Understanding the "falling away" of II Thessalonians Chapter 2

II Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 2:6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming

Introductory comments about this passage

This passage is often cited as one of the main objections to the pre-tribulational rapture. I am going to try and exegete this passage to the best of my ability in hopes that it will clear up any confusion where the pre-trib rapture is concerned. I don't want anyone to have to go through the terrible tribulation period because of a misunderstanding. I know that some say that one's eschatology position is trivial and we shouldn't even discuss it. I disagree wholeheartedly for several reasons. First, we are commanded to study the scriptures to shew ourselves approved unto God, and to "rightly divide" the word of truth. In my mind, that means we should leave no stone unturned when it comes to studying the various aspects of the bible. Secondly, it is my personal opinion, that one's attitude toward the rapture will determine whether or not he/she participates in that rapture. We are exhorted to "not be ashamed before Him at His coming." There are those that will disagree with me (and that's ok-I don't have a monopoly on the truth), but I happen to believe that one who is looking for the imminent return of Christ lives differently than one who does not. Over and over in the scriptures we are commanded to watch, and that the hope of Jesus' soon return is a motivation to personal purity. Also we must keep in mind, that any view other than the pre-trib view, violates the doctrine of imminence, which is found throughout the scriptures.

Now let's look at the passage

II Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him

This may seem like a small thing, but notice that there is a distinction made between the "coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" and "our gathering together unto him." When Jesus comes to the earth it will be to set up the kindgom. Take a look at the Strong's concordance definition for the "coming" of the LORD described here.

1.presence

2.the coming, arrival, advent

a) the future visible return from heaven of Jesus, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally and gloriously the kingdom of God

For time's sake, I'm not going to list all the differences between the second coming and the rapture in this article. For more information and contrasts between those two events, check out article Why the rapture must occur before the tribulation Suffice it to say, that at the rapture, Jesus comes to the clouds and "them that look for him" will go up to meet Him in the air. When he returns to the earth (i.e. the "parousia") "every eye will see Him" (Rev 1) including the ungodly as they are brought into judgement. We (the overcoming church coming from all the nations of the world) will be "gathered" together unto Christ and will meet him in the air (I Thess 4). This "gathering" was prophesied thousands of years before in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be

Moving on....................

II Thess 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

This "day of Christ" is accepted by most scholars as the thousand year (or millenial) reign of Christ that begins when Jesus sets His feet upon the mount of olives. (Remember at the rapture, He only comes to the clouds and stops, but at the "parousia" He returns to the earth to set up the kindgom.

II Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years

I Cor 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Zechariah 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south

Once we understand the context of these verses, we can then begin to understand why these Christians at Thessalonica were a little anxious. They weren't afraid that the tribulation had passed them by, they were afraid that they had missed out in being part of the coming kingdom! Then Paul explains to them that there are a few things that must happen before the coming kingdom (thousand year reign) begins. And with that in mind, we proceed to one of the most misunderstood and misquoted passages in the entire word of God.

Understanding the "falling away" of verse 3

II Thess 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

First we must remember what Paul is referring to when he says "that day shall not come....." He's talking about that "day of Christ (or day of the LORD)" characterized by the thousand year reign beginning when Jesus literally sets His foot on the mount of Olives. Paul says that the millenial kingdom will not begin until two things happen. First, there must be a "falling away." It is Strong's concordance reference number #646 and the word is "apostacia"

Interestingly enough, the word apostacia is only used twice in the entire word of God. It is used here in II Thessalonians, and translated as "falling away." It is used also in Acts and the 21st chapter.

Acts 21:21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

In this verse, apostacia is translated as "forsake." Here in Acts, Paul is being falsely accused of instructing Jewish believers to abandon all of their customs. I credit a dear brother in Iowa for pointing something out to me that I had not considered. Many translators believe that the falling away referenced in II Thessalonians refers to the rapture (some translations render it "departure" instead of falling away, the rebellion, etc.). This brother showed me the fallacy in this line of thinking because the only other time the word "apostacia" is used in the scriptures- it has a negative connotation-not a positive departure, but rather a negative one. Just as Paul being accused of telling the Jews to "forsake" Moses and their customs was an undesirable thing- so also is the "falling away" in II Thessalonians. It is not a joyful departure from this earth, but rather a theological and personal departure from faith in Christ!

