Grace at Rock Bottom (2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 Jeff Kliewer)

Grace at Rock Bottom and the Gospel in Worship

Will you join me this morning and sing a few songs together? Born for our salvation is a light that overwhelms the darkness. There is a kingdom of the chains that bind us. Jesus, Jesus, all the Jesus.

Replace the gift that you've given us. God, our friend, our savior, our redeemer. Nothing we can do. Nothing. But we sing your praises this morning and every day. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We give our lives to you.

The story of a God of mercy who shared humanity and suffered by our side. A cross they nailed you to that could not hold. You're making all things by the power of your risen life. What can I do but thank you?

What can I do but give my life to you? Hallelujah. What can I do every day? Make everything I do. What can I do? Thank you for the opportunity to sing praises to your name. May you have all the glory and praise in everything that we do.

You may be seated.

Grace and Mercy for the Christian at Rock Bottom

Let's pray. God, as we come now to open your word, we pray for your grace in the congregation. Lord, that those who have come here riddled with sin and racked with guilt, Lord, that your gospel would come like a flood of fresh living water over their souls.

That they would know that there is grace that flows from the throne of grace. That, God, you are a gracious and merciful God, abounding in loving kindness. We pray for those who don't yet know you that they would believe in your message of grace through Jesus Christ.

And for all of us who have believed, remind us again today of your grace towards us who believe. We thank you for your word and pray that it would sound forth now like a trumpet, Lord, that you would take over in my preaching.

And that those who hear would have ears to hear. In Jesus' name, amen. I thought my friend was the strongest Christian in the world. He was a pastor and pastored a wonderful church. He had a great family.

He was prominent on the internet with a certain blog and podcast. He wrote articles that were read by millions of people. I looked up to him as one of the strongest men of God. Faithful with the gospel, strong in doctrine, a gift of discernment.

He saw through the church lockdowns. When the government took authority over the church, he encouraged the churches to stand. When critical race theory came into view, he was speaking about it before almost anybody else knew what it was.

But a couple years ago, in this culture war, as a truth warrior fighting for the cause of Christ, he began to get depressed. As depression took over, he had trouble climbing out. And before long, he tried to medicate his way out.

He sought peace in Xanax. And that became a part of his life, looking for it to help. But before long, it took over. And it became an addiction. And within the last couple months, his online ministry crumbled.

And his pastorate crumbled. And his family is in tatters. It breaks my heart. In fact, when I wrote the book, Woke Free Church, he sent it to his mailing list of everybody. So he encouraged me in this fight.

So it hurts to see a brother fall. But let me tell you this. Every podcast I ever heard him speak on, he began with the gospel. He started every time by telling about our righteousness being nothing more than filthy rags.

And he told about the Son of God who came and lived a perfect life, obeying the law at every point, his active obedience. And he told about the passive obedience of Christ. How Jesus laid down on a cross and was nailed to the tree.

And lifted up to bleed and die for the forgiveness of sin. How he was buried and how he rose on the third day. And this friend of mine would call the listener to repentance and to faith. And so now, he's been hurt in the war.

But I would say to him what I want each one of you to hear. Whenever you hit rock bottom in this life, and you will hit rock bottom. That's different for every person. But definitionally, all of us will at some point hit a low point.

Whatever that is for you. Whenever you hit rock bottom, as a Christian, you will find grace there. There's grace for the preacher, just like there's grace for you. At rock bottom, when everything else falls out and you have nothing left.

Let's say you were stripped of everything like Job. And all he had left was God. There you have the rock of your salvation. After everything else, grace at rock bottom. Under circumstances that threaten to steal our peace.

In a world where counterfeits abound. We have grace at rock bottom. Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Did you guys ever think we were going to get here? The end of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. We've been here for more than six months in these books.

And today is the day we wrap it all up. If you didn't get one of these green or blue sheets. Jay and John here are passing them out. Make sure you have these. Because today, we'll read these final verses.

But I don't want to just charge off to the next territory. I want us to take some time reviewing what we've learned. Some of you can sing a song from the 1960s. Or 70s. And not miss a word. How is that possible?

Maybe you haven't heard the song for 10 years. It's because that song is so deeply ingrained in your brain. You've cut such a path in your memory. That you'll never forget it. In the same way, we need to spend time as students of God's word.

Cutting paths in our memory. Let's read. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verses 16 to 18. We'll close it out. Then we'll review the books. And focus on these final three verses. Now may the Lord of peace himself.

