The Antichrist

Lead Vocalist (Kelly)

Welcome & Announcements (Mike L)

Good morning family!

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____ announcements:

1) Announcement 1

What to do and how to respond

2) Announcement 2

What to do and how to respond

3) Announcement 3

What to do and how to respond

Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Call to Worship (Romans 8:35-38)

Prayer of Praise (Jackie Wilson)

More Than Conquerors

A Mighty Fortress

Prayer of Confession (Nathan Rathbone), Lack of discernment

Assurance of Pardon (Romans 8:31-32)

God Is For Us

Behold Our God

Scripture Reading (2 Thess. 2:1-12)

You can find it on page 1175 in the black Bibles

Pastoral Prayer (Mike L)

Prayer for PBC—Help us to resist false teaching

Prayer for kingdom partner—Hampton Roads Fellowship (Paul Speight)

Prayer for US—Against culture of outrage

Prayer for the world—Venezuela

Pray for the sermon

SERMON

START TIMER!!!

If you only had a few weeks with a group of new Christians, what would you teach them?

You would certainly focus on some key Christian doctrines, like the Trinity, the Gospel, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the truthfulness of Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit.

You would talk about spiritual disciplines like prayer, Bible reading, faithfulness in church attendance.

You would talk about important Christian virtues like love, purity, discernment, and self-control.

Hopefully you would talk about the importance of the local church, and things like baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and discipleship.

But would you talk about the end times?

More specifically, would you teach them about the Antichrist?

I admit that I have often viewed what the Bible teaches about this issue to be largely unimportant.

But not the Apostle Paul.

Turn to 2 Thessalonians 2:1

About twenty years after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Apostle Paul started a church in the town of Thessalonica.

He was only able to be with the Christians there for a few weeks before persecution forced him to flee the city.

Yet when Paul talks about the Antichrist here, he reminds them that he already told them about these things when he was there for a few short weeks.

2 Thessalonians 2:5—Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

This isn’t the most important doctrine in Paul’s mind—he tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that what’s most important is the gospel—but clearly this was important enough to be included in a ministry that only lasted for a few short weeks.

Here’s the Big Idea I hope to communicate this morning: The Bible’s teaching on the Antichrist is more important than you think.

With God’s help let’s answer Two Questions about the Antichrist that will help us to see why this teaching is so important.

First…

1) WHAT Do We Need to Know about the Antichrist?

In answer to this question, I want to show you eight truths about the Antichrist from our passage.

But before we dive in, you need to know we’re going to spend the bulk of our time here. So don’t get nervous when we’re almost out of time and we’re still answering question number 1.

Also, I’m going to present these truths in logical order, not necessarily in the order they appear in our text. So don’t get nervous if I skip a verse because we’ll come back to it eventually.

Alright, let’s begin.

The first truth we need to know is that…

A) The Antichrist is a REAL man in the future .

2 Thessalonians 2:1–3—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

Perhaps you noticed as we read those verses that the word “Antichrist” is nowhere to be found.

The word “Antichrist” is not mentioned anywhere in Paul’s writings. It’s not even mentioned in the book of Revelation.

The only places the word is used is the books of 1-2 John.

Consider two examples…

1 John 2:18—Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

1 John 4:3—… every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

Both these passages indicate there is a spirit of antichrist that is present in every age, even during the first century when John wrote those letters.

But they also indicate there is a final antichrist who is coming.

And that’s what Paul is describing in 2 Thessalonians 2.

Paul calls him “the man of lawlessness” and “the son of destruction,” but the language is quite clear this is a real man who will appear at some time in the future.

And it’s appropriate to call him the Antichrist because he is the embodiment of Satanic opposition to Jesus and His people.

You need to know the Antichrist is not a fictional bogeyman. He’s not some villain in a horror film. He’s a real person who is really coming to oppose the people of God.

But when should we expect him?

B) The Antichrist is REVEALED before Jesus returns.

Apparently the Thessalonian believers were being taught they had somehow missed the return of Jesus.

Someone was teaching them it had already happened and they were left behind.

Look again at Paul’s response in…

2 Thessalonians 2:3—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

What does Paul mean by “that day”?

Look at the end of verse 2. He’s clearly talking about “the day of the Lord.”

If you go back to 1 Thessalonians 5:2, you’ll notice that “the day of the Lord” is the day Jesus returns like a thief in the night.

Some well-meaning Bible teachers believe the Antichrist is revealed sometime after Jesus returns to rescue His people.

