Many of us have seen some doctors over the years; and the older we get, the more doctors we see. As a result, we’ve learned some words we never heard before. Doctors have their own jargon and seem to speak a strange language.
After all, what do these terms really mean?
Barium – isn’t that what they do to dead people?
Benign – isn’t that what you wanted when you were eight?
Carpal – someone with whom you drive to school or work.
Cauterize – that’s what the guy did before winking at the girl.
Chiropractor – an Egyptian doctor.
Dilate – to live long.
Elixir – what a dog does to his owner when she gives him a bone.
Intubate – what a fisherman is into.
Nitrate – what the phone company charges after 5 p.m.
Varicose – nearby.
Vitamin – what you do when friends stop to visit. (“Strange World,” Campus Life, Vol. 53, no. 7; www.Preaching Today.com)
Sometimes ignorance is funny, but most of the time it is downright scary, especially when you face a medical issue where you don’t even know the terminology. That’s also true when we think about the future. Ignorance is NOT bliss. It is frightening.
I think that’s why so many people are in an uproar these days. They don’t know what’s going to happen in these uncertain times, but we do! We who read and study the Bible know what’s going to happen, because God told us so in His Word.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Holy Spirit directed the Apostle Paul to write some words of assurance to a group of believers who faced uncertain times in their day. They were going through so much suffering and persecution they thought they were in the Tribulation itself at the end of the age. But Paul’s words, from the Holy Spirit Himself, gave them hope, and they will give us hope, as well.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Thessalonians 2, where we find those words of hope.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 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. (ESV)
You see, these Thessalonian believers were shaken, because they thought they were already in the Day of the Lord. They thought they had missed the rapture of the church and were already in the Tribulation.
In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul described a day yet future when Jesus will come down from heaven and gather all the believers unto Himself, i.e., all those who have died and all those who are still alive at that time (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Then he talks about “the Day of the Lord” when “sudden destruction will come” on the people of this world “as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3).
Even so, Paul makes it very clear that “God has not destined us [believers] for [the] wrath [of that day]” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Instead, we will “live with [Christ]” (1 Thessalonians 5:10) rather than be judged together with the people of this world. In other words, Christ will take us to be with Him before that great and terrible Day of the Lord comes to this earth.
This is the clear teaching of Scripture, but other teachers came along and told these new believers something different. They told these new believers that “the day of the Lord had [already] come” (vs.2) and that the end of the world was near.
Well, that kind of thing has been going on ever since even right up to the present day.
In 960, Bernard of Thuringia, a German theologian, calculated 992 as the most likely year for the world's end. As the time approached, panic was widespread.
In the 1500’s, German astrologer, Johann Stoffler, predicted an overwhelming flood on February 20, 1524. Believers actually started constructing arks, and a mob reportedly trampled a man to death trying to board his specially built boat. Then when nothing happened, Stoffler revised his calculations and gave a new date for sometime in 1588, but that year also passed without any unusual rainfall.
In 1665, Solomon Eccles was put in London's Bridewell Prison for walking through the Smithfield Market, carrying a pan of blazing sulfur on his head. He was preaching about doom and destruction, declaring that the end of the world is near. Well, the end of the world did not follow, but the Great Fire of London did, in 1666.
In 1874, Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, preached that the Second Coming of Christ had already taken place. He came to this conclusion after combining passages from the Bible with the mystical messages of the Great Pyramid. Then he declared that people had 40 years, or until 1914, to enter his faith or be destroyed. When 1914 passed, he modified the date to “very soon after 1914.”
In the middle of the 20th Century, Herbert W. Armstrong came along and began predicting January 7, 1972, as a date to watch, but nothing happened. (“Facts and Fallacies,” Reader's Digest, 1988; www.PreachingToday.com)
In 1987, Edgar Whisenant published a book titled, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Is in 1988, and we all remember the Y2K scare at the end of the 20th Century when all the computers around the world were supposed to crash at midnight January 1st, 2000, and world-wide panic would ensue.
Then Harold Camping convinced thousands of his followers that Jesus would return on May 21, 2011, to usher in the end of the world. After that, some predicted the end of the world on December 21, 2012, because that’s when the ancient Mayan calendar ran out.
People have been predicting the end of the world since the beginning of the world, so…
DON’T BE SHAKEN BY SUCH PREDICTIONS.
