2 Thessalonians Ch.2

Day 1

I’m excited to study God’s Word with you!

Pray with me: “Lord, give us the mind of a “learner”, as we study your word today. Clear our thoughts now of our daily tasks, so we can hear You speak. Take our worries, ease our anxieties, and help us to focus on the voice of your sweet Holy Spirit, our teacher.” “We look to you for spiritual feeding. Oh how dry we are without your infilling of wisdom and hope. Feed our soul, Lord. Living in this ungodly, chaotic world makes my soul dry. There is heartache and pain around every corner, sometimes mine and sometimes others. Remind us of Your sure promises, lift us up and bring us hope only You can give and continue to be forever faithful to each one.” “You alone do we worship. We bow our hearts in praise and adoration for how You have cared for us up until this point. We live under the umbrella of your protection, favor and grace, something the non-believer doesn’t experience. That breaks our heart Lord. They need You desperately, just as we do. You show us special favor, which makes our hearts swell with gratitude as we sit here before You. Praise You Father, for your great devotion and care to each one of us. Help us to never take for granted all You have done to have relationship with us. Thank You for the cross, thank You for redemption and relationship with You. We are undeserving, You are ever giving. You are forever faithful and we want to follow You all the days of our lives.”. Teach us now, as we open your precious Word, Father. Amen

Please read today’s text; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. Paul was the founder and father of this newborn church in Thessalonica. And like a parent has to do sometimes, he needed to bring correction to some of their thinking. He wrote letters to the church instead of being there in person, because of severe persecution at the time.One man called Paul’s letters, “long distance parenting”. The believers in the church of Thessalonica had become confused. When Paul left, there was a leadership hole and other teachers stepped up to fill it.. The problem was, these teachers weren’t sound and they taught their opinions as truth, and false doctrine bred confusion in the church. Their untruth was that they were currently living in ​

1 the tribulation, experiencing the wrath of God. The persecution of believers happening ​ at that time seem to feed into that false doctrine.Therein lies the main reason for Paul to write this letter. He wanted to clear up any confusion about the time they were living in and the future “Coming Day of the Lord Jesus Christ” or “the Second Coming”. Anyone watching the news today, can get the feeling that the wheels are coming off our society. America is not the America I knew just 20 short years ago. We are on a rocket heading towards the end of the age. Nations are imploding, families are falling apart at a record rate, our own country has it’s own internal wars on almost every front. Even those who don’t believe in scripture admit they have the feeling that something catastrophic is about to happen. We cannot continue as a nation financially, culturally, socially and spiritually the way we are now and not have some kind of historical implosion.

So what is the hope for our future? God is still on His throne! He sees to it that His ultimate plan unfolds! He is not nervous or anxious at the state of the world. The bible speaks of His glorious plan for mankind, and we can watch with anticipation as one event as predicted rolls out after another.

What events would need to take place before the rapture and before the second ​ ​ ​ ​ coming of Jesus Christ? Well, nothing needs to happen before the rapture. According to scripture, ​ ​ Christ can come at any moment! There is nothing that hasn’t happened, that needs to happen, for Christ to come and gather the church! That’s crazy good!!! Isn’t it? Now, many good men disagree on the order of the events that need to take place before the Second Coming of Jesus, but I will teach you what I believe, along with what most scholars believe, about the timeline of future events and what the church should be looking for. I believe we are living in the last days and Christ will soon call His people home. There will come from heaven a command from the voice of an archangel that shakes heaven and earth, coinciding with a long trumpet blow from the Father’s eternal trumpet that will make us quake within it’s power and simultaneously believers will rise towards heaven! (1 Thess. 4:16) I believe the transfer will be so quick, we will barely have enough time to acknowledge what the trumpet sound is, maybe holding our hands over our ears, shielding them from the power of the blast - and then in a twinkling of an eye we will be home! (1 Cor. 15:52)

Let’s check our theology about the Last Days. We don’t want to leave any unanswered questions behind.

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Question: "What is the rapture of the church?" Are you confident in your answer. Could you explain it to somebody else?

Answer: The word rapture does not occur in the Bible. The term comes from a Latin ​ ​ ​ word meaning “a carrying off, a transport, or a snatching away.” The concept of the “carrying off” or the rapture of the church is clearly taught in Scripture.

