2 Thessalonians 2.3-The Meaning of the Noun Apostasia-Departure, Apostasy or Rebellion
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday August 15, 2021
Second Thessalonians: 2 Thessalonians 2:3b-The Meaning of the Noun Apostasia: Departure, Apostasy or Rebellion
Lesson # 25
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Do not let anyone deceive any one of you in any way. For, if the rebellion does not take place first, namely the unique person characterized by a distinguishable lawlessness has been revealed, that is, the unique son characterized by a distinguishable destruction, then the Lord’s day is absolutely not taking place. (My translation)
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, Paul attempts to correct and reassure the Thessalonians that the eschatological day of the Lord does not precede the rapture or resurrection of the church.
He teaches that the Spirit, who indwells each member of the church and prevents the appearance of Antichrist and thus the seventieth week of Daniel from beginning, must be removed from earth before the Antichrist can manifest himself.
Thus, the Spirit and the church must be removed before the seventieth week can take place since Daniel 9:27 teaches that the seventieth week begins with Antichrist establishing a treaty with the nation of Israel.
Therefore, Paul is addressing in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 the relationship between the church as well as the rapture and the eschatological day of the Lord, i.e. the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 contains a solemn prohibition followed by a hoti causal clause which presents the reason for the prohibition and contains a third class conditional statement which, presents evidence which identifies that the day of the Lord is taking place.
So therefore, verse 3 begins by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy solemnly prohibiting any person to deceive any member of the Thessalonian Christian community in any way.
I believe that they were Christian pastors or evangelists or both who were in a state or apostasy or like the Thessalonians were simply confused themselves with regards to the timing of the rapture in relation to the eschatological day of the Lord.
Only believers would be familiar or interested with the day of the Lord.
Even though they would be very familiar with the day of the Lord, it is unlikely that Jewish non-believers would be propagating this false doctrine.
This is indicated by the fact that the unregenerate Jewish community in Thessalonica would have nothing to do with the Gentile Christian community in that city because Jews had nothing to do with Gentiles.
Thus, they would never walk into the meetings of the Thessalonian Christian community or walk into the Gentile community to proclaim that the day of the Lord was taking place in their day and age.
Therefore, the Thessalonians were being prohibited from being deceived by these false teachers into believing that the eschatological day of the Lord was taking place in their day and age in accordance with any means such as spirit, a letter or message allegedly from Paul, Silvanus and Timothy.
Now, there is debate among expositors and scholars as to the correct translation and meaning and referent of this word apostasia (ἀποστασία), which we translated “rebellion.”
It appears in the Greek New Testament only twice, here in our passage and Acts 21:21.
This noun means “rebellion” since the word pertains to rising up in open defiance of authority, with the presumed intention to overthrow it or to act in complete opposition to its demands.
It speak of defiance of established system or authority.
The word means “rebellion, an abandonment, an apostasy” since the word pertains to rising up in open defiance of authority, with the presumed intention to overthrow it or to act in complete opposition to its demands.
The NET, ESV LEB, TNIV and NRSV all translate this noun “the rebellion.”
This word refers to a revolt, a departure, and abandoning a position once held.
Some take this word as referring to the rapture.
They contend that this word means “departure” referring to the departure of the church from the earth.
However, this word does not have this meaning in the Greek classics (Plut. Galb. 1.5; Plut. Mulier. 16), Septuagint (Josh. 22:22; 2 Chron. 29:19; 1 Macc. 2:15; Jer. 2:19) or the writings of Josephus (Life 43; Wars 7.82, 164).
In classical Greek, hē apostasia (ἡ ἀποστασία), “the apostasy” was used to denote a political or military rebellion.
In the Septuagint, this expression hē apostasia (ἡ ἀποστασία), “the apostasy” was used of rebellion against God (cf. Josh. 22:22; Jer. 2:19).
In 2 Maccabees 2:15, the word is used of apostasy to paganism.
In Acts 21:21, the noun apostasia (ἀποστασία) is used of Israel’s spiritual departure from the teaching of Moses.
Furthermore, it must be remembered that the rapture of the church does not involve the volition of the individual members of the church since they are forcibly removed from planet earth by the Lord Jesus Christ by means of His omnipotence and this noun apostasia (ἀποστασία) has an active sense and not a passive.
The latter would correspond to the rapture.
Lastly, Paul speaks of the rapture explicitly in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 by describing it as “our gathering together to him.”
Now, it would seem very unlikely that the noun apostasia (ἀποστασία) in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 would refer to the rapture in light of this designation of the rapture in verse 1.
Now, I do not believe that this word apostasia here in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refers to the rapture or the apostasy in the church at the end of the church age.
Rather, I am of the conviction that the word refers to the great rebellion led by the Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel.
This is indicated by the fact that this noun apostasia is ambiguous and begs to be defined.
Throughout his writings, Paul always defined terms which are ambiguous and here he defines the noun apostasia by employing the statement kai apokalyphthē ho anthrōpos tēs anomias, ho huios tēs apōleias (καὶ ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ⸀ἀνομίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας), “and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” (NET)
He further defines the word in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 with the statement ho antikeimenos kai hyperairomenos epi panta legomenon theon ē sebasma, hōste auton eis ton naon tou theou kathisai apodeiknynta heauton hoti estin theos (ὁ ἀντικείμενος καὶ ὑπεραιρόμενος ἐπὶ πάντα λεγόμενον θεὸν ἢ σέβασμα, ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καθίσαι ἀποδεικνύντα ἑαυτὸν ὅτι ἐστὶν θεός), “He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.” (NET)
The reader can see that these statements clearly can be used to define the meaning of the noun apostasia.
Paul is asserting that the apostasia, “the rebellion” is the Antichrist leading a rebellion of the human race against Jesus Christ during the seventieth week of Daniel.
Therefore, since the noun apostasia is ambiguous and begs to be defined, the apostle Paul explains what he means by his use of the word.
Thus, this “rebellion” is Antichrist opposing God by demanding the human race worship him rather than God.
Of course, Satan is behind the Antichrist since Isaiah 14:12-14 teaches that he desires the world to worship him and not God.
Therefore, this noun apostasia is explained in detail by Paul.
He employs the epexegetical use of the conjunction kai to introduce a statement which defines the protasis which speaks of the rebellion led by Antichrist against the Lord Jesus Christ taking place first before the day of the Lord takes place.
The word introduces the statement apokalyphthē ho anthrōpos tēs anomias, ho huios tēs apōleias (ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ⸀ἀνομίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας), “the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” NET)
Therefore, this statement is defining the rebellion as the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction being revealed.