The Gathering
What is it?
Let us rightly divide 2 Thessalonians 2, and come to some conclusions about the near future.
This book was written by the Apostle Paul. He is speaking of the last days, which we are in. I’m using the KJV.
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,” 2 Thess. 2:1
Gathering together unto Him?
What is it?
He is speaking of the rapture. He is speaking of the spirits/souls of all the saints from all time, being gathered together to Him, in the twinkling of an eye.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”— 1 Thess. 4:16-17
And again
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”— 1 Cor. 15:50-52
The rapture is where all saints. All real believers are changed into spiritual bodies. It is called “The Gathering Together”. The Lord gathers us together with Him. (1 Cor. 15:35-49)
Now we look at the next verses in 2 Thessalonians 2.
“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Paul is saying that times will be tough, there will be deception, but rest assured the day of Christ’s return is at hand. It is imminent. His return, not a pre-tribulation rapture lie. Not this idea that He will sneak us away and we will wait in heaven for seven years, then come back. But, His actual return as promised.
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;”
This verse plainly states that the Gathering Together or Rapture will not occur until there is a Falling Away and the Anti-Christ is revealed. The Anti-Christ will wage war on the saints. The Word plainly states it. This is not some “tribulation saints” it is all of Christianity. It is the real saints. the real believers. (Rev. 13:7, Daniel 7:21, Daniel 7:25)
There will be terrible persecution in these last days against Christians. This persecution will cause many who have been in church but never really known Christ to fall away. They will want to avoid persecution and suffering. They will reject the Lord, and form the Apostate Church. This church will follow the False Prophet, and the New Religion he will create. (Rev. 6:9-11, Rev. 13)
Real believers will not accept the Mark of the Beast. They will not reject Christ. They will suffer and starve and be rounded up and killed. Just like the saints of the first church. Jesus cleansed the Temple twice during His earthly ministry. That is a picture of the early persecutions and the latter. Where all the chaff is removed. Where all the false ones are revealed and leave the body of the church. Because they never really believed or knew Him. They were just in church for tradition, fear, appearances or some other reason. But, they were never really saved. (Rev. 13)
The next verse in 2 Thessalonians,
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.”
We see here that the Temple will be built at this time, before the Gathering together (Rapture). Before the return of Jesus. The Anti-Christ will sit in the Temple and call Himself God.
And the false prophet will teach that the Anti-Christ is God. It will be taught that He is the Messiah. That he is the latest of many souls who have come throughout history from beyond to lead us into the next step of our evolution. That we are being led by the Spirit to “be as gods” through evolution. The same lies Satan told Adam and Eve. (Rev. 13, Gen. 3)
As the Word says, there have been many anti-christs. “Instead of” Christs. False Christs. There is a spirit of antichrist from Satan who has worked to help build the Anti-Christ’s Global Kingdom since the Fall of Man. That spirit has used many people to move us along. The False Prophet will claim this is a good thing, from beyond and is part of our evolutionary process. But, it is not. (1 John 2:18, 1 John 4)
Next we see in 2 Thessalonians 2
“5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”
In these verses it speaks of the Restrainer. Someone who restrains the Anti-Christ.
This has been rightly understood to be the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the real believers. The Saints of the real church of Jesus Christ.
But, the false belief has been that the Holy Spirit will be removed in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, when all the saints have been removed with Him as well.
But, that is clearly not correct.
The Holy Spirit will be “taken out of the way”, because the Anti-Christ will have waged war against the Saints and overcome them. All the Saints, will be dead, locked up, underground, in hiding, and destroyed.
God allows this. Just like he did to the early church. Remember, persecution is not a bad thing for the believer. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”—Psa. 116:15
The removal of the Saints does not reveal the Anti-Christ. The removal of the Holy Spirit does not reveal the Anti-Christ. The Holy Spirit is not removed. He dwells in His people, but the influence He has at this time will have been taken out of the way with the saints, because they will have been killed or in hiding.
The saints and Holy Spirit being taken out of the way doesn’t reveal the Anti-Christ, because He will already be on the scene. But it reveals “That Wicked”.
It reveals that the man who is the “Anti-Christ”. The man the world has accepted and worshiped. The man who is considered a savior from all the troubles and problems that come from the seal and trumpet judgements, is not really a Christ. But is Satan in the flesh.
And all hell breaks loose. (Rev. 12:7-12)
Next we see in the verses of 2 Thessalonians,
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
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.
Deception will be bad. With AI, and all powers and news and preachers, and doctors and scientists, and politicians and experts, and movies and music; backing Him up. The lies will be every where. We can see it today, but it will be worse.
As the Lord says “ For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matt 24:24)
There will be no truth. If you do not already know the truth. If you do not already know Jesus Christ, and the truth of God’s Word and promises. You will not be able to break through the deceptions, to see truth.
There will be strong delusion that prevent those on the Earth from being saved, because they cannot see the truth. The Anti-Christ and the forces with Him. The spirit of anti-christ, Satan, the fallen angels and demons of hell, will even use the things of God to bring this deception.
And God will allow it. There are things in place that God has sent, which will be used to help with the delusion.
His Saints and the Holy Spirit with them will have been overcome and taken out of the way. The truth has been twisted in every way possible. There will be no one to refute the lies, or resist the enemy.
God has given the Gospel to everyone on Earth. They have heard and know. But, have chosen to reject. They hold the truth of who Jesus Christ is, in unrighteousness. They hold the truth of Jesus Christ and have chosen to not be washed by it. They have chosen to not believe it and be made righteous and be saved. They refuse to confess Him as Lord, and have chosen Satan. (Matt. 24:14)
As the Lord says
1 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. —Matt. 24:21-22
Because the Lord returns, and ends the horror.
“29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”—Matt. 24:29-31
The Gathering Together, as spoken of in 2 Thessalonians.
“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.
3 Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.”—Zeph. 2:1-3
We are hid in Christ. We are hid in the cleft of the Rock. We are hid in the Ark. We are washed clean in the Blood.
If we know Him. If we turn to Him and Confess Him as Lord before He comes. Before we are so deceived and twisted that we cannot see truth. (Rom. 10:9-10, Rom 14:11-12)
Be not one of those who turn to the Anti-Christ, and join the Apostate Church. The temptation for Christians in those days will be severe. They will lose everything, even life unless they turn from Christ. But, those who really know Him will be able to endure.
“35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”— Heb. 10:35-39.
As the Lord says
“9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” —Matt. 24:9-13
Many false brethren will turn and join the Apostate Church and will help the Anti-Christ kill and overcome the Saints. We endure, not by our works, but by abiding in Him. We abide in Him, by knowing Him. By confessing him as Lord. By the relationship we have with Him.
As the end of 2 Thessalonians 2 says,
“ But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”
Behold He comes quickly.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
(This has been an interpretation of what is to come. Like most prophecy we cannot put our foot down and say “Thus sayeth the Lord”. I am not doing that. I could be wrong. But, through time and study, I believe I have been led to this conclusion of what will occur. we shall see.
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