The Rapture of the Church: A Doctrine of the Early Church or a Recent Development

of the Dispensational Movement?

Definition of Terms

Apostasy

The next term has two completely separate meanings and remains very controversial in

its translation. The noun is apostasia, transliterated “apostasy” in English and means, “a

departure, apostasy.” It is the feminine of apostasion, which means, “a departure, divorce or

dismissal of a woman from her husband, the deed or instrument of such divorce,” and is a

derivative of the verb, aphistemi, meaning, “to depart or stand away from.” Apostasia is only

used twice in the New Testament: Acts 21:21, speaking of “forsaking” Moses and the Law and

in the verse in question; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, which is translated in modern Bibles as “Let no one

in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first.”1 Apostasy is

understood to mean falling away from the truth or “religious apostasy” and “should not be used

as evidence for the pretribulational Rapture.” This is the conclusion of William W. Combs of

Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary2 and Paul D. Feinberg, in his article for the Pre-Trib

Research Center.3 However, the first English translations of the Bible (1384 Wycliffe Bible,

1526 Tyndale Bible, 1535 Coverdale Bible, 1539 Cranmer Bible, 1576 Breeches Bible, 1583

Beza Bible and 1608 Geneva Bible), all translate apostasia in this verse as “departing first.”4 Dr.

1
Zodhiates, “apostasia,” Dictionary, 236.
2
William W. Combs, “Is Apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 a Reference to the Rapture?,”
Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 3 (Fall 1998): 87.
3
Paul D. Feinberg, “2 Thessalonians 2 and the Rapture,” in When the Trumpet Sounds,
ed. Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1995), 309-311.
4
H Wayne House, “Apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3: Apostasy or Rapture?,” in When the
Trumpet Sounds, ed. Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers,
1995), 270.

©Copyright David Hebert 2006. All rights Reserved.

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The Rapture of the Church: A Doctrine of the Early Church or a Recent Development
of the Dispensational Movement?

Roy Hicks in his book, Another Look at the Rapture, adds the following Greek scholars and

translators to that list: Kenneth S. Wuest, in his The New Testament – An Expanded Translation;

John Dawson, A.B.; John Lineberry, B.A.; John James, L.L.D. (1825); Rev. J. R. Major, M.A.

(1831); John Parkhurst, Lexicon – London (1851); Robert Scott (1811-1887), Oxford Press; and

The Amplified Bible, New Testament footnote.5 The “it will not come unless” speaks of the “day

of the Lord” in verse 2. Prior to that in verse 1, Paul is speaking about “the coming of our Lord

Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,” which describes the Rapture previously

addressed in 1 Thessalonians 4. Therefore, contextually it appears to make sense to translate

apostasia as “departure” (Rapture) versus “apostasy” or “falling away.”

5
Roy Hicks, Another Look at the Rapture (Tulsa: Harrison House, 1982), 47-49.
©Copyright David Hebert 2006. All rights Reserved.
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