2 Thessalonians 2: 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 [a]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 [b]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 [c]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 [d]mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only [e]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.
13 But we are [f]bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through [g]sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our [h]epistle.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and [i]establish you in every good word and work.
Well, this morning we pick up where we left off last time; Deception in the Church.
And here I don’t mean just simple lying. The deception in the church that I am referring to is false doctrine. And one of the deceptive doctrines that has been successfully used in the past to launch cults has been deceptions about the end times. Deception about the end times has torn people and churches apart, destroyed leadership and split congregations and launched cults.
From Wikipedia
In 1870, Charles Taze Russell and others formed a group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to study the Bible. In 1876, Russell met Nelson H. Barbour; later that year they jointly produced the book Three Worlds, which combined restitutionist views with end time prophecy. The book taught that God's dealings with humanity were divided dispensationally, each ending with a "harvest," that Christ had returned as an invisible spirit being in 1874[31] inaugurating the "harvest of the Gospel age", and that 1914 would mark the end of a 2520-year period called "the Gentile Times",[32] at which time world society would be replaced by the full establishment of God's kingdom on earth. William Miller (February 15, 1782 – December 20, 1849) was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-19th-century North American religious movement known as Millerism. After his proclamation of the Second Coming did not occur as expected in the 1840s, new heirs of his message emerged, including the Advent Christians (1860), the Seventh-day Adventists (1863) and other Adventist movements.
In 1857, Joseph Morris, an English convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reported receiving revelations naming him the Seventh Angel from the Book of Revelation. He wrote Brigham Young, seeking recognition of his calling from the church. Young did not respond to Morris' request or any of his subsequent letters through 1860.[1][2]: 81
In 1860, Morris began to collect followers to a group that became known as the Morrisites. In February 1861
Morris told his followers that the Second Coming was imminent and not to bother with planting crops. They may have trampled some of their crops into the ground as evidence of their faith.[3] The group pooled available supplies and waited at Kingston Fort. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catholic Apostolic Church- This church, founded in 1831, claimed that Jesus would return by the time the last of its 12 founding members died. The last member died in 1901.
Herbert W. Armstrong-- Armstrong, Pastor-General and self-proclaimed "Apostle" of the Radio Church of God, and then the Worldwide Church of God, felt the return of Jesus Christ might be in 1975. Of particular note was the book 1975 in Prophecy! written by Armstrong and published by the Radio Church of God in 1956. Though, never explicitly stating a date in the booklet, the title led people to believe the date was the second coming. It was actively preached in sermons in the 1960s by all of his ministers that his church would "flee" to Petra, Jordan in 1972 and Christ would return 3+1⁄2 years later.
After the failure to flee in 1972 (and a defection of his ministry) Armstrong was careful not to set specific dates but claimed that Christ would return before he died. He died 16 January 1986.
Armstrong had previously predicted in a 1934 edition of The Plain Truth magazine that Christ would return in 1936. After that prediction failed, he stated in a 1940 edition of The Plain Truth that "Christ will come after 3 1/2 years of tribulation in October 43. After those failed predictions and loss of members he moved his operation from Oregon to Pasadena, California.
Break down the passage to accomplish two goals; number 1, to understand the end times events that Paul describes, and number 2, to understand how Paul deals with the deception in the church of Thessalonica.
There was a deception circulating.
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 [a]Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means;
What was the deception?
That the “Day of Christ,” or the “Day of the Lord,” had already come. Now we spent some time last week talking about why some translations say “Day of Christ,” and some say “Day of the Lord.”
So, let’s make this simple. Part of those copies of 2 Thessalonians use the Greek words for, “Day of Christ,” part of them use the Greek words for “Day of the Lord.” The scholars who translated the King James Version in 1611 looked at all the available manuscripts of the time and made a decision that “Day of Christ” was closest to the original. The other, later translations, like the Holman Christian Standard looked at all the manuscripts available to them, and decided that “Day of the Lord” was most likely closest to the original.
And then some translations wanted to make sure that they were totally up front with the reader, and put notes in their Bibles, letting the reader know that there is manuscript evidence for a different word.
So, our question for today is, “what difference does it make?” It does make a little difference in the meaning of the passage. Again, there’s nothing here that will rock your faith. So, let’s look at what “the Day of Christ” is, and what the “Day of the Lord” is.
The “Day of Christ” is a phrase used, the phrase is only used in the New Testament, specifically in the KJV four times. And five more times the author says “that day” or “day of the Lord Jesus” where we can surmise that he is talking about “the day of Christ.” So, nine times it is used. And we can gather from the context that the day of Christ is the time of Jesus second coming when He resurrects the bodies of the dead saints, and raptures the living saints to meet Him in the air.
the day of [a]Christ had come.
