Apostasy and the Lord’s Coming Paul's Epistles - 2 Thessalonians - Part 3

Apostasy and the Lord’s Coming

Paul's Epistles - 2 Thessalonians - Part 3

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

INTRODUCTION

Thessalonica was the second city in Europe where Paul established an organized Christian community.

Paul sent his first letter (epistle) to the church after Timothy returned with good report of the community. His letter filled with praise to God for them, as well as instruction to continue to do good, and be mindful of teachers, and preachers. He instructed them to hold dearly to the teachings of Christ, and not to allow false teachings or beliefs to pollute the Truth, or they may have troubles as some of the other churches were experiencing because of influence by the circumcised, the Gnostics, and other Pagan and false beliefs that had snuck into the churches ranks.

Not long after sending his first letter, Paul felt it necessary to write to them again. This is 2 Thessalonians. The reason for this letter was because Paul had received reports that a forged letter, and a false verbal message had been spread around, supposedly coming from Paul himself.

These false teachings in Paul’s name made mention of imaginary revelations of the Spirit given through some member or members of the Thessalonian Church. The members believed they were passing through a great tribulation because of this, and were greatly distressed.

Mislead into thinking the Great Day of the Lord had come. Paul wrote this letter to set their minds at ease. Paul declares in this epistle that certain events MUST take place before “The Day of the Lord”.

A)   A great falling away from the faith.

B)    The coming of Christ for His people (Rapture)

C)   The coming into public view of the “Man of Sin”

D)  And his open and awful campaign against the Lord

E)    Then the coming of the Lord (Second Coming) with His people in terrible judgment

2 Thessalonians is really broken into four major themes.

1)     Persecution and the Lord’s Coming

a.      A comfort to the persecuted (2 Thessalonians 1:1-7)

2)     The unrepentant  and the Lord’s Coming

a.      A terror to the unconverted (2 Thessalonians 1:7-12)

3)     The Apostasy and the Lord’s Coming

a.      For His people leads to the revealing of the Man of Sin

b.      With His people means the destruction of the Man of Sin (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

4)     Service and the Lord’s Coming

a.      The delay of the Lord’s Coming for;

                                                              i.      Unique opportunities for service (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17; 3)

Last week we looked at Paul’s comfort to the persecuted, today we will look at the unrepentant and the Lord’s coming.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹² and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

The revealing of the man of sin

    I.      CONCERNING THE RAPTURE

a. Do not be alarmed or concerned with;

                                                                                  i. Prophecy (which is false)

                                                                               ii. Word of mouth (lies)

                                                                            iii. Or letters (which had been forged)

                                                                              iv. These things oppose Paul’s teachings of Christ

                                                                                 v. The false prophecies, teachings and letters stated the Day of the Lord had already come, which is a lie

b. Do not let anyone deceive you in any way

                                                                                  i. That day will not come until the rebellion occurs

                                                                               ii. And the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed

                                                                            iii. The man who is doomed to destruction

                                                                              iv. Remember Paul wrote them the order of events leading up to the Day of the Lord

1. A great falling away from the faith.

2. The coming of Christ for His people (Rapture)

3. The coming into public view of the “Man of Sin”

4. And his open and awful campaign against the Lord

5. Then the coming of the Lord (Second Coming) with His people in terrible judgment

c. He (the man of sin, or antichrist) will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is God or is worshipped

                                                                                  i. Everything…

1. The Word of God being the Truth

2. There being only 1 God

3. Jesus is the ONLY way to Salvation

4. Over churches

5. Over religious freedom

6. Over followers of Christ

7. Over teachers of the Word

8. Over Ministries and missionaries

9. Over Jesus being God

10. Over the Holy Spirit being God

11. Over God being God

                                                                               ii. So that he (the man of sin) sets himself up in God’s temple

1. Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you have fallen from heaven,
    morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!
¹³ You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
    on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.”
¹⁵ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
    to the depths of the pit.”

                                                                            iii. Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites

1. The descendants of Canaan. Their first habitation was in the land of Canaan, and by trade and war acquired great riches, and sent out colonies all over the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean. When the measure of their idolatries and abominations was completed, God delivered their country into the hands of the Israelites, who conquered it under Joshua.

                                                                              iv. Satan has, and will continue to try and set up an antichrist, first as the ruler of the world, over sinful people who follow his ways and teachings of sin, he believes he can then work his way up to a throne higher than God Himself, and proclaim to all that he IS God.

II.      DON’T YOU REMEMBER MY TEACHINGS?

a. Paul states in his letter, “Don’t you remember me telling you these things when I was with you?”

                                                                                  i. It is important that we listen to sound doctrine

                                                                               ii. Read the word of God

                                                                            iii. Pray the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrances the Truth of God’s Word

                                                                              iv. Sometimes we have heard or read the Truth, but have trouble remembering it.

                                                                                 v. This is why study is important.

b. Paul says, “You know what is holding the man of sin back so he will only be revealed at the proper time.

                                                                                  i. When is the proper time?

1. Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 “about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

c. The secret power of sin is already at work

                                                                                  i. We see sin actively at work in the world

                                                                               ii. We have seen many attempts of Satan to rise up an antichrist

                                                                            iii. 1 John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.”

1. The Pope

2. Nero Caesar

3. Hitler

4. Stalin

5. Rasputin

III.      AND THEN THE LAWLESS ONE (SINFUL ONE) WILL BE REVEALED

a. Whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow;

                                                                                  i. With the breath of His mouth

1. God speaks, and the Universes listens

2. Everything was spoke into existence

3. All that exists must obey the Word of God

4. Romans 14:11 “It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'"

b. And destroy him by the Splendor of His Coming!

                                                                                  i. At the second coming, the Lord God will be in His Glory, and His wrath fully poured out.

c. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works

                                                                                  i. He will use displays of power through signs and wonders that serve a lie and all his ways (SIN)

                                                                               ii. Wickedness that deceives those who are perishing

1. Wickedness (sin)

2. Deceives the Lost (unsaved)

CONCLUSION – they (the lost) perish because they refused to love the truth and be saved.

For this reason (the Lost refusing to love the Truth and be saved) God sends a powerful delusion (the powers of antichrist) so that they (those who refused to love the Truth and be saved) will believe the lie.

And so that all (those who refuse to love the Truth and be saved) will be condemned who have not believed the Truth, BUT HAVE DELIGHTED IN SIN.

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