The Day of the Lord, Part 1 - The Rebellion

There are hypocrites. Who are mixed in the church along with the good, and yet, They are not part of the church, although they are outwardly in it. And so it is those who are members of this covenant community outwardly, but not inwardly, who ultimately will be led astray and deceived, following the delusions of this man of lawlessness, and will commit apostasy and fall away from the faith. And it will happen not outside of the church, it will happen in the church. Hi, welcome to Hymn We Proclaim with John Fonville.

Today we're diving into some pretty weighty topics: Revelation, the end times, the Antichrist. Do those phrases conjure up anything from the recent past?

Well, I won't say how old I am, but if you're in my age group you might get flashbacks to those ominous seventies and eighties movies or the so called prophets who boldly predicted the end of the world, only to quietly disappear when their predictions well, didn't exactly pan out. According to the hot-selling book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988, it is written by Edgar Wisnott, a former Nassau rocket engineer who spent 14 years organizing the end-of-the-time prophecies in the Bible. And there will be no place to hide beasts in the night. I wish we'd all been red. But don't worry, we're not about to go down that road.

No wild speculation here. If you've been tuning into this series, you already know we're all about a solid biblical perspective. No guesswork, just the real deal about the glorious second coming of Jesus. Today's message is titled The Day of the Lord, Part 1, The Rebellion. We're going to learn about some very clear, unmistakable events that will take place before Christ returns.

Spoiler alert, when it happens, believers won't need a calendar reminder. It's going to be impossible to miss.

So without further ado, here's Pastor John with this important message.

So, the next major event to occur in redemptive history is the second coming of Christ, which is what we call the day of the Lord. And that's what Paul's concern is here to discuss with us the day of the Lord, Christ's return.

So the big question is this. When will Jesus return? When will Jesus come again? This question has occupied the minds of countless believers throughout the centuries, and this question has been the object of ridicule by scoffers as Peter writes. In 2 Peter 3, verse 4, he says, the scoffers, they will say, where is the promise of his coming?

For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. As we consider Christ's second coming, it's important to understand two things as we begin to look at Christ's return in chapter 2 here. The first thing is this, is that the New Testament deals with the second coming of Christ in such a way as to prevent wild, speculative date setting. and also to discourage idle living. Discourage ungodly living.

So there's a moral point to the second coming, the hope of Christ, the second coming of Christ, the day of the Lord.

Now regrettably, American evangelicals too often learn their end time doctrine from fiction novels. Uh in time movies. Cable television programming like TBN. The latest events in Europe and the latest events in the Middle East, the Jerusalem Post, rather than from the pages of Scripture. Um wild speculation abounds.

And there's no end to examples of end-time date setters and prognosticators. Let me just give you a couple of examples. One of the most notorious was an evangelist called Harold Camping. You've heard of him. Good old Harold died in 2013 at the age of 92.

Before he did, he made a couple of predictions. He predicted that Christ would return in September of 1994 in his best-selling book that was entitled 1994 Question Mark. He was wrong, obviously, because it's 2017. Then, so he came out later with his Judgment Day, May 21st, 2011, billboard. And he put these billboards up, and this billboards captured the attention of the news media, obviously, the scoffers.

And so when his prediction failed, he would recalculate it. And he continued to recalculate until he gave up, and then God. If he was trusting Christ, took him and straightened him out very quickly. Um There's another example in his book called I Predict 2000. Lester Sumrall, maybe you've heard of Lester Summerall, he's a famous Pentecostal pastor and evangelist.

He predicted that at the year 2000 AD, Jesus would be reigning from Jerusalem for a thousand years.

Well Didn't happen. Of all the sensationalist prophetic teachers, perhaps none is better than Hal Lindsay. He is the author of the book, The Late Great Planet Earth. This book quickly became the best-selling non-fiction book of the 1970s. Most of you are millennials out there, you don't even know what the 1970s are.

I was born sometime around there. Not going to tell you exactly when. But I remember how Lindsay and the late great planet Earth, my dad had a copy of it. And it was translated into more than 50 languages. And it sold over 35 million copies.

So that man became quite wealthy. If it was at 20 bucks a pop, you do the math. That's pretty good. He even later made a film version of it, and it was narrated by Orson Welles. But in his book, Lindsay predicted the return of Christ in 1988.

