“Be Patient – It’s Almost Time”

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

So when will Jesus Christ return? When will the Kingdom be released to truly celebrate in Truth? A lot of people think they know, and most are quite vocal in letting everyone else know that they know. Unfortunately, they don’t – and as a matter of fact, no one knows! (Matthew 25:13) In our text for today, Paul tells the Thessalonians that until that day comes, they must remain firm in the faith, and patiently trust that the Lord’s word – the word that the day of his return is on its way – is certain.

Hope is one of those vague things that is so confusing to many believers. Is hope just a desire? A possibility? An unsure promise? Paul tells us in Romans 8:24-25 that hope in Christ is not an iffy thing, even though we know little about this “hope”. He writes that a hope that has come isn’t hope at all, but that hope for that which is coming, hope that is in the Lord, is anticipated will great patience. I know – patience may not be one of your stronger suits, and it definitely isn’t one of mine! But we know that the Lord’s promise is a certainty, and hope in him can never be filled with doubt or ambiguity. It is what it is, and it will, one day, be fulfilled.

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

Even in the first century church, deceptive thoughts regarding Jesus’ return were circulating throughout the Church. Paul seems to be unsure of the source of the deception, but is quick to point out the fallacy in believing it. The truth is that the Son of God will not be revealed to the nations until the “man of lawlessness” – Antichrist - is revealed first. As a matter of fact, he writes that a “rebellion” must also occur before the “lawless man” can appear. The rebellion, though, isn’t against lawlessness – it is against the word of God! Evil and sinfulness is going to increase before Antichrist even arrives on the scene! Does that mean that neither Christ nor the Antichrist are at work in our world? Of course not! They are both toiling constantly to claim as many souls as possible, and each has no hesitation to use humanity to accomplish their goals. It’s just that neither has arrived on earth, as yet. But soon. Soon.

Satan is known as the great deceiver, and he is quite good at it! We know that he uses doubt and innuendo and half lies, as well as out and out, bold-faced lies to lead souls away from God, but why would he find confusion regarding Christ’s return to be a benefit in his cause? The answer, I believe, is in the first verse of our text – that “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, …”. The point is that if we are confused over when Christ will come, we may inadvertently give our allegiance to a false savior. That is Satan’s only purpose – to pull us away from the truth of God and into his web of lies and death.

Paul’s concern is that the lie could disrupt worship and mission in the Church. When we become embroiled in controversy such as this, distraction becomes the greatest obstacle to ministry. Our energies, our time, our resources are wasted on ungodly matters, and our witness to the world is clouded at best, and destroyed in its worst. No – the Lord has not yet arrived. It will be very obvious when he does, though, and no one is going to miss it. No – don’t let the argument take you away from the Lord’s call on your life. Just denounce it, and proclaim the truth, and persist in your faith.

This book is not some gentle and loving reminder of who Jesus is and why he loves us so dearly. It is a book of clear and intentional warning to the Church Universal and to the entire world – don’t be fooled by Satan’s lies, as well as by those who work for him!

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:4-8

The power of lawlessness, or evil, is at work – it’s just that the one behind the evil hasn’t appeared yet. He is being held in check by some power that isn’t well defined. Could this power be that of faith within the Church? Or is it simply the working of the Holy Spirit? Regardless, that power will soon be withdrawn, and Antichrist will be loosed on the earth, and it is then that the power of sin will abound in ways that we can’t even imagine. If we think that sin is rampant now, wait until the Holy Restraint is lifted!

But why would God allow this to happen? Why would he even give Satan the opportunity? Perhaps it is to show us just how depraved and deprecating sin can truly be! Sin is destructive! Sin is anti-God! Sin perverts our expression of faith! And we don’t get to decide what is evil and what isn’t! In Matthew 15:16-20, Jesus gives us a short list of acts that we all would probably agree are sinful. But these will be minor when compared to the depth that Lawlessness will go! And no one should be looking forward to that time.

Of course, the time during which sin will be allowed to thrive will be limited, and eventually, the Lord will put that evil power in its rightful place. Paul says that by his very breath and glory, the power of sin will be destroyed! God’s breath can work in many ways. In Genesis 2:7, this breath gives life to humanity, but in Isaiah 11:4, we read that the Lord’s breath will abolish evil. But for the majority of people, this destruction of evil will have come too late, for without the life of Christ in our lives, the death of Antichrist will, without question overtake us.

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Jesus Christ will be our only hope when this time comes. Without the truth of Christ, we won’t have a chance of recognizing the lies of the Deceiver. We read that this lawless one will perform all kinds of fake miracles and other works. They will certainly appear to be legitimate, seem to be Godly or at least worthy of inciting worship, and many will flock to Lawlessness, believing that they have found the true way. But they will be wrong. They will be lost.

Faith in Jesus Christ isn’t based on his miracles or on his teaching, or in his sense of social justice. It is situated firmly on his work at Calvary – his suffering, his death, his blood that was poured out for the forgiveness of the world. It is based on accepting him, not as a respected teacher, not as a miracle worker, not even as a healer of the sick and the raiser of the dead, but as the Son of the Most High God!

Faith in Jesus Christ isn’t just a nice thing to do; it isn’t one among many expressions that will bring us eternal life; it isn’t a gift that is only available to the weak or poor or some other socially insignificant group. It is a necessity for anyone who would seek life in the glory of Almighty God!
The apostle Paul was justifiably concerned that people were being led astray by false teaching, and they would never know the marvelous presence of Christ in their lives. He knew that he had to set them straight!

How committed are we to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we willing to stand by and let others fall for the lies and deceit that is so prevalent in the world, or will we love our friends and neighbors to the extent that there is nothing that can prevent us from sharing Christ with them? Patiently waiting for the return of Jesus Christ doesn’t mean that we get to sit back and relax! It means that we trust in his word – his entire word – and expectantly wait for him without making our own provisions for that day.
Remember Paul’s closing words in this passage – “… all will be condemned who have not believed the truth”. John’s gospel tells us that it was by God’s love that Christ came to be salvation for the sinners of earth, but that without him, we already stand convicted and condemned. (John 3:16-21)

Love and honor Jesus and all that he taught us, and know his life. Ignore Jesus and turn away from his hope, and go the way of the earth. As Joshua told us “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:14-15)