The Falling Away
Written by: C. Gray Adams
January 10th, 2023
There is a ‘Special Message’ at the end of this article…
This article serves as a defense of the recent article, “The Fall So Great – That Only Eight – Entered the Ark,”[1] in which the point was made that a falling away had taken place during the time of Noah which left only eight of the earth’s inhabitants to repopulate the earth after God’s righteous judgment of the wicked who had corrupted the earth. The point was also made that this type of falling away is currently taking place today, as men reject God’s leadership for their own. The crux for that study was 2nd Thessalonians chapter two which speaks of a falling away which would happen before the day of Christ comes. The same passage will serve as this article’s proof text as we examine what ‘The Falling Away’ really is:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
“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 [mankind] of sin be revealed, the son [sons] of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself [themselves] above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he [they] as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself [themselves] that he is [they are] God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he (they) might be revealed in his (their) time.
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”[2] (emphasis mine) [author’s comments]
Some have gone to great lengths to call this ‘falling away’ the rapture of the church. Indeed, amongst those who have taken this position are very well-known and respected voices in the land, at this hour. This article is not intended as a rebuke, rather this is an attempt to illuminate the truth of this passage so the church can properly understand what it is dealing with during these closing moments of the age of grace. Therefore, this article will attempt to prove that the falling away in 2nd Thessalonians chapter two is just that, a falling away or departure from the faith rather than a departure of the church from the earth.
With this in mind, let us look at the emphasized text above. Notice, Paul indicates that the day of the Lord would not come until the falling away occurs, and the man of lawlessness, the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (2:3). Like many, for a great deal of time, I wrestled with this passage trying to sort out just how the pre-tribulation rapture fit into this scenario which clearly points out that ‘the falling away’ and the revelation of the man of sin precede the rapture and the ensuing day of the Lord which is believed, by most, to be the Tribulation period. I am of the firm belief that the rapture of the church initiates the day of the Lord.
When writing the article, “The Fall So Great – That Only Eight – Entered the Ark,” I came to the realization that it was not Paul who had muddled the issues at hand. Instead, confusion has abounded because we, modern students, have conflated the man of sin with the coming antichrist. In reality, Paul is speaking of mankind in this passage. Remember, he includes in this passage the fact that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work in his day, and the Apostle John spoke of many antichrists having already come and gone out (1 John 2:18-19). Therefore, Paul is pointing out that, just before the rapture/onset of the day of the Lord, men will have so throughly departed from true faith that they actually go so far as to believe they are their own god. Here is what Paul says about those who fall away:
2 Thessalonians 2:4
“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” [Take note that man is now the temple of God, (1 Cor 3:16). Therefore, this passage signifies that man will assume the throne of God in their own hearts and reject God in the process, thereby, falling away.]
Shortly after this statement, Paul indicates that God, Himself, will send the fallen a strong delusion that they should believe a lie. This lie, that man can be as god, has always been the chief tactic of Satan. Remember, he first lied to himself by saying that he would exalt his throne above the heights of the clouds and be like the most High (Is 14:14). He went on to convince the first couple that they could be as gods, as well (Gen 3:6-7). The article, “The Greatest Lie Ever Told: The Origin of All Lies,” deals with this in detail.[3] Think about this for a second, if this is the lie that God deludes the wicked into accepting, the result will be unimaginable. After all, look at how effective this lie has been with just the influence of Satan involved.
Before turning away, understand that I am not saying that the antichrist is not coming. He will, in fact, rise out of the fallen and become their leader. Revelation chapter thirteen depicts the arrival of the antichrist by portraying him as the beast that rises out of the sea. This ‘sea’ is often noted to represent great multitudes of people. Therefore, the antichrist rises from amongst the masses of the fallen to lead them into perdition. With this in mind, what I am saying is…the man of sin of 2nd Thessalonians chapter two is better understood as, ‘mankind’ of sin. Put another way, these are to be considered, ‘mankind that has chosen lawlessness.’
It is of no coincidence that this type of man is currently flooding the earth at the same time that so many other last day’s signs are presenting. Indeed, these are so lawless they have even gone so far as to reject the sex God made them. In so doing, it is becoming very clear that those who propagate this lunacy have taken the position of god in their own minds. This was the same condition of man prior to the flood:
Genesis 6:5-7
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”
Knowing that mankind will once again be like those whom the Lord judged so severely in the flood provides great clarity to the point at hand. In fact, knowing this helps us reconsider the passage being discussed in the correct light. Therefore, if we can come to grips with the fact that we have misunderstood this passage and apply the proper perspective, the difficulties of said passage disappear. Instead, of attempting to create the belief that ‘the falling away’ is the rapture, we can see it is truly an apostasy like that which took place in Noah’s day and the rest of the passage describes the nature of the fallen who will succumb to the deception of the coming antichrist.
