2 THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 2
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2The 2,1-12
(49k)
Judgment >> Judgment day >> God judges the world >>
The great tribulation – It is not the tribulation of the world, but the tribulation of the
saints. Jesus said in Jn 16-33, “In the world you have
tribulation…” suggesting that God does not acknowledge the unbelievers'
tribulation, for they are the cause of most of it in the world. A literal manifestation of
spiritual darkness
in the man of lawlessness will seize the world, and the Church will witness it firsthand. The fact that
the man of lawlessness is "a son" means he
has a father; he is the son of Satan, perhaps literally conceived by him. There is an account of demons having sex with
women in the Old Testament. Children born to women conceived by demons are
called the Nephilim (Gen 6-4; Num 13-33). In Revelation Satan is depicted as
the dragon.
(109a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Spirit reveals
the Father
(181e) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Lawlessness >>
Lawlessness is no excuse for sin >> Lawlessness
does not cancel the power of sin
(186g) Works of the devil
>>
The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >>
Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> After
they reject God’s faith how can they believe?
2The 2,1-8
(53j)
Paradox >> Opposites >>
Contradicting your own standards >> Believing in
something you don’t understand –
The initial concern raised by the Thessalonians is that they had missed the day of the Lord; they were not afraid of missing
God's judgment but His appearing (see: verse 2 and 1Tim 6-14). Scripture
contradicts Pre-tribulation Rapture advocates when it says in verse 7, "he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way." They claim the apostasy must come first and that the Rapture must
also come first. What they don't understand is that they are right; they happen
at the same time. Pre-tribulation Rapture advocates say that the cause of the antichrist
(apostasy) coming to power is that the Holy Spirit is taken from the world at the
Rapture, but this requires the Rapture to precede the apostasy,
whereas verse 3 states, "apostasy comes first."
Some try to weasel out of this, defining "apostasy" as the appearing of Satan in
the flesh as the antichrist, instead of the Church falling from the faith, but again
these are one.
More importantly, many attribute “the day of the Lord”
to mean the period of God's fiery judgment instead of the Rapture, but again these
two are inseparable. The Rapture ends the Tribulation of the saints and kicks off the
bowls, the third tier and most severe of God's judgment. The Rapture/First
Resurrection is an aspect of God's judgment on the world, an event from which the world
is excluded. The unbelieving world will partake of the second resurrection, which is reserved
for the damned. There is a distinction between the Rapture
and the judgment of God, though the world experiences them as the same. See also: Who is "he"; 2The 2,1-3;
191d
2The 2,1-4
(20ca)
Sin >>
Nature of sin >>
Unbelief >> Having a mind that is unable to
receive >> Unbelief cannot distinguish light from darkness
(160b) Works of the devil
>>
Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit spirit – Paul
warned them not to be disturbed either by
a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us. Paul was very much aware
that there were deceiving spirits at work in the world, but how much do we
believe this in our secular society today? These deceiving spirits, if we are not vigilant, guarantee that we are
waist deep in spiritual deception. “Let no one in any way deceive you”
regarding the Day of the Lord, as though the Rapture had already occurred.
“For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first,” meaning the
Rapture will occur after the apostasy. This man of lawlessness
will oppose and exalt “himself above every so-called god or object of
worship,” including Jesus Christ. The best way for
the antichrist to oppose Christ is to counterfeit Him, and the best way to
do that is to display
himself as god. Most think the Jewish temple must be rebuilt in order for
the antichrist to fulfill this passage, but not so fast; he enters the
temple (let the reader understand, Mat 24-15), but what temple? It could be
the Muslim Mosque, since it is already built on the Temple Mount in Israel.
(162a) Works of the devil
>> Satan
determines the world's direction >> Carried away by the storms of the
devil -- These verses go with verses 9-12. The world is like the sea that is being
constantly battered by the wind, but in the last days the world will become
even more disturbed than ever, so that Satan
materializes in human flesh.
(182e) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >>
Because they have no regard for God’s word –
Verse
1 says, “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him....” This is clearly
referring to the Rapture. Paul assured the
saints not to worry about missing the day of the Lord because it will not
come until the apostasy comes first, which is inextricably linked to the Rapture.
Some interpret antichrist
to mean “apostasy,” but in fact they are two separate things, though
related, in that the antichrist causes
apostasy, defined as the falling away from the faith. His very presence makes it impossible to believe in Jesus; like the mythical Greek goddess
Medusa, the only solution is to run and hide in the
wilderness. The son of destruction is a deep, dark void, like a black hole,
sucking the life from everything that makes eye-contact with him, and then
discards them. When
antichrist comes and makes his presence known, the world will not understand
why it ever tolerated Christians convicting them of sin, and many martyrs
will result. We know from the book of Joel and other places in the Bible
that the
day of the Lord is a time of great darkness,
billows of smoke, the moon turning blood red and the sun not giving its
light, and the stars appearing to fall from the sky, all depicting the sign of the
son of man. Paul said not to worry, we haven’t missed the second coming of
Christ, the day of the Lord, for He is coming on a day of simultaneous
darkness and hope, at the last Trumpet, on a day prior to releasing the bowls of God’s
judgment on the world. Paul is saying that Jesus will not come for His
people until the antichrist is revealed. Since it is defined as the Tribulation
of the saints, the Rapture will end the tribulation no matter when it
happens. The sky filling with smoke and the
moon turning blood red will occur during the Trumpet judgments with the
Rapture, at the last of seven trumpets (1Cor 15-51,52).
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2The 2,1-3
(98b) Thy kingdom come >>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >>
Plant the word deeply in your heart -- These verses go with verse 15.