And he said that the rapture, the okay, so-called rapture of the church, right? The rapture of the church would occur seven years prior to 1988 and 1981. We're all sitting here still, so it didn't happen. By 1997, Lindsay changed his prediction of Christ's returning, kind of missed it. You had to recalculate like Harold Camping.

So, when discussing the second coming of Christ, we need to listen, refuse to listen to these futile efforts. Don't just don't even pay attention to them. We need to refuse to listen to these false teachers. Who attempt to tie biblical prophecy to curtain events that hold the Bible in one hand, they have TV and on in the middle, and they have the Jerusalem Post in their other hand. They're trying to make all these wild predictions as to what's going to happen.

They make these, they set these dates.

So we need to refuse to listen to that useless nonsense. Concerning the time of his return, Jesus himself during his incarnation said, Of that day and hour, no one knows. Amen. Not even the angels of heaven nor the sun. But the Father alone knows.

Just before his ascension, the disciples were asking Jesus, Jesus, is it time? Is it time? Is the glory of the kingdom coming? And Jesus says to them in Acts 1:7, it is not for you to know the times or dates. The Father has said by his own authority.

Don't worry about that, Jesus says.

So, if there's one thing that the Bible is clear on, it is this. Listen carefully. No one knows the specific time of Christ's return. No one.

So, don't even entertain these prognosticators on TVN. Just turn them off. Or watch it for a good laugh, but don't entertain it. Um Now, with that caution in mind, the New Testament does set forth specific events that will precede the imminent return of Christ. The imminent return means the possibility that Jesus could return at any moment.

So we could, they could happen before this service ends, but I'm not going to. Set a date about that, right? No time limit. It could happen at any moment. But the Bible, New Testament, also says for specific events That will precede this imminent return.

Let me give you some examples. In Matthew 24, in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus speaks of his coming as near. Yet, he also speaks of his coming as preceded by definite signs, and he gives you some examples. One of them. Matthew 24, verse 14, he says that the preaching of the gospel will go to the ends of the earth.

There are still people groups in this world who have never once heard the gospel.

So there are signs and events that will precede this imminent return. Paul here in 2 Thessalonians 2 echoes the teaching of Jesus. He tells us both in 1st and 2 Thessalonians: be ready because Christ could return at any moment. It is an imminent return, yet. This return will be preceded by specific events.

Now, the point of the New Testament having this tension between Christ's imminent return and yet preceded by certain end-time events. It's for this reason. Since nobody knows when the Lord will return, and yet certain events must precede his return. The point of that is that Christians, you and I, should always make sure that we are ready. for his return.

That's the point, it's not for date setting. It's not for prognostication. It is for being ready. It is for, as you'll see in chapter 3, not living an ungodly life, but living a godly life in view of the fact that the judge, the king, is returning. And so it motivates us not to be preoccupied with setting dates, but to forsake idle and ungodly living and to be ready for his return.

Second, the focus of the New Testament on the return of Christ, the focus is always pastoral rather than speculative. It is always pastoral rather than speculative. In contrast to a great deal of contemporary teaching on the end times, and there's no end to the books that come out. Um Paul's purpose here in 2 Thessalonians 2 was not to offer speculation about end-time events. Rather, his intent, his motive, was to calm and comfort Alarm believers By correcting false teaching about the day of the Lord that had come from false teachers who had come into the church and shaken their faith greatly.

This is a pastoral point. That's why, in chapter 2, verses 16 and 17, listen to what Paul says. He says, Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us, And look, and gave us eternal comfort. This is what he's concerned about. Gave us eternal comfort, and look, good hope.

He wants you to have hope. Through grace. Comfort your hearts. And establish them in every good work and word. That leads to chapter 3.

Don't be idle, do good works, love your neighbor, go to work. Bless your neighbor. Don't worry about the end time events. Have comfort and good hope. That's what Paul's concern is in this passage.

So, with that in mind, as a little bit of a qualifier, let's look at chapter 2, verses 1 through 12. And we're going to look this morning at the first. Um let's see. Um we're gonna look at the first three verses.

So, the first major issue that Paul deals with in chapter 1, as we saw, was the justice of God in the face of the Thessalonians' persecution.

So, we looked at: is God just? And Paul says, indeed he's just, he will return, and he will exercise vengeance on God's on his enemies and the church's enemies, and he will bring vindication, glorification, and glorify and beautify God's people and his time. But now, look what Paul says, chapter 2, verse 1. He says, Now concerning, so with those words, he's taking up the second major issue that he's going to address in this letter, and that is when the second coming of Christ will occur. Let me just give you a couple of background points and some context so that you get exactly what Paul's doing here.

