Calvin’s Corner: The Great Apostasy
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way.
For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 ESV)
It’s been a staple of dispensational teaching for a long time.
One of the signs of the end times would be the “great apostasy” or the “falling away” which would precede the Rapture of the church.
This was interpreted to be a dearth of “sound Bible teaching” and an embrace of whatever heresy that was the flavor of the day.
Modern “discernment” wonks like Roger Oakland take this passage as an opportunity to slime everyone from Rick Warren to Eugene Peterson to the entire Jesuit order.
Like minded brethren of Oakland have labeled me as one of those end time devils, calling me “emergent’ and “ecumenical” to my endless amusement.
The question needs to be asked…is that really what this passage is teaching?
I answer a loud and obnoxious “no” in this weeks podcast with Phil Naessens.
History and the rest of the Scripture,(along with a passage from the Apocrypha), will support my response.
Learn how the “discernment” ministries are fighting God …who is the real source of the great delusion.
Learn the truth…don’t be a wonk.
i need your phone number for CSN
i would like to know how to obtain a copy of Mike Kestler’s radio program 0n 5/13/16
Pastor Kryter,
I think Mike Kestler is a godless cretin with the morals of a goat.
You might want to go to CSN’s website for the information you seek.
I also offer my apologies to goats and those that love them.
Good show with you and Phil – I have not listened for a while … but the topic did perk my curiosity. I think those you speak about are a real slim group and may only be a portion of dispensationalist. However, those who do speak like that are genuine theological morons.
As all may know, when it comes to ‘end times events’ I think dispensationalism does not answer a single question / topic / issue correctly. But more broadly my issue is with Rapture Theology and all who believe in any rapture that is not really resurrection of the saints at the 2nd coming.
Here is my problem with these verses being taken as a rapture and not resurrection. Rapture is not spoken of anywhere in scripture – the whole topic is always resurrection. If this is the case – how can the Thessalonians think they missed the rapture? I am sure that what they thought they had missed because of bad information floating around was they had missed the resurrection and Paul is now assuring them of that event, not some untaught rapture.
Hey, it is all made up.
MLD,
Thanks for listening. 🙂
I do believe the Rapture and the Second Coming are the same event…
Michael – I know you do, but I wonder why we speak in terms of rapture instead of resurrection?
That’s a very good question . I do do because we have to debate these matters using the common terms the other side uses. Perhaps it’s time to grow beyond that.
interesting and combines honesty with scholarship IMHO, but …
how did those jews remove their circumcision (of the flesh)? and …
“rapture” may be misleading and carries a lot of baggage today, but going up to meet Christ in the air (whenever that happens) does not seem synonymous with the term resurrection (out of the grave) even though, evidently, we all get new bodies at this moment (?)
Oakland is a divisive fool. I witnessed his shenanigans years ago when he was a guest “pastor” at the Calvary Chapel I attended.
It was a complete load of horses**t (excuse my language). He had a really slick Power Point presentation with lots of really neat pictures of various world leaders with the Pope, and explained that this was proof of the “great apostasy.”
The ODMs are much the same as the little old lady that lives on the corner, and chases little kids with a broom. Not who I want to associate with.
After over a year away from dispensational, judgmental, pseudo fundamentalist mumbo jumbo, I’m a much happier person. It sure does take a lot of time trying to be a better Christian, especially when one is never quite sure why your not a “better Christian,” ever.
I’m not convinced that scaring people into the Kingdom is highly effective. “If you died today, do you know if you’d go to Heaven?” “Get right with God, we’re in spiritual overtime.” “Events in ______ (pick your region of the world, preferably the Middle East), are proof of my version of prophecy.”
Rant over