People were afraid that the Rapture had
already come, that they had been left behind. All kinds of different ideas
and theories were being proposed even back then, and Paul was constantly
putting out fires that false prophets had started. This happens in our day
far more than it happened in his day, partly because there has been far
more time for new ideas to be generated and dispersed, but
mostly because we don’t have watchdogs like Paul guarding the truth. Over the past 2000 years
heresies have spread throughout the Church, so even when we tell
people the truth it doesn’t help, because these false doctrines have become entrenched
and cemented in their minds. Entire cults have formed as a
result of a lackadaisical pursuit of the truth. Anyone found in a cult or caught believing
false doctrine can find their way out of it just by reading the Bible with
an open mind, but very few find their way out of them, not
because it’s so hard to do, but because their lackadaisical pursuit of the
truth is what led them to a cult in the first place. It also keeps them from seeking freedom, and their pride keeps them
from admitting they were wrong.
(191d)
Die to self (Process of substitution) >>
Separation from the old man >> Extract the
leaven of false doctrine – It’s too bad Paul wasn’t clearer about
who was restraining the antichrist from manifesting, because the Church today
thinks it knows, but their assumption is wrong
in principle. The current and most popular consensus is that the Holy Spirit is
restraining the antichrist from manifesting, so when He is taken out
of the way, then antichrist will come to power. There are a number of problems with this
idea. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine states that when
God takes His people from the earth, He will take up His Holy Spirit too,
and so leave those behind who suddenly realize they made the biggest mistake
of their lives and seek repentance, but find themselves stranded in the dark, all alone
without God in the world, at a time when they
need Him the most, when revival supposedly occurs. However, this diametrically opposes the fact that God will never leave us nor
forsake us (Heb 13-5,6). The sad reason Pre-Tribulation Rapture
believers consider this a viable interpretation is that they themselves have
nothing to do with the Holy Spirit and so assume tribulation
saints won’t miss Him. Who ever heard of a revival without the Holy Spirit? This interpretation is what most
Christians believe today, and it is fatally flawed, but it is the only
interpretation they will accept. (As a side note: the words “he” and
“him” were not capitalized in verses 6 and 7, suggesting it is not the Holy Spirit restraining the antichrist, though admittedly
this is not strong support.) The pre-tribulation Rapture crowd knows there is
something intrinsically wrong with their doctrine, so they say the Holy Spirit
will return to the world after He escorts the saints to heaven, but this is
just psychobabble. See also: Who is "he"; 2The 2,3-12; 166j
(236l) Kingdom of God >>
Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >>
The Rapture >> The day of the Lord
– This “gathering together” and
this “Day
of the Lord” is referring to the same day, referring to both the Rapture and the terrible
Trumpet judgments.
Remember, the initial concern of the Thessalonians was that
they had missed the Day of the Lord. There will be a single Day in
which God will gather His elect according to
Scripture. However, the Church must first fall away from the faith before this day comes. Does that sound paradoxical? It
should! How can people be Raptured who have fallen-away from
their faith? He has no intension of rescuing the faithless, but is coming for those who are faithful in
Christ. Therefore, we say that the Church in the last days has polarized
between the faithful and the faithless with nothing in-between. Falling from the faith is actually a sign
of the last days, so who will qualify for the
Rapture when He comes for His people? God will raise up a whole new people who will worship Him in Spirit and
truth and Rapture them instead of those who call themselves by the name of God
and refuse to serve Him. Eph 5-27 says that God is coming for a
“church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but
that she should be holy and blameless.” That does not describe the Church today, a people who have fallen
away from
the faith.
(250hh)
Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> Believe the first message; all
subsequent messages are meant to dissuade you
2The 2-1
(60c) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> The second coming / End
time revival -- This verse goes with verse 8
(131ja) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Many members but one body >> Many people but one wife of the Lamb
(245e) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestation
of Jesus Christ >> Manifestation of Jesus’
second coming
2The 2-2
(24c) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anxiety >>
Fear of losing spiritual territory
(99a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >>
Enduring the word of God
>> Endure obeying the word of God
-- This verse goes with verse
15
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2The 2,3-12
(16aa) Sin
>> The sin nature is instinctively evil >>
Man’s flesh is related to the devil >> Unregenerate man is the son
of Satan
–
Rev 9-11 says that the
lid on the abyss will be removed, letting out horrible stinging creatures that make men want
to die from the pain they inflict. These creatures have no more dignity than the antichrist, for they both have joy only in malice
and destruction. Does this mean Satan actually had
relations with a woman in order to produce the antichrist? The Bible often
speaks of Satan
counterfeiting Christ. For example, in the Old Testament there is a
people called the Nephilim in Gen 6-4 and Num 13-33, translated as "mighty
men" or "men of renown." The problem with the idea of Satan requiring a man
that has his genes is that there will be many antichrists. Satan is able to
possess and use anybody who will obey him, so he doesn’t need a man
with his genes in order to accomplish his work; consequently, the answer is both
yes and no. No, Satan does not have anyone personally prepared to
receive him, for many will receive him, but yes, demons apparently have had
sex with women and brought forth the ancient Nephilim that were present in
the days of Noah, meaning that our
flesh is literally related to the devil. In other words, "angels", whom God created before Adam,
is just another word for man, suggesting that God will probably create another form of man after
us.
(65h) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Satan unites the world for the
cause of deception
– The devil deceives mankind in ways the natural mind can never untangle.