The rapture of the church is the event in which God “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period. The rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians ​ ​ 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50–54. God will resurrect all believers who have died, ​ ​ ​ ​ give them glorified bodies, and take them from the earth, along with all living believers, who will also be given glorified bodies at that time. “For the Lord Himself will come down ​ from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). ​ ​ The rapture will involve an instantaneous transformation of our bodies to fit us for eternity. “We know that when he [Christ] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see ​ him as he is” (1 John 3:2). The rapture is to be distinguished from the second coming. ​ ​ ​ At the rapture, the Lord comes “in the clouds” to meet us “in the air” (1 Thessalonians ​ 4:17). At the second coming, the Lord descends all the way to the earth to stand on the ​ Mount of Olives, resulting in a great earthquake followed by a defeat of God’s enemies (Zechariah 14:3–4). ​ ​ The doctrine of the rapture was not taught in the Old Testament, which is why Paul calls it a “mystery” now revealed: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, ​ but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 ​ Corinthians 15:51–52). ​ The rapture of the church is a glorious event we should all be longing for. We will finally be free from sin. We will be in God’s presence forever. There is far too much debate over the meaning and scope of the rapture. This is not God’s intent. Rather, the rapture should be a comforting doctrine full of hope; God wants us to “encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). ​ ​

Let’s work through some passages so that we can weed out any confusion in our minds about timelines, titles of events, titles of people involved in these events, etc. My goal for myself and for those reading this lesson, is that we would have a solid

3 accounting of the events clear in our hearts and minds as God purposed from the beginning of history.

1. What were the believers in the Thessalonica church troubled by? 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. ______Some in that time were teaching that they were currently living in the tribulation. The church was being persecuted and believers were often martyred for their faith, so we can see how that lie might manifest itself during that difficult time, but they were not living in the tribulation at that time. How do we know that?

a.What event comes first before the tribulation according to scripture? 2 Thessalonians 2:1 ______Underline in your bible the words, “”Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together with Him.” (NKJ 2 thessalonians 2:1) That’s our exit gals!!!! This would be the return of Jesus and the gathering of the Saints.

b.“Rapture” is not a word used in scripture. You will not find it anywhere in the bible, but ​ ​ the concept is taught in many places. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1 for instance, Paul uses the phrase, “Gathered together to Him”. This phrase literally means “to snatch away” or “to gather up.”

Where else in the bible does it speak about the “rapture”?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. - The events of the rapture are described here. I think it’s interesting that the Saints will likely hear Jesus coming before they see a ​ ​ thing! What will we hear? Two things are mentioned in v.16 1. ______2. ______

At that very moment, in a blink of an eye, we will be transformed! That will be it - the very time we have all been waiting for will occur in milliseconds. Our bodies will shed as we ascend. They will drop to earth in all their pitiful decay and we will be fitted with a heavenly one - beauty and perfection we have never seen. Those believers who have passed away from yesterday and times past, will rise before us and meet us in the air while simultaneously getting their new body. We will all meet up in the clouds,

4 leaving this distant troubled earth and rise in humble victory and thus forever be at home with the Lord!

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 is another place in scripture that Paul describes the “rapture”. What happens to us in this time that will fulfill the phrase, “Death is swallowed up in victory”? v.54 ______

Gosh! Can you imagine! What does immortality feel like????!!!! We can guess, but no one on earth has ever, ever, experienced something eternally made. We have never had anything that doesn’t grow older. What happens as soon as you pick a beautiful spring flower? Yes, it starts to die. Right there in your hands within minutes, you can see it begin to shrink and lose sustaining life. Our bodies do the same from the minute we are born - the clock starts to tick towards our eternity and departure from planet earth. Death and decay we are accustomed to, immortality we are not!

I will never forget a comment my daughter made right after she met her husband she was sure she would marry. She said looking at their picture standing together,”Gosh you get married and you both look so good and then you both get uglier and uglier and then you die”! Lol I threw my hand back and laughed hard and loud. It was a funny way of looking at things! Funny, but true right? Lol We all go there like it or not.

One thing I do know - immortality with Jesus will be gorgeous! Gorgeous now will not be compared with how gorgeous you will be then!

Here is a hint of what it will be like to be immortal. See 1 John 3:2 Write your thoughts here: ______

We will finally be freed from sin! Can I get a “hoop hoop”? I will give it a “hoop hoop” right here at my desk!! I’m tired of sinning. I wish I could be holy and that is my aim, but I continue to fail many days. One day soon, we will have our new bodies, we will live and move like HIM, living in an eternal heaven where perfection is the norm! c.What sin will you be ecstatic you will no longer have dogging you in your eternal home? ______

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The old theologian Charles Spurgeon made this comment about sin. “A mouse was caught by it’s tail in a trap the other day,and the poor creature went on eating the cheese. Many men and women are doing the same. They know that they are guilty, and sin is ruining their lives but they go on nibbling at their beloved sins.” Remember this popular quote about the progression of sin? “Sin will take you ​ further than you expected to go. It will keep you longer than you intended to stay, and it will cost you more than you ever expected to pay.” Sins fruit is always death. Thank you Jesus that you provided a way for us to be freed from the bondage and curse of sin!! Help us give up those things that only hurt us in the end. When we choose sin we choose death to something good God had for us.

