Preparing for the End Times – God’s Timetable (Part 2) – The Revelation of the Antichrist

Pastor Phil Andrukaitis, September 17, 2023

The Apostle Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians

 General Theme:  Living Righteously While Waiting Patiently for Jesus to Return

 Sermon Title:  Preparing for the End Times – God’s Timetable (Part 2) – The Revelation of the Antichrist 

Sermon Text:  Second Thessalonians 2:3-5

 Subject:   Spiritual Deception

 Complement:  As the “last days” draw closer,  spiritual deception is on the rise.

 Dominating Idea:  God’s Truth delivers us from Satan’s deadly deceptions.

Introduction

Pastor Jim Nite of the Center Point Community Church in Naples, Florida writes:  “Jim Jones was the founder of the People’s Temple.  More than 900 of Jim Jones’ followers died in a cult murder/suicide in 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana.  Over 300 children were murdered.  It was the greatest loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until the 9/11 attacks.

“The FBI recovered a 45-minute audio recording of the suicide in progress.  It is disturbing.  Demonic. I don’t recommend it.  On the tape, Jim Jones calmly urges his followers to drink cyanide-laced Flavor Aid (technically not Kool-Aid) after giving it to their children.

“Jim Jones is one of the most extreme examples of spiritual deception.  But he is certainly not alone. History is marked by those who—in a hundred diverse ways—have influenced people away from God and damaged, even destroyed, their lives.

“In the Bible there are repeated warnings about those who will seek to deceive us spiritually.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns about false prophets. There are two things that characterize them:

    • They are genuinely deceptive. Jesus said they will come to us in sheep’s clothing. Paul writes that they “masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2nd Corinthians 11:15).  More often than not they are religious, winsome, and sincere.  We find them speaking in churches, giving religious seminars, teaching religion courses in universities and seminaries.
    • And they are dangerous. They’re not neutral, harmless, or stretching. Jesus says they come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they’re ferocious wolves.  Wolves are the natural enemies of sheep.  These false teachers will damage, even destroy God’s people.[1]

Transitional Thoughts

In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul expresses his concerned that his fellow Christians are being drawn into false teachings.  Their spirit is greatly disturbed.  They are vulnerable and are being set up for deception.  Paul wants to protect them.  And to do that, Paul puts in front of them the truth.

To calm the Thessalonian believers and to realign their theology about Christ’s return, Paul (metaphorically speaking) hugs them firmly as if they were frighten children, saying, don’t be shaken in mind (alarmed; “I’ve got you.”) (v. 2).  But secondly, Paul says, don’t be deceived (v. 3a).

To address the deception that had impacted the church, Paul addressed four issues:

      • The Rapture of the Church  (2:1-3a)- September 3 
      • The Revelation of the Antichrist  (2:3-5) – September 17  TODAY’S FOCUS
      • The Restrainer of Evil  (2:6-12) – September 24
      • The Resolve of God  (2:13-17) – October 8        

Last week, we examined The Rapture of the Church and saw how Paul explained the timing and conditions necessary for the Rapture to occur.  Consequently, while these young believers had been shaken loose from their mental moorings and were adrift on a tossing sea of anxiety and fear; their faith, hope, and joy were devastated by deception.[2]

The Revelation of the Antichrist (2:3-5)

What truths did Paul set before the Thessalonian church, regarding the “Day of the Lord” and the Revelation of the  Antichrist?  What points did Paul get across to the church?

A. The Rebellion comes first.

“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…”
(2nd Thessalonians 2:3)

The Greek word for this translation “rebellion” is apostasia.  We understand it to be, apostasy.  What is apostasy?  It is the deliberate turning away, an abandonment of a previously held position or belief. Paul is not talking about a general apostasy, like that of the Laodicea church (Revelation 3:14-22), or individuals (Hebrews 10:25-31; 2nd Peter 2:20-22).  These individuals who abandon God and His Word prove that they were never saved; never born-again by the Spirit of God.  While there are many “professing believers” in the church today, only God truly knows the hearts that belong to Him.  Consider the Rapture.  When Jesus calls His church to “meet Him in the air,” there will be no mistake about who is raptured.  Jesus knows His own.  Read Matthew 7:21-23.  No believer will be left behind in the Rapture; only unbelievers.

So, what is this apostasy that must come first?  The “rebellion” or the “falling away” of which Paul refers is a specific, deliberate act unbelievers commit in the heat of the Tribulation.

Listen carefully, those individuals who missed the Rapture, even though they thought they were believers, will either repent and anticipate martyrdom because they know what’s coming…

OR

… individuals who turn away completely from the truth of God’s Word and place their hope in the Antichrist who will deceive them, presenting himself as the savior of the world.

As God’s judgments continue to create a “hell on earth” (The Great Tribulation) conditions will be ripe for unbelievers to turn their backs on God and embrace the Antichrist.  And for a while, these apostates will find other means of survival and hope from the Antichrist.  This IS the global phenomenon, a worldwide anti-God movement known as the Great Apostacy.

