Series: Imitators
Summary of last week:
2 Thessalonians was written shortly after the first letter was delivered. Most likely the deliverer of the first letter noted some serious misunderstandings of The Coming of the Lord and end times beliefs which needed to be addressed. Paul writes this letter quickly upon hearing that there had been a prophetic word or revelation that the Day of the Lord had already happened. There was also an issue of some who had quit working after becoming a Christian. Paul writes this letter to help this young church to mature in their faith and to be a quiet witness with their lives for the people of Thessalonica.
Sermon 6: Boast of His Image! From chapter 1 of 2 Thessalonians
Thesis: Are you boasting about Jesus and His image – are others looking at you imitating Jesus and boasting about your faith, love and spiritual maturity? Paul did of the Thessalonians! Are there those in our community boasting about our perseverance as a Church or as believers? Do others see us standing up and boasting for the image and the message of Jesus?
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,
2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
3Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
10and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
13But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
14He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
16May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,
17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Sermon: Imitate Christ not the anti-christ!
Introduction:
In this passage of Scripture from Paul we see Paul addressing the misunderstanding that Jesus has already returned. He lays down the foundational teaching on what precedes the 2nd Coming of Jesus. He makes it clear that certain world events need to take place and the biggest of these world-wide events is the rise of the man of lawlessness the antichrist to power.
Video Clip: From You Tube “Left Behind – World at War – Trailer”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvsW46FzCd8
It’s important to understand that Paul wants the church to be doing the work of the Lord today, they need to be actively fulfilling the Great Commission not sitting around expecting to leave this world today or tomorrow. They need to be ready at any moment to be Raptured away to Heaven or be prepared to be persecuted for the Gospel which many were in that day. The church was under persecution since its inception but the key is to be ready now! They were to be busy working for the Kingdom of Heaven.
The section of the letter was not to arouse fear but to calm fears and apprehension. It was to tell the people of God to be ready for Jesus return when you see these things happening in the world.
Three questions arise to me out of our chapter:
• Who is the Man of lawlessness?
• What power is holding back the rise of the antichrist?
• How do I keep from being deceived by the Great Deceiver?
T.S. – Let’s look at each one of the questions that arise from our chapter and I will seek to answer each one to best of my ability through God’s Word and anointing.
1. Who is this man of lawlessness?
a. Other names for the man of lawlessness:
i. Antichrist - In the New Testament, the term "antichrist" occurs five times in 1 John and 2 John,
ii. The Beast - In the New Testament the title "Beast" appears in Revelation 13.
iii. Son of Perdition is another name.
iv. Man of Sin is another name.
b. Who is The Antichrist?
i. Show a bunch of pictures on power point of random people some of it being the staff!
ii. My personal view of the antichrist is that since Satan does not know the hour or the time of Jesus 2nd Coming then he has had to have His antichrist spirit in the world all along.
1. Mark 13: 32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
a. Jesus makes it clear that only the Father in Heaven knows when the end will rise up!
2. This is why if you research church history on the subject of the antichrist you discover some Christian leaders pointing out and even naming the antichrist in their time frame
3. Here are some of the more common ones:
a. Nero
b. Domitian
c. Other Caesars were also named
d. Certain Popes
e. Mussolini
f. Hitler
g. Pope Benedict the XVI
h. Henry Kissinger
i. Reagan
j. Gobachev
k. Ronald Reagan
l. Obama is the most recent one to labeled as the antichrist.
c. Paul does not name who the antichrist is personally because his reference is to a demonic spirit which is in opposition to Jesus – this spirit is of Satan and it will possess a human being in the end and look like the following according to Chapter 2: Please note --- Paul tells this church to know what his character traits are so that they will not be deceived! This is the purpose of this chapter – it’s not to cause fear but to prepare and correct a false teaching that some held in the church.
i. He will oppose God, His Word, His people, and His church.
ii. He will proclaim himself God in a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem.
iii. He will set up His office and residence in the newly built temple in Jerusalem.
