By Pastor Greg...
A man walked into a doctor's
office. "What do you have?" the receptionist asked. "Shingles," he replied. She told him to sit down. Soon a nurse called
him and asked, "What do you have?" "Shingles," he
replied. She took his blood pressure,
weight, and complete medical history.
Then she took him to a room and told him to remove all his clothes. After a few minutes,
the doctor came in and asked, "What do you have?" "Shingles," the man told him. The doctor looked him up and down and said,
"Where?" "Out on the truck,” said the man. “Where do you want me to unload them?"
Things are always confusing when
we don’t understand what is being said.
This happened to one of the early churches. They had heard Paul talk about the death of
Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and the return of Jesus. They learned about God’s judgment; that all
people will have to answer for their actions one day. But they didn’t quite understand these
things, especially the Second Coming of Christ.
Just like today, these believers
wondered when Jesus will return. Like
us, these Christians looked at the evil all around them and began to draw
conclusions that the end must be near. Unfortunately,
some false teachers began to spread the lie that Jesus had already come (and they still teach this[1]),
which was deeply troubling for many Christians.
As this lie began to spread, the
Apostle Paul teaches a valuable lesson
about the coming of the Lord.
In 2
Thessalonians 2, Paul writes, “Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things
about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet
him. 2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say
that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual
vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t
be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great
rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings
destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that
people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of
God, claiming that he himself is God.
5 Don’t you remember that
I told you about all this when I was with you? 6 And you know
what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For
this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until
the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the
man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the
breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
9 This man will come to do
the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He
will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and
accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause
them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then
they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.” [2]
According to Paul, the End Time
events have not begun. They did not begin in his day, and we are
sure they have not begun in ours. This
much is clear. We have not missed the
return of Christ because we have not
seen this “Man of Lawlessness.”
Now, perhaps you are wondering who
Paul is talking about. Who is this “man
of lawlessness?” Well, before we transition
into the next section of Revelation, I thought it best to help you understand
who is who in Revelation. If we know who these characters are, perhaps the
events might be easier to understand as well.
Let’s start with this “man of lawlessness.” This is a human male who rises suddenly to
world power. He is the “Beast out of the
Sea” (Revelation 13:1), meaning that he is a Gentile, probably from one of the
European nations that formed when the Roman Empire collapsed (compare Daniel 7). Guided and empowered by Satan himself, this
man will outlaw every religion in the world (see Revelation 13:5-8), and demand
that he be worshiped as God. He is the
Antichrist (1 John 2:18); a man who desires to be worshiped as the savior of the world. In fact, his deception includes being fatally
wounded, but then being healed (Revelation 13:3).
In Revelation chapter 13 we read
about a False Prophet. Like the Antichrist, this individual is
empowered by Satan. He is the “Beast out
of the Earth” (Revelation 13:11). His
words are also guided by Satan (“Voice of a dragon”). While the Antichrist mimics the role of
Jesus; the False Prophet mimics the role of the Holy Spirit. He will perform “astounding miracles, even making fire flash
down to earth from the sky while everyone [is] watching” [3]
(Revelation 13:13). His role is to
deceive the people, so they worship the
Antichrist.
There is the “Dragon.” This is Satan (or
“the Devil”). At some point, after the Church is withdrawn from the
earth, the Devil (Satan) and his angels are forced out of heaven (Revelation
12:9). By the way, both Christ AND the Church
defeat Satan, and he and his demons are thrown to earth (Revelation
12:11). Once here, he gives the
Antichrist his power, calling him from the “sea.”
I wanted to share this information
with you because, at the end of
Revelation chapter three, there is a shift in the timeline. Revelation is
actually divided into three periods; what had
happened, what is happening, and
what will happen (compare Revelation
1:19, “Therefore
write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this.”[4]). Revelation chapter 1 speaks of what had happened, chapters 2 and 3 – the
letters to the Seven Churches – represents what is happening, and Revelation 4 begins the transition into what will take place. The events in Revelation 4-19 take place once
the “Man of Lawlessness” is revealed to the world.
Next Sunday, Pastor Don Hubbell
will help us transition to the things that “Must happen after this” (see Revelation 4:1). He will help us see what happens to the world
once “the man of
lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction” [5]
(2 Thessalonians 2:3).
However, before I end, did you
notice that Paul mentions someone or
some “thing” that is restraining the Antichrist? “He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the
way” [6]
(2 Thessalonians 2:7). That “Someone” is
the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit,
working through the Church, keeps the man of lawlessness from rising to power.
Paul says that, for now,
lawlessness is restrained; it is only
a whisper in the ear; a quiet influence in this world. But when we are gone, it will be unleashed
upon the world in all its fury. When the
Spirit is withdrawn from the earth, things will really fall apart. Yes, as difficult
as it is to imagine, the reign of evil on this earth
is held at bay. And the presence of the
Holy Spirit in the heart of believers is what keeps evil in check and what
keeps the Antichrist from rising to power.
So, never underestimate the difference you make in this world. Your godly actions restrain evil; the Church
stands before Satan and says, “You shall not pass.” Why else would Satan be waging war against
the Church? He knows we are restraining his actions and his ability
to undermine the work of Jesus.
Yes, it is you who are keeping this
world from falling apart. Filled with
God’s Holy Spirit, you stand before the darkness like a beacon of light.
[1] http://www.blogforthelordjesus.com/2009/12/23/jesus-christ-has-already-come-again/
[2] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (2 Th 2:1–12). Carol
Stream, IL.
[3] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Re 13:13). Carol Stream,
IL.
[4] The Holy
Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Re 1:19). Nashville: Holman
Bible Publishers.
[5] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (2 Th 2:3). Carol Stream,
IL.
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