"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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there comes a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"
2 Thessalonians 2:2
2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 (KJV) is a key text in discussions about the timing of the rapture, particularly in relation to the pre-great tribulation view (which holds that the church will be raptured anytime after the mid-point).
Paul is addressing the Thessalonian believers' concern: they were being shaken or troubled by false teachings (via spirit, word, or letter) suggesting that "the day of Christ" (or "day of the Lord" in some manuscripts/contexts) had already arrived or was imminent in a way that included them in judgment of wrath. Paul corrects this by saying that day will not come until two specific things happen first:
1. "A falling away" (Greek: hΔ apostasia — "the apostasy" or "the departure").
2. The revelation of "that man of sin" (the Antichrist, "son of perdition" occurs as a sign to all believers before Rapture).
How Pre-Tribulation Advocates Explain This Passage
Pre-tribulation rapture supporters (like Thomas Ice, Tim LaHaye, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, and others) argue that this passage actually supports a pre-trib rapture rather than interpretation of it contextually based on mid-point and great tribulation. Their main interpretation hinges on the meaning of "the falling away" (apostasia), which becomes twisted not to mean it a falling away from Faith.
• They say that the Greek word apostasia fundamentally means "departure" or "standing away from" (physical or spatial separation), not exclusively a spiritual "falling away" from the faith, which is not the right interpretation but a twisted one. As they say, while it can refer to rebellion or defection in some contexts (e.g., religious apostasy), the root sense is departure according to them which they equate with rapture which is not right.
• In classical Greek usage (e.g., in historical texts), it often described revolt, defection, or literal departure from spiritual faith (rather than physical removal).
• Early English translations (before the KJV) often rendered it as "departing" or "departure," to mean not a physical one but rather a spiritual one from true faith through heresies of the end time.
• With the definite word ("the apostasia"), it points to a specific, one-time event of one world religion establishing a new doctrine of all faiths lead to God, and a religion of peace — not a gradual process of people abandoning faith over time (which had never begun in the NT era, but we can see it foretold as coming at the end time in 1 Timothy 4:1 or Jude just before the end of all things).
They conclude wrongly that "the departure" refers to the rapture itself — the physical removal or gathering of the church to Christ (as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, "our gathering together unto him" in 2 Thess 2:1), rather it is a establishment of one world religion of the end time. A sudden departure against the established faith of Christianity for two thousand years time, which has claimed itself as the only true way to salvation of all human souls to enter into heaven, is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour by repenting of their sins (John 14:1-6).
• The sequence then becomes: The false peace of one world religion first which is the depature of falling away from true faith occurs by which believers will understand who the Antichrist is in the first half of Daniel 70th week of Great Deception, then rapture anytime after the mid-point, followed by the revelation of the Antichrist, before the full "day of the Lord" (the Great Tribulation judgments of 7 Trumpets) can begin and end up in ARMAGEDDON and then the millennium of Jesus Christ and the Church.
• This comforts the Thessalonians: Since the Antichrist hasn't been revealed yet to the world at mid-point, and they haven't yet also experienced this "departure," from Faith which is a precursor event before mid-point, they can't be in the Great Tribulation — they will be taken out beforehand the mandatory 666 enforcement of the mark of the beast of Satan's Wrath upon humankind which will start from Jerusalem to the ends of the world from mid-point.
• Later in the chapter (2 Thess 2:6-8), Paul mentions a "restrainer" (often identified as the Holy Spirit dwelling in the world) being "taken out of the way" at the mid point— which wakes up the church to be ready for Rapture by the mid-night call of the bridegroom Coming referred by Jesus in Matt 25:6-7, so that the Church will be removed at the time of rapture anytime after the mid-point, allowing the Antichrist to be revealed to the world at large till Armageddon.
THE MIDPOINT OF ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION, IS WHAT THE APOSTLE PAUL DESCRIBES WHEN THE RESTRAINER OF LAWLESSNESS WILL BE TAKEN OUT, BUT ONLY AFTER APOSTASY take place within the first half of Great Deception. In the first half of Daniel 70th week of 3.5 years upto mid-point, to the believers Antichrist will be revealed within them by the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:21-29), after the Rapture, the Antichrist will be revealed to the left behind offspring of the Church, who are the lukewarm Laodicean Church seekers and the unbelievers at large. So these are two unique revelation of Antichrist to the believers in the first half and to lukewarm and Unbelievers in the second half of the Daniel 70th week of last seven years time to the end of this age (2 Thess 2:3-4, 8).
Then Paul says, the Antichrist will be revealed to the world through 666 mandatory mark of the beast anytime after the Mid-point Rapture (Rev 13:12-18), this fits the exact scenario of a true pre Great Tribulation Rapture (Rev 14:6-12).
This view preserves the pre-great tribulation rapture and fits Paul's purpose of reassurance rather than alarm.
Then what about imminence, imminency to the Church after Mid-point is that, we do not know the day or the hour, but we know the signs and seasons which will be revealed only in this last generation according to 1 Thess 5:1-4, which is further confirmed within the Daniel 70th week which is the time of the end (that is the Last 7 years time (Dan 12:1-4, 7), never understood by any previous generations according to Daniel 12th Chapter Verse 4 specially. JESUS ALSO SAID, FROM THE FIG TREE BLOOMING GENERATION (Matt 24:32-36), THE UNDERSTANDING ABOUT DANIEL 70TH WEEK WILL OPEN UP AND REACH ITS ZENITH AT THE END according to Matt 24:15, as they will understand!
So the Rapture is imminent anytime after Mid-point!
Israel's power will be fully shattered by the exact time line of 1260 days into the second half of the Daniel 70th week (Dan 12:7), then from the mid-point the Sacrifice is stopped to the time the Abomination of Desolation is set up at the end of the two prophets ministry, it will be 1290 days because the two prophets Elijah and Enoch will resist it until they die and go on to be taken up directly into heaven (Rev 11:1-13). The sign of the Son of Man will start upon the whole earth towards the Second Coming from the ascension of the two prophets (Matt 24:30-31), after which Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour will arrive at 1335 days in which the Blessed and GLORIOUS event of His SECOND COMING TO THE EARTH will take place (Dan 12:12).
JESUS IS COMING SOON! SEEK JESUS NOW!! BE GROUNDED IN HIS WORD!!!
WATCH AND PRAY TO ESCAPE THE GREAT TRIBULATION THAT IS COMING UPON THE WHOLE WORLD ORDER, TO BRING GOD'S WRATH WHICH WILL LEAD TO GOD'S ORDER AND RESTORATION THROUGH THE NEW WORLD OF GOD THAT WILL BE ESTABLISHED BY JESUS CHRIST AND THE CHURCH!
Much Blessings.....
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