Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19990124.htm

II THESSALONIANS: EDIFYING NEW CONVERTS WITH CORRECT ESCHATOLOGY
Part II: Correcting The Misconception That Christians Will Experience The Tribulation Period
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. All views of end time events aside from the Pretribulation Rapture position teach that somehow or in some way, some or all of us Christians will experience some or all of the Great Tribulation's events. Whether we speak of the Amillennial Position, the Posttribulation Rapture Position, the Partial Rapture Position or the Midtribulation Rapture Position (otherwise known as the Pre-wrath Rapture view), they all assert the Church will be in at least part o f that Great Tribulation.
    2. When the Thessalonians adopted the belief that they were in the Great Tribulation Period, it led to people living irresponsible lives, or to fear that stymied effective Christian service, 2 Thess. 3:10-11; 2:17 implied.
    3. Paul thus wrote to correct their beliefs, showing the Church will be raptured to avoid the Tribulation in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17. We survey that passage to come to a sure conclusion on the time of the Rapture:
  2. Correcting The Misconception That Christians Will Experience The Tribulation Period, 2 Th. 2:1-17.
    1. After writing 1 Thessalonians, Paul heard that some of the Thessalonian believers concluded the Day of the Lord, the whole Old Testament end times from the Tribulation to the end of the Millennial reign (cf. Bib. Know. Com., N.T., p. 705, 717) was in progress, 2 Thessalonians 2:2.
    2. This belief had created fear and led some to stop working in anticipation of Christ's return, 2 Th. 3:10-11; 2:17. Such a state of affairs had weakened the Church's ministry and testimony before the unsaved.
    3. Accordingly, Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 to correct this errant belief of the end times as follows:
      1. First, Paul urged these converts not to shaken or troubled that the day of Christ was at hand, 2:1a, 2.
      2. In doing so, he backed up the command by the coming of Christ as "our gathering together unto him", and obvious reference to the Rapture! Thus, what Paul was about to say in this section would show how knowing the details of the Rapture would comfort believers about the Tribulation!
      3. Just how knowing about the Rapture comforts Christians re: the Tribulation is described in vrs. 3-14:
        1. First, Paul described that the Tribulation Period's antichrist reign would not come except there come a worldwide "falling away" (apostasy) from the truths of Scripture, 2 Thess. 2:3a.
        2. Coupled with this apostasy would come the revealing of the Man of Sin to the world, 2 Thess. 2:3b.
        3. This one would be recognized by his opposing and exalting himself above all that is called God or is worshipped in setting himself up to be God in the temple, 2 Thess. 2:4-5 (Dan. 9:27; Mtt. 24:15).
        4. However, there is a Restrainer, whom we conclude is the Holy Spirit, who inhibits the appearing of the antichrist, and He restrains until He is taken out via the Rapture, 2 Thess. 2:6-7. Here is our reasoning: (a) Satan's forces would not restrain the antichrist (cf. Mtt. 12:25-26), and (b) the antichrist is empowered by Satan (2 Thess. 2:8-9), making only God capable and fit to restrain antichrist. (c) Since the Spirit's presence in Christians is the only divine entity that is "removed" at the rapture to match the Restrainer's "being taken out of the way" (2:7b), the Spirit in Christians restrains the appearing of the antichrist until the Rapture when the Spirit's sealing presence is removed! (B.K.C., N.T., p. 719) (d) We know from Dan. 9:27 that antichrist appears at the start of Daniel's 70th week, the start of the Tribulation! Thus the Rapture is Pretribulational!
        5. Paul