That seems plausible since the context shows that the man of sin will be in the temple proclaiming himself to be God, albeit falsely of course. People are probably going to think Jesus has returned because he'll be doing miracles as well.
Like the whole thing would be a forgery of the return of Christ and all of those "unbelievers", who are actually real Christians, would be branded as the ultimate heretics and martyred for refusing to take his mark on their right hand or forehead.
That sounds like that's probably what the strong delusion is. The more I think of what you're trying to say the more brilliant I think it is.
Here is more that I have prepared on this:
I see the man of sin being revealed as not a first appearance but Christ unmasking and revealing that he was a false God, a false Christ. So the falling away is when he first appears and lies about who he is and many fall away to accept him, then the second part of what happens when Christ returns and "reveals" the man of sin as being the man of sin and not a Messiah.
So, the mention of the falling away is the start of the Gt, and then speaking of the revealing of the man of sin is actually the end of the Gt....in one sentence Paul covers the who thing, explaining what must happen before the return of Christ happens. In this I see Paul listing the two events as very chronologically ordered.
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Actually the revealing is not about his first appearance but to his being uncovered, exposed and revealed as being the man of sin because before that he claimed to be God. Naturally his first appearance came before the Apostasy because he causes it. He is revealed/uncovered by Christ when he returns and proves the other was a false God.
2Th 2:3 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;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
The "revealing" is tied directly to the return of Christ.
G601
apokalupto¯
Thayer Definition:
1)
to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up
1a)
disclose, make bare
2) to make known, make manifest,
disclose what before was unknown
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G575 and G2572
Citing in TDNT: 3:563, 405
The man of sin is the Antichrist and will claim to be God as Paul writes. That is a lie and it is a veil which he covers himself with like a mask. To reveal him as the fraud he is is to unveil, and uncover and "disclose what before was unknown"
And that is specifically that he was not God but a fake, the man of sin merely lying about being God. Only the return of Christ makes that clear.
Matthew Henry
II. A revelation of that man of sin, that is (2Th_2:3), antichrist would take his rise from this general apostasy. The apostle afterwards speaks of the revelation of that wicked one (2Th_2:8), intimating the discovery which should be made of his wickedness, in order to his ruin
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The antichrist is not "revealed" as in his first appearance until the beginning of the tribulation but was that what Paul was speaking of?
2 Thessalonians 2:3 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;
Paul says the Apostasy comes FIRST and after that is the man of sin is "revealed".
646
646 apostasia {ap-os-tas-ee'-ah}
feminine of the same as 647; TDNT - 1:513,88; n f
AV - to forsake + 575 1, falling away 1; 2
1) a falling away, defection, apostasy
But the Apostasy cannot take place unless people stop worshipping Christ and begin to worship the false christ so this "revealing" after the Apostasy isnt what we might think it is. We normally think of a "revealing" as the initial appearance of the AC but it can also mean a complete and full reveal of satan ie: the man of sin, not a revealing of the false christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 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;
See, it is not the antichrist that is revealed, but WHO the AC truly is that is revealed! When does that happen? When the true Christ returns. Just go back to the subject.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 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;
The subject is Christ's return, NOT the first initial appearance of the antichrist. What is revealed at Christ's return is WHO the antichrist actually was, satan himself, the man of sin as Paul clearly says. And this is why Paul spoke of the Apostasy happening first, and then at Christ's return (which was the subject) the AC will be revealed to the world as having been satan, the man of sin.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 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;
601
601 apokalupto {ap-ok-al-oop'-to}
from 575 and 2572; TDNT - 3:563,405; v
AV - reveal 26; 26
1) to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up
1a) disclose, make bare
2) to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown
For Synonyms see entry 5812
disclose v 1: make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few
people or that was meant to be kept a secret
The truth is known only to a small group of the elect now, but when satan is truly revealed, all will know who he is.
To lay bare simply means to make naked, to remove anything preventing one from seeing what is truely there.
Matthew 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
Luke 12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
This is the same word. To "reveal" the man of sin is to "make known" who he is and that happens at the 7th trump.
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Even when this happens, satan is as much hidden to the world as he ever has been. This is not the same as to be revealed, or unveiled, or to make known the truth or expose or make bare. That depth of revealing doesn't happen until Christ's return.
It is not a mere presenting or announcing or "showing" of satan in that false christ role to the world, but to fully reveal the truth of that false role, to show all that he isnt Christ.
When satan is revealed the entire world shall see that he was the false christ because that deception shall be removed making the truth unveiled before their eyes.
Matthew 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
Luke 12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
This is the same word. To "reveal" the man of sin is to "make known" who he is and that happens at the 7th trump.
2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in
the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I
told you these things?
2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be
revealed in his time.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of his coming:
"And then" also means "and at that time". What time is the subject? The start of the tribulation and the appearance of the antichrist? No! The subject, the time being spoken of is Christ's return. The revealing is done "at that time" and that is why that revealing is the FULL revealing of who the AC was, the man of sin.
Christ will "destroy" the role of the antichrist with the "spirit of his mouth" and with the "brightness of his coming".
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