To show the lengths to which the rapturists are willing to go to cling to their belief, some are suggesting that the Greek term properly translated apostasy, or falling away, or revolt against authority, means rather "a falling away from the earth." To our knowledge there is no contemporary translation that presents such a distortion. But this obviously contrived translation is indicative of how far otherwise competent and devout scholars are willing to go in order to perpetuate this error.

The doctrine of the pre-tribulation disappearing of the saints has contributed greatly to the destruction of righteousness among the believers, and by its related teachings has cut off the Jews from the Body of Christ, leaving them to suffer at the hands of Antichrist without the Holy Spirit. There certainly is an anti-Semitic spirit in the pre-tribulation-rapture teaching.

"Let no man deceive you." The Lord Jesus warned us there would be much deception surrounding His return to earth.

Antichrist overcomes the saints by means of deception. The churches are afraid of the several forces on the earth, such as Communism and the Muslim religion, that obviously oppose Christianity. But none of these forces is the Antichrist of the second chapter of Second Thessalonians, although Satan is behind all the anti-God powers.

Antichrist is at work today inside the churches. He is emphasizing and overemphasizing the grace of God, the love of God, God's desire that people be happy, that they be prosperous, well-clothed, well-fed. Antichrist is insinuating that it is Satan, not Christ, who should be feared. The thought is expressed that Christ is so much in love with people that we have no reason to fear Him. Yet it is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom.

Antichrist speaks much of the "rights of people." The emphasis on the rights of people has been growing over the past few hundred years. People, under the guidance of Satan in Antichrist, soon will discard all restraints on human conduct. Whatever they desire to do they will do in the name of "the rights of people." But they are referring to the rights of the individual, not the rights of society or the rights of God.

In the name of the rights of people we go to extraordinary lengths to protect the "rights" of the criminal, often endangering society as a whole.

When all human restraints on human conduct have been removed, people will begin to understand their pain is coming from God. As soon as that realization comes to mankind, humans will begin to curse God violently because of their suffering. Antichrist and the armies of the wicked nations will attempt to resist the return to earth of Christ and His saints.

Antichrist will be embodied in one human being—either a man or a woman.

The spirit of Antichrist is not primarily that of the satanically inspired lusts of the flesh. The sins of the flesh are wickedness, but not the ultimate wickedness. The ultimate wickedness is the self-will, self-seeking, self-love of human beings as they attempt to make the pursuit of individual happiness the highest good in the universe. This is Antichrist. This is the rejection of Christ.

To be continued.