(166j)
Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the
devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>>
The carnal mind cannot discern between good and evil >>
The carnal mind agrees with the devil – God was glorified when Jesus
exorcised the
demons, for it exposed them as the spiritual enemy of man, and it demonstrated that Jesus was Lord
over them. The last thing the devil wants is for his spiritual
conspiracy against humanity to be exposed, for if demons exist, then so does
God, and the devil is far more comfortable with us having a secular mindset, the worldview of
materialism that nothing exist beyond what
we can detect with our five senses. The devil would deny there is a spirit
world, though he himself is a spirit. By this, he can make evolution
seem tenable as an explanation for life and the universe, and thus make
believe there is no God seem plausible, but if he takes on human
flesh and is exposed, then his humanistic, secular and atheistic façade disintegrates. Jesus taught
that demons long to inhabit people because they miss having a body, but they
are far less influential and far more vulnerable to exposure in that state.
Therein lies Satan's conundrum, 'should I or shouldn’t I possess
the antichrist?' Had he not possessed him, this whole storm may have just
blown over, but he did and thus perpetuated the fulfillment of endtime
prophecy, which will end in him being thrown into the Lake of Fire. See also: Who is "he"; 2The 2,3-10;
164f
(185g) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Mystery of
lawlessness >> God helps Satan in the mystery
of lawlessness –
Jesus said that the Church is the salt of the earth (Mat 5-13), and Paul
used the word "apostasy", referring to the salt becoming tasteless.
There is no mistake that
lawlessness will precede the Antichrist, suggesting that lawlessness will originate
within the Church, not referring to criminal activity but to rebellion
against God, and it will quickly spread to the world, which will turn their
rebellion into criminal activity. Once the Church has made
its choice to reject God's purpose in the apostasy, God will send a spirit of unbelief to
the Church, barring them from the truth. The
mystery of godliness is greater than the mystery of lawlessness in as much
as God is greater than Satan. Satan is greater than us in might and power,
but he is not greater than God, who lives and dwells in His true saints.
Question: how long did Lucifer possess his God-given inheritance, consisting of the entire universe
(evidenced by the curse), before he fell into sin? The answer to that must
reflect Adam and Eve's experience, who fell into sin before Eve conceived
her first child,
suggesting that she was more curious about sin than she was about sex. After
God made Eve, she apparently heard a voice that promised her authority that
she did not receive from God. She must have said to
Adam, “I’ll be right back, and when she returned, she was not the same
person.” Satan carried her away to the edge of the garden and seduced her to eat from the
Tree of
the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This happened almost immediately, so Lucifer
too must have fallen almost immediately, being one of the characteristics of
the Mystery of Lawlessness. It was Satan’s main goal to immediately
seduce man, so they would not become known as better than him. This means
that unregenerate
man and demon are the same in many ways. God gave Lucifer the entire
universe as a gift, saying, “Do with it as you wish, only do not touch My
throne, for in the day that you touch it you will surely die.” The throne
was the only thing Lucifer wanted after that; he pursued it and immediately
fell into transgression. He wanted what he couldn’t have. Paul eluded to
this in Rom 7-8, “But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment,
produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is
dead.” If the mystery of lawlessness explains all these things and the
mystery of godliness is infinitely greater, then how deep are the mysteries of
God? See also:
God experienced
Adam's sin; 1Cor 15,20-28; 119i
2The 2,3-10
(145k)
Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >>
Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Demon
possession >> Human state >>
Their behavior >> Being possessed by demons
(164f)
Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the
devil >> The world system >>
Satan’s system of authority >> He is the
prince of the power of the air –
Who is “he” that is
taken out of the way? There is reason to believe “he” is, “the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, who
deceives the whole world” (Rev 12-9). Why would Satan restrain himself? Consider this, the
antichrist is a Satan-possessed man, who would lead the world
to destruction. Taking the devil’s perspective, the problem
with demon possession is that it greatly limits his ability to control the
world, in contrast to operating as a spirit from the vantage point of
the first heaven, analogous to the atmosphere surrounding the earth, referring
to social affluence. He prefers to remain anonymous in the background pulling strings.
In other words, possessing a human body leaves him vulnerable to
exposure. See also: Who is "he"; 2The 2,6-10; 46h
(196b) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >>
Worshipping the devil
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2The 2-3,4
(26ba)
Sin >> Consequences of sin >>
Death is hell >> Rejecting Christ has the sentence of hell
(190f)
Die to self (Process of substitution) >>
Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >>
Undressing >> Dismantling the outer tabernacle – God Himself had the Jewish old covenant
tabernacle destroyed; therefore, why would he lift a finger to see it rebuilt? Mat
24-15 says, “(let the reader understand).” This phrase is found in
Jesus’ description of the antichrist entering the temple, the only
time the Bible uses it. In parentheses, not in red letters,
it wasn’t something Jesus said, but was inserted by Matthew, the writer of
the gospel. What was he saying here? Apparently, he didn’t know,
otherwise he would have been more specific, but he knew enough to give us a
heads-up that the idea of antichrist entering a Jewish temple and displaying
himself as God had a hole in it. There is already a temple built on Mount
Moriah. Authorities on
the subject say the Jewish temple must be
rebuilt for the antichrist to display himself as god to fulfill Bible prophecy, but
wait; the antichrist could easily enter the Muslim Mosque to fulfill this prophecy. It is very
possible that the antichrist may enter the Islamic Dome of the Rock instead of
a future Jewish temple. This scenario is actually
more tenable than the traditional idea of a Jewish tabernacle for one good
reason; the act of entering the Islamic temple would be perceived by the Jewish
people as the height of betrayal, which the
Bible says will happen. What greater blasphemy could there be than
a supposed Jewish “Messiah” designating an Islamic temple as a place of
worship? Jesus never
said the man of destruction would enter a Jewish made temple; He just said he
would enter the temple. The Dome on the Rock is a temple of worship made for a
god, so it satisfies the requirements of "standing in the holy
place (let the reader understand)." If the antichrist were to enter the Islamic temple, it would not
in any way violate Scripture. Everyone keeps thinking that the Jewish temple
must be rebuilt. In fact, the antichrist does make a covenant with Israel to
rebuild Jerusalem and its temple, but later reneges on his word (Dan 9,25-27). It is unlikely that the Dome
on the Rock will be
destroyed, and it is even less likely that Israel will be allowed to rebuild
their temple right next to theirs. Huge tensions already surround Israel from
their Islamic neighbors. For Israel to rebuild their temple on the same hill
would likely cause WWIII. See also: Temple in Jerusalem (Temple will not be rebuilt in the
last days);
Heb 8,7-13; 205h
(200m) Denying Christ
>>
Whoever is not with Jesus is against him >> He
is against Christ who does not receive Him >>
Whoever receives the world is against Christ –
What do we see in the world today? There is a lot of resistance to
Christianity with very few people being saved. Much of the reason is that
Christianity has been abused over the centuries, and people have
largely quit believing in God, which is a terrible sadness. Whenever the light
goes out and darkness invades, destruction follows, and that is exactly what
is happening in our world today.
