2 ND THESSALONIANS

1. 2ND THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 2 Verses 1-8 “The Thessalonians were afraid!” WHY?

2. WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR 2nd THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 2 • 2 Thessalonians 2:2 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. • Was it because the Thessalonian believers had a fear that the Day of the Lord had begun? • Remember the question in the opening slide subtitle?

3. WHAT WAS THE QUESTION? • QUESTION: WHY WERE THE THESSALONIANS AFRAID? Was it because they thought the Day of the Lord had begun? If so, WHY SHOULD THAT BOTHER THEM? • IT WOULD NOT BOTHER ME! • I’m sure the Thessalonians were at least as strong in their belief as I am, and probably stronger. So why were they afraid?

4. SERIOUSLY! • If I were to find out that I had to go through the “Day of the Lord”, (a time when there will be great trouble here on earth)… • I would be excited!!!! Because that would mean that Christ’s coming was just around the corner! • I don’t think the Thessalonians were any less committed than I am… so why would the possibility that the “The Day of the Lord” had begun, scare them?

5. BEFORE WE ANSWER… • … that question. I want to remind you all of something. • Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. • God conceals things…. BUT…

6. IT IS THE HONOR OF KINGSTO SEARCH THEM OUT • Anybody got a king handy? I need some help with scripture. • Revelation 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. • Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If he is King of Kings then….

7. WHO ARE THE KINGS… • … he is king over? Answer: • Revelation 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, • And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

8. SO YOU ARE A KING! • Jesus Christ has made you a king and priest of God, our Father. • So God now has millions of kings and priests, and over these kings, is the King of kings, Jesus. • Wanna know what else?

9. THOUGH GOD HIDES THINGS • We are fortunate! • Why? Because… • Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

10. GOD DOES NOTHING… • … without revealing it to his servants, the prophets! Period! • Therefore, there is nothing hidden that we cannot find out… • … and we, as God’s kings, are empowered to find out the things God has hidden! So on to Thessalonians…

11. 2ND THESSALONIANS 2:1,2 • 1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, • 2 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.

12. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4 • 3 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; • 4 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, shewing himself that he is God.

13. 2 Thessalonians 2:5, 6 • 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? • 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

14. 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 8 • 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. • 8 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:

15. OKAY, WE BEGIN – 2 Thess 2:1 • Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, • Let’s see what Paul means when he says “beseech”, above. • First – the English dictionary

16. MERRIAM WEBSTER • Beseech • 1: to beg for urgently or anxiously2: to request earnestly : IMPLORE • Implore • 1 : to call upon in supplication : BESEECH2 : to call or pray for earnestly : ENTREAT

17. HOW ABOUT THE GREEK? • The word “beseech” is translated from the Greek word… “erotao” • 2065 erotao {er-o-tah'-o} • Meaning: 1) to question 2) to ask 2a) to request, entreat, beg, beseech • Origin: apparently from 2046 cf 2045; • Usage: AV - ask 23, beseech 14, pray 14, desire 6, intreat 1; 58 I like to check out origins

18. Origin: apparently from 2046 cf 2045 • 2045 ereunao {er-yoo-nah'-o} [erotao] • Meaning: 1) to search, examine into • Origin: apparently from 2046 (through the idea of enquiry); TDNT - 2:655,255; v • Usage: AV - search 6; 6 • NOW LET’S LOOK AT 2046…

19. Origin: apparently from 2046 cf 2045 • 2046 ereo {er-eh'-o} [erotao] • Meaning: 1) to utter, speak, say • Origin: probably a fuller form of 4483, an alternate for 2036 in cert. tenses;; v • Usage: AV - say 57, speak 7, tell 4, speak of 2, call 1; 71 • NOW LET’S LOOK AT 4483…

20. Origin: probably a fuller form of 4483 • 4483 r`e,w rheo {hreh'-o} • Meaning: 1) to pour forth, to utter • Origin: for certain tenses of which a prolonged form ereo {er-eh'-o}, is used, and both as alternate for 2036, perhaps akin (or ident.) with 4482 (through the idea of pouring forth);; v • Usage: AV - speak 12, say, speak of 3, command 1, make 1; 26

21. BESEECH IN FULL BLOOM • All definitions and nuances. • ENGLISH: to beg urgently, anxiously, to implore, to call and pray for earnestly. • GREEK: to question, ask, request, entreat, beg, to search or examine into, to speak, utter, or say… in a pouring forth.