As far as the rapture goes, it is clearly marked as taking place at the removal of the restrainer which takes place at the moment of the rapture which makes way for the judgment of the wicked during the day of the Lord:[4]
2 Thessalonians 2:5-7
“Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:” [He – is the Holy Spirit which inhabits the church] (emphasis mine) [author’s comments]
Before leaving this section, let’s deal with the large elephant in the room. Many have championed the belief that this passage refers to the departure of the church and the revelation of the antichrist. Conversely, I have put forth the idea that this passage is speaking of ‘the falling away’ which generates the type of man (mankind) that will usher in the Tribulation and give rise to the antichrist whom all shall worship (Rev 13:8).[5]
The next statement is of utmost importance, please understand this: the fact that something is believed by many does not make this belief true. Instead, God’s intended message is true and it is our mission to understand what He meant. Therefore, the context of the passage properly exegeted proves what the author intended the reader to understand.[6] In this case, the Lord wanted us to know that mankind would fall away from true worship of God and turn that worship toward self, just before the rapture.[7]
Of special note, this falling away will be so complete that once the faithful are raptured, all of remaining mankind will then be considered wicked. Of course this will change as those left behind begin to hear God’s Word and believe that He is God and they are not.[8] These will then become the tribulations saints we read about throughout the book of Revelation.[9] This special group are the ones who are willing to die for their new-found faith in Christ-alone:
Revelation 20:4
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (emphasis mine) [Notice these reject the mark of the beast which becomes mandatory near the mid-point of the Tribulation, and they pay for this rejection with their physical lives][10]
It is very important to point out that the raptured are the only ones who will miss the time of the greatest judgment to ever occur on earth. We know the flood of Noah’s day was truly devastating, considering only eight survived. However, the coming tribulation is said to be so terrible that it is like no other time on earth (Matt 24:21). Perhaps, this is because it transpires over a seven year period and few will survive.
Why is this important?
Scripture indicates that the righteous are not ignorant of the times that catch the wicked unaware, the way a thief catches some asleep. I submit to you that the falling away of 2nd Thessalonians chapter two is perhaps the greatest pre-rapture sign provided in Scripture. In fact, this sign is so conclusive, because of the global scale of the departure from faith in God, that those who are children of light, at the end of the age, will not miss it, unless…
They have been convinced that this is not a sign at all, that it is instead the rapture; or that man must rise to preeminence in the spheres of influence upon the earth (Seven Mountains) and prepare the kingdom for Christ’s return;[11] or that it is impossible for men to fall away from God.[12] These beliefs could cause the lukewarm to sleep rather than stay alert.[13] Instead, we are to remain awake and watching for the return of the Lord.[14]
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them [the fallen-wicked], as travail upon a woman with child; and they [they will be left behind] shall not escape.
“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep [Rapture language], we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”
With this in mind, considering the fact that we are witnessing the greatest falling away that the world has seen, since the flood, it is crucial that the church, yields to Christ so that, “he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Eph 5:26-27).” This is our portion until He comes for us.
Conclusion
Many have fallen away from the position that ‘the falling away’ is a major departure from the faith. The reasons are varied, but the outcome is the same; those who come to believe that the falling away is the rapture have taken their eyes off the greatest sign of the last days, and placed them on endless conjecture about the meaning of the text at hand. Some go so far as to besmirch all who have ever spoken of ‘the falling away’ as a departure from faith in God, as though they, even those who were trained by the apostles themselves, were somehow misguided in their understanding of God’s warning for the last day’s church. Instead of rejecting long held beliefs for something that is new and exciting, let us rest in what God told us in His Word.
After all… God, in His great mercy, warned those in Noah’s day that time was short due to the building of the Ark, and He even provided a living testimony of the coming deluge in the very name of Methuselah which meant “when he dies it shall be sent.”[15] God has also given us many signs of the times which are intended to prod us into keeping our eyes trained on Him. Indeed, He wants us to know that our time is short. Therefore, let us leave off of these speculations which engender doubt about perhaps our greatest warning, ‘The Falling Away.’
***
Special note: As noted in the opening paragraph, this article is a defense of the previous article, “The Fall So Great – That Only Eight – Entered the Ark.” This defense is necessary because some have rejected the idea posed here that the fallen, and not only the singular antichrist, are described in 2nd Thessalonians chapter two. These rejections were noted to be… because other prophecy teachers did not see this passage this way. To this I simply say… We should not rely solely on what others say about what God, through his human writers, said. Instead, we should be concerned with exactly what God intended us to hear. This is the only place we can find common ground. God’s Word must rule, not men’s ideas about what God’s Word says.
2 Corinthians 3:4-6
“And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
Romans 3:4
“Let God be true, but every man a liar.”
Website: In His Commission
[1] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Fall So Great – That Only Eight – Entered the Ark.”
[2] “Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version.”
[3] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Greatest Lie Ever Told: The Origin of All Lies.”
[4] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Five W’s of the Rapture.”
[5] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Rise of the Reprobates.”
[6] For greater understanding, see the article, “Exes and Eyes.”
[7] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Return of the Godless.”
[8] For greater understanding, see the article, “Big God – Little Man.”
[9] For greater understanding, see the article, “Open Letter to Those Who Miss the Rapture.”
[10] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Ultimate Mandate: The Mark of the Beast.”
[11] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Great Awakening – The Grand Deception.”
[12] For greater understanding, see the article, “Once Saved – Always Saved?”
[13] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Worst Kind of Famine.”
[14] For greater understanding, see the article, “Watch – Warn – and Win Souls.”
[15] For greater understanding, see the article by Answers in Genesis, “Methuselah’s Hands…Found.”