So, how does that effect the meaning? If the original letter from Paul said that someone was lying to the Thessalonian believers saying that the “Day of Christ” had come, generically, we would understand that to mean that someone was saying that Jesus had come back, and the Thessalonian Christians had missed it.
So, what if the phrase should be “Day of the Lord?”
the Day of the Lord[a] has come.
The phrase “Day of the Lord” is used in both the Old and New Testament. It occurs 31 times in the King James Version. Sometimes the phrase was used to describe some judgment that happened in the past. But it is a general term for a coming future time of judgment for the unrighteous and reward for the righteous. We would call it “the end times,” “the apocalypse,” “the Tribulation,” “the Great Tribulation.” But it includes all of the end time events including the last 7 years of judgment, the return of Christ, the resurrection of the just, the rapture, the Battle of Armageddon, and even the Millennium and final Great White Throne judgment.
In short, the Day of the Lord is when God steps into history with judgment and final reward.
So, in regard to the meaning of the passage, if “Day of the Lord” was the original text, it would mean that someone was telling the Thessalonian believers that all of the end times events had begun. That they were in it. So, they were about to start experiencing the world under God’s judgment for 7 years.
The difference comes down to what the Thessalonians were getting upset about. Somebody was either telling them that Jesus return was at hand, or had already occurred, and they missed it, or they were saying that the apocalypse has started. And it was upsetting the people of the church.
Now, either message would be upsetting, if they believed it. So, you say, “preacher, which one is more likely the original?” I don’t know, and I’m not going to pretend to be more knowledgeable than the translators of the King James Version who said that it should be “Day of Christ,” or the other English translations that say, “Day of the Lord.”
I will say this. I have a hard time thinking that the translation should be “Day of Christ.” And it’s not an opinion about the Greek manuscript. It’s an opinion from logic. I can’t logically see how the Thessalonians would be upset by someone saying that Jesus had already returned, and raptured the living believers. More specifically, that someone was presenting a letter to them, supposedly from Paul, saying that the rapture had already come. And therefore, they missed it.
I’m not saying that someone couldn’t have said that, I just have a hard time believing it would have upset the believers in Thessalonica.
Why do I have a hard time believing that? Let’s put it this way, let’s say that Billy Graham was still alive. And I came to you this morning, and from the pulpit I told you that I had a personal letter from Billy Graham that was a shocker. I read the letter to you, and in it Billy says that Jesus returned last Tuesday, and we all missed it. Would that upset you?
Well, after the initial shock, instead of being upset, you would look at me like I’m crazy. Why? Because there’s some logical problems here. First, if the rapture already happened, how is it that all of us missed it? Nobody in our whole church was worthy enough? Second, how come the preacher, who is telling us this is still here? Third, why haven’t we heard of anyone, anywhere disappearing? Fourth, if Billy Graham wrote this letter saying the rapture had come, he must have missed it to. So, who did Jesus actually take?
If someone had presented a letter to the church in Thessalonica, saying it was from Paul, saying that the “Day of Christ,” the rapture had already come, they wouldn’t believe them, because they would see no evidence, nobody missing, and even Paul, who wrote the letter, must have missed it.
So, I think that what they were upset about was that someone was saying that the end times events had begun. “The Day of the Lord” Remember, Paul taught them about the “Day of the Lord” in his first letter.
1 Thessalonians 5:
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
The main point of the passage is that someone was teaching a lie in that church, and it was causing upheaval, worry, and turmoil.
And Paul says,
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,…. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means;
So, that is the deception that Paul was addressing. And so now, what we are going to do is to walk through Paul’s teaching about the end times, and I am going to pay particular attention to how he deals with deception in that church.
What is/are the Church/Christians to do with deception? 5 things
Don’t let it happen, Refer to the Word, Affirm your identity, Encourage strength, Pray for each other
A. Don’t let it happen, confront it, address it
Verse 3: 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 [b]sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
Don’t let it happen. Well, how do I not let it happen? You’ve got to confront the lie, and the liar. First, go back and make sure you know the truth. Then stand for the truth.
We need this message today----tolerance for lies
Let’s break that down.
3 Let no one deceive you
I don’t care who or what the supposed source of this information is; Don’t be deceived.
2 not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord[a] has come.
It appears that someone was making the claim that the “Day” had come, and they were basing that claim on some high authority. “A spirit” revealed it to me. I have a letter from Paul, Timothy, and Silas. So, Paul is saying, don’t be deceived into believing a lie, regardless of the source. He said something similar in his letter to the Galatians.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Let no one deceive you, by any means
by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of [b]sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
Now here is where the difference between “Day of the Lord” and “Day of Christ” become important. He is saying that that Day will not come until what? The falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.
