“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 KJV
"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NKJV
The question I hear most often now, and one that is repeated among non believers as well as those who believe, is just what in the world is going on? My reply is simply that Jesus not only told us to watch, but also told us we would see signs of His imminent return for the Church and the approach of the time of Jacobs trouble. A fact that many miss is that much needs to happen in this world to prepare for the seventieth week of Daniel and the events which will take place during those seven years. What we see happening in the world today is simply the preparation for that time which will shortly take place.
Most believers who are familiar with what the Bible teaches about the tribulation period which is soon to come upon this earth, will recognize the passage above from Thessalonians as referring to the coming world leader, most often called the antichrist. Yet many miss the one word which helps to explain exactly what we are seeing in the world today, and the reason for the discontent, fear, and increasing resistance to authority which seems to be evolving into an almost daily occurrence. The word I am referring to is found in verse 9, and it is the word “after”. It is the Greek word “kata” which, while translated by the King James as “after”, also means “throughout” or “all along”. In other words, the coming antichrist appears “after the working of Satan” which has been going on all along.
You see, we as believers are told, and most are willing to accept, that the individual behind the evil we are seeing today is none other than Satan. Of course, some might well ask the question why all of a sudden it appears to be increasing to the extent we are seeing, with signs of only getting worse and not better. Personally, I see a parallel between what Satan is doing, and what a conductor of a symphony does as he conducts an orchestra. I have had the opportunity to watch performances by some of the world’s great conductors and it is always amazing to me to watch the intensity build as the conductor slowly leads the orchestra to where he wants them to go, the grand finale.
"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." 2 Thessalonians 2:7 NKJV
Did you notice Paul’s comment, “already at work”? Of course, Satan has been working against our Father since the Garden of Eden, but in the context of the preparation for the appearing of his minion the antichrist, Satan is now creating the conditions which will allow the antichrist to take power as easily as he will. It seems a simple premise, but many miss the fact that in order for one man to become the world’s “Mr. Fixit”, the world has to be broken. What we are seeing now with such an increase in events is Satan leading the world to the finale which will usher in the reign of his chosen one.
How much will we as a Church witness and/or experience before the rapture is an open question but I would submit that we are certainly witnessing things right now that we probably never thought we would see. The upheaval in society, our nation, the economy, the government, as well as natural disasters are all signs that we are approaching that time of which the Bible speaks so much of, and as Jesus said, when you see these things begin to happen, look up.
Watching Satan do his evil work all around us can be upsetting and uncomfortable, yet we as believers understand that God has promised to give us the strength we need to endure until He comes. While the world yearns and hopes for a return to "normal", I would suggest that things are only going to get worse. Paul refers to the rapture of the Church as "our blessed hope", (Titus 2:13), and as this world continues its descent into darkness we can rest in the assurance that we will be delivered. Of course, while the deliverance from the evil of this world is available to all, it’s guaranteed only to those who choose to accept it by believing on the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you are reading this today and have never made that decision, you can do it right now wherever you might be by simply praying a prayer like this;
Jesus I know that I am a sinner, and have sinned against you. I believe you loved me enough to send your Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead so that I can live. Forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me to live for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
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