2 THESSALONIANS 2 = CATECHISM 675, 676, 677

 

THE GREAT APOSTASY

during End Times

 

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"The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading."

(Lamentations 2:14)

Jeremiah had hindsight of the destruction of Solomon's Temple and Jerusalem when he wrote God's words. Daniel had a vision that is sealed until the end of time. John had an enhanced vision in the Revelation but we didn't hear what the 7 Thunders rumbled. Today's prophets interpret the allegories and fill in the blanks about what is yet to come. With hindsight, some of these prophets will later confirm their false and misleading prophesies to fuel the Great Apostasy.

 

This is a reminder to born-again Christians of the coming Great Apostasy during End Times.

The Great Apostasy is fed by personal tribulation and Satan's Promises of Once Saved, Always Saved, Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and ruling with Christ in a time of peace in a literal Millennium.

You know who you are.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NIV)

"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 [apostasy] 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. 5Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness [mystery of iniquity] is already at work; but the one who now holds it back [Restrainer] will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."

 

 

The Word of God tells us born-again brothers and sisters that before Jesus Christ returns you will hear that it has already happened. But before Christ actually appears there will be a rebellion, or Apostasy, of believers. This is followed by the the revealing of the Man of Lawlessness in God's Temple, this often called the Abomination of Desolation by the Antichrist. At that time the one who holds back the Antichrist, the Restrainer, will be removed and followed by the actual Great Tribulation. (Daniel 12:1) The secret power of Lawlessness, or Mystery of Iniquity, is already at work. Note the Apostasy occurs during End  Times before the actual Antichrist is revealed.

 

 

Great Apostasy Scenario

Misleading events preceding End Times: World War III or similar hard times will be mistaken for the Great Tribulation, possibly lasting about 3-1/2 years. You are still here in the thick of it, so your preacher misled about a Pre-Trib Rapture. There will be leaders who will be misidentified as the Antichrist, but he is a False-Antichrist. Jews will start sacrifices on the Temple Mount with many False-Two-Witnesses. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will trod rampant with war, famine, and disease. (Seals 1-4) Many Martyrs are killed. (Seal 5) Look, a blood moon, stars falling, and earthquakes, and everyone stops fighting. (Seal 6) Where is Jesus? The False-Antichrist is killed. A peacemaker False-Christ (Matthew 24:24) negotiates peace and brings a time of peace and rebuilding which some will mistake for the Millennium. The Peacemaker is not exactly how some thought Christ would be, but many will follow him. Besides, Once Saved, Always Saved. And now I have a bag of beans to feed my kids.

 

 

, , and are teachings in many Protestant denominations. Didn't anyone see this Great Apostasy coming? Yes, the Catholics have a version in catchy Catechisms 675, 676, and 677.

 

Catholic Catechism - The Church's Ultimate Trial

675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. [Lk 18:8; Mt 24:12] The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth [Lk 21:12; Jn 15:19-20] will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh. [2 Thess 2:4-12; 1 Thess 5:2-3; 2 Jn 7; 1 Jn 2:18,22]

676The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, [DS 3839] especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism. [GS 20-21]

677 The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. [Rev 19:1-9] The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven. [Rev 13:8; 20:7-10; 21:2-4] God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world. [Rev 20:12 2 Pet 3:12-13]

 

 

There will be a final Apostasy of the Church based on religious deception with a Pseudo-Messiah, or Antichrist. His False-Kingdom will especially entrap those mistaking it for an "intrinsically perverse" Millennium.

 

 

For Further Understanding

 

The Great Apostasy Scenario - Chart of possible layout of misleading events for those who clutch their Millennium.

 

Satan's Promises

 

The Millennium - If you think your future includes a literal 1,000 years as a Saint ruling with Christ consider what happens if you think it comes early? The Millennium ends in Tragedy.

 

The Rapture - Timing is the key. It may be a problem if you believe in a Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, on Post-Tribulation Rapture. What happens on the Last Day?

 

Once Saved, Always Saved - If you think you have a one-way guarantee with God for Salvation, please check the fine print on your contract.

 

How the Scroll may Unroll

 

The Red Heifer - The Golden Calf comes of age. The "water of purification" may not quench the following war. Temple III = WWIII.

 

Perspective (no prophecy here)

 

Psalm 151 - David had an afterthought. God rent the veil of my soul.

 

Naked Before God - Do you still need fig leaves?

 

The Blame Game - Get behind me, Adam!

 

Fear is a Poison - You fear what you can't control. Anger and hate squelch the fear.

 

Don't be a Queer - The Bible is clear - Don't be a queer.

 

Billy - To abort or suffer the shame? Ask Billy

 

 اِقۡرَاۡ بِاسۡمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ​ۚ‏  - Read! Read what your Muslim brothers have not read: The Torah and the Gospels.