What is “the falling away?” The apostasy: the revolt, or the rebellion
What does apostasy mean? It is when an individual deliberately abandons the faith.
1 Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
Hebrews 10: 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
2 Timothy 3: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Matthew 24 that our Lord says, "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many and because lawlessness has increased most people's love will grow cold and only those who endure to the end are going to be saved."
2 Peter 3:3 3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
But this is “the” apostasy. This isn’t just your run of the mill falling away that has happened in history, and continues to happen even in the present. There will come a day when there will be an apostasy, a falling away, of a greater magnitude than there ever has been. There will be a worldwide, massive, falling away from the Christian faith. It will leave only a small remnant of believers in the world. And they will be rejected, scorned, and persecuted.
So, Paul is saying to these believers, we are not in the end yet, because that great falling away hasn’t happened yet.
So, that’s great, but how do we know when “the great apostasy” is great enough to be called “the great apostasy? I mean, people fall away from the faith all the time. And there have been times of persecution in history, where very large numbers of professing Christians have walked away from the faith, because they considered the cost to high; they didn’t want to lose their lives.
So, how will we know if it is the great apostasy?
Well, Paul tells us that there will another sign that comes along with the great apostasy.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
He is saying that the end can’t be here yet, because two definite signs are going to happen in the end; the antichrist will be revealed, and there will be a great falling away from the faith.
Now, I want to draw your attention to something. Most of you know that I believe the rapture will be after the Tribulation. That Jesus will gather the living and dead saints to meet Him in the air, at the end of the 7-year Tribulation, just before He sets foot on earth and sets up His Millennial kingdom. I bring that up because I believe these verses support that interpretation of Scripture.
How do they support that view? Well, we know that Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers in his first letter, about the return of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4: 13 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.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 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.
16 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:
17 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.
Now, many teach that this rapture he is describing will happen before the Tribulation; before God’s judgment starts against the world. But, if Paul had taught them that they would be raptured before the end times starts, then why doesn’t he reassure them here with those words?
Let me break it down like I’ve heard people say it in churches I’ve been in. Here’s how the conversation usually goes;
“Man, there are some awful things happening in the world. Do you think we’ve entered the Tribulation?” And then someone will reply,
“No, man, we can’t be in the Tribulation, because we’re still here. Christians will be raptured before the Tribulation.”
But did you notice, that when the Thessalonian believers were worried that the end times had started, or maybe they were worried that they missed the rapture, Paul didn’t reassure them by saying, “No man, you haven’t missed the rapture, the end times hasn’t started, because you and I are still here.
Paul doesn’t say that. Instead he says, “the end times hasn’t begun because the great apostasy and the antichrist haven’t come.”
So, let’s look for a moment at “the man of sin” “the son of perdition.” “that Wicked one”
He is called “antichrist” in
1 John 2:18
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
This is one man. There have been many who were antichrist, but this guy is the culmination, the apex of them all.
John MacArthur
“The one who comes in final form will be far worse than any other, worse than the worst of men, worse than the abominators; worse than Antiochus Epiphanes, who slaughtered a pig in the Holy of Holies in the temple, his way of blaspheming God; worse than Adolph Hitler who mocked God, blasphemed God, operated with mediums and demons, spoke in a voice not even his own and attempted to rub out the Jews; worse than any combination of Antiochus and Hitler will be this final Antichrist. He makes Saddam Hussein pale in comparison.”
Now, there’s something interesting here in 1st John. He says, ye have heard that antichrist shall come. Now let’s remember something that Paul said to the Thessalonians.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
Knowledge of the coming antichrist was common in the church. Paul had already taught them the Thessalonian believers about him. You say, “where?” There are no specifics about the antichrist in Paul’s first letter to them. We have to remember that Paul was teaching them for 3 weeks before he was forced out of town. So that means that he had to have opened up Old Testament, and talked about the prophecies about the antichrist.
For example,
Daniel 7:7-8
After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.
Daniel 11:36-45
“Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures.
Now that gets me to my second point about dealing with deception in the Church. The first point was that you have to confront it. You don’t ignore it. Confront it. But the second point is that you deal with it by consulting the Word of God.
B. Deal with deception with the Word of God.
Paul says to these believers, “Somebody has been telling you that the Day of the Lord has come. That can’t be because the apostasy and the man of sin haven’t come. And remember that I told you about that before when I was with you for three weeks. Remember we were studying the Old Testament Scriptures about the end times and the antichrist?”
