[MHGinTN]

2 Thess 2:3 is Paul saying the sings are not in evidence so the Thessalonikans could be assured the FINAL DAY OF THE LORD was not upon them. He was answering their fear that they had missed the departure, that some who had died had not been resurrected. See his teaching in the first letter, chapter four, v 13-18. Paul was not saying that the believers would see the reveling of the man of sin but that such a sign had not happened so the believers could be assured that the departure had not happened and they missed it. Try reading Paul's letter from that perspective.

One more note: Paul had spent less than two months with these new believers, yet the departure event was so significant a reality they were to watch for that he had to deal with their questions regarding the event in two letters to them. That's for those who think the notion of the snatching away is not important for believers. It is the foundation of the Biblical principle of imminency.

[aimhigh]

Try reading Paul's letter from that perspective.

Try reading the actual text. By context, Paul is talking about the day when Christ comes to gather the church. And he says, "that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition"

Context, context context.