How many of you have heard that the end of the world was supposed to happen??
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Over and over again there will be doomsayers and they will all be wrong because the only truth is what God states in the Bible. Jesus Christ actually states that only God the Father knows the date and the hour of the end of the world.
No person can know when the end of the world will happen, BUT, the Bible gives us many clues when it will happen.
Open your Bibles once again to 1 Thessalonians 4……
Read along with me 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18……
And so we know that the end of the world will not happen until Jesus shows up in the clouds and takes up all His Believers (dead or alive) to heaven; this is called the Rapture. And so, the Rapture is a major signal that the end of the world is coming. There has been no record of the Rapture ever happening, but if we study the Bible, this “Rapture” can happen at any moment now to usher in the end of the world!
Let us now continue to learn from the 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians; turn now to 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2; read along with me starting with verse 1………
And so, what can we note from the beginning of 2 Thessalonians 2? Yes, the topic is specifically the Return of Jesus Christ to the earth, but we can note a general truth:
v1-2: there will be deceivers of God’s Word pretending to be God’s people!
And in v3-7, to help the Thessalonian Christian and us today, God states other events will occur before the end of the world.
v3-7: Before the “day of the Lord” a rebellion will happen:
- There will be a man of lawlessness, a man doomed for destruction
- This man of lawlessness will exalt himself as god in the Holy Temple
There are a couple of things to note here:
1. Scriptures supports Scriptures (same prophecy in the Book of Daniel)
2. “Day of the Lord” could mean the Rapture or Jesus Christ returning to fully judge the world.
3. The Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt before the end of the world!
4. From v7…. The power of lawlessness has already been at work!
How soon will the end of the world happen? Keep an eye on Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple. Currently here’s what’s happening: most Jews believe that the Temple will be rebuilt when the Jewish Messiah comes; Three times a day, Orthodox Jews recite prayers for the Temple's restoration; there are a number of organizations pursuing the rebuilding of the Temple; some have already prepared priests for the Temple will all of the garb and instruments needed; the Red Heifer needed for the Temple sacrifices was recently found; Scientists found that the Dome of the Rock where the Temple is supposed to be is the one in most danger of collapsing due to an earthquake!
The rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem will happen soon. The Antichrist, the man of lawlessness will show up soon. The judgment of the world by Jesus Christ will happen soon! And as we noted recently from Luke 17:26-27….
"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
God warns of judgment. God provides salvation through belief in Jesus Christ (the eternal ark). God will judge all unbelievers! If you have never believed and accepted Jesus Christ as your only Savior and God, you have been warned. Today is the day to be saved by believing and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!
Let us end the message here for now and continue from v8 next week.
But for us who already believe in Jesus Christ, how are we doing with v15-17?
Before we celebrate with Communion, let us all take a personal quiet moment with God by affirming in your heart that Jesus Christ is your only Savior and God and commit to the instructions from v15-17 of 2 Thessalonians 2. Take a moment to quietly pray…..
