except there come the apostasy or de-falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you. These things, now ye know what withholdeth or restraineth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity or lawlessness, doth already work, only humans thee who now leteth or restraineth, will restrain until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked one or lawless one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe, eh, or be lie, that they all might be damned, who believe not the truth, but at pleasure in unrighteousness. May God bless the reading and hearing of His precious word to this point. As we noticed in the preceding study of a week ago, from the first chapter of this epistle, the blessed Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul writes in the chapter one concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus to the earth in power in glory and in vengeance upon those who have not obeyed the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and the ungodly. He comforts the fellow believers in Thessalonica by the fact that they were going through great trial. When the Lord came in glory they would share that glory with him. and be completely recompensed for all their suffering. Now in chapter two we deal with the fact of that which was the source of their trouble and distress. For undoubtedly and unfortunately teachers had come into the assembly in Thessalonica and they were teaching false doctrine. Contrary to the teaching of the Word of God and particularly in relationship to the coming again of the Lord Jesus. And those teachers were asserting to the people of Thessalonica the suffering faith they were already in the period that the Bible called, and the Lord Jesus called it the Great Tribulation, the day of the Lord. Not the day of Christ, as you may read in the Authorized Version. the day of the Lord. Now if you've ever read the prophecies of the Old Testament, and particularly the books of the prophets, where they have described so thoroughly the day of the Lord, you never have a very happy day to read about. It always is describing trouble, darkness, gloom, doom, destruction, and many other forms of trouble. Never a happy occasion. And the day of the Lord is not a happy occasion. The first epistle of Thessalonians chapter five. If you ever read it carefully, the opening part of the fifth chapter tells us the believers in Thessalonica and the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ today. will never participate in the day of the Lord. It is the day of judgment. And do I need to remind you as a believer, the word of God says, There is therefore now no judgment or condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. And the Lord Jesus himself declared, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me. past everlasting life shall not come into judgment but is passed from death under life so beloved the beloved apostle Paul has the right to comfort as well as the correct the false impression that the believers in Thessalonica had from the teaching that was false but the very first thing he says in the opening of the of the chapter is one of the greatest proofs and is a very most important proof that the church will not go through the great tribulation which is the day of the Lord. Now may I emphasize the day of the Lord if you study it carefully from the context of all the scriptures whether past or in the New Testament includes its coming in judgment upon the world. and even through the millennial kingdom to the end of that millennial day. That is literally the extent of the day of the Lord. But Paul writes in the opening verse, Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him. Now, beloved, that's not the day of the Lord. But don't forget that I told you, and he wrote in in chapter four of the first epistle, how the Lord would gather his faith together. The dead in Christ would rise first. Then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we be ever with the Lord. And that must take place that the Apostle declares before you have the day of the Lord coming. And so we remind them in verse two and three, be not those shaken in your mind or even be troubled about it, whether by some spirit or by word that you may get or by letter. And it suggests that someone had written a letter as though it was from the Apostle Paul telling them that they were living in the day of the Lord. that that the day of the Lord and the proper translation is that the day of the Lord is present. Now beloved, may I humbly say, I don't know whether you ever face the fact, there are those even in Christendom and even amongst true Christians who teach that the tribulation is here and also teach the church will go through it. And Paul, by the greatest proof of it here, declares, That day of the Lord of the Great Tribulation cannot come, and will not, until after the rapture of the church. Now nobody goes on to say in verse three, No man, let no man deceive you by any means. And by my beloved fellow believer, let me say this, I think that of the early days of this century. Some of you never lived in it. But in the early days of this century, at the beginning of it, there was a great revival of prophetic teaching. There were so many prophetic conferences over the country. Christian conferences where godly men enabled teachers, heralded and taught the truth. of the second coming and the prophecies of Scripture. Let me humbly say, and I say it kindly, if there ever was a need for the teaching of true prophecy, for the believers to know the meaning of what prophecy is and what it is, it is