2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – Bible Study & Exploration
(Verse 3-4) Paul is about to explain to the Thessalonians the events of the last days and the order in which they’ll occur around the time of the rapture. We see him do just as Jesus did on the Mt. Of Olives when He was explaining to His disciples the things that would take place at the end of the age.
Paul begins by saying, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.” This is very similar to how Jesus began His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24), “Watch out the no one deceives you.”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
Matthew 24:4
“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,”
Matthew 24:10-12
While deception is all around us in many forms today, Both, Paul and Christ were talking about a very specific deception. We should expect that as lawlessness increases daily, there is one deception that is more important than all others. The deception Christ spoke of was spiritual deception. The same goes for Paul.
Paul didn’t want his new believers to be deceived and turn away and reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s truth. While lawlessness existed in Paul’s day as well as those trying to deceive believers with a false gospel, Paul was pointing to a much bigger event. This was an event that would occur at the end of the age as we know it.
What is the Great Apostasy?
Paul was trying to reassure the Thessalonians that they had not missed the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. How he was trying to do that was by letting them know that there would be two significant events that would occur before Christ’s return.
In verse 3, you likely either have in your Bible, the words “falling away” or “rebellion” when Paul explains what must come first. These two phrases are the definition for apostasy. The word apostasy is translated from the Greek word apostasia. This means a falling away or rebellion of the truth. A rejection and turning away from God’s truth and the true Christian faith.
Paul was essentially teaching that in the last days there will be a great defection from God and Christ by all nations. Once this takes place, it will be the perfect stage for the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist who is also known as the son of perdition to step out onto the global stage as a leader.
Is the global antisemitism we see across the globe today the beginning of the Great Apostasy?
While Satan has been planting seeds of doubt in peoples minds since the Garden of Eden, as well as with the believers in Thessalonica, the level of defection away from God will be unprecedented in volume in these last days.
This defection is increasingly growing through the ecumenical movement of the Catholic church alongside other organized religions as well as the progressive post modern Christian movement. This movement is what’s given birth to Replacement theology, New Apostolic Reformation, Prosperity Gospel, Social Justice Gospel and the Critical Race Theory Gospel among many.
The one thing they all have in common is they use the words of God like the buffet line at the Golden Corral. They choose only what they like, discarding what they don’t like. Then they interpret scriptures through an allegorical lense giving them the freedom to twist God’s words in whatever direction they choose that fits their narrative.
This is the Great Apostasy!
They all, in one form or another, by their own prideful means direct their followers attention away from the true Christ over to a false Christ that doesn’t exist and to worldly acceptance.
Lastly, on these verses, Jesus answered His disciples on the Mt. Of Olives when He taught on the last days and He began with, “Watch that no one deceives you!”