Before we leave the thought of the rapture coming before the tribulation, let’s look at some verses that seem to verify the church will be snatched away before the tribulation. We will not endure God’s wrath. That will happen during the Tribulation when the world is judged and righteousness is established.

● What was promised the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10? ______

● How does Paul describe the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, and who escapes the wrath according to this scripture? _____ ● Paul again in Romans 5:9 - reiterates the fact that we will be saved from God’s wrath! The tribulation is a 7 year period where He allows His wrath to be unleashed. Colossians 3:4 - “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory!”! Again and again. Scripture states that the church will not have to endure God’s wrath. There are so many illustrations of this in scripture as God paints for us a picture of His grace, saving the remnant from destruction while He judges the unrepentant. Here are two examples..

● Preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. ● He rescued righteous Lot before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah.

6 d.Read through Luke 17:20-37. These are the words of Jesus Himself describing the rapture. What events and attitudes of our nation today do you see that parallel what Jesus said? ______

Well, there is a lot to be thankful for! Let’s end today’s lesson here and continue the discussion tomorrow.

I feel the need to praise Him for the words we have read today in His Word and the promise to all believers to be freed from sin in this world and God’s wrath to come! Let’s close it out with some personal time to write down an prayer of thanksgiving for what we have been saved from.

Write down 3 things you are glad you are saved from. ______

Write down 3 things you are most looking forward to. ______

Day 2

2 Thessalonians 2: 1-4 ( continued)

1. What did Paul say needed to happen before the tribulation? 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4 ​ ​ ______What is the “falling away” spoken of in v.3? ​ ​ ______

7 Understand this: The Greek word for “falling away” is the word “apostasia”. This word literally has two ​ ​ meanings. The first meaning is to “turn one’s back on the truth”. ​ The second meaning is “departure” ​

Because of the dual meaning some argue whether it speaks of the rapture or another time when the Antichrist will lead many astray ( falling away) through false teaching, mocking God as he stands in the temple in Jerusalem teaching false doctrine, which is described in Matthew 24:15 & Daniel 9:27, as the “Abomination of Desolation”. In this day scripture speaks of a departure of biblical truth like something we have never seen before. The Antichrist will bring and end to worship as we know it. This will be very extreme, something more than the persecution we see of christians today. The second thing Paul mentions is that the “man of sin will be revealed”.v.3 Who is the “man of sin” or “the son of perdition”? ​ ​ ​ ​ ______

Most of you can make a good guess. The word “perdition” here means eternal damnation or utter destruction. It only appears twice in the New Testament. Here and in John 17:12 where Jesus was referring to Judas Iscariot. Judas was one of the 12 disciples and had all the knowledge of who Jesus was and saw His great miracles, but rejected His invitation for salvation, instead committing suicide rather than accepting salvation through grace. It is clear that the “man of sin”, the son of perdition” is the Antichrist who has yet to come. Many speculate who the Antichrist will be. They have done this for years and so far each guess has been wrong. The bible doesn’t say “who” it is, but it does tell us what he will do so he can be recognized. ​

a. What does Paul say the Antichrist will do that is so shameful? 2 Thessalonians 2:4 ______

Question: "Who is the antichrist?" Taken from “got Questions.org” Answer: There is much speculation about the identity of the Antichrist. Some of the ​ more popular targets are Vladimir Putin, Prince William, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Pope Francis I. In the United States, former President Barack Obama and current ​ ​ ​

