The Church Overcome Not Destroyed

2 Thessalonians 2:1–8 ESV

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

The Church and its future is noted

The Church is noted as one holding the man of lawless back… also their inability to maintain this posture is also noted

The apostasy or great falling away

The man of lawlessness overcomes

Jesus will kill the man of lawless…

Deal concretely with one of the more difficult parts of the two witnesses.

The church is overcome but not destroyed.

The church having prepared the way will see the return of Christ as they are taken up to Him.

The Church Overcome

Revelation 11:7 ESV

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,

The executing of the word of God has been completed.

Matt 24:9-14 after all the labor pains the tribulation will start

not until the witness of the Gospel is proclaimed to all the world

for 3.5 yrs they cause the world grief

Now the beast is allowed to make war on the witnesses

its not an overnight thing its a ongoing thing

He takes his seats in the temple of God

He will insert himself as part of the church to undermine the church

Will have victory over them

Violently deprives their life.

massive spiritual warfare they will face

Made to appear as ineffective and of no import

The Church Left for Dead

Revelation 11:8 ESV

and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

Culturally the denying of burial speaks of the atrocities perpetrated on them

ptoma- singular body has been made to fall… their fallen body

rendered dead

Instead of just letting them be… they need to be attacked harassed and made less than

The great city is not a Jerusalem it is a reference to Babylon

Symbolically = spiritually

Sodom - completely depraved; given to sin

Egypt - the place of persecution where the greatest persecution is

…their Lord was crucified

Jerusalem not Babylon not Sodom not egypt

The same atmosphere and power that sought to destroy Jesus… seeks to destroy the witnesses

Trampling the Courtyard

reference to the arrival of the witnesses

the nations trample on the courtyard… they really believer its their torment is over

Revelation 11:9–10 ESV

For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

This part of their ministry 3.5 years and for the same amount the world feels tormented

you were not called to be loved by the world

The fallen body is given no rest… and

People from every space and religion will look at this small remnant and consider them dead

Prophet Jeremiah “they consider you dead…” warns them not to mock because the Lord will raise them to life once more

The witnesses here are now called Prophets

Porters of the word of God

Their work in this space is complete

Made to Live Once More

1 Thes 4 tells us that not all will sleep and the taking up into heaven begins with those who have fallen asleep in Christ

Not all will sleep speaks to the perseverance of the Saints

Revelation 11:11–13 ESV

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Not all are dead during the 3.5yrs some will want to fall away because it seems pointless… persevere

Once more made to live… Valley of Dry Bones… they live once more… they are made to now be “raptured”

Come up here they stand with Jesus

Their enemies watch this happen and dread falls on them

a tenth of the great city die 7k is a number appointed

the ones remaining are terrified and finally give glory to the Lord.

In the face of such power their are those who will not relent

The End of the Age we defined several things including the definition of the church and the great falling away

Understanding what we are in the Lord and how to prepare we understand there is much work ahead

Evil will continue to grow but in this time we will now see the church transition from a state of being made ready into a space of being one of the two witnesses who will function in significant power

Their falling speaks of the great apostacy which will leave only a small remnant because of how the AntiChrist will place himself on the throne of God in the “church”

The church or body of Christ may be considered dead but will be raised to life once more and all will know that Jesus os Lord. PERSEVERE IN THIS TIME