2 Thess 2:3 and the word “apostacy”

The word ‘apostasy’ (avpostasi,a, KJV, ‘falling away’) occurs once in the NT in 2 Thess 2:6,

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… 2 Thess 2:3 (KJV)

Our note is not an explanation of this prophecy about the ‘Man of Sin’. Rather, our observation is about Judas; ‘Man of Sin’ is a title applied to Judas. So how would the terms of 2 Thess 2:3 apply in type to him?

• The betrayal of Christ would not come unless Judas was revealed, and this required him to fall away.
• Christ was ‘head over all’ as the firstborn of creation; he was also called ‘God’ and he was worshipped.
• Judas’ betrayal saw him go to the priests in the temple and in effect exalt himself above Christ.

This is just one application of the words, but it illustrates the point that prophecy is based on events being typical of later events. Moreover, the language of the prophecy doesn’t have to relate to only one event—but rather aspects of the prophecy fit[1] enough of several events so that we can see them as part of the typical sequence leading up to the final event.

[1] Prophecy fits events as a rough template, but it fits all events in a typical sequence as a precise template. If only one event is the subject of a prophecy, then the fit is precise.