2 Thessalonians 2
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit,
nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
The day of Christ must certainly be the wrath that is to be poured out upon
those that persecute God's people and refuse to acknowledge God:
Here is the verse referring to it from chapter 1.
2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
People seemingly were fearful that this day was at hand. Paul wrote for them to
be comforted. Now surely if we are ready to meet the Lord, the day of His coming
for us would not be feared, so this is talking about the coming of the Lord to
bring judgment upon the earth, not to take His people to be with Him. There has
to be two separate events, at least that what is appears when we study these
passages. They are either two appearances of Christ or it happens in succession,
first the catching away of believers and next the wrath of God at the second
half of the tribulation. Some believe these passages prove that no rapture
occurs before the revealing of the anti-christ. They think the day of the
Christ is the coming or rapture. If that is the case then the anti-christ
is revealed before the church is taken away. If the day of Christ refers
only to the judgment or tribulation then the anti-christ can't be revealed until
the church is taken away. I believe His coming for the saints to be
different than the day of Christ which is the day of judgment.
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;
This is a sad picture here. Before the day of Christ or the wrath of God is
poured out on the earth there is to be a great falling away or apostasy. It
looks as if that is happening right in this day and age.
The man of sin or antichrist is not revealed until there is such apostasy among
the church that noting is holding back the powers of darkness and they can then
take over.
As long as there is strong true believers in Christ upon the earth full of the
Holy Spirit and full of power, evil is held back.
Sinners can't be in apostasy because they are already lost. False religion is
already lost. Only ones who once knew God but have fallen into spiritual sleep
can be apostate. So the backslidden church is what allows the anti-christ power
to come. That is a sad state to be in. What are signs of apostasy?
1. Watering down the word, ignoring the word or counting it light and not
judging prophecy, preaching or teaching by the whole word, not just a few
scriptures taken out of context to proof text.
2. Emphasizing attendance to the point of watering down the message to be
attractive to unbelievers.
3. Failing to warn against sin.
4. Becoming worldly minded.
5. Concerned with business, money making, and riches and use part of the
scripture to justify it. This is the ungodly prosperity doctrine.
7. Taking away from or covering up the truth of the gospel of repentance and
being born again by the spirit of God to be saved.
8. Calling for unity at the expense of the truth of the gospel.
9. Using the word love one another to justify compromise. If we really love each
other, we will tell the truth.
10. Putting curses on people who reject their message. Jesus at this time wants
to save not destroy. He will decide when to bring in the wrath, we are to
preach His gospel.
11. Forsaking the assembling of ourselves in a place of true worship.
12. Letting someone else do our praying for us instead of praying ourselves.
Taking the word of the preacher instead of checking out what he says by the
word. (Do this in love though) Sometimes we may be the ones in the wrong.
13. Getting into politics.
14. Leaving our first love which is Jesus and spreading the true gospel that
will save the lost.
15. Misuse the gifts of the spirit to fleece the flock of God.
16. Judging other believers without checking the facts and pleading for them in
prayer before God.
Beware of the teaching that to gain or accumulate riches is a sign of being
blessed by God. God's blessings are spiritual. Some have plenty but others do
not have much in this world. The prosperity doctrine is wrong. Are those
that are sitting in prisons for preaching the gospel, prospering? Are those that
have their homes taken away and some even killed because of their faith in Jesus
prospering materially? The gospel should be the same to those in all parts of
the world and the prosperity doctrine would seem silly to those who are
suffering for the cause of Christ.
If we tell people that God will bless them if they give to our organization, we
may be lying.
We do not know everyone's situation. Some may be living in adultery, cheating
their customers, or doing things that God cannot bless. Are we going to say to
them that if they give to our ministry, God will bless them overtop of their
sin?
Apostasy will lead to allowing evil to continue. It may look good on the surface
but it is deadly and evil.
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that
is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself
that he is God.
This man will use religion at first to gain power but in the end he will attempt
to replace God.
Some religious leaders have already done that.
To name only a few:
Jim Jones, Some of the Popes, Joseph Smith came very close, and any religious
leader that puffs himself up high above those he is controlling.
Any spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ did not come into the flesh is anti-christ.
Jesus is the Son of God who came into human flesh. He was born into the human
race temporarily leaving Heaven. He died for our sins and arose from the dead
returning to the Father thereby ushering in a plan of salvation to all who would
believe in Him.
After He returned to the Father He sent the promise of the Holy Spirit given to
all who obey Him. The Holy Spirit is the comforter, the teacher, the one who
convicts of sin and the one who leads us into all truth. To neglect this one is
to have a religion with no love and no power. To misuse the gifts of the spirit
to gain financially or to gain the praises of men is wrong. Yet to avoid these
gifts from God because it is being misused is to rob ourselves of what we need
to spread the gospel and convince people that what we say is true.
