Jennifer Rothnie Supporter Housewife, Artist, Perpetually Curious

Apostasia (ἀποστασία) in II Thess 2:3 means apostasy, defection, or revolt. Most translations use 'apostasy' since it is a transliteration of the Greek term into English.

It is a noun derived from the preposition apó, "away from" and the verb histémi, "stand") – leading to its literal meaning of 'departure from a previous standing.'

Apostasy, then, is leaving something you were once a part of. Examples might be a soldier defecting from his army, a group of rebels revolting from the commands of their king, a scientist defecting from his nation to another, or a spouse abandoning a marriage.

In the context of II Thess 2:3, it is speaking of people departing from the faith - a moral apostasy, not a political one. It is similar to the warning of I Tim 4:1, where the Spirit explicitly says that in latter times, some will depart (apostatize) from the faith; and to the warning of Heb 3:12, where the author asks his listeners to examine themselves to be sure that none of them have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away (apostatizes) from the living God.

https://ebible.com/questions/16424-what-does-it-mean-in-1-tim-4-1-that-some-will-depart-from-faith-giving-heed-to-deceiving-spirits

II Thess 2:3 is specifically referring to a large rebellion, "the apostasy," that must take place before the return of Christ, with the implication of the passage being that the 'man of sin' will either head up this group of defectors from the faith or draw them to himself.

Over the centuries, there have been many guesses as to who this 'man of sin' is: Caligula, Titus, Simon Magus, Simon Bar Kohba, Nero, the Pope of Rome (a sequence of men, in that case), Luther, Mahomet, - even modern figures like former U.S. Presidents Obama and Trump. 

Some believe this man of sin was revealed in the past (hence, Jesus could return at any moment without further prophecies needing to be fulfilled); others that the revelation of the man of sin is still future; and still others believe that it could be either, that some historic figures fit the description, but there might be a future 'man of sin' who fits better.)

However, the term 'revealed' in the verse is apokaluptó, the same term as in the title of 'Revelation.' This strongly hints that this figure will be very public and not one that we have to guess about or wonder about - his actions will be very clear:

"He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." II Thess 2:4

Yet despite this opposition to God and his clear sacrilege, many Christians will defect from Christ and flock to him! It will not just be unbelievers that flock to the 'signs and wonders' of this man, but many followers of Christ will defect as well, rejecting the truth and loving the lie instead. (II Thess 2:9-12)

April 21 2017 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

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