“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or
be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that
the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day
shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of
God, showing himself that he is God”
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
Introduction
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will one day return to this present
earth to set up His millennial kingdom. We also believe that there will be a
rapture of the Church several years prior to this event. In this study we will
take a brief look at the conditions on earth before the Second Coming of Christ.
Lawlessness
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He who now
letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).
We cannot deny that we are living in an age of worldwide lawlessness. From
terrorism to the petty thief, everyone is doing what seems right in their own
eyes, especially since the authorities seem powerless to uphold righteous laws
… “In those days there was no king in
Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges
21:25).Those responsible for law-keeping appear to be hell-bent on hindering and
prosecuting those who stand for godliness and righteousness. Any nation that
forsakes God will find immense evil on its streets … “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget
God” (Psalm 9:17). Justice is not only blind, but she has had her eyes
plucked out by humanism, false religion, and do-gooders.
Apostasy
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
Lawlessness always leads to great sin. The world is an abomination in the eyes
of God, and it stands on the verge of judgement. But what of the Church? Instead
of learning from the Church, it is the Church that is influenced by the world.
Professing Christians see nothing wrong with living by the same ungodly
standards as the unsaved. The teachings and doctrines of Scripture are being
forsaken and replaced with whatever ‘tickles’ the ear … “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Modern-day preachers offer pep-talks
(sugar-coated poison) in place of soul-searching Biblical sermons. Today’s
church members know everything about the latest pop idol, but nothing about the
Lord Jesus Christ.
The Restrainer
“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his
time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He who now letteth
will let, until He be taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7).
The Holy Spirit is involved in a two-fold ministry. Firstly, He is convicting
men of sin and drawing sinners to Christ … “When
He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment” (John 16:8). Secondly, He hinders Satan from doing all that he
pleases on the earth; otherwise world conditions would be much worse.
The Holy Spirit’s restraining influence will be removed, probably at the same
time the Church is caught away, since the Church is the Temple of the Spirit …
“What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not
your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19) … “For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with Him. For
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the
Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1
Thessalonians 4:14-17).
The removal of the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit must take place
before Christ sets up His millennial kingdom. This will unleash the unrestrained
power of Satan. Just how bad it will be when all the demonic forces are released
is beyond imagination … “Therefore
rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the
earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12).
The Antichrist revealed
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son
of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Revelation 13 explains something of what is going to happen once the Antichrist
is revealed and receives the adoration of the world. Though he might not control
the entire earth, he will certainly be the focal point for world leaders and
citizens. He will be worshipped as though he were a god. The Antichrist’s
kingdom, lasting about seven years, will be established prior to the actual
Second Coming of the Lord. The “Beast”
will seek to control the lives, both physically and spiritually, of everyone on
earth, and would achieve this goal unless the Lord intervenes.
Antichrist’s destruction
“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them
that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).
The “wicked” one will be destroyed
by the Lord when He returns. His evil kingdom will disappear in an instant, and
he will be cast into the Lake of Fire … “And
I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together
to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the
beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and
them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:19-20).
Conclusion
The signs of the times are displayed all around us every day. The increasing
pace of “the mystery of iniquity”
can be frightening at times. Everywhere we see evidence of “strong delusion.” Both in the world and the church sin abounds
with few seeking to warn about the results of such lawlessness. Today’s
generation love lies instead of the truth because the truth of God’s word is
distasteful to it … “For every one
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds
may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:20-21).
Regardless of the conditions, it is our responsibility to do two things: [1]
Keep preaching the Gospel of Christ until He returns … “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20); [2] Keep ourselves free from the
evil practices and standards of this world … “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world” (James 1:27) and “That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).
Page created 4 February 2006