The Storm is upon us!

The New Testament warns of an apostasy before the Day of the Lord caused by the Son of Destruction, the Man of Lawlessness.

The New Testament warns us that before Jesus returns, his Church will be invaded by deceivers, including “false anointed ones” and “false prophets.” Before “the Day of the Lord” begins, we will be confronted by “the Man of Lawlessness,” whom the Apostle Paul links to “the Apostasy,” the great “falling away” from the faith.  That time is upon us.

Seated in the Sanctuary

The Man of Lawlessness will be unveiled to those with eyes able to see when he takes his seat in the House of God - 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

Jesus will not “arrive” to gather his “elect” until two events occur - The “Apostasy” and the “Revelation of the Man of Lawlessness.” They are inextricably linked. This man’s unveiling in the Assembly will signal the imminence of the “Day of the Lord.” Not only will he cause many to apostatize, but his real identity will be disclosed when he “sits down” in the “Sanctuary.”

Son of Destruction

Many saints will apostatize when the Lawless One, the Son of Destruction, seats himself in the Sanctuary of God.

As the Apostle Paul explained, the “Day of the Lord” will not arrive until the “Apostasy” occurs and the “Man of Lawlessness,” is unveiled. He will seat himself “in the Sanctuary of God.” Paul also calls him the “Son of Destruction.” Is there any additional significance to this second designation? – (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9).

Howling Impostors

The New Testament warns repeatedly of coming deceivers and false prophets who will cause many to depart from the faith.

Jesus warned us about coming “deceivers,” “false Anointed Ones,” and “false prophets” intent on misleading his followers, warnings reiterated and expanded in the writings of his true Apostles. He began his ‘Olivet Discourse’ with the stern warning - “Beware lest anyone deceive you,” for “many” seducers will come and successfully “deceive many.”

The Apostasy

Paul warned of the future Apostasy and linked it to the unveiling of the Man of Anarchy, the Son of Destruction.

The Apostle Paul responded to false reports about the “Day of the Lord” by pointing to the expected Apostasy and the “Man of Lawlessness.” Jesus would not “arrive” until the “Apostasy” occurred and the “Lawless One” was revealed. Rumors claiming that the “Day of the Lord had set in” had circulated in Thessalonica, disrupting the Assembly – (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Two Pivotal Events

Two events must occur before the Day of the Lord begins - The Apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness.

Men spreading false rumors about the future among the Thessalonians were raising false expectations about the imminence of the “Day of the Lord” and the “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ of Jesus. Paul warned the Assembly not to be alarmed by such rumors, especially reports of this kind claiming to be from him or his coworkers.

Rumors and Disinformation

(False information about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion among the believers of Thessalonica – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2).

The Apostle Paul addresses false claims about the Day of the Lord in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Incorrect information concerning Christ’s return is disrupting the congregation. Paul attributes the source of the disinformation to either a “spirit,” a word (‘logos’), or a letter, “as if from us”; supposedly, from Paul and his coworkers.

The Spirit of Antichrist

The Antichrist Spirit is working to destroy the church from within with lies, false prophets, and deceitful teachers.

We commonly assume the Antichrist will be a political tyrant intent on world domination. However, the New Testament is more concerned with the deceivers working to disrupt the Church from within rather than with political developments in the larger world. The Apostle John attributes the driving force behind these deceitful activities to “the Spirit of Antichrist.”

Misdirection and Apostasy

Believers watching for the Apostasy to occur outside the Church will miss the real thing because it is operating stealthily within our congregations.

The New Testament warns of coming apostasy and deceivers. This warning is to the Church composed of Christ’s true followers. It is not a message for outside groups, organizations, society, or governing authorities. Satan is determined to destroy the Body of Christ, not the world system that serves his agenda, and he uses human agents in the Church to deceive as many believers as possible.

An Overwhelming Flood

The New Testament warns of a future apostasy caused by deceivers, false prophets, and the Son of Destruction before the return of Jesus.

The New Testament warns us that before Jesus returns his Church will be under assault from within by deceivers, “false anointed ones,” and “false prophets,” and it does so repeatedly. Before the “Day of the Lord” begins, his disciples will be confronted by the “Man of Lawlessness,” a figure linked to the final “Apostasy,” the final great “falling away” from the true faith.

Famine in the Land

The contemporary church suffers from a famine for hearing the words of God, but it is a self-inflicted wound.

Many credible men of God have warned over the years that the Church will experience a “famine for the word of God.” I initially took this to be a prediction that the Bible would be suppressed even in Western-style democracies as governmental authorities persecuted the Church. The actual famine we see today is something rather different.

The Ascent of the Beast

To identify the Antichrist, we must first understand what the relevant passages of the Bible say about him, his methods, and his objectives.

The subject of the Antichrist raises many questions. Who is he? When will he appear? How will we recognize him? In popular culture, he is a global political leader who uses military might to subjugate other nations and attack the modern nation of Israel.

Deceiving and being deceived

ARE WE LISTENING? In his Olivet Discours, Jesus warned of coming “deceivers,” “false anointed ones,” and “false prophets” intent on misleading his disciples, and his repeated warnings are expanded in the writings of his Apostles. His Discourse began with a stern warning - “Beware lest anyone deceive you!” - “MANY” deceivers would come and “deceive MANY.”

Stand Fast in the Tradition

To avoid deception and apostasy, believers must cling to the Apostolic Traditions recorded in Scripture so they do not drift away.

Paul explained in 2 Thessalonians that two events must occur before the “Day of the Lord sets in” - the “Apostasy” and the “revelation of the Man of Lawlessness.” At the time he wrote this, certain voices were setting false expectations about the imminence of that Day and even attributed their information to the Apostle (“Do not be troubled by spirit, word or letter as by us”).

Counterfeiting Jesus

“If any man preaches any gospel other than that which you received from us, let him be accursed!”

As a young believer, I listened to voices from different churches exposing me to divergent interpretations within the church world. However, despite occasional differences, most churches were proclaiming the same Jesus, the Son of God who gave his life for the sins of the world.