1. Be Ready God’s Timetables II Thess. 2:1-12

2. The purpose of the prophecy is to build character, not to set up the date Paul attempted to calm the Christians in Thessalonica by explaining they weren’t in the Day of the Lord for certain events have to happen before the Day of the Lord Rapture of the Church (2:1, 6-7) –2:1 – Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering unto Him (Italics & bold: my emphasis) –One great event, the rapture that will occur suddenly and without warning

3. –Once the church is out of the way, satan will start his programs on the earth and God will show His righteous judgments. –Satan can’t show his “man of sin” now “…, only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (7) Let means to hinder, prevent, or restrain Satan can’t do what he pleases or want now “the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain” (Ps 17:10) Restrainer is helping keeping everything on schedule Who is the restrainer who is at work and will continue to control evil until he is taken out of the way? The Holy Spirit When the Holy Spirit is out of the place or midst, then the mystery of iniquity begins.

4. Revelation of the Anitichrist (2:3-5, 8a) –When the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit ends, then the antichrist appears. –John used antichrist in his writing, but not Paul. He used “that man of sin” (3), “the son of perdition” (3), and “that lawless one” (8) –Greek prefix “anti” has two meaning: against and instead of. Satan opposes Jesus and wants to be worshipped and served as God. –Description of the Antichrist in the last days Peacemaker (Rev. 6:1-2) –He will be a peaceful political leader who will unites 10 European nations into a strong power –The rider on the white horse imitates Christ and conquers peacefully. He has the bow, but no arrow. He will bring a short period of peace (I Thess 5:1-3) before the judgments start

5. Protector (Daniel 9: 24-27) –The prophecy applies to Israel, Jerusalem, and temple, not church and announce the time when Messiah comesand accomplish certain purposes for the Jews –The word “week” refers to 7-year period –70 weeks – 490 years –7 weeks or 49 years – the rebuilding of the city or Jerusalem –62 weeks or 434 years - at the end the Messiah come the first time and be cut off –1 week or 7 years – a “prince” would have a covenant with Israel –Two princes: Christ, the Messiah (Dan. 9:25) and Antichrist, “the prince that shall come (9:26) –The people of the prince that shall come are the Romans who destroyed the temple in 70 AD. Antichrist belongs to a nation which was a part of old Roman Empire. –A parenthesis between 69 th and 70 th weeks We are living in the parenthesis –69 th week ended with the ministry of Jesus Christ & 70 th week begins with the coming of the antichrist

6. –Antichrist will protect Israel through the covenant for 7 years He will temporarily solve Middle East crisis. Israel will build the temple in a peaceful time. Peacebreaker (Daniel 9:27) –After 3 ½ years Antichrist will break the covenant with Israel and takes over the temple to show that he is God (2:3) –“Falling away” (2:3b) means rebellion, apostasy –The man of sin will oppose everything that belongs to any religion, true or false Persecutor (Rev. 13: 15-17) –The abomination of desolation happens in the midst of the week (3 ½ years) »A period of intense persecution and tribulation »Matt 24: 21” for there shall be a great tribulation” »Antichrist will control the economic system that the citizens must have “the mark of the beast”, 666 so they can buy and sell (Rev. 7: 9-17) –Will anyone be saved during the seven-year period?

7. »Rev. 7:1-8 mentions 144,000 Jews will be saved and preach the gospel to the nations »A great numbers of Gentiles will be saved during the great tribulation (Rev. 7:9-17) »However, many believers will refuse to bow to the beast and have the mark “666”. They will be slain. Prisoner (Rev. 19: 11-21) –Satan will not be permitted to rule the world forever –Jesus will return “ in power and great glory” and put Satan, Antichrist and false prophet into the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1-3) –The Armageddon (Rev. 16:16) Return of Jesus Christ (2:8-12) –His return to the earth in glory and judgment. It happens at the end of the 7-year Tribulation period when the antichrist will war against Christ in the battle of Armageddon

8. –Meeting Jesus in the air (rapture) differs from Christ’s return to the earth in power and glory (Matt 24:30) –The first event is secret while the second event is public when the church will returns with Him to defeat Satan and his hosts. His judgment of the Antichrist (2:8-9) –Nobody can beat the antichrist for Satan has given him the power –False messiah will perform “power and signs and lying wonders” (2:9) »Satan has always been imitator (2 Cor. 11:13-15) »False Christians who are really the children of the devil –Miracles alone never prove that a man is sent by God: his message and character must also be considered –Purpose of God’s miracles was to lead people to the truth while the purpose of antichrist’s miracles will lead them to believe his lies

9. When Jesus Christ returns, He will judge antichrist by “the spirit of His mouth… and the brightness of His coming” (8) “consume” and “destroy” do not mean annihilate because Rev. 20:10 reveals that Satan and his associates will be tormented in the lake of fire. His judgment of the unsaved (2:10-12) –A large number of Jews and Gentiles will be saved, but still a large majority will be lost. Many will die in judgment God will send on earth (Rev. 6:7-8, 8:11, 9:18, 11:13) Others will perish when Jesus returns and separates the saved from the lost (Matt. 25: 31-46) –A person can resist the truth that he finally becomes deluded and has to believe a lie –Lie? An Idea that man is his own god and therefore he can do whatever he pleases and improve himself by his human efforts (Rom. 1:18ff) –Why lie? Man’s pride (2 Tim 2: 24-26)

10. –God made man in His own image originally, but man is making god in his own image –The people who God will judge will not only hate the truth, but they will have “pleasure in unrighteousness” (12) –The human heart become harder each time the sinner rejects God’s truth. However, it makes it easier to believe Satan’s lies. –Receive the Word of God “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God”. (1Thess. 2:13)