2 Thessalonians 2 Lesson #14

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS

2THESSALONIANS 2:1-5
LESSON #14
GOD’S PLAN FOR THE WORLD

• MEMORY VERSE: 2THESSALONIANS 2:2

• READ 2THE 2:1-2
  • THE MEANING OF VARIOUS TROUBLESOME PHRASES:
    • “BY THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST” (1)
      • THIS PHRASE REFERS TO THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
    • “AND BY OUR GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM” (1)
      • THIS PHRASE REFERS TO THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.
        • PAUL IS REASSURING THE BELIEVERS IN THESSALONICA THAT THE RAPTURE COMES BEFORE THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. (2)
    • “THE DAY OF CHRIST IS AT HAND”. (2)
      • THERE IS SOME CONFUSION HERE WITH THIS PHRASE. THE OLD KING JAMES VERSION USES THE PHRASE “DAY OF CHRIST”. HOWEVER, THE ORIGINAL HEBREW USES THE PHRASE “DAY OF THE LORD”.
        • REMEMBER THAT THE PHRASE “THE DAY OF CHRIST” REFERS TO THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.
        • THE PHRASE “DAY OF THE LORD” REFERS TO THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
      • IF THE INTERPRETATION MEANT THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH (DAY OF CHRIST), PAUL WOULD NOT BE CONCERNED THAT THESE BELIEVERS WERE “SHAKEN IN MIND”. THEY WOULD NOT BE “SHAKEN IN MIND” IF THE RAPTURE WAS AT HAND. BECAUSE THEY ARE WORRIED, THE PHRASE MEANS THAT IT IS THE TRIBULATION PERIOD (DAY OF THE LORD) THAT CONCERNS THEM.
    • “LETTER AS FROM US” (2)
      • SOMEONE HAD WRITTEN A LETTER AND SAID IT WAS FROM PAUL. THIS LETTER EVIDENTLY SAID THAT THE RAPTURE HAD OCCURRED AND THEY WERE LIVING IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT THE PEOPLE WERE WORRIED.
    • PAUL’S WARNING IN VERSE 2:
      • DON’T LISTEN TO EVERY MESSAGE THAT A PERSON SAYS IS FROM GOD WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING IT OUT WITH THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE.
  • JOEL’S DESCRIPTION OF “THE DAY OF THE LORD” (THE TRIBULATION PERIOD):
    • READ JOEL 2:1-11
      • JOEL WROTE HIS PROPHECY BEFORE THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY. HE SAYS THE ARMIES OF ASSYRIA AND BABYLON WILL SWARM OVER THE LAND OF ISRAEL LIKE LOCUST BLOTTING OUT THE SUN. THEY WILL DEVOUR EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE PEOPLE.
        • THIS PROPHECY WAS FIRST FULFILLED WHEN THE ISRAELITES WERE TAKEN CAPTIVE TO BABYLON.
        • BIBLE PROPHECY HAS A DOUBLE FULFILLMENT. THEREFORE, WE MUST LOOK FOR A SECOND FULFILLMENT. THE SECOND FULFILLMENT WILL BE IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
          • PHYSICAL DEATH AND TOTAL DESTRUCTION WILL SWEEP OVER THE EARTH LIKE A SWARM OF LOCUST. IN OTHER WORDS, IT WILL NOT BE PHYSICAL LOCUST BUT IN THE FORM OF ARMIES WHO BRING DESTRUCTION TO THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. THESE ARMIES WILL BE LED BY THE ANTI-CHRIST AND THE FALSE PROPHET AGAINST THOSE WHO OPPOSE THE LEADERSHIP OF THE ANTI-CHRIST.
            • READ REV 9:1-11
              • IT WILL BE SATAN WHO INSPIRES THE EVIL SPIRITS BEHIND THESE ARMIES.
          • THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WILL END WITH THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON WHEN THE SUN IS BLOTTED OUT. (MAT 24:29-31 LUK 21:25-28 ACTS 2:20 REV 6:12-17)
      • THE CHURCH AT THESSALONICA HAD THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES ABOUT THE DAY OF THE LORD. THEY KNEW THEM. THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THEIR TROUBLED MIND.