They end up teaching two separate comings of Jesus.

First, He comes to rapture His people in the air, and then He comes again to destroy the Antichrist.

But a careful reading of 1-2 Thessalonians simply doesn’t allow that interpretation.

When Jesus returns to rescue His people He will also return to destroy His enemies. It’s the same event!

This means some of you need to rethink something you’ve been taught about the return of Christ.

Like many of you, I was taught Jesus could return any moment.

But based on Paul’s words here, that’s not entirely true is it?

Paul says the Antichrist must be revealed BEFORE the return of Christ.

Perhaps this is part of the reason why Paul said in…

1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4—For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. . . . But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

Christian’s won’t be surprised by the return of Christ because we’ve read the Bible and we know the Antichrist must be revealed first!

Rather than say “Jesus could return any moment,” I think it’s better to say Jesus is coming “soon” or His return is “near.” That’s the language the Bible uses.

This shouldn’t cause us to slack off on watching for Jesus’ return.

If anything, knowing the Antichrist will come first should make us even more watchful, because…

C) The Antichrist will lead a great REBELLION.

Look again at…

2 Thessalonians 2:3b—… that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed…

The rebellion and the Antichrist are not two separate events.

The context indicates it is the Antichrist who leads this rebellion.

2 Thessalonians 2:4—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.

Whoever this person is, he’s going to be worshipped by most of the world. Like the Devil who empowers him, the Antichrist wants the worship that God alone deserves.

But what is this language about him taking “his seat in the temple of God”?

I was taught this meant the temple in Jerusalem would be rebuilt at some point in the future.

If you google “third temple” you will find ALL KINDS of videos, articles, and theories trying to predict the return of Christ based on this interpretation.

But there’s a few problems with interpreting “temple of God” as a literal, rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.

First, it seems hard to imagine Paul would call a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem “the temple of God.”

Do we really think God would be happy with Jews rebuilding a temple and sacrificing animals there again?

The animal sacrifices in the Old Testament were intended to point to Jesus, the true and final sacrifice.

There’s a reason the veil in the temple was torn after Jesus died in our place.

There’s a reason Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.

If Paul was referring to a rebuilt temple, it’s hard to imagine he would call it God’s temple.

It’s also unlikely Paul is referring to a rebuilt temple since he NEVER uses the word “temple” to describe a physical building. [1]

Whenever Paul uses the word “temple” he’s referring to the church!

For example, he writes in…

Ephesians 2:19–21—So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Or in 2 Corinthians 6:16 he’s even more explicit: “we are the temple of the living God.”

So what does Paul mean when he says the Antichrist will sit in God’s temple?

I think he means the Antichrist will claim to be a part of the Christian church.

And he will deceive many who claim to be Christians.

That word translated “rebellion” in verse 4 is the Greek word apostasia, which is where we get our English word apostasy.

Apostasy means to depart or to fall away. It refers to someone who professed faith in Jesus but didn’t truly possess faith.

Someone who talks like a Christian and acts like a Christian, but never truly was a Christian.

Those people will be deceived by the Antichrist and they will fall away.

The Puritan pastor William Dyer said: “That man’s beginning was in hypocrisy whose end is in apostasy. Indifference in religion is the next step to apostasy from religion.” [2]

The surest way to fall away later is to fake it now.

If you’re faking, friend, turn from your sins and trust in Jesus today!

If your heart has grown cold, Christian, warm it again at the fire of the gospel. Remember what Jesus has done for you and return to Him!

Before you brush off these warnings, consider how…

D) The Antichrist will RULE with Satan’s Power.

The reason why the Antichrist is able to be so effective drawing away many professing Christians is because he is empowered by Satan himself.

2 Thessalonians 2:9–10—The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

Just like Pharaoh's magicians, who were able to replicate many of Moses’ signs with demonic power, the Antichrist will have power from Satan to perform miracles.

The Bible doesn’t tell us what sorts of miracles the Antichrist will perform, but it will be enough to lead to a global deception.

Christian: by yourself you are no match for this kind of power. But there is safety in numbers.

Just like a lion prefers to attack the sheep that’s wandered from the flock, Satan prefers to attack Christians who wander from God’s people.

So cling to God’s people, it’s the only way we’ll persevere until the end!

Notice what these verses say about unbelievers: they refused to love the truth and be saved.

What truth is it that saves us? What truth do unbelievers refuse to love?

EXPLAIN THE GOSPEL

Turn from your sins and trust in Jesus while you can!

