Hold On Tight

It seems that every cult and every false teaching either denies Who Christ is, or tries to reshape Him into whatever is convenient and fits their wrong-headed theology. They will deny that Jesus is God; or deny that He could possibly be fully man and fully God; or suggest that there is more that is needed for salvation than only what Jesus did at Calvary. This is all part of the spiritual war that Satan orchestrates by getting false teachers to promote all kinds of lies about the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is what was taking place with the Thessalonians. That is what is going on right now. So, we can imagine the false religion that will permeate the entire world when the Antichrist sets himself up as the one person that should receive humanity’s worship. He will deceive people as no other person has ever deceived.

Remembering from last time, Paul was writing the Thessalonians, in an attempt to encourage and comfort them by reminding them of the things which he had taught them earlier. You recall that he summarized his teaching by reminding them that the Antichrist had not yet come, and that it was necessary for him to come before the Day of the Lord could possibly come. None of the things that were going to happen when the Antichrist comes had occurred, so they should not be anxious about what the false teachers were suggesting.

What Paul was saying to the Thessalonians, can be said to us, as well. Because we are saved through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can hold on tight to what the Bible teaches.

Be Aware of the Facts. - 2.6-10b

2 Thessalonians 2:6–10b (NASB95)

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 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. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish . . .

In these verses, Paul takes time to show his readers who the Antichrist truly is. Paul starts out with the phrase, . . . you know what restrains him now . . . Paul is letting them know that he had already taught them, since they know, this information about how evil is restrained. Yet, he doesn’t repeat it again. We know that there is nothing within all humanity that has the ability or capability to keep Satan from releasing the Antichrist onto this world. Even Michael, the archangel, does not have that sort of ability or power. This being the case, then the only individual Who has that sort of power, can only be God.

My friends, God’s timing is always correct. No man can override God’s sovereign will and plans. No agent of Satan, nor Satan himself, can override God’s sovereign will and plans. Paul is letting the Thessalonians know that the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness, will not come until God decides it is time.

Yet, Paul states that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work . . . We would have to agree with this, as we see Satan’s working evil all around us through so many ways and people. We see it in the world in which we live, and sadly, even within many so-called churches. The Bible tells us that this is going to grow increasingly worse over time. The only way that this doesn’t totally take over the world is because the Holy Spirit restrains evil.

In the past, I have commented on how the Holy Spirit will be removed from the world when the church is raptured. However, I believe I spoke incorrectly, after taking a deeper look at the Scriptures in relation to the end times, as well as the overall teaching about the Holy Spirit.

Here is where I believe we can hang our theological hats. Think about the fact that the Holy Spirit is God. This therefore, would have to make us realize that He is omnipresent. Thus, He cannot be taken out of the world. However, it seems that He will no longer restrain evil at the midpoint of the Tribulation Period. Besides that, we have to remember that it is the Holy Spirit who points people to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit Who regenerates people so they can be saved.

Obviously, the Holy Spirit is still at work, restraining evil and causing men and women and children to be born again. The Holy Spirit will still be at work during the Tribulation Period, as some individuals will comes to salvation. Yet, what a horrible day when the Holy Spirit no longer restrains evil and the Antichrist will be revealed for who he truly is when he lets loose with his evil.

However, this doesn’t go on forever, as we know from God’s Word. Even in the last part of verse 8, we see that the Antichrist’s time will be ended by our Lord. The wording is very clear that this horrible individual will be wiped out. The word for bring to an end, literally means to abolish, to render ineffective and inoperative.

How did the Antichrist become so evil and powerful? Verse 9 uses the phrase . . . in accord with the activity of Satan . . . The word for activity is energeia, which is where we get the word for energy, which describes power in action. It will be seen as all power and signs and false wonders. This will most likely be done by all kinds of deception and tricks. But it will also be accomplished by supernatural activities that are empowered by Satan. The word false actually refers to all three of the activities; false power, false signs, false wonders. Rest assured that they are real, but are not real as genuine proof that the Antichrist is God or that he should be worshiped.

Who would believe such things? Verse 10 uses the phrase those who perish. In other words, those who are unsaved with be duped and actually believe all the lies. They will be the ones who willingly receive the mark of the beast.

Do Not Believe Falsehood. - 2.10c-12

2 Thessalonians 2:10c–12 (NASB95)

. . . because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

Why are so many so easily deceived by the Antichrist? Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. It seems as though Paul is suggesting that these people are lost, not because of ignorance or lack of information. He states that they did not receive the love of the truth.