• READ 2THE 2:3-5 THE FALLING AWAY AND THE MAN OF SIN
  • PAUL TELLS THEM THAT TWO EVENTS MUST COME BEFORE THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST:
    • -1- THE FALLING AWAY (APOSTASY):
      • NUMEROUS SCRIPTURES TALK ABOUT A FALLING AWAY IN THE LAST DAYS. (1TIM 4:1-16 2TIM 3:1-17 MAT 24:23-26)
      • THE DEFINITION OF APOSTASY:
        • APOSTASY REFERS TO ONE WHO KNOWS THE STANDARD OF TRUTH OF THE WORD OF GOD, TURNS HIS BACK ON IT AND “FALLS AWAY” FROM THAT TRUTH.
          • THIS FALLING AWAY FROM TRUTH BEGINS IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE CHURCH AGE BEFORE THE COMING OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
            • WE CAN SEE IT TODAY. ORGANIZED CHRISTIAN CHURCH DENOMINATIONS THAT USED TO PREACH THE BASIC CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES IN THE WORD OF GOD, NO LONGER PREACH ABOUT SIN, REDEMPTION, AND SALVATION THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.
          • THIS FALLING WAY FROM TRUTH ENDURES INTO THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WHERE PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE THE LIE THAT THE ANTI-CHRIST IS THE TRUE CHRIST.
            • THIS TOTAL APOSTASY WILL OCCUR BECAUSE THE TRUE CHURCH WILL BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WORLD IN THE RAPTURE BEFORE THE TRIBULATION PERIOD BEGINS.
      • THE FINAL FORM OF APOSTASY:
        • IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD THERE WILL BE A MAN THE BIBLE CALLS THE FALSE PROPHET.
          • READ REV 13:11-18
            • HE WILL BE SECOND IN COMMAND UNDER THE ANTI-CHRIST.
            • HE WILL BE THE LEADER OF A WORLD FALSE RELIGION.
              • READ REV 17:1-6
    • -2- THE COMING OF THE MAN OF SIN (3-4)
      • PAUL TELLS US HERE IN 2THE 3 THAT THERE IS A FALLING AWAY BEFORE “THE MAN OF SIN” IS REVEALED.
      • WHO IS “THE MAN OF SIN”?
        • HE IS THE ANTI-CHRIST. (1JOH 2:18,22) THE TERM “ANTI-CHRIST” HAS TWO MEANINGS.
          • IT MEANS SOMEONE WHO IS AGAINST CHRIST.
          • IT MEANS SOMEONE WHO TAKES THE PLACE OF CHRIST.
            • THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL BE A REAL HUMAN BEING WHO GAINS CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE WHOLE WORLD DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. THE BOOK OF REVELATION CALLS HIM “THE BEAST”.
              • READ REV 13:1-10
        • HE IS THE “SON OF PERDITION” (LAWLESSNESS) (3)
          • THIS PHRASE REFERS TO THE FACT THAT THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL BE INDWELT BY SATAN AT THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. HE WILL FOLLOW NO LAWS BUT THOSE OF SATAN. (REV 12:7-17 REV 13:4)
          • AS A PREFIGURE OF THE ANTI-CHRIST, THIS PHRASE, “SON OF PERDITION”, WAS ALSO USED TO REFER TO JUDAS. (JOH 17:12)
        • THERE ARE MORE THAN 40 NAMES THAT THE BIBLE USES FOR THE ANTI-CHRIST AS WELL AS MANY PREFIGURES. SOME OF THE MOST COMMON NAMES ARE:
          • THE MAN OF SIN (2THE 2:3)
          • SON OF PERDITION (2THE 2:3)
          • THE WICKED ONE (2THE 2:8)
          • SATAN’S SEED (GEN 3:15)
          • THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE (REV 6)
          • THE LITTLE HORN (DAN 7:8)
          • THE WILLFUL KING (DAN 11:36)
          • THE IDOL SHEPHERD (ZEC 11:17)
          • THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (MAT 24:15)
          • THE PRINCE THAT SHALL COME (DAN 9:26)
          • THE KING OF FIERCE COUNTENANCE (DAN 8:23)
          • THE ASSYRIAN (ISA 30:30-31 ISA 14:25)
          • THE CHALDEAN (HAB 1:6,11)
          • THE PRINCE OF TYRE (EZE 28:2)
          • THE KING OF BABYLON (EZE 30:10 ISA 14:4)
      • IN 2THE 2:4 PAUL TELLS US THAT THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL SEEK TO BE WORSHIPPED AS GOD.
        • “SITTETH IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD” (4)
          • IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, SATAN WILL INDWELL THE ANTI-CHRIST. THEN THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL PUT HIS IMAGE (IDOL) IN THE JEWISH TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM FOR WORSHIP.
            • JESUS CALLED THIS EVENT, “THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION” IN MAT 24:15.
• APPLICATION:
  • IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WILL BE A TIME OF DECISION. WE CAN PRAISE GOD THAT WE HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT IN THIS AGE AND HAVE MADE THAT DECISION FOR JESUS CHRIST!

HOMEWORK
2 THESSALONIANS 2:6-8
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework to the teacher for correction.

• APPLICATION OF 2THE 2:1-5
  • WHAT EVIDENCE OF THE COMING APOSTASY HAVE YOU NOTICED TODAY?

• PREPARATION OF 2THE 2:6-8
  • READ 2THE 2:6-8
    • WHO OR WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE “ONE WHO HINDERS” IN VERSE 6?

• WHAT ARE YOUR REASONS FOR THIS ANSWER?

• MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 36:12