The Thess material is as direct and urgent and at hand as Mt 24A. The temple referred to is the standing temple in Judea, which was expected because the man of sin of Dan 8:13 (ie, leader of that, see the explanation) was to come in the 4th empire after his own. The falling away is that of Israel.
Paul is so certain of this, he refers to God's wrath on Israel as past tense, in the same nuance as the end of Mt 23.
It is extremely unlike that the only two NT passages that refer to the man of sin interp'd in the same time frame of the NT generation would be about two different events.
The Thess material shares the expectation with Mt 24A that all things Judean would conclude in the DofJ. (There are other events mentioned in 24B that are worldwide). It is one of the basic historical-scholarship studies of NT background to arrive at conclusions about how the apostles or 2nd generation leaders assimilated the reality that the world did not end 'right after' (24:29) the DofJ. See Lattourrette p41 for a start.
The Thess material and Mt 24A are not a playground for futurist soundbytes. Not at all. Mt 24A is the 4th emphatic declaration that the DofJ was about to happen, and why, starting with Mt 21's parable of the vineyard, 22's parable of the wedding invitees (which frames the "harlot" imagery of Rev), and Mt 23's direct declaration about the desolate house.
More of man's opinion and zero scripture!
1 Now, brethren, concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 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, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Paul is referencing the Coming of the Lord, and our Gathering together to Him.
Other scriptures that teach us about the Coming of the Lord and what will happen on that Day.
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?
And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"...
29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then
all the tribes of the earth will mourn,
and they will see the Son of Man comingon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:3,29-31
- All the tribes of the earth will see Him Coming.
- His people will be Gathered together at the resurrection of the dead.
25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:25-27
- The Coming of the Son of Man will not be invisible, but every eye will see Him, as Lightning is seen as it strikes in one place and is seen in another.
37
But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:37-39
The Coming of the son of Man will result in a worldwide judgment of the whole earth, just as the days of Noah.
ALL THE WICKED OF THE WHOLE EARTH WILL BE AFFECTED!
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits,
afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when
He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
1 Corinthians 15:20-24
- The dead are resurrected at His Coming.
- The wicked are judged and removed at His Coming.
All rule and authority will be put down down, at His coming: That means every single king, President, Prime Minister... all over the whole world will not rule anymore, only Christ and those he appoints will govern Planet Earth with Him.
- Those who are not His will be sent to Hell.
All this and more will take place at His Coming.
He will remain seated at the right Hand of God the Father until His coming!
At His coming there will no longer be one single evil, wicked, lawless person left on Earth!!!
All evil, wicked, lawless people and rulers will be gathered up by the angels and cast into hell!!!!!
31
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: Matthew 25:31-34,41
Every single person will see Jesus christ literally with their own eyes at His Coming!!
so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him
He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Hebrews 9:28
Anytime we read about His Coming, it is associated with the above mentioned events, and more.
No one will have have to tell you when He Comes!
JLB
