Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 343

December 9;      2 Thessalonians 2:3;       187/260(III);       ‘The Falling Away’

2 Thessalonians 2:3 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,

Many biblical teachers teach that ‘falling away’ means that the church will rebel against the truth and turn away from the faith.  I personally do not see that in the Word of God.  A very well respected Bible teacher looks at this verse in a very different light.  He teaches that ‘falling away’ can be translated departure.  What he teaches and what I believe, especially as you look at these verses in context is that falling away or depart is the rapture of the church.  In other words the anti-christ cannot begin his work until the church is gone.  The church is too powerful for the devil and his end time plans.  Verses 6-7 seem to verify this.  Verse 6 tells us that the church is restraining the anti-christ so that he cannot be revealed. Verse 7 confirms this.  The anit-christ is either at work or will be at work, but his work cannot actually begin until the church that restrains him is removed by the Lord at the rapture.  This makes an abundance of sense to me biblically.  When Jesus rose from the dead, He gave the church authority over the devil.  The church is well able to stop the workings of the evil one and his forces.  Why will the church of Jesus Christ suddenly rebel and revolt against Jesus.  That makes no sense to me.  Knowing the power of the church, our presence on the earth prohibits the devil from what he will try to do through the anti-christ and his forces.  Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ.  The devil cannot cause havoc until the church is gone