When is Jesus coming back?
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
In 2000 a movie came out called “Left Behind”. This movie was based upon Tim LaHaye’s very popular, fictional series entitled “Left Behind”. For those of you that don’t know, Tim LaHaye writes fictional stories about the end times and the return of Jesus.
Here’s the plot summary for LaHaye’s movie
“Rayford Steele is an airline pilot whose relationship with his wife has gone sour; she responds by devoting more of her time and energy to the church, while he ponders having an affair with an attractive flight attendant. In the midst of a flight to London, a number of the passengers mysteriously disappear, and chaos takes hold as a number of vehicles on the ground and in the air are suddenly unmanned. Meanwhile, Buck Williams, a television journalist, is pondering the rash of sudden disappearances as he works on a report about Dr. Rosenzweig, an Israeli scientist who has devised a formula that would make any soil on earth easy to cultivate. However, Buck wonders if there’s more to Rosenzweig than he first imagined when he discovers the doctor is in cahoots with two multi-millionaires who plan to broker the invention to promote their own agenda of international domination.”
Despite the convoluted plot, more than 25 million copies of this video were sold.
Thoughts:
1. Christians, and rightfully so, have a keen interest in the return of Jesus and what is going to happen in the days leading up to the end of the world.
2. The ability to separate fact from fiction and what is false from the truth, is an important skill that Christians need to learn
I. The reason I have come to you this morning talking about the “Left Behind” series that Tim Lahaye wrote is because the Thessalonian Christians came to believe that Jesus had returned and that they had been left behind.
Note and read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a – which proves this point
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not 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. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way,…”
As the text tells us, the Thessalonian Christians were duped into believing that Jesus had come back, taken the Christians with him, and that the last days were unfolding right before their eyes. In short, they fell for the lie of the evil one, “hook, line, and sinker”.
The Thessalonians were so badly deceived that they were on edge. The “news” that Jesus had returned, and the thought that he hadn’t taken them to be with him, had turned their world upside down. For a moment in time they had lost their senses.
II. The Scriptures teach us that many false messages of Jesus’ return will abound
“At that time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!’ or, `Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time” Mark 13:21-22
We are not to be deceived about the coming of Jesus!
Unfortunately some already have been deceived: i.e 7th Day Adventists teach that Jesus made an invisible return in the 1800’s. Over the years many have tried to set dates.
III. We know that Jesus has not yet returned because the man of lawlessness has not yet been revealed
In our text for today, Paul reassures the Thessalonians that Jesus had not already returned and left them behind by reminding them (v.5) that the one the Scriptures call “The man of lawlessness” had not yet come.
In Revelation this man is called “The Beast”. In 1 John he is called “The Antichrist”. In the book of Daniel he is spoken of as being a “king” with a kingdom.
You and I likewise know that Jesus has not returned and that the world’s history is not about to close quite yet, because this man of lawlessness, this final king, this beast, this one called the Antichrist, has not yet come to power.
Who is this man of lawlessness? How will we be able to recognize him?
Sources: 2 Thessalonians 2, Revelation 13, Matthew 24, Daniel 7:23-28; 8:23-27; 9:25-27, 11, I John 2:18,22;
I cannot and will not supply you with any names or guesses. Such would not be proper, particularly since the identity of the man of lawlessness will become crystal clear one day.
Many types of this man, in localized ways, have already appeared. Many more will come too. i.e Lenin, Mao, Castro, various dictators and despots.
18 things about the coming man of lawlessness-- who will appear prior to the return of Jesus is:
1. A man totally sold out to evil and rebellion against God and His Word. (2 Thess 2:3)
2. He will encourage the people of this world to sin in every way –hence his name
3. A man who will exalt and glorify himself above God and every thing else. He will demand exclusive worship and honor (Daniel 7:8)
4. He will set himself up in Jerusalem, in a rebuilt Jewish Temple. (2 Thess. 2:4, Matthew 24:15)—and yes I know there is currently no Temple in Jerusalem. However it is prophesied.
5. He will defile this rebuilt Temple and there proclaim that he himself is God. This has been pre figured already i.e 164 B.C when Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple and set up a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies. In addition to this he scattered a soup around the temple made of pigs and demanded that he be worshipped as a manifestation of God.
