Lets examine the subject of this apostasy. 1) Act 21:21, where Paul is called an apostate for teaching the words of Jesus. 2) 2 Thess. 2:3, where a prophecy shows that an apostasy would occur before the “coming of the day of Jehovah”.
Paul was not an apostate. So lets move on to # 2. 2 Thess. 2:3, “Let no one seduce you in any manner, because it, will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction”. Most scholars apply this to a great apostasy of the true Christian congregation in the last days, before the restoration of Israel. I also agree. The proof:
Daniel 11:15,16, “And the king of the North will come and throw up a siege rampart and actually capture a city with fortification…And he will stand in the land of Decoration…” -The land of “Decoration” has always referred to where God’s people reside. As I continue, Daniel 11:30 says, “And he will actually go back and hurl denunciations against the holy covenant and act effectively; and he will have to go back and will give consideration to those leaving the holy covenant. And there will be arms that will stand up, proceeding from him; and they will actually profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and remove the constant feature.
And they will certainly put in place the disgusting thing that is causing desolation.
And those who are acting wickedly against the covenant, he will lead into apostasy by means of smooth words.” This is the apostasy referred to in 2 Thess. 2:3. This has to do when “Babylon the Great”, the “House of God”, mounts the beast. The bible shows that the king of the north will lead the “house of God” into apostasy. This will start the “Great tribulation”. In Matthew 24, it mentions this, “when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place, (let the reader use discernment,) then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains. “ Those that act with insight, will begin to flee. But, there will be no escaping Jehovah's discipline. Where Babylon the Great will eventually be destroyed, those that flee into the wilderness will still be severely discipline by Jehovah. It will be for their benefit to come to know Jehovah. Revelation 12:6 says, “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days.” The woman referred to here is the group that has fled into the wilderness, away from the beast. These are the ones that will recognize the disgusting thing in the holy place, where it aught not, in the congregation.
JR
Edited by - Jr on 6 March 2001 17:33:32