STUDY ELEVEN – THE RAPTURE AND THE ANTICHRIST!
INTRODUCTION
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7)
Tn Second Thessalonians 2:5, the apostle Paul addressed end-time events and included the rapture of the Church in his writing. In an interrogative manner, he began his discourse to the Thessalonians, saying, “Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things?”
In Second Thessalonians 2:1, Paul began his passage on end-time events and the rapture of the Church, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you…”.
I want to re-emphasize that this word “gathering” is a reference to God’s trumpet call for His people to break camp, advance, and move forward and upward. The fact that Paul would begin this text in Second Thessalonians 2 in this way is important because it lays a foundation for the rest of this chapter, which discusses in greater detail the catching away of the Church that will occur at the very end of this age.
The Backstory That Prompted Paul
2 Thessalonians 2:1 says, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you.” The phrase 1 want you to notice contains the words “by the coming of the Lord.” The word “coming” is from the Greek word with the technical expression for the royal visit of a king or emperor or the arrival of one who alone has the authority and power to deal with a situation and put things in correct order.
Because this word was a technical term used to describe the royal visit or arrival of a king or emperor or of one who alone had the authority and power to deal with a situation and put things in order, it also lets us know that when Jesus comes in this particular prophetic moment, He will begin to put forth His power to deal with the wrongs in the world and to put things in order.
Part of the righting of wrongs and setting things straight will occur as judgment is poured out on the ungodly and wicked during the seven-year Tribulation period. But here in Second Thessalonians, Paul returned to what he had written earlier about the rapture of the Church in First Thessalonians 4:17.
Then in verse 2, Paul added, “not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come!” This verse is filled with important insight, so we will unpack it to understand every nuance of the words therein.
The words “soon shaken” points to events that cause shock or alarm. It refers to an occurrence (or repeated occurrences) so unexpected that it results in shock or distress that has the potential to throw people into a state of dismay.
But Paul urged his readers not to be soon shaken in “mind.” The word “mind” is from a Greek word that describes everything in the realm of the intellect, including one’s will, emotions, and ability to think, reason, and decide. Whoever or whatever controls a person’s mind ultimately has the power to dictate the affairs and outcome of that person’s life.
Paul additionally told his readers not to be “troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter…as that the day of Christ is at hand.” The word “troubled” indicates an inward fright that causes a person to be filled with anxiety, fear, or worry. The words “neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us” are also very important in Second Thessalonians 2:2. The word “spirit” is used here to refer to spiritual experiences or spiritual utterances that are out of sync with the revealed Word of God. It pictures ecstatic utterances, and Paul used it here to refer to strange utterances, weird revelations, or euphoric proclamations that have no root in sound doctrine and that produce the negative effect of spiritually upsetting the church.
A Last-Days Apostasy and The Manifestation of the Antichrist
Then in the next verse, Second Thessalonians 2:3, Paul began setting the record straight as he continued, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…”
The word “deceive” is a translation of the Greek word that means to craftily take advantage, to cheat, to beguile, to deceive, or to lead into error. This word conveys a deep deception and highlights the depth of the deception involved. Among other places, Paul used this word in Romans 16:18 to speak of flattering speech that is intended to deceive, and also in 2 Corinthians 11:3 to denote how Satan beguiled Eve with seducing words.
Paul went on to say, “… for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…” By using these words, Paul was stating that the Day of the Lord, or the seven-year Tribulation period, will not come except or unless — or some newer translations say until — a falling away comes first. The use of this word “except” at this juncture soundly warns that before the Day of the Lord, or before the seven-year Tribulation period begins, there will first be a “falling away.” Not only does this falling away occur before the Tribulation – but it also occurs before the resurrection of the righteous dead and the catching away of the saints who are still on the earth vibrantly living for Christ.
This falling away will be a worldwide apostasy — not only in the Church, but also throughout society at large — and this apostasy, or worldwide spiritual mutiny, will pave the way for the Antichrist to eventually be revealed.
The words “falling away” are interpreted from the Greck word that means to stand apart from, to distance oneself from, to step away from, to withdraw from, or to shrink away from. It is from this very Greek word that we derive the word apostate or apostasy.
In the Greek and Roman world, this word was used to denote political rebellion or military defection. Paul, a linguist, used this word correctly to state that a worldwide mutinous attitude will develop toward God and His Word at the very end of the age — in the time frame that precedes the manifestation of the Antichrist. Thus, Paul correctly used this word to predict that a rebellion or mutiny against God will occur in society at large in the last days.
