The "American Wisdom
Series"
Presents
Pamphlet #1005 KC2Thes3
Most
Christians believe Christ can return at any time; yet my Bible says He
won't return until after these two things happen...
Do you believe that Jesus Christ
can return at any moment?
If you do, why do you believe that?
Who was it that told you such a
thing and where did they get that idea?
It is precisely because some of
the Thessalonians believed that the day of the Lord was at hand, as do
so many believers in the pre-trib Rapture Theory today, that Paul wrote
this second letter to "straighten them out" on this urgent matter!
It is EXTREMELY important that Christians
understand the chronological order of events which are about to take place
because as Paul will make clear to even the simplest reader, there is a
"supernatural one" coming first, BEFORE Jesus Christ returns, and
he will look just like the Messiah, and he will call himself Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, those who are expecting
the return of Jesus Christ at any moment will surely believe the second
advent has taken place because they don't know there is in adition to Jesus
Christs, the imposter, Satan who comes to ahead of the real Christ and
pretends to be him.
Just wait until you find out who
this first spurious messiah, the Instead-of-Jesus, really is that the "many"
will be worshipping! Woe baby!
In today's exciting study we are
going to discover what the Word of God says concerning the second advent
as we begin to carefully examine chapter two of Paul's second letter to
the Thessalonians.
However before we begin, take a
moment and carefully consider the words the great scholar E.W. Bullinger
wrote in his Introductory to "How to Enjoy the Bible", Kregel Publications,
pg. 6.
"When we come to ask ourselves,
and say, 'Where did I learn this?' 'How did I get this?' 'Who taught this
to me?' it is astonishing to find out how much we have imbibed from man,
and from tradition; and not directly and for ourselves, from the
Word of God.
"All that we have learned from our
youth up must be tested and proved by the Word of God. Where we find
it is true we must learn it over again, from God. And where it will
not stand the test of His Word we must be not only content, but thankful
to give it up; and receive Divine revelation in the place of man's
imagination."
Now carefully consider the
Word of God.
2 Thes.
2:1
Now we beseech
you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering
together unto him,
Arrrggghhh! We've just been
"beseeched"!
Do you know what that means?
It means that Paul is imploring
us not to do something concerning the subjects of "the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and our gathering unto Him".
Here is what he begs us not to do:
[2]
That
ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither
by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ
is at hand.
You better not be "wishy washy"
about this subject or have any doubts whatsoever when it is that we gather
back to Jesus Christ!
Furthermore, there is no need to
be ignorant concerning our gathering back because Paul "spells it out"
in real simple terms in this chapter.
Do you remember we covered the problems
that were troubling the Thessalonians concerning the Day of the Christ's
return in our last study?
They were not much different than
the problems confronting Christian's today concerning His return.
You see, the "many" whom Christ
said in Mat. 24 and Mark 13 would be deceived by the words of false teachers
in these last days, are continually fed a "vision" of a mentally disturbed
woman who claimed her vision was a "revelation" of the spirit.
Today it is called the Rapture Theory
and lately it has been promoted very heavily among Christians on radio,
TV, in book after book, and now in full length motion pictures such as
"Left Behind".
I recently saw a very prominent
Christian preacher on a nationally televised talk show tell the host of
the program that at any time during that interview Jesus Christ could return
and snatch him right out of his seat!
Well, I'm sorry!
That was simply a lie, whether spoken
intentionally or not!
Hopefully the man is just sorely
deceived in his own Biblical illiteracy.
Either way though, he has perpetuated
a big dangerous lie!
How so?
We are going to find out.
Note: With just a little research
at your local library you can easily trace the origin of the Rapture Theory
back to Glasgow, Scotland, to the year 1830 when a lady named Margaret
MacDonald saw a "vision" whereby all of a sudden the Lord descends in the
clouds and calls His saints to rise up and meet Him in the air. Start with
the book "The Incredible Cover-up", by Dave MacPherson. You can then trace
this Rapture Theory's entry into this nation, even identifying the group
that brought it here, and chart its infiltration into the majority of our
churches today. Those who support this any-moment Rapture Theory rely heavily
on the two verses of 1 Thes. 4:16-17 to support their theory. However,
we have already documented that the events of vs. 16-17 occur at the last
Trump, which is the Day of the Lord and the first day of the Millennium.
