The Great Departing, Another Prophetic Event That's Taking Place

Another passage for you all beloved readers to ponder on:

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report of letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come UNTIL THE REBELLION OCCURS.

2 Thessolonians 2:1-3, (NIV)

The apostle Paul is saying that before the day of the Lord, there will first be a 'rebellion', or a 'departing.' The Greek word translated 'rebellion' is apostasia, the source word for our English term 'apostasy'. It means a defection from the truth or a departure from that which was given at the first. The plain meaning of this prophecy is that before Christ returns, many who once were entrusted with the truth(which is God's plain plan of salvation through His Son) will depart from it.

Robert L. Thomas, writing in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, explains that the word apostasia "points to a deliberate abandonment of a former professed position...After the catching away of those in Christ(refer to 1 Thess. 4:17), all who are truly in him will be gone. Conditions will be ripe for people, especially those who call themselves Christian but are not really such, to turn their backs on God in what they do as well as in what they already have in thought. Then their insincerity will demonstrate itself outwardly. This worldwide anti- God movement will be so universal as to earn for itself a special designation: 'the apostasy'-i.e., the climax of the increasing apostate tendencies evident before the rapture of the church."

To supplement this passage from Thess., in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, Paul adds these additional details:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.

The word translated "depart" means "to withdraw, become apostate."

Subsequently, 1 Timothy 4:3-4 writes,

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their wars away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Isn't this so true in present society? Many of the false religions and cults of history have grown out of deceptions or 'apostate' branches of Christianity. Through the centuries whenever the church permitted theological error to creep in, God raised up reformers to call His people back to the foundational doctrines of Scripture. Or He raised up others who led movements to separate themselves according to the Scriptures; that is how many of our present denominations were formed:Pentecostal, Baptist, Bible- Presbyterian etc.

Take America as an example. Today it is generally believed 75-80% of Americans identify themselves as christians. With these facts it must be concluded that America is going apostate. Abortion was legalised in 1973. Homosexuality has become the norm. Divorce, murder are becoming more rampant. What's serious is false gospels, false Christ's and false prophets are so common in American churches. But all these are just a prelude to the final apostasy. They are only preparing the way for the ultimate antichrist who will set himself up in the temple and declare himself to be God. You might say he is preparing his followers to accept his ultimate lie. I' ll elaborate on this in my later posts. Keep you updated!