(204d) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Back-slider >> Practicing sin >>
The apostasy – The word “Apostasy” refers to both the appearing of
antichrist and to the Church's falling away from the faith. It is the Church’s unbelief in the last days that gave opportunity
for Satan to reveal himself in the first place. It is highly likely that the Church will be here when the antichrist comes to
power, for why would Jesus deliver a people whom He charged with keeping the
antichrist from coming to power and failed? Pre-trib advocates seem to think the
tribulation will start at the onset of the antichrist coming to power, but the tribulation formally begins at the seals of
Satan’s wrath, and this does not immediately necessitate his appearing. If the Church
is in a state of apostasy, then why should we respect what they think
about endtime prophecy? Clearly, they are not getting their ideas from the
Holy Spirit, or they wouldn't be apostate. For the record, the
apostasy does not refer to the world falling away from the faith but the Church falling away from
the faith. In other words, the Church is responsible for the
world losing its grip on its sanity.
Jesus said in Matt 5-13, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt
loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?" Most Christians are vacant of
Spirit; try to talk to them about Jesus and from most of them all we will get is blank
stares.
(245k) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestation of the
devil >> Manifestation of sin -- These
verses go with verses 8-10.
2The 2-3
(207a) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal
security? >> Perish By Losing Your Faith >>
The apostasy
(walking out the same door you came in) –
There can be bad marriages when two people don’t get along,
which often ends in divorce. If people’s marriages end in divorce, it is a
sign they won’t get along with Christ either, because the relationship
through faith is very similar. In fact, marriage is a symbolic to the
relationship between Christ and the Church. To be unhappy in a marriage yet still be together and trying to get
along is a hard life, but at least they are not divorced. This is the kind of
relationship that many people have with Christ; they are not really happy as
Christians; Christ is not doing for them what they wanted; they wanted peace
of mind, but afterward they realized there were other things more important to
them, like the world. Whatever most influences people wins their hearts, and
for this reason they often divorce their spouses. Similarly, many people get
saved and realize it is not their cup of tea, and so they divorce the Lord.
Some say this is not possible, yet they also say that God never infringes on
our will, so if we want to leave our salvation and God won’t let us, isn’t
that infringing on our will? If we back out of our marriage and then later
change our minds, we can remarry our spouses, but if we back out of our
salvation, we can never return to Christ. See also: Marriage
Supper of the Lamb;
Heb 10,19-26; 229j
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2The 2-5
(239a) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachers "remind" their students >>
Recalling the word of God –
Paul reminded the Thessalonians that while he was with them he told them
these things. This verse tells us to read the Bible and then read it again. We
never stop reading the Bible, because we easily forget, and even if we don’t forget certain passages,
it is good to refresh our memory. The word of God needs to frequently return to the
forefront of our mind, for if we
are not meditating on the Scriptures, then we are invariably meditating on
something that contradicts the Scriptures. We slip and look to see how far we
have fallen; we wonder what was our secret when our faith was strong. Obedience
produces faith, just like
disobedience produces unbelief. That is how it works; this is how people's faith becomes
weak and the reason they fall away from the faith,
because of disobedience. Christ gave us His life; now it is our turn to give
Him our lives. Our life in the flesh will
last seventy or eighty years, and then we will exchange it for eternal life,
but some people find it hard to believe, because the world does not emulate
God’s values. He wants to see if we will believe in Him in the face of
opposition, and the way to do that is to remind ourselves what the Bible says
by reading it and re-reading it, dedicating our mind and body to the truth.
