2Th 2:1-12; Would You Like to See the Lord Today?Sunday September 10, 2023
Title: 2Th 2:1-12; Would You Like to See the Lord Today?
Is it not odd that our Lord would leave us and sit at the Father’s right hand in heaven during the entire age of the church?
Key ideas to 2Th 2:1-12 Do not be deceived.
The attack against you is going to be mental / psychological.
Do not let the lawlessness that God has allowed stress you out.
Much worse is coming and this is God’s will and timing.
Your Lord is going to destroy the lawless one.
The escape is faith in the gospel, the love of Christ, and the love of the truth.
This week we’re going to focus on the sixth one, the second coming of the Lord when He will destroy the lawless one and put an end to his kingdom forever.
The second coming – The Lord Jesus Christ is going to return to the earth physically, bodily, and visibly on the day that the Tribulation ends.
In our passage, two aspects are mentioned, 1) His appearance (shining forth), and 2) His destruction and bringing to an end of the man of lawlessness.
2Th 2:7-8 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
Paul uses both words: appearance (shining forth) and coming (presence).
Paul also gives us the Lord’s weapon of choice – His word.
Slay is destroy and the means is the breath of His mouth. In Heb 4:12 the word of God is a sharp sword. In Eph 6:17 the word of God is the sword of the Lord’s armor.
In Mat 4 and Luk 4, the Lord used the word of God to defeat the devil in the wilderness.
In Rev 19:15 the sword from the Lord’s mouth strikes down the nations at His second coming.
When John meets Him in Rev 1, out of His mouth comes a two-edged sword. And in Rev 2:16, He makes war with the sword of His mouth.
As to its power, in Heb 11:3 He prepared the worlds by the word, and in Heb 1:3 He upholds (bears) all things by the word of His power.
The breath of His mouth – the sword of the word of God that created the worlds.
At the end of the Tribulation, the antichrist amasses his armies for the purpose of destroying Jerusalem and eliminating all Jews – the campaign of Armageddon.
He appears visibly and chooses to use His word to do two things to the man of lawlessness – slay (destroy) and bring to an end.
Slay and bring to an end. Kill him and end unrighteous government forever.
The words are synonyms, but they indicate what we see in prophecy. He is killed and his program is put to an end.
Mal 4:1 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
For believers this is a time of great rejoicing and blessing. The contrast between the judged and the blessed at the second coming is striking in many passages.
2Th 1:6-8 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
The many truths about the second coming of Christ have many applications to us today.
Applications of the Second Coming for us: 1. The deliverance of this world and saved mankind is real and physical, as well as spiritual.
Before the end of history, the Lord will rule this fallen world with a rod of iron.
Until then, we have available to us the very weapon He will use to destroy the evil one and halt his lies and evil – His word.
2. Christ’s weapon of choice He has given to us – His word.
Is it no wonder that the main attacks against the church have been centered around the word of God.
Every believer is the new humanity, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and so he or she can know what truths are in the word of God. The believer has an ability to discern and understand the truth from the word (if he learns, understands, and lives it).
3. Though humility and obedience to His word and the Holy Spirit we can see Christ.
The believer who learns the truths of the word of God can actually see the Lord, i.e., He appears to them or (taking the more literal translation of the word) shines forth to them.
Now, if His word (sword from His mouth) and His appearance judges so as to kill the man of sin and dries up all His lies and evil, what can these two things together do for us, for you?
We need both: knowing and seeing Him.
To see the one that the word testifies to, we have to obey and live the word.
1Jo 1:1-3 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life — 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us — 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1Jo 2:1-6 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Jesus’ appearing at the second coming is the visible reality of the truth.
It is also judgment, and that judgment is upon sin. Though believers will not be recipients of that judgment, in our lives our sin is judged. It has been judged on the cross and when we do it, it is revealed to us how wrong it is – it is judged in us, and hopefully, by us. We confess and repent.
Job 42:1-6 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
2 "I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' "Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." 4 'Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.' 5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes."
4. Our real expectation is to one day physically see Him.
Mar 2:12 "We have never seen anything like this."
We long to see Him.
Luk 21:28 "But when these things begin (birth pangs) to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
1Pe 1:6 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him,
2Ti 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
By not seeing Him physically, He is drawing us to an understanding of Him that is deeper than the visible. It is to know His heart, His mind, His Spirit, and soul. It is to know what He loves, what He hates, what gives Him joy and peace. For this He has given us the Holy Spirit, the word, and audible communication in prayer.
You will not know these things unless you live them. You cannot know love or self control or righteousness unless you live them consistently. The longer you allow sin or laziness or idols consistently take your time, the longer you are putting off seeing Christ.
If we choose to use them, He will shine forth to each of us like He will to the whole world at His coming.
Then in us, the flow of evil and sin will dry up, just as His appearing kills the antichrist and puts an end to his evil and corruption. The desire for self and sin will be destroyed. Not sinless, but not ruling us or mastering us. You will know the difference plainly (I don’t have to define it.) |