2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 NLT
Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet Him. [2] Don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the Day of the Lord has already begun. Don't believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. [3] Don't be fooled by what they say. For that Day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed-the one who brings destruction. [4] He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. [5] Don't you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? [6] And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. [7] For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the One who is holding it back steps out of the way. [8] Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and destroy him by the splendour of His Coming. [9] This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. [10] He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the Truth that would save them. [11] So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. [12] Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the Truth.
Can you imagine that evil is being restrained right now? Yes, even with the traumatic happenings, vicious killings, abuse and destruction that is increasingly demonstrated on our streets - it has the Divine "brakes" holding it back from taking full control!
We are still in the era of God's Grace, where the Arms of Salvation are extended to us and the Holy Spirit is hard at work revealing Jesus to hearts and minds.
So if you feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I beg you, don't harden your heart and turn away. For soon the Day of Grace will be over, the Restrainer will be withdrawn and all Hell will be let loose.
If it seems bad now, it's nothing to what is about to be unleashed by the evil one.
True believers in Jesus are the salt and light that is disinfecting the world.... because we are carriers of the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
When we are gone, what then?
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died. [16] For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. [17] Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. [18] So encourage each other with these words.
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