Falling Away

[cactusj]

What do ya'll think the falling away is?

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

 

[Bizzlebin Imperatoris]

That means that before all of that happened, there was the mass falling away due to the persecution under the Roman Empire.

 

[Evangelical Pastor]

It's absolutely amazing the extent of absurdity that some people go to twist Bible verses totally out of context in order to deceive people.Fortunately in this case ,the context of verse three is established in verse one of chapter two.Paul is writing about the soon "coming of Jesus".The falling away refers to the tidal wave of sin that has flowed throughout the world.Just reading the front page of any newspaper on any day of the week will give you all the evidence you need.But here are some of the major falling away from Jesus's teachings:Over 900 young American men and women have now been killed in Iraq fighting for "freedom",a completely non-Christian concept and in flagrent violation of the command to love our enemies,the rise of corporate greed and corruption causing multi-million dollars a year company executives to defraud their own customers to line their own pockets,the popularity of sexual sin especially oral sex which many Christians have been deceived into believing is not fornication and re-marriage which Jesus repeatedly taught is an act of adultery,the overwhelming success of the pornography industry (porn companies are now secretly installing porn pop-up ad software in their victim's computers when they download widely advertised free screensavers) and of course the rising tide of homosexuality which is perverting the entire nation.The United States has now fallen into the distinction of becoming the most morally corrupt and evil nation in the entire history of the world.

If in the immediate future God does not destroy the United States,all of us should start to demand that He publically admit that He made a big mistake when He destoyed Sodam.He just has to put a stop to this moral sickness.We have forced His hand.NOW COME LORD JESUS,COME!

 

[Bizzlebin Imperatoris]

I don't think you need to be asking God to say He made a mistake. Trust me, you have no idea how bad these places were. The US would look SO MUCH better.

 

[Andrew]

What do ya'll think the falling away is?

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

The "falling away" refers to the rapture of the church. Here the passage is saying that the Anti-Christ will not come on the scene until the church is taken out of the way.

What's holing back the anti-Christ and his full force now is the salt of the earth. But once that is removed, the stage is his.

The word apostasy or "falling away" also means a "physical removal". Some very early Bible translations such as the
• John Wycliffe
• William Tyndale
• Coverdale
• Geneva Bible
• and one more (can't remember)

translate it as a "departing away".

 

[Suffolk Sean]

What does this mean?


2 Thes 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

 

[JimB]

What do ya'll think the falling away is?

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

You need to know that I am not a prophetic scholar (although as a younger man I actually traveled teaching End Time Prophecy seminars – but back then I new everything!!) You also need to know my eschatological grounding is pre-millennial, pre-trib in the same vein as Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey (although it has been a long, long time since I have read anything they have written).

The scripture in question is set in the context of of 2 Thessalonians which deals with the events concerned with the Second Advent of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. I do believe in the Rapture of the Church prior to the Trib (although I am considering other interpretations and sure don’t want to argue the point in this forum). Following the so-called Rapture an indeterminate period during will ensue (months, years, decades, who knows?) in which Antichrist will rise to world power at which time he will “confirm a covenant” of seven years with Israel. This confirming the covenant will mark the beginning of Tribulation.

As for the verse in question, Paul is saying that prior to the coming of the Lord (and IMO after the Rapture and during the Trib) many will fall away from the faith.

IMO.

\o/

 

[cactusj]

Jim,
Thanks so much for your reply. I wasn't sure whether the falling away was to occur before or after the rapture. Thanks

 

[Infernal Freak]

That means that before all of that happened, there was the mass falling away due to the persecution under the Roman Empire.

I agree with you. It is taken out of the original context. Meaning this: It was talking, if you have read the background of it at all, about the heaping quantity 'falling away' [as Bizzlebin Imperatoris says] under the Roman Empire. If you open your BIBLE and just look at a certain scripture, or something like that, or look up a word in a concordance...and that is the only scripture or Chapter you read, without knowing the original implication or connotation...you are most likely not going to understand the original meaning of it. That is simple. Let's say if you look in the concordance...this is HYPOTHETICAL...but if you did, and you looked for 'Falling away' and it came up as Jeremiah 23:45 [hypothetical] and it said something like: "And beyhold I seen a vast number falling away..." and you did NOT look anywhere else in the chaper. You would think, okay, this is a prophecy. It very well could have been a war. He was looking out and all the sudden he saw a vast number dying...or falling away. Oh...and sometimes in the Greek and Hebrew [especially] there can be various meanings of certain words. However, maybe you do have a point, and BELIEVE ME I am NO ONE to condemn! I am just a fellow Sister In CHRIST. So...maybe you'll take this, and maybe you'll trash it! Either way it is all good here! I'm just here ta help!

-Heather

 

[Infernal Freak]

Oh...and I know I am ALWAYS different from everyone else...but I really don't try to be. However, I am a firm believer of the Church going through the rapture. Everything I have EVER came up with in this particular topic was that we will go through it!

Thanks tho!

-Heather