28/06/11

Paul's urgent second letter to the Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians


The second letter of Paul to the Thessalonians was written within a few months from the first letter while Paul was in Corinth with Silas and Timothy.

Understanding the process, the time it took to write, deliver and get feedback for a letter, it seems that this letter was written in at an urgent note. If we look at the contents of the letters it is mostly the similar topics taken again by Paul. If one reads the letter there is one important topic which the letter stretches on and that is about the end days.

First we need to remember the Church of Thessalonians were not a spiritually struggling Church like the Corinthians or a Church which was worldly like the Romans. This Church was a maturing Church having a sound knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, yet we see they had a problem with understanding the end days and this problem was serious so much that Paul had to dash a short letter again to them.

In this letter Paul gives a very clear message that the end time is not at hand and points to the simplest way of confirming that the end time is at hand in 2:3-4.

2:3-4 very clearly gives the alert to the end days and it starts with apostasy (falling away or forsaking) and then the revealing of the son of lawlessness who is also called the son of destruction, who exalts himself above every so called god and idol. Paul even puts a clear clue of where this son of destruction would operate from and that he says as the temple of God. Paul does not mean the real Temple for Paul in his previous letters notes the true Temple is our bodies. This temple points to a shrine. By the book of Daniel we know that the son of destruction would be the last Pope and here Paul points to the fact that the last Pope may move his base from Rome to Jerusalem for the word used here for shrine is a common word used to the temple of the Jews (it could also point to the Vatican which is the headquarters of this Church).

The last Pope would kill the Pope before him and coming to power will cause all other religions to worship him for all other religions are directly or indirectly the works of Satan the Beast. The son of destruction is the Beast's appointed one as Christ is the appointed one of God.

We know the teachings of the Catholic Church had already started its roots during the time of Paul and were called at that time as teachings of Nicolaitans. If we compare the Nicolaitans belief and the teachings of the Catholic Church they are basically the same.

The most important part to remember is before the coming of son of destruction is the Apostasy, the forsaking of this Church which is recorded by John of Revelation as forsaking of the Queen of Babylon who is seated on the Beast.

Between these 2 events is where the true Church of God is glorified and Men of God grow in power and authority and cause fear of God to come on man and ends with the two witnesses and rapture of the Saints of God at that time.

So if we look through these events timeline we are far from the end of the world. And therefore instead of getting worked up with the world coming to an end we need to concentrate on the growing of the Kingdom of God.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, Your Word give a clear guidance to the turn of events but yet your people are lost, confused and act like blind people. Like Paul noted You cause them to be confused for they refuse to believe your Word and take pleasure in lies and deceptions. Lord, harden not the hearts of your people and by your mercy and grace open their eyes to the Truth...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripturesr ]
2 Thessalonians 1:1
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Revelation 2:1-7
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 17:3-5
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Read Revelation 18

Daniel 7:8
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Daniel 8:9-14
9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

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