6. He will be statesman, a politician, a great military leader
7. He will conquer the world (Revelation13:7)
8. He will be popular. The people of this world will down before him. They will embrace him as their king. They will be deceived by him and ultimately will go to Hell with him
9. He will be incredibly deceptive. (2 Thess. 2:9-11, Daniel 8:23-25)
10. He will have the ability to perform counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders (2 Thess. 2:9)
11. He will be rich and powerful
12. He will be successful in everything he does, until his time is up (Daniel 7:24)
13. His reign of absolute terror will last for 42 months (Revelation 13:5, Matthew 24:22, Daniel 7:23)
14. He will come in under the guise of peace and then he will turn into worst and most bloody ruler that this world has ever seen
15. He will call for the extermination of every Christian (Daniel 7:21,25)
16. It will be a time for flight and hiding (Matthew 24:15-20)
17. He will cause the blood of Christians to flow and many saints will be killed. (Revelation 13:7)
18. Praise the Lord, his reign will be cut short, he will be destroyed when Jesus returns. He is doomed to destruction (2 Thess. 2:3, Matthew 24:22)
How is it possible that someone so described will appear on the scene?
Is it really possible that into this fragmented and divided world of ours that a ruler will appear who will conquer and unite the world under him?
Such is not as implausible as some may think. The account of Napoleon Bonaparte illustrates the point. This account comes from the book “The coming Prince” by Robert Anderson.
At two-and-twenty years of age, Alexander crossed the Hellespont, the prince of a petty Grecian state. Four years later he had founded an Empire and gave a new direction to the history of the world.
When Alexander entered the French military school at Brienne, he was an unknown lad, without even the advantages which rank and wealth afford. So utterly obscure was his position that, not only did he owe his admission to the school to the influence of the Governor of Corsica. If then such a man, by the gigantic force of his personal qualities, combined with the accident of favoring circumstances, could attain the place which history has assigned to him, the fact affords the fullest answer to every objection which can be urged against the credibility of the predicted career of the man of prophecy.
Why has the man of lawlessness not yet been revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy?
2 Thessalonians 2:7 tells us why. “For 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.”
a. The secret power of lawlessness is a reference to what John calls the spirit of the antichrist. The spirit of the anti Christ manifests itself in people saying that Jesus is not God and that he did not come in the flesh. 1 John 4:1-3
b. The Holy Spirit is the one who holds evil in check. His is a restraining work
c. Everything is happening according to God’s perfect time table
CONCLUSION
1. Is Jesus coming back? YES. What tremendous news!
In 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 it says of Jesus’ return “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”
NO DATE SETTING ALLOWED!
2. Will there be deceivers who come and say “Jesus is back” or “Jesus has already come back” YES--- so be on your guard!
3. How do we know that Jesus has not yet returned?
Because the man of lawlessness, the antichrist, the beast, the final king of this world has not yet been revealed.
4. How ought we to respond to today’s lesson?
a. We are not to be afraid
The material we have covered today about the coming man of lawlessness was revealed to Daniel more than 2500 years ago. It blew him away. It terrified him. It left him in utter shock and sick to his stomach. It disturbed him.
For us who love Christ, we ought not be afraid of what we have heard today. So said the angel to Daniel in Daniel 10:12 “Do not be afraid Daniel”.
We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
We need to stand firm.
We are not have a spirit of fear or despair or of timidity. We belong to Jesus. For us who are the followers of Jesus, our soul is eternally safe. Nothing can separate from Christ and his love.
It is still the day. It is still the time of reaping and sowing.
b. We must not become complacent!
This is the other danger of hearing a message like this. What a shame for any of us to think to ourselves “The Temple has not been rebuilt yet. The man of lawlessness has not yet been revealed. Thus I can sit back and coast and not think about Jesus and his return.”
How foolish a perspective! The Scriptures sternly warn against such laxness and lack of preparedness.
In the time that remains to us in this life we must do everything we can to faithfully serve Jesus and invite others to come to Christ. To do anything less is to fall short of our high calling.