Think about that. Paul, Silas, Timothy and these believers were serious Bible students. Paul had only been with them for 3 weeks, they had just become Christians, and he’s already teaching them about the end times and the antichrist.
In our churches in America today the end times and the antichrist are on the short list of topics that are avoided. We want to teach about love, forgiveness, and blessedness. Not judgment and the coming condemnation. But Paul took these brand-new Christians into the Scriptures about the end times.
And that is what we are to do with deception in the church. Open our Bibles. We’re not searching for “my truth” or “your truth” but “The Truth” capital T, capital T.
So, let’s look at what Paul said about the antichrist and another person; the restrainer.
Verse 3-5: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be 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 [c]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 [d]mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only [e]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,
a. His name; titles (vss 3)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Man of sin (iniquity)
His chief characteristic is sin or iniquity. He will be known for his sin, his violation of God’s laws.
Son of perdition (destruction, waste, ruin)
This title is used only one other time of Judas.
John 17:12 ...'While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.'
Perdition means destruction. And it indicates here that this individual is doomed to destruction.
His name,
b. His deeds; What he does (vss 4, 9)
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits [c]as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
“who opposes” he comes into his position of power by opposing, fighting off and arguing against established laws and norms, he wants to cast off all the former restraints associated with God.
He “exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped.” The word here for exalts should be translated “super exalts” himself. In other words, he is going to demand and take the highest of the high positions of authority in the world, both politically and religiously. He is not only going to be the top world ruler, but he will exalts himself above anything that is called “God.” He will demand worship above any false god, and the true God.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
And he will accomplish this feat of self-elevation by two means; the working of Satan and power, signs, and lying wonders.
Just as Satan indwelt the first son of perdition, Judas, he will indwell the antichrist. And so he will have all the deceptive powers of Satan at his disposal, and because Satan is the power behind all people who are not Christian, Satan will convince the world to bow to the antichrist’s authority.
But he will also empower the antichrist to cause signs and lying wonders to be performed.
The book of Revelation describes things that the false prophet will do under the authority of the antichrist.
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, that had the wound by a sword, and did live. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
Rev. 13:13-15
Some have postulated that part of the wonders that the antichrist performs will be in finally bringing “peace” to the world.
The statement that Daniel makes concerning the Antichrist saying that “by peace he shall destroy many” could have a startling fulfillment if this were the case.
He will bring together the world’s economic and political systems under one umbrella, accomplishing what no man has accomplished since all people worked together to build the tower of Babel.
The wonders he performs may also be his coalescing the computer, Artificial intelligence, and space technologies to create a totally centrally regulated cashless worldwide money system.
All this together will impel the world to marvel about this man and eventually worship him as god.
His name, his deeds, his time
c. His time; When he is revealed (vs 6-8)
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the [d]mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only [e]He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed,
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
This is a reassuring verse. The Thessalonian Christians were upset because someone had convinced them that they were entering the Tribulation time. But Paul says, we’re not there yet because the antichrist hasn’t been revealed. The idea of this antichrist is a fearful one, and it would have been especially so for people of the 1st century living under the Roman empire. They already understood how the change of rulers can be the difference between life and death. One Roman ruler is tolerant, or apathetic toward Christians, the next one wants to kill them all.
So, when Paul says that “the antichrist” is coming who will be worse in his hatred of God and God’s people, than anyone before him, that could make them quite fearful.
But Paul assures them of something here. There is someone restraining the coming of the final antichrist. In this verse it is in the neuter gender; “it restrains.” Later it is in the masculine; “he who restrains.”
Now, there have been various interpretations of who the “restrainer” is. But I think the best, and probably the most common interpretation is that the restrainer is God Himself; more specifically, the Holy Spirit. In other words, the antichrist will only be allowed to proceed with this final anti-god agenda, when God, by His Spirit, quits holding back the dam. And that’s reassuring, because it means that God is in control of all of this stuff.
The Thessalonian believers were upset that these events overtook them unawares. Paul tells them, no, it’s not here yet, and it won’t come until God lets it come.
His name, his deeds, his time, his destiny
d. His destiny; What is his destiny (vs 8)
whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
Revelation 19: 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns[e] were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. 13 He wore a robe stained with blood,[f] and His name is the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp[g] sword came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it. He will shepherd[h] them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:
KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS.
19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army. 20 But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed the signs in his presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
C. Deals with deception by Affirming who they are
Verses 10-14: 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. 13 But we are [f]bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through [g]sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
D. Deals with deception by Encouraging strength
Verse 15: 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our [h]epistle.
E. Pray for them Verse 16-17: 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and [i]establish you in every good word and work.