2 Thessalonians 2:1

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto Him, that you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he, as God, sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember you not that when I was with you, I told you these things?

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for Your Word, and that Jesus, while You were with us, You told us many things, including things surrounding Your return. Lord, I pray that You would teach us and instruct us to be students of the Scripture, those who study to show ourselves approved as workers that are not ashamed, rightly dividing Your Word of truth. As we open Your Word today and consider this passage, I pray that You would guide and teach us by Your Spirit, that You'd give us understanding and application, for we ask this in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." Amen. You can be seated.

The second chapter of 2 Thessalonians is an extremely interesting passage from an eschatology standpoint. Eschatology is the study of the end, of the last days, of the end times. This section, along with 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, lays the bulk of the foundation of the doctrine which we call the doctrine of the rapture. We at Calvary Chapel, and not just Calvary Chapel Escondido, but Calvary Chapel as a whole, hold to what is called a futurist view of prophecy. What that means is that we believe there are large portions of prophetic Scripture that are yet to be fulfilled. They shall be fulfilled in a yet future time.

We believe also that Jesus will one day return. When He does, He will establish a kingdom here upon the earth for a thousand years. In Acts chapter 1, you may remember that Jesus' disciples were with Him on the Mount of Olives as He ascended into heaven. As they were watching Him ascend out of their sight, they were confronted by two men, who were apparently angels. They said, "You men of Galilee, why do you stand here gazing up into heaven? Don't you know that this same Jesus will return in like manner?"

We are looking forward to that return, as the historical church has been looking forward to it, when He will come and establish His kingdom. The Scriptures indicate that He will rule and reign here upon the earth for a thousand years, a period of time that we call the millennial reign of Christ. Because we hold that Jesus will one day return and establish this kingdom, we are often identified as pre-millennial in our theology. We hold a pre-millennial view of the Lord Jesus' coming and His reign.

As we studied through 1 Thessalonians a couple of months ago, we considered the whole concept of the return of the Lord, the coming of the Lord, and His establishing of His kingdom, as well as what we call the rapture of the church. I shared with you at that time that there are four commonly held views that pre-millennial believers hold about the rapture of the church. I know I may be throwing a lot of different theological and doctrinal terms out here this morning, so maybe just file them in your brain because we'll discuss them more as we continue through the New Testament.

The first view is the pre-tribulational rapture view, which believes that Jesus will miraculously and mysteriously gather His saints from the earth at a time in the future just prior to a seven-year tribulation period here upon the earth. Then there's the mid-tribulation view. Those who hold that view believe that Jesus will miraculously and mysteriously gather His saints, but He will do so in the middle of that seven-year tribulation period, just before the great tribulation, which describes the second half, the three and a half years of the tribulation.

We also talked about the pre-wrath rapture view, which holds that Jesus will miraculously and mysteriously gather His saints to Himself.

During the second half of the seven-year tribulation, prior to God pouring out His wrath upon the earth, there is the post-tribulation rapture view. This view holds that at the end of the seven-year tribulation period, Jesus will return, and just before He pours out His wrath upon the world, He will again miraculously and mysteriously gather the saints to be with Him.

In addition to the four views I mentioned, I noted a fifth view last time. Some people call themselves pan-tribulationists. They have a pan-tribulational view, which basically says it’s all going to pan out. You may be part of that group. However, as a way of reminder, it’s important to recognize that each of the four views I mentioned holds two key points in agreement.

Number one, all four views agree that there is a rapture. They all agree that Jesus, at some point in the future, will miraculously and mysteriously gather His saints to Himself. They also all agree that the rapture will happen prior to the wrath of God being poured out upon the earth. So, they all are really pre-wrath. We base that on 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 9, which says, "God has not appointed us to wrath." How many of you say, Amen, praise God, to that one?

Clearly, instruction about the return of the Lord was a key concept and a key component of early Christian doctrine. The Apostle Paul, even though he was only among the people in Thessalonica for about three weeks, probably no more than six weeks, taught them about the appearing of the Lord and our gathering together unto Him. He informed the people in Thessalonica that they would suffer tribulation.

Look with me, if you would, back to 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 4. Paul says, "For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that you should suffer tribulation, even as it has come to pass, and you know." So, while Paul was there, he informed them that they would experience and suffer tribulation.

Prior to Christ's return, He revealed to them that a deceptive and sinful man, apparently some great leader, would come on the scene. We see that in 2 Thessalonians 2, the passage we just read in verse 5. It says there, "Remember ye not, when I was with you, I told you these things."

