In 2 Thessalonians 2, Apostle Paul taught of the event of "a falling away" that is to happen first, prior to our Lord Jesus' coming and gathering of the Church.
2 Thess 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
KJV
The Greek word is apostasia (Strong's no. 646) and it's where our English word apostasy comes from. It means to forsake what one held to, becoming an apostate. And the object of the cause Apostle Paul gives is the worship of that false one, the "man of sin" and his sitting in the temple of God exalting himself over all that is called God or that is worshiped, i.e., the very sin that Satan did in the beginning.
That falling away to worship that false one instead is Paul's real subject in that chapter, and is what the "strong delusion" is that he speaks of in verse 11...
2 Thess 2:11-12
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
KJV
Paul's first warning there again was what? "Let no man deceive you by any means:". Deceive you into what? Into falling away to worship that coming false one by his working of all power of signs and lying wonders per verse 9. Those signs and wonders were another warning our Lord Jesus gave about the coming pseudo-Christ in Matthew 24:23-26. He warned the Church again through Apostle John in Revelation 13:11-14 about the "another beast" that will come working miracles and make fire come to down on earth in the sight of men.
So what is the "lie" that Paul said God is sending the unrighteous? It is the lie of that false one coming to Jerusalem to play Messiah, and by the power of miracles he will be given to perform, it will cause many brethren to fall away in false worship to him as God, instead of waiting on our Lord Jesus' coming afterwards to destroy him with the 'spirit of His mouth', as per verse 8.
Thus that great falling away is NOT yet happened today. It is hard-linked to the time of that coming false one exalting himself as Messiah in Jerusalem.
2 Thess 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
KJV
The Greek word is apostasia (Strong's no. 646) and it's where our English word apostasy comes from. It means to forsake what one held to, becoming an apostate. And the object of the cause Apostle Paul gives is the worship of that false one, the "man of sin" and his sitting in the temple of God exalting himself over all that is called God or that is worshiped, i.e., the very sin that Satan did in the beginning.
That falling away to worship that false one instead is Paul's real subject in that chapter, and is what the "strong delusion" is that he speaks of in verse 11...
2 Thess 2:11-12
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
KJV
Paul's first warning there again was what? "Let no man deceive you by any means:". Deceive you into what? Into falling away to worship that coming false one by his working of all power of signs and lying wonders per verse 9. Those signs and wonders were another warning our Lord Jesus gave about the coming pseudo-Christ in Matthew 24:23-26. He warned the Church again through Apostle John in Revelation 13:11-14 about the "another beast" that will come working miracles and make fire come to down on earth in the sight of men.
So what is the "lie" that Paul said God is sending the unrighteous? It is the lie of that false one coming to Jerusalem to play Messiah, and by the power of miracles he will be given to perform, it will cause many brethren to fall away in false worship to him as God, instead of waiting on our Lord Jesus' coming afterwards to destroy him with the 'spirit of His mouth', as per verse 8.
Thus that great falling away is NOT yet happened today. It is hard-linked to the time of that coming false one exalting himself as Messiah in Jerusalem.