...The strongest point of that assurance is that nowhere in the prophetic Word of God are we who live in the Church Age (Age of Grace) told to prepare for Antichrist.
That prince that shall come/man of sin/ son of perdition/beast is profiled in the prophetic passages, forewarned to appear during Daniel’s seventieth week, but not to the people who are believers during this present age. We who are Christians–believers during this Church Age—are not told to prepare to survive the Tribulation. We’re told to look for the Real Christ, not the phony. We are to look for Jesus Christ, not Antichrist.
Paul gave these instructions to all who believe according to Romans 10: 9–10:
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:13–14)
The Antichrist won’t be revealed until the apostasia—the falling away or departure:
For that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
Although Bible students and seminary scholars have often defined this apostasia or falling away as a spiritual departure, in-depth studies in more recent times have defined this Greek noun as a spatial departure—a removal in space and time as opposed to a departure from spiritual truth.
I believe it likely falls under both definitions.
Perhaps the top scholar on the Rapture today is Dr. Thomas Ice. Here’s what he wrote for our book, The Departure.
I believe there is a strong possibility that 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is speaking of the Rapture. What do I mean? Some pretribulationists, like myself, think that the Greek noun apostasia, usually translated “apostasy,” is a reference to the Rapture and should be translated “departure.” Thus, this passage would be saying that the Day of the Lord will not come until the Rapture comes before it. If apostasia is a reference to a physical departure, then 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is strong evidence for pretribulationism. (The Departure, conclusion, Defender Publishing, 2010)
Let us use that energy many have spent worrying about being tortured, hunted, and hated during that unprecedented time of trouble to instead carry out the Great Commission right now, during this Age of Grace—to tell of the only escape from that coming time –the Lord Jesus Christ and His being the only Way to God the Father and Heaven for eternity.
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
No comments:
Post a Comment