today. May I remind you that Peter in his second epistle, chapter one, gave reference to the joyous seeing the majesty of the Lord Jesus when he was transfigured the type of the coming kingdom. And then he adds these words. But we have a more sure word of prophecy. Where will we need to take heed to it as you see the day approaching? May I humbly say? As we thank that lovely hymn tonight, Jesus is coming again. My fellow believer and all believers, we need to be in touch with that precious truth and not neglecting. Now Paul tells very frankly that day of the Lord with his judgments will not come except There come A falling and you'll find in the scripture in the authorized Greek text the falling or the apostasy. The apostasy. Falling away from what? The truth of God. Now again I must indeed kindly but firmly if I may insist upon the fact. Do not expect the truth to prosper the Christian truth of the Word of God. It's contrary to the Word of God to say that and to expect it. Will you read the writings of Paul, Peter, James, John, Jude in our New Testament? Every one of them tells there'll be a falling away But here the Apostle Paul is saying, the apostasy, it will hinder and terminate in the most horrible condition in the whole world. Please note, he says, that's coming for, but may I lovingly say and earnestly, It's increasing day by day. They're turning away from the truth of God. Let me ask you one question. Do you know a government that is governing the country, their country by the word of God? Not even our favorable country. Our government is not following the word of God. And you can't find any nation with it. Well, may I say this, the day of the Lord, that time of trouble that's coming upon all the world, you know who it's going to affect? Two classes of people, Israel and all the nations, the Gentile nations, Can I repeat that again? Re-emphasizing what I've already said, that day of the Lord will have no effect upon the church, because the church won't be here. But the day of the Lord with his terrible judgments that follow will affect Israel, in particular, and all the nations. Everywhere you read in the Old Testament about the day of the Lord is in connection with the Gentile nations and Israel. The Gentile nations and nations, not the church. And like God, you and I, as we have read from here, this scripture will not be here. But please note, not only the falling away and the apostasy, but the apostasy is added up by one man. a worldwide person who has the title, a bad title, the worst title of any man could ever have and will ever have. The man of sin, that man of sin, called the Son of Tradition. He will be revealed. in that coming day of judgment and the day of the Lord. My beloved, let me please humbly say, there are many efforts today to make the world better. But if I remember the words of dear Paul when he wrote in second Timothy chapter three, evil men shall wax worse than worse. deceiving and being deceived. And here will be one who's called the man of sin. The most sinful man that will have ever lived, here born on, the pyramids of man's sinfulness. Now will you please note his description. Who opposes and exalteth himself above all that is called God. He literally says, I'm God and note all that is worshiped so that he as God sit is in the temple of God, which will be in Jerusalem with no question of doubt. As you may read corresponding prophecies in the book of the Revelation, chapter eleven particularly, the temple will be back again in that day, showing himself, now note, that he is God. and he's going to command worship as God. Please let me once again humbly but reverently consider with you the awfulness of such a character. If you have your Bible for brevity's sake or for a little help go with me to the book of the Revelation chapter thirteen if I may. Oh there are many scriptures in the prophetic studies both in the Old and in the New Testament. For I'll help in this connection. Very many in the Old Testament, especially in the Book of Daniel and others. But in Revelation, please. Let me go down with you in verse eleven. For brevity's sake, we find in the chapter there are two great leading characters at the end of the edge. One is a political character, the head of the Roman Empire. The other is a religious character. He is the Antichrist. Now let me read verse eleven and read to the end of the chapter. I beheld another beast. And when you read these two chapters, these characters are called beasts. Because of their beastly character. I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth. And he had two horns like a lamb and he spake as a dragon. What you have in the whole chapter is the Satanic Trinity, the dragon, the devil himself, manifesting its power in the end of the age to these two great men, one a political man, the head of the revived Roman Empire in that day. And now this one who will be the false prophet, as we shall see. He exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. And we read why, how he does that, lay down further down the chapter. And number thirteen, please. the satanic power that is given to him. We see more of that in our chapter in Thessalonians. He doeth great wonders, so that he makeeth fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of man, and deceiveth them that dwell under 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, they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by his sword and did live. How many of you remember the words of the Lord Jesus? When the Lord Jesus quoted the words of Daniel from chapter nine, that in the last days there would be