practicalbibleteaching
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Many times in God's Word His people are admonished to fear not. The many problems around the world today are cause for great concern especially since no one seems to know how to solve them.
God's people should know two important things about the future. 1. Judgment is coming against this present evil world: 2 Thess 1:7-10 ...the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 2. Jesus is returning to save His people from the wrath to come: Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 1 Thess 5:9-11 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. Christians should not be afraid because we through God's Word have a sure expectation of deliverance.
Text: 2 Thess 2:1-12
2:1 we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ - The coming of Christ here is the one Paul just mentioned in chapter one. It is commonly referred to in scripture as The Day of the Lord. The Apostle John wrote of this coming in Rev 19:11-15 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. The Day of the Lord is the time in which God will begin to put an end to rebellion on earth. It will begin at some point during the tribulation period and end with a new heaven and a new earth that is without sin.
our gathering together unto him - Some believe Paul is referring here to Christ's return for His Church before the tribulation period, but that would be taking the scripture out of context. Jesus spoke of a gathering together of His people when He returns to reign on Earth in Matt 24:27-31 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. It's unlikely that Paul would switch from the coming of Jesus to reign in 2 Thess 1:7-10 to the rapture in 2 Thess 2:1 without a clear distinction being made. Doing so would cause much confusion, but either way it does not change the message he is trying to convey.
2:2 shaken in mind, or...troubled - The day of Christ here is the same as 2 Thess 1:7-10. It is Jesus who will return to put an end to the rule of the Antichrist. The Church at Thessalonica was under great persecution, 2 Thess 1:3-5. These people had become frightened because someone who was led by the wrong spirit had either come to them or sent them letters in the name of Paul saying The Day of the Lord was already upon them. They were troubled and confused because they had expected deliverance from God's wrath upon the world. We see here the great danger of not knowing the Word of God. It is believing false teaching which leads to confusion and fear. John wrote in 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Many today are troubled and afraid because they have either not believed the truth or have been influenced by false teaching. Paul is about to clearly list two things that must happen before the Day of the Lord begins.
2:3 a falling away first - Falling away = a forsaking. This is a forsaking of the truth. It is apostasy. The reason for apostasy is a yielding to artificial authority. Paul wrote in 1 Tim 4:1-3 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. Further Paul said in 2 Tim 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. False teaching abounded in the time of Paul, but now it is much worse. Today without a clear understanding of the completed Word of God it's very hard to identify the false teachers. A forsaking of the truth must take place before the day of the Lord comes. I think we all would agree the falling away has already happened.
and that man of sin be revealed - The other thing that must happen before The Day of the Lord is the revealing of the Antichrist. John wrote of this in Rev 13:1-2 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. In the next verse we are shown how the Antichrist is to be identified.
2:4 He will oppose God and everything that pertains to God, including His Word. He will exalt himself above God sitting in the temple of God saying he is God and will demand that he be worshipped as God. The devil will work through this man seeking to overthrow God as the supreme authority. Clearly this man of sin has not risen up yet. The day of the Lord could not be upon the Thessalonians, neither is it upon us.
2:5 Remember - Paul is asking them to remember that while he was with them he taught them these things. Renewing our minds in the truth of the Word of God is key to keeping false doctrine from entering in and causing fear or confusion. Verses 6 and 7 contain an event that must take place before the man of sin can be revealed.
2:6 ye know what withholdeth - Paul is saying these people know what keeps the Antichrist from being revealed. So what is it? Or better said, who is it? Jesus said in John 16:7-14 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (The Holy Spirit) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. The Holy Spirit at this time is working in and through the Church to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. The Holy Spirit's work is suppressing evil and hindering the man of sin from being revealed.
2:7 the mystery of iniquity doth already work - The spirit of Antichrist is already present in the world. 1 John 4:2-3 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. The spirit of Antichrist seeks to deny the deity and redemptive work of Jesus Christ, in whole or in part, in order to one day present the world a false deliverer.
until he be taken out of the way - There is coming a time when the hindering influence of the Holy Spirit through God's Church will be taken out of the way for a season. We describe this event as the Rapture of the Church. The Rapture is the event that will set in motion the seven year tribulation period and allow the man of sin to be revealed. Paul described the rapture in 1 Thess 4:13-18 and 1 Cor 15:51-54 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Some believe there will be no rapture and the Church will go through the tribulation period; however, the hindering influence of the Holy Spirit can not be removed without the Church being taken out. Others believe the rapture will not take place until the midpoint of the tribulation period, but the man of sin can not be revealed until the hindering influence of the Holy Spirit is gone and it's clear from Rev 6:1-2 that the Antichrist will be revealed at the beginning of the tribulation period. The influence of the Holy Spirit will only be gone for a short time. It will return when the 144,000 Jews are sealed as stated in Rev 7:1-8. These Jews will be saved early in the tribulation period and will become God's missionaries to all the world.
2:8 whom the Lord shall consume - The Lord Jesus will consume this man of sin and his army with the sword of His mouth when He returns at the end of the seven year tribulation.
2:9 whose coming is after the working of Satan - The devil will be the power behind the beast and the false prophet. Many miraculous things will be done by these men in order to deceive the world.
2:10 in them that perish - Those that are deceived by the beast will have his mark upon them. They will see the judgment of God during the tribulation period and choose to reject Him. Rev 16:8-11 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
received not the love of the truth - First, the truth: John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Second, the love of the truth: It is the love of God for mankind, seen in His sacrifice for our sins. All those who reject God's love in the sacrifice of Christ, reject the only way of salvation.
2:11-12 God shall send them strong delusion - Those who receive the man of sin as their deliverer will be sent a strong delusion from God to believe the lie of the devil and shall be damned to Hell and The Lake of Fire.
Conclusion: God's people should know the future as He declares it to us in His Word. We do not have to dwell in fear or confusion. We can live with an expectation of complete deliverance from the coming judgment of God.
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The Church of Jesus Christ is perfect for those who are not!
Posts: 53 | From: Tennessee | Registered: Jun 2009
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