2The 2,6-15
(119g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Debt free
2The 2,6-12
(40b) Judgment
>>
Jesus is the judge >> Jesus judges the world’s
disobedience
(66l)
Authority >> Lordship of Christ
>>
Jesus’ authority >> The authority of His
second coming
2The 2,6-10
(46h)
Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >>
Satan falls from heaven – Does Satan really want to become
the antichrist? Not really; he would love to be
worshipped in human flesh, but strategically it will not be to his advantage,
so why does he possess the antichrist? He has no choice, for he will be
kicked out of heaven, referring to social affluence. Rev 12,1-13 describes a fight that occurs in heaven,
analogous to the original fight that occurred in heaven at Lucifer's rebellion
when he sought God's throne. Rev 12,7-9 says, “And there was war in
heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his
angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in
heaven. The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil,
or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his
angels with him.” Paul said that “he” was taken out of the way, spiritually removed. It is not a coincidence that this original war that
occurred in heaven so many eons ago was finally annotated in the book of
Revelation. It highly suggests the war that turned Lucifer into Satan must have significance to endtime
prophecy, in that it will happen again in the last days, only instead of
being thrown out of God's heaven, he will be thrown out of man's heaven, the atmosphere
surrounding the earth, an analogy for social consciousness. The prince of the
power of the air will again fall from heaven and consequently possess the man of
lawlessness, having been spiritually defeated. He will attempt to
destroy the world in a vulnerable position as ruler of the world encased in
human flesh. His world got a lot smaller, and achieving success became a lot harder, and for that reason he will
fail. In other words, the devil’s plot to destroy the world just became
impossible. His perfect rage against God, His absolute hatred for Christians and
his utter contempt for mankind will manifest in the antichrist, and he will establish a system of martyring the
saints on a global scale and will execute millions throughout the period of the
Seals before God puts an end to it. God will raise up
His two witnesses and they will restore the Church through the 144,000, and part
of that restoration will involve exposing the devil. At the same time, the
prayers of the saints will defeat him, meaning the Church is still here. For the
first time since Jesus shed His blood and rose from the dead and gave power and
authority to the Church we will focus our efforts on Satan and defeat him. Satan will become desperate; he will
need to step up his program and start making things happen, according to the adage,
“If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” Mankind
won’t have the heart to do what Satan has in mind for the world. See also: Who is "he"; 2The 2,1-8;
53j
2The 2,6-8
(112j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Light >> Being in the presence of truth
(214c) Sovereignty
>>
God controls time >> God’s timing >>
God’s timing transcends our comprehension >>
God’s time line gives the wicked just enough rope to hang himself
(237a) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
The Rapture >> Appearance of Christ
2The 2-7
(185a) Mystery Of
Lawlessness (Key verse)
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2The 2,8-13
(86n) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> Love the truth – There are many people in the Church today who don’t even pretend to love
God but merely carry out the formalities of Christianity. If we don't love the truth, it
is proof that we don't know it. If a person joins a church but doesn’t love the truth, he
is not a member of the True Church. In the last days God intends to distinguish between those who
love the truth and imposters. Since the Gotenburg Press has allowed the Bible to become a household item, people have no
excuse for being ignorant of God’s word. If a so-called Christian is too
busy to read his Bible, then he is too busy. People need to work two jobs to
afford living in the suburb with two cars parked in the garage and all the accoutrements
of life that constitutes having it all, but
we don’t need all that stuff. We should downsize to make room for
God and His truth in our heart. All who read this passage
about God sending upon the earth a deluding influence say to themselves,
‘Thank God this doesn’t apply to me,’ but how do we really know that? This applies to
anybody who
does not love the truth. Even knowing it, if they don't love it will be susceptible
to deluding influences, and when he comes (Satan), they will be swept
away with the unbelievers. Our lack of
devotion draws us to the antichrist like a moth to a flame, and there is no resisting
him in that evil day if we are caught off-guard. The person who does not love the truth will fall
prey to Satan's deceptions, Christian or not,
church member or not. To know God is to love Him
and His truth. People think they can know God without even trying, but the Bible teaches
that it takes the whole heart, soul, mind and strength to love
God, and if we don’t commit our lives in search of Him, He will take
our lethargy as rejection.
2The 2,8-12
(48l) Judgment
>>
Jesus’ enemies are destroyed >> Enemies of the
truth – Once Satan inhabits the antichrist, “then
that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of
His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.” This verse
describes Christ shining like the sun
multiplied a thousand times, riding a white horse
with His faithful ones behind Him. At His very appearance they will
fall in the same instant from the intense radiation, hence why Moses on mount Sinai
could not look upon God's face and live. Like an atomic bomb,
the radiant light melts human flesh and bodies fall
in puddles of their own telluric substance, so Armageddon will not be a war at
all, but Jesus will just show up and be Himself. He was clothed in human
flesh the first time, but next time He appears,
their eyes will melt from their sockets, holding sticks and clubs after the
seals, trumpets and the bowls of God fierce wrath has chiseled the world's
population to a few hundred thousand raving maniacs, who think they can
overcome God. He will shine on them for a moment
and they will melt. In the Millennium God will
show mankind that it was always possible to live in peace, but man
never wanted it. Throughout the ages he always preferred war, for their spiritual enemy
and father, the devil, demanded
it of them, and they were always ready to comply with him rather than with
God.
(64a) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Limits of God >>
God cannot tolerate sin >> He cannot allow
unbelief in His presence
(154a) Witness
>>
Validity of the Father >> God bears witness
against the world >> No excuse >>
There is no excuse for rejecting Christ – Those who have an affinity to believe a lie
better have a care, because God might give them reason to believe it. If people
prefer a lie over the truth, then He will allow the devil to spread his deception over their hearts
like an overcast day from horizon to horizon, so the lie becomes virtually impossible to
resist. God will then rightly judge them for believing it, because in their
darkened hearts they would have it no other way. Some would say this is evil of God, but
He is giving them what they want. God can’t win with
unregenerate man, but His children serve Him in spirit and truth. God will step aside and let the devil have his way
with them. He will not interfere; if He did, people would tell Him to get His
nose out their business. Satan is as much interested in destroying mankind as
he is in leading them into judgment with God. That is, he doesn’t just want to make their lives miserable
and destroy their bodies; he also wants to ensure they end up in hell with
him. Just as God uses the devil to judge
mankind, so the devil uses God for the same purpose. The
devil doesn't make people do anything; man sins from his own free
will. For this reason man will not be able to pin their sin on the devil,
because it is not the devil’s sin, but their own.
