would already then be past. No wonder that they were alarmed. How would you feel if you awoke some morn ing arid found that the rapture had already taken place, and you were still here, and had been left behind? LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU As soon as Paul, therefore, hears about this false teach ing, he hastens to write this second epistle to the Thessa- lonian Church, for the express purpose of assuring the believers that they will never have to pass through the tribulation. He says, Don’t believe anyone who makes such an assertion, even if they quote Scripture, even if they quote me, even though you have a letter with my signature under it. Don’t believe a word of it. And that is the force of the words of 2nd Thessalonians 2:3, Let no man deceive you by ANY MEANS.” And then he gives his argument to prove that the rap ture will occur before the tribulation period. 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; 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. Remember y e not, that, when I was y et with you, I told you these things?” 2nd Thess. 2:3-5. Two things, says the apostle Paul, must happen before the “ day of the Lord,” which is another name for the tribulation, can set in. W ill you notice these two things very, very carefully, because they are fundamental. I. There must be a falling away first. II. The man of sin must be revealed. Now the expression translated “ falling away” is “ apostasias” in the Greek. It may refer to a religious apostasy, which is here, or as some would affirm, it means a “ catching away.” Some scholars translate the phrase as follows: “That day (the day of the tribulation) cannot come until there be a ‘catching away’ first.” If this is the correct translation, then it is, of course, an outright state ment that the Church will be raptured and caught away first, before the tribulation period. THE MAN OF SIN The second thing before the tribulation can begin is, according to the words of Paul, the revelation of the Man of Sin—the Antichrist, who will rule during the tribula tion period. Now we are to note very well this following point, that the day of the Lord cannot come until that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. The sign of the tribulation is the identification of the superman, the Antichrist. But now follow the language of Paul closely. The Man of Sin, the Antichrist, cannot be revealed until after the catching away of the Church. You are to notice very carefully verses 6 and 7: “And now y e know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth w ill let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” 2nd Thess. 2-6-8. From these verses we learn that according to Paul there is a power in this world today which is restraining and holding back the Devil (called the Mystery of In iquity) from introducing this Man of Sin upon the scene of action. No other construction can possibly be placed on the words: “ Only he who now hindereth w ill hinder, imtil he be taken out of the way.” There is then, according to the words of Paul, a power and a person able to hinder and hold back and restrain the Devil in this dispensation. We are to notice several things about this power: I. He is a person. The personal pronoun, “ he,” is used. “ Only HE who now hindereth will hinder until HE be taken out of the way.” II. It must be a supernatural person. No created being is able to restrain Satan. Even Michael, the arch angel, was no equal for Satan, but turned him over to the Lord and said, “ The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 9). III. From these facts, therefore, we conclude that the “HE” of 2nd Thessalonians 2:7 is none other than Deity. Since the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is dwelling on earth in the Body of Christ and in the be liever, He is the only person who can hinder Satan from revealing the man of sin in his time. He came to dwell in thé Church, the Body of Christ, on the day of Pente cost," and according to Jesus was to abide with us even until the end of the age. And now will you further notice: 1. The day of the Lord cannot come until the Man of Sin is revealed. This is made perfectly clear in verse 3 where we read: “ 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 Thess. 2:3. 2. The Man of Sin cannot be revealed until the Holy Spirit dwelling‘in the Body of Christ is taken out of the way. This is perfectly evident from verse 7 where we read: “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth w ill let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall the wicked be revealed.” 2 Thess. 2:7-8. 3. Therefore, the tribulation cannot come so long as the Church is here in the world. “ Let no man deceive you by any means.” The argument of Paul is so conclusive and so convinc ing that we must needs repeat it once more. According to Paul the tribulation period cannot come until there be a falling away first, and the antichrist be revealed, but this antichrist cannot be revealed as long as the Holy Spirit, dwelling in the Body of believers is here upon the earth. Therefore, there is only one conclusion left, and that is that the Church will be taken out before the tribu lation, and immediately afterwards the Antichrist will make his appearance upon the scene of action.
One of these days the Lord will come, and will deliver His waiting Church and then pour out the judgments of His wrath upon a wicked, Christ-rejecting world. ■ I ", . . caught out before the tribulation
OCTOBER, 1963
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