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Christ's Kingdom and the End Times

Month: June 2019

Studying Prophecy in the Context of the Church

June 28, 2019 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #124 ~

I have grown to love these two little letters, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. They contain so much relevant and needed truth about Christ’s second coming, and the Christian life.
* 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is about how all believers from all time will be glorified, be fully saved at Christ’s coming. Those already in heaven will join up with Christians being raptured from the earth, and together they will meet Jesus Christ in the air.
* 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 tells us that unbelievers will be totally caught off guard by the coming of the Lord and the day of the Lord. But believers on earth will not be surprised and, in fact, filled with faith, hope and love, they will be looking forward to His coming.
* 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10 says that Christians will be suffering, but be given relief and be glorified when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. This is in sharp contrast with unbelievers who will be punished, who “will pay the penalty of eternal destruction.”
* 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 informs us that the apostasy, and the coming of that proud and devilish Antichrist, must take place before Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church. It is true – the church will be on earth when the Antichrist is revealed.

These are great passages, for they tell us basic end-times truths that every Christian should know. Study them, understand them, never forget them, and don’t let anyone deceive or mislead you about Christ’s coming. But there’s something else you need to understand. What I have seen over the years is that many Christians know all about prophecy and what God says about our future – they share verses and discuss topics that relate to Christ’s return and the rapture, but many of them miss the larger picture.

Here’s the point: you don’t want to focus only on what Paul says about Christ’s coming in these two epistles. You don’t want to separate what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 2 Thessalonians 1-2 about the end-times from the rest of 1-2 Thessalonians. You don’t want to take these prophecy passages out of context. It’s not just what you know about prophecy, but it’s how you live, and the rest of these epistles give needed instructions as to how you are to live for the Lord. Now that we are in the end-times, don’t you think all the truths in 1-2 Thessalonians are specifically and especially relevant to what God wants us to be doing at this time in history? God gives us these two epistles so we can know what He wants us to know about the end-times, but also so we can learn how to live for Him in view of Christ’s coming.

Of course, God gives us all the epistles, as well as the entire Bible, so we can rightly live for Him. But we are looking at 1-2 Thessalonians, and so let me summarize what an end-time church should look like, what pastors and individual Christians need to know and do.
* First, you see Paul’s great love for these believers – “We proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children, having so fond an affection for you” (1 Thess. 2:7-12, 2:19, 3:12). Might we all love like this!
* Second, he repeatedly talked about the importance of having faith in God, hope for the future, and love for the Lord and the Christians. 1 Thess. 1:3, 3:6-13, 5:8
* Third, he commended the Christians for believing God’s word, for suffering for the Lord, for serving Him, for their perseverance in the midst of persecution, and for sharing their faith – “in every place your faith in God has gone forth.” 1 Thess. 1:8, 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:4
* Fourth, he exhorted them to stand firm, to live holy lives, to love one another, to pray, to rejoice, to be thankful, to be discerning, and to “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His kingdom and glory.”  1 Thess. 1:12, 3:8, 4:1-10, 5:16-18, 5:21
* Fifth, he instructed them to not be lazy, undisciplined, or in need, but to be good workers, and eat their own bread. 1 Thess. 4:11-12, 2 Thess. 3:6-13
* Sixth, he reminded them that God had chosen them and called them, and that He would be faithful and fulfill His purposes for them. 1 Thess. 5:24, 2 Thess. 2:13-14
* Seventh, Paul prayed for them, with the primary goal that Christ would be glorified (2 Thess. 1:11-12). And there are many more end-time lessons in these epistles.

My favorite verses in these two epistles are the five benedictions. This is when Paul tells you what God will do, that He Himself will keep you blameless, will sanctify you, will enable you to know His love, will cause you to love one another, will give you peace, and will glorify you. 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, 5:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, 3:5, 3:16

As you know, my strong desire is for you to understand end-time’s prophecy, but you need to understand it in the context of the church. Your value and usefulness to God is seen when you are a holy, loving and serving member of the church, and it’s the epistles that teach you to live like this during this church age. And this Thessalonian epistle, written to instruct a church about the end-times, will instruct you how to live your life in view of Christ’s coming. In these final years I pray there will be Thessalonian-type churches all over the world, ones loving the Lord, living for the Lord, and looking forward to His soon return. “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He will bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

P.S. Here is a short read, a blog post, and a longer read, an article, about how to live for the Lord in the end-times: How Then Should We Live in the End-Times? and What Does God Want Me to Do in the End Times?

