The Coming Lawlessness Part 2
Notes
Transcript
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 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. 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, 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. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 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. 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. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Jesus is coming soon,
But someone will rise before Jesus’ returns.
Eschatology - Sturdy of the End times.
End times - eschathology
We have to deal with the subject of end times with:
Humility
We are people of the word.
Rightly dividing the word of truth. Not about gaining knowledge.
We have to deal with the subject of end times with:
2. Without dogmatism.
With recognition of the different points of view (Dispensationalists, Non-futurists, Amillenialists, allegorists, The Bible answer man)
Dispensationalism.
Study of Theology that has three emphases:
Literal interpretation of the End times.
Separation of God’s program for Israel and the Church
Divides history into seven dispensational periods.
I will not spend too much time on a chart like this:
Dispensationalism Chart.
We will focus on what the Bible really says from the passage.
We have to deal with the subject of end times with:
3. Focus on the central message.
Brace ourselves.
For the church of Jesus, the message is to be ready, to be watchful and be on guard.
The Lord said in Matthew 24:44
44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Not only should we be ready. You see we are not just to wait for the coming of the Lord, we must remain busy doing the work of the Kingdom.
There is a blessing..
46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
We have to deal with the subject of end times with:
4. Respond in the way we live our lives going forward.
This should give us the motivation to live holy lives, the true followers of Jesus take comfort when they study the teachings on the end times. Not in fear - coronavirus is just a prelude.
Notice in verse 3, Paul talks of a man who he describes as:
The Man of Lawlessness
The Son of Destruction
The AntiChrist.
I mentioned last time...
Oppose the work of the Kingdom of God
The Spirit of the AntiCHrist is already here (1 John )
The real person (AntiChrist) is most likely alive and well on planet earth.
I know what the antichrist would look like:
Thannus photo here.
Who is the Antichrist?
(Not who is the antichrist to identify specifically, some say..
What I mean is who is the Biblical Antichrist?
The Antichrist has 25 titles ascribed to him in the Bible.
The man of sin.
The son of destruction
The Beast
(Description here)
The apostle John saw a vision of this figure called the antichrist.
1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” 5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation,
Daniel’s amazing prophecy:
31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
The Bible is a double-edged sword. Explain Antiochus Epiphanes. Differences.. swine versus himself.
Antiochus was a foreshadow of the coming Antichrist. Jesus spoke again of the abomination that makes desolate..
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
So we now that the antichrist will be a man of lawlessness, deception and that he will rule over the entire world (according to Revelation 13)
When will the Antichrist come?
I won’t talk about the exact date when he will be revealed, but we know that there are things that need to happen before he comes.
Prelude to the Antichrist.
The one who is restraining him (the antichrist) is taken away. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)
The establishment of a One World Government. (Revelation 13:7)
The Reconstruction of the Jewish Temple
What or who is this restrainer?
6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 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.
Theories on who is this Restrainer verse 6-7:
The Holy Spirit
The Church
The Roman Empire
Explain the Roman Empire —> Bishops of Rome (Matthew Henry)
Many speculations, I once read a book entitled The Assignment by Mark Andrew Olsen. (Lazarus of Bethany)
Explain why I believe it is both 1 and 2.
The Holy Spirit resides in every believer.
How will this happen?
If this is true, then the rapture of the church has to happen before the Antichrist is finally revealed to the world.
The Great Tribulation.
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
What is the 42 months? If you compute.. that is 3 1/2 years!
Daniel’s Seventy Weeks - Daniel 9
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.
When the antichrist is finally revealed, all hell will break lose, economic control, false religious system, the false prophet
The Spirit of Lawlessness is already at work.
There will be an overwhelming wave of deception.
A Great Sifting.
Jesus said someone will come in his name and you will accept him (verse).
43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
This is happening now..
It is going to get worse before it gets better. The world will face judgement.
Be prepared.
1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Note, since we belong to the day.. children of the day.. God has not destined us to wrath..
pre-tribulation, in the middle of the great tribulation..
Don’t be dogmatic.
If the rapture happens earlier then truly the coming of the Lord is closer. Maranatha!