What is the truth? The Bible states that the truth is the word of truth, also known as the gospel, as well as the Lord Jesus Christ, who identifies Himself as the way, the truth, and the life. They have chosen to not want to have anything to do with Jesus or His message of salvation.

You see, people are not arbitrarily sent to hell. People go to hell because they have chosen to reject the truth, which is the gospel and Jesus. They are completely unwilling to even consider the possibility of salvation through Jesus Christ alone. In other words, they have intentionally and willfully chosen to love other things; they love their sin, they love to believe the lies of Satan. And if you have chosen to love those things, it stands to reason that you have chosen to hate all that is truth.

It is so sad to think that so many will choose to love this world and all of the temporary pleasures that it offers and end up eternally condemned to hell, when they could have chosen to love the truth so as to be saved.

Sadly, the Antichrist will deceive people so badly, the unbelieving will believe lies and be content with evil as being ultimately for the benefit of mankind. Though it may seem that they have no choice, since Paul states that God will send upon them a deluding influence . . . ; this is very much like what took place with Pharaoh. It was because Pharaoh hardened his heart, God made it so there would be no return. Nobody knows when that day takes place in their own lives. A person can reject the truth and refuse to believe the Gospel for only so long, then God will harden the heart, so there will be no more opportunity for them.

This deception will be as a result of Satan causing the world to believe that the Antichrist is God. This sounds like what Paul was saying to the Romans in chapter 1. They did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. As a result, God gave them over, a phrase repeated three different times in the chapter, showing that they would receive the consequences of their choices.

Don’t Be Faltering. - 2.13-14

2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 (NASB95)

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When a person finds themselves faltering, it is usually because of a lack of understanding the facts. This is why Paul does a review, as it were, about the security of the believer in their salvation. If one doesn’t truly believe in the eternal security of the believer, it stands to reason they might be faltering in their hope in Christ’s return. Thinking that if a person has committed a sin right before death, they might end up in hell, would be torturous. After all, while we live on this planet, we know that we will not be sinless. To be worried about losing one’s salvation, provides no peace or hope.

The apostle John dealt with this assurance of salvation in chapters 6 and 10. John 6:27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” John 6:39–40 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 10:27–29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

This is why Paul starts out these verses with thanksgiving. The Thessalonians were truly born again, as they were referred to as beloved by the Lord. Knowing God is sovereign regarding our salvation should provide great security. When a person begins to think that their salvation is contingent upon themselves, then assurance and security becomes a very faltering subject, for we know ourselves only too well. We cannot keep ourselves saved any more than we can save ourselves. Paul shares another truth with the Romans in Romans 10:9–10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Yes, we can see that there is a part in which we participate. Paul tells the Ephesians in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God . . . ” Luke writes about it in Acts 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved . . . ” Confession, faith, and belief are our response to what Jesus has done for us.

Don’t Be Fragile. - 2.15-17

2 Thessalonians 2:15–17 (NASB95)

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

Here is where Paul tells the Thessalonians to Hold On Tight. Don’t be manipulated and confused by teachings that are not scriptural. Don’t try to be acceptable to the culture or popular teachings. Hold on tight to God’s Word.

The word traditions is not referring to human tradition. The word relates to divine revelation that has been handed down. In other words, what God has handed down, whether from the Old Testament writings or from the apostles, don’t let go of those teachings. Be strong and hold fast to those things. The last part of Jude 3, teaches this, as well: “ . . . contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints . . . ”

The conclusion to this message is found in Paul’s encouraging words in which he prays for God to strengthen the church. The pronoun Himself, actually covers both our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as God our Father. Again, Paul makes certain that it is understood that Jesus Christ is equal in all aspects with the Father.

He reminds us that the love which the Lord has for us has been and is eternal. Our future is secure in Jesus Christ, even as it is right now.

Our salvation is secure in Jesus Christ, which also means we will not have to go through God’s wrath during the Day of the Lord.

We can truly have confidence in this because we know the facts, as presented in the Bible.

We can truly have confidence in this because we will not allow ourselves to believe in falsehood.

We can truly have confidence in this because we will not falter, for we know Whom we have believed.

We can truly have confidence in this because we don’t have to be fragile or weakened by the false teachers.

Because we are saved through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can hold on tight to what the Bible teaches.