Presidents, Prime Ministers… Antichrist and Jesus Christ

June 21, 2019 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #123 ~

We have always lived in a world where there are kings, presidents, and prime ministers leading their countries. But at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9:27), we will see this man of lawlessness, the Antichrist, ruling the world. I say “we will see” because the church will still be on earth when he is revealed. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-5). His divinely appointed time on earth will be the culmination of Satan’s long, age-old war against God (Revelation 12-13). As Christians, it’s essential that we understand what these prophecy passages are telling us, for this Antichrist’s zeal for evil, and super-intense hatred for God and His people, will be like nothing we have ever seen before.

2 Thessalonians 2 tells us some important things God wants us to know about this man of lawlessness. We learn that he is now restrained, and is not yet doing his most-wicked work. But the time will come when he won’t be restrained, when he will be revealed. Here are three specific things we need to know about the revealing of the Antichrist:
* First, this arrogant impostor will “take his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (verses 3-4). This deceiver will actually proclaim that he is God, which is God’s sign to true Christians and discerning Jews that the Antichrist has been revealed.
* Second, it says that “in his time he will be revealed” (verse 6). God is in charge, and He is the One who determines when the Antichrist will take his stand on earth.
* Third, this “lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming” (verse 8). This gives us the all-important big picture, that this son of destruction will be revealed, but will not be victorious, for he will soon come to an end, completely and forever defeated. “His dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.” Daniel 7:26

What else does Paul tell us about this evil Antichrist, this beast, this son of destruction?
* That he is Satan’s man, and that he will be motivated and energized by Satan himself, and will be doing his devilish and despicable work. Verse 9, Revelation 13:3-7
* With the help of a second beast, he will carry out many powerful signs and wonders, with a goal of deceiving everyone on earth. Revelation 13:13-14 confirms this: “He (another beast) performs great signs… and he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs…” The Antichrist, this most dangerous man, will set up a one-world religion, and sadly, most people will be fooled and believe he is God, and will worship him. “They worshiped the dragon… and they worshiped the beast.” Revelation 13:4

Paul goes on to tell us about these evil, end-time unbelievers, ones who won’t worship God, but instead will worship the Antichrist, and therefore, worship Satan himself. They will be deceived by amazing signs and wonders, and by the seductive power of wickedness. (verses 9-10). They will be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). They “took pleasure in wickedness” (verse 12). “Men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Like the days of Noah, they will love their sin, and will be pleasing and satisfying their sinful flesh.

These sinners will love their sin, but won’t love the truth, which means they won’t love Jesus, and His gospel message. Because they won’t love the truth, they won’t “believe the truth” (verse 12). They will hate the Savior and won’t want to be saved from their sins. God will harden the hearts of those who harden their hearts against Him and the gospel, for He “will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false” (verse 11). These wicked people will be abandoned by God to their own sin, and the consequences of their sin, which is what Romans 1:24-28 says: “God gave them over to degrading passions… to a depraved mind.” What happens next? They will be judged, and will perish, being eternally punished for their sins (verses 10, 12). “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of God.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9

Do you get the picture? During this time on earth, there’s Satan, the Antichrist, and a world full of sinners – and it will be exceedingly dark. But the Christians alive on earth at this time are to be bright lights, lovingly sharing the gospel to the very end of the age (Matthew 24:14). Yes, they will be hated and persecuted during this time of great tribulation (Matthew 24:9), but God will give them abundant grace, peace, and victory. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword?… In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:35-39). Then at the rapture of the church, there is relief for all the Christians who are suffering and experiencing tribulation. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-7, Revelation 7:9-17

You need to know the order, the sequence of these end-time events: First, the temple in Jerusalem will be built. Then at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, the Antichrist will be revealed, desecrating the temple. After that, great tribulation will begin, affecting both Jews and Christians. Then there’s the coming of the Lord, the initial event being the rapture of the church. Right after that, there’s the day of the Lord, the pouring out of God’s wrath upon the unbelievers. At the end of Daniel’s 70th week, many Jews will be saved. Then the Antichrist and the other beast will be cast into the lake of fire. Finally, Jesus Christ will begin His great and glorious 1000-year reign on earth. “The Lord Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth… Sing praises to our King.” Psalm 47:2, 6

P.S. Here is an extensive, must-read article about the Antichrist – The Coming of the Antichrist, The Devil’s Man on Earth.

