Three Things That Must Happen Before the Rapture: The Apostle Paul.

In our daily meditations on groupbiblestudy.com, we closely examine the prophecies concerning the Second Coming of Christ. Today, we are focusing our attention on the writings of the Apostle Paul. After he wrote his first letter (1 Thessalonians), which discusses the Rapture or being caught up (the topic we explored yesterday in our daily meditations), he received a letter from the Thessalonian church. We know this because he began the second chapter of his second letter (2 Thessalonians) with the word "Concerning." The Thessalonian believers received correspondence from individuals attempting to deceive them into believing that the Day of the Lord, along with the Rapture- our gathering to Christ- had already taken place (2 Thessalonians 2:2). Here are Paul's words in reply:

1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4; emphasis added).

The believers in Thessalonica were concerned because someone told them that the persecution they were enduring (2 Thessalonians 1:4) was linked to the end-time coming of the Lord. Interestingly, Paul uses the same Greek word, thlipsis, translated as tribulation (Matthew 24:21 KJV) or distress (NIV), to describe the persecution that the Thessalonians were facing while Paul was writing. He responded to this misunderstanding to alleviate their fears that they had missed being caught up (raptured) to the great gathering together with the Lord in the air. Paul believed that the Day of the Lord occurs just after the Church is caught up to the Lord (vs. 1-2). He refers to the coming of Jesus and our gathering to Him as “the day of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 2:2).

Paul reassured them that they had not missed the Rapture by explaining that three things must occur before the Day of the Lord arrives (v. 2). Over the course of today and tomorrow, we will examine Paul’s teaching about the three events that must take place before Jesus's return for His people.

The first thing Paul states must happen is that the Rebellion occurs (v. 3). Other English translations refer to it as the Apostasy or the Falling Away. The definite article appears in the Greek text but is not explicit in the English translation. It is the rebellion, not just any countrywide rebellion, but a worldwide falling away from the faith. The Greek word is Apostasia, which means to depart, defect, and revolt. This word consistently refers to a religious defection, a departure from what is considered orthodox. What might cause a worldwide defection from the faith in the days ahead?

It is possible that when the Antichrist and the False Prophet demand that everyone receive a mark on their forehead or hand and worship the beast (Revelation 13:15-18), many with half-hearted faith will compromise, accept the Mark, and turn away from the Lord. Those with understanding and genuine faith in Christ will not accept the Mark and will continue to walk with the Lord, eagerly anticipating His return. We live in a time when central banks worldwide are limiting cash, forcing people to buy online and shift to digital money. In this writer's view, this is part of a strategy to control global finances so that a one-world currency can be established, possibly a blockchain currency, controlled by a Mark, which acts as a digital device on our person. Money transferred through our mobile phones serves merely as a precursor.

When this global economy is established, those who take the Mark will acknowledge the Antichrist's rule and divinity. Christians are warned not to accept this mark: 9And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or in his hand, 10 the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God (Revelation 14:9-10). This appearance of the Antichrist, whom Paul refers to as the man of lawlessness in verse 3, along with a departure from faith in Christ, a falling away, will signal Paul’s first essential event that must occur before the catching away of true believers (the Rapture). Let’s examine the second and third of Paul’s three events tomorrow. Keith Thomas

These thoughts are shortened from an in-depth study on the All Studies box at groupbiblestudy.com. Click on The End Times series, and then study The Rapture and Day of the Lord. The video teaching of this topic is found at the following link: https://youtu.be/55VR6a8P9Bo