What in the world is happening? part 2

The Great Apostasy

2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 (ESV)

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

recap

the man of lawlessness, the anti-christ is not revealed until a rebellion comes

he will take his seat in the temple and declare himself to be God.

Signs of the times

The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words apŏstasia ἀποστασία

646. ἀποστασία apŏstasia, ap-os-tas-ee´-ah; fem. of the same as 647; defection from truth (prop. the state) [“apostasy”]:— falling away, forsake.

Apostasy is the great rebellion. many professing believers will leave the faith as the time of the final prophecies draw near culminating in the return of Jesus to the earth.

1 Timothy 4:1–2 ESV

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

Some observations

Many exhibit s a felt need to justify their decision to leave the faith.

contradictions in the Bible

bad experience with other Christians, hypocrisy

feel that the Bible is not relevant to the culture.

These objections have been answered many times. so whats really happening?

they do not realize that they have traded one master for another

devoted-means to serve.

those who commit apostasy unwittingly serve satan.

they will ridicule this idea

the decision is ultimately based not on a reasoned weighing of the evidence available but on the appeal to a moral autonomy.

they may not even realize that is their true motive, thus the deception of evil spirits.