Even now, we see evidence of our world, even our government, turning away from God.

B. The Antichrist will reveal himself.

“…who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship,
so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

 Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things?”
(2nd Thessalonians 2:3-5)

When we talk about the Antichrist, we’re not talking about an abstract person.  There have been many antichrist models throughout history.  Most notable is Adolph Hitler.  The OT is also full of world leaders who also noted for their godless character.

Where do we first meet the Antichrist who is to come?

      • Ezekiel 38:2 He is Gog of Magog who will lead the armies against the Lord.  Read
        chapters 38-39.
      • Daniel 7-8 He is the “little horn” whose political power is great and world-wide.
      • Daniel 9 He is the prince to come and make a treaty with Israel.
      • Daniel 11 He is the king who does as he pleases.
      • Zechariah 11 He is the worthless shepherd.
      • Revelation He is the beast.

Paul continues his description of the Antichrist, offering three highlights of the Antichrist’s character:

    • He is the man of lawlessness.

The Antichrist stands opposed to every law of God, even encouraging others to do likewise.  He is a blasphemous sinner who will live in open defiance before God and encourage others to do so.  We see lawless on the rise today thanks to wicked, individuals who support liberal, progressive politicians, judges, and the list is endless.

However, during the Tribulation, lawlessness will increase exponentially as the Antichrist, energized by Satan, leads millions of people to their eternal deaths (Matthew 24:12).

    • He is called the son of destruction.

The Antichrist is the son of perdition.  His fate is sealed.  He belongs to the same class as Judas Iscariot, as Judas Iscariot is the only other person to share this title, “son of destruction” (John 17:12).

While Judas lived and ministered with Jesus and disciples for three years, observing Jesus’ sinless life, love, and power…[3]

– Judas betrayed Jesus while the Antichrist will proclaim himself God.
– Judas desecrated the temple with blood money while Antichrist will
desecrate the temple by committing the abomination of desolation.
– Judas committed suicide while the Antichrist will lead the world into
destruction

    • He opposes and exalts himself over God.

The Antichrist will forge a peace treaty with Israel and her enemies; but it will not last.
The Antichrist will take the seat of God for himself.
The Antichrist will proclaim himself as God.

With these truths that Paul set before the Thessalonian saints, it is clear to them (and us) that the Day of the Lord has not yet come.  Second, the Antichrist has not yet appeared on the scene.  The Rapture will occur before the revelation of the Antichrist.  Therefore, there is no need to fear the judgments of the Great Tribulation.  They are not for the church but for the unbelieving, Christ-rejecting world and for Israel.

Four Applicable Principles[4]

1. Spiritual deception can happen to anyone.

Billy Graham summed it up well with these words:  Thousands of uninstructed Christians are being deceived today.  False teachers use high-sounding words that seem like the height of logic, scholarship, and culture.  They are intellectually clever in their sophistry and adept at beguiling thoughtless, untaught men and women.  Get back into the Word and get the Word back into your soul. 

2. Spiritual deception is restrained by God’s Truth.

The world-wide deception and global apostasy are on the horizon because Truth of God’s Word is still working.  However, to keep ourselves from being deceived by the world, the flesh, and the devil, knowing the truth will keep us free from sin’s bondage and deception.

Jim Nite said it well:  Satan works through deceit. It will be unrestrained in the future.  But that is how he works.  That’s how he draws us into some stupid act that discredits us before our children, or destroys a marriage, or leaves us paralyzed with guilt.  He dangles sin in front of us like a fisherman’s lure.  When we bite, the hook catches in our throats—whether it is bitterness, some  issue at work, some sexual sin, whatever it is.  He works through deceit.  Read, understand, and obey God’s Word and peace will guard your heart.  Remember, His the Spirit of God will never contradict Scripture.

3. Spiritual deception occurs when we reject God’s Truth.

When a person rejects the Scripture, God hands them over to their own delusions, desires, and eventually they fall farther into deception, delighting in evil.  That is a bad, bad place to be.  Read Romans 1.  Lost people refuse and reject truth.  If this is you, ask God to save you from this mindset and to give you His desires.

4. Spiritual deception will fail when we are committed to God’s Truth.

[1] Jim Nite, The Power of Spiritual Deception, [doc online] from, https://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/2014/june/power-of-spiritual-deception.html, accessed 2023, Sept.16.

[2]   John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary, 1&2 Thessalonians, (Chicago:  Moody Press, 2022), p. 269.

[3] John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary, 1&2 Thessalonians, (Chicago:  Moody Press, 2022), pp. 273-274.

[4] Jim Nite, The Power of Spiritual Deception, [doc online] from, https://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/2014/june/power-of-spiritual-deception.html, accessed 2023, Sept.16.