Paul continues in verse 3 with an
even more direct statement:
2 Thes.
2:3
Let no man deceive
you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come
a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Remember, the subject being
addressed here is the return of Jesus Christ and when it
is we gather back to Him!
That is certainly easy enough for
anyone to understand.
But the really hard part of this
verse for people to come to grips with is the "Let no man deceive you by
any means" part!
Perhaps your minister or pastor
is a really nice man with a lovely family and you know him to be sincere
and conscientious and one who would not purposely lead you astray.
And that may all be true but will
you consider that perhaps he has blindly followed after the traditional
teachings of the church, which have the appearance of being good, just
as you have followed after him?
Think about it!
The point Paul is making is "PLEASE,
DO NOT let anyone tell you in any way, shape, or form that the day of Christ
is at hand, i.e. that Jesus Christ can return at any moment!"
They are "in the dark", void of
accurate Biblical knowledge, and they will be caught off guard, caught
sleeping, when the true Messiah returns.
You see, whether a man is pope,
bishop, elder, preacher, teacher, pastor, minister, deacon, usher, author,
televangelist, or the paperboy, we have been instructed to check out what
that man says in the Word of God.
Remember Paul said to "Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good (1 Thes. 5:21)." Well, Paul was not,
neither did he believe he was, nor did he attempt to, exempt himself from
the "proving and the testing".
It is written in Acts 17 that those
rascally Bereans checked him and Silas out real good, every day!
Acts
17:10
And the brethren
immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming
thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
[11]
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so.
Imagine that!
They had the NERVE to check out
what the apostle Paul himself taught them.
The question one should then ask
is, "Is there anyone greater than the apostle Paul today that we should
exempt from accountability to the Word of God?"
Forget whether they are nice guys
or good folks or popular among the people or followed by millions.
Do your homework and believe the
scriptures!
If a teacher does not encourage
you to study on your own (2 Tim. 2;15) or if that teacher is offended that
you document whether his words fully align with the scriptures, then find
another teacher.
No true servant of God will ever
ask you to believe him or her apart from documentation in the Word of God.
[12]
Therefore
many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and
of men, not a few.
They SAW for themselves that
it
was so in the Word of God and for that reason many of them "believed"...
not because Paul or Silas said so... but the Word of God said so.
So Paul has now specifically told
us in verse 3 that TWO THINGS must happen BEFORE we gather back to Jesus
Christ. (I would say that if those two things have not happened yet then
you are NOT going to be plucked out of your seat, are you?) What are those
two things?
There must first come a falling
away and the "man of sin", who is the "son of perdition", must be revealed.
Who is this "man of sin", this "son
of perdition"?
The word Greek word for "perdition"
is a derivative of "apollumi" which means to fully destroy, i.e. die, perish:
apollumi, ap-ol'-loo-mee,
Greek 622; from Greek 575 (apo) and the base of Greek 3639 (olethros);
todestroy
fully (reflexive to perish, or lose), literal or figurative :- destroy,
die,
lose, mar, perish.
The active participle of "apollumi"
is "Appollyon" which is Satan's name in Rev. 9:11.
You see, there has only ever been
one son who has been sentenced to "perish" in the lake of fire and that
one son is the man of sin himself, Satan, the Devil, the Great Red Dragon,
the soon coming spurious messiah. Judgment for everyone else, unless you
are part of the First Resurrection, has been scheduled for the time following
the Millennium known as the Great White Throne Judgment.
Here is some more info on the son
of perdition:
2 Thes.
2:4
Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing
himself that he is God.
Have you read about that one
who exalted himself above God in the first* earth age?
* Note: If you are not familiar
with the first earth age, the "world that then was" spoken of by Peter
in 2 Pet. 3:6, or the over plan of God then write to us or send us an e-mail
requesting the free booklet "The Plan of God". Be sure to include your
postal address.
Isaiah
14:12
How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down
to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
[13] For
thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north:
[14] I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High.
This same abominable one will
be cast from heaven to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9) at the sound of the 6th
Trump, which comes before our gathering back at the 7th Trump (the last
one).