First of all, This particular chapter, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, is one of the most difficult passages of all of Paul's letters. I sat there all week with this going, oh man, I'm just gonna shake my head and get up and go take a walk. It's very difficult. But one of the difficulties is for this reason. Look at chapter 2, verse 5.

Paul says to the Thessalonians, Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things?

So Paul is rehashing in a very, very summary fashion details that he had already shared with this church about the second coming of Christ. And I'm just like, well, Paul, why couldn't you have just gone elaborate a little bit more about what you told them? Because basically what we're doing is we are standing on the outside of a conversation that took place between two other people that we weren't privy to all of what Paul had already told them.

So, it's very difficult to know exactly what Paul meant in certain places. And so, there are some things that he says that are very clear and that we can be very certain about, but other places we just have to say we're not exactly sure what he was saying, and so we have to exercise due caution and not speculate. Be very careful here. Speculation abounds to many of the details in this passage. For example, the identity of the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist.

Who is the Antichrist? And I shared with you a couple weeks ago as we began this series. When Barack Obama was the president, I would get these stupid conspiracy letters from people saying, oh, we saw on YouTube that this guy put it all together, and the Antichrist is coming from the White House. I'm like, it's just nonsense. Please delete junk mail.

Don't speculate about the identity of the Antichrist. The identity of what or who is restraining the Antichrist. There are so many options given throughout the history of the church, you could just drop a scroll and read them. Yet, despite many of the difficulties concerning many of the details of this passage, Paul's main point is crystal clear. And that's where we're going to stay.

So let's look at verses 1 and 2, where Paul identifies this specific issue of concern that he's writing this letter to to these young, young, newly converted believers. He says, Now, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed. Either by a spirit or a spoken word or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

So, what happened is that very soon after Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians and had shared these truths about the return of Christ with them. This young Thessalonian church was plagued almost immediately by false teachers. And that we're teaching these young, impressionable believers that the day of the Lord had already come. And they claimed, listened, to be speaking on behalf of the Apostle Paul. claiming apostolic authority.

And so Paul says, these false teachers come to you. And they claim to have a Prophetic word, an inspired message, which he or he calls a spirit. Look what he says. He says, Don't be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by his spirit.

Somebody coming into the church and saying, No, I have been inspired with this prophetic word, this inspired message by a spirit, and I'm speaking on behalf of Paul. He says, Don't be quickly shaken or alarmed by that nonsense. He says another false teacher comes in and claims that, well, someone's received a letter. And this letter is from the Apostle Paul, and so we're going to disseminate this letter throughout the church under the authority of Paul. And it's going to have these false views, but it's not false because it's under the authority of the Apostle Paul.

That's why I look at chapter 3, verse 17. Paul assures the believers that he says, I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine. It is the way I write. He's confirming them that this letter is authentic because this is his signature.

He's saying, but this other supposed letter that is circulating, it didn't come from me. This is a forged letter with false teaching that is alarming and shaking your faith. Don't listen to it. And then he says, but then another comes along and they said, well, we have a word. I have a word.

You ever heard that? I have a word. And this word is from the Apostle Paul himself. While he was still with the Thessalonians, you've just forgotten it, but we've got the word, so we're going to give it to you. Paul says that the substance of these so-called interpretations of the second coming of Christ, whether by spirit, whether by word, whether by letter, whatever it is, was that the day of the Lord has already come.

And he says it's all nonsense. Refuse to listen to this idle speculation. This is false. This is false teaching concerning the second coming of Christ. Do not entertain it for a second.

And this kind of teaching wasn't uncommon in the first century church. Let me give you some examples. This was called an over-realized eschatology, wanting everything that's coming in the future right now. It's a very troubling false teaching, and this overrealized eschatology plagued the Corinthian church. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, there were false teachers who were denying a bodily resurrection.

And Paul had to set them straight in chapter 15, which is the largest chapter in the Bible about the doctrine of the bodily resurrection of believers. In 2 Timothy 2, verses 16 through 18, Paul rebukes two false teachers, calls them by name. Because they were teaching that there is that Christ had already returned. To the church in Ephesus. And so listen to what Paul says.

He says: avoid irreverent babble. Remember what I said about the New Testament? When you hear these prognosticators and see their books, just refuse to listen to their irreverent babble. For it will lead into more and more, listen, ungodliness. And their talk will spread like gangrene.

