In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 there is a falling away (“apostasia”) mentioned, which is defined by Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries (G646) as “defection from the truth, falling away, forsake.” This verse is in the section of Scripture (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4), which reads as follows in its entirety:
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
The context of these verses is interesting. This is talking about a falling away from the truth, and it is the only place in the Bible where the word “apostasia” is used. The apostle Paul is addressing “brethren” (verse 1) about an apostasy especially at the end time, as “the man of sin” is also mentioned who is to reveal himself during the very last days, and who will sit in the temple of God and pretend to be God himself. This strongly indicates that the Jews will build a temple in Jerusalem prior to Christ’s return, where they will bring sacrifices, and that the man of sin or the false prophet will occupy the temple for a while, when the armies of the beast power will occupy the city of Jerusalem and suppress the daily sacrifices. All of this will be fulfilling aspects of Christ’s end time warning that the abomination of desolation will be set up or standing at the holy place, where it should not be (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14).
It is correct, of course, that an apostasy from the true gospel already began during the lifetime of Paul, when he stated that he marvelled that so many in the Church of God had turned to another gospel (Galatians 1:6-7). But Paul’s warning, taken as a whole, is not about others who did not or do not have the truth, but he is addressing those who had learned it and who would nevertheless “fall away” or leave their own beliefs behind and go off in a different direction.
It is therefore clear that any revival of orthodox Christianity, including a revival of the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek and Russian Orthodox Church or the different Protestant churches (as mentioned in Revelation 13 and 17), is not in any way to be viewed as being an aspect of the end-time apostasy or falling away from true biblical teaching.
Q&A
What exactly is God’s grace; what does it do for us; and what are we to do, if anything?
Simply put, God’s grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is the gift of God. It includes manifold facets of God’s undeserved pardon and forgiveness, His mercy and His compassion. For instance, our heart is established and made firm and becomes totally convicted through grace, preventing us from accepting wrong doctrines (Hebrews 13:9). It is grace […]
Continue reading "What exactly is God’s grace; what does it do for us; and what are we to do, if anything?"Does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Teach a “Secret Rapture”?
It does not. Please look carefully at the context of the passage in light of other Biblical evidence. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 reads: “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and […]
Continue reading "Does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Teach a “Secret Rapture”?"Where is the Ark of the Covenant today? Will it be found prior to Christ’s return?
Numerous theories exist as to what happened to the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant. Some claim, based on the uninspired Second Book of the Maccabees, that Jeremiah hid it in a cave on Mount Nebo in Jordan when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. The non-inspired book of 1 Esdras claims that the Babylonians carried the […]
Continue reading "Where is the Ark of the Covenant today? Will it be found prior to Christ’s return?"Where will the marriage supper between Christ and His Church be held?
Revelation 19:7-9 states the following about the marriage between Christ and His Church: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb [Jesus Christ, compare Revelation 5:1-14] has come, and His wife [the Church, compare Ephesians 5:31-32] has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”‘…”
Please note that this Scripture does not say where the marriage supper will take place. Other Scriptures strongly imply that it will take place here on earth, after Christ’s return.
Christ gave a parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22, presupposing that the wedding feast or marriage supper will take place here on earth. We read in verse 11: “But when the king [who had arranged the marriage for his son, verse 2] came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.” In the parable, “the king” represents God the Father, and “the son” represents Jesus Christ. If the marriage supper were to take place in heaven, the guest without a wedding garment could not have been there — neither as a physical being nor as a fallen spirit being. He could not have been a disqualified saint, as there are no physical beings in heaven and as the disqualified saint would not have been changed to spirit. Nor could he have been a “fallen” spirit being, i.e., Satan or a demon, as by that time, Satan and his angels will have no more access to God’s throne in heaven. Revelation 12:8 speaks of a time, before the marriage supper, stating, “…nor was a place found for them [Satan and his demons, verse 7] in heaven any longer.”
Continue reading "Where will the marriage supper between Christ and His Church be held?"Doesn’t the Bible say that we will enter the kingdom of heaven? Doesn’t this show that we will go to heaven when we die?
