Explore the Bible Lesson Preview February 15, 2009 "You Can Stay Calm" Background & Lesson: 2 Thes. 2:1-17 Motivation: As we approach the "Day of the Lord" both falsehood as well as truth abound. Christians are to read the truth, understand the truth and trust in the truth to maintain confident faith. (Acts 1:3) Examination: I. Deception to Reject (1-4) A. Correction Of An Erroneous View (2:1-3a) 1. Time "concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together in Him " (1) The focus of this passage is Christ's "Glorious Appearing" (Titus 2:11-14; Rev. 19) The Thessalonians had received a pseudograph (letter falsely claiming to be from an Apostle, namely Paul) which led them to believe that they had missed the Rapture and were now living in the Tribulation. (Isa. 46:9-10; John 17:17-24) 2. Troubled "not to be seen shaken in mind or troubled, either by Spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us as though the day of Christ had come." (2) Paul's purpose for teaching eschatology had been " comfort " (I Thes. 4:18; 5:11). False teaching on the subject had caused discomfort. 1 / 12
3. Truth "Let no one deceive you by any means" (3a) Explore the Bible Commentary (Fall, 2001), p. 113: " Deceive is a compound word in Greek that signifies badly deceived.' In any way gives the appeal broad application. Deception can encroach from many angles and occur on many subjects. Since the passage rejects deception, it also rejects every avenue that might lead to deception. The point is that believers are to be on guard against false teaching. Many seemingly logical and apparently appealing ideas are deceptive. Multitudes of people tend to accept as truth what they would like to be true. They belong to the school of my mind is made up; don't confuse me with the facts.' One of the best defenses against false doctrine is faithful Bible study. Knowing the truth is the best means of identifying error and of not being deceived." (Jude 15-21; I Tim. 4:1) B. Events Related to Christ's Return (3b-4) Believer's Study Bible, p. 1713: 2:3 "The phrase the falling away' ( he apostasia, Gk.) may be translated the apostasy.' This is a combination of a preposition meaning from' or away from' and the verb to stand.' The composite word means literally a standing away from.' The implication is that before the day of Christ (the Lord)' there will occur a marked falling away of professed believers. The use of the article indicates that Paul has in mind a specific apostasy. The severe difficulties experienced by professing believers during the days of the Tribulation 2 / 12
may cause the repudiation of Christianity by those who are not true believers. The phrases man of sin' and son of perdition' refer to a personification of evil and sin in one who will resist the power and Person of Christ. He is to be identified with the first beast of Rev. 13, the little horn of Daniel 7:8, and the abomination' of Matt. 24:15. Antichrist, another designation of this person (cf. 1 John 2:18), is apparently a historical person who makes his debut in history at a crucial moment and thus receives incredible power and influence from Satan. His true character emerges at the midpoint of the Tribulation (cf. Dan. 9:24-27). Ultimately, he is destroyed at the return of Christ (2 Thes. 2:8) to the earth." 1. Falling Away "that day will not come unless the falling away comes first" (3b) W hen people fall away from Christ, they are demonstrating that they were never Christians in the first place (I John 2:19). Obviously a great number of church members left behind at the Rapture will choose to accept the mark of the beast. (Rev. 13:16-18) 2. False God "he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God " (4) This Prince of Darkness will be destroyed by the bright ness & quot; (8) of the Light of the World. (John 8:12.) II. Truth to Remember (5-10) A. Reminder "Do you no remember..." (5) Paul covered a lot of ground during his three Sabbaths of teaching! 3 / 12
