Last blog post I began 1 Thessalonians 2 talking about my lack of parental capability and the second coming of the Lord. In verse 4 we learned that the man of lawlessness (aka: anti-christ) would come and establish himself as God and even use the temple to do this.
Today we pick up with verses 5-8:
"Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 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. 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."
One of the greatest comforts to me is the sovereignty of God. In fact, I would say this is one of the primary filters in which I view life and God's word. He is sovereign and over all that occurs on our planet (whether allowing it or causing it). So whether in plenty or in want I know that the Lord is in control and his plan will work together for good (and His glory...which is more more important than my desires or comforts).
The reason I bring this up is because in verse 6 above we see God's sovereign hand at work. One day a man will come and deceive the world. He will begin by bringing a false peace to Israel and the middle east and eventually elevating himself up as God. But, this too is all part of God's sovereign will. In the mean time we see in verse 7 that there is a force that is holding this man back. The spirit of anti-christ is here today and on the lips of all those who deny Christ and reject the savior, but the man of lawlessness has yet to be revealed.
I believe the "He" that will one day be removed from the earth is the Holy Spirit who is now living in the lives of God's children (aka: true believers). Once God's children are taken from the earth (ie: the rapture) those of us who are holding the line against the march into sin (ie: abortion, sexual immorality, etc) will be gone and there will be no holding back the flood gates of debauchery. In the midst of this world "freed" because of all those "conservative Christians" the man of lawlessness will appear and begin his grab for power and ultimately destruction (which leads us to verse 8).
"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."
Though the anti-christ will have gained more power than any man ever to live on planet earth (since he will be powered by satan), he will be destroyed in a moments notice when Christ appears and destroys ALL those who appose Him by simply speaking. The very voice that spoke the world into existence will speak the rulers and authorities who rebelled against Christ into eternal damnation. This is not a fairy tale - this is truth.
My prayer is that anyone who reads these words will repent and trust in Christ for salvation before this all comes to pass. Once Christ returns...it is too late. Once you die...it is too late. Today is the day of salvation. You are not guaranteed another heartbeat. He is willing to forgive you and grant you eternal life. Call out to Him TODAY!
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to comment on any of my posts. Just make sure you don't take the Lord's name in vain or use foul language. If you do then your comment will be deleted. Thanks.