However, following Paul's departure from Thessalonica, the believers there were confused. Some in the fellowship at the church in Thessalonica had died, and the people that remained in the body of Christ were concerned that their brothers and sisters who had died had missed the return of the Lord or would miss it. Thus, we see that 1 Thessalonians, in part, was written to encourage the believers and to address their concerns and confusion. Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, and chapter 4 really deals with that, showing them that those who had died before the coming of the Lord would not miss it.

After that first letter, it seems that some false teaching or a forged letter came to the church and confused them even more. They were faced with persecution and enduring tribulation, leading them to wonder if they were experiencing the day of the Lord, the day of God's wrath. In the midst of that, this false teaching emerged. In 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 2, we are told that they should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit, which means some sort of false prophetic utterance, nor by word. It appears that there was a false teaching circulating in the church, nor by letter, as from us, that the day of Christ was at hand or present. Paul says not to be shaken by these false teachings that have come to you, claiming that the day of the Lord has come.

Interestingly, some 20 centuries later, such false teachings are even more abundant. There is still a lot of false teaching and deception regarding these issues. Some today even say the Lord is not going to come, as we here at Calvary Chapel maintain. There are those who believe that there will not be a millennial reign of Christ, and they call themselves amillennialists.

And that view maintains that we are already in the millennial reign of Christ. Jesus is ruling and reigning in heaven, and Satan is currently bound. Now, I don't know about you, but as I look around the world today, I have a hard time really believing that Satan is bound. If he is, he's got a very long leash. I don't want to be flippant about this, but if Jesus is ruling and reigning right now from heaven, he's not doing a very good job.

There are many issues that I take with the amillennial view, but we don't have time to go into those today. There is false teaching, and therefore it is important for the church to be students of the Scripture, to inductively consider what the Scriptures say regarding what Paul says here about the coming of our Lord and our gathering together unto Him. It was the expectation, and in fact the great expectation, of the early church that Jesus would come in their lifetime.

We saw in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 that Paul said, "We who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord." He and many others with him expected that the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would happen in his day. Now, nearly 2,000 years have passed, and in just about every generation since that time, the church has been expecting the immediate return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some today say, "Well, it's been 20 centuries, so where is the sign of His coming?" The apostle Peter reveals to us in 2 Peter chapter 3 that such a mindset, questioning where the sign of His coming is, is an exact identifier of the last days. We should take careful note of such things.

It's important to consider that Paul, when writing to the Thessalonians in his second letter, is seeking to encourage them and to teach them, instructing them not to be deceived by false teachings surrounding the coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto Him. This chapter is jam-packed. We could spend several weeks unpacking the things that are in this passage, and we may or may not do that.

As we look at it today, there are just a few things that I want us to consider. Paul is clarifying for this church two things about the coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto Him. He is clarifying that the day of the Lord, which speaks of the wrath of the Lord coming, is imminent.

Will not come until two specific events happen first. Notice with me, if you would, what they are in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 3. Paul says, "Let no man deceive you by any means." Would you underline that in your neighbor's Bible? Just reach over and highlight it for them. Let no man deceive you by any means. For that day, the day of the Lord, shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.

So, there are two things that Paul reveals here that will take place before the coming of the Lord to bring wrath upon the world, before the day of the Lord. Now, the day of the Lord is a concept that is seen both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is mentioned 29 times in the Scriptures, and every single time, it is identified with wrath, judgment, and vengeance. The prophet Amos, in Amos chapter 5, tells us that woe to those who desire the day of the Lord, because it is a dark day, filled with great darkness, judgment, and vengeance.

Joel chapter 2, Joel chapter 3, Acts chapter 2, Matthew 24, Isaiah 63, and Isaiah 24—many passages in the Scriptures deal with the day of the Lord, and it is a dreadful day. It is not a good day. But the day of the Lord's wrath will not come, Paul tells us, until these two events happen first.

First, there shall be the falling away. Now, in some translations, it says there shall come a falling away, but the definite article is used in the original language, and so it is the falling away. The Greek word for falling away there is apostasia, from which we get our English word apostasy.

Now, there is a group within the church today, and some even within Calvary Chapel, that say the apostasia of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is the rapture. There is a big problem with that. The apostasia, or the falling away, is never associated with any sort of gathering away of the people. It is a departure from the truth. We see in other passages of Scripture that there will be, in the last days, a departure from the truth.

