God Speaks
1-2 And now, what about the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to meet him? Please don’t be upset and excited, dear brothers, by the rumor that this day of the Lord has already begun. If you hear of people having visions and special messages from God about this, or letters that are supposed to have come from me, don’t believe them. 3 Don’t be carried away and deceived regardless of what they say.
For that day will not come until two things happen: first, there will be a time of great rebellion against God, and then the man of rebellion will come—the son of hell. 4 He will defy every god there is and tear down every other object of adoration and worship. He will go in and sit as God in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. 5 Don’t you remember that I told you this when I was with you? 6 And you know what is keeping him from being here already; for he can come only when his time is ready.
7 As for the work this man of rebellion and hell will do when he comes, it is already going on, but he himself will not come until the one who is holding him back steps out of the way. 8 Then this wicked one will appear, whom the Lord Jesus will burn up with the breath of his mouth and destroy by his presence when he returns. 9 This man of sin will come as Satan’s tool, full of satanic power, and will trick everyone with strange demonstrations, and will do great miracles. 10 He will completely fool those who are on their way to hell because they have said no to the Truth; they have refused to believe it and love it and let it save them, 11 so God will allow them to believe lies with all their hearts, 12 and all of them will be justly judged for believing falsehood, refusing the Truth, and enjoying their sins.
13 But we must forever give thanks to God for you, our brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose from the very first to give you salvation, cleansing you by the work of the Holy Spirit and by your trusting in the Truth. 14 Through us he told you the Good News. Through us he called you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the truth that we taught you in our letters and during the time we were with you.
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting comfort and hope, which we don’t deserve, 17 comfort your hearts with all comfort, and help you in every good thing you say and do.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: We and the Thessalonians are all to look forward to Christ’s return as Paul taught. We and they are not to be uninformed, deceived, fearful, or foolish about this. What must happen before Jesus returns? Two things need to occur: There will be great lawlessness and rebellion against God and all that He stands for and against all that stand for Him. Then the man of lawlessness will rise up with great power and arrogance to declare himself God. He will indeed fool, capture, and control those who already love their sin and hate the Truth. What is keeping the man of lawlessness at bay? The Holy Spirit and the body of Christ (the collection of all true believers) are holding him back by many acts of loving sacrifice to God and others. What are people to be doing until Christ returns? We and the Thessalonians are to receive the salvation and cleansing from sin that Jesus and the Holy Spirit provide even if we don’t deserve it. We must hold on to and fight for the truth. Then we are to follow Paul’s example of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, standing firm and keeping a strong grip on Him who is the Truth. We should undergird everything by interacting with God in prayer. We need to be asking Jesus Christ and God our Father to comfort, strengthen, and help all His servants in everything they say and do, wherever they are.
Prayer: Dear gracious Lord, thank You that Jesus is coming back to rescue His people and reclaim everything. Please help me to look forward to this great event with joy. Don’t let me be deceived or act foolishly about this. Please help me and other believers to be fully informed, knowledgeable, courageous, and wise as we pray and take action regarding the events preceding Christ’s return. As I see great lawlessness and rebellion against You and Your people in my locality, nation, and world, help me not to just complain but talk with You about it. Help me to intercede as Jesus is, acknowledging the sin but pleading for forgiveness because of His sinless, selfless sacrifice on the cross. Please equip Your body of believers to spread this Good News so more and more people will stand firm and keep a strong grip on the truth. Lord, return us (USA) to the traditions and biblical values on which this nation was founded. Lord Jesus and Heavenly Father, thank You for loving people and giving those who will believe comfort and hope which we don’t deserve. Comfort the hearts of Your followers with all comfort and help us in every good thing we say and do, wherever we are. For the sake of Your kingdom. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will use various study materials to research God’s promises in both the Old and New Testaments regarding Christ’s return.
- I will seek out trustworthy sources of information so that I can be fully informed, knowledgeable, courageous, and wise as I pray and act regarding the events preceding Christ’s return.
- I will spend significant time (alone or with others) confessing the sins of myself, my locality, my nation, and my world.
- I will ask the Lord to show me ways to comfort and strengthen His people and to help me carry through on these actions.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.