8 President Donald Trump are the most frequent targets. So, who is the Antichrist, and ​ ​ how will we recognize him? The Bible really does not say anything specific about where the Antichrist will come from. Many Bible scholars speculate that he will come from a confederacy of ten nations and/or a reborn Roman empire (Daniel 7:24-25; Revelation 17:7). Others see ​ ​ ​ ​ him as having to be a Jew in order to claim to be the Messiah. It is all just speculation since the Bible does not specifically say where the Antichrist will come from or what ​ ​ race he will be. One day, the Antichrist will be revealed. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 tells us ​ ​ how we will recognize the Antichrist: “Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” The rise of the Antichrist will be preceded by a treaty with Israel (Dan. 9:27), the ​ ​ rebuilding of the Jewish Temple (Mat. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:3-4; Rev. 11:1-2), as well as ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ plagues and judgments and persecutions destroying most of the world’s population (Rev. 6-18). The Book of Revelation reports these events as occurring during the 7-year ​ ​ Tribulation, which Revelation reveals precede the Second Coming. Because the Rapture could happen at any moment and without warning and the Second Coming is preceded by so many signs, then the Rapture and Second Coming must be different events. The Rapture has to occur before the seven years’ worth of signs, because Christians are called to look for the Lord’s return rather than signs such as the Antichrist’s arrival. Once the signs begin, then the seven year countdown begins towards its end with Christ’s return at the Second Coming. J. Vernon McGee had this insight; His first coming had two episodes of coming, if you want to look at it that way. He came to Bethlehem as a little baby, and then later He began His ministry at the age of thirty years when He walked into the temple and cleansed it. His second coming also has two phases. He calls for His church to meet Him in the air, and then He comes down to the earth to establish His Kingdom. At that time the Antichrist shall be consumed and destroyed with the brightness of His coming.

b. What a sad day this will be when the Antichrist sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God! 2 Thessalonians 2:4b. This will signal the beginning of God’s judgement of the world.

9 I believe as stated previously, Jesus promises believers that they will not have to experience the judgment of God. That is one of the most prized jewels of salvation! That truth is often what makes me bow my knees in adoration and worship because I know my own personal guilt of missing the mark so many times. I know I am a sinner. I have broken God’s laws. To know I will never be punished for those mistakes because God’s Son Jesus Christ died on a cross for me - THAT makes me want to fall down and worship before HIM! Those that have accepted Christ’s sacrifice have been excused from God’s judgement. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why some reject this great gift and pardon!

Fill in the blanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says (NKJ), “For God did not appoint us ______, but to ______, Through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. Knowing the rapture may take place at any moment and your homecoming is near, is there anything that you have been focused on, that you could now see as not really all that important? Such a convicting thing I know, but It is time to walk seriously with our God. Let loose of all we hold with clenched fists. Share you thoughts on the lines below. ______a.When I stand before God, and give account of what I did with my time; the finances He allowed me to earn, the spiritual gifts He gave me to serve Jesus with, I don’t want to be guilty of wasting years upon years of my life about trivial things - selfish things. Have I spent most of my life concerned with my own stuff, my family, my home, my dreams? Think about your priorities and time/money spent. What needs to go? What needs to stay and grow?

What needs to go?______What needs to stay and grow? ______

End today's lesson with a prayer of devotion and dedication to God and His will for Your life

10 And His purposes for this world. Commit to letting go of one thing on your “Needs to go” list.” Commit to nurturing one thing on your “Needs to grow list”.

Get at it gals!!!! Time is short eternity is long! Have a blessed day!

Day 3

Please read the text for today. 2 Thessalonians 2:5-12. 1.In v.6, Paul says something is restraining the evil that is prevalent on this earth. Who is restraining evil at the moment? 2 Thessalonians 2:7 ______

When does the Holy Spirit remove Himself and let it all go? Midway through the Tribulation, after the church has gone home, God will remove the protection of Holy Spirit’s power which has been holding back evil and from having its full force upon this world. Satan will be allowed to move upon the world with an intensity of evil he was never allowed to execute before. The Holy Spirit has protected mankind from all the full brunt of Satan and his demons. I can’t imagine what that time will be like. I already cringe at the lawlessness I see today. The evil, the murder, the hate, the injustice, the darkness will intensify like nothing we can imagine.I don’t know how God sees it all at one time and can stomach it. It’s His great mercy that enables Him to hold back HIs wrath because His desire is that none should perish for eternity. “He who now RESTRAINS will no longer RESTRAIN”! That literally makes me shiver. Evil will be unleashed. There will still be time for people to repent, but it will be such a difficult time to live in. a. 1 John 4:2-3 - What is the bottomline truth to what is of God and what isn’t? ______

2. The Holy Spirit cares for us and seals us until the Day of Redemption! If He didn’t, we would not make it! a.How does the God of heaven eventually destroy the Antichrist? 2 Thessalonians 2:8 ______

Isn’t that interesting?

11 My first thoughts were a reminder of the power in God’s Word! Right?

Think about this for a moment… God put this world in motion, just the power of HIs words.

