A Brief Study on
Pre-Trib Rapture
(2 Thessalonians 2)
by Peggy McIlveene
Hi, precious friends!
This letter was, of course, written to the church of Thessalonica, by Paul, to fellow Christians. Here is a verse by verse SHORT study of this important chapter in the Bible! Be blessed, and pray for the Lord's wisdom and understanding of these Scriptures!
Agape!
Peg
2 Thessalonians 2:
1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,
This is the Rapture of the Church, where we meet Jesus in the clouds.
2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
Apparently, this church had received a letter, purportedly from either Paul or one of Paul's fellow teachers, that the Day of the Lord (the Tribulation) had already begun, and that they had somehow missed the Rapture and been "left behind" to endure the Tribulation. Now Paul had to calm their fears and let them know that this had NOT occurred.
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
The apostasy is the falling away of churches from the true doctrine, which will happen with greater frequency until the Rapture and the revealing of "the" Antichrist.
4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
This event will occur midway through the Tribulation. By this we know that the Third Temple (also known as the Tribulation Temple) has already been rebuilt, and the Jews once again worshipping in it and offering sacrifices.
5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
Paul's teaching of the Rapture, and subsequent Tribulation, was not new to the Thessalonians... Paul had already taught it to them before.
6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.
What restrains total evil from taking over this world? The Holy Spirit living in Christians, and the work that we do as a result of the Holy Spirit guiding us.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
We Christians will continue to spread the Gospel, preach against evil in the Name of Jesus, etc., until our influence is removed from this world.
8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,
12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
Then God will back off and give Satan free reign, through his son, the Antichrist, and will allow him to deceive most people remaining here on the earth. The Antichrist will be imbued with Satan's "powers" (remember that Satan can do ONLY what God allows him to do), and will work great "miracles", signs & wonders, which will deceive all but those who have become believers during the Tribulation itself, thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit in the 144,000 Jewish believers whom God has chosen from the foundations of the world to be His witnesses during the Tribulation, since the Church will no longer be here for the Spirit to work through. And since most of those who remain here on earth will refuse to believe the Truth, but will instead choose to believe the Antichrist/ Satan, the Lord will allow them to be deceived, to their eternal detriment!
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10
14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
Having the Truth of God in His Holy Scriptures, do not allow yourself to be led astray. Test the spirits and see if they are from God. If they claim things that are unscriptural, if they do not attest to the fact that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, that He was crucified for our sins, and that the Father raised Him from the dead, they are NOT of God... and the only other alternative is that they are from Satan! Jesus was not only a "good" man, nor was He merely a prophet... He was and is the Son of the Living God!
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.