The Bible teaches indeed that we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven, but this does not mean that we will go to heaven. We need to understand what is meant by the term, “kingdom of heaven.”
First of all, we should note that only Matthew uses this expression. The other gospel writers use consistently and exclusively the term, “kingdom of God.” It is therefore obvious that both terms describe the same thing.
We explain in our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” that the kingdom of God is the Family of God, ruling over others, consisting at this point of two members of the God Family—God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. Every Christian in whom God’s Spirit dwells is a begotten member of the Family or Kingdom of God, but he is not yet a born-again member. He will be born again at the time of the return of Jesus Christ, when he will be changed to immortality.
Continue reading "Doesn’t the Bible say that we will enter the kingdom of heaven? Doesn’t this show that we will go to heaven when we die?"How do you explain certain passages in the Bible suggesting that we go to heaven when we die?
In the two previous Q&A’s, we explained that the Bible does not teach that we go to heaven upon death. The last Q&A began to discuss passages, which are sometimes quoted to teach the opposite. We continue to discuss additional passages in this Q&A.
Last time, we explained John 14:1-4, stating that in the Father’s house there are many mansions, and that Christ is preparing a place for us and that He will return and receive us to Him.
We showed that Christ, while in heaven, prepares individual positions of responsibility for each of His disciples, depending on their works (Revelation 22:12). But they all will be in God’s Kingdom (Matthew 25:34)—part of the Family of God and the Bride having made herself ready—born-again members of God’s spiritual Temple—the Father’s house—comparing it with the physical temple with mansions or chambers.
Continue reading "How do you explain certain passages in the Bible suggesting that we go to heaven when we die?"Do certain biblical passages tell us that we go to heaven when we die?
As we explained in the previous Q&A, the Bible teaches nowhere that we ascend to God’s third heaven after we die. Some insist on the opposite, quoting a few passages which supposedly support their belief in an afterlife in heaven after death.
One of those passages is Philippians 1:23-24. They claim that Paul said that he wanted to die, depart from this earth and be with Christ in heaven. The Nelson Study Bible interprets the passage to mean that “he wanted to go right away to heaven and be with Christ.”
But Paul did not say that he wanted to be with Christ in heaven.
As we explain in our free booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Philippians,” Paul did not believe that he would join Christ in heaven. Paul raised the thought that it would be better for him to depart from this life and this physical mortal body, by falling asleep at the time of his death. He concluded, however, that it was better for the church’s sake to keep on living for a while.
Continue reading "Do certain biblical passages tell us that we go to heaven when we die?"What are the biblical proofs that we do not go to heaven when we die?
The idea that we will go to heaven after death is an entirely unbiblical concept. It is derived from paganism.
As Lewis Brown explains in “This Believing World”:
“In very early times that idea flourished not alone among the Babylonians and Egyptians, but also among the barbaric tribes in and around Greece…these mysteries [came] down from Thrace or across the sea from Egypt and Asia Minor… they declared that for every man, no matter how poor or vicious, there was a place in heaven. All one had to do was to be ‘initiated’ into the secrets of the cult.”
The Hebrews did not believe that we go to heaven when we die. Neither did the early Christians. But in time, the concept developed within the Roman Catholic Church that one will be saved and go to heaven when one has been baptized into the church as a little baby.
Continue reading "What are the biblical proofs that we do not go to heaven when we die?"What does the Bible say about the future boundaries of the Promised Land?
After Christ has returned and freed the tribes of Israel from slavery, brought them into the Promised Land and begun the reinstitution of the temple service, He will allot the Promised Land to the twelve tribes. This will apparently occur during the remaining 3 ½ years of Christ’s ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (compare our Q&A, “What will Jesus do after Satan has been banished?”).
Beginning with Ezekiel 47:13, and continuing until the end of chapter 48, we are introduced to the description of the borders by which the Promised Land will be divided as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will have two portions in his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, who will each have a separate inheritance. The priestly tribe of Levi will receive a special area (Ezekiel 45:1-8; 48:8-14), but since Joseph’s inheritance is divided into two tribes to compensate for Levi, the number of twelve for the tribes will be maintained.
Continue reading "What does the Bible say about the future boundaries of the Promised Land?"