Give you peace. At all times. In every way. The Lord be with you all. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness. In every letter of mine. It is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Be with you all. So we'll get to that verse. Grace at rock bottom. Paul always ends his letters with a reference to grace. With the exception of Romans. The other 12. We'll look at that in a minute. But let's begin actually this day.

We're going to fly. It's going to be like drinking from a fire hose. Does it sound appealing? Somebody's going to get a tooth knocked out. But listen. As students of the word. We want to spend time in the word.

Not just to hear and let it just go through one ear and out the other. Our minds can be like a sieve. Right? But we want to capture the good water of the word. So turn back with me to 1 Thessalonians 1.

That's back to the first book. And we're going to go through the main ideas today. To try to drive it home. To try to cut a path in the brain that these things that we've heard. Become a part of our memory.

And the first is. It's a green sheet. Faith, hope, and love. Are the biggest pursuits of the Christian life. You want to major on the majors. And minor on the minors. Make sure according to verse 3. You're remembering before our God and Father.

The work of faith. The labor of love. The steadfastness of hope. In our Lord Jesus Christ. How many of you had a wedding where the pastor read. First Corinthians chapter 13. The love chapter. Love is patient.

Love is kind. Faith, hope, and love. These three. But the greatest of these is. Love. This is where we major. We focus on these things. And this is our prayer. That we would grow in these ways. Number two.

The outward call. Plus the inward call. Yielding fruit. Indicates that one is chosen by God. Have you ever wondered. How do I know. If I'm one of the elect. How do I know that I'm chosen by God. Look at chapter 1 verse 4.

For we know. Brothers. Loved by God. That he has chosen you. Well how do we know that. Well the next verse because. Says our gospel came not just with word. But with power and the Holy Spirit. And conviction.

Goes on to say that you receive this word. With joy in the midst of tribulation. Listen. This is how you know. That you are a child of God. The gospel came to you. You didn't make this story up. You didn't come up with it.

In the brilliance of your own mind. But someone came telling you. That Jesus is the Christ. Who died on a cross and rose from the dead. Offering forgiveness of sin. In his name. You heard these words.

And the words came with power. With conviction. With the Holy Spirit. Such that you received these words. Even in the midst of tribulation. The outward call. Is when the gospel itself is spoken. Faith comes by hearing.

Hearing by the word of God. You cannot be saved unless somebody tells you. What Jesus has done on the cross. And how he rose from the dead. You also cannot be saved. Unless the spirit opens your heart like a flower.

The inward call. The spirit at work inside of you. Such that you receive it with joy. It comes in the Holy Spirit. Not just with outward words. So this is how you know you're chosen. Your heart leapt for joy.

In believing the message of Jesus Christ. Faith came by hearing. And hearing by the word of God. And it bears fruit. Their reputation had gone out through the world. It says in verse 6 and 7. So the third point.

As we move into chapter 2. Is about the believer's work. The believer's work includes laboring to earn a living. Is that a dirty word in our culture anymore? Work. Get out there and work. When is a little boy in his glory?

When he's got dirty hands. He's got mud on his face. And he's building something with rocks and sticks. Because it's built into him to work. Of course our culture pushes kids in the opposite direction.

And would never let a boy get dirty fingernails. Right? But Christians we know better. Work is a good thing. And Paul modeled work for the Thessalonians. He worked night and day with his hands. Because he was a tent maker.

He was working with his hands. Sharing not just the gospel with them. Witnessing to them. But also his very life as well. He's working alongside of them. Sharing life. Number 4. A true minister. Is tied to the people he loves and serves.

His heart is for them. Remember how when Paul left Thessalonica. He had to leave in a rush. They kicked him out. Not the church, but the culture. Drove him away. And so he went on to the next place. But if you look at chapter 3, verse 1.

He says, therefore, when we could bear it no longer. We were willing to be left behind at Athens alone. What does this indicate? Well, once Paul had left Thessalonica. They were still on his heart. He was still near to them in his heart.

He was praying for them continually. So what he decided to do. Was to send Timothy back around. To where he came from. To sneak back into town. And find out how is the church doing. And Timothy did that.

And came back to him. And brought a good report of their faith. And their hope. And their love. And Paul says that his heart was set at ease. Because his heart was with them. Listen, my job as a preacher is not restricted to this pulpit.

If I faithfully handle the word of God. I'm a true preacher. But if I faithfully go to the bedside of the dying. Then I'm a pastor. And likewise. Brothers and sisters, if you carry one another's burdens.

