Clay and all the Doves,
2nd Thessalonians 2:3
I'm in total agreement with your assessment of the 2nd Thess.2:3 verse. I have been seeing teachings concerning the meaning of the word "apostasia" as long ago as 1999 and Have come to the conclusion(by way of several other teachers like Patrick Heron and others too)that the word we have interpreted to mean "falling away form the faith" or our modern english word "apostacy" is a MAJOR part of the end-times deception foisted upon us by organized religion and the "great deceiver" himself!
Remember, God's WORD is perfect and without fault, but our modern use of language and its etymology is totally broken, twisted and perverted by the "god" of this world.
I was particularly taken by your reference to the first use of a word in scripture with the Strong's # 863 in Genesis 2:21. I have been obsessing over this passage for more than a few weeks now for reasons that will become apparent later in this letter.
The Lord has been leading me into a great truth about the "body of Christ" for many years and more specifically this last year, on the 8th of November, 2011. ..."That the Bride of Christ will be removed from the Body of Christ before(or at the advent of) the time of Jehovah's wrath upon the unbelieving world". That those who remain within the suffering and afflicted "body of Christ", must bare this refining and purification ALL THE WAY TO DEATH! Just as Yeshua Himself bore His affliction all the way to death on the cross.
Gathering together/Sudden Destruction
The Gathering Together and Sudden Destruction are connected and will occur at roughly the same moment in time. The purpose of removing the Bride before/during this event is the REAL beauty of this whole mysterious story of ours, and the very reason for IT to remain a mystery until it transpires. I personally believe it is a waist of time to try and figure out exactly when, partly because if you need some sort of proof or defining element about timing, you've missed the whole point of having FAITH, and partly because wrong guesses dash hopes, rather than enhance them.
Don't get me wrong, I would like to know when just as much as anybody...hey, I was standing around one night back in the late nineties, waiting and hoping for that particular moment in time, because of some writings by Marilyn A. in one of her books, back then....to no avail, and to my heart-felt disappointment.
God has shown me in so many scriptures(mainly the Psalms) the purpose, nature and plan that He has been keeping a "Sacred Secret" till the very last moment....because you just don't give notice to the wicked "rent-a-cops" when you are coming to retrieve that which was stolen from you in the first place. But, I'm not going to reveal the "pearls" I've been given...they were to enhance my faith. Those walking in faith will have all they need revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. But, I will share with you an experience that for me was a SIGN.
The Why
But first and more importantly, the WHY of removing the Bride from the Body "simultaneous" to the sudden destruction that is to come to Babylon(America and the whole world). And by the way, that is when Satan and his rebellious ones are cast to the earth(probably with that very great earthquake spoken of in Revelations). Darkness cannot exist where there is light, and the BRIGHTNESS of our bodily transformation/transfiguration will cause the rebellious, fallen angels... those spiritual principalities, to flee from their current habitation in the air/heavenlies above our heads. You see the Bride' declaration of FAITH is the evidence and the testimony AGAINST those rebellious creatures and will be the very "arrows" that God the Father shoots at His enemies in the heavenlies. Our "rejoicing shout" will be the clarion call and part and parcel of the thunderous noise of Gods final and defining moment of judgment upon those Angels that rebelled.That's how God works, He commands those He has prepared for a specific task or tasks and then tells them to go, and His ordained and anointed ones will perform His will to the uttermost and perfectly...GOD SPEAKS THE WORD, and His obedient servants do His bidding. How much more then when He calls, will HIS VERY OWN SONS RESPOND! And, we were created to replace those that broke their covenant with the creator! That's the real purpose of the Ecclesia and the perfect method by which God the Father has created His replacement for the fallen ones.
THE BRIDE IS THE CRITERION AND THE EVIDENCE BY WHICH GOD WILL THROW DOWN HIS ENEMY(also their replacement)....and those that are left behind of His son's body are only in need of further refinement...more Faith, tried by fire and refined in the crucible of the tribulation...but more than that, they are still needed here. Is it difficult? Yes, But no more than our own saviors experience when hanging on the cross. Paul says that we should PRAY to enter into the fellowship of His sufferings and that he continues(as we should also) to endeavor to "fill-up" of Christ's sufferings that which is left unfulfilled. So, if you haven't been doing your part of suffering on behalf of Christ' "Body extant" before the Harpazo occurs, you most certainly will afterwards! God the Father IS PERFECT in ALL OF HIS WAYS! In mercy, in judgement and in preparing His children for their ordained work...fore-ordained from BEFORE the foundations of the world! Weather before or after the Harpazo.
One main feature of all this is that God's Spiritual and temporal blessings to the earth ALL come through the Ecclesia, through His called-out ones. Therefore, they are needed in the world before, during and after judgement falls. Needed as salt to preserve the rotting unbelieving world, and, as light to shine in the glory of our heavenly Father in His character and authority! His "Cloud of Witnesses" shower down His grace upon a world that is dead and dry, parched, without the washing of the water of the WORD!