It just. People just can't turn down the alluring temptation to set dates. And to prognosticate, it spreads like gangrene and it leads to ungodly living. Paul says, Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus. He just calls them out right in front of the whole church.

These two men in the church of Ephesus, Hymenaus and Philetus. Avoid their irreverent babble. Because their talk spreads like gangrene. How's that for confrontation? Wow.

They have swerved from the truth. saying that the resurrection has already happened. And because of that, they are upsetting the faith of some.

So, the result of the false teachers in Thessalonica was the exact same result as the false teachers in Corinth and in Ephesus. These young believers who were just newly converted in the faith were now, soon after, shaken and alarmed in their faith. They had lost their assurance and their comfort. And so Paul is seeking to calm and comfort these alarmed believers by correcting this false understanding of Christ's second coming.

Now look at verse 3 and let's see how Paul responds to it in a pastoral fashion. He responds to the false teaching that Christ's second coming has already taken place, and listen to what he writes. He says to them, He says, Let no one deceive you. That's what false teachers do in the church, they're deceivers. Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day, the day of the Lord, Christ's second coming, his return, for that day will not come.

Unless, look, the rebellion comes first. And the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

So in verse three, Paul says that two. Unmistakable, visible, clear events or signs must occur before the Lord returns. And he says that these two events are A great rebellion, which we're going to look at this morning. And then he says, the revelation of the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist. And his argument is that these two events will be so visible.

So unmistakable that it will be impossible for believers to. who miss the second coming of Christ. And his reasoning is: since these events have not yet taken place. The Thessalonians, and then you and I today do not need to be alarmed, but we can take comfort that the day of the Lord has not already occurred and we missed out. It has been wisely said that the first generation believes and proclaims the gospel, the next assumes it, and the third denies it.

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So that is the clear point. Is everybody with me so far? That's the clear point.

So let's look then at this first event. Let's look at this rebellion. Paul's first point to comfort these alarmed believers is that the day of the Lord will not come unless the rebellion occurs. Listen to verse 3 again. Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come, right?

unless the rebellion comes first.

So what is this rebellion? That's what we're going to look at. The word rebellion in the Greek is where we get the English word apostasy.

So, Paul is speaking about an apostasy that happens. It is, it refers to a religious crisis. Of some sort facing God's people, falling away from the truth, falling away from the faith. Paul says in the future That a great rebellion A great apostasy. will precede Christ's second coming.

This rebellion, this falling away from truth, this apostasy will occur in the visible church among professing Christians. And so Paul's teaching parallels both Jesus' teaching and the Apostle John's teaching and warnings about false teachers. And people who profess to be Christians, yet they fall away, and in doing so, they take a large number of people with them. Let me give you some examples. Back in Matthew chapter 24, in the Olivet Discourse, in verses 10 through 12 and verses 23 to 24, Jesus warns of false teachers and of this coming rebellion, this mass apostasy.

Listen to what Jesus says. He says, many will fall away. and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Verse 23. He says, If anyone says to you, Look, here is the Christ, or there he is, do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. In 1 John chapter 2, verses 18 through 19, the Apostle John writes this. He says, Children, it is the last hour.

That is, it is the last days. Jesus has accomplished salvation. He has ascended to the right hand of the Father, and now his return is imminent. We are in the last days. It is the last hour.

So, listen, children, children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, so now many Antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.

But they went out that it might be become plain that they are not all. Of us.

Now listen. Neither Paul, John, or Jesus are speaking That genuine believers who are genuinely saved Can lose their salvation in this apostasy and fall away from the faith. That's not what they're saying. This coming future apostasy in the Christ visible church refers to professing believers, not possessing believers. And these professing believers fall away from Christ's visible church.

Now, As you study this, it is very important to understand. That there are two ways of existing in the covenant community. Two ways of existing. Not everyone who is admitted into the visible covenant community, which is the church, actually receives the benefits of the covenant of grace, which is Christ and all of his saving work. There are people who are baptized in the visible church who are hypocrites and not converted.

But they're admitted into the visible church. In Romans chapter 9, verses 6 through 16, Paul refers to such people, and he uses the example of Isaac and Ishmael, and Jacob and Esau, who were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah. And he illustrates how it's possible to be in the covenant community and one be in the covenant community outwardly but not possess the reality and one to be in the covenant community inwardly and possess the reality of the blessings of the covenant of grace, which is Christ and all of his saving benefits. Listen to what Paul says beginning in Romans 9, verse 6. He says, for not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.