If you're the one that somebody can call when they're hurting. When their marriage is crumbling. And they need a friend. When they've developed an addiction that they didn't see coming. When you can be the one there for them.

Faith. Hope. Love. Paul's heart just comes through the first three chapters. He goes on and on. The first three chapters of 1 Thessalonians are about his love for them. How deeply he cares for them. And it just bleeds out of everything he says.

So don't miss that. It instructs you of what a Christian does. Not share the word only. But your life as well. To call a friend. To minister to other people. This is love. And that's ministry. Next we get to chapter 4 and it becomes very practical.

In chapter 4. Kind of takes a turn. You don't see it coming. But he addresses sexual immorality. Beginning at verse 3. It is really a function of love. Not to defraud a brother. But it says in chapter 4 verse 3.

For this is the will of God. Your sanctification. That you abstain from sexual immorality. That each one of you know how to control his own body. In holiness and honor. Many young people when I was a youth pastor.

Would ask me the question. Why do I have such strong sexual desires? If it's so far until I'm able to get married. Why would God do that? How can he expect me to remain pure? Well the answer is that God never makes a mistake.

Listen. God has given you a strong sex drive. To motivate you toward godliness. Young man. If you're burning with passion. Control the flesh. And let it motivate you to grow up and be a man. All that energy.

All that aggression. In you is good and God given. Become a worker who can support a wife and a child. Let that energy drive you toward your goal. You want to get married? That's good. You want to have children?

Wonderful. That sex drive is an engine toward your own productivity. It's a good gift from God. Same thing applies to young ladies. I think teenagers. Your goal. Should be. Not to get married by age 20.

Necessarily. But that by age 20. You're mature enough to get married. Pretty good goal. I think that would eliminate so much of the sexual immorality that's rampant in our culture. Because this culture has created shortcuts.

Towards sexual gratification. That actually undermines the life of a believer in total. And so I think Paul knew it even back then. You see how important this practical subject is. Look at verse 3. This is the will of God.

The first thing he says about sanctification. Abstain from sexual immorality. Becomes prominent in all of Paul's writing. First Corinthians 5 and 6. And most letters he'll make a reference to the subject.

Because he knows how practically important it is. That believers walk in purity. And in love. He goes on to say in verses 9 to 12. Now look with me at verses 13 and following. We take another hard shift.

We're talking practical stuff here, right? The Christian life sanctification. Then all of a sudden he gets very doctrinal. Some of you are going to be lost. Because you haven't necessarily been with us through this teaching.

So what on earth is Pastor Jeff talking about? But from verses 13 to 18. He tells about the rapture of the church. Believers are dying. And being buried in the ground. And some think, well what's going on?

What happened to the promise? And Paul says, listen. Those believers that you buried in the ground. Are going to rise. And they're going to be caught up into the clouds. To meet the Lord in the air. And we who are still alive at the return of Christ.

At the rapture of the church. Will likewise be caught up. Will be changed in an instant. And we will meet the Lord in the air. At his appearing. This word is the rapture. We get it from the Latin. And from the Greek Harpazo.

To be caught up. Look at verse 17. It's not a man made doctrine. It's explicitly taught in verse 17. Then we who are alive. Who are left. Will be caught up. Snatched. Like Enoch who walked with God and was no more.

Or Elijah who was going about his business in a chariot of fire. Just grabbed him and brought him up to heaven. That's going to happen to us. You guys believe it? I do. We're going to be caught up together.

With them in the clouds. To meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. This is the doctrine of the rapture. That the church is going to be caught up into the clouds. In the twinkling of an eye.

Without warning. Unexpectedly. Now. The only question brings us into the next point. Will it look like an upside down yo-yo? As in. When you're yo-yoing. You throw it down and it pops right back up.

Will the church go up into the clouds. And then upside down. Come right back down with the Lord. As he sets his foot in Jerusalem. Is that the nature of the rapture. And then the second coming of the Lord.

Let's read it. Chapter five. Verses one to three. Before I read it. The answer is no. There will be a gap. A time gap. I think it's seven years. Other people think it's three and a half years. Or somewhere thereabouts.

But there will be a gap for this reason. Let's read it. Now concerning the times and the seasons. Okay we're talking about time. About seasons. Brothers. You have no need. To have anything written to you.

For you yourselves. Are fully aware. Because he had taught them. That the day of the Lord. Will come. How? Like a thief in the night. A thief in the night. This doctrine. Very important. Is called imminency.

