"Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" 2 Thes. 2:3
We have all been watching the news, Japan was hit by a 8.9 magnitude earthquake which caused a huge tsunami. Just over 2 weeks ago New Zealand had a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. But the shaking hasn't been limited to the "Ring of Fire". Right here in Arkansas not even 2 weeks ago the ground shook. What else has been happening in the news? Wars, fighting, rumors of wars to come. These events are happening everyday and seem to be increasing as time goes on. What does this have to do with the coming of the Lord? EVERYTHING! Jesus said in Mark 13:8 "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows." This is where the passage from 2 Thes. comes into play.
We as believers know that Christ is coming soon. Scripture foretold it, we are seeing signs daily that its happening. But the most telling sign is what Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Church. False doctrines had been thrown into their church and Paul was writing to remove those thoughts and once again instill the truth.
First off, we cannot let anyone deceive us. Do not believe anyone who says they know when the Lord will return. I know I, as well as many other Bible believing Christians, have been saying "the Lord is coming" and things of the sort. But I say it not as something I have con cocked within myself to make me seem smart. I say it by what I have read in scripture. The deceit I speak of come from churches like the one a few months back claiming Christ would return on May 21 of this year. Those are the types of people we must be weary of. Jesus himself said "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." God is the only one with that knowledge.
Next Paul gives us the conditions of the Lord's return. He says there will be a "falling away". I can see this as already happened. Our churches have fallen away from the Lord. Sin has taken such a role in the church you can hardly call it a church. Professed believers in churches are saying its ok to drink and smoke. They are trying to pervert the word into saying its ok to be a homosexual. They are allowing divorced and remarried people to take places of leadership inside the church when scripture clearly speaks against it. Things like these are the reason the church has fallen away from the Lord. When you turn a blind eye to one sin, a bigger one creeps in. Its sad the church has had these things covered in scripture, yet they do not even want to try and follow it. People the time is at hand.
The 2nd condition has not passed, but I feel it can happen at anytime. Paul says the "son of perdition" is revealed. The son of Satan or the Anti-Christ, however you want to describe him.
Read the scripture, watch the news, investigate for yourself. You can clearly see God is allowing everyone the opportunity to accept His Son's sacrifice. Jesus came and died for us, because He knew this world would become so wicked that God would have to pass judgement and unleash His righteous wrath on this world.
Most importantly Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to spend eternity with Him. While God is a God of wrath, He is a God of Love. He wants no man to perish without accepting Christ's salvation. If you don't know Him today, please get on your knees and asked Jesus to take over your life. THEN find a friend and tell them. Find someone who you know is a Christian so they can begin praying for you and get you on the right track to serving God. Don't be left behind, because the Lord is coming soon.
Revelation 3:3 " Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."