In other words, just because you were born a Jew doesn't mean that you're actually a Jew. He says, verse 7: And not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring. Remember, Abraham had offspring, Isaac and Ishmael. But Isaac and Ishmael were not equal. They were not both offsprings of Abraham.

Paul says, but through Isaac shall your offspring be named. This means that it is not the children of the flesh, Ishmael, who are the children of God, but the children of the promise, Isaac, are counted as the offspring of Abraham. And so the benefits of the covenant of grace are received only. Paul's argument here is that they are received only by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone, only that the elect ultimately receive them. This is why Paul writes in Romans 9:11, though they, Jacob, and Esau, were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works, but because of Him who calls.

If you just go back and read the Genesis account of Jacob and Esau, which one was the better of the two? They were both quite bad people. Just like you and me. Right? And Paul says, Jacob was the offspring of Abraham, and Esau was not.

And the difference maker was election. This is why Jesus says in Matthew 24, 24, false Christ and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray. If possible. even the elect. In Matthew chapter 13, in the kingdom parables in verses 24 through 30, Jesus teaches the parable of the weeds.

And in the parable of the weeds, Jesus confirms that the visible church, until Christ returns, will always be. A mixed assembly. Of professing and possessing believers in the visible church.

Some are in the covenant of grace outwardly but do not have the benefits of the covenant of grace.

Some are in the covenant of grace inwardly and have received those benefits of the covenant of grace and are true believers. Article 29 of the Belgic Confession rightly recognizes: quote, there are hypocrites. Who are mixed in the church, along with the good. And yet, They are not part of the church, although they are outwardly in it. And so today there are members of the new covenant community who are members outwardly but not inwardly.

These folks are in the covenant community, like Ishmael and Esau. But they're not internally in it like Isaac and Jacob. And so it is those who are members of this covenant community outwardly, but not inwardly, who ultimately will be led astray and deceived, following the delusions of this man of lawlessness, and will commit apostasy and fall away from the faith. And it will be in mass numbers. And it will happen not outside of the church, it will happen in the church.

And so while there are currently hypocrites and apostates in the visible church, and there are false teachers in the visible church, and there are false antichrists now in the visible church, as we'll come back to and see in a minute. God is restraining them from gaining the upper hand until the appointed time.

Now I want you to look back at chapter 2, verse 3 of 2 Thessalonians, and I want you to notice that this great apostasy takes place in connection with the revelation of the man of lawlessness. Paul says, Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion, this apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. And so, Paul's teaching about this great end-time apostasy in the visible church is clearly an allusion to Daniel's prophecy in Daniel chapter 11. In Daniel chapter 11, Daniel prophesies of an end-time opponent who will come into the world. Bringing about this large-scale compromise of faith.

within the visible church among God's people.

Now, whether this great falling away, this apostasy occurs first and then is followed by the Antichrist, or perhaps more probable, don't want to speculate, but perhaps more probable, the Antichrist coming instigates the apostasy, as you'll see in verses 9 through 12.

Well However, the timing works out, both events are connected, and that's the important part to note. Paul says in verse 3, look at verse 3 very carefully. He says that this end time figure, this man of lawlessness, will be revealed.

Now that's a big clue there because the word revealed is the exact same word that Paul uses for Christ's second coming in 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 7. Where it says, when Christ returns, he will be revealed. And so Paul is depicting a scene. From verses 4 through 12, he's depicting a scene in which the man of lawlessness will mimic the second coming of Christ. He will be revealed.

It will be a revelation. He will appear, mimicking Christ's second coming, and he will be deceiving through false professing believers in the visible church. He will deceive these people through the satanically empowered signs and wonders, Paul says, that he'll be given. And so, this man of lawlessness. Imitating a fake return of Christ will orchestrate a great end-time apostasy rebellion through blasphemous actions, setting himself up to be worshipped as God.

empowered by a satanic power himself.

Now, in 1st and 2 John, John's letters near the end of the New Testament, John speaks in both letters. Um of various Antichrists. And he also speaks of, quote, the spirit of Antichrist that is now already in this world. And the point is that while there have been and continue to be false teachers in the church. False professors in the visible church.

These false teachers who are anti-Christs. These false professors in the church who are going to be led astray and commit apostasy in the future. All of what is currently in the visible church now will all lead and give way to this final Antichrist. This men of lawlessness, when God's current restraint. 2 Thessalonians 2.7 is lifted.