Imminency. The return of Christ. For the church is imminent. That means do you believe this? That before this day is over. Jesus could come back for us. If you believe that. Say amen. Amen. So most of this church does.

Now listen. If you don't believe in a pre-wrath. Or pre-trib rapture. You cannot say amen to that. You can't. It wouldn't be imminent. It wouldn't be like a thief in the night. Catching you by surprise.

In fact there are certain signs. That have to take place. It's called predictive prophecy. In the old testament Micah told us. Of the birthplace of Christ. The details of the suffering of Christ. On the cross.

Zechariah said he comes riding in. On a donkey. If Jesus didn't do each of those things. He could not have died on the cross. For our sins. Let God be true and every man a liar. In the same way. The second coming.

Is preceded. By prophecies. When we get to second Thessalonians. We learn three of them. There must be an apostasy. The revealing. Of the antichrist. And the abomination. Of desolations. We'll get to that in a minute.

What those are. But for now notice the point. Eminency. At any moment like a thief in the night. The Lord could appear. You see it? Verse three. While people are saying there is peace. And security. Once the bowls of God's wrath.

Are being poured out on the earth. There is no peace and security. I mean even by the seal judgments. Of the book of revelation. Everything is ruined. A third of the earth is dead. By the time of the trumpets.

More supernatural things are happening. With the bowls of wrath. There are hailstones falling from heaven. Everything is dark. The sun is dark. People are groveling and heading to Jerusalem. To try to kill the Jews.

The last thing that they're saying is this. There is peace and security. So how can it be imminent? Well it's a very simple solution. The Lord will catch us up. To meet him in the air. That could happen at any second.

And that event triggers. The seven years of tribulation. Amen. Eminency. It could happen at any second. We'll get back to that in second Thessalonians. But let's move on to point number eight. The church.

Is not. Destined for wrath. Look at verse nine. God has. Not. Destined us. For wrath. In the preceding context here. There's a distinction made between the children of light. And children of darkness.

The children of darkness. Well. They will be taken by surprise. When the day of the Lord arrives. Right? When all of these judgments come. They're not expecting it. It's like the days of Noah according to Jesus.

They're eating and drinking and carrying on. Marrying. Given in marriage. And then this flood comes and takes them away. The day of the Lord will be like that. For them. But the distinction of first Thessalonians five.

Is that God does not treat his bride. That way. And you church. Are the bride of Christ. The groom doesn't beat the bride. Before taking her home. The wrath of the great day. Of his wrath. Revelation six seventeen describes the tribulation.

As the day of his wrath. This period of wrath. Is for the world. Who has rejected Christ. Not for the bride. You see it in verse nine. God has not destined us. For wrath. But to obtain salvation. Rescue.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a beautiful thing. By the way guys. You guys know. I'm kind of into the culture war right. I love to fight these battles. How is it that. I don't get depressed in life.

I mean sometimes it looks like. We're losing right. I mean here's a room full of believers. That are strong in the truth. But we're vastly outnumbered in this culture. And the culture seems to be getting farther.

And farther away from the truth. Here's why I don't get discouraged in the battle. Because I know. That our God is with us in the battle. We will fight. We will be the salt. We will be the light. We will fight until the death.

But I know that any second now. Our Lord is coming for his church. Because I believe. In the rapture of the church. And I'm looking for it. And I'm expecting it. It could happen today. And I'm not scared.

I know he's good. I know he's going to rescue us. So however bad this culture gets. We're going to fight. But we don't fight like those who have no hope. We fight like a people. That are waiting on the king.

Who will make it right. We know the church won't usher in the millennium. We know the church won't make the world right. But we'll preserve it until the time. So we fight like that. And yet with hope.

That the one who can do it. The champion. The victor. It's not us. It's him. And he'll be here soon. And that's how you can have both peace. And truth. Make sense? You keep your eyes to the sky. Next.

Number nine. This is the plaque on our wall. I mentioned in a sermon. That my wife went to Hobby Lobby. And got this plaque. That we put right by the front door. That says rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.

Give thanks in all circumstances. You see that? Chapter 5 verses 16 to 18. In fact verse 16 is the shortest verse in the bible. Somebody says. I thought it was Jesus wept. That's because you're reading the English.

In the Greek. This is the shortest. So if you want to. Remember one verse. And just cut that path in your brain. Let it be this. Rejoice always. The joy of the Lord is your strength. If you can wake up and remember.

That Christ already paid the price of your sin. He already rose from the dead. He's triumph. He is king. He is Lord. Why not rejoice that day? That sure sets a good course for your day. Doesn't it? So see that first thing in the morning.