Don’t be disturbed or frightened, and…
DON’T BE DECEIVED.
Don’t be fooled, because the Bible is very clear about what will happen at the end of this age. The Bible is very clear about the Day of the Lord when He will judge the people of this world and usher in a new Kingdom.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 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, 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. (ESV)
People will know they are in the Day of the Lord, i.e., the last days of this age, when they see this “man of lawlessness” come on the scene. Daniel 9 calls him “the ruler who will come” (Daniel 9:26). 1 John 2 & 4 call him “the antichrist” (1 John 2:18; 4:3), and Revelation 13 calls him “a beast” (Revelation 13:1).
The Bible talks about a world ruler coming from a revived Roman Empire that will sign a 7-year peace treaty with Israel. Then in the middle of those 7 years, he will break that treaty with Israel, overrun the city of Jerusalem, and set himself up as God in the Jewish Temple.
In previous generations, up until the middle of the 20th Century, none of this was feasible. There was no real coalition of nations in what was once the Roman Empire, and the Jewish people were scattered all over the world with no homeland and no temple.
Now, all of that has changed! The European Union has come together in a coalition of nations that once made up the Ancient Roman Empire. The Jews are back in their land, and they have gathered everything they need for the rebuilding of their temple. Our generation, unlike any other, has seen the stage being set for the coming of this “man of lawlessness.”
The antichrist will be revealed, and maybe soon, but not before the restrainer is removed, not before the one who holds the antichrist back is taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:5-8 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. (ESV)
“He who now restrains” will be taken out of the way. Then “the lawless one” (or the antichrist) will be revealed; and then, Jesus will come and destroy him.
That’s the sequence of events presented here, but the question is: Who is this restrainer? Who is this one who keeps the antichrist at bay right now?
Well, I believe “the restrainer” is none other than the Holy Spirit working through the church. You see, Christ calls the church to be “salt and light” in this decaying and dark world (Matthew 5:13-16). That is to say Christ calls believers to be a preserving influence in a decadent society, but we can do that only through the power of the Holy Spirit.
A boy, growing up on the Atlantic Sea Coast, spent long hours working on intricate sandcastles. People marveled as whole cities appeared beneath his hands. There was only one problem. They didn’t last long. Local bullies would come along and smash his creations.
So the boy came up with an idea. He put cinder blocks, rocks and chunks of concrete down first. Then he built his sand kingdoms on top of the rocks. That way, when the bullies appeared (after he disappeared), their bare feet suddenly met their match, and the bullies were stopped in their tracks. (Gregory P. Elder, Leadership, Vol.6, no.2)
Now, that’s what the Holy Spirit does through the church. He restrains evil from running rampant in the kingdoms of this world. But when the church is removed, i.e. when believers are gathered to Christ, then watch out world! For then the antichrist will appear. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, and all hell will break loose on this earth.
But we who believe in Christ don’t need to worry about that. We don’t need to be disturbed by end of the world predictions, because we know that we will be with Christ when it all happens.
So dear believing friend, don’t be disturbed, and don’t be deceived like many people will be in the last days. For after the restrainer is removed – after the believers are taken out of this earth – the antichrist will be revealed, and he will deceive many people. He will get people to believe a lie, because they refuse to believe the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (ESV)
When people refuse to love the truth, they are easily deceived, and that deception will destroy them in the end.
Matt Woodley, a pastor in Wheaton, Illinois, talks about watching his18-year-old son participate in a real X-ball paintball tournament. He says, “With sophisticated paintball guns that shoot 13 paintballs per second, the matches are quick and exciting. They're also chaotic. The X-ball concept depends on five players from each team shooting at their opponents and working their way up a large outdoor field. The goal is to ‘kill’ (that is, hit with a paintball) the other team's players so you can capture their flag.
“But it's not an easy task. The main problem is that in the midst of thousands of flying paintballs it's tough to spot your opponents. The other team can crouch and dive behind bunkers and barriers. To make matters even worse, as your team's coach shouts the right information about your opponents' locations, the other team's fans start yelling false information.”