22. WE DRILL A LITTLE FURTHER • 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and byour gathering together unto him, • Next, we focus on the word, “by”. • Whenever we do something “by” something, that something is the standard, the litmus test. • For example, when we do something “by” the numbers, or “by” the book.

23. THE STANDARD • The subject, the standard, the benchmark, that we are going to measure everything in the 2nd chapter of Thessalonians “by” is… • 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, bythe coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and byour gathering together unto him,

24. AS IS APPROPRIATE… • … the subject of chapter two is introduced in the first verse. That subject is… • 1. “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” • AND • 2. “our gathering together unto him,”

25. WE WOULD SAY… • … “Today I’m going to talk to you about…”. • The subject is introduced before we begin speaking on the body of that subject. • God is no different.

26. SO THE SUBJECT IS… • 1. “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” • AND • 2. “our gathering together unto him,”

27. DEFINITELY TWO ITEMS • 1. “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” • 2. “our gathering together unto him,” • Now these two items could be two aspects of the same event, or two different events separated in time.

28. LET ME EXPLAIN… • … and here, I am going to be forced to take a side road, not because I want to, but because, as with any important bible truth, such as the gathering together, or rapture of the church, and Christ’s 2nd coming, mischief, obfuscation, and confusion abound. • First, there are three main views as to the timing of our “gathering together unto him”, i.e., the rapture, and the second coming of Christ. A fourth view came into prominence during the 1990’s. • I will briefly explain and demonstrate these four views with some assisting illustrations.

29. FIRST, THE MILLENNIUM • The word “millennium”, is derived from two Latin words, “milus”, which means a thousand, and “annum”, meaning year. Literally, a one thousand year period. • Scholars refer to a period that Revelation predicts will occur in the future, following Christ’s 2nd coming as, the “millennium”

30. REVELATION • Revelation 20:1-3 • 1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. • 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, • 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

31. MORE… REVELATION • Revelation 20:4 … and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

32. STILL MORE… • Revelation 20:5-7 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

33. SO… THERE IS THIS PERIOD… • … still future, that is a thousand years in duration, during which, Satan will be bound – not allowed to roam. • The first resurrection will have taken place at the beginning of the thousand years. This is why scholars place the thousand years after, or starting right at, the second coming of Christ. Why again, you may ask?

34. BECAUSE, AS WE READ • The thousand years begins with the first resurrection, and it is Christ who performs this first resurrection, so he has to be returned as these resurrected people are going to live and reign with him. • Where! • On earth!

35. SO GOD’S WORD… • … places Christ’s second coming right at, on, or just before, the beginning of the prophesied one thousand year period, this period being called often the millennial reign of Christ. • Graphically it would look like the next slide.

36. THE MILLENIUM Note: My own research confirms a seven day “week” from Adam to the end of time, therefore I firmly support the seven one-thousand year days from Adam until the end of Christ’s millennial reign which is then followed by a new heaven and new earth, beginning an eighth day that has no end (eternal), or as some rabbis call it, “a time of not counting”. This truth of the seven days is demonstrable by some obvious and some not so obvious scriptures, however, proving that truth is outside the scope of this effort. That said, no harm is done by my illustrations because whether you support such a doctrine or not, the historical fact that almost two thousand years -- or, 2 days, depending upon your understanding -- have passed since Christ’s ascension and Pentecost until the present is unarguable. Further, Revelation is clear - as we have seen in our previous verses - that there is a period up ahead of us, prophetically speaking, of one thousand years in length. Therefore, my illustrations can at least be helpful in depicting the last two thousand years, and the coming millennium.