And then, verses 4 through 12, Paul says, all hell literally will break loose. And it will break loose in the church. And so at this time, at this revealing of this mimicking this fake false second coming of Christ, Paul says this great apostasy will take place in the visible church with the revelation of the man of lawlessness. And he will preside over. A great end-time apostasy in Christ's visible church.

Paul goes on to say that this satanically empowered individual will exalt himself over God and demand to be worshipped. Setting himself up in the temple As God. We'll come back to that next week, and I'll identify for you what temple that. Paul is talking to, but just a little heads up: it's not what dispensation would say. He will set himself up in God's temple.

Mimicking the true Christ and demand that everybody worship him and he will lead astray. Look at chapter 2, verse 10. When he does this, he will lead astray, Paul says, those who are perishing. because they refuse to love the truth. and so be saved.

Those are the people who are in the visible covenant community outwardly, but have never truly embraced the love of the truth and been saved.

So let's now return back to the main point that Paul is making in connection to this large-scale end-time rebellion apostasy by professing believers in the visible church. Paul's point and reasoning is very clear. Since this great final apostasy has not yet taken place, the Thessalonian believers do not need to be alarmed and they can take comfort that the Lord has not already returned. It's a pastoral point. Paul says, don't concern yourself with all these future details.

This hasn't happened, so don't be alarmed. Don't be shaken. have comfort and hope. Look to Christ now. It always comes back to the gospel, doesn't it?

The gospel is always the paramount issue. It's always about the gospel.

So, as we reflect on Paul's pastoral words of wisdom and comfort this morning concerning the day of the Lord, there are three lessons that I want you to carefully consider as we finish. And here's the first one. First of all, we need to heed Paul's warning here. Paul's words serve as a warning to all Christians about what would take place before the Lord returns. And both Jesus and Paul speak of and warn against a great end-time apostasy that will take place in the visible church.

And both of them say when that occurs, that is a sign of impending judgment by the king who's about to return. There will be this large scale mass. Apostasy in the visible church just prior to Christ's return. You see signs off it all the time that are leading to that. The Scottish Episcopal Church this week.

Rewrote the definition of marriage and apostasized in the faith. False teachers, false bishops, false pastors. Teaching false doctrine and leading hundreds of thousands and millions of people astray. Redefining marriage and redefining the gospel in the church. That is the spirit of Antichrist that John is speaking of.

That is the Antichrists that are now in the world now that John is speaking of. And that is leading the visible church to one day a mass. apostasy on a grand scale. And so this mass rebellion will take place in connection with the revelation of the man of lawlessness, who, if possible, Jesus says, would lead astray even the elect, but it is not possible. But Jesus is warning, it is going to be so deceptive and so bad that if possible, it would even take the true believers in the church away too.

But it can't, but it's going to be that bad. And so, empowered by Satan, this man of lawlessness will mimic the miracles of Christ. He will certify his claim of divinity. He would deceive a great number of people and orchestrate a final rebellion against God. And this rebellion, Paul says, culminates in divine judgment when Christ returns.

It doesn't have a good ending. And so Paul is warning us That divine judgment is the fate of all who follow this antichrist and rebel against God, which is awarding to us in the church. People say, Oh, your church. You see, John, we love your church, but we don't like to come to your church because our church is all about the Holy Spirit. Your church is just about doctrine.

You gotta be very careful there. Why do we obsess accurately and correctly on the centrality of the truth of the gospel in this church week after week after week after week? Because Paul is telling you why. This mass apostasy will occur in the church. The enemy is in the church now.

And we are to guard the treasure of this gospel and proclaim it now for the sake of calming and comforting God's people now. And the Holy Spirit, I will tell you. He is wherever the gospel is clearly preached because Paul calls the gospel the ministry of the Holy Spirit. If you want a spirit-filled church, you better have a gospel-saturated, centered church every week. That's where the Holy Spirit is working.

So let us heed Paul's warning and Give ourselves now. to the truth of the gospel now. Before it's too late. Second, Here's the lesson Paul teaches us: avoid date setting and predictions. Yeah.

Right? It's pretty obvious. Avoid sensational date setters. Useless, irresponsible, what Paul calls irreverent babble. Whose teaching will spread like gangrene and lead to nothing but ungodliness in your life.

