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2 THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 2 KJV WEB See previous page 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). KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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) KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 t he 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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. E verybody 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2The 2-16 (33m) Gift of God >> Believers are special to God >> We are beloved of God -- This verse goes with verse 13 See next page