When the Antichrist is revealed, I believe it will be too late to become a Christian.

But right now, you CAN turn to Jesus because...

E) The Antichrist is being RESTRAINED.

2 Thessalonians 2:5–6—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.

Paul basically says, “The Antichrist hasn’t been revealed yet because something or someone is holding him back.”

But what does that mean?

This is a notoriously difficult passage.

In his commentary G.K. Beale lists at least seven possible interpretations for this restrainer. [3] We don’t have anywhere near enough time to address those possibilities, so let me just tell you what I believe.

If you want to do your own research and set me straight you can.

I believe the restraining is another way to describe what the Apostle John describes in...

Revelation 20:1–3—Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

You need to remember the book of Revelation is loaded with symbolism.

Right here in this passage there are keys, pits, chains, dragons and serpents.

It’s kind of like a Picasso painting, picturing reality with a kaleidoscope of abstract images.

But what’s the message in these verses? And how does it connect to 2 Thessalonians 2?

John is telling us Satan is being bound for a thousand years, and since numbers are almost always symbolic in Revelation, I take that to be symbolic for a long period of time.

And notice the binding of Satan is not limiting him entirely. It’s just limiting him from doing one specific thing: He’s unable to deceive the nations any longer.

Before Jesus came, the nations were deceived. There was only one way to be a part of the people of God, and that was through the nation of Israel.

Sure, there were Gentile believers in the Old Testament; people like Rahab and Ruth. But by and large they became believers through the nation of Israel.

But with the coming of Jesus the barrier between Jew and Gentile has fallen. Now people from every tribe, tongue, and nation are repenting and believing in Jesus!

But that will not last.

At the end of the age—before Jesus returns—Satan will be “released” for a little while. That’s when the Antichrist will be revealed.

Perhaps that seems a strange interpretation to you. How can Satan be “bound” when he seems so alive and well in the world?

It’s because, as Paul tells us back in 2 Thessalonians…

F) The antichrist spirit is already a REALITY.

2 Thessalonians 2:7a—For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.

Just because the Antichrist is being restrained, doesn’t mean that the spirit of antichrist isn’t already at work.

Remember the verse we looked at earlier in…

1 John 2:18—Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

Notice there’s a difference between an antichrist and The Antichrist, who is the final human enemy of God and His people.

A few chapters later, John implies that “the spirit of antichrist” is present in every age.

Have you ever thought about why Satan would have “many antichrists”? Why not save his greatest weapon for the very end?

Jesus said the in Matthew 24:36 that even the angels in heaven don’t know when He will return.

It stands to reason, then, that Satan and his demons don’t know when Jesus will return either.

Which means it’s likely Satan has an antichrist in every age so that when the restraints are taken away he can be revealed.

Like a baseball team always having a batter on deck, Satan always has an antichrist ready.

All the more reason for Christians to remain faithful in every age, because we never know what evil Satan may unleash on the people of God!

You might be wondering, “wait a minute! How can Satan do this stuff if he’s bound?!?

Remember, Revelation 20 tells us what it means for Satan to be bound.

Revelation 20:1–3— . . . an angel. . . seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, . . . so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. . . .

During this age, Satan is unable to keep people from every nation from believing the gospel. But he’s still able to do a lot of damage.

Imagine a ferocious dog chained up in your neighbor’s backyard. He is bound, but he can still wreak havoc as far as his chain can reach. In the same way, Satan is able to wreak much havoc, but he cannot destroy God’s church. [4]

But there is coming a time when Satan will be released, the Antichrist will be revealed, and all hell will break loose on earth.

But thankfully…

G) The Antichrist’s REIGN of terror will be short.

2 Thessalonians 2:7—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.

There is coming a time when God will loose the restraints on Satan. When that happens the final Antichrist will be revealed.

I believe when that happens, nobody else will repent and believe the gospel. When that happens it will be too late.

Look at...

2 Thessalonians 2:11–12—Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

When the Antichrist is revealed, a strong delusion will cover the planet and everyone who hasn’t already trusted Christ will believe a lie.

Now Paul is NOT saying that God is actively deceiving people.

James 1:13—Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.

What Paul means is that God is sovereign over this strong delusion. Yes, Satan and the Antichrist will wreak havoc on the world. But whatever they do will be under the authority of our sovereign God.

We know that because the Bible indicates the Antichrist’s reign of terror will be short.

Revelation 20:3, which we read earlier says that Satan will be released “for a little while.”