Memorize these three verses. Pray continually. Give thanks in everything. Cultivate a grateful heart. Just count the blessings. Thank him for your air conditioning. Ours went out. But it makes you appreciate it.

On a 100 degree day. Doesn't it? Thank you Lord that most days we have air conditioning. Lord. Be thankful. Cultivate a thankful heart of gratitude. Lastly for this book. Then we have another one. Lastly for this book.

Don't quench the spirit. Verses 20, 19, 20 and 21. Do not despise prophecies. Test everything. Hold fast what is good. We need the Holy Spirit in our church. I need him when I preach. You need him. You need him when you teach your children.

When you go about your day. When you work with your hands. In everything we do. We need the help of the spirit of the living God. Don't quench him. Let him be that fire in your bones. Don't quench the spirit.

We need the empowering presence of God in the church. Do you think all of this has happened by our self effort? No. All those baptisms in June. Missionaries. You think this is us? No. It is the spirit at work among us.

We need more of his presence. And his power in the church. Amen. We are only half way done. Now we go to the blue sheet. And the second book. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world says the Lord.

God-Centered Endurance in 2 Thessalonians 1

Chapter 1 of 2 Thessalonians is about tribulations. It is about difficulty. You struggle. The Thessalonians are being thrown in jail. They are losing their jobs. Everything seems to be falling apart around them.

They are suffering. Just because we won't go through the day of the Lord. The wrath of the Lord. Doesn't mean you won't suffer. This world will have suffering. It is a part of the Christian life. Chapter 1 is about that.

But listen. Here is how you endure. And have confidence. And resolve. And steadfastness. In the midst of suffering. You want to know? Look at chapter 1. How many times Paul says God. Or Jesus. He has a God centered world view.

He is thinking about God all the time. So look. Follow along with me. Chapter 1 verse 1. The church in God. And the Lord. Verse 2. Peace from God. And the Lord. Number 3. Give thanks to God. Verse 4. The churches of God.

Guys. We have a buzz here on the monitor. In the back. Number 5. The judgment of God. The kingdom of God. Number 6. It is God that considers it just to repay. Verse 7. It is the Lord Jesus. Verse 8. To know God and the gospel of Jesus.

Verse 9. The presence of the Lord. Verse 10. Marveling at him. Not at us. And verse 11. Our God will make you worthy of his calling. And verse 12. The grace of our God. You guys catch the point? Every verse.

References God. When you wake up in the morning. It's Jesus. Just give me Jesus. When you go about your day. Is God on your mind? Or is he just a subcategory of life? You see for Paul. God is at the center.

Of his thinking. All the time. The world would kick God out of everything. The truth is God is in everything. A God centered world view. Creates resolve. When your eyes are on God. When you're thinking of God.

Praying continually to God. When you're crediting God with everything that you have. Thanking him. You endure. God centered world view. Now we get into the next section. Chapter 2. And again we take a shift back to doctrine.

These are things that we're supposed to think and believe. Now concerning the coming. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the parousia. The second coming. And our being gathered to him. That's the rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4 .17. These are the categories that we're to start thinking in. We're talking about doctrine. Eschatology. Notice what happens in verse 2. Very interesting. Somebody wrote a counterfeit letter.

Somebody came preaching. That the day of the Lord was already here. Look it's the mark of the beast. Look. The seal judgments have been broken. And the four horsemen of the apocalypse are riding out already.

The trumpets. The seals. It's happening right now. Somebody said that. But they doubled down their effort. They actually wrote a letter. Saying what they taught. And they signed Paul's name. They tried to forge his John Hancock.

On the paper. You see that in verse 2? It says a letter seeming to be from us. Let no one deceive you in any way. Church be aware. And be wary. There will be false teachers among you. In the 1800's alone.

We got the Jehovah's Witnesses. The Mormons. And the Seventh Day Adventists. Charles Taze Russell. Came along teaching an end times theory. And denying that Jesus was God. So the Jehovah's Witnesses. Joseph Smith.

Said that he found some golden plates. Buried in a hill in New York. And these were another testament of Jesus Christ. Which he would then translate for us. And so you have the Mormon Church. Ellen White.

Was believing the prophecies. Of one William Miller. And when Jesus. Did not come back in 1844. As prophesied. She said well what really happened was. He went from one part of heaven. Into another part.

And it was a spiritual return of Christ. And so we have the Seventh Day Adventists. Especially with regard to end times. And the things to come. People get really weird about it. And you get some false teaching.

