2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 (NKJV):
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
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,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains [will do so] until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the [lawless one] is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,
14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,
17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
Introduction
Why Don’t we teach eschatology?
It requires us to know the whole counsel of God.
1 and 2 Thessalonians are very important.
The coming of the Lord is mentioned in every chapter of 1 Thessalonians.
Great persecution had begun in Thessalonica. It was in Thessalonica, that the first Gentile Christians were killed in the Roman Empire. The local Roman governor said Christians had to bow before a statue of Augustus Caesar. They would take a cask of wine, dedicate it to Caesar then publicly pour it on meats and vegetables in the market. Christians stopped buying! Aw, oh!
They were marked.
So, the persecution began
Crucifixions, burnings
Killings😢
They thought they had missed the rapture
Let’s read Verse 1 and 2.
Day of Christ should be translated Day of the Lord.
When the Rapture occurs, and the Church is caught up the age of Grace is over and the Day of the Lord begins.
(At the signing of the peace treaty)
Let’s go back to a key on the Rapture
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NKJV):
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive [and] remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Falling Away- Apostasy, The deliberate abandonment of a formerly professed position or view.
Why do we see this great falling away?
It is our great Love for Christ our fellowship with the Holy Spirit and our love for his Word that will guard us from deception.
It Has been said that the spirit of Christ is the oil that feeds the lamp of praise…
(The more we yield the more we behold him the more that oil feeds the lamp of praise) we are changed.
Has been said that the spirit of Christ is the oil that feeds the lamp of praise…
We become like what we behold
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Without the Holy Spirit, there is no reality to our faith. (ritual going through the motions)
Without him we are dead. (he’s the very breath of God in us)
Without Him we have no power over sin.
We will dry up and die.
Justification- I’ve been saved on a cross 2000 years ago (past) separation from the penalty of sin
Sanctification- I’m being sanctified by the Spirit. (present tense) separation from the power of sin
Glorification- (future tense) separation from the presence of sin.
This is our walk
Separated from the
Penalty of Sin
Power of Sin
Presence of Sin
God cannot bless you until he conquers you. – A. W. Tozer
Are we clinging to the Word?
(I’m talking about guarding against deception and falling away)
2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)
All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
What’s right
What’s wrong
How to get it right
How to keep it right.
I could show lots of videos of denominations that have walked away from the power of
God. They are atrocious.
It’s your life that is a witness for Christ not just words.
What if Jesus just spoke cool words?
But didn’t redeem us?
What if no cross?
The world can see if you are carrying the cross!
No resurrection?
They can see whether you are becoming like him!
Are we God fearing?
God is a God of holiness and a God of wrath.
In his book The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer said that the essence of idolatry is having thoughts about God that are unworthy of him.
So, we make up things about God and worship that!
We become like what we behold.
1 Timothy 4:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
