THE FINAL VICTORY
(II THESS 2:1-17)
I. TWO CERTAINTIES ABOUT CHRIST’S COMING: (VS 1)
1. CHRIST WILL COME
A. BECAUSE HE SAID HE WOULD
"And then shall appear the sign of the
Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all
the tribes of the earth mourn, and they
shall see the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great
glory" Math 24:30
B. BECAUSE THE ANGELS SAID HE WOULD
"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up
into heaven? This same Jesus, who is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seen him
go into heaven" Acts 1:11
2. THERE WILL BE A GATHERING OF ALL SAINTS
A. BECAUSE JESUS SAID SO
"And he shall send his angels with a great
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other"
Math 24:31
B. THE BOOK OF HEBREWS SAYS SO
"But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto
the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jersusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels, to the general assembly and
church of the first-born, who are written
in heaven and to God, the Judge of all
and to the spirits of just men made
perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator
of the new covenant" Heb 12:22-24
II. TWO THINGS TO BEWARE OF: (VS 2 & 3)
1. BE NOT QUICKLY SHAKEN - GOD IS STILL ON HIS THRONE
Heb 12:26-28 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
2. BE NOT DECEIVED - THERE WILL BE MANY FALSE PROPHETS
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
III. TWO THINGS THAT WILL PRECEED HIS COMING:(VS 3)
1. THE APOSTASY - LOOKS A LOT LIKE TODAY
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
2. THE MAN OF SIN -
Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Dan 9:26,27 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
ALSO: Rev 13:6-8 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Will these things preceed the Rapture?
I think not because:
1. Rev 4:1 represents the Rapture; Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
2. Rev 4:4 mentions 24 elders sitting around the throne, These elders represent the church
(1 Tim 5:17, Titus 1:5).
3. Those in heaven sing a new song; Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
4. These number over 100 million; Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
All this happens in chapters 4 and 5 before Christ opens the first scroll of judgement in chapter 6.
Then who are these saints spoken of in Rev 13 that the Anti Christ makes war with?
Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:13-14 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Notice it was an elder, one of the saved church, that asked the question.
IV. TWO THINGS ABOUT THE ANTI-CHRIST (VS 4)
1. HE OPPOSES ALL THINGS OF GOD
"He shall speak great words against the Most
High and shall wear out the saints of the Most
High, and and think to change the times and
laws" Dan 7:25
"He shall also stand up against the "Prince of
Princes (Jesus) Dan 8:25
"Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus
is the Christ? He is the Antichrist, that
denieth the Father and the Son" I John 2:22
2. HE CLAIMS TO BE GOD
Dan 11:36 and vs 4
V. TWO MYSTERYS:(VS 5-7)
1. THE MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS
Compare with I Tim 3:16 where the "Mystery of
Godliness" refers to God Manifest in the
Flesh.
This seems to indicate that the Antichrist is
the incarnation of the devil himself.
This is not the first time; see John 6:70-71
2. THE MYSTERY OF THE RESTRAINING FORCE
What is it that hinders the work of Satan?
Who is capable of restraining Satan?
The Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way
when the Church, were He resides is raptured.
VI. TWO OF GOD’S FINAL JUDGEMENTS (VS 8)
1. HE WILL REVEAL THE DECIEVER
1.It will be too late for the decieved
verses 10-12
2. HE WILL SLAY HIM WITH HIS VOICE
Light always expels darkness.
VII. TWO THINGS FOR US TO DO: (VS 13-15)
1. ALWAYS GIVE THANKS
A. WE ARE CHOSEN TO BE SAVED
B. SHARING IN THE GLORY OF OUR LORD JESUS
CHRIST
2. STAND FIRM
A. HOLD TO THE TRADITIONS (BEHAVIOR)
KEEP THE FAITH AND TEACHINGS
B. COMFORT OUR HEARTS KNOWING CHRIST
WILL HAVE THE FINAL VICTORY
AND CONTINUE IN EVERY GOOD WORK
