I've noticed that Tyndale & the Geneva Bible use departure.
2 Thessalonians 2:3
NKJV - 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Apostates were never believers in the first place. They are false teachers from the beginning. They never knew the way of truth. If they had been believers they would not go into apostasy. Once the way of truth is known, we never defect from that truth. The gospel is the truth and no one who has ever believed it will believe anything else or any other way. Because we know there is no other way. Because we have believed and will not believe the lies that Satan tells us.
So any one who departs from the faith, never had it to start with and believed a lie from the beginning.
Matthew 7:15-23 It is because we have wolves in sheep's clothing preaching another gospel. Grape vines produce grapes. The fruit of the gospel is the gospel. But false teachers preach another gospel which is bad fruit because they produce bad fruit. All cults produce bad fruit.
Jesus tells us why many are not saved. They trust in something other than what Jesus did for us on the cross. Usually it is in what they do instead of what Jesus did for us. They trust in their works, and their own righteousness.
Jesus tells us why they are cast away and burned. They depended on what they did to be saved, instead of the all sufficiency of Christ to be saved. They trusted in themselves to save them selves. They did not do the will of God. What is the will of God? John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that all that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
False teachers are the enemies of the cross. They explain the way of salvation by grace but then explain it away. There are so many Apostate teachers in these last days it is getting hard to tell the true from the false.
They sound so good at the beginning but preach another gospel. They add works. What we do, to grace, what Jesus did for us. They will be cast into the fire because they produce bad fruit. Paul said, let them be accused. Jesus said, leave them alone. There will be prostitutes in heaven before them.
The best ways to keep from apostates is to know the truth. New believers are easily led astray but will not be lost. But those that believe the apostates from the beginning are already lost. Then they also become the enemies of the cross and teach others the false way. False teachers perpetuate false teaching. Sad but true.
The reason most are false teachers is because they have never believed the gospel, and do not have the Spirit in them so can not discern scripture. First Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.
Those devoid of the spirit always preach false doctrines. It is always the false teachers who are the apostates. Farmers rarely are apostates because they don't preach. They just believe God and take care of business. They generally keep their nose out of other peoples business.
All of these false teachers are going to hear those awful words, depart from me ye who work iniquity, I never knew you. Not I did know you and now I don't, I never knew you.
Jesus says beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing which are ravenous wolves. He says he shall know them by their fruits. A good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and a bad tree bad fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Where for by their fruits ye shall know them.
Then he goes on to say not everyone that saith unto me Lord Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but He that doeth the will of my father in heaven.
Then he talks about those that tell Him about all their good works. How they even cast out demons in His name and did many wonderful works.
And then will I have to profess to them I never knew you.
Going back to what Jesus says, in verse 21 He tells us why they can not enter the kingdom. They did not do the will of his Father in heaven. What is the will of the Father. John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that all that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day.
Jesus says there will be many who never accepted Him alone to save them and trusted in their works. Jesus says we can only be justified by faith alone in what He did for us on the cross, but many believe they will be saved if they just repent of sin and live a holy life.
They are deceived. No one can be good enough to go to heaven, and without the righteousness of Christ that He gives us when we believe He is the only way to be saved they can not be saved.
There is only one way to be saved, and it is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ alone without works, to be saved. We can do nothing to save ourselves.
The gospel is given in First Corinthians 15:1-4 That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that He was buried and rose again after three days, according to the scriptures.
When we believe that that is all that is necessary for salvation, we are saved and have eternal life.
Galatians 1:8-9 Though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached unto you, let them be accursed.
As I said before, so say I again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which ye received, let him be accursed.
There is only one gospel that saves sinners. When we believe that Jesus is the only way to be saved, we are given eternal life and can never be cast out. John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me, will come to me, and all that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.
Those that are trusting in their works, what they do, are not saved because they have never trusted in Jesus finished work on the cross to be saved.
Romans 11:6 It is all grace, what Jesus did for us on the cross, not by works, what we do or do not do; It can not be both.
True believers are saved the minute we trust Jesus as the only way to be saved, that His blood sacrifice covers us from all sin. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, and can never be lost. We could never be saved by what we do, and so Jesus made salvation as a free gift. Salvation is a free gift of God by faith alone. It is all what He did for us, nothing that we do. Romans 4:5
The word apostasia or falling away means departure. This is speaking of the rapture or departure of the church. This is evident in vs 6 of the same chapter. The holy spirit living in Christian's is keeping the man of sin from coming on the scene.