(159i) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >>
Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit anointing >>
Drunkenness >> Having a party spirit
(180h) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Rebellion >>
Rebelling against God’s narrow way >>
Rebelling against the word of God
(183d) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >>
Witchcraft >> Anointing of error
(199f) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Rejecting Christ >> Throwing God away >>
Rejecting Christ to steal His glory
(217k) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> I never knew you >>
Because you never received anything from Him – We all know that Paul is talking about people
who are not saved who will receive this deluding influence, making it
virtually impossible to believe in God after that. This includes anyone who is not saved, regardless of their church affiliation.
The way things currently stand, the line between the world and the Church is
gray, at least in America. Paul is talking about the last days, when many
changes will take place both in the world and in the Church. For example, in
the last days there will be a tremendous revival, and the truth of God will
become extremely available to anybody who wants to give his heart to
Jesus and be saved. During the days of this Great Endtime Revival, we won’t
have so many unsaved parishioners in the Church as we do now. There is no
real way of knowing how many unsaved people are in the Church, but the
numbers are higher than most people think. In many churches there is only a handful of
true believers. See also: Great Endtime Revival; 2The 2,10-12; 21l
(219i) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >>
Predestined according to the word of God
2The 2,8-10
(177b) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >>
Distorting Scripture to
avoid the truth
(245k) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestations >> Manifestations of the
devil >> Manifestation of sin -- These
verses go with verses 3&4. The
Pharisees upheld the argument that Jesus cast out demons by the captain of the
demons, and performed various miracles through the help of demonic forces. We
know that when antichrist comes, he will perform various so-called miracles
through demonic forces, and so in that sense the Pharisees were calling Jesus
the antichrist. This wasn’t an innocent mistake because of the miracles that
Jesus performed, healing people, feeding them, things that Satan would not
have done if he could, but what made the Pharisees intrinsically wrong was
their lack of discernment of the truth. This gives us an idea of the phony
signs and wonders the antichrist will perform; they will reflect
what Jesus said about him in Jn 10-10, “The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy,” as the only things he can do. He will be
the wealthiest man on earth, not because he worked for his money, but because
he stole it from all the central banks after he collapsed the economy. In
chaos he works his magic, promising to restart the economy using
the Mark of the Beast as the new medium of exchange.
2The 2-8
(40j)
Judgment >> Judgment of Christ
>>
God’s word judges the devil – The antichrist is defeated
in the presence of
God’s word. Jesus will say something and whatever He says will defeat the
devil and His followers, both men and demons.
(60c) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> The second coming / End
time revival -- This verse goes with verse 1
(105f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart >> Lacking a pure heart
(150h) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word of the
Spirit >>
Speaking the words that God speaks
(255d) Trinity
>>
Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >>
God’s word is Spirit >> Jesus is the word of
the Spirit >> Jesus is the authority of God’s
word
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2The 2,9-12
(19a) Sin
>>
Twisted thinking >> Evil is good >>
Loving darkness
– There are a number of passages in the Old and
New Testaments that speak dire warnings against anyone who would not seek God
with his whole heart, prophesying that in the last days people will fall away
from the faith, and they won’t even know they have fallen. To not know suggests
that their faith wasn't very strong in the first
place. In this chapter and context apostasy is prophesied, defined as “falling away
from the faith.” How could this be in reference to the world if the world never believed in
God in the first place? Make
no mistake, this apostasy is in reference to the Church. Paul is talking
about the Church falling away from the faith even on a doctrinal basis. People
will slowly drift from the teachings of the original apostles over many
centuries and generations; the deceptions of Satan will creep in
step-by-step, doctrine-by-doctrine, sometimes word-by-word, and slowly move
away from the truth, which is still glaring at them in the pages of their Bible, yet they
can’t see it anymore, because Satan has beguiled them. God will test the
faith of men in the last days to see if their doctrines hold up to scrutiny,
and the beguilements of the devil will expose their weakness of theology and
heart in the great falling away of the saints.
(162a) Works of the devil
>> Satan
determines the world's direction >>
Carried away by the storms of the devil -- These verses go with verses
1-4
(219h) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> The elect >>
God chooses us as we choose ourselves >> God
chooses us through our faithfulness – The world has never believed in God, and it
never will, and so He selects certain
individuals from the world to be his true worshippers, and the rest are
hardened. Anyone can know the truth, but they must seek it with all their
hearts, harder than they seek anything else, including a career. Salvation was promised to the
poor (Jm 2,5-7). The rich don’t have time to read
the Bible, but the poor have time to devote themselves to the love of the truth.
It was the result of God's election that they made a commitment to the truth
in the first place; therefore, it was his election status that made him a child of God
and not the sacrifices he made to know the truth, one depicting God’s point of view and the other depicting
man’s.