Signs follow believers confirming the word.
Yet we must not trust in signs but the word. Some signs may not be of God. There
are many things going on that is not edifying the church or leading people to
repent and believe the gospel.
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.
Something hinders the mystery of iniquity from being revealed or being allowed
power in full. This is either the true body of believers or the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps since true believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, it could be both.
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:
He will be allowed to continue for a short period before Jesus returns with His
saints that He previously came for (the rapture) and destroys the anti-christ
and the kingdom of the beast.
At some point either before the 7 years tribulation, during the tribulation or
immediately following the tribulation believers are caught up to be with the
Lord and brought back with Him at His second coming to judge the world and set
up His kingdom.
I do believe in the pre-tribulation rapture and I do hope that is the way it is
to be. However, to argue on this is pointless because we need to be ready
spiritually whatever the case may turn out to be. One thing we know is that we
must not be asleep spiritually but alert. We must watch and pray and we do not
know the day nor the hour.
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders,
This is a touchy subject here. There is already and will continue to be false
signs and lying wonders to deceive.
Yet we must not deny the real power of God that Jesus told us to have and do His
works until He comes again.
True signs will always glorify Jesus Christ, not the person doing the signs.
True gifts of the spirit will lead people to repent of sins, live in holiness
and love God with all their hearts.
True gifts of the spirit will not be used to get control over people and cause
them to follow a certain religious leader.
Even if the name of Jesus is used, we must watch for the true fruits of the
spirit along with the gifts giving all glory to Jesus Christ.
If something occurs that does not make us love God and want to live holy, then
we can suspect something wrong.
When a miracle makes us think we can still sin and make heaven, we better be
very careful not to trust in it.
When a miracle is associated with compelling people to give to a ministry, we
very leery of such.
Some ministries come very close to promising healing for those who send in an
offering to their ministry. Remember Simon the sorcerer. The gifts of God cannot
be bought with money.
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
We see that the wrath of God is against those that refuse the way of truth. What
is the way of truth. You will find it in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts,
Revelation, Jude, Peter, Romans, and many other books of the bible that show us
the way of salvation.
There of prophecies of the coming Messiah in Isaiah and other prophets including
Moses.
The Old testament leads to the way of salvation through Jesus that is revealed
in the New Testament. Jesus came though to free us from the rituals of the Old
Testament that were indeed holy but were only temporary until the perfect one
that was the perfect sacrifice was to come. What Jesus came to free us from,
some religions put back. We no longer need earthly priests, high priests and
those who do our praying for us. We have an advocate with the Father through our
only intercessor, Jesus Christ. We are not to pray to Mary or any saint but to
God only through the name or authority of Jesus Christ. Sin separated us from
God. Jesus came and provided the way for us to be cleansed and forgiven of our
sins. Now we can go straight to God without any man or woman to intercede for
us. We now can worship God in spirit and in truth. We do not need to be in a
certain place or face a certain city or join a certain religion. Jesus is the
way the truth and the life. No may can ever get to the Father except through
Jesus Christ.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie:
After we continue to reject the truth of God, we will start to believe a lie.
That is why so many are in darkness and believe they are right.
Some get so caught up worrying about which religion is right or which church is
the right one.
My answer is. Jesus is right and Jesus is the only way.
If you find a church, Messianic congregation or group of believers that still
preach the gospel of Jesus Christ uncluttered by the doctrines and commandments
of men that are not in the New Testament, that is the place to go.
God provided the written word as our guide. We must not just read it but study
it. We must love our pastors, support them and show them kindness but we must
not trust them so much that we fail to check out what they teach by the written
word God preserved for us by the shed blood of many brave men throughout the
Middle ages.
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness.
Unbelief in the truth will cause us to be deceived and lost. The wrath of God is
only for those that have shook their fist in the face of God and rejected His
free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Our faith in Christ not only brings us the salvation of our souls and grants us
eternal life but we are made clean or sanctified by the same Spirit that draws
us to Christ.
These are good things and great gifts of God. Why would we even think of seeking
the things of this life that will perish with the using.
2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have
been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
Jude speaks of this also that we are to earnestly contend for the faith once
delivered to the saints.
2Th 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which
hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through
grace,
2Th 2:17 Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.
What a joy to be part of the spreading of the gospel, to teach true holy living
that makes us content with what we have and not get into covetousness. What a
treasure of wealth that comes from God that can't even be compared to what the
world calls wealth. True wealth is salvation, sanctification, being baptized in
the Holy Spirit and then being used of God to spread the gospel to the whole
world. What love, what joy and what peace it is to walk in the Spirit and not
fulfill the lust of the flesh. There is true victory in Jesus my savior forever.
He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming blood. That song is in many
church hymnals but is seldom sung. It is on page 120 in some books and 240 in
others. It tells the gospel in three verses.
