The Apostasy
Pastor Leslie Chua
“As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.
Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.”
In this passage, the apostle Paul was addressing a very interesting situation in the Thessalonian church. It is quite comical if it is not a serious matter.
The Thessalonian believers were alarmed and shaken by some news that the rapture of the church had already happened and that they were in the Tribulation period. In other words, they had missed the rapture. Jesus had come to take believers to be with Him in heaven, and they were left behind. They had missed the boat. Well, if that is true, it is serious.
Nobody, including Paul, knew the source of this rumour. It might have been a prophecy or a forged letter purportedly coming from Paul. Whatever the source, it caused much confusion as well as created heightened anxiety among the Thessalonian believers. Paul had to beg them to calm down.
Paul responded decisively to the rumour, essentially calling it fake news. He took the matter seriously, referring to it as a deception.
The Truth of the Matter
Here is the truth of the matter: for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
We have to clarify a few terms first before we move on, so that we understand clearly what Paul is saying.
First, ‘the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ It refers to the Second Coming of Jesus. There are 2 phases to Christ’s Second Coming - the rapture of the church, where He takes faithful believers to be with Him in heaven, and the glorious appearing, where He returns to defeat Satan and the Antichrist.
It is obvious that the rapture is referred to here because of the next statement, which follows immediately – ‘our being gathered together to him.’ It cannot possibly mean anything else except the rapture.
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So, essentially, this is what Paul is saying when you consider verses 1 and 3 together: the rapture and the 7-year Tribulation cannot happen unless the ‘the rebellion comes first’ and the Antichrist is revealed. Since these 2 events have not occurred yet, the Tribulation cannot have taken place. Therefore, the Thessalonians could not possibly be in the Tribulation.
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Next, ‘the day of the Lord’ or ‘that day.’ It refers to the 7-year Tribulation.
As for the ‘lawless one,’ it refers to the Antichrist. It is clear from the statement immediately following in verse 4 – ‘He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.’
So, essentially, this is what Paul is saying when you consider verses 1 and 3 together: the rapture and the 7-year Tribulation cannot happen unless ‘the rebellion comes first’ and the Antichrist is revealed. Since these 2 events have not occurred yet, the Tribulation cannot have taken place. Therefore, the Thessalonians could not possibly be in the Tribulation.
Coming from the apostle Paul, the Thessalonians must have heaved a sigh of relief.
The Rebellion
We can understand the part about the revelation of the lawless one, or the Antichrist. But what does the rebellion refer to?
In the original text, the Greek word for rebellion is apostasia. Apostasia means apostasy, rebellion, departure, falling away from the faith, defection, rejection, abandonment, or to forsake.
According to the Louw Nida Lexicon, it is ‘to rise in open defiance of authority with the presumed intention to overthrow it or to act in complete opposition to its demands – to rebel against, to revolt, to engage in insurrection, rebellion.’
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In the original text, the Greek word for rebellion is apostasia. Apostasia means apostasy, rebellion, departure, falling away from the faith, defection, rejection, abandonment, or to forsake.
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The only other time apostasia is used in the New Testament Scripture is in Acts 21:21 (NRSV) - They have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs.
Here, the accusation against Paul is that he taught the Jews to forsake the law of Moses. The idea here is a deliberate defection from a formerly held religious position.
Different Bible scholars and expositors have different opinions concerning the meaning of this rebellion or apostasia. But here are the 2 most plausible explanations. These are the 2 most accepted views.
The Rebellion of the Antichrist
The first view: the apostasia refers to the Antichrist’s rebellion against God.
Notice the definite article “the” preceding the word “rebellion” – ‘for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first…’ It indicates that this is a specific event happening at a specific time.
Verse 3 tells us that the lawless one caused the rebellion, while verse 4 tells us the specific event of his rebellion – ‘He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.’
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The first view:
The apostasia refers to the Antichrist’s rebellion against God.
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The Antichrist will pit himself against God. Just like Lucifer aeons ago, he wants to be like God. He wants to be God. The best place for him to position himself and declare his divinity is in God’s temple in the city of Jerusalem.
Both the prophet Daniel and our Lord Jesus Christ also prophesied concerning this event, calling the Antichrist the ‘abomination of desolation’ (Daniel 8:11-13; Matthew 24:15).
The Apostasy of Believers
The second view: the apostasia refers to the great falling away of the church. Many believers will defect from their allegiance to Christ and depart from their Christian faith. Essentially, such an act is a rebellion against God.
This description fits into the only other time when the word apostasia is used in the New Testament Scripture, as we have noted earlier in Acts 21:21.
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The second view:
The apostasia refers to the great falling away of the church. Many believers will defect from their allegiance to Christ and depart from their Christian faith. Essentially, such an act is a rebellion against God.
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While the word apostasia is not used in other instances, backsliding in the church occurred and will continue to occur, and it will get increasingly worse towards the end of this present age.
The apostle Paul warned concerning the last days – “You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
The risen Christ also warned in his letter to the church in Laodicea, - "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16). Many believe the church in Laodicea characterises the church of the last days.
Repetitive and severe backsliding from the faith will most certainly culminate in apostasy. Wilfully unrepentant believers will sink deeper into their sins. Lukewarm believers will turn cold eventually until they become spiritually dead. Deception, persecution, and pressure will reach unprecedented levels during the time leading to the rapture and the Tribulation. It is not surprising that many will abandon their faith in Christ during this time.
There could be an event that catalyses a massive falling away of Christians from their faith in Christ. A possibility is the revelation of the Antichrist or something that he says or does. Maybe it could be a stunning deception that convinces believers that Jesus is not God.
I say that in the light of verse 3 - ‘for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed…’
The apostasy and the revelation of the Antichrist will precede the Tribulation.
Bible scholars have pointed out that the syntax of this statement in Greek is not certain. So, the apostasy may come first, and after that, the Antichrist will be revealed. It could also mean that these 2 events could happen simultaneously. In other words, the Antichrist is the cause of the apostasy.
Given that, the Antichrist may do something phenomenal that causes Christians to walk away from their faith, resulting in a one-time event of apostasy.
Well, to begin with, these Christians have probably never taken Jesus and their faith seriously. These Christians profess Christ, but they do not take the Bible seriously, obey the Word, and live according to God’s ways. So, when deception comes, they will fall away easily and quickly.
Assurance of Rapture
Whichever may be the case – whether the apostasia refers to the Antichrist’s rebellion or a massive falling away of the church – we, the Omega generation of believers, must be very careful to guard our faith. The time of the end is perilous. We cannot afford to be complacent. Instead, we must be alert and watchful.
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We can have the assurance of salvation by walking closely with the Lord Jesus and living according to His ways.
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The Thessalonian believers were concerned that they had missed the rapture. Many believers today share the same fear and anxiety. We do not have to live in that way. We can have the assurance of salvation by walking closely with the Lord Jesus and living according to His ways.