B. Restraint "And now you know what is restraining..." (6) Believer's Study Bible 1713:, p. 2:6, 7 "The One who is restraining' is probably a reference to the Holy Spirit in His restraining ministry through the church. Restraining' emphasizes what is presently a strong effort by the Holy Spirit to hold back the maximal exhibition of evil and the advent of the Antichrist. In the present age the Spirit is operative in restraining evil. During the Tribulation, the Holy Spirit's ministry of restraining will be moved out of the way, probably as a result of the rapture of the church. This is not a departure of the Holy Spirit, for He is omnipresent, but rather it is a temporary cessation of one of His gracious ministries. A mystery' is a secret which God has revealed, one which lies beyond human knowledge. The verse teaches us that this evil is already active, though at the present its manifestation is hidden from us." The "Restrainer" is present in Christian "containers" (I Cor. 6;19). Altho ugh the Holy Spirit is omnipresent and omnipotent, He chooses to do much of His work through Christians by way of spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6-8) and spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23). Following the Rapture, the world will see lawlessness unrestrained by these spiritual powers. (John 16:7-11) C. Revelation "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume " (8) Believer's Study Bible, p. 1713: "2:8 Paul uses three words in this epistle to designate the return of Christ: revelation' ( apokalupsis, Gk.), appearance' ( epiphaneia, Gk.), and coming' ( parousia, Gk.). 4 / 12
The first connotes an unveiling,' the second conveys the idea of manifestation,' and the last constitutes an affirmation that Jesus will be alongside His people.' All three words are used of Jesus' powerful coming to deal with evil at the close of the Tribulation. The Lord reveals ( apokalupsis ) the evil world dictator for what he really is. His destruction is accomplished by the display of the Lord's glory ( epiphaneia ) as a result of His personal presence ( parousia ). The result of this great display of divine prerogatives is the destruction of the kingdom of Satan through the Battle of Armageddon and through the institution of the Millennium. The Millennium will be God's earthly kingdom during the last thousand years of the present heavens and earth (cf. Rev. 20:1-6) (Dan. 7:24-25, 8:23-25, 11:36-39; c.f. "world without end" Isa. 45:17; Eph. 3:21)." D. Ratification "according to the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders " (9) The power behind the Antichrist is satanic. The very things that validated Jesus' ministry (Mark 6:13; Mark 16:20), were now counterfeited by Satan. (Matt. 24:24; John 4:48) Satan counterfeits the Trinity with the Devil, Antichrist and False Prophet. E. Repudiation "with all unrighteous deception (10)...strong delusion" (11) Believer's Study Bible, p. 1713: 2:10-12 "The unrighteous decision of rejecting God's truth (v. 10) results in their condemnation (v. 12). A mind committed to unrighteousness will not entertain the truth and therefore will not be saved. 5 / 12
It is a mind which is destined to lead one astray (v. 10, 11). A distaste for truth evidences a distaste for God." III. Truth to Rest On (11-17) A. Followers of the Anti-Christ are: 1. Deluded "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they shall believe the lie" (11) The delusion is a result of their rejection. Once the Holy Spirit is removed, people will look to their new savior, the Anti-Christ. 2. Doomed "and that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (Rom. 1:32) (12) Why do they perish? Jesus spoke plainly in John 3:17-18; " For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Jesus claimed to be the truth (John 14:6). He said, " And you shall know truth and the truth will set you free " (John 8:32). The deception by Satan keeps people blind to the truth. (2 Cor. 4:4) 6 / 12
B. Followers of Jesus Christ 1. Sentiment "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you" (13) In I Thes. 5:18 Paul wrote " In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Giving thanks was a common theme of Paul's epistles (Eph. 5:10; Col. 2:6-7; Phil. 4:6; I Thes. 1:2). Because he prayed for the Thessalonian Believers (I Thes. 3:10), he felt " bound " to thank God for answered prayers. (I Cor. 9:8-15) 2. Security "brothers beloved by the Lord" (13). This is the third time Paul has addressed them as brothers (1:3, 2:1). Sin ce this was predominantly a Gentile church, Paul is reminding them of their bond in Christ. The special place of Believers is emphasized by the phrase " beloved by the Lord." A common theme in Jewish philosophy was that bad things happened to people God didn't like. Paul helps them understand, in the midst of their trials and persecutions, that God loves them. (Ps. 23:4) 3. Saved "because God from the beginning chose you for salvation" (13) "... to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (14) a. Salvation was initiated by God: Expressions such as "from the beginning" (13) and " before the foundation of the world 7 / 12