Turn with me, if you would, just one book to the right, to 1 Timothy chapter 4. In 1 Timothy chapter 4, Paul says in verse 1,

Notice it's not really Paul that's saying it; it's the Spirit. The Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils or demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared as with a hot iron.

Then, in 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul says in verse 1, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such turn away."

In 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1, Paul says to Timothy, "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word." He emphasizes the importance of being ready, stating that there will be those who depart from the faith. "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap up for themselves teachers having itching ears. They shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things; endure afflictions; do the work of an evangelist; make full proof of your ministry."

The Apostle Peter, in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 3, says, "Knowing this, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts." There is coming a falling away. Jesus spoke about this apostasy, this falling away, in the Gospel of Matthew, specifically in Matthew chapter 24. As a result, we are told to be on guard, to be watching, and to be ready.

Jesus spoke a parable regarding that falling away, telling of the wicked servant who said, "Where is the sign of His coming? My master is coming." He began to eat and drink and be drunken, and he started to beat the other servants. This servant exemplifies what we might call apostasy.

And so Paul says the day of the Lord's wrath will not come until the falling away comes first. But then Paul also said the day of the Lord's wrath will not come until the man of sin, the son of perdition, is revealed. Who is this? What is this speaking about? Well, the Scriptures lay out for us that there is a coming charismatic individual that we have commonly called the Antichrist.

The Apostle John speaks about him in 1 and 2 John. In 1 John, he says that in the last time you have heard that the Antichrist will come. But then John says there already are in the world many Antichrists. He states that anyone who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh is of the spirit of Antichrist. He also says anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is of the spirit of Antichrist. Many Antichrists have come, but he says there is coming one day in the last days the Antichrist. Paul identifies this Antichrist individual here as the man of sin and the son of perdition.

It is important to consider that if this man of sin and son of perdition is going to be revealed before the day of the Lord's wrath, we should examine what the Bible has to say about the man of sin. Why? Notice what Paul said in verse 3: "Let no man deceive you by any means." The deception that the church at Thessalonica was subject to was that they thought they were already experiencing the wrath of God because they were going through tribulation. This is a common misconception that people have even today.

People experience trials, people experience difficulty, and people go through hard times, and immediately they say, "We are experiencing the tribulation. We're experiencing the wrath of God." Paul says, "Not so." There are specific identifying marks or characteristics about that period of time. Jesus revealed that as well, and many of the Old Testament prophets point to this fact too.

So, who is this man of sin? What do we know about him? Most of what we know about him is given to us right here in these 12 verses of 2 Thessalonians 2. If you're taking notes, here are ten things we know about this man of sin. Number one, the day of the Lord...

The day of the Lord will not come until after this individual is revealed. The man of sin is also called the son of perdition. What exactly does that term mean, though? The son of perdition is a title that Jesus referred to when speaking about his betrayer, who was also called the son of perdition. However, when Paul is speaking about the son of perdition here, he is not talking about Judas, the betrayer of the Lord. He is referring to a yet future individual, the man of sin, who is called the son of perdition.

Essentially, he, like a son, will have the same nature and character as his father. Jesus, especially in the Gospel of Mark, is called the Son of Man. This means that he had the nature and character of a man. Everyone who saw him recognized him as a man, although the works that he did demonstrated that he had a greater character than that. The Gospel of John tells us he is the Son of God. In one man, we see two natures: the Son of Man and the Son of God. He displayed the character attributes and the nature of God when he performed miracles and prophesied.

The son of perdition will display the same character attributes and the same nature as his father. So, who then is his father? In Revelation chapter 9, verse 11, we read about the angel of the bottomless pit, who is called Apollyon. The word Apollyon, or the name Apollyon, uses the same Greek root as the word perdition here. This indicates that the son of perdition, as mentioned in 2 Thessalonians, has the same nature and character as the devil, the angel of the bottomless pit.

To summarize, number one, the day of the Lord will not come until after this man is revealed. Number two, the man of sin is also called the son of perdition. Number three, we find in verse 9 of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 that he comes after the working of Satan. What does this mean? He has the same nature and character as Satan, and just as Jesus is God incarnate, the son of perdition will embody the same attributes.

The man of sin will essentially be Satan incarnate. That's a scary thought. He will be a man possessed by Satan, and this apparently happens in Revelation chapter 12. We will look at that more in just a moment.

