Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
This passage of scripture contains a very dire warning from the apostle Paul about what was to take place after his departure. The knowledge of the coming deceptions which were to try the faith and belief of the new believers to the very core, was the source of much grief, crying, and tears for the aged apostle, and he vented his deep concern for the newly formed Christian church with the caution that the overseers and spiritual leaders of the people be faithful in feeding the flock of God with the unadulterated word. This prophecy of a great departure from the revealed will of God certainly came true, and since that time very gross errors have entered Christianity, and have become the mainstream belief systems for the overwhelming majority of believers.
The sad thing about this great falling away is that it was instituted and established by the very members of the Christian church, and thus the church became its own worst enemy. There are now several prominent falsehoods that are espoused by most Christians, and even though many of us may be sincere in our beliefs, yet because of Paul's dire warnings, we owe it to our selves to closely investigate every doctrine and every teaching we hold dear, to see if it lines up with what the scriptures teach. The erroneous teaching of the natural immortality of the soul is now held by most Christians as a scriptural doctrine, and this teaching has now been regrettably disseminated throughout the world in general, so that most of earth's inhabitants now believe in life immediately after death, a belief for which there is no scriptural authority.
This doctrine was supposedly rooted in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where some claim that the rewards for good and evil were granted immediately at death. But a careful examination of the text will show that it is literally impossible for those deductions to be true, for they make no sense whatsoever when taken literally, and they actually attempt to set God against Himself, by doing the opposite of what He has plainly stated in His word. Let's read the parable:
Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
The passage does not state where or what the "Bosom of Abraham" is, nor is the word "Heaven" ever mentioned even once, so the conclusion that the bosom of Abraham must be heaven is a private interpretation, with no scriptural foundation whatsoever. But even more ludicrous is the assertion that a person can have an intelligent conversation going on, while the fires of hell are burning their mouth, their tongue, and every other body part. Furthermore, if we were to believe the "Private interpretation" to this text, heaven must be in very close proximity to hell, for Abraham to hear what the rich man is saying, and for the rich man with his burnt eyes to recognize poor Lazarus in heaven. And then again, if heaven and hell are so close to one another, then the chances of Abraham and Lazarus being burnt also goes up significantly, for even in our day when a forest fire is burning, firefighters sometimes die just by being in close proximity to the flames.
This and many other false theories and erroneous doctrines is what Paul was warning the newly formed Christian church about, and the fact that they were introduced to the new believers via internal wolves makes it all the more disturbing. It therefore rests with us to study the word of God for ourselves, and use the scriptural methods of interpretation, lest we beat about aimlessly on the rocks of infidelity, and build our spiritual house upon the shifting sands of erroneous teachings, which distort the word of God to give us a false sense of security, only for us to discover that deceptions can never save us. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to study the word with a humble heart and a teachable spirit so that The Holy Ghost may lead us into all truth. Let's read:
2nd Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!