37. PRE… POST… or A… choo! • There are three prominent views of the millennium… the thousand year period that we have been discussing. • 1. 1st view is “PRE-MILLENIALISM” • 2. 2nd view is “POST-MILLENIALISM” • 3. 3rd view is “A-MILLENIALISM” Note: I will often hyphenate a word, not because spelling requires it, but because I want to make a distinction.

38. 1st VIEW… PRE-MILLENNIALISM • The premillenialist view is this essentially: • That the rapture of the church, the judgements of Revelation, the antichrist, Armageddon, and the second coming of Christ, must all have already have occurred, or at least be coincident with the beginning of the thousand years (the millennium). And most importantly, that the thousand years (the millennium) is still future to us. There is more but I’m just giving the basics.

39. 2nd VIEW… POST-MILLENNIALISM • The postmillennialist view is essentially this: • That the thousand years (the millennium) has already happened… that the thousand years began counting two thousand years ago, and that we are now living in a period which is post-[past]millennial.

40. 3rd VIEW… A-MILLENNIALISM • The amillenialist view is this: • That there is no “literal” thousand year reign of Christ. That rather, the millennium, and Revelations’ references to such a period, are allegorical, and that the church reigns presently on earth in proxy for Christ.

41. FOR OBVIOUS REASONS… • … I hold to the premillenialist position as it fits scripture when scripture is viewed in a literal sense and the prophecies are not “allegorized” away. History confirms that the thousand year reign of Christ has not occurred yet, not to mention that scripture indicates Satan is bound during this thousand year period. World conditions indicate that Satan is still active, not bound.

42. SO I/WE ARE… PREMILLENNIALIST • That is, we believe that the thousand-year millennium is still future to us, and is a prophecy yet to be fulfilled. • That said, we must now deal with a period commonly called, the Great Tribulation, or the 70th week of Daniel chapter nine, a prophetic seven year period which is still future to us.

43. THE GREAT TRIBULATION… • … is a time that will be like no other period in history. • Matthew 24:21-22 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

44. THE GREAT TRIBULATION… • … has obviously not occurred yet, but when will it occur? Since the great tribulation is marked by, and ends with, judgment… and scholars place the second coming of Christ at the end of this seven year period, right before, or right at, the beginning of the one thousand year millennium then… • … the Great Tribulation (believed to be seven years in duration) ends, just as the millennium, or final thousand years begins at the 2nd coming.

45. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS

46. 7 YEAR TRIBULATION • Has it happened yet? • Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. • No!

47. SO THE TRIBULATION… • … is future… • Therefore we are… • Pre-tribulational a-n-n-n-n-d… • Pre-millennial • Both the seven-year Great Tribulation and the thousand-year millennium are future to us.

48. NOW, WE NEED TO GOA LITTLE DEEPER • Because… though all pre-millennialists agree that the thousand year millennium is still future to us, and that Christ's 2nd coming is still future to us… • They disagree as to the timing of the gathering together, variously called the “catching away”, or rapture. We must have the seven year tribulation in view as we consider the various rapture views.

49. CONCERNING THE RAPTURE • There are three prominent views, and a fourth not so prominent but more recent view (CIRCA 1990), as to when the rapture will occur. • Each view has its dogged proponents, faithful supporters, who will readily point out how wrong the other views are.

50. 1st A WORD ON THE WORD… • … “rapture”. • Before we get all exercised about the use of the word “rapture”, and its lack of presence in the bible, I would like to mention a few salient facts. • Jerome’s translation of the Hebrew and Greek scriptures into Latin, known as the Vulgate, occurred following an order from Pope Damasus I, in 382 AD.