a desolation in the temple, an image, which would be worship. And here it is. He deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by 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. And He puts that image in the temple of God, which had a wound by a sword and did live. And He had power or breath. He had power to give breath unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causes all small, both small and great rich in poetry and bomb, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads, and that no man might by or self save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his names. Now at the close of the chapter, note the words, Here is wisdom, let him that our understanding counts the number of the beast. For it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred three-score and six. Six sixty-six. We mentioned last week, six is man's number. God created man on the sixth day of creation in Genesis one. God erected men to work six days and rest on the seventh day. And we well know the fact that if you have in this scripture before us the Trinity, in that coming day manifesting the power of man, when a man himself becomes God, The day of Christ is another day. This is man's day. The day of the Lord is another day. And you have in second Peter chapter, the day of God, which is eternity to come in all the glory of eternal new creation. This is man's day. Beloved, let me say this. This has been man's day from the beginning of Genesis one, or two, when Adam and Eve sinned. And don't forget. God gave in the word of God a title to the devil and called him the prince of this world. Even the Lord Jesus called him that. Also Paul wrote of him being the God of this age. And let me please confess to you, John wrote the whole world lies in the hands of the wicked one, meaning the devil. Let me ask you a question, who runs the world? I know God would, like, and someday He will. But when that day comes, they'll have to do what the Blessed Lord Jesus Christ says, or else. But today they have a choice. Listen to the voice of the devil. Let me raise the question. Let me say it plainly. your moral condition today, who's responsible for it? Who promoted it? The devil. Everything that is unlike God, name what you will, whether it be preaching or teaching, or whether it be things more than otherwise, that is not like God comes from the devil. And my beloved you know as well as I do. If we follow our Bibles, we're warned against the world, the flesh and the devil. Not to follow them. But the world is following the devil. And will. So the devil has his last manifestation of power by that satanic trinity. The dragon and the first beast and the first prophet. But go back to our chapter in Thessalonians. I want you to realize the meaning of these words. That is called. And the end of verse three. That man of sin. That man of sin. And it takes the place of being God. Look with me in first epistle of John chapter two please. The first epistle of John. chapter two and go down this chapter if I may verse twenty two let me read verse twenty one connecting with it John saying as he writes to God's children I'm not written unto you because you know not the truth But because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar? But he that denies that Jesus is the Christ. He is Antichrist that denies the Father and the Son. I want you to pause for just a moment. John tells you who the Antichrist is and what he denies. The first part of verse twenty-two. He denies that Jesus is the Messiah. He himself will pose as a Messiah. And that's awesome when he's saved many of his own earthly people, Israel. He'll be a Jew. But he is also Antichrist because he denies the Father and the Son. Now then he emphasized Jesus is the Christ, his Judaism. The Father and the Son is Christianity. He's going to deny both. I'm gone. Go back to our chapter in Thessalonians. Let me read verse four again and verse five again. What he will do? He will oppose every other teaching and every other person. He will exalt himself above all. even all that is called God and even to be worshipped whether even the idols of the heathens wait a minute can I humbly say it again they make the world stop their idolatrous worship that they may be having as the heathens may have no so that he is God sitting in the temple of God showing himself advertising himself I'm God beloved what a time that's going to be but now know what all goes on to encourage the Christians saying remember that ye not that when I was yet weak I told you these things and now you know And he declares, What, holding it back? That he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness does already work. Now the Apostle says, There is a restrainer. He will not be revealed until the restrainer has been taken out of the way. Only he who now restrains will until he be taken out of the way. who's the restrainer. Now, may I repeat again very carefully, because I know many have been teaching the Pope is the Antichrist, Muhammad is the Antichrist, and even others. Wait a minute. He's going to be a Jew. For his people will accept him, many of them. But there is a restrainer. holding back the revelation of him, the manifestation of, and who's the restrainer? