2 Thessalonians series - The Lawlessness - part 2

 

The Lawlessness - Part 2

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

Paul states twice “The Lie” that is perpetrated on all of mankind by Satan. It is no secret that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and he is the Father of lies, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44; 10:10a) But Satan also knows that God has appointed a time when he will be revealed in the man of lawlessness and afterwards he is condemned for all the deception and wickedness he has spawned in mankind and those of heaven he deceived. 

The Thessalonians have received the Truth of the gospel, and Jesus has set them free from the lie to live in the Light for they are children of the light and of the day so that the lawless one will not deceive them. (1 Thes. 5:5)

Let’s look at the first portion of the lesson, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works.” Paul has told the Thessalonians that once the rebellion occurs and the restrainer has been removed, the lawless one will have an appointed time to deceive and elevate himself as god in this world, even in the temple of God. Even though he has deceived many with his signs and wonders during his seven years prophesied by Daniel, he will be overthrown by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus will overcome him by the breath of his mouth and he will be destroyed by the coming of Christ in his splendor (Rev. 19). John gives further details later of Satan’s demise after the battle of Armeggeton and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire with all those he had deceived for eternity. (Rev. 20:7-10) 

Paul in his earnestness to correct any deception that has been given to the Thessalonians, tells them all the wickedness and lawless acts of persecution against them, and all the idolatry and apostasy around them are in accordance with the character and workings of Satan. “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” “...Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”(1 Jn. 3:8, Matt.16:23) 

Application - If there was ever a time in human history for the revealing of the lawless one, it could be today. We have seen the falling away at a consistent rate in America. Barna surveys have shown in America in the 1950’s, 73% of America claimed faith in Jesus. Now 2020, only 43% of America claims to have faith in Jesus Christ. The falling away of people follows the words of Jesus, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then 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. (Matt. 24:9-12) 

All you have to do is watch television or the internet to see that the majority of the programming is defaming the morality of God’s Word, and the violence shown daily on the local and national news testifies to the increase of wickedness and lawlessness. But the apostasy in the churches is epidemic today. Many are confused by the teaching and preaching from other texts and themes, and not the gospel of the Bible. Repentance from sin is a taboo in the pulpits, let alone the teaching of the prophecy of Jesus' return and the gathering up of the church. People are hardly reading the Bible, 17% in 2022. Then there is the persecution of the church from without and within. In Africa today, there are whole countries where the believers in Christ are being killed or forced to abandon their home and towns because of their faith. The reporters at Open Doors' World Watch List for 2023 have listed

(https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=6093) the persecution and it is also being seen in America. If you stand firm against the immoral and abominations that are being set up and mandated by many in government, you will be ostracized and labeled. We must take the message to the Thessalonians to heart, for we are living in the end days that Jesus, Paul, and Peter warned us about. 

Next, now the restrainer has been taken out of the way, and the man of lawlessness has been given an appointed time (7 years) Daniel 7:24-27,”... After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’” As well in the New Testament,  “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” “I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (Matt, 24:24; 2 John 7)

Paul knew that Satan had come like an angel of light, for he had encountered him and his progeny in every city. “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Cor. 11:13-15) For the false letter or word of prophecy that came to the Thessalonians was from one of Satan’s false minions. Deception and temptations are the wiles of Satan's works. Let’s look at the last portion of the text, “He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

Paul knew the believers were under attack not just by those who opposed the message of the gospel, but especially by the schemes and wiles of the devil. Satan’s subterfuges always culminated in an all out attack on all that God created and cherished. The Thessalonians were only beginning to see the nefarious acts of Satan. Paul revealed to them that at the end he would deceive many with signs and wonders that served (covered) the lie. Satan wants to be God, loves power, and he distorted the Word of God, the Truth, for he hates the truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth, and at His second coming Satan will know that he is finished. 

Second, Paul exhorts the believers that all the ways of Satan are wickedness and serve to deceive all those that are perishing who will not hold to the faith. Paul himself had been deceived into hating all that Jesus had done and was doing before his conversion. Paul wanted them to know the Truth, as Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

The reason those around Thessalonica and in the world were perishing from the faith was that they didn’t want to love the truth, but the lie. They were blinded by the god of this age, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4)

So Paul told them that God the Father had given them over to the lie, just as he did the others throughout the world. God allowed them to pursue the desires of their depraved minds and the wickedness and lawlessness of a lifestyle without God, his Word, or his presence. But this came with the same cost that Satan would receive at the second coming of the Lord Jesus. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth…Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen (Rom. 1:18,24-25) 

 Paul told them the wrath of God will come “...that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

Application - Satan has told voluminous lies, and it is difficult to pick one that is worse than the others. But the lie he told in the garden is still being used today. “Did God really say…” “Surely you will not die…” “God knows your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil.” 

Whenever we stray from the truth of God’s Word we open ourselves to believe the lie. Satan knows the Word for he twists and distorts it to get you to follow the lie. He is a master at deception and manipulates it to lure the world away. I believe that the church today has been lulled to sleep by the lie that Jesus isn’t coming back, even Jesus’ parables of the servants in charge of their master’s affairs were lulled into a lie that the master wasn’t coming back any time soon. It was this lie Jesus warned the disciples to be aware of for the Son of Man will return at a time they didn’t expect. “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:40)

As Paul told the Thessalonians, we are children of the day and of the light. We don’t need to be anxious about Jesus coming like a thief, for we are awaiting his return with our lamps shining and filled with oil. We are not asleep, And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. (Romans 13:11-14)

To live in darkness is to believe the lie, we are to be ready. We have heard the gospel and believed, we have the Holy Spirit who is sanctifying us and has regenerated our lives, we are new creations, ones who desire holiness and to be pure at his coming. “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 Jn. 3:3)

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis