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2 Thessalonians 2 and the Great Apostacy

webdog

webdog

Active Member
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Interested in hearing what you all think this is in regards to.

Lately I'm beginning to lean towards the corporate mentality of most denominations. I started a thread here years ago questioning the dispersion of tithes and offerings, and surprisingly just about everyone here agreed most should go towards salaries and facilities. I see less and less church plants, and existing churches growing larger and larger.
 
Tom Bryant

Tom Bryant

Well-Known Member
webdog said:
Interested in hearing what you all think this is in regards to.

Lately I'm beginning to lean towards the corporate mentality of most denominations. I started a thread here years ago questioning the dispersion of tithes and offerings, and surprisingly just about everyone here agreed most should go towards salaries and facilities. I see less and less church plants, and existing churches growing larger and larger.
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Not sure what you're askig. Your title and the statement seem to say that you think that the perceived lack of church plants is part of the great apostacy.

i get you don't like large churches, but not sure how that works into any kind of prophecy.

I don't perceive a lack of church plants. The North American Mission Board of the SBC is putting all its eggs in the church planting basket. In our local ass'n (sarasota/Manatee, fl) , there have been 3 church plants in the last 2 years.
 
webdog

webdog

Active Member
Site Supporter
Tom Bryant said:
Not sure what you're askig. Your title and the statement seem to say that you think that the perceived lack of church plants is part of the great apostacy.
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Actually that is just a small part of it. Its treating the church like a non profit organization or business that is what I was getting at.

i get you don't like large churches, but not sure how that works into any kind of prophecy.
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'The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil'

I don't perceive a lack of church plants. The North American Mission Board of the SBC is putting all its eggs in the church planting basket. In our local ass'n (sarasota/Manatee, fl) , there have been 3 church plants in the last 2 years.
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Having been through the NAMB target area in 2008 I have to add their methods to my op. Simply pulling people from one church (weakening that church) with guaranteed salary for 3 years and throwing a bunch of money at a plant is not what Jesus had in mind when He said to go and make disciples. Ive seen a number of church plants close and dwindle after having millions thrown at them. What I got from the NAMB coming through the area was a numbers goal.
 
R

RLBosley

Active Member
so are you asking more for an exposition of the chapter or how it could relate to churches just staying "indoors"?
 
R

RLBosley

Active Member
webdog said:
Not the chapter, but thoughts on what the great apostasy / falling away is.
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OK gotcha.

2 Thess 2:3-4,11
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

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.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
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I think v4 and 11 explains the falling away or great apostasy. It the false "Christianity" where people will worship the "man of sin" who sitting in the temple (the church) will proclaim himself to be god. The true God will allow this and use it for His glory in the end.

Sounds a lot like a hyper-catholic ideology to me...
 
webdog

webdog

Active Member
Site Supporter
RLBosley said:
OK gotcha.



I think v4 and 11 explains the falling away or great apostasy. It the false "Christianity" where people will worship the "man of sin" who sitting in the temple (the church) will proclaim himself to be god. The true God will allow this and use it for His glory in the end.

Sounds a lot like a hyper-catholic ideology to me...
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Thanks! I tend to view the worship of the AC to come after the great apostasy. The 'church' that remains, so to speak.
 
R

RLBosley

Active Member
webdog said:
Thanks! I tend to view the worship of the AC to come after the great apostasy. The 'church' that remains, so to speak.
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Well i think the great apostasy would be central to the reign of the man of sin. (not a fan of the term Anti-Christ) Meaning that, his rule as the leader of the false religion is really the focal point of the falling away.

Personally i lean towards a historicist interpretation of Revelation so, like the reformers I see the Papacy as at least a shadow if not the full substance of the false religions leader. And I think the terms used here in 2 Thess 2 describes the office of Pope very well. But I could be wrong, we shall see.
 
webdog

webdog

Active Member
Site Supporter
RLBosley said:
Well i think the great apostasy would be central to the reign of the man of sin. (not a fan of the term Anti-Christ) Meaning that, his rule as the leader of the false religion is really the focal point of the falling away.

Personally i lean towards a historicist interpretation of Revelation so, like the reformers I see the Papacy as at least a shadow if not the full substance of the false religions leader. And I think the terms used here in 2 Thess 2 describes the office of Pope very well. But I could be wrong, we shall see.
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We just might see VERY soon when the next pope is chosen :)
 
I

Iconoclast

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I think it was speaking of nero, during the destruction of the temple. The warnings in Hebrews were coming to pass, there were many who did commit apostasy going back to ot worship .
 
R

RLBosley

Active Member
Iconoclast said:
I think it was speaking of nero, during the destruction of the temple. The warnings in Hebrews were coming to pass, there were many who did commit apostasy going back to ot worship .
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I've read that but I can't really understand how the man of sin here could be Nero... the man of sin is described as being destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Christ.

The other preterist view that I've heard is that the man of sin here is talking about some zealot who set himself up as chief priest in the Temple during the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD or something along those lines. I could see that being more in line with the passage if the coming here refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, as preterism states. However I'm convinced by the context of verse 1 of this chapter as well as the previous chapter that the events prophesied here are eschatological.
 
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