The 6th Trump is when Michael stands
up (Dan. 12:1) and the time of trouble (spiritual trouble) begins such
as never was since a nation was born nor ever shall be again.
Satan as the false messiah, will
once again exalt himself above God and he will sit in the temple, just
as Paul explained in verse 4, and claim that he is God, i.e. the Messiah
who has come to rapture you away.
Jesus Christ also told us in Mat.
24 and Mark 13 about this abominable one who shall come before He returns,
and when he does, stay away from him.
Matthew
24:15
When ye therefore
shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) [16]
Then
let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Students of the book of Daniel
(i.e. those who read it with understanding) know that this is the "desolator",
the little horn, the vile person, which are ALL names of Satan.
Keep reading, we'll will find out
why it is and what it is that will cause most people to believe that he
truly is Jesus Christ.
He will not only deceive the whole
world with a display of power and signs and lying wonders but he causes
the great falling away, the great apostasy, when the majority of Christians
begin to worship him as Jesus.
That my friend is a "great fall"
indeed!
NEVER EVER forget the clear and
precise statement Paul gave us in 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 3.
It is a statement so simple that
it can be understood by even the most basic reader.
He said "let no man deceive you
by any means, for that day [the day of Christ's return] shall NOT
come until there is
#1. a great apostasy when the man
of sin,
#2. the son of perdition is revealed.
"
How can anyone read that sentence
and still think Christ can return at any moment when that man of sin has
not been revealed?
Would you like to know a MYSTERY,
something which is unknown to most people because they have never read
the scriptures with understanding or without the preconceived traditions
of men distorting their comprehension?
That man of sin, that son of perdition
Paul said will be revealed, will be REVEALED to the world AS JESUS
CHRIST, not some bad dude who goes around killing people!
Therefore, the mystery is that the
FIRST Jesus who appears will actually be Satan, the imposter, the false
messiah, BUT the whole world with the exception of those who have the seal
of God [His Word] in their foreheads (Rev. 9:4) will believe that he is
the real Jesus Christ and will worship him as God!
THAT IS the GREAT APOSTASY!
Do you now see why the any-moment
Rapture Theory is such a dangerous doctrine?
It sets people up for the fall,
even the great falling away, doesn't it?
In today's study we will examine
some of the reasons why people will be so convinced he is Jesus Christ!
Let's get started.
2 Thes.
2:5
Remember ye
not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
Paul now reminds the Thessalonians
that he told them before, when he was with them, that there would be a
great falling away, a great apostasy, before Jesus Christ returned and
that the Wicked one would be revealed, "Who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God
sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God (2 Thes. 2:4)."
We know that the apostle Paul was
an Hebrew scholar (Acts 22:3) and that he "reasoned with them [the Thessalonians]
out of the scriptures" as it is written in Acts 17:2.
Therefore he would have been very
familiar with the words of Daniel, whose prophecies concerning Satan, who
come as the false-christ, parallel those of John in the Book of Revelation
and Paul here in 2 Thes. 2.
Daniel
7:25
And he shall
speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints
of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be
given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
The blaspheme that this "little
horn", the son of perdition, will speak against God is just as Paul said
in 2 Thes. 2:4.
He will sit in the temple and blasphemously
claim that he is God himself, i.e. that he is the Messiah returned, when
in fact he is Satan, the "instead-of-Christ".
The "times and decrees" that he
will think to change is to convince people that Jesus Christ has returned
(before it is time), i.e. that it is the time of the 7th Trump when in
fact it is only the 6th. That will be easy for him considering that most
people are expecting Christ to return at any moment, thanks to the "vision"
of the Rapture Theory.
Couple that with Satan's supernatural
abilities to perform great signs and wonders in the sight of men, and just
like that, in one day's time, Christians all over the world will begin
to worship the "dragon", the "religious beast", the "vile person", the
"devil", "the son of perdition", as if he were Jesus Christ.
Again, that is the "Great Falling
Away" from the true Christ which Paul speaks of when the son of perdition
is revealed!
So we now know from irrefutable
Biblical documentation that the son of perdition is coming FIRST, before
the real Jesus Christ returns and we gather back to Him.