Jesus foretold as we get closer to the end of the church age, there will be many who turn away from the faith. I don't often cite other translations, but I think it's useful in this instance to see how different versions translate this passage of scripture found in Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved (NIV)

Matthew 24:10 At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (NASB)

In the KJV version, the word is translated in verse 10 as "offended" The Greek word used is "Skandalizo" (Strongs #4624) and is translated various ways, but it carries a far deeper meaning than just getting one's feelings hurt. The implication is that the offence or stumblingblock is so great that it causes one to turn away from Christ and join the ranks of those who persecute true believers.

Paul warned Timothy in the pastoral epistles, that as we draw nearer and nearer to the end of the age, people will turn away from Christ.

I Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils

Here is a textbook definition of the masculine form- apostasion (Strongs #647).

Apostacion

1. divorce, repudiation
2. a bill of divorce

So once again, we see that this "falling away" is a negative thing- not a desirable result like the rapture of the church!

But Don't Despair!!!-There is still strong evidence for the pre-trib rapture in the upcoming verses

II Thess 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

This is the second thing that must happen before the coming of Christ to the earth (again, not the rapture but the second coming)- the revealing of antichrist. Now this should send a red-flag to anyone who believes a view other than pre-trib. Here we see that the antichrist will sit in the temple, shewing himself to be God. This poses a problem for those who believe the church will still be here. Take a look at this passage:

John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers

There's no way that the Spirit-filled overcoming church would ever fall for this man sitting in a temple and proclaiming that he's God. I would also caution against a "spiritualization" of this text. There are some which view the "temple" as referring to believers. I have a problem with that view for several reasons. Number one, it is always risky to take an allegorical view of scripture. Any time we can take a literal interpretation of scripture and make sense of it, we should go with that. Another problem I have is that Christ will not share His temple with the devil. This concept is throughtout the scriptures, but Christ made it clear that we cannot serve two masters. If Christ is in the temple-there is no room for the devil!

II Thess 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Of course, the apostle Paul had already covered the bases with them in I Thessalonians (especially the 4th and 5th chapters). He had already taught them that the church would meet the LORD in the air/clouds, therefore they would not be subject to deception taking place in an earthly temple.

II Thess 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

Paul is explaining to them that they should know that something his "withholding" the antichrist (or man of sin if you prefer) from being revealed in his time. What is that withholding force you ask? It is none other than the overcoming church, full of the Holy Ghost! This is not his time, but it is the church's time right now!

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven

We are not the whipping post of the devil or his man of sin!

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Ok, let's keep going.......

I Thess 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way

Again, the Holy Spirit goes to great lengths to explain the details. He says that yes-the "spirit" of antichrist is already here in the earth. But, right now the church full of the Holy Ghost is restraining (or "letting" in the KJV version) until he is taken out of the way.

I John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time

Here, John is telling us that the "spirit" of antichrist is here, but the salt and light of the earth (the church) is keeping the antichrist from being revealed in the earth. He further illustrates this in the 4th chapter.

I John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

I don't know how much plainer it could be! The church is made up of overcomers who are "letting" or hindering, or restraining the evil flood tide of antichrist until we are taken out of the way (by the way of rapture is the implication of course!)

II Thess 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

This is vital information. The church full of the Holy Ghost, will be taken out of the earth (by the apostacia or departure/rapture), and then evil and the devil will be unleashed on the earth. Then and only then will the Wicked one be revealed. And we know how the story ends of course. The Lord returns ("with" his saints-not "for" them) to destroy the antichrist and his evil regime.

Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him

Some final thoughts

I hope that this article will provide some clarity to a hotly debated topic. I realize that this is a sensitive issue, but I ask you to prayerfully read and consider what has been written in this article. I don't want readers of this article to think that the rapture/catching away takes place after the tribulation, thus destroying the need to watch and live temperate/holy in this present dispensation. Jesus is truly coming after a bride without spot, blemish, wrinkle, or any such thing. Let us strive to be that pure and holy bride with our lamps burning, and our vessels full of the oil of the Holy Spirit.

God bless you as you study His word!