Be on guard. There will be false teachers. False prophets among you. And you must be on guard. All the time. If it was happening as early as. The first letter in the New Testament. This is written in the late 40's.

Early 50's A .D. Thessalonians first. And then a few months later second Thessalonians. If it was happening way back then. Of course it's still happening today. Be on guard. And hold fast to the truth.

So counterfeits are going to abound. Number three. Underscoring the point we just made. In first Thessalonians. Guys. The day of the Lord. Cannot come. Until three things happen first. The day of the Lord.

Is a clear teaching in the Old Testament. Isn't it? When's the last time you read Amos? Or Isaiah? Joel. The day of the Lord. Is a common theme in the Old Testament. It's a period of wrath. God has been storing up his wrath on this earth.

Reserving judgment. But the day is coming. When he'll release that wrath on the earth. And it's going to be devastating. The prophets foresaw it. The book of Revelation. Talks about it. From chapter 6 to chapter 19.

And it's very specifically called. The day of the Lord's wrath. Revelation 6 17. That is the day of his wrath. Now. It cannot begin until three things happen first. And what are they? The apostasy. The antichrist.

And the abomination of desolation. You see it? Verse 3. The day of the Lord. Will not come. Unless the rebellion comes first. In the Greek that word is apostasia. It means falling away. Rebellion. Have you noticed that this might be starting right now?

I mean look at the continent of Europe. Once the seat of Christendom. Where everybody professed to be a believer in the Bible. Now less than 1 of that continent claims to be an evangelical believer in the scriptures.

Look at our culture. Are you seeing it depart? The apostasy. It's a sign. In the end times. It'll get worse and worse. But notice what it says. Then the man of lawlessness is revealed. Who's the antichrist?

Anybody know? You might have a theory. And it's probably one of the politicians on Capitol Hill right? Or somewhere over. Yeah Soros I heard somebody say. That could be. But what we don't know is who it is with certainty.

Right? It has not yet been revealed. The antichrist will one day come. And he will do something specific that indicates that the final days of wrath are on us. What will he do? Look again at verse 4. He's going to oppose and exalt himself against every so called god or object of worship.

So that he takes his seat in the temple of god. Which will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Proclaiming himself to be god. Simple. Daniel chapter 9 referred to it. Verses 24 to 27. Jesus referenced it in Matthew 24.

He said the abomination of desolation will trigger the last years of this earth before the parousia. The glorious appearing. That being the case. It hasn't happened yet. So we're not yet in the tribulation.

As bad as this world is, it's nothing like the tribulation. Once the day of his wrath happens, nobody will miss it. So what's keeping it? That's the next point of teaching. The Holy Spirit working through the church is the restrainer who holds back the end times.

Let's look now at 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 6 and 7. And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

There's only one person strong enough to hold back the antichrist in the world. And it's not your favorite politician. And it's not you or I. It's the Holy Spirit working in the church, working through us like salt and light to restrain evil in the land.

Yes, but there's coming a time where his ministry will change. He'll stop restraining evil. He'll release that spirit. Do you know there's always an antichrist ready to take over? The World Economic Forum, those boys at Davos, they're ready for a one world government like yesterday.

But they're restrained. When God says go, he changes the ministry of the Holy Spirit, concurrently taking the church safely to meet him in the air. And then the rapture, after the rapture is this tribulation period where the antichrist is up to all of his shenanigans.

And the next thing we know about counterfeit miracles. Chapter 2, verses 8 to 12, the antichrist is doing these bizarre things. There's a statue that can talk. An animated statue. I can't imagine AI pulling that off, can you?

Oh, wait a minute. Yeah, they're trying to do that too. Create sentient beings as they believe. It's all signs of the times, but it can't happen until the Lord says go. So before we move on from this eschatology section, let me entertain the other possibility.

Someone will read this text and say, wait a minute, in verse 1 it's referring to the coming of the Lord. That day of the Lord, verse 2, is when Christ comes and sets his foot in Jerusalem. So there is no rapture prior to the second coming.

There's only that one event, the post-tribulation rapture. Like a yo-yo, you meet the Lord and then he comes back down. Let me entertain that theory for just a second. What would that look like in verse 2?

The Thessalonian is quickly shaken in mind because the day of the Lord has come. If that were true, what would it mean? It would mean that Christ already came to Jerusalem. So what's the problem? If the day of the Lord has come and Christ has returned in Jerusalem, then all they have to do is go get on a train.