2 Thessalonians 2
I found your radio show rightly dividing the word to be interesting. Here is my question for you (and I'm having a difficult time coming to rest with an answer I'm able to fully accept), it has to do with the rapture of the Church and end times events. Why would we be informed by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that the Antichrist first has to be revealed before the coming of the Lord? Why would we Christians be made aware of this, if we were not going to be here? Why even tell us?
On the other hand, right after that in 2 Thessalonians2:8, God also states through Paul, that the Wicked shall not be revealed until "he that letteth, be taken out of the way."
In 2 Thessalonians, Paul is explaining the future wrath that is to come upon the earth during the Day of the Lord. And although we grace age believers will not go through it (as it is the time of Jacob's trouble [Jeremiah 30:7]), there was much confusion about this issue among those saints (as it is today) because people did not rightly divide (the Rapture from the 2nd Coming) God's word as commanded by God in 2 Tim 2:15. Paul had already told the saints these things
2 Thessalonians 2:5
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
...but he goes on to remind them that God has not appointed us to that day of his wrath
1 Thessalonians 1:10
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 5:9
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
So when it comes to the Rapture, it will be pre-wrath, pre-tribulation period, pre-prophetic program...we will NOT go through it, and God's Prophetic program will not begin until we are gone. And why would Paul remind them/us of all this if we won't go through it? To give us rest in our hearts and minds! To re-assure us that we will not go through the Wrath, even though people are teaching us that we will!
+++
The ‘he who now letteth’ (or hinders) in that day is not the Holy Ghost, it is us, the church, the body of Christ (although the Holy Ghost is in us).
1 Timothy 3:15-16
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
When the body of Christ is removed from the earth and taken home to the heavenly places at the rapture, then the Antichrist will be able to come on the scene (the Holy Ghost will still be in the earth working to renew the people of Israel).
Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!
†††
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No comments:
Post a Comment