This disaster is being circulated on Facebook by Christians, "Just thinking of the future. Having studied the Bible throughout my life, in many different forms, it really does always come down to this. I have been hearing about the second coming of Christ and the events unfolding since I was a kid. So keep in mind that the anti christ comes after the rapture (2 Thessalonians 2) when believers who are alive will be caught up together with those who have already died in Christ before the Great Tribulation." That is how it starts out and it is so far off the rails in that short series of sentences that I won't bother with the rest.
This is the second chapter of 2nd Thessalonians. " Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word."
Very clearly in verse 3 Paul is telling us there will be a falling away and a revealing of the anti Christ, and the anti christ in verse 8 is slain by the appearance of the coming of the Lord. The Messiah came once and will come a 2nd time to slay the anti Christ and the Messiah's followers will meet Him in the air and return to the earth to establish His kingdom. The high calling of the followers of the Messiah is to be as loving and self sacrificing as the crucified Lamb, demonstrating their love by a willingness to lay down their lives for others. There is absolutely nothing in 2nd Thessalonians to make you think, the Messiah is coming back for a 1 and 1/2 coming that will "rescue His precious church" from trouble. That lie only flies in this country, it does not fly in China, or Iran, or any country controlled by Islam or communism.
The sad thing is most of the people re-posting this lie, did not take the time to read 2 Thessalonians 2.
The sad thing is most Christians choose to believe they will be whisked away before the tribulation and they are ripe for being a part of the great falling away, because they are putting their hope in something that is absolutely positively false, the pre-trib rapture of the "church".
The sad thing is entire denominations teach this lie.
The sad thing is this generation cannot afford to get this wrong.
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