end will be the fire.

By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the Message, and at once accepts it joyfully; But, as he has no root, he stands for only a short time; and, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, he falls away at once.

So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully; But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, they fall away at once.

By the seed which fell upon the rock are meant those who, as soon as they hear the Message, welcome it joyfully; but they have no root, and believe it only for a time, and, when the time of temptation comes, they draw back.

It was then that one of the Twelve, named Judas Iscariot, made his way to the Chief Priests, And said "What are you willing to give me, if I betray Jesus to you?" The Priests 'weighed him out thirty pieces of silver' as payment. So from that time Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

After this, Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the Chief Priests, to betray Jesus to them. They were glad to hear what he said, and promised to pay him. So he looked for a way to betray Jesus opportunely.

And then many will fall away, and will betray one another, and hate one another. Many false Prophets, also, will appear and lead many astray; and, owing to the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

Remember, if we sin willfully after we have gained a full knowledge of the Truth, there can be no further sacrifice for sin; there is only a fearful anticipation of judgment, and a burning indignation which will destroy all opponents. When a man disregarded the Law of Moses, he was, on the evidence of two or three witnesses, put to death without pity.read more.
How much worse then, think you, will be the punishment deserved by those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, who have treated the blood that rendered the Covenant valid--the very blood by which they were purified--as of no account, and who have outraged the Spirit of Love? We know who it was that said-- 'It is for me to avenge, I will requite'; and again-- 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

I am astonished at your so soon deserting him, who called you through the love of Christ, for a different 'Good News,'

Now Satan took possession of Judas, who was known as Iscariot, and who belonged to the Twelve; And he went and discussed with the Chief Priests and Officers in charge at the Temple the best way of betraying Jesus to them. They were glad of this, and agreed to pay him.read more.
So Judas assented, and looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus to them, in the absence of a crowd.

But, if any one disowns me before his fellow men, I, too, will disown him before my Father who is in Heaven.

Then you will begin to say 'We have eaten and drunk in your presence, and you have taught in our streets,' and his reply will be-- 'I do not know where you come from. Leave my presence, all you who are living in wickedness.'

Do not let any one deceive you, whatever he may do. For it will not come until after the Great Apostasy, and the appearing of that Incarnation of Wickedness, that the Lost soul,

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my teaching, in this unfaithful and wicked generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his Father's Glory with the holy angels."

For a time will come when people will not tolerate sound teaching. They will follow their own wishes, and, in their itching for novelty, procure themselves a crowd of teachers. They will turn a deaf ear to the Truth, and give their attention to legends instead.

But he, who disowns me before his fellow men, will be altogether disowned before God's angels.

But the Spirit distinctly says that in later times there will be some who will fall away from the Faith, and devote their attention to misleading spirits, and to the teaching of demons,

If any one does not remain united to me, he is thrown away, as a branch would be, and withers up. Such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and are burnt.

From us, it is true, they went out, but they had never belonged to us; for, if they had belonged to us, they would have remained among us. They left us that it might be made clear that they do not, any of them, belong to us.

If we continue to endure, we shall also share his throne. If we should ever disown him, he, too, will disown us.

Be careful, Brothers, that there is never found in any one of you a wicked and faithless heart, shown by his separating himself from the Living God.

Do you, therefore, dear friends, now that you know this beforehand, be on your guard against being led away by the errors of reckless people, and so lapsing from your present steadfastness;

After this many of his disciples drew back, and did not go about with him any longer.

There was, however, a man named Ananias, who, with his wife Sapphira, sold some property, And, with her connivance, kept back some of the proceeds. He brought only a part and laid it at the Apostles' feet. "Ananias," Peter exclaimed, "how is it that Satan has so taken possession of your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit, and kept back a part of the money paid for the land?read more.
While it was unsold, was not it your own? and after it was sold, was not the money at your own disposal? How did you come to think of such a thing? You have lied, not to men, but to God!" As Ananias heard these words, he fell down and expired; and every one who heard of it was appalled. The young men got up, and, winding the body in a sheet, carried it out and buried it. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. "Is it true," Peter asked, addressing her, "that you sold your land for such a sum?" "Yes," she answered, "we did." Then Peter said: "How did you come to agree to provoke the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The foot-steps of those who have buried your husband are at the door; and they will carry you out too." Instantly Sapphira fell down at Peter's feet and expired. On coming in, the young men found her dead; so they carried her out and buried her by her husband's side. The whole Church and all who heard of these events were appalled.

