Men's Bible Study 8/6/20

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It’s like playing 21 questions

The goal of the players is to figure out what the one person is thinking through 21 questions. That’s how figuring out the end times feels like.

Holman New Testament Commentary: I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon I. Introduction: 21 Questions

Paul’s outline of the last days instills comfort. God does not abandon his people; he warns them of difficulty so they can prepare themselves. Best of all, we know with certainty that he will triumph.

Squashing rumors

people were worried they had missed the day of the Lord

2 Thessalonians 2:1–2 ESV

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.

imagine being a new church of believers following the teachings of Paul. They only way you get more information is through missionaries and snail mail. Rumors could really throw you for a loop

Paul pivots now to start explaining what to look for.

2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 ESV

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.

There will be a great rebellion of people turning away from God.

The man of lawlessness will live such a life that He is defined by sinfulness.

Opposes everything God has made and declares himself to be God. Really, he will wage war on all religions outside Himself.

2 Thessalonians 2:5–7 ESV

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.

God is restraining lawlessness until a point when He steps out of the way.

How does God work through the church to restrain lawlessness in the world?

Think about what would happen if the church were taken out of the world?

What happens when God takes His Spirit out of the world?

John 16:8 ESV

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

2 Thessalonians 2:8 ESV

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.

When we dive into this section about the coming of the Lawless one we must remember that when Jesus returns he will destroy with the words of His Mouth. It won’t be a hard fought war for Him....It will simply be victory.

2 Thessalonians 2:9–12 ESV

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 empowered by God. The lawless one is empowered by Satan.

both demonstrate power thought sings and wonders.

These people he deceives are also people who have actively refused to love the truth.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Holman New Testament Commentary: I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon 5. The Work of Antichrist (2:9–12)

Truth and wickedness are mutually exclusive. You follow either one or the other. There is no neutrality in issues of life and morality, righteousness and wickedness. Rejecting truth will always pull a person to evil. The further a person allows himself to continue in sin, the more deeply entrenched he becomes, and the more hardened his heart and conscience. But at each point, every person chooses, making God’s judgment fair and just.

2 Thessalonians 2:13–15 ESV

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Paul pivots

they are loved by God.

God chose them

Ephesians 1:4 ESV

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

We have been chosen before the creation of the world but the moment we are called comes through the Gospel.

We need to be those with a perspective greater than right now.

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 ESV

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.