APOCALYPSIS OF THESSALONIANS II
December 22, 2021 1:07 AM
Immanuel Acree
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken^ in mind, or be troubled^, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 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... 2 Thess 2:1-3 KJV
Saleuo – disturb, topple, shake
Throeo – frighten, trouble
Apokalupto – reveal, uncover
1 Apostasy.
We must not be disturbed, upset, frightened, or troubled by the various comments, claims, teachings, or even tribulations and disasters that will continue to unfold, as if to think that we missed the Lord: that is, up until there has been a great apostasy
or abandonment of Christianity by massive numbers of people who denounce the faith and flock to a new religion. This could happen at a brief season of instant exodus as by a simple event, or it could be a steady decline due to increasing pressures over such basic motivations as financial incentives, sort of like how businesses tend to flee from states run by Marxists. It may be dramatic, or it may be benign and subtle, or even buried in fake church numbers as in denial propaganda by false teachers. We just know that the baptism and repentance of Jesus will be forsaken and even condemned under some serious pressure.
2 Uncovering.
The uncovering or revealing of the son of perdition however will be certainly even less noticeable to the world, as he is going to deceive in every way possible. So the uncovering is most accurately understood as ‘uncovered [to the true/spiritual church].’ This passage does not explicitly provide to whom this man will be uncovered–but an uncovering can only be a secret to those who are not deceived; to the deceived nothing has been revealed. The uncovering is privileged information, exclusive to those who have the biblical discernment of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.
I find it odd that 2 Thess 2:2 does not use other factors as indicators of the Lord’s return. For example, a “revealing” or uncovering carries a tame and simple connotation, as this word gives us the proper Greek name and original title for Apostle John’s “Book of Revelation:” ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ
Apocalypse of John.
So we understand that Paul, the author of Thessalonians, was looking forward to an unveiling of the antichrist, not necessarily his global ambitions or plans to be realized, as one of two signs for the Return. I would have otherwise expected Paul to have written something more intense such as concerning total chaos, martyrdoms, or the abomination of desolation. However, none of these agendas appear to coincide with the much less noticeable “uncovering”.
Thus when we consider this message’s finer details, we can see that Paul expected Jesus’ return in a specific global trial of the cross and in distressing times, but not necessarily during the Antichrist’s war against the saints. Apostasy implies some pressure to defect, but not total war. If he were writing about the martyrdoms then he would just say that and apostasy would always be implied and obvious. But he does not; he wants us to notice in sober and vigilant watchfulness for when the world has become so much more persuasive so as to empty the churches. If the global, systematized martyrdoms against the saints were to be almost complete or achieving total victory at the time of Christ’s return, then Paul’s words make little sense. It must be sooner.
We are not called to wake up when the persecution begins to shed blood. We are not called to wake up when the world declares itself enemy of Jesus. We are not called to wake up when it’s time to flee from a global mandatory slavery.
We are called to be awake at all times.
We are called to be unshaken and unafraid; the Lord will not let us be confused about whether His return has occurred.
We are shown that we must recognize the Antichrist when he is being revealed [by the Holy Spirit].
We are shown that we must notice when the cross becomes too burdensome for even most Christians to bear it.
That is when Christ is expected to return.
Shalom,
Immanuel Acree
