Transcribed excerpt from an audio message by Bro Ron Knight...
The
second epistle to the Thessalonians was written by Paul to explain the time of
Jacob’s trouble1– the end times, latter times or the last days of
Israel’s prophetic program, particularly regarding what God will do in the
earth future from us.
The
reason he had to write it was because grace believers, people who weren’t
appointed to that wrath,2 because the body of Christ will go out of
the world through the rapture, the resurrection of the body,3 and go
into the heavenly places to be with our Lord.
We are not going to be involved with that day of the Lord’s wrath.4
that time of Jacob’s trouble.
But
because of the lack of right division, men were preaching and teaching that the
church the body of Christ would go through that wrath. They were mixing what Jesus Christ says
through Paul to us believers in the body, with what Jesus Christ said to Israel
in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They
were mixing prophecy and mystery, law and grace; and when you don’t rightly
divide, you’re going to have people thinking they’re going to go through the
[tribulation].
Second
Timothy 2:15, the verse about right division, comes in because some men named Hymenæus and Philetus5 had taught the Ephesians that the
resurrection (rapture) had happened already, and that overthrew people’s
faith. They were teaching that the body
of Christ will go through the wrath.
Even
among grace believers in our day there is a falling away from this truth. Paul says that in the latter times of the
dispensation of grace men and women will fall away and not endure sound
doctrine.6 Grace churches
will get smaller because people will have itching ears to hear something other
than what Paul says. You don’t want to
be that person. The way you get your
reward at the judgment seat of Christ7 is to endure to the end as a part of the grace
body of believers; not just in name as a Christian, but in your doctrine and
walk. God has given that to us as the
goal of our Christian life8.
But
there are so-called grace believers who are leaving these Pauline doctrines
about the rapture; about justification by God’s grace through faith plus
nothing. They’re mixing up things. You don’t want to do that. It is my goal to stay in the scriptures
because Paul says:
1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine;
continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that
hear thee.
I
can save myself from that apostasy by listening to Paul, and I’ll make sure
that you can be too by preaching it to you, if you believe in God’s word.
So
Paul wrote the book of 2 Thessalonians to deal with the confusion of the end
times of prophecy (what people call eschatology). He wanted to explain the day of the Lord, the
time of that future wrath when Christ will come as Israel’s avenger, deliverer
and king to set up his earthly kingdom.
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Transcribed excerpt from Bro Knight’s
message:
1
Jeremiah 30:7 Alas!
for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's
trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.
2 1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
3 1
Thess. 4:13-18 But
I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these
words.
4 Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver
them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by
the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them
that dwell in the land.
5 2 Timoothy 2:16-18 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase
unto more ungodliness. And their word
will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who
concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already;
and overthrow the faith of some.
6 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall
they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
7
1 Corinthians 3:10-17 According to the grace
of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the
foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he
buildeth thereupon. For other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every
man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know
ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in
you? If any man defile the temple of
God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
8 Philippians 3:14 I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Hopefully this helps!
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