s195-100707

2 Thessalonians 2:1&2 ~ 1Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

1 We request you =

                           Implore you dear friends

2 Coming of… and our gathering… =

                           One article, two elements of the same event

3 Shaken from your composure or disturbed =

                           Freaked to the point of giving up, from                                       your composure” is literally, from your mind

4 Spirit or a message or a letter as if from us =

                           Prophecy, Preaching or a book counter to                               the Gospel or destroying the church -                                     anathema

5 To the effect that the day of the Lord has come =

                           If the parousi>a that initiates the day of the Lord is the single event following the tribulation and Paul had taught that - the false claim that the day of the Lord was already present could not have alarmed these Christians. Their current suffering indicated the arrival of the expected tribulation.

The purpose of Bible prophecy is not for us to make a calendar, but to build character.

Date-setters are usually up-setters, and that is exactly what happened in the Thessalonian assembly.

Christians are to know and become anchored in the Truth. The goal is that they become transformed by that truth through the renewing of their minds (Rom. 12:1-2).

Anyone who is not properly grounded in the truth of God’s Word tends to be gullible, but all people can be easily misled by impressive personalities and spectacular appeals. The antidote to false teaching is sound teaching according to God’s Word.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-5 ~ 3Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy (ajpostasi>a) comes first, and the man of lawlessness (a]nqrwpov th~v ajnomi>av) is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

Gullible:

Ephesians 4:1-16 ~ … I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace... As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming… being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Gullibility is the result of date setters and others voicing their opinion in pride… It leads to disunity!

Unity is based on a love of Truth not secret knowledge.

       Unity is based on love of Truth not secrecy

             Unity is based on love of Truth not elitism

                    Unity is based on… love of one’s own ideas

1) Apostasy (ajpostasi>a)

2) The man of lawlessness (a]nqrwpov th~v ajnomi>av)

The absence of these two occurrences, which are so essential to the presence of the day of the Lord in its beginning phase, is the apostle’s proof that the Thessalonians were not then in the day of the Lord.

“Rebellion” is rebellion. Articular so a particular rebellion!

The apostasy or rebellion clearly refers to a special departure and rebellion against the true God. This will become a worldwide movement and will provide the seed bed for the great system of revolt which will be headed up in the person of the Beast who will be the very personification of Satan himself.

The second phenomenon necessary for the day of the Lord to be present is the revealing of the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, the antichrist.

As an outgrowth of his demand to be worshipped, he will develop a religious system that will find its center in the temple of Jerusalem.

From verse five, it is clear that Paul had taught these same truths when he was with them in Thessalonica and again, how could they be upset if there was not a pre-tribulation rapture taught?

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 ~ 6And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed (ajpokalu>ptw). 7For the mystery (musth>rion) of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8Then that lawless one will be revealed (ajpokalu>ptw) whom the Lord will slay (ajnaire>w) with the breath (pneu~ma) of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming (parousi>a);

Revelation 19:20 ~ And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

Isaiah 11:4 ~ But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

3) Restrainer removed

Lawlessness is now at work and the Thessalonians were suffering because of it, but the man of lawlessness could not be revealed until the restrainer is removed.

Only God knows the date

musth>rion, is articular so a particular mystery; one known because of Paul’s earlier teaching, but a mystery in the sense that the lost don’t get it.

Lord will slay (ajnaire>w) with the breath (pneu~ma) of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming (parousi>a) =

                                 The world will stand in awe of the lawless one, but he is not even a feather in the wind when compared to the Lord Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ~ 9that is, the one whose coming (parousi>a) is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false (yeu~dov) wonders, 10and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love (ajga>ph) of the truth so as to be saved. 11For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe (pisteu>w) what is false, 12in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

Revelation 13:3b-4 ~ The whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ~ 9that is, the one whose coming (parousi>a) is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false (yeu~dov) wonders, 10and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love (ajga>ph) of the truth so as to be saved. 11For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe (pisteu>w) what is false, 12in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

We should never underestimate the way God is using the church today. As Wiersbe writes:

In spite of its weakness and seeming failure, never underestimate the importance of the church in the world. People who criticize the church do not realize that the presence of the people of God in this world gives unsaved people opportunity to be saved.

A survey found: 96% are very concerned or somewhat concerned about sex on TV. 97% are very or somewhat concerned about vulgar language on TV.

Even though 144,000 Jews extending to a great multitude of people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, the world as a whole will be in stark rebellion and will follow after the man of lawlessness in blind obedience and worship.

How is it that man, even in the face of what is obviously the outpouring of God’s wrath against man’s sin, still raises up his fist in God’s face and continues to follow after the beast and his system of government?

The activity of Satan is described with the words, “with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders and with every kind of evil deception.”

“All” is the class designated by the noun every kind of, all sorts of.”

“Miracles” is du>namiv, “power,”

“Sign” is shmei~on, “a sign or distinguishing mark by which something is known.” It refers to an event which is regarded as having some special meaning – it points to the purpose and goal of the miracles from the standpoint of what the miracles are designed to communicate, i.e., the ideas and beliefs Satan wants to pawn off on the world.

He must be the answer to the world’s needs; surely he and he alone can mold the world into unity and peace and give us a life of great prosperity. BILL CLINTON SUPREME

“Wonders” is te>rav, “wonder, marvel.” In the New Testament always combined with sign because it looks at another effect of the miracle in the sense it gets people’s attention and causes them to marvel or stand in amazement at what they have seen.

Thus, the combination of these words or expressions are used to point to a supernatural component, but one with very definite and important religious implications, especially since the performance of such miracles implies divine power.

The gospel will be preached to all the world in the Day of the Lord and millions will turn to the Savior and be saved (Rev. 7). It won’t be a matter of not hearing the gospel, as the book of Revelation makes clear. Rather, it will be a matter of rebellion and loving the darkness rather than the light. When people reject the truth, it leaves them open to all manner of evil and false beliefs as Romans 1:18-28 and Ephesians 4:17-19 teach us. To reject the knowledge of God and the light God gives leads to a further darkening of one’s understanding and a perverted mind that takes pleasure in every kind of impurity in the sphere of greediness for more and more.

“Consequently” looks back to the previous verse and the refusal to love the truth by those who are perishing. As such, it also introduces us to the consequence, the moral judgment of God. They consign themselves and are thus consigned to judgment. We must not lose sight of the fact the judgment here proceeds from man’s own choice.

But what is the fundamental issue or nature of man’s wrong doing or unrighteousness? As from the very beginning when Adam and Eve swallowed Satan’s big lie, is it not man’s attempt to live life independently of God and to be, as constantly tempted by Satan, to become like God himself?

False doctrine and ignorance of doctrine causes instability (2:2) It seems Satan always has a potential man of sin in the wings ready for the removal of the restrainer. If people reject the truth, the only thing left to believe is Satan’s lies and ultimately, his end time lie (2:10). Miracles by themselves do not prove the truth (2:9). Then, how do we know… Truth!