Number four, he comes with power, signs, and wonders, but we are told that they are lying wonders—lying signs and wonders. This Antichrist figure, this man of sin, the son of perdition, will be able to perform miraculous signs. As a result of those miraculous signs, we have our fifth point: he will deceive many. The day of the Lord will not come until after he is revealed. The man of sin is called the son of perdition. He comes after the working of Satan, with powers, signs, and wonders, and he will deceive many.

Number six, he, like his father the devil, opposes God. He desires to exalt himself above God. He opposes God and essentially wants to dethrone Him. This reflects the same nature and attributes revealed of Lucifer, Satan, in Isaiah chapter 14. In Isaiah chapter 14, we read the "I wills" of Lucifer, and part of his desires was to exalt himself above God.

Number eight, this man of sin is the one who performs the abomination of desolation. I know that this is a big term that you may not be familiar with, but we will discuss it a little bit here this morning. In Daniel chapter 9, the prophet Daniel reveals that at the end of the age, there will come a leader—a seemingly world leader—who will go into the temple of God, proclaim himself to be God, and desecrate the temple. This act is called the abomination of desolation.

Interestingly, when Jesus came during the first century, most first-century Jewish people believed that the abomination of desolation had already taken place. In the third century BC, there was a wicked king of the divided...

The Greek Empire had a ruler by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes. At a certain point, he went into the temple and desecrated it. He offered pig's blood on the altar and established an image in the Holy of Holies, calling the people to worship it. Many of the people in Jesus' day believed that Antiochus Epiphanes was the one who brought about the abomination of desolation. However, Jesus reveals in Matthew 24, verse 15, that this event had not yet been fulfilled. Antiochus was merely a forerunner, a foreshadow of the coming man of sin.

Paul also speaks about this in the same passage, specifically in verse 4. He states that this one opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, that he is worshipped, and that he, as God, sits in the temple showing himself to be God. The abomination of desolation will be performed by this man of sin.

He will be revealed when the restrainer steps out of the way. You may wonder, what in the world is the restrainer? Notice what Paul says in verse 6 of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2: "And now you know what withholds that he, the man of sin, might be revealed in his time." The mystery of iniquity is already at work, but only he who now lets will let until he is taken out of the way. Paul indicates that this man of sin will be revealed when the restrainer, the one who currently holds back, is removed.

What does this all mean? There are three common views about who the restrainer is. The most widely held view in the church is that the restrainer is the Holy Spirit of God, resident in the church. Most believe that the Antichrist will be revealed after the church is raptured and God's Holy Spirit is removed from the earth along with the church.

However, there are two other views as well. One prominent commentator, Ryrie, holds that human governments are the restraining influence that holds back the appearance of the man of sin. He suggests that when the Antichrist steps into power, he will overthrow these governments.

Human governments will ultimately no longer be able to restrain. However, a third view, which has great biblical and scriptural support, is that the restrainer is Michael the Archangel. How so? If you study the work of the man of sin in Matthew 24 and Revelation, as well as in this passage, you will see that his primary aim and goal is the destruction of God's people, His covenant people, the children of Israel. His primary focus is a full assault against the children of Israel.

In Daniel's prophecy, it is revealed that Michael the Archangel is the one who stands up on behalf of the children of Israel. Daniel chapter 12, verse 1, reveals this. He is the prince who stands on behalf of the children of Israel. Then, in Revelation chapter 12, just before this man of sin commits the abomination of desecration, a war breaks out in heaven. Michael the Archangel plays a significant role in this battle, and Satan is cast out of heaven.

At this very moment, our enemy, the devil, still has access to God. He is still able to go into heaven. However, at a certain point in the future, Revelation 12 describes a battle in which he will be cast from heaven to the earth. With him, he will take a third of the heavenly host, a third of his angels, and he will declare war upon the earth. Revelation chapter 12 states that Michael will stand aside. In most translations, you will read that Michael will stand up, but in the original language, it indicates that he will stand aside. The restrainer will no longer restrain.

When the devil is cast down to the earth, he then possesses this man of sin, this son of perdition. If you read through Revelation chapter 12, you will see that the son of perdition wages war against God's people, the children of Israel, and they flee. It seems as though they may flee into the area we call Petra, located in the southern part of the nation of Jordan. Therefore, there is a very good possibility that the restrainer is Michael the Archangel. Why is he restraining? He is restraining so that this man of sin will not be revealed until his time. What this indicates is that God has...

