2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 / The Coming of the Lord

2 Thessalonians 2:1–4 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. 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.

The Coming of the Lord (2 Thess. 2:1)

2 Thessalonians 2:1 ESV

1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,

Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

Our being gathered together to Him.

Following is squarely about End Times (eschatology)

Wrote about it in their first letter (spoke in person)

Now writing about it again.

Dead will rise 1st at the coming of the Lord (1st letter)

Then reported that “Maybe the Lord already came.”

Know Your Bible (2 Thess 2:2)

2 Thessalonians 2:2 ESV

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.

Do not be swayed by supposed prophecies

Do not be fooled by false teaching

Some Prerequisites (2 Thess 2:3)

2 Thessalonians 2:3 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,

The rebellion

The man of Lawlessness revealed

The Man of Lawlessness Described (2 Thess 2:4-12)

He will set himself up as god.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV

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.

He is now restrained.

2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 ESV

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.

Restrained until the right time

But the evidence is already among us.

Without Christ you truly have no chance.

2 Thessalonians 2:9–10 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.

2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 ESV

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.

No one will be “smart enough to figure it out”

God will reveal it to you, or you will not know.