“The apostle Paul warned the church not to look for the coming of Christ in his day. ‘That day shall not come,’ he says, ‘except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed.’ 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Not till after the great apostasy, and the long period of the reign of the … [Click to read more …]
Read 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. Why does God allow so many to be deceived? According to this passage, what have the wicked rejected? Verse 11 is a text that many people find extremely challenging. Paul states very directly, “God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie” (2 Thess. 2:11, NIV). The knee-jerk response to … [Click to read more …]
Read 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10. How do we understand these events? What’s especially important in all this about the phrase, “they received not the love of the truth”? The man of sin was introduced in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4. Through much of Christian history he has operated to undermine God’s law (particularly the Sabbath) and to usurp powers that … [Click to read more …]
Key Thought: The only protection against being overcome by Satan’s deceptions is loving the truth of God’s word. [Teaching plan for The Antichrist September 17,2012] 1. Have a volunteer read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is. B. Why did … [Click to read more …]
According to Paul, what two things characterized the world situation at the time he wrote? How do we see the great controversy revealed in these verses? 2 Thess. 2:6–7. Combining these verses with the previous ones, we can see that Paul is outlining three stages of history from his time until the end. The final stage begins at … [Click to read more …]
In the short interval between 1 and 2 Thessalonians, the Thessalonian church members became confused about the meaning of what Paul wrote in the first letter. They drew the conclusion that the Second Coming was either at hand or had already come in some secret way (2 Thess. 2:2). Paul’s short answer to this problem? “That can’t … [Click to read more …]
What is the topic addressed by Paul in the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians? How are these words relevant to us today? In what way do we face similar challenges within our church regarding end-time events (date-setting, conspiracy theories, and the like), however different our context? What similar principle do we find here that we also constantly confronted? 2 … [Click to read more …]
Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Thess. 2:1-12, Matt. 24:1-14, Zech. 3:1, Dan. 8:8-11, Acts 2:22. Memory Text: “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, ESV). Key Thought: In correcting the Thessalonians’ false theology of last-day events, … [Click to read more …]
