So, we are investigating a passage of scripture in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. We are just a few verses in and already there are a lot of thoughts swirling. My prayer for you is that God will bring peace regarding very controversial passages of the Bible. God wants you to be at peace – certainly not angst when it comes to His word.
 
The Word is meant to produce rest when we come into agreement with it.
 
So, we are talking about the end of days. Let me refresh your memory as to the passage we are digging into.
 
2 Thessalonians 2:3 (ESV): 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 end of the last days will occur in conjunction with a noteworthy departure from established church norms. The church is going to attempt to be the church in rebellion to what Jesus established.
 
You might be thinking that the rebellion doesn’t refer to the church – but it does. Here is why, the lost are already in rebellion to God.
 
Colossians 1:21-22 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…
 
1 Timothy 1:3 …though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.
 
The hostility is toward God, you were once enemies of God because of the rebellious nature of sin in you. Paul is not saying that sometime in the future the lost are going to be lost…they already are. Paul is saying that those who are not normally rebellious, will become so.
 
This will not be a pocket of people, like in one church or one city. Nor will this involve all churches. This rebellion will be a major move across the world where churches adopt a lie and call it truth contrary to what the Bible teaches and still call themselves the church.
 
Don’t be surprised by this, because this has been happening ever since the beginning of the church on earth. Here is how you can tell the difference between the normal lawlessness of the world and end times lawlessness. The whole world is going to adopt this view. There will be global pressure to submit to what the world says is truth.
 
Not all churches are going to fall into this deception. No one knows how many will. But it will be a global phenomena, because it is closely linked to another global phenomena, that is, the revealing of the Antichrist. Can you think of any corrupt teaching that may be in the world that is infiltrating churches all across the globe? I can.
 
Normally, lawlessness that desires to rewrite scripture is in national or regional pockets (isn’t global) and is eventually overrun by biblical truth. In the end there will be a form of lawlessness that will be adopted by many churches and it will be global. We are there. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what that might be.
 
The Antichrist is not a person who is against Christ as much as he is a man who desires to take the place of Christ. The church is going to flock to this man. The reason they will is because most Christians today do not know the Bible they believe.
 
If they did, they would understand how Jesus returns to the earth. Jesus returns in a way that a man cannot manufacture or recreate to deceive others. But because man doesn’t know the Bible like he should, this event will be a part of the rebellion, not the beginning of it, though.
 
Many thousands of churches are on the right course and will not be deceived. However, there are tens of thousands of churches that are already playing right into rebellion. They have already adopted worldly philosophies and are attempting to rewrite nature itself. Many churches are standing in agreement with the rebellion Paul speaks of.
 
2 Thessalonians 2:3-5 …the son of destruction, 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.  Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
 
The temple in Jerusalem is all but complete. Soon it will be brought back to life. The central object in the old temple was the Arc of the Covenant. The place where the mercy seat was. The mercy seat is where the presence of God was. So much investigation has gone into where it is. Some believe the ark of the covenant is hidden away in a secret store house in Israel, ready for the day the temple opens.
 
Do not worry though – you are in the right religion if you trust Jesus for the forgiveness of your sin and you have repented of your sin. Where the world is headed is another big sham, totally snookered by the devil yet again. We will dig into this a bit more later on. Its important to understand so that you can properly prepare for the soon return of Jesus our Lord.
 
Father, thank You that You have given us Your Word, the Bible. Please convict our hearts to read and know Your Word so that we and others who look to us will not be deceived and led astray. Thank You Jesus for making truth available to us through Your broken body and shed blood.
 
Blessings,
Pastor D