Matt Woodley says, “When I heard the other fans intentionally confusing my son's teammates, I was shocked.” He thought they were cheating; but after the match, his son calmly informed him, “O, yeah, that's called ‘counter-coaching.’ They're trying to distract our players with false information. It's part of the game, Dad. We have to deal with it all the time. It just means that we have to focus on our coach and block out all the other distractions.” (Matt Woodley, Chicago, Illinois; www.Preaching Today.com)
Let me tell you: There is plenty of “counter coaching” going on in our world, people giving us false information all the time! That means we have to focus all the more on our own Coach, the Lord Jesus Christ, and block out the other distractions lest we be “killed” on the playing field of life.
My dear friends, I urge you: spend regular time in this Book (the Bible). Read it! Believe it! Live it! Focus on your Coach. It’s the only way to keep from being distracted by the false information that will destroy you in the end. When it comes to predictions about the end of the world, or when you hear about some doomsday scenario, please don’t be disturbed and don’t be deceived. Instead…
STAND FIRM IN THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.
Hold fast to the things you were taught from the bible.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
God called us believers to share in Christ’s glory, not to share in this world’s judgment at the end of the age. In other words, God chose us for salvation, not for the Tribulation. When we believed the truth of the Gospel, God’s Holy Spirit set us apart to be with Christ, not to be condemned with the world.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. (ESV)
Don’t forget the things you learned from God’s Word. Stand firm and hold to them. That is, don’t waver one bit from the old Gospel Paul preached way back in the First Century.
In his book, Up From Slavery, Booker T. Washington talks about the days following the Civil War. At that time, many people became teachers thinking it would be an easy way to make a living. Washington talks about one such fellow who went from village to village, teaching for a while and receiving his pay.
As he entered one town, the people asked if he taught that the world was round or flat. He replied that he was prepared to teach either way, based on the preference of the majority of his patrons! (Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery)
We laugh at that, but that’s still sadly true today.
There are a lot of teachers out there who are in it just for the money, and they will teach you just want you want to hear, so you will give them more money.
Please, let’s not pay attention to those kinds of teachers. We don’t need their new truths and new insights. No. All we need are the old truths of God’s Word. In these difficult days, when people are predicting the end of the world, don’t be disturbed and don’t be deceived. Instead, stand firm in the truth, and…
BE STRENGTHENED TODAY.
Find the confidence to go on. Be encouraged to continue doing good.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (ESV)
We know the future, my dear friends. Our God has made it very clear in His Word: we, who know Christ, WIN in the end. “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
That’s the hope we have as believers in Christ, the assurance that is ours as followers of Christ. Now, let that God-given hope come along side your heart and strengthen your resolve to keep on doing and speaking good even when the whole world is going bad.
Management professor, James Avey, just completed a study about absenteeism at work and what causes employees to miss fewer days on the job. You see, American businesses lose $153 billion a year because of employees who call in sick or just don’t show up to work. So what did Avey find that helps employees show up to work more often? One word: hope. In other words, employees who are excited about the company's goals and their own future will miss less work.
James Avey and his research team surveyed 100 engineers in a Fortune 100 high-tech firm and divided them into high-hope and low-hope workers. Over the course of 12 months, the high-hope engineers missed an average of 20 hours of work, or less than three days of work (not associated with planned leaves or vacations), with many of them missing no time at all. Low-hope engineers missed more than 10 days of work each, on average.
These employees cost the firm nearly four times as much as their high-hope colleagues in lost productivity due to sick days. No other workplace measure (including job satisfaction, commitment to the company, confidence to do the job) counted more than hope in determining whether an employee would show up. (Shane J. Lopez, Making Hope Happen, Atria Books, 2013, page 52; www.PreachingToday.com)
My dear friends, we who know Christ look forward to a glorious future with Him. That, more than anything else, should encourage our faithfulness to Him. So don’t be disturbed and don’t be deceived. Instead, stand firm in the truth and find the confidence to persevere in every good work.
Apolo Ohno, who has become one of the best speed skaters in the world, competed in his first Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City. At those Olympics, he hoped to win his second gold medal in the men's 5,000-meter short track, speed-skating relay. But during one of the turns, another American skater fell. His fall and recovery only took a few seconds, but it essentially put the American team out of the race. After that, the American team began to skate slower and slower, eventually allowing themselves to be lapped by the gold-medal Canadians. Why did they slow down? Well, the hope of winning was gone. (Paul Richardson, Half Moon Bay, California, www. PreachingToday.com)
Is your hope of winning gone? Then look again at God’s Word and be encouraged. It’s very clear: we do win in the end. So don’t slow down. Instead, keep on going until you cross the finish line a winner!