" (Eph. 1:4) help us understand that salvation is God's idea. (John 15:16, 18-19; II Pet. 1:10) Election is the doctrine of salvation from God's perspective. It is somewhat of a mystery to humans. No where does the Bible hint that people are elected to be lost; in fact, the Christian responsibility is to give every person on the face of the earth the opportunity to respond to the gospel (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15). b. Salvation is inspired by the Holy Spirit "through sanctification by the Holy Spirit& quot; (13) The Spirit's ministry to the lost is to convict of sin and convince of the truth. (John 16:7-11) Sanctification continues after the initial miracle of salvation. Believer's Study Bible, p. 1714: " 2:13 Sanctification' ( hagios, Gk.) means set apart.' Sanctification indicates consecration' or dedication' to God. The progressive cleansing or purification of the soul, which is part of the salvation process (Rom. 8:30), is sanctification (cf. I Thes. 5:23; Heb. 12:12-14). Every Christian is sanctified in the sense that he is set apart to God by the power of the Spirit and by his own act of faith." c. Salvation is instructed by God's Word "belief in the truth" (13) (2 Thes. 2:10-12; John 12:32) 8 / 12
d. Salvation is intended to allow us a glimpse of God's glory "to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ " (14). In Jesus' High Priestly Prayer (John 17), He begins, " Glorify Your Son " (1) and concludes " And the glory which you gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one." (22) Paul mentioned our future glory in 1:10, associated with Christ's Second Coming. (Rom. 8:14-18) 4. Standing Fast "Therefore, brethren, stand fast (15) Paul addressed this idea in I Thes. 3:8. (I Cor. 15:58, 16:13; II Cor. 1:21, 24; Gal. 5:1; Eph. 6:14; Phil. 1:27, 4:1; Col. 4; Gal. 5:1; Eph. 6:14; Phil. 1:27, 4:1; Col. 4:12) Rather than accepting false teaching (2:2-3), the Thessalonians were to " hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle " (15) Explore the Bible Commentary, p. 125: "The Thessalonians had a responsibility not only to remain steadfast but also to hold to the teachings they had received. The word translated teaching' means truth received and faithfully passed on." Teachings,' therefore, refers to traditions' in the best sense of that word. Paul's apostolic ministry involved passing on God's revealed truth both by word of mouth (his oral instruction when present) and by letter (his written instruction when absent). The teachings' were not traditions in the sense of the later traditions of the church but were the revelations given to apostles and later passed on in the written Scriptures." 9 / 12
5. Paul's Prayer for the Believer (2:16-17) a. Who "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and our God and Father who&qu ot; (16) Paul prays to Jesus and God as two distinct people, equal, separate but unified as indicated by the singular " who." One of the principle attacks that Muslims lay on Christians is the charge that we worship three separate gods. Selwyn Hughes has lately addressed the concept of the Trinity in Everyday Light: Water for the Soul (Days 142-147); the triune nature of God will never fully be understood by humanity but is vital to our faith. b. What "who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace " (16) 1. God's love - John 3:16; Rom. 5:8 2. God's comfort - 2 Cor. 1:3-5 3. God's hope - Titus 2:13; Heb. 6:19 4. God's grace - Eph. 2:8-10 10 / 12
c. Why "comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work&quo t; (17) Paul commanded us in verse 15 to " stand fast." Now he provides the reason for standing fast: that we may be established. The encouragement and establishment we receive from God will result in good words and good works. (Jas. 1:27; I John 3:18; Col. 2:6-7; Titus 2:11-14) Application: 1. Christians are not to be troubled by false teaching. 2. Instead, we are to know and live the truth. 3. The nearness of "the day of the Lord" should add urgency to our gospel witness. Leader Pack - Item 18: Handout: "What Do You Know?"; Item 19: Poster: Les son Outline 11 / 12
Biblical Illustrator: p. 23: "The Man of Lawlessness " Notes: **You may access David's Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: http://www.hfbcbiblestud y.org/ ; Dates: 1 1/13-3/31 - LivingProof with Beth Moore; 1/14-5/13 - Midlink; 1/24 - Share Your Faith Workshop; 1/30-31 - Song of Solomon Conference; 2/1 - Tim McKenzie all three services; 2/6 - First Things First; 2/8 - FBA Day in Worship Services; 2/27 - Summit Winter Retreat; 3/5-6 - FBA Spring Musical; 3/6 - First Things First; 3/8 - Time Change Sunday; 3/22 - Guest Speaker - Curt Jones all three services; 3/29 - Spring Loaded. 12 / 12