Have nothing to do with that. Only God knows when these future events will come to pass. And when they do, Paul is assuring the Thessalonian believers. And now he's assuring us 2,000 years later that when these two events Take place, this great apostasy and this revealing of the man of lawlessness. It would be so unmistakably clear to God's people, it would be impossible for God's people to miss the second coming of Christ.

You're not going to miss it. And then here's the third point. You can have a comfort and you don't have to live with alarm. You can have comfort. And you don't have to live with alarm, you can have hope.

Don't forget Paul's main intention. His intention was not to speculate about end-time events. His objective was to calm and comfort believers who literally were shaken. at the foundation of their faith. False teachers had come in and shaken the church.

Listen carefully. How many of you ever heard this? Oh, doctrine divides, doctrine divides, doctrine divides. Right. Notice here what divides and destroys the church and believers.

A shaken and alarmed faith is the result of false teaching entering into the minds of young believers about the the incorrect misinformation concerning the return of Christ. If you want to divide and mess up and ruin a church and believer's faith, just teach them wrong truth about the hope of the gospel, which is the return of Christ. That destroys a believer's faith. In contrast, look what Paul's doing. A calm Comforted, strengthened faith that perseveres even in the midst of persecution, as these young believers are going through.

Is the fruit of the truth of the gospel, which is the hope of the gospel, the return of Christ, resting. at the center of your faith. You see that? Paul's desire for these young converts, verse fifteen of chapter two. is for them to stand firm in their faith.

Chapter 2, verse 15. Chapter 2, verse 14, and to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We've already seen that in chapter 1: that there will be a mutual glorification. When Christ returns, not only of Christ being glorified, but his church being glorified, his church beautified by the Holy Spirit in the complete perfection of their sanctification when Christ returns. And Paul says, I want you to remain firm and steadfast and persevere in your faith, and I want you to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you see the pastoral wisdom and the pastoral hard now of Paul in this? He's feeding them the truth of the gospel, not so that they can say, oh, we know now we're date setters, right? Sign me up for TB and the Jim Baker Show. No, it has nothing to do with that. Paul was calming and comforting these young.

newly converted believers in the faith, grounding them. in the hope of the gospel.

So, Christ's return is now 2,000 years nearer than it was when Paul sought to calm and comfort these alarmed Thessalonians, right? 2,000 years closer.

So how much more time remains?

Well Jesus tells us. He says, of that day and hour, no one knows. Ha ha ha ha ha.

So, how much more time remains, I have no idea. Because that's not the point. Don't waste our time on useless speculation. Paul says, focus your faith on the hope of the gospel. Focus your faith On the victorious second coming of Christ in vengeance on his enemies and on the church's enemies, and focus your faith on Jesus' vindication and glorification of his saints, his people in the church.

Keep your faith there. Because he says, in contrast, to those who fall away in this great apostasy. And come under divine judgment. Look as we end at 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 13 through 14. He says, in contrast to those who fall away in this great apostasy and come under divine judgment, Paul says, God's people can be assured of glory.

Listen to what he says. He says, But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, be loved by the Lord. You see that? Beloved. The same title of Christ is given to you in the church.

You're beloved by the Lord. And we give thanks to God for you, brothers, beloved by the Lord, because God chose you. As the first fruits to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to this He called you through our gospel so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's our destiny, and that's where we keep our focus. Let's pray.

And so, Father, we thank you that you have given us this glorious destiny. We're not deserving of it. We're not worthy of it. And yet, you have chosen us as the first fruits to be saved. And you are now saving us through sanctification by the Holy Spirit.

And belief in the truth through faith. We thank you that you have called us to this through. Your gospel.

So that we might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Keep our church. Faithful. To the truth of your gospel. And keep our faith.

focused on the hope of the gospel, the glorious return of Christ. Coming to vindicate and glorify his church. We pray that you would make us ever faithful, Father, to your word and to your truth. We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John Fawnville sends his thanks for listening today. And before you hit the next episode, can I tell you about an encouraging book you might want to get soon? It's called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity. You're not alone if you've tried to conquer sexual temptations and tried all the methods available, only to find yourself feeling defeated again. This book may be just what you're looking for.

In His Shepherding Heart, John shows that the gospel, not practical steps or more self-discipline, is God's provision for the power to live a life of sexual purity. and it's available to every Christian. What I like is the book is available in three convenient ways, paperback, audiobook, or Kindle. Please look for the links that I put in the description and get a copy today. Does anyone come to mind who may like this episode?

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