2 Thessalonians 2:3 & the Rapture Prior to the Day of the Lord
“There must be ‘a falling away first.’ Many have interpreted this to mean the apostasy, and I agree that it does refer to that. But I think it means more than that, as a careful examination of the word will reveal. The Greek word that is here translated as ‘falling away’ is apostasia. The root word actually means departure or removal from.’
Paul says that before the Day of the Lord begins there must first come a removing. There are two kinds of removing that are going to take place. First, the organized church will depart from the faith–that is what we call the apostasy. But there will be a total apostasy when the Lord comes, and that cannot take place until the true church is removed. . . . There will be total apostasy because of two things: (1) the organization of the church has departed from the faith–it has apostatized and (2) there has been another departure, the departure of the true church from the earth. The departure of the true church leads into the total apostatizing of the organized church. The Day of the Lord cannot begin–nor the Great Tribulation Period–until the departure of the true church has taken place” (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, Vol. V., p. 413).
Paul wrote those words about the great departure of the church so as to give words of comfort. He specifically stated, “we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed” (2 Thess. 2:2). We suffer immense tribulation, trials, and pains in this life here and now. Jesus (John 16:33) and Apostle Peter (1 Peter 4) both spoke of the terrible times of tribulation we believers experience in the here and the now, this present era. Thankfully, we have these words of comfort that we will be removed as we depart the earth prior to the worst time of suffering and tribulation known to man. We certainly suffer trials, tribulation, and persecution now. But we will depart prior to the great day and time of wrath (Rev. 6-19).
Dr. Sherlin