The question is, "What is keeping
Satan from being here now?
Paul explains:
2 Thes.
2:6
And now ye know
what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
Paul says "you know what is
keeping him from being here already; for he can only come when his time
is ready" (Living Bible).
The Greek word for "withholdeth"
in verse 6 is "katecho" which means to hold fast, to hold back,
to retain, etc.
Take a Strong's Concordance and
look up the many verses in which this word is used.
katecho, kat-ekh'-o, Greek 2722; from
Greek 2596 (kata) and Greek 2192 (echo); to hold down (fast), in
various applications (literal or figurative) :- have, hold (fast), keep
(in memory), let, × make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay,
take, withhold.
You see, there is someone "holding
back", katecho, the son of perdition at this time, and his name
is Michael. However, he will soon "stand up" (Dan. 12:1) and cast Satan
and his angels out of heaven to the earth (Rev. 12:7-19). (Oh, you thought
Satan was here on earth now? Who told you that? See Eph. 6:12.)
Rev.
12:7
And there was
war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the
dragon fought and his angels,
[8] And
prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
At the appointed time of the
6th Trump Michael will stand up and cast Satan and his angels to this earth.
[9]
And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
Let there be no doubt about
who this person is.
It is NOT some flesh man.
It is that OLD SERPENT from the
garden of Eden, called Satan the devil, the son of perdition himself!
And when he is REVEALED, when he
is cast out from heaven by the one who is now holding him back, i.e. Michael,
he will come as the Messiah returned, looking just like the Lamb, and will
"deceive the whole world" into believing he is Jesus Christ.
That IS the great tribulation of
the false christ.
It will be a time of peace and prosperity
(Dan. 11:24) for all, but it will be the greatest time of spiritual trouble
ever and will mean "spiritual death" to MANY!!
You see, the magnitude of this event
as recorded by Daniel will be "such as never was since there was a nation
even to that same time... (Dan. 12:1)."
Satan is a supernatural archangel
and when he comes he will be accompanied by his angels who are cast out
with him, which we read in Rev. 12:9.
They are the same "fallen angels"
of Gen. 6 who left heaven (their first habitation - Jude 6) and came directly
to earth in the time of Noah.
They were "giving and taking in
marriage" and took the daughters of Adam to wife causing our Father to
bring about the flood of Noah.
"As it was in the days of Noah",
Jesus said in Luke 17:26, "so shall it be also in the days of the Son of
man."
Yes, we are talking about angelic
beings coming to earth along with Satan when he is cast out!
Here is what Jesus said concerning
those days when the "abomination of desolation", the abominable desolator,
i.e. Satan, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stands in the holy place claiming
to be God:
Matthew
24:21
For then shall
be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world
to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Our people are not prepared
either mentality nor spiritually to face the supernatural.
[22]
And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:
but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
The actual time when Satan
will reign on earth has been shortened to the time of the locusts, which
is a 5 month period as documented in Rev. 9.
These guys are really, really good
at what they do best, which is to lead people astray!
[23]
Then
if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it
not.
That is what they will be saying,
"Isn't it wonderful that Jesus has returned to Jerusalem?"
Do not believe it. Remember we documented
in 1 Thes. 4 and 1 Cor. 15 that when the real Jesus Christ returns at the
last Trump, the 7th Trump, then in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
we who are alive and remain unto His coming will ALL be changed from our
flesh bodies to our spiritual bodies?
So if you are still in the flesh,
know from the Word of God that Jesus Christ has not returned.
[24]
For
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great
signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect.
Satan and his angels are masters
of deception.
Want an idea of how good Satan is?
Get a load of this trick:
Rev.
13:13
And he doeth
great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth
in the sight of men,
What a show they will put on!
The Greek word for "fire" is "pur"
which means "lightning".
Satan, disguised as Jesus Christ,
will be able to perform great signs and wonders like calling "lightning"
down from the sky!
Wow, he commands the weather!
What effect will this have on people?
As it is written, those "miracles"
will deceive the people into believing he is Jesus:
[14]
And
deceiveth them that dwell on the earth
by the means of those miracles
which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them
that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which
had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Paul will also tell us of the
"power" and "signs" Satan will perform when we get to verse 9.