with faith, and with a clear conscience; and it is because they have thrust this aside, that, as regards the Faith, some have wrecked their lives. Hymenaeus and Alexander are instances--the men whom I delivered over to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

They profess to know God, but by their actions they disown him. They are degraded and self-willed; and, as far as anything good is concerned, they are utterly worthless.

for Demas, in his love for the world, has deserted me. He has gone to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

But there were false prophets also in the nation, just as there will be false teachers among you, men who will secretly introduce ruinous divisions, disowning even the Lord who bought them, and bringing speedy Ruin upon themselves. There will be many, too, who will follow their licentious courses, and cause the Way of the Truth to be maligned. In their covetousness they will try to make you a source of profit by their fabrications; but for a long time past their Sentence has not been standing idle, nor their Ruin slumbering.

especially those who, following the promptings of their lower nature, indulge their polluting passions and despise all control. Audacious and self-willed, they feel no awe of the Mighty, maligning them, even where angels, though excelling them in strength and power, do not bring against them a malignant charge before the Lord. These men, however, like animals without reason, intended by nature to be caught and killed--these men, I say, malign those of whom they know nothing, and will assuredly perish through their own corruption,read more.
suffering themselves, as the penalty for the suffering that they have inflicted. They think that pleasure consists in the self-indulgence of the moment. They are a stain and a disgrace, indulging, as they do, in their wanton revelry, even while joining you at your feasts. They have eyes only for adulteresses, eyes never tired of sin; they entice weak souls; their minds are trained to covet; they live under a curse. Leaving the straight road, they have gone astray and followed in the steps of Balaam, the son of Beor, who set his heart on the reward for wrong-doing,

If, after having escaped the polluting influences of the world, through knowing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, men are again entangled in them, and give way to them, their last state has become worse than their first. It would, indeed, have been better for them not to have known the Way of Righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn away from the holy Command delivered to them. In their case is seen the truth of the proverb-- 'A dog returns to what he has vomited' and 'A sow after washing to her wallowing-place in the mud.'

For there have crept in among you certain godless people, whose sentence has long since been pronounced, and who make the mercy of God an excuse for profligacy, and disown our only lord and master, Jesus Christ.

Yet in the very same way these men, too, cherishing vain dreams, pollute our human nature, reject control, and malign the Mighty. Yet even Michael, the Archangel, when, in his dispute with the Devil, he was arguing about the body of Moses, did not venture to charge him with maligning, but said merely 'The Lord rebuke you!' But these men malign whatever they do not understand; while they use such things as they know by instinct (like the animals that have no reason) for their own corruption.read more.
Alas for them! They walk in the steps of Cain; led astray by Balaam's love of gain, they plunge into sin, and meet their ruin through rebellion like that of Korah. These are the men who are blots upon your 'Love-feasts,' when they feast together and provide without scruple for themselves alone. They are clouds without rain, driven before the winds; they are leafless trees without a vestige of fruit, dead through and through, torn up by the roots; They are wild sea waves, foaming with their own shame; they are 'wandering stars,' for which the blackest darkness has been reserved for ever. To these men, as to others, Enoch, the seventh in descent from Adam, declared-- 'See! the Lord has come with his hosts of holy ones around him, to execute judgment upon all men, and to convict all godless people of all their godless acts, which in their ungodliness they have committed, and of all the harsh words which they have spoken against him, godless sinners that they are!' These men are always murmuring, and complaining of their lot; they follow where their passions lead them; they have arrogant words upon their lips; and they flatter men for the sake of what they can get from them.

Yet I have this against you--You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who declares that she is a Prophetess, and misleads my servants by her teaching, till they commit licentious acts and eat idol-offerings. I gave her time to repent, but she is determined not to turn from her licentiousness. Therefore I am laying her upon a bed of sickness, and bringing great suffering upon those who are unfaithful with her, unless they repent and turn from a life like hers.