(230g) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >>
Partaking >> Partaking of God’s judgment
2The 2-9,10
(97i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attention >> Giving attention to the wrong
things
2The 2,10-12
(21l) Sin
>>
Premeditated sin >> Making no provisions for the
flesh –
There are many unbelievers who go to church nowadays, and most of them think they believe, but when pressure is applied, they will fold
like a house of cards, and God will judge them along with the world. He will
send upon them a deluding influence with all the deception of wickedness,
“because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved,”
meaning that they may believe the truth, but they don't love the truth, and
Paul is saying that to merely believe the truth will not cut it in the last
days. Salvation was offered to them, but they rejected it in favor of
deception. God will make His truth known just before He comes through a Great
Endtime Revival led by the Jews, and those who reject this revival will fall to
Satan's deluding influence. Just as
Jesus said in Jn 3-19, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into
the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds
were evil.” God will send the light into the world to give all mankind the
opportunity to decide for themselves whom they will serve, whether it be light
or darkness. Didn’t Jesus say that He would test those who dwell on the
earth (Rev 3-10)? Signs, wonders and miracles will accompany the gospel disseminated by the Two Witnesses, who manage the 144,000, who preach
Jesus to the whole world, proving their message of salvation is from God. Heaven and hell are coming to this planet, and mankind
will be caught in the balance.
See also: Great Endtime Revival; 2The 2,8-12;
217k
/ Harvest
at the end of the
age;
1Pet 3-19,20; 151h
2The 2-10
(22g)
Sin
>>
Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly mind
(47e) Judgment
>> God Judges the world
>>
Hell is a place of the dead
(127i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Rewards for doing good >> Doing good teaches you
about the truth
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2The 2-11,12
(21a) Sin
>>
Disobedience >> Demonstrating unbelief in the
character of God – The statement, “In order that they all may
be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness,”
conjures up ideas of people committing atrocious sins, but Jesus said that sin
is simply unbelief (Jn 16-9)? It is through this one sin that all others sins
are committed. Falling away from the faith is the most atrocious sin of all, and only a
Christian can commit it, indicating that a believer's sins are worse than an
unbeliever.
(40n) Judgment
>>
God is glorified >> God defends His truth
through judgment
(62l) Righteous Deception (Key verse)
(62o) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Righteous deception >>
God deceives the world
(64l) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> God helps Satan >>
Jesus blinds the world
(110k) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit of revelation >>
Effect of the spirit on the word
(217d) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> God gives up on you >>
When you give yourself over to sin
2The 2,13-17
(30j) Gift of God
>>
He favors you by His gracious choice of you
(125a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of
faith >> Love is the response of receiving from
God
2The 2-13,14
(192b) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by
losing >> Life for life >>
Losing your life to gain God’s purpose – God wants us to escape the pitfalls of our
flesh to avoid being judged along with the world. Satan has a natural appeal to
our flesh. Our outward man is attracted to him like a moth to a flame, but our inward man is
attracted to God. Paul is calling us to obey the desires of our inward man and
submit to the
prompting of the Holy Spirit. Although His promises do not usually have an
immediate gratification that the devil promises, yet God promises a future.
The devil doesn’t have a future,
and he wants us to be like him. The choice is simple, but it is our
flesh that complicates the matter.
(219c) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> The elect >>
Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God
has chosen us – God has provided a way of
escape that Paul mentioned in 1Cor 10-13 as a function of separating
ourselves from the world using the assistance of the Holy Spirit, who gently
leads us to the truth. Satan longs to one day control the world in the most literal
sense. Those who fall into his trap can say they were not chosen, so how can
God blame them, but God has chosen us to be His people, sanctified by the Holy
Spirit, indicating that human will involved. God has
called us to take hold of that which is life indeed (1Tim 6-19) through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us,
using Him as a fulcrum to leverage our flesh away from sin and satanic
delusion and in the direction of Christ. That takes human will! The way people have viewed
predestination throughout the ages is a bit skewed, because our will is always
involved, hence salvation is not entirely God’s choice but a choice
that both God and man make together. God speaks to everyone, and those who heed the call act
on their will and those who don't have determined their own fate. How is
salvation solely God’s choice? The only real aspect of predestination is in
God’s foreknowledge; that is, predestination is God's point of view; what
good is that to us? God foreknew the Thessalonian Church would obey Him. He knows everyone who will respond to the gospel, but our
response is still necessary. Some people will not follow God, and that
is not God’s fault. God can't make us do anything,
nor would He override our will. God is all about freedom, not about robotics. He doesn't
force us to be a Christian any more than He forces the damned to hell, but
simply knows who is who (2Tim 2-19) through His foreknowledge and the sanctifying work of the
Spirit.
(233h) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering
>>
Seek His glory by faith
2The 2-13
(33m) Gift of God
>>
Believers are special to God >> We are beloved
of God -- This verse goes with verse 16
(105j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Led by the Spirit >> To the truth >>
Led into the mind of Christ
(111aa) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith
>>
Spirit and the word >> Spirit sets you apart
by the word >> Set apart by His
grace
(118l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Law of the spirit >> Spirit delivers you from the
desire to sin
(191k) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >>
Set apart by faith in the truth
– The
Spirit and the word work side-by-side for the purpose of sanctification. It
says that God has chosen us from the beginning.
On that note, time began, not at the beginning of creation and not at the fall
of Adam, but at the fall of Satan, for man fell into Satan’s curse that
existed before Adam, for if the earth were not already cursed, there would have
been no need for a garden. The creation is dying, and for this reason it is on a timeline, meaning that
the creation does not
share the properties of eternity. So time began the moment Satan fell from
heaven. God knew Satan would fall, and He intended to create man after he
fell, and He knew that man would make
Satan extremely jealous, because he inherited everything that God had
previously given to Satan, plus He gave man His throne, which Satan
sought as the cause of his rebellion in the first place, and God knew that Adam would
fall. God’s throne was Lucifer’s quest, and God gave it to man as part of his inheritance. The
Bible teaches that we will sit with Christ at His right-hand as Christ sits
on His Father’s throne at His right-hand. Satan is extremely jealous of man because we have what he risked everything to attain and lost.