By the way, the "image" of the beast
is that which Satan, who is the religious beast of Rev. 13, appears to
be.
In other words, just as politicians
and "stars" have public "images", which is how the world perceives them
but which is often totally different than how they "really are", the beast's
image, i.e. Satan's public image, will be that he is Jesus Christ.
He will cause people to worship
that image, in other words to worship him as Jesus Christ, which is his
image.
2 Thes.
2:7
For the mystery
of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until
he be taken out of the way.
Hey, the work of deception
to prepare this world to receive Satan as the Messiah is going on right
now.
Do you know what the "mystery" of
iniquity is? It is "religious" deception.
mystery = musterion, moos-tay'-ree-on,
Greek 3466; from a derivative of muo (to shut the mouth); a secret
or "mystery" (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation
into religious rites) :- mystery.
Yes, the deception brought
about by the famine of the end times (Amos 8:11) and given a big push by
the leaven of Margaret MacDonald's any-moment Rapture Theory "already works",
i.e. is already going on.
But Satan himself will not "be revealed"
until Michael boots him out of heaven.
Note: The word "letteth" in verse
7, which is also "katecho", the same word as "withholdeth" in verse
6, is a transitive verb in this verse, which simply means that an object
must be supplied. Since the subject is Satan, the son of perdition, the
object must be his place in the heavenlies which we have already shown
is where Michael is "holding him back" (Rev. 12:7). See Dr. Bullinger's
notes on page 1796 in the Companion Bible.
Nevertheless, it is simply amazing
how many ministers and preachers believe this verse is talking about the
Holy Spirit being taken away from the earth when antichrist is here.
That's really too bad because the
Holy Spirit will not only be here during antichrist's reign, but as it
is written in Mat. 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, the Holy Spirit will speak
through God's elect, like the example given on the first Day of Pentecost
following the crucifixion, when they are delivered up to the spurious messiah.
Do not listen to nonsense and theories
blindly repeated by the blind.
Study the Word of God as it is written
and become mature.
Here is a little clearer translation
to help understand verse 7.
2 Thes.
2:7
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. (Living Bible)
Again, this does not refer
to the Holy Spirit but to the one who is holding back (katecho)
Satan, the son of perdition.
That one is Michael. What happens
when he steps out of the way and casts Satan to the earth?
2 Thes.
2:8
And then
shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit
of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
This is so simple to those
who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
However, for those who do not, the
nature of deception is such that one who is deceived doesn't know that
he is, else he would not be!
So wake up, it is not too late,
and there's more yet to come in this 2nd chapter of 2nd Thessalonians!
Would you believe that most people
would not recognize Satan as Satan, the Wicked One, the Devil himself,
if they came face to face to him?
Really, it is true!
People like this guy, especially
liberal Christians!
He is very intelligent, extremely
charismatic, a very smooth talker, and he has an entitlement program ready
to go with
your name on it!
Add to that his good looks as it
is written in Ezekiel 28:12, "Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom,
and perfect in beauty", and many, many people will follow him and his liberal
theology right into the pit of hell! Go figure!
In fact, it is written in Rev. 12:4
that the Great Red Dragon, aka Lucifer, drew fully one third of God's children
away from our Father and His righteous ways in the first earth age, which
is why our Father destroyed that "world that then was" (2 Pet. 3:6) and
why we are now here walking under the sun in corruptible flesh bodies!
The prophet Isaiah records Satan's
fall and his big problem:
Isaiah
14:12
How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down
to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
[13] For
thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north:
[14] I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
This is exactly what Satan
will do when he is "revealed" at the appointed time when Michael casts
him to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9), just as Paul describes it in 2 Thes. 2:4
"Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that
is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God."
However, when Jesus Christ, the
King of kings and Lord of lords returns, Michael will grab hold of Sleazy
Slimy Satan once again and cast him back into the pit where he will remain
bound throughout the Millennium.
You will find that documented in
Rev.
20:1-3 "And I saw an angel come down from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
[2]
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and
Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
[3]
And
cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."
Isaiah gives us some more insight
concerning Satan's incarceration during the Millennium:
Isa.