In Genesis 1:2, “the earth was without any form and the Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of the deep and then he SAID, “Let there be light and there was light.” ​ ​ He said it and boom! It was so. This same scenario, God speaking by His powerful words, will be what takes the evil Antichrist out of this world. God speaks and bam - the Antichrist is gone, sent into oblivion! His Word is as powerful as a two edged sword remember? (Heb. 4:12) The other cool thing to note is that it was the Lord’s “brightness” that destroys him.( 2 Thess. 2:8) b.Let’s look at another place in scripture where God’s Word describes the voice of the Son of God.. Read Revelation 1:12-17. Make notes of any mention of Jesus’ voice or what came from His mouth. ______

He says of Himself, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is and who was and who is to come, the ALMIGHTY.” (Rev. 1:8)

He definitely was the beginning, He is now holding the world together or the wheels would come off, and He is coming to gather the church and set up His Kingdom here on earth! HE IS THE ALMIGHTY AND NO ONE CAN STAY HIS HAND!

3. Satan’s main tool of influence is what? 2 Thessalonians 2:10 ______

Many scholars believe false signs and wonders from the Antichrist will entice those who make pleasure or money their god. The Antichrist will tempt them with every kind of wicked deception. The connotation of this ties into it the seduction that comes from wealth. (The Complete Biblical library)

12 a.This is a good time to reevaluate our relationship with money. Jesus never says money is bad. Not at all. There were many christian leaders in the Old Testament that God made rich. It’s the “love” of money that is the sin which leads to destruction. Jesus warns us of it in Matthew:22 in the parable of the Sower. Who got ripped off in this verse? ______What was the cause of their unfruitfulness? ______

To He/she who has an ear let them hear right?

Write out Hebrews 3:13 - ______

I heard a teacher of God’s Word just yesterday say, “ Money is a test.” God uses it to test your loyalties. To test your ability to steward. To test your devotion. To test your selfishness or lack of it. To test your faithfulness. In so many ways. Money is a test.

The Antichrist will use the love of money to deceive many, while we are here on this earth, living and moving for Jesus. Let’s check ourselves often, to make sure the love of money doesn’t have a hold on us!

Day 4

Let’s finish it up! Please read 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17.

1. Fill in the blanks. 2 Thessalonians 2:13a. (NKJ) “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for ______, brethren ______by the Lord. Because God from the beginning ______.”

It’s always good to hear about the love of God. Who can be told too much that they are loved and adored? Everyone has that built in need. God Himself is declaring His love for believers. Here is that predestination theme once again in Scripture. We were chosen for salvation! ​ ​ I cannot go into detail here in this study about the debate between election and God offering salvation to whoever will come. I really believe the bible teaches both and

13 it is one of those divine mysteries of God. I don’t have the time to go into that in this study, but this verse in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, is one of those that definitely declares the predestination of believers unto salvation. Spurgeon used to say,” "I am glad God chose me before I got here, because if He had waited until I got here He never would have chosen me.”

That’s pretty good right? I could think that God made a mistake when choosing me to be His child, but we know God doesn’t ever regret a decision because he is perfect. I have disappointed Him many times and tainted His reputation with my bad decisions, but His love stayed strong! Thank you Jesus! a. What is Christ’s agenda in allowing us to suffer in trials? Read through Romans 8:28-31. ______We are the called ones dear believer! b. Are you facing something today that almost takes your breath away at times? Do you feel waves of insecurity and despair rush over you on those bad days? What do you do to sustain hope? ______

Has God shown you through this any secrets to success? Share with your group. ______

Anything to surely avoid? Sometimes these are as important as the things you include. ______

2. Paul’s ending war dry is this, “STAND FAST” and hold to the “traditions” (NKJ) which you were taught. I’m not fond of the word ‘traditions”, a better word may be “instructions” in the law. In other words, “Hold fast to God’s truths”.

14 God’s word is the anchor to your soul. When you understand it, believe and act on it, your life is sound and secure.

a. One of my all-time scriptures is found in the book of Ecclesiastes. I often add this one to the end of my bible studies. “The Preacher sought to find acceptable words and what was written was upright, words of truth.” “The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well ​ driven nails, given by one Shepherd.” Ecclesiastes 12:10-11 ​

Every scripture that penetrates your heart and brings hope and truth is a ‘well-driven” nail in your foundation. This is why I study God’s word. This is why I write bible studies. Every scripture that changes my life is another nail in my foundation of christianity!

God’s word makes us solid. “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you In every good work.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

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