God
is choosing certain people to be His worshippers, which is where this
verse picks up, saying that He has chosen us through sanctification by
the Spirit, meaning that where there is no sanctification, neither is there
salvation (Heb 12-14). We are set apart for God's purposes, and it says
that the sanctifying process occurs through the Spirit as we develop faith in
the truth. Moreover, we believe the truth by the Spirit, being the definition of
faith and the process of sanctification. The Church today has
religiousized verses like this, turning it into a weak and flavorless
misconception, envisioning themselves sitting in an easy chair while
God is at work doing everything for them, because all their works are
like filthy rags (Isaiah 64-6).
Isaiah did say this, but he was referring to our life before we
were saved. Now that we are saved, the works that He gives to us
according to His calling are
holy to the Lord. See also: Adam assimilated into Satan's curse;
Rev 21-1; 26c
(228h) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> God works in you to keep you
in His will
(246f) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God
demonstrates His glory >> Demonstration of the
Spirit
2The 2-14
(91f) Thy kingdom come
>>
The called >> Walking along the narrow way >>
Walking in God’s calling is to fulfill His purpose
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2The 2,15-17
(85g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Words that are spoken in faith >> Testify of God’s
works
2The 2-15
(80b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To deliver
yourself from bondage
(98b) Thy kingdom come >>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >>
Plant the word deeply in your heart -- This verse goes with verses 1-3
(99a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >>
Enduring the word of God
>> Endure obeying the word of God -- This verse goes with verse 2.
Everybody
has read the Bible without thinking about it. Maybe we have a designated hour
of prayerful study set aside every day. Sometimes we read and don’t remember what we’ve read.
How do we absorb the Bible? If we have read it a hundred times and know it by
heart, then it is time to
put the Bible into action and incorporate it into our lives.
Then we can read it and it mean something to us. The
reason we don’t get anything from our study time is that we are not applying
the Scriptures to our lives. It doesn’t mean anything to us because we are
disconnected from it. The good traditions that Paul implicated connects
first our body, then our mind and heart to the Scriptures.
(174b) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Man’s religion >>
Good traditions (Exception to bad religion) >>
Good habits –
Paul wanted the saints in Thessalonica and all the churches to develop good
habits. “Letter from
us” means the Bible, so we can read the Bible and develop good habits, not
only in our behavior, but also in our reading,
developing a regimen of prayer, serving the saints, being a blessing to others
and avoiding offense. One of many benefits of developing good habits is
they tend to replace bad habits, for we can only have so many habits. If we
add a habit, most likely we will have to take one away; so developing good
habits is a process of substitution, replacing bad ones with good ones. For
example, the bad habit of smoking and drinking is replaced with finding better
friends and worshipping God with them, and living and abiding in the joy of the
Lord.
(232h) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >>
Embrace (Jesus during the storm) >> Hold to
the word of God
(239d) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachable students >> The teachable submit to
the word –
When Paul wrote this to the Thessalonians, he was writing to a teachable
people, and we know that some people are not teachable. They have an IQ that is perfectly normal, so that is not the problem;
rather, it is their lack of willingness to learn. Most people only know
what they want to know. It is amazing what people will do to amass knowledge
in the area of their interest, and what they’ll also do to avoid knowledge.
There are many who consider the Bible to be dangerous; they don’t want
anything to do with it, and for that reason they are unteachable. Other people
know and love God and can’t get enough of His word; they are like sponges.
2The 2-16,17
(9e)
Responsibility >> God strengthens us from our weaknesses – Paul’s prayer is for God to comfort and
strengthen our hearts through eternal hope and good works. For example, we hope to get a good grade if we take
a test. Even if we get an F, it is better than a zero, for if we never take the
test, how can we hope for a grade at all? In the same way, if we never try to do
the good works that God has prepared for us, how can we hope to achieve it or
even experience God’s grace? How can we say with certainty that
we are even saved if we don’t try to please Him? Trusting God is by far the most
important thing we can do in this life. Trust is like a passport, though it cannot pay
for our plane ticket overseas, yet without it we cannot board the plane no
matter how much money we have. With trust there is hope that opens doors to make possible everything God
has promised. We
kindle hope by doing the good works that God has prepared for us and by speaking the
words He has put in our mouth. Hope without the foundation of good works is a
false hope.
(116a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through Good Works >>
Works That God put in your heart
(121d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Hope >>
Expectation >> Hope is the expectation to
receive >> God initiates His interest
(128b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Doing good in the presence of God
(138h) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >>
Exhorting the people to glorify God –
It is always good to hear that God the Father loves us. His love is actually
more important than the love of Christ, because it was the Father’s love
that sent Christ in the first place (Jn 3-16). Without His love we wouldn’t
have Jesus either. Paul was one to always be looking for an opportunity to
build up the body of Christ by any means possible, including exhortation,
which is sandwiched between encouragement
and rebuke.
Encouragement we know, though we may not personally experience it much in these evil times. Encouragement
is meant to inspire people, but sometimes people need more
than a little encouragement; they need to be exhorted, adding a challenge to
our
encouragement. The goal of encouragement is to
help people serve the Lord, but if we reprove somebody in the process of
encouraging them, it is an exhortation.
(228c) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> Comforted >>
We are comforted in the presence of God >> Holy
Spirit is our comforter
(255f) Trinity
>>
Father, Son and Holy Spirit >> The process of
imparting the substance of God >> Father
discloses the word by the Spirit
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2The 2-16
(33m) Gift of God
>>
Believers are special to God >> We are beloved
of God -- This verse goes with verse 13
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