The Thessalonians 1 Of 14 (1 Of 2)

For example, in 1 Thess. Paul dealt with the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH. He had this to say in 1 Thess. 4:16-18. We read, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Then Paul spoke of the rapture again in 2 Thess. 2:1. We read, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM.” This gathering that Paul spoke of is the rapture of the church as God gathers His children unto Him.

Then, after Paul told them about the RAPTURE, he also told them about the DAY OF THE LORD.

WHAT IS THE DAY OF THE LORD? “The day of the Lord” is that period of time that deals with the beginning of the tribulation period.

As you may already know, during the tribulation, wicked people, who have rejected the REAL CHRIST, will be forced to accept the FALSE CHRIST. How? God said, 2 Thess. 2:11, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”

There have been many dreadful times on this earth, but the tribulation will surpass them all. No person would want to find himself here at that time!

Paul was not the only one who talked about THE DAY OF THE LORD in scripture.

• In Acts 2:20 Peter spoke of it. We read, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable DAY OF THE LORD come.”

• In 2 Peter 3:10, Peter again spoke of it. We read, “But THE DAY OF THE LORD will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

• John talked about it in Revelation 6:17. He said, “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

The reason Paul wrote the Thessalonian Christians about it was because false teachers had been teaching the rapture had already taken place and that the DAY OF THE LORD WAS AT HAND. The new Christians were being taught that they were already living in the great tribulation period.

Since they had been suffering so severely it was not hard to convince them that perhaps they were living in the tribulation period.

That was not the case, but that was what they were being told. Paul felt he needed to comfort them. Paul comforted the young Christians. This was...

I. HIS ENLIGHTENMENT

What did he enlighten them about? He enlightened them about the coming of the Lord. Look at 2 Thess. 2:1-2. We read, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the DAY OF CHRIST is at hand.”

Again I remind you that the GATHERING that Paul spoke of in verse 1 had to do with the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH. Paul was saying, in verses 1 & 2, that they should not let anyone confuse them about the coming of the Lord.

Paul had some harsh things to say about the false teachers.

We all should thank the Lord for people who love the souls of men enough to do their best to speak out against false teachers and preachers and expose them for what they really are. To do so is not being UNKIND. It is simply doing what must be done before those men and women perished because of falling prey to their teachings.

It is never pleasant to have to say negative things about people. However, sometimes it is necessary to do that which IS NOT PLEASANT.

Such was the case in our text. Paul did not mention names, but those Christians were well aware of who Paul was identifying as false teachers.

Paul told them not to let the false teachers shake them up about the Lord’s coming. Then he showed them how before Christ came to rapture them there were certain things that would transpire.

A. APOSTASY MUST FIRST COME

Look at verses 3-12. We read, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth 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? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked 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 received 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 a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”