Revelation 17:12 says this period of time will last “for one hour,” which isn’t meant to be taken as a literal 60-minute period, but it symbolizes the brevity of the Antichrist’s reign.

Jesus says in…

Matthew 24:22—And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

I don’t know if you and I will be alive to see “Satan’s little season,” this final reign of terror before the return of Christ.

But I do know this. Satan does NOT win!

H) The Antichrist will be quickly and eternally RUINED.

The book of Revelation teaches that the Antichrist and Satan will gather a massive army to wage war against Jesus’ people.

But all the hosts of hell are no match for King Jesus!

2 Thessalonians 2:8—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.

Notice how quickly and decisively King Jesus destroys the Antichrist. All Jesus has to do is breathe and the Antichrist is obliterated.

Christian: no matter how dark it gets, the Light of the World will prevail! King Jesus will win! Do not lose heart!

Should persecution rage and flame, still trust in your Redeemer’s name.

In fiery trials you shall see that as your days your strength shall be.

So, sing with joy, afflicted one; the battle’s fierce, but the victory’s won!

God shall supply all that you need; yes, as your days your strength shall be.

The Bible’s teaching on the Antichrist is more important than you think.

From this passage we learn that...

he is a real man who will appear in the future,

he will be revealed before Jesus returns,

he will lead a great rebellion,

he will rule with Satanic power,

the spirit of antichrist is already a reality,

his reign of terror will be short,

and he will be quickly and eternally ruined.

Let’s now briefly consider our second question...

2) WHY Do We Need to Know about the Antichrist?

Why did Paul view this doctrine as important enough to teach a bunch of baby Christians?

Consider with me two implications of this teaching...

A) Stop PREPPING for the End of the World

I told you last week there were two problems in Thessalonica that Paul was addressing in this second letter.

First, there was a problem in their beliefs.

That’s the problem he’s addressing in our passage this morning.

They weren’t believing the truth about the return of Jesus, so Paul sets the record straight.

Their second problem was in their behavior.

Some of the Thessalonian Christians had given up working, a problem which Paul addresses in chapter 3.

But I want you to notice that these two problems are connected.

If you believe it’s the end of the world, what motivation do you have to keep working a regular 9-5 job?

That temptation affects us more than we might think…

Some of you are old enough to remember something called Y2K. I have vivid memories as a teenager of a guest preacher visiting my home church and telling us with certainty that the Great Tribulation was going to begin at midnight on January 1, 2000. And only the Christians who had properly prepared by purchasing the proper apocalyptic supplies would persevere until the end. We even had bulletin inserts with a list of items to purchase so we would be ready.

That is pure and utter foolishness!

There are no signs that precede the revealing of the Antichrist.

Sure, Jesus talks about wars and rumors of wars in Matthew 24, but then He says “the end is NOT yet! . . this is just the beginning!”

Not even Satan knows when the final Antichrist is going to be revealed, so what makes you think you can read the tea leaves and figure it out?

When the Antichrist is revealed, there’s nothing Christians will be able to do to save ourselves. But that’s okay because we don’t need to. We have a King who is perfectly capable of rescuing every single one of His people!

So don’t be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed by a blog post or a Tik Tok video or a sensational book about the end of the world. Our job is not to physically prepare for the Antichrist, but to be spiritually prepared.

Because we understand what the Word of God says here, we’re not going to preoccupy ourselves with physical preparations for the end of the world.

That’s what we’re going to stop doing. But there’s something we need to start doing as well…

B) Start PLUNDERING the Kingdom of Darkness

Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus was accused by the religious leaders.

Jesus was casting demons out of people left and right. They had never seen anything like that before!

So they accused Jesus of casting out demons with the power of demons.

Listen to Jesus’ reply...

Mark 3:24–27—If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Notice Jesus compares Satan to a strong man who must be bound before his house can be plundered.

The word Jesus uses here is the same word used in Revelation 20 to refer to the binding of Satan.

Jesus says, “I’m able to cast out demons because Satan—the strong man—has been tied up. Because of that I am plundering His house!”

Christian: Now is not the time for us to play defense. Now is the time to play offense. To plunder the gates of hell, pursuing lost souls with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

We do not have a promise that everyone we talk to will trust Jesus. But we do know that Satan is powerless to stop sinners from turning and trusting in Jesus.

So plunder the enemy’s house, Christian.

Storm the gates of hell, because Jesus promised those gates cannot hold up against Christ’s church.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Victory in Jesus

Benediction (Romans 16:20)