1. But he is doomed to destruction.
iv. His power will come from demonic power which is already at work within the world to bring this all to pass.
1. God will allow this for a 3 ½ year period of time.
a. This being his literal reign of terror!
2. Jesus will over throw Him when He returns with His breath – in other words one breath from Jesus and He is defeated – no match for Jesus.
a. It will not be a long drawn out battle in my view.
v. Satan will work through this man and do counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders to deceive the people of the day. Even many of the elect – those being called Christians will fall prey to his seduction of deception.
vi. People will be deceived by this man because they love wickedness and also because they refused to love the truth.
1. Paul is pointing out the character traits of The Antichrist so that this church is not caught off guard and so they go about spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their region.
2. The time is now for the harvest and therefore they need to get busy fulfilling the Great Commission.
3. They need to get to work for the Kingdom of God!
d. There are basically 27 characteristic of the antichrist from the whole Bible which I would like to highlight to you – see http://www.texasfred.net/archives/2403:
i. He comes from among ten kings in the restored Roman Empire; his authority will have similarities to the ancient Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks [Daniel 7:24; Rev 13:2 / Daniel 7:7]
ii. He will subdue three kings [Daniel 7:8, 24]
iii. He is different from the other kings [Daniel 7:24]
iv. He will rise from obscurity… a “little horn” [Daniel 7:8]
v. He will speak boastfully [Daniel 7:8; Rev 13:5]
vi. He will blaspheme God, [Daniel 7:25; 11:36; Rev 13:5] slandering His Name, dwelling place, and departed Christians and Old Testament saints [Rev 13:6]
vii. He will oppress the saints and be successful for 3 ½ years [Daniel 7:25; Rev 13:7]
viii. He will try to change the calendar, perhaps to define a new era, related to himself [Daniel 7:25]
ix. He will try to change the laws, perhaps to gain an advantage for his new kingdom and era [Dan 7:25]
x. He will not be succeeded by another earthly ruler, but by Christ [Daniel 7:26-27)
xi. He will confirm a covenant with “many”, i.e. the Jewish people [Daniel 9:27]
1. This covenant will likely involve the establishment of a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem [see Dan 9:27; Matt 24:15]
xii. He will put an end to Jewish sacrifice and offerings after 3 ½ years and will set up an abomination to God in the Temple [Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15]
xiii. He will not answer to a higher earthly authority; “He will do as he pleases”[Daniel 11:36]
xiv. He will show no regard for the religion of his ancestors [Daniel 11:37]
xv. He will not believe in any god at all [except for himself] [Daniel 11:37]
xvi. He will have “no regard for the desire of women”
1. He will either be asexual (nonsexuality) or homosexual [Dan 11:37)
xvii. He will claim to be greater than any god [Daniel 11:37; 2 Thess. 2:4]
xviii. He will claim to be God [2 Thessalonians 2:4]
xix. He will only honor a “god” of the military. His whole focus and attention will be on his military. He will conquer lands and distribute them as he pleases [Daniel 11:39-44]
xx. His arrival on the world scene will be accompanied by miracles, signs and wonders [2 Thess 2:9]
xxi. Either he, or his companion [The False Prophet], will claim to be Christ [Matt 24:21-28] see also (Revelation 13).
1. The False Prophet will call fire down from Heaven and in a sense mimic Elijah’s miracle at Carmel of the Baal priests 1 Kings 18 and the people of the earth will put their faith in Him and the Antichrist (Revelation 13:11)
