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Introduction In 1939, as the Spanish Civil War was coming to a close, General Mola was making his final plans to attack Madrid. Someone asked him which of his four columns would be the first to enter the city. He responded with the now famous words that “the fifth column” would be first. General Mola’s hopes were pinned on the help of rebel sympathizers living among the population inside the city of Madrid. They were already at work behind Loyalist lines, aiding his cause and preparing for the overthrow of Madrid. Since this time, the phrase “the fifth column” has been used worldwide to describe people who assist the enemy from within. The biblical term for “the fifth column” is the word “apostate”. An apostate is someone who masquerades for a while within the body of believers, but eventually reveals his false belief. This is the one who says they know Christ and comes to church, but, at some point, announces they do not believe the Bible anymore, leaves the church, and denies Christ for the rest of their lives. John the apostle wrote about these people in I John 2:19 when he describes them and explains, They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. In light of our study in Revelation 13 regarding the antichrist, I found it especially interesting that John continues in this same paragraph, in verses 21‑22, to say, I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ [that is, the Messiah – God in the flesh]? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. So John writes about those who have left the church – apostates who deny the truth about Christ. Even worse than these are the ones who never leave the church. They create a fifth column and are, in reality, in league with the enemy of the church.
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