A prophetic roadmap exists. God has a plan already in place regarding how and when these events will unfold. Until that time is ready, God, through Michael, human governments, or the Holy Spirit, is withholding and restraining the enemy from moving fully and totally against His people.

Number nine: the man of sin will be revealed when the restrainer steps out of the way. Number ten: the man of sin will ultimately be destroyed by the Lord when He returns at the Second Coming. We see this in verse eight of 2 Thessalonians chapter two. Then shall the wicked, the man of sin, be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, or with the breath of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. That is a blessing to behold.

One of the greatest things about being a follower of the Lord is that we know what will happen before it happens. He tells us the outcome. If you read through Revelation chapter 19 and Revelation chapter 20, you will see that when the Lord returns, this man of sin, this antichrist figure, this son of perdition, will be cast into the lake that burns with fire. The day of the Lord will not come until after he is revealed.

The man of sin is called the son of perdition. He comes after the working of Satan, with power, signs, and wonders. He deceives many, opposes God, and desires to exalt himself above God. He is the one who performs the abomination of desolation, which seems to be the very event that reveals him. Matthew 24 verse 15 indicates that he will be revealed when the restrainer steps out of the way, and ultimately he will be destroyed by the Lord when He returns.

Why would Paul go to such great lengths to tell the church at Thessalonica about the man of sin? This is a good question because many within the body of Christ believe they will be gone before the man of sin is revealed. So, what is the purpose of God giving us all this information about the man of sin? It has everything to do with deception.

Let no man deceive you, verse 3 states, by any means, for that day shall not come except the falling away comes first and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. Every single time we have wars, rumors of wars, pestilence, and earthquakes, you will hear many in the church say we are at the day.

We are experiencing the wrath of God. It was no different 20 centuries ago when the church at Thessalonica was facing persecution and tribulation. They figured they were in the wrath of God, but Paul said no.

Whenever a charismatic leader rises to the forefront, people in the church often start to say, "He's the Antichrist." There has been a lot of this lately, and I would say not so, or not so fast. There are identifiers of who this individual is.

For example, in 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated, many within the evangelical church claimed he had been mortally wounded in the head and must be the Antichrist. They believed he would rise from the dead, and then we would all be done for. But that didn't happen, did it? People have been identifying the Antichrist for centuries, and they have all been wrong.

Now, that doesn't mean we should not be aware of this, but we should not be deceived. Our focus should not be on the Antichrist; it should be on Christ. Our focus, amen, needs to be on the Lord.

We may experience, like most every other Christian in every other generation, trials, tribulation, difficulty, and persecution. As I've said before, what is experienced here in the United States is the abnormality. The religious freedom and liberties we have are unusual in history. Our nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian values and the premise of seeking religious freedom.

However, there may come a day when those liberties and some of the freedoms we enjoy are taken away, and we, as a people, may experience tribulation. But that's exactly what Jesus said: "In the world, you will have much tribulation," as stated in John 16:33. But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

We must recognize as a church that just because we suffer persecution or tribulation, it does not mean it is the wrath of God. Nor does it mean we have to start pointing out individuals and saying, "He's the Antichrist," or "No, he's the Antichrist." We need to be very careful about this because, repeatedly in Matthew chapter 24, Jesus warned us.

See that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and deceive many. You'll hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you be not troubled; it's the beginning of birth pains. There will be famines, pestilence, and all these different things. But see that you be not deceived.

His disciples were asking Him, "Lord, what is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus told them in verse 15 that the sign of His coming is not wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, or pestilences. The sign is when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place. Whoso reads, let him understand.

Then, down in verse 21, He says, "For then shall great tribulation, such as was not seen since the beginning of the world to this time, nor shall ever be." When you get down to verse 27, you see the coming of the Lord and the wrath of God. The sign of the coming of the Lord, for the day of the Lord, is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place.

Let me tell you, there is no temple in Jerusalem yet, but there will be. Just a few weeks ago, I came across an article in the Jerusalem Post from March 29, 2010. A group in Jerusalem started an ad campaign and put big signs on buses throughout Jerusalem saying, "It's time to rebuild the third temple." These signs were removed three or four days later because they were predominantly in Palestinian areas, causing some big problems.

On that same day, a man from the Temple Institute, who has been trained as a priest and anointed as a Levitical priest, carried a goat into the old city of Jerusalem and was headed towards the Temple Mount to offer a sacrifice. He was stopped by Israeli police and arrested, and his goat was confiscated. I'm not kidding you.