The Antichrist Tries to Take Christ’s Place – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7

June 14, 2019 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #122 ~

The Thessalonian church was being greatly persecuted. Then they heard some message or read some letter making them think the Lord Jesus had already returned, and that they had missed the rapture. Paul, as an apostle and pastor, heard they were troubled, and knew he had to clear up their confusion, their error, and so he writes another letter to them, 2 Thessalonians. In chapter 1, he tells them that the relief that comes with the rapture takes place before the day of the Lord, before God’s wrath is poured out on this earth. In chapter 2, he tells them that two events must occur before the day of the Lord, and therefore, before the rapture of the church. First, there needs to be the apostasy, this defection of so-called religious and church people. Secondly, there needs to be the revealing of the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist. As we look back through history, we see that neither of these events have ever happened, but they will, and not long from now.

That’s because we live in the end-times, which means this 2nd Thessalonian epistle is especially relevant to us. But it’s not just relevant, it’s essential that we understand it. I say this because many Christians believe no events need to occur, and no conditions need to be met before the coming of Christ and the rapture of the church. But that’s not true, that’s erroneous. Right here in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul tells us two events that need to take place before the rapture. Other prophecy passages state additional conditions and events that need to happen. Matthew 24:3-30, Luke 21:7-28, Revelation 6:1-17

God gives us these signs because He wants us to have a general idea when His Son is coming back to earth. It’s true we don’t know the exact day or hour of Christ’s return, but God wants us to know many of the end-time events leading up to His return, as well as the sequence, the order of these events. We will “see the day (of Christ) drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25), and then “see the Son of Man coming in a cloud…” (Luke 21:27). Jesus Christ is coming like a thief in the night to unbelievers, but not to believers, not to us. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 

Let’s look at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, which is about the man of lawlessness, known also as the Antichrist. What God wants us to know is that Christians will be alive on earth when the Antichrist is revealed. We may not want to hear this, but it is the truth. These verses make it clear that the Antichrist must be revealed before the day of the Lord, which means before the coming of the Lord, and therefore, before the rapture of the church and the gathering of all believers to Him. Matthew 24:31

The Antichrist, this most lawless, vile and devilish man to ever live, is described in great detail in the book of Daniel. He will be a strong and boastful speaker, extremely powerful, crushing and ruling other nations, and leading a ten-nation kingdom. He will be “waging war with the saints,” and arrogantly speaking out against them (Daniel 7:11, 19-26). He will be smart, shrewd, intimidating and destructive, and will “even oppose the Prince of princes” (Daniel 8:23-25). He will make a peace treaty with Israel, pretending to be her protector, but will then turn violently against her. Daniel 9:27

This most evil man will “do as he pleases, and will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36), which is just what 2 Thessalonian 2:3-5 tells us will happen. The time will be the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, and the place will be the temple in Jerusalem. During the first half of this week, this 7-year time-frame, this man of lawlessness grows in power and prominence. Seemingly unstoppable, he “opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship.” He is strongly opposed to all religions, churches and God Himself, for he wants no one else in the world, but himself, to be worshiped. Revelation 13:3-8 

Then “he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” This is the “abomination of desolation,” predicted by Daniel and confirmed by Jesus (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15). It is at this time, at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, that this “man of lawlessness is revealed,” for then Christians and discerning Jews will know for certain that this devilish man is the Antichrist. He will be the greatest God-hater, Jew-hater, Christian-hater ever. “He opened his mouth in blasphemies against God… It was also given to him to make war with the saints, and overcome them.” Revelation 13:7

It’s the beginning of the 21st century, and this son of destruction is now restrained, is kept in check, for his time has not yet come. But his father, the devil, is not restrained, for since the sin of Adam and Eve, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). In the near future, the restrainer, who I believe is Michael the archangel, will be taken out of the way, and then the Antichrist will be revealed – and we will know its him. (Daniel 12:1, Revelation 12:7-12). Thankfully, this Antichrist “has only a short time,” for “that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8

P.S. Here are two previous posts that go along with this one, and will help you further understand the future that God has planned for our world: That Evil Antichrist, and His Short Rule on Earth and The Timing of the Rapture.