14:15
Yet thou shalt
be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
[16] They
that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying,
Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
People will walk by Satan during
the Millennium and shake their heads in dismay and unbelief that this scumbag
could have caused so much pain and suffering to God's children.
Meanwhile back home at the turn
of the 21st century many Christians were anxiously awaiting the return
of Jesus Christ at any moment and paying little or no attention to the
Written Word of God because they were told they were soon going be "taken
up" in the Rapture of the church.
They were not told to "Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
(2 Tim. 2:15)", but that going to
church regularly and participating in church activities puts them in good
standing.
Therefore the day is coming when
they shall surely be ashamed!
Yes, little do they know that they
shall soon actually see that which they are expecting.
They will soon see "Jesus" coming
in the clouds with a host of angels and with great power and signs and
performing great miracles in the sight of men.
The problem is that this first Jesus
will be doing the work of Satan!
Why?
Because he will be Satan, the Dragon,
the Beast, disguised as an angel of light.
2 Cor. 11:14 "And no marvel; for
Satan himself is transformed [disguised] into an angel of light."
2 Thes.
2:9
Even him, whose
coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders,
The Greek word for "wonders"
is "dunamis" meaning "miraculous power".
In other words, he will put on a
dynamite display of deceptive miracles to convince folks he is really Jesus.
The people are going to absolutely
love it!
This "star" performer really knows
how to "work a crowd"!
wonders = dunamis, doo'-nam-is, Greek
1411; from Greek 1410 (dunamai); force (literal or figurative); specially
miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself) :- ability,
abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s),
power, strength, violence, might (wonderful) work.
Should miracles alone give
a person credentials if what they teach does not align with the Word of
God?
The answer is NO!
Let's read from the law in the Book
of Deuteronomy.
Deut.
13:1
If there arise
among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or
a wonder,
[2] And
the
sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying,
Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve
them;
Hey, the miracles could really
be dynamite and the things he says could actually come true!
The question is, "Would seeing those
miracles cause you to 'let loose' of the Word and follow after him?"
[3]
Thou
shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams:
for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your
God with all your heart and with all your soul.
There is a time of "proving"
coming such as the world has never seen, no, nor ever will again.
Will you be deceived by the miracles
and the signs and the wonders performed by Satan, the false christ (instead-of-Jesus)
or do you love the Word of God with all your heart and with all your soul?
Here is what you are to do!
[4]
Ye
shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments,
and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
You stick to the Word of God
and keep His commandments.
Period!
Jesus said in Mat. 24 & Mark
13 that when you see this abomination, the "desolator", standing in the
holy place where he ought not, then get away from him and stay away from
him!
It doesn't matter if he can snap
his fingers and call lightning down from the sky or "take people up" in
his high-tech saucers, i.e. his "flying wheels" (See Ezek. chapters 1 &
10).
Are you beginning to get the picture
of the magnitude of this event?
So let's recap once more: Satan,
the son of perdition, is coming to this earth as Jesus Christ and he will
have all power to perform signs and wonders and flashy miracles in the
sight of men.
He will be spectacular to say the
least and most people will not recognize him as Satan but will rather believe
he is truly the Messiah returned.
The problem is he is the religious
"beast" of Rev. 13 and in their ignorance Christians all over the world
will forsake the true Christ and begin to worship him!
That is the great falling away,
the great apostasy which occurs when the son of perdition make his appearance,
i.e. is revealed.
You see, no one would worship the
beast if they knew he was the beast, would they?
Of course not!
They will believe he is really
Jesus because of his powers and miracles and because they do not know the
scriptures and the fact there is a false Christ and the real Christ, the
real Jesus and His look alike, the false messiah!
They still perceive Satan as a
bad dude with horns, a red suit with a tail, and a pitch fork in his hand!
Not!
2 Thes.
2:10
And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
What is this truth that people,
yes even most Christians, do not love?
That's real easy for Christ Himself
gave us the answer:
John
17:17
Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth.
The "love of the truth" then is the
"love of His Word". The great apostasy is of those who claim to be Christians
but do not know or love the truth, which brings up an important question.
"Is everyone who now claims to be a Christian going to enter into the kingdom?"