In 70 A.D., nearly 2,000 years ago, Titus, the Roman general, took legions of Rome into Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple on the 9th of Av. About 50 years later, after the children of Israel tried to revolt against Rome...

Once again, under what's called the Bar Kokhba Revolt, the Jewish people were expelled from the land of Israel, and the land was desecrated and destroyed. All the maps were changed from the land of Israel to Palestine. Since 120 A.D., the land has functioned under that name of Palestine until this day. Now you have Palestine, and you have people pushing for a Palestinian state.

In the early part of the last century, specifically the late 1800s and the early 1900s, the Zionist movement began to move back into the land of Israel. They purchased land, replanted the land, and unstop the dams of the water. Then, on May 14, 1948, they established the modern state of Israel. On June 6, 1967, during the Six-Day War, the children of Israel took back the city of Jerusalem and hold the territory of the Temple Mount. However, since then, they have allowed the Temple Mount to remain under the control of the Arabs in Jerusalem. There is a significant push for the temple to be rebuilt. When that temple is rebuilt, there will one day be sacrifices instituted again.

At some point in the future, there will be a character known as the man of sin, the son of perdition, who will go in and stop the sacrifice and the oblation, establishing himself as God. Jesus tells those in Judea to get out of Dodge because judgment is coming. These events could happen very quickly; they will happen. Let no man deceive you. We must be on watch, but we must also be working.

This was one of the exhortations that Paul gave to the church at Thessalonica. As a result of the teaching about the coming of the Lord, some had stopped working. Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, "If any would not work, neither should he eat." He urged the church to get back to work. Stop trying to find the Antichrist and get back to work, church. Jesus is going to come when He is going to come. This has been established since before the foundation of the world. God has an appointed time for His return.

Get to work, church. He is going to come, and it is not for us to worry about when He will come. It is not for us to try and hasten His coming because we will not be able to do so. Neither is it the church's job to try and stop the Antichrist, as many have attempted to do.

He will come when the restrainer is removed. How many of you today are thankful that He did not come a hundred years ago? How many of you are thankful He didn't come in 1988, like many believed He would, because you would not have been saved? Why has He not come?

Let's finish with this. In 2 Peter chapter 3, I already read verse 3, knowing this first: that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after the lusts of their flesh. What shall these scoffers say? In verse 4, they say, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, or since our forefathers died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

For this, they willingly are ignorant that by the word of God, the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of water and in water. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. He says, "Well, wait a minute, no, things have not continued as business as usual." You may remember about 5,000 years ago, God flooded the whole earth. The whole world stood underwater, and God only saved eight.

There are a lot of people who say, "Well, that's a stupid story, and that can't be true," and yet there's an expedition going on right now in the mountains of Ararat that believes they found the ark of Noah.

In verse 7, it states, "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing: that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

What does that mean? Well, for us, it's been 2,000 years; for Jesus, it's just been a couple of days. Early in the morning on the third day, He rose again. It could be at any time.

The Lord is not slack, as verse 9 says, concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to what? Repentance.

Here's the key thing: A lot of Christians like to quote verse 9 of 2 Peter 3 and say, "Oh, the Lord's not slack concerning His promise. We love the promises of God. God's going to bring all His promises to pass." Don't you love the promises of God? Yes, but this promise is the promise of God's wrath, and God is not slack concerning the promise of His wrath, as some like the scoffers count slackness. Where's the sign of His coming? But He's not willing.

That any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also, and the workers therein, shall be burned up.

Seeing then that these things shall be dissolved, what is our response? What manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conduct and godliness? Looking for the hastening of the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, according to His promise, we look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless. What ought our attitude to be during this time? There will be scoffers who say, "Where is the sign of His coming?" But we, as those who are students of the Scripture, ought to be following hard after Him and doing the work diligently that He set before us. Amen.

For the day of the Lord will come at its appointed time, and it might be in your lifetime. A sobering thought. Let's stand and pray.

Father, we thank You for Your Word. You don't want us to be ignorant; You want us to know exactly what it is You're doing. As the prophet Amos said, "Surely the Lord does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." A lion has roared; who can but fear? The Lord has spoken; who can but prophesy?

Lord, would You cause us this week to be students of Your Word, to be those who look into the things of prophecy and understand what it is that You're speaking to us? That we would be like the children of Issachar in First Chronicles, who knew the times and understood what Israel ought to do.

Lord, help us to know the times and to know what to do, for we ask this in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." Thank You.