| A Falling Away & The Man Of Sin |
In this study we shall look into the time line of the rapture from another portion of scripture:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
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.
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;
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.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?(KJV)
Notice that:
- Paul talks about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him, and;
- That day (the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him, as seen in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1), shall not come except:
- A falling away comes first;
- The man of sin be revealed.
By looking at these verses (1-5), and the two points made from them, it is clear that our gathering together unto him (the rapture), cannot happen until after the man of sin (the antichrist) is revealed. By knowing this, it makes it easier to interpret the following verses:
2 Th 2:6-8
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
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:(KJV)
The man of sin is being held back, until he that is holding him back is taken out of the way. Then shall the man of sin be revealed. Since the man of sin must be revealed before our gathering together unto the Lord (the rapture), he that is holding back the man of sin cannot be the church, because the man of sin must be revealed first.
Also to be noted is that 2 Thessalonians 2 is a continuation of 2 Thessaloniains 1 and will only bring further understanding on the text of chapter two discussed here.
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