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God. You remember what the Lord Jesus said in John sixteen? He's gone in the Holy Spirit in this age? He shall abide with you forever, and he shall dwell in you? My brother, let me say it. The Holy Spirit's purpose in the world today is to build a church. Saving lost souls, adding them to the body of Christ, bringing them into the bride. And when the last one is won, his work will be done. And his restraining power against the evil will also be taken away. For know what Paul said. Then shall that lawless one be revealed. It's coming. But, oh, beloved, let me please say again, take it home to your heart. We Christians will not be here. Look, I'm sure many, if not all of you have heard so much in times past regarding the mouth of the beast, Please let me say no Christian will ever have the mark of the beast. We won't be here because there never going to be that demand to have the mark of the beast until this wicked one appears. But I want you to notice this doom. Then shall that lawless one be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of his mouth. and destroy him with the brightness of his coming. Even that man whose coming is after the working of Satan, the Lord Jesus is going to destroy him. May I point out to you, we won't turn the description, but you can go to Revelation chapter nineteen, when the Lord comes down from heaven with all of his saints and angels. The first inhabitants of the lake of fire are going to be the two beasts of revelation thirteen the beast the first beast and the false prophet and they're going to be cast alive into the lake of fire no judgment and this is a destruction for life he will consume him with the breath of his mouth destroy him with the brightness of his coming even him who's coming and note The coming of that wicked one is after the working of Satan. And please know, with all power, signs, flying wonders, miracles, don't think for a minute that the devil can't do some miracles he can. And he will, as you may read in Revelation thirteen, that Antichrist, through the miracles he performs, lead many astray. I read on. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in men that perish, they will be deceived because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. Beloved, may I say again humbly, take it in. Why are they going to be destroyed? Because they wouldn't believe God's truth. You know, I'm glad I believed it. Please, may I humbly say, as plain as then it can be, many are going to be destroyed because they believe not or receive not the love of the truth that they might be saying. This side, what a commentary on the end of the age. And then verse eleven and twelve, God's judgment upon such. Why? For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe, and you could put it down definitely, the lie. What's that? Here's a man that says, I'm God and they worship him. He commands worship. And that's the expense of being killed, as you read from Revelation thirty. And because they would worship him, God sent them this strong delusion. They would believe a liar. Did you ever remember the Lord Jesus telling his disciples about the devil? He is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. And can I say, you can't tell me he hasn't kept His reputation. He sure has. And he's going to do it in a greater way. Trying to keep power over the world. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe their life. That they all might be damned. Who believe not the truth. But at pleasure in unrighteousness. My beloved. That's as far as the prophecy goes. But I don't know how near we are to the fulfillment of it. But praise God, Jesus is coming again. And from this scripture, God, by the Spirit, not only for the Thessalonian believers of old, but for you and me, made it very clear. We shall not be in that day of the Lord. Of the great tribulation. A day of sorrow. A day of triumph is called in Jeremiah thirty. The day of Jacob's trouble. Israel will be in the center on it. But all the nations will also feel the judgment of it too. No, I'm glad I'm saying. My beloved, let me say this. In closing. Sometimes I think we ought to have more teaching of prophecies. It can revive the heart of, it should revive the heart of the believer. And as we have just read, if these things are coming upon the whole world, surely you and I should be concerned to make Christ known that others may be saved. Shall we pray? Our dearly beloved Father, it has been a very solemn portion of Scripture tonight, but we thank thee for it. And what comfort and encouragement it must have brought to thy dear believers the Passover night ago. But Father, we still have false teachers in the world. Satan goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And like a serpent subtly, with subtlety, he seeks to lead astray. Oh, we lift up our hearts, Lord, that today, where the gospel of thy grace is preached faithfully, precious soul will be saved and delivered from the burning of hell. Thy Apostle Jude said, Pull them out of the fire. And Lord Jesus is no question of doubt. Every time there's a soul saved, they're pulled out of the fire. But Lord, we pray this. May these truths have a blessed spiritual effect upon us. Well, did thy servant Peter say, What manner of persons are she not to be? Seeing all these things are coming upon the world. And our conduct and our behavior. And our testimony for thee, Lord Jesus. What manner of persons are we to be? May thy Holy Spirit convict our hearts. Search our souls. And may we say with David, Search me, O God, and O my heart. Try me and O my, try me and O my thoughts. and see if there be any wicked way, way of pain or grief in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting. Lord Jesus, we lift our hearts to the face. Thank you, Lord. You're coming again. Dismiss us with thy blessing, we ask, in our Saviour's precious and holy name for his glory. Amen. Thank you for listening. Lord bless you.