2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Every day we hear news report, stories, social media posts, blogs, vlogs and so much more, but how much of them are actually absolutely true? We know fake news are all over the net. How much time do we actually spend reading and listening to fake news?
Spiritual fake news has been here for a long while. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in about A.D. 51. to address misleading news that Christ had come. Paul warned them that these false teachings, fake spiritual news, can deceive them, if they were not careful enough.
1. Beware of deception!
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.” vv.1-2
· Deception usually comes very close to the truth but twist it to promote another belief.
· Some false prophets or misguided spiritual teachers asserted that the day of the Lord has come.
· The Thessalonians were alarmed because they were expecting the gathering of believers to Christ to come first before the day of the Lord.
· That problem of fake spiritual news still exists in our day and age, many people have been over speculating the 2nd coming of Jesus causing undue alarm to many believers.
2. Study the unchanging truth!
“3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” vv.3-4
· To avoid deception, the church must have sound biblical theology.
· Theos is Greek for God, and ology comes from the Greek word logos which means word. Thus, theology means “words about God” or the study of God.
· The study of God involves knowing what God is capable of, knowing His promises, and the commitment He requires of us and it also involves the past, present and future events as revealed in the Bible.
· The man of lawlessness (Antichrist) will appear first, blaspheme God, set himself for worship, before the day of the Lord comes. See verse 3-4.
· Thus, the “gathering of believers” to Christ must happen first before the man of lawlessness appears. See verse 1.
3. Strengthen your spiritual memory to avoid deception!
“5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?” v.5
· Everything starts in the mind.
· Christianity is not about fairy tales, but about reasoning!
· God challenges people to come and reason with Him. see Isaiah 1:18.
· “7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7.
4. Faithfully adhere to God’s truth.
“15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17.
· It is our responsibility as believers to hold on, to adhere, to believe and to obey the truth!
You are loved by God and He assured you of eternal salvation so that you may be encouraged to continue doing what is right before Him.
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