Answer to Jovial (18 Mar 2013)  "Answering Gino with Apostacy part 6: The Timing of Thesselonians "
This letter, in my opinion, does not come close to the Author's intent. Neither does this theory of 2 Thes. 2 agree with 1 Thes. 4 & 5, nor with John in the Revelation.
 
2 Thes. 2:1  Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters
 
We can see clearly that apostasy is NOT the subject or main theme of this passage; rather, our gathering at His coming is the theme, Therefore, any theory of understanding MUST include the rapture of the church. in fact, we can understand this passage without even considering the various meanings for the Greek word, "apostasia."
 
This passage is best understood if the later verses are considered first.
 
NASB
7  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.
8  Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
 
What can we learn about verse 3, from these two verses taken together? There is something or someone restraining or holding back the revealing of the lawless one; when that someone or somthing is taken out of the way, THEN and only then will the lawless one be revealed. Now let's look at verse 6.
 
NASB
6And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.
 
WOW. Paul writes that by the time a reader gets to verse 6, he should KNOW who or what is restraining or holding back the revealing!  But my question to the readers is this: WHY is there still so much controversy as to the restrainer, when Paul writes that now we know? It is very simple: this passage is simply not understood in the light that Paul wrote it. Next, WHY would Paul write this phrase? Was in necessary to write that now we know?  Reading between the lines, it seems that Paul gave us the answer as to WHO or WHAT the restraining force is, but gave it to us somewhat coded, so the reader would dig until he discovered it.
 
But lets go on: again Paul writes that when the time comes, the restraing force must be taken out of the way, so that the lawless one can be revealed: as Paul wrote, "he will be revealed."
 
Now we have both 7 & 8 together, plus verse 6,giving us the timing: the restraining force is preventing the revealing of the man of sin, but when that restraining force is removed, or taken out of the way, THEN the lawless one will be revealed.
 
Since Paul wrote that "now you know," then we can KNOW that he told us in a previous verse, so all we need do is work backwards to find something or something "removed" or taken out of the way. If we keep in mind the theme, the "gathering," we all know from Paul's previous letter, that the church or bride wil be "taken out of the way." This is a good start to understanding Paul's meaning.
 
So lets back up and look for something "taken out of the way," but keeping the theme of the gathering in mind.
 
NASB
5  Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
 
I cannot find anything in this verse that is "taken out of the way," nor anything about the gathering. However, since Paul did write 1 Thes. 4:17, does it seem likely that he taught this first hand to them?
 
NASB
4  who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
 
I cannot find anything in this vers that is "taken out of the way," nor anything about the gathering.
 
NASB
3  Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
 
First, we are not to be deceived! IT will not come.....WHAT will not come? We have to refer to verse 2 to know:
 
NASB
2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
 
OK, now we know what "IT" is referring to: the "day of the Lord." Paul is telling the reader NOT to be disturbed that the "day of the Lord" has already come, for Paul says it CANNOT come until.....and for that we need to study verse 3
.
NASB
3  Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [the day of the Lord] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
 
So we now know that the day of the Lord cannot come until some other event comes first: the "apostasy." But please notice carefully the SECOND PART of verse 3: "the man of lawlessness is revealed..."
 
Did we not read in verses 7 & 8 that he could NOT be revealed until the restrainer is "taken out of the way?" Since 3B tells us he is now revealed, then the restrainer MUST HAVE BEEN "taken out of the way" in  3A. Therefore, whatever the meaning Paul meant by "apostasia" HAS to be the removal of the restraining force. It can be nothing else.
 
Notice also,Paul as NOT talked about the rapture or gathering anywhere else! Therefore, pure logic tells us that somehow, the "gathering" is hidden in this word, "apostasia."  So what does this word mean? Or what can it mean?
 
It is a compound word. "Apo." In a Greek lexicon, I read:
of local separation, after verbs of motion from a place i.e. of departing, of fleeing, ...
of separation of a part from the whole where of a whole some part is taken
of any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed
of a state of separation, that is of distance physical, of distance of place
 
Does the rapture remove "a part from the whole?" OF COURSE IT DOES.
Does the rapture "separate?" Of course it does.
 
The other word added to make up the compound word is "stasia." It simple means Stasia literally means a "standing" as in a stationary engine. It is just sitting in place, not moving. Put the two thoughts together: the rapture will take some of a group that is stationary or standing, and REMOVE it to another place, as Paul wrote, "taken out of the way." I would say heaven is really "out of the way" of the antichrist.
 
Therefore, we have solved the mystery of this passage. We have kept with the THEME, the catching away or gathering to Him in the air and in the clouds. We have kept to the meaning of verses 7 & 8, where the restraining force must be taken out of the way first. We have kept to the meaning of verse 6, where Paul wrote, "now you know." Indeed, anyone who is diligent in their study here will "know" as Paul wrote, WHAT the restraining force is. The restrainer is the Holy Spirit who  will exit the earth with the church. Life on earth then will be as it was before Jesus ascended and sent the Holy Spirit down. WE kept with the rest of verse 6, that shows the man of sin revealed in his time.
 
Lyle