Hold Fast To The Truth Series

2 Thess 2:1-5 Hold Fast to the Truth

2 Thess 2:1-3a

1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way…

Paul wrote to encourage them in their suffering and enlighten them in their confusion.

• They were taught about the coming of Christ and the need to be prepared and ready for His return. We read that in the first letter.

• But false teachers came and confused them, and they were “quickly shaken in mind and alarmed.”

• They thought, “Christ has already come. You are likely in the tribulation now because the rapture has taken place and they were not taken up.” One possible scenario.

Whatever it is, such deviations cause anxiety and alarm.

• Paul said they were confused by a spirit – prophets who claimed to know; a spoken word – hearsay or words from men, or a letter supposedly from Paul - fake news.

• Paul had to write back to get them back on track. 2:5 “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?”

• This was likely the main reason he wrote this letter.

The confusion has to do with the coming of Christ to receive His church and our being gathered with Him, which Paul mentioned in his first letter – 1 Thess 4:13-5:11.

• Some were concerned then about those who died before Christ’s return.

• Paul explained that whether we died early or are still alive then, the church shall be gathered with Jesus.

• But others were now alarmed that they might already be in the tribulation post-rapture because Christ had already come, as some have said.

• They were left to go through the suffering, and hence the persecutions.

It sounds odd that some would think that Christ has returned, but that’s the belief of Jehovah's Witnesses today.

• The cult believes that Jesus had returned in 1914 – invisibly, not physically – and now ruling His Kingdom from heaven, with authority over the earth.

• To them, the signs of wars, famines and earthquakes indicate that the final judgement is near.

The Bible did tell us how Jesus would return:

• Acts 1:9-11 9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

• Jesus ascended BODILY into heaven and VISIBLY in the clouds, and will turn IN THE SAME WAY - bodily, visible, glorious in the clouds, not in secret or any other form.

Jesus said in Matt 24:30-31 "Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

Paul says do not be shaken by any news that Christ has come – “either by a spirit (prophecy) or a spoken word (by someone) or a letter seeing to be from us.” (2:2)

BE DISCERNING. Don't swallow everything hook, line, and sinker.

• That’s the attitude we need to cultivate, then and now. More so now when the world is filled with scams of all kinds trying to con us.

• Stop and think. Pause and ponder. We don’t have to jump at it. We discern with wisdom and understanding.

"It is the same attitude we need to have today when we are bombarded by so many different kinds of “truth”, like scam calls, fake news, distortions and untruths.

• We do not need to jump at it. We pause and ponder. We discern and decide with wisdom and understanding.

Paul says, “Let no one deceive you in any way.” (2:3) And then goes on to explain.

2 Thess 2:3-5

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?