2. The image or idol he creates will speak as the False Prophet breathes on it.
3. All who refuse to worship the idol will be killed.
4. They will force everyone to take a mark to buy and sell in the world.
5. This mark will be on the right hand or forehead.
6. The mark will equal the name of the beast – the number of the Beast – man’s number 666 (Revelation 13)
xxii. He will claim that Jesus did not come in the flesh, or that Jesus did not rise bodily from the grave [2 John 7]. He will deny that Jesus is the Messiah [I John 2:22]
xxiii. He will be worshipped and embraced by many – most of the people of the world [Rev. 13:8]
xxiv. He will hate a nation that initially will have some control over his kingdom, his rise to power, but he will destroy this nation in the end [Rev 17:16-18 – see Revelation chapters 17, 18)]
1. I believe the nation referred to in chapters 17 and 18 of Revelation is the USA and the Great Prostitute is the USA represented by the Statue of Liberty, the great city in this chapter which is destroyed -- I believe is New York City.
a. The description of the Great Prostitute fits the Statue of Liberty see former sermon from Revelation and the great city fits a description of New York City.
b. It’s destruction within an hour I believe signifies a nuclear blast within the city which devastates it.
xxv. He will appear to survive a fatal injury [Rev. 13:3; 17:8]
xxvi. His name will be related to the number six hundred and sixty six—but not necessarily in an obvious fashion [Rev 13:17-18].
xxvii. He will be empowered by the Devil himself [Rev. 13:2]
e. Not only do we need to know the character traits of the Anti-Christ Jesus also told us in Mark 13 that we need to know the signs of the end times so that we are ready. These signs are as follows:
i. Many will come claiming to be Jesus Christ the Promised Messiah.
1. Example: David Koresh, Jesus lightning Amen and I could name many others?
ii. There will be wars and rumors of wars.
1. We hear them on the news and through the internet daily.
iii. Nation will rise against nation/Kingdom against Kingdom.
1. We hear and see of conflict in over ½ of the world’s nations. Especially in the Middle East today.
iv. Earthquakes of unusual proportion will be experienced and we will hear more about earthquakes.
1. How many heard that New Hampshire experienced a 4.0 earthquake this last week? The last reported earthquake was in NH was in 1964.
2. The center which studies earthquakes claims that we hear more today about earthquakes due to the new technology and communication systems of the world.
v. Famines will plague the world.
1. We see this in worn torn Africa, former Soviet Union countries and 3rd world countries.
vi. Persecution of Christians will be on the rise.
1. News from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians
a. In the 20th century, Christians have been persecuted by Muslim groups, and by atheistic states such as the USSR, CHINA and North Korea. Currently (as of 2012), as estimated by the Christian missionary organization Open Doors UK, an estimated 100 million Christians face persecution, particularly in Muslim dominated countries like, Iran and Saudi Arabia They also face persecution in atheistic states like North Korea in which there is no religious freedom. A recent study, cited by the Vatican, reported that 75 out of every 100 people killed due to religious hatred were Christians.
i. You never hear that on the News at night!
vii. Mark 13:10: Tells us that the Gospel will need to be preached to all nations before the end comes – Missions organizations are predicting this will occur by 2020.
viii. We are told that - Brothers will betray brothers, fathers their children, children their parents – this will be to death.
1. Not happening that I am aware off. But may be in others nations of the world.
ix. Christians will be hated by all mankind.
1. We see as rise in antichristian thoughts and practices in the USA.
x. There will be an abomination which causes desolation.
1. Antichrist will claim to be God in the new rebuilt Jerusalem Temple.
2. There is a group in Jerusalem which currently has everything ready to rebuild the Solomon’s Temple!
xi. False prophets will perform counterfeit signs and wonders to deceive the elect.
1. We see this with the rise of Wicca in the USA, the rise of Satanism, of Psyche’s, and other new age teachings.
f. These are just some of the signs Jesus said would occur in the end time period prior to His Return.
T.S. – All of these signs for the end times are given by the Bible to make sure that God’s people are not deceived and to make sure we dont buy into the lie’s of Satan. We are to be salt and light in the midst of darkness we are to be the preserving force of this world currently. This brings us to our next question.
