Good morning!
Ed,
I would like to tell you something.
I have know yoiu for 6 years so well. You always often twist God's word, what these are actual saying, and also you often separate events as 'rapture' and 'second advent' because of word, "and". For example, you always often intepret by separate Matt 24:30 from verse 31, because of word, 'and'. You always saying verse 31 is pretrib gathering, while you say Matt. 24:29-30 is posttrib coming. You have serious problem with Christ's lecture. Nowhere in chapter 24 showing us a hint telling us there is two comings aparted. Whole context focus on second advent at the end of the world(age), no other else of different comings.
Secondly, you break the hemenuetic rule - 'Intepreting in Contextually'.
Because, you separate or cut verse 31 from the context of Matt. 24:29-30 talking about the sign of His coming. Matt. 24:29-31 clear telling us, our gathering together shall be immediately after the tribulation of days, as when we shall see the comsic disturbance occurs first.
Thirdly,
You saying of 2 Thess. 2:1 into two different comings, because of word, 'and'. But, you actual twist God's Word, what Paul wrotes.
We must understand what the grammar or sentence actual saying.
2 Thess. 2:1 doesn't give us a hint that, there is two separate comings.
2 Thess. 2:1 clears telling us us, that our gathering together shall be follow at the coming of the Lord same time according to 1 Thess. 4:15-17.
Fourth,
You saying of 'falling away' of 2 Thess. 2:3 means rapture.
In STRONG'S Cordance doesn't support your definition.
STRONG'S Cordance says of 'falling away' in Greek word - 'apostasia' means, depart from faith, depart from truth.
Also, word, 'falling away' is a negative word. Rapture means caught UP, not caught DOWN. So, 'falling away' shows it means decling of the conditional situation, getting worsen.
Paul clears telling us do not let anyone deceive us of any means. What of 'any means' speaks of? Verse 3 is context with verse 1 and 2 talking about the timing of our gathering together and Lord's coming. Paul told us, do not believe them saying that Christ was already arrived that we missed His coming(verse 2). He told us, do not believe them, because Lord shall not come till we must see the coming of apostasy first, and the revealed of Antichrist.
So, 2 Thess. 2:1-10 telling us very clear that, we will see apostasy increasing worst in the last days, the wicked increasing climax in the last days, and the persecutions shall increasing against the Church in the last days. Also, it tells us, we WILL SEE the revealed of Satan(acts as Messiah in person) first before Christ comes. There shall be greater test fall upon Church and the persecutions shall hit church harder than any persecutions of the Church history.
There is no proof of pretribulational coming in 2 Thess. 2:1-10.
Even, throughout in the whole New Testament books, do not give a clear proof of a verse saying that Christ shall come again before tribulation. Also, not even, a verse shows us there is two future comings in the N.T. The N.T. books telling us, Christ shall come again at once according to Heb. 10:28 - "the second time".
Pretribulationism doctrine is a man-make doctrine(Col. 2:8). I rather follow what the Bible saying than what men saying.
In Christ
Rev. 22:20 -Amen!
