3 Signs of the Antichrist and the Day of the Lord
“And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming.” (1 John 4:3)
In Paul’s short second letter to the Thessalonian church, he attempts to clear up some misconceptions about the Antichrist and the coming Day of the Lord. At that time, many in the church falsely believed the Day had already come, but Paul encouraged them and set the record straight.
Chapter One first warns of God’s final judgment on those who reject Him. As a follow-up in chapter two, Paul describes three signs that will precede the Antichrist’s appearance and the Day of the Lord. Sign number one is widespread apostasy, translated as “falling away.”
“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 revealed, the son of perdition.” (2 Thess 2:3)
The original Greek translation of “falling away” is apostasy (apostasia), which means to depart or forsake, but, more correctly, it means to rebel or “defection from truth.” The term once referred to military or political rebellion. In biblical terms (and what Paul intends), it indicates an abandonment of worshiping God.
Some theorize that apostasy refers to the removal (rapture) of the church. Given the original Greek manuscripts, it more correctly points to a…