Antichrist Revealed, and Then the Rapture – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

June 7, 2019 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #121 ~   

The apostle Paul had written one letter to the Thessalonian church, and much of that focused on the future, on details about the coming of Christ. But it wasn’t long before Paul became very concerned about them, for he heard that many in this young church were alarmed and troubled. They received a letter, heard some message, or somehow got the impression that the day of the Lord had already started, which worried them, and made them wonder if they were even saved, and therefore, had missed the rapture.

Paul dearly loved these Christians and knew he needed to write another letter to clear up any confusion, to answer any questions they had. In 2 Thessalonians 1, he tells them that the rapture, and the relief that comes with it, would occur before God’s retribution, before the day of the Lord, before God’s punishment of unrepentant sinners. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Paul reminds them that at the coming of the Lord, all believers would be gathered to Him. Then in verse two, Paul referred to the day of the Lord.

But before we go any further, you need to see how the coming of the Lord and the day of the Lord relate to each other. First, let me define this word coming. It is a noun and means arrival and continuing presence, and in this case, the arrival and presence of the Lord. It is not referring to a simple, instantaneous event, but to a comprehensive whole, which includes many events directed by Christ. The 1st event to occur at His coming will be the rapture of the church, immediately followed by the 2nd event, the day of the Lord. I say immediately because of what Luke 17:29-30 says: “On the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.” What this tells us is that the day of the Lord starts on the same day as the rapture of the church. At the coming of Christ, the church is raptured, and after that, on that same day, the day of the Lord begins.

Now let’s go back to 2 Thessalonians 2. In verse one Paul speaks of the coming of the Lord. In verse 2 he mentions the Day of the Lord. In verse 3 he tells us about two identifiable events that will occur before the day of the Lord, and also before the coming of the Lord. He says there’s the apostasy, and that the man of lawlessness needs to be revealed. This word apostasy means rebellion, defiance or defection; and I believe part of this apostasy relates to the revealing of this lawless man, the Antichrist, which occurs at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, a seven-year time-frame. Daniel 9:27

Let me explain the connection between the apostasy and the revealing of the Antichrist. Sometime in the first half of Daniel’s 70th week, the Jews will be permitted to build a temple and offer sacrifices to God, for which they will be very happy. Then along comes the most arrogant and evil man ever, the Antichrist, and in total defiance of God, he desecrates their temple. Verse 4 tells us that he “opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15

This shocking display of pride and power, along with other signs, will cause many Jews, and many so-called religious people around the world to be deceived, to defect, and to turn away from God (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). The result will be that most of them will begin to worship this lawless man, this beast, this Antichrist. (Revelation 13:3-17). What Paul is saying is that the apostasy and the revealing of the Antichrist will occur before the day of the Lord. These two events did not take place back then, and still have not taken place today, close to 2000 years later. In particular, we have not seen the Antichrist on earth, at least not yet. Therefore, we know that the day of the Lord has not yet started, and we know that the Lord has not yet come in the clouds and raptured the church, but He will, and it will not be long from now.

In the near future, the Antichrist will be revealed at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, and after that, at some unknown time to us, the coming of the Lord and the day of the Lord will begin. Since the rapture of the church is the first event to occur at the coming of the Lord, we know the rapture will take place sometime after the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, after the Antichrist is revealed, sometime during the last half of that 7-year period. This means Christians will be living on earth when the Antichrist is revealed, and is ruling over the world.

Let me go back to the first word in this passage. It is the word request and is translated as beg, plead or beseech. In verse 3, Paul says, “Let no one in any way deceive you.” Paul, a concerned pastor, was strongly pleading with these young Christians, warning them not to be tricked, lied to, nor led astray by anyone, in any way. I have the same concern, that you know the truth about the end-times and the coming of Christ, and are not at all deceived, confused, or in error. God wants you to know about these events that will be taking place before the coming of the Lord, and also have a clear grasp as to where they fit in, that is, understand the sequence of these end-time events. When you understand these things, you will realize that you may go through some short-lived tribulation brought on by the Antichrist, but you will not go through the eternal wrath brought on by God. This is very good news, for “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ… we will live together with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

P.S. What I am talking about in this post relates to the sequence, the chronology of end-time events, something all good students and teachers of Bible prophecy need to understand. The best chapter that covers this subject is Matthew 24. I encourage you to read my article, entitled, Matthew 24 – The Most Important Prophecy Chapter in the Bible.

© Steven J. Hogan and ChristsKingdom.org, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven J. Hogan and ChristsKingdom.org with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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