The Final Victory

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.