An Object Lesson
So now for my little Ezekiel type "object lesson" event/sign...whatever one wishes to call it. On the eighth of November 2011, while we were all waiting for some big 11-11-11 event of some sort, I, about the middle of morning went to lay down to rest. I didn't have to work that day and had run some errands earlier, so I had little to do. I laid down to rest and fell asleep almost immediately, a very deep sleep(rare for me that time of day). I awoke almost three hours later(also very odd for me to sleep that long during the day)...and I felt devastated! My kidneys hurt and something fierce had happened to me while I slept,and, the calves of my legs ached as if I had run a marathon...a very serious ache. And, in general I was totally weakened and felt rather ill, as if I had undergone an operation of some sort. Tired, lethargic and in need of recuperation. My back hurt terribly, I limped around as if I were an invalid(for almost three days) and there was one other "symptom" that had me really perplexed. My lowest(bottom) left rib ached and was now protruding out as if it had been broken outwards rather violently. My rib still sticks out(to this day) and without explanation as to why this would happen while I was taking a nap on my sofa.
Well, I knew in my spirit the explanation. I knew God's HAND was in my life and had given me some sort of SIGN by which He could explain via His Holy Spirit a coming event that has its roots all the way back to the creation of Eve(remember, the woman' "seed" is which does damage to the serpent' head). So thats it, that I was put into a deep sleep and had some sort of major surgery performed on me that I might be a sign and a wonder even to myself. There's so much more to this story...that particular week God revealed wonderful things to me about Revelations Chapter eleven. All of which had to do with a separating, or THE SEPARATING! Bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh.
Drawn out of the World
Which leads me back to your word, Clay....the word "APOSTASIA". It is related to the same root word from which we get the word Apostle, which means someone who is set-apart and separated (or called out)for God's use or purpose. Moses' name meant "drawn out" or "taken out". I believe sanctification has less to do with behavior, such as good or bad works, and more about being "separated" from the world profaned by unbelief in Jehovah and the ONE that He sent. Sinless behavior is more a "symptom" of separating yourself from the world and works of the flesh.
COME OUT FROM HER MY PEOPLE!!!
The law is a good description of how you will "end up acting" when you truly "separate yourself" , heart, mind, body and soul from the mind of the flesh and mystery Babylon's system of laws and works...AND WALK AS HE WALKED!
There is a pre-tribulation "catching-away" SOON yet to come, and, oh so soon, too! Marilyn talked about the feast of Tabernacles in a book she wrote of for 1997(or was it '96?)...I was crest-fallen when that night came and went. (As an aside, My ten year old daughter was standing with me outside that night in October and I was trying to explain to her my anticipation ,and she was so worried that she was not going to get to grow up and have a family of her own. She since has learned to totally disregard my ever-present anticipatory aspiration to be "counted worthy to escape all these things", and just ignores those things which do not make sense to her carnal mind.)...and my hopes dashed.
A Clue
So Clay, there is a clue as to the timing held within the precious promise of 2nd Thes. 2:3. Can we know the exact moment? I think its a little unfaithful to try define it that precisely in time. Will we know when its about to happen? We already do(many of us with eyes to see already know who the son-of-perdition will be)...we are already in the very season, at the door...how do we know? By so many clues that it make many of us incredibly nervous...like a impoverished and desperate woman who knows that at any moment her betrothed is about to come and whisk her off to his fulfilling promise... to perfection....or a woman whose pregnancy is way over due, and she starts thinking about having a c-section.
We were created to be perfected by the potters hand. What that means none of us knows yet, but we will when we see HIM face to face! He's revealing Himself to each one of us little by little, from grace to grace...showing Himself and what He's about to do.... to His prophets.
But, this revealing science of God has many of us digging and scratching at His WORD like it was some kind of temporal object, ripe for dissection of he who wills. It is the LIVING WORD OF GOD,and more than that, it is the perfect representation of the Living WORD of Truth Himself, Yeshua haMeshiac, the WORD made flesh. Not for the intellectual strip-mining of all who pass by. We need to receive and consume the WORD of Truth with gladness, like a wholesome meal, not like a roast pig on a spit, ravaged by hungry jackals. Much of what people are doing with numbers and names is akin to sorcery and not respectful of the precious meal set before them by the King Himself. I only know because I myself have done my share of ravaging.
But, the Lord our Heavenly Father has shown me a better way. The way of worship. To enter His courts with sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise in Spirit and in Truth, like a humble, little lamb...lovingly and gently. Just like King David.....for this is "THE KEY OF DAVID". Worship in truth, and He will reveal that truth to you by His Spirit...not by your intellect, which is the mind of the flesh(most of the time). Once you have the Keys of David, the Heavenly Courts are always open to you.
Last night I prayed weather I should post this letter or not...it worried me that I might offend, and this is what the Lord gave me....
Psa 119:153 Resh. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me; For I do not forget thy law.
Psa 119:154 Plead thou my cause, and redeem me: Quicken me according to thy word.
Psa 119:155 Salvation is far from the wicked; For they seek not thy statutes.
Psa 119:156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Jehovah: Quicken me according to thine ordinances.
Psa 119:157 Many are my persecutors and mine adversaries; Yet have I not swerved from thy testimonies.
Psa 119:158 I beheld the treacherous, and was grieved, Because they observe not thy word.
Psa 119:159 Consider how I love thy precepts: Quicken me, O Jehovah, according to thy lovingkindness.
Psa 119:160 The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever.
...and yes, for you number freaks, the first passage begins with that marvelous number of the fulness of the age of grace! Rather than answer my question, God gave me a further clue as to the times and where we are in it. How the clue is deciphered would be up to the individual.
your brother in the Lord, Chris K.