A Worldwide Modification Process Is Required
Before These Biblical Events Ensue
Paul said that this apostacy will happen “first” and only then will it be possible for the Man of Sin to be revealed. The word “first” in Greek is proton, and it means first, as in chronology or sequence of time. Thus, before the Antichrist will make his appearance on the world stage, first the world will stand apart from, distance itself from, step away from, withdraw from, and shrink away from the law of God that it once held to be true.
You see, in order for a “man of lawlessness” to come to power, society must first cast aside the law of God and distance itself from it. Eventually, the climate will be so changed that it will be prepared to accommodate and even embrace a man of lawlessness who seems perfect for the times.
The fact is a worldwide modification is already underway as the world is being prepared for the appearance of the Antichrist. An amoral philosophy is being proliferated in media, education, and nearly every sphere of society. Evidence abounds revealing how far delusion and a widespread mutiny against God and His Word have already advanced in the world today. And this way of thinking is being perpetuated in the education of children and young people in schools and universities.
In addition, through the media and every other avenue possible, this worldview is being aggressively pushed by “progressives” who believe they have the right to subject everyone else — including Christians — to their new moral code. But there is a larger satanic plan at work that even these progressives are unaware of. It is a plan to lead society along the prophetic route to a day when the Antichrist will be revealed to the world. The world is being primed and prepared for the ultimate manifestation of the Antichrist at the end of the age.
In the book of Daniel, we find multiple references to the Antichrist making his appearance at the end of the age. Daniel 8:23 says, “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes.”
Notice this prophecy refers to the “latter time” and to a moment “when the transgressors have reached their fullness” This is speaking of a time at the end of the age when society will be led so far off track that it will completely set aside the law of God. This is precisely what we are witnessing in our own times and exactly what Paul prophesied would occur in Second Thessalonians 2:3.
But Daniel 8:23 is so important to this conversation that I want you to see how it was rendered in other versions.
The New King James Version says, “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes.”
The New American Standard Bible says, “And in the latter period of their dominion, when the wrongdoers have run their course, a king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue.”
The New Living Translation says, “At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power.”
Notice all of these translations speak of latter times when sin has reached its zenith and society runs amuck and goes completely astray.
Exactly at that moment:
“A king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up” (KJV).
“A king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes” (NKJV).
“A king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue” (NASB)
“A fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power” (NLT).
The Antichrist will appear as a progressive world leader, but these versions of Daniel 8:23 tell us that he will in reality be fierce, have fierce features, and be insolent.
He will be skilled in darkness, sinister schemes, intrigues, and will be marked with supernatural powers. This goes well with Revelation 13:3-4 where the Antichrist is described as a “beast.” We will return to Revelation 13:3-4 in next studies so you can more fully understand why the Bible refers to him that way.
But in Second Thessalonians 2:7, Paul stated that the mystery of iniquity has been working for a long time. It is a covert, secret plan that the devil has been slowly executing right under people’s noses, as he has methodically and tediously walked the world away from the law of God to become a society that has thrown off moral restraints. This is precisely what Paul had in mind when he wrote of an apostate world that has stepped away from the law of God. So, Paul, in agreement with Daniel 8:23, predicted a worldwide society in a state of rebellion or mutiny against God would emerge in the last days.
There is a reason this worldwide mutiny must happen first — for if the world had remained rooted in Judeo-Christian principles, as it has for many centuries, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for a man of lawlessness (such as the Antichrist) to rise to power. So, before the Antichrist will make his grand appearance, first the world will go through a worldwide modification process to prepare for his arrival.
This is precisely what we have been observing as society has more and more thrown off the voice of Scripture to create a new world with a new moral code that is both messy and chaotic. I’m sure you would agree that we are living in a mind-boggling period of deceived thinking that most of us wouldn’t have imagined possible a generation ago.
And once the “restrainer” (see 2 Thessalonians 2:7) is removed from the scene, all guardrails for morality and godliness will be completely cast aside, and Paul said that is when the Antichrist, or the man of Sin, will make his appearance to the world as a progressive and great new world leader.
This means the Antichrist will throw out all previously agreed-upon moral standards and will rise as an aggressive proponent of departing from God’s well-established laws. He will not be just a person with a lawless attitude; he will be the Man of Lawlessness — the epitome of one who has fully discarded God’s well-established laws to become Satan’s perfect candidate to lead a mutinous world that has likewise rejected the voice of God and Scripture as its internal compass.
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