2. What power is holding back the rise of the antichrist?
a. The timing of God the Father!
i. Mark 13: 32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
b. The Holy Spirit is also part of this equation of power!
i. 1 John 4:4-6: 4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
ii. Joel 2:28-32: 28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
iii. See also Acts 2 for the transition from OT era to the Church Age and the rise of the power of the Holy Spirit which ushers us toward the end times era.
iv. Acts 1:6-8: 6So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
c. I also believe the Holy Spirit along with the Church of Jesus Christ also called the Body of Christ is hindering this at the moment --- but one day The Body of Christ along with the Holy Spirit will be removed from the world’s scene (ie The Rapture) and when they go all Hell will break loose on the earth!
i. Why would God allow this to happen --- that is the rise of the antichrist and a spiritual battle over the souls of the world?
1. God allows this delusion to seduce the people because of their rejection of Him and His Word. In a sense they choose the lies of this world over Gods Word.
2. But remember prior to this time there will be a great revival before all this takes place and the church is removed? I believe we are in this time frame of Harvest described in Revelation.
a. People will have their chance to except Jesus or not today, right now!
i. God is calling people today to be saved but the choice is up to them!
ii. Those who choose love and truth will be saved and will glory with Jesus.
iii. Those who reject the message of Jesus will suffer the consequence of that choice.
ii. The following from http://learnbibleprophecy.blogspot.com/2011/01/restrainer-holding-back-power-of.html: However, as we must recognize that Satan was once a very powerful angel in heaven before he became a "fallen angel". He is called the "god of this age" (2 Cor 4:4) and one third of the angles fell with him (Rev 12:4); thus, he has an evil, powerful army at his command. Understanding that concept, we must consider that the only entity that would be a match for Satan and his minions is the Holy Spirit. Now that brings us to an interesting concept. When did the Holy Spirit come to this world? It was after Jesus ascended to heaven and sent the comforter. Jesus told the disciples in John 14:15-19:“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” So in those verses we are able to understand that Jesus said He was going to send the Holy Spirit and that, consequently, He would be with them. So, when the Holy Spirit is with them, Jesus is too. What is interesting, in light of that, is Jesus' last word to His disciples. We read in Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said:“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Following our understanding that Jesus will be with us until the end of the age (the "Church Age") via the Holy Spirit, it would seem that Jesus was saying that the Holy Spirit would be here until the Rapture of the Church. That can also be supported when we understand that the Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost when the Church began (Acts 2:1-4). Consequently, one can conclude that once the present age ends (at the precise time of the Rapture), so too the Holy Spirit will be removed from earth; thus, that is the restrainer that is currently holding the Antichrist and evil at bay. Once the Christians are taken via the Rapture, the Antichrist will rule and reign. It will be marked by the absolute worst time in history, for he will make life "hell on earth", and God's wrath via the tribulation will also be at work. I'd like to leave you with the words of Jesus in Luke 21:36, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be.
T.S. – We have answered two of our questions today and the third one is very important for us to understand and apply the answers to our daily lives.
3. How do you keep from being deceived?
a. Give your heart to Jesus.
b. You do this by being filled, immersed, baptized in the Holy Spirit because He is sent by Jesus to lead and guide us into all truth.
i. We need to keep being filled to stay in tune to the times!
1. John 14:15-19:
c. Know the Word of God and live it.
i. Know the character traits of the antichrist which we just highlighted.
d. Know the Signs of the end times in Scripture:
i. See chapter 2 also 2 Timothy 3:1-9:
1. People will be lovers of themselves.
2. Lovers of Money see also - 1 Timothy 6:3-10 where church leaders will promote and use the message of the Gospel for personal financial gain.
