2 Thessalunians 3, 4. "Lest anyone might deceive you according to any manner. Because the day of the Lord cannot come except that the apostasy might come first and the man of lawlessness might be revealed, the son of destruction, the one who opposes and lifts himself over everything being called god or holy to the extent that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."
In verses 1 and 2 we found that a forged letter was sent to Thessalonica proporting that the Great Tribulation had already started. This disturbed many people concerning their understanding of the coming of the Lord.
The second half of verse 3 and verse 4 do not make a complete sentence if translated word for word from the Greek text. We need to bring down the thought of "the day of the Lord" from verse 2. Therefore I have included it in my translation but in light print.
The meaning of the revelation of the man of lawlessness is virtually undisputed. So, we will examine this first, and it will help us most accurately know what "the apostasy" is.
Verse 4 tells us that this man will lift himself above everything called god or holy and sit down in the temple of God to prove that he is god. This corresponds perfectly to Daniel 11:36.
(Daniel 11:36) Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods, and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. (NASV)
Speaking of the same event Danieliel says:
Daniel 11:31. And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. (NASV)
The abomination of desolation is when this man of lawlessness sits in the temple, and we see that coincide with the doing away of the regular sacrifice. Daniel 9:27 tells us that this will happen in the middle of the seven year tribulation.
Daniel 9:27. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a great destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who make desolate. (NASV)
In Danieliel 9:27 we see an event that precedes the abomination. "He will make a covenant with the many for one week." This event begins the last week, that is, the seven years of tribulation, the Day of the Lord. Who are "the many"? In the context of Danieliel we are only dealing with the nation of Israel, Jews. They will turn away from God and sign a covenant with the man of lawlessness. This helps us understand the "apostasy" in Thessalonians.
The word "apostasy" is a transliteration from "ano" (from) and (to stand); hence, a standing from. Acts 21:21 is the only other time this noun is used in the New Testament. "They told concerning you [Paul] that you teach apostasy [to forsake (KJV)] from Moses."
But the word is used in the Septuagint and always depicts a "standing from" God: Joshua 22:22, rebellion toward God; 2 Chroniceles 28:19, departure from God; 2 Chroniceles 33:19, unfaithfulness; Jeremiah 2:19, wickedness.
Kenneth Wuest gives the translation of "departure," that is, the departure of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), emphasizing the basic meaning. This is an interesting thought and a possible interpretation. But every time the word is used, it has a negative connotation, so I favor the concept of apostasy or rebellion.
Kittle says that this is an apostasy by Christians. But nowhere else does the Bible speak of Christians, the Body of Christ, going into such an apostate condition.
Based on the dominant usage meaning of "anoaraala" (apostasy, rebellion) and the close association by context with the event that marks the middle of the Tribulation, we must conclude that the apostasy is the very event that marks the beginning of the Tribulation; the Jews "make a firm covenant" with the man of lawlessness (Danieliel 9:27) and rebel in apostasy from God. (cf. Danieliel 11:23; "make an alliance")
In the first half of the Tribulation, relative calm will exist (Danieliel 11:23, 24), but in the middle, after the man of lawlessness exalts himself above everything called god (Danieliel 11:36, 37), God will rain His wrath down upon the earTh It will be a time of great horror (Danieliel 12:1, 2).
This is the horror with which the pseudo apostles hope to shake the Thessalonians.
So, let's see where we are in chapter 2. Paul asks the Thessalonians not to be shaken by false information to the effect that the Day of the Lord has started and is continuing lest they be deceived. They should know that the apostasy must come first (npwrov), the signing of the covenant with the man of lawlessness, the event that begins the seven year countdown of the Tribulation. And then, three and one-half years later, this man will be revealed when he sets himself in the temple of God.
Since the Thessalonians had seen neither of these events, they did not have to fear that they were in the midst of the Day of the Lord and especially His wrath upon the earth.
The same is true today. Unless you see these events, you need have no fear that you are in the middle of God's wrath upon the earth. And it will become clear in the ensuing verses that no member of the Body of Christ will ever see either one of these events.
On the other hand, those who do not know Christ have only this fearful expectation before them. Only Jesus Christ can rescue from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
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