Again, Jesus Christ personally answers
this question:
Matthew
7:21
Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many Christians love their
church.
Many Christians love singing hymns
and praises to the Lord and they love dancing in the isles and waving their
hands in the air.
Many love seeing those entertaining
displays of "miracles" on stage where people get knocked down or prancing
preachers speak garbled syllables and pretend they don't even know they
are doing it!
Christians do all sorts of religious
things and support all sorts of charitable causes all the while believing
they are doing "the will of the Father which is in heaven", but they are
not!
They have never studied and rightly
divided His Word to get to know Him and understand His will.
So will they be able to cash in
those wonderful works for a ticket to the marriage feast of the Lamb?
Here is what Messiah says about
that:
[22]
Many
will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works?
These are the "Many" Christians
Jesus prophesied WOULD BE deceived by the false preachers who come in His
name, claiming to be Christ's representatives, and teach the people after
the "precepts of men" and not directly from the Word of God.
He warned us not to be among them!
Paul also warned us not to be deceived by any man!
[23]
And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity.
The reason Christ never knew
them is because He never saw their faces in the pages of His Word wherein
He dwelled all the time while they were busy doing other religious things.
They did not hunger and thirst for
Him. They did not "love the truth".
Therefore they did not really believe
in Him, did they?
And for that reason God shall "prove
them" and send Satan as Jesus Christ to teach them a big lesson.
2 Thes.
2:11
And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
Again, "the cause" is that
they loved not the truth, i.e. His Word!
They would rather listen to some
story-telling preacher promise them they are going to be raptured on out
of here when the Big Bad Wolf shows up.
The problem is that the Big Bad
Wolf is going to huff and puff and blow their houses down because they
built them upon sand from the straw doctrines taken from the traditions
of men.
The BIG LIE that they will believe
comes directly from the father of lies himself, Satan (John 8:44). The
BIG LIE is that JESUS CHRIST HAS RETURNED and the 7th Trump has sounded,
when actually SATAN THE DEVIL disguised and Jesus Christ has been revealed
and only the 6th Trump has sounded!
Will you go to his wedding feast
and be taken prematurely, out of season, or will you wait until the 7th
Trump sounds?
[12]
That
they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure
in unrighteousness.
The traditions of men are unrighteousness
indeed for they will lead you straight to worshipping antichrist.
But our people love them and hang
onto them.
They love their pagan "Easter" (Ishtar)
and the sexual fertility symbols of "quick like a bunny" and rolling Ishtar's
eggs.
The word "Easter" isn't even in
the manuscripts of the New Testament.
Neither is the word "rapture" to
be found.
Neither is the word "apple" in the
Book of Genesis!
We could go on and on with the traditions
of men but the sad reality is that our people are just plain Biblically
illiterate and do not really know the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Word
of God.
Our Father says it best:
Jeremiah
4:22
For my people
is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they
have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they
have no knowledge.
The word "sottish" means "stupid".
(See note in the Companion Bible.)
But thank God for the servants of
God who do love the truth and "hold fast" His Word.
2 Thes.
2:13
But we are bound
to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
This is in contrast to verse
12 of them who believed not the "truth", His Word, but rather followed
after the traditions of men.
You SEE, in this final generation
of the fig tree, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear that means you
were chosen "from the beginning", i.e. from "before the foundation of this
world" (Eph. 1:4) and were also justified according to Romans 8:30, "Moreover
whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them
he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
All others are blinded for their
own protection by the "strong delusion", the "spirit of slumber" as recorded
in Romans 11:8 "(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit
of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not
hear;) unto this day."
2 Thes.
2:14
Whereunto he
called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
[15]
Therefore,
brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught,
whether by word, or our epistle.
Remember in verse 2 of this
chapter Paul said "Do not be shaken in mind or be troubled"?
We are to "Stand fast" in the Word
of God according to the words spoken by the prophets or written as epistles
in His word.
In other words, believe the WORD
of GOD, not man!
Remember Paul's instructions in
his first letter: 1 Thes. 5:21 "Prove all things; hold fast that which
is good."
2 Thes.
2:16
Now our Lord
Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and
hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
[17]
Comfort
your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
We are comforted by His Word
even as our Lord said in John 8:32 "Ye shall
know the truth and the truth shall set you free",
free from worry and anxiety and free from strong delusion.
