Do Not Be Deceived By Any Means

Just to be clear here. My comments are mostly in all Caps. Sorry, could not find a better way to separate what I say from what the word of God says. My words should not be necessary, but unfortunately there are a huge number of poor teachers that somehow get great numbers of Christians to believe other than what Paul plainly teaches here…

2 Thessalonians 2 NIV

1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,

THIS IS ABOUT JESUS’ COMING AND TAKING HIS CHURCH – COMMONLY CALLED THE RAPTURE

2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.

DON’T BELIEVE ANYONE TEACHING THAT THE DAY ALREADY HAPPENED

3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

DON’T BE FOOLED – THAT DAY (The Rapture) WILL NOT COME UNTIL FIRST – FIRST - Paul says plainly here that we don’t get out of this world until "the rebellion" (which cannot be the church being “taken away” since we don’t get out of here until "the rebellion" happens FIRST) occurs AND the man of sin or lawlessness is reviled. – DON’T BE DECEIVED, FOOLED, OR MADE STUPID

4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

THIS IS WHEN HE IS REVEALED. IT WILL BE KIND OF OBVIOUS, DON’T YOU THINK?

5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?

6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.

7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT “THE ONE HOLDING HIM BACK”. WE DON’T GET OUT OF HERE UNTIL THE LAWLESS ONE IS REVEALED. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO LEAVE UNTIL HE IS REVEALED. PAUL JUST SAID THIS!!!

“THE ONE HOLDING HIM BACK” IS TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE THE LAWLESS ONE IS REVEALED – HE IS PREVENTING IT. BUT AGAIN, SINCE WE DON’T LEAVE UNTIL “THE REVEALING” HAPPENS, WE DO NOT GO WITH THE “ONE HOLDING HIM BACK”. SINCE THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT GOING TO LEAVE US, “THE ONE HOLDING HIM BACK” IS NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT.

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,

10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

SINCE NONE OF THIS HAS HAPPENED YET, CLEARLY THE RAPTURE IS NOT HAPPENING TODAY, OR TOMORROW, OR THE NEXT DAY…UNLESS THE REBELLION AND THE MAN OF SIN IS REVEALED…FIRST

THIS IS WHAT THE WORD OF GOD TEACHES. LET NO MAN, that means NO, MAN, DECEIVE YOU.

Any questions?