3. Boastful
4. Proud
5. Abusive
6. Disobedient to their parents
7. Ungrateful
8. Unholy
9. Without love
10. Unforgiving
11. Slanderous
12. Without self-control
13. Brutal
14. Not lovers of the good
15. Treacherous
16. Rash
17. Conceited
18. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God
19. Will have a form of godliness but deny its power
e. We need to fight the good fight of faith
i. So stand firm in this end time and do not buy into the great delusion of the Satan. Do not be deceived but do the work of the ministry – share your faith, pray for your relatives and friends – your neighborhood and your nation.
ii. We are in a spiritual war right now with the forces of evil for this world and for people’s souls.
1. This is why Paul uses warrior type language in Ephesians 6:10-20. Putting on the armor of God!
a. Ephesians 6:12: 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
b. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
i. We are in a fight for the faith and the lives of others so let’s not be apathetic but on the offensive to lead as many people as possible to the Lord.
f. We also know from 2 Timothy that people in the church will not put up with sound doctrine (Biblical Teachings) in the end times.
i. They will reject the preachers of truth and the Bible and gather teachers to tell them what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:1-5)
ii. People in the church will reject 2 Timothy 3:16-17: 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1. People will devote themselves to myths rather than truth.
a. Evolution as the Creation of the world and man by the way is a myth not a scientific fact!
2. People will devote themselves to meaningless talk rather than wisdom.
a. Have you ever sat through professors teachings in college?
3. People will devote themselves to stirring up controversies rather than being peacemakers.
a. There will be an assault on God’s Word, truth, what is right and wrong will be flipped!
i. People will call evil good and good evil!
4. People will oppose absolute truth for lies and deny any absolute truth.
a. In other words they will turn their ears away from the truth and be deceived by the antichrist spirit, the false prophet and by Satan himself!
b. This will become the Great Deception spoken of!
g. To keep from being deceived live the five things I talked about last week to grow you faith every day:
i. Practical teaching – Hearing, learning and then the application of what you learned by doing it - are all keys to growing in our faith walk.
1. Making God’s Word practical is the calling of a pastor/teacher.
a. The key: God wants us to not just know the Bible but do the Bible.
2. The problem in America Churches is too many know the Bible but they do not do what the Bible says to do.
ii. Providential relationships – In our lives we can name key people who have all played divine rolls in helping us to grow in our faith.
1. Everyone of us can tell of people who have helped us on our spiritual journey these people all played key roles in growing our faith.
a. Name a few key people in your life.
2. God brings someone in your life at just the right moment to help you grow spiritually.
a. Can you identify who these people are?
iii. Spiritual disciplines – these include prayer, and giving and striving to stretch us in our faith so it will grow – so we will grow.
1. It’s the key concept of discipline – Examples of disciplines are: like in physical exercise, diet, budgeting, calling my mom, these are things we are suppose to do in life.
2. This helps our confidence in the Lord to grow as He shows the impact these disciplines make in our life.
3. Quote: Andy Stanley: Discipline is all about doing what you don’t what to do know so you can do what you want to do later.
a. It’s all about delayed gratification like going to school to become what you want to be.
iv. Personal ministry – Have you ever volunteered to do something you were not qualified for and discovered it helped you to grow because you were actually doing ministry?
1. One way God helps us to grow in our faith is by placing us in places to serve others for the Kingdom and the result is we end up growing.
2. The Story of Todd Cruise from When God’s Spirit Moves!
v. Pivotal circumstances – Life is filled with unexpected surprises. But each unexpected event is a divine opportunity to grow through it.
1. These circumstances can be good, can be trials, can be stressful or stages of life but in these situations God wants us to grow through them so as to teach us His faithfulness and to build our confidence in Him.
Conclusion:
Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians to make sure we are not deceived and we do this by knowing the characteristics of the Antichrist, by knowing the signs of the end times, by understanding who is holding back evils power and by knowing the difference between truth and lies. We must stand firm in this end time and fight the fight of faith and not buy into the great delusion of Satan. We are not to be deceived but do the work of the Kingdom –by sharing our faith, by praying for our relatives and friends – by praying for our neighborhoods and our nation. By fulfilling the Great Commission and sharing the truth With the lost.