His word is truth!
We are "stablished", i.e. "set fast",
"confirmed", "made strong", in every "good word" we have "proved" from
His Word!
It is then made evident by the work
we do according to His will.
We love our Christian brothers and
sisters who have a "zeal for God" but do not seek after His Word and therefore
have no knowledge to do good!
We do not judge them nor condemn
them but rather we pray for the "healing of their eyes" that they may be
opened and that they might be saved by the true Messiah and not the fake.
The first woman taken in the field,
the foolish virgin, is taken and seduced by antichrist.
The other woman, the wise virgin
with wisdom and knowledge from His Word, i.e. with enough oil in her lamp
to see her way clearly through the hour of darkness, stayed working in
the field until the true Bridegroom arrived.
Paul expresses best our desires
for our brethren:
Romans
10:1
Brethren, my
heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
The House of Israel includes not just
Judah and Benjamin but all of the so-called 10 Lost Tribes who basically
make up the Christian nations of the world.
If you would like to learn more about where the 10 "lost" tribes of the
House of Israel reside today go to Pamphlet
#1064 or Pamphlet
#1020 under Table of Contents "Wisdom" on the this American Wisdom
Series site.
[2]
For
I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
1st and 2nd Thessalonians sure
bear them record! Since they do not study His Word they are therefore ignorant
of God's will, which simply means they are void of wisdom and knowledge!
[3]
For
they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness
of God.
Again, they go to church and
sit in pews and sing praises with their lips, and submit themselves to
the traditions and practices of the church, all of which "appears good"
but will get them nowhere fast for their heart is far from seeking after
His Word.
Hear the words of the Lord:
Matthew
15:8
This people
draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips;
but their heart is far from me.
[9] But
in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men.
The choice is now yours.
The vision of Margaret MacDonald
is that Christ will return at any moment and rapture, "take up", his church
into the clouds before the tribulation of antichrist.Whereas the apostle
Paul has gone to great lengths to make it quite clear to us that we are
going to gather back to Christ ONLY at the LAST Trump and NOT before and
that our gathering back will NOT take place UNTIL AFTER the son of perdition
comes and reigns on this earth as God, i.e. as Jesus Christ, in His stead!
Who are you going to believe?
The question regarding the day Jesus
Christ returns and when we gather back to Him has now been settled once
and for all!
In his first letter to the Thessalonians
Paul told us that the Second Advent will occur at the LAST TRUMP, at which
time we who are alive and remain in the flesh will be changed into our
spiritual bodies to meet the Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints who have
gone on before us, i.e. our deceased loved ones who are with Him right
now and will be returning with Him as Paul explained in 1 Thes. 4:13-18.
Apparently though, there was some
confusion over the definition of the word "LAST"! Can something be last
and yet happen at any moment before something else?
Of course not, because then the
"something else" would be last!
So the apostle Paul, authorized
by the Lord Jesus Christ, made it real clear in his second letter to the
Thessalonians with a simple solid statement of fact as to what MUST happen
first, BEFORE Jesus Christ returns at the Last Trump!
In 2 Thes. 2:3-4 he says, "Let
no
man deceive you by any means." No man means no preacher, teacher,
visionary, commentator, friend or foe, whether male or female, or whether
dead or alive! Paul continues... "For that day", the day the Lord
returns, "shall NOT come, except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [4] Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;
so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he
is God."
So before Jesus Christ returns,
Satan will be cast to this earth along with his angels according to Rev.
12:7-9 and he will appear as the Messiah with "all power and signs and
lying wonders (2 Thes. 2:9)", performing miracles "in the sight of men
(Rev. 13:13)" and deceive the whole world into believing he is God, i.e.
Jesus Christ. You SEE, if you do
not KNOW that the false messiah comes FIRST, which is part of having the
"seal of God" in your forehead (Rev. 9:4), no one will convince you after
the fact that Jesus Christ has not returned and you will surely worship
the abomination of desolation, the abominable one, the wicked one, the
beast, the dragon, that old serpent, Satan himself.
But, now you do know, don't you?
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
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