2 Thess. 2:1-17

Obtaining The Glory of Jesus Christ

Paul speaks here of the final Antichrist. But there are many, many who today demonstrate the attitude of Antichrist. There is a powerful, supernaturally energized, antichrist attitude that pervades the world. It is part of Satan's attack on Christ. You see, the plan of Satan is to keep the world from accepting Christ and His work, to keep the world sufficiently deceived so that they are not saved. And then ultimately to bring his own false Christ, the culmination of all the antichrist attitude, namely the...the man of sin, the son of perdition and thus bring about the ultimate and final deception.

We're learning about this man and his career in this chapter. Satan, we know, is a liar and a deceiver and the father of lies. He disguises himself as an angel of light and his emissaries are equally disguised in the same way. They, like him, are deceitful workers and their primary deception is to lie about Christ. That is why inevitably false religions have an errant Christology. False religions tell lies about Christ.

2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” .......We will come back to 2 John.........

There are many deceivers in the world, that is true and I believe that is the most dangerous of all. Evil is evil, but evil that disguises itself in the form of good, is greater evil than evil that is seen.

You see someone committing atrocities and you know what it is.......but we are living in a time today that you cannot tell.

The ole saying better the devil you know than the devil that you don’t know.

There are many false teachers today, all around us..........not sure if you can point them out just by looking at them or their church.

But they are there just the same.

That is hard on the believer...............we must be stubborn......stubborn not about our own things but by the doctrine that is taught us by the Holy Scriptures.

Then we are placed in a category of “Holier than thou”......

That is alright, God says for us to be holy even as He is holy!

Stubborn in what we learn from Jesus, that is what the Spirit leads us to......John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 16:13 “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.”

Rightly dividing the Word of Truth.....2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Accurately handling the Word of Truth.......”Cutting it straight” is the meaning.......it is meant exactness.......Precision and accuracy are required in Biblical interpretation.

The anti-christ is after your faith or the possibility of your faith in Jesus Christ.....to deceive..........that is why I like the last few verses of this chapter.

13-17............Stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been taught......

By Word of mouth (from the apostles)

By Epistle (letters from the apostles)

They were uniquely chosen (witnesses of the Resurrected Christ) so that the Truth could be authenticated.....they performed miracles so as to affirm that they are truly Christ’s representative.

This is how you combat deceivers.....by The Word Of Truth!

Stand fast—continue to be in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Let Jesus Christ and everything about Him be your comfort and good hope

Let Him be the Author of the Good Word and Good Work

2 John 1:1-13.......John could be referring to a local church(lady) and her congregation(children).....some believe that he is actually referring to woman and her actual children, because.....

There were false teachers that would come into a church and prey on the hospitality of those in the church and this lady might have been one that was preyed upon or it actually could be the church as a whole.

Truth in verse 2 and verse 3 and verse 4......for the sake of truth

People were coming in and denying the true nature of Jesus Christ.....Fully(Truly) God and Fully (Truly)Man.

Losing reward of good deeds, by allowing hospitality to those who preach and teach falsely!

If you do not live by the doctrine of Christ alone then you are none of His!

Do not allow them in your house, nor give them greeting!

If you greet them, then you are in a sense participating in their evil deeds

Truth determines the bounds of love...........Truth must exist before love can unite, for truth generates love. 1 Peter 1:22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”