Dave Folkerts
July 28, 2024
As we dive into 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 we will learn about end times and especially about being “ready for the rapture”. We will also learn some ways Satan tries to deceive people from following Jesus.
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2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 Concerning the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and
sisters, 2 not
to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or
by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already
come.
·
Be careful who you listen to. Study the
scriptures for yourself. Judge a person’s words and actions by the Word of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 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. 4 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.
Matthew 24:3-8 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him
privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the
sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered: “Watch
out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the
Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to
it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to
come. 7 Nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines
and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth
pains.
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Birth Pains of end times: (Prepare)
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Increase in frequency
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Increase in intensity
2 Thessalonians 2:5-7 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used
to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at
the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who
now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
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The church is to be a positive influence for God
in our evil negative world.
2 Thessalonians 5:8-10 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the
Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the
splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works.
He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders
that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.
They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
·
Follow
Jesus, not signs and wonders.
John 3:19-21 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved
darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil
hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds
will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that
it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of
God.
·
We must reject and repent of our sins and live
following Jesus
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion
so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not
believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
Romans 1:21-25 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave
thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts
were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of
the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds
and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts
to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25
They exchanged the
truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than
the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
·
Every time we say no to God, our heart gets
harder towards Him.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers
and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
14 He called you to
this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 15 So
then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we
passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ
himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal
encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every
good deed and word.
·
Stand firm in the face of opposition
Matthew 24:42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come.
1 John 3:2-3 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet
been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him,
for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in Him purify
themselves, just as He is pure.
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Waiting for Jesus’ return affects how we live
our life now.
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4 Types of people here:
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1. Saved and surrendered to Christ
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2. Saved but still in control
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3. Unsaved but want to be saved
· 4. Unsaved
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Call 321.574.6970 if you have chosen to
accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.