The Bible tells plainly that before Jesus comes again, there will be a great falling away from conservative Christian faith. A sign that Jesus' main adversary, the Antichrist, is on the march. But who will come first?

Paul founded the church in Thessalonica during his second missionary journey. During his visit there he had thoroughly explained his view of the end times. New converts also need to hear the preaching about Jesus' return! Paul had preached that the resurrection and rapture of the church would come before "the Day of the Lord" – the 7-year tribulation period that would come upon the whole earth (1 Thess 1:10).

False teaching. But now some false teachers had written to the church saying "that the Day of the Lord has already come" (2 Thess 2:2). Consequently, the believers in the church had been left behind. They had not been ready, something must have been wrong with their faith and life – they thought. They were distressed about this. Therefore, Paul had to write a comforting letter to clarify his view: The rapture had certainly not happened, for three reasons which we will soon look into.

Regarding the falling away from the faith: That is exactly what is happening today. Everything that has to do with Christian faith and morals is in the process of being removed from our society. Many churches are in the process of breaking down. For the sake of peace, Christians and church leaders are laying down under the spirit of the Antichrist. They cannot resist the ever-increasing persecution and gradually accept false teachings regarding biblical faith, life, and doctrine. This is an end-time sign. Before the Antichrist is revealed to the world, our society will be prepared for his coming. Therefore, Paul says:

"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 is revealed, the son of perdition."

2 Thess 2:3

The word "falling away" here is in the definite form. This indicates that it is about a specific falling away, not the ordinary falling away from the faith that happens all the time. One of the great end-time signs is that masses of people fall away from faith in Jesus as the Son of God and His teachings. Many will turn their backs on conservative Christian faith and morals. In Paul's time, neither had there been a great apostasy from the faith nor had the world ruler Antichrist shown his arrival. Besides, he would only come after the rapture. And the rapture had not yet taken place! But after the rapture, he would be "revealed" (2 Thess 2:3.6.8). Therefore, the members of the church in Thessalonica could calm down. The rapture had not taken place.

Next the following will happen:

"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. And then the lawless one will be revealed."

2 Thess 2:7–8

This describes the rapture of God's church. This happens just before the Antichrist's emergence as the world leader. The word "anti" means "against" or "instead of." Antichrist is against Christ and will try to take His place in people's hearts and as God and world leader. No one today will be able to know who he is. The believers have gone to heaven before he stands forth! Paul times the rapture and says it will come before the Antichrist's emergence:

"And then the lawless one will be revealed."

2 Thess 2:8

Who is it that "restrains"? It is the Christians. According to Jesus, we are to be "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" (Matt 5:13–14). We are to show the way to the Savior – and we are to slow and prevent decay in our societies. Decay comes from false teachings and breaking God’s commandments. Antichrist does not yet have free reins to suppress the whole world. Many believers stand firm in their faith, pray, and preach Christ around the world – despite the great falling away that is now taking place. Many Christians resist the antichristian pressure. Therefore, Antichrist cannot yet show himself to the world, but we fight against the spirit of Antichrist, for it prepares for Antichrist's coming:

"And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world."

1 John 4:3

There is too much spiritual resistance among the living Christians for the Antichrist to take over the world. This means that the falling away before Antichrist shows himself will not be complete until after the rapture. Many will stand against, fight, and suffer. Paul describes the rapture as follows:

"Only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way."

2 Thess 2:7

In other words: Those who do not "restrain" will not be "taken away." Do you go with the flow like a dead fish, or do you resist the pressure and show thereby that you have life in God?

God calls us to a holy and devoted life, without compromising what we stand for – true Christianity. We shall be "caught up together... in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess 4:17–18). The current state of the world with a number of end-time signs shows that it can happen anytime. If you have not yet received Jesus, you should do so immediately. Jesus will come suddenly and unexpectedly:

"And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'"

Matt 25:6

Where has the cry gone – the preaching about Jesus' return in our churches? Only ten percent of today's preachers talk about Jesus' return. Let us bring forth the alarm to our world. The prophecies about Jesus' coming are engaging and awaken us to reflection. The Bible is a prophetic book, and Jesus is the Bible's greatest prophet. Bible scholars believe that 27 percent of the Bible is prophetic.

Jesus does not want to come to a sleeping church, but to one that is burning. Many will not be ready when He comes; they lack oil on their lamps (Matt 25:1–13). They lack life in God and love the world more than God's cause. The Bible tells us that many will be "left behind" (Matt 24:40). Left behind to a 7-year tribulation period in a world that will then be under God's judgment and the Antichrist's rule.

I do not believe that Jesus will come back to a sinking ship. I believe in revival in the end times. In Revelation, it says:

"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

Rev 19:7

If you have not yet received Jesus, you can do so by repenting of your sins, believing the gospel, and praying the salvation prayer under the heading "Salvation". Let me hear from you so that we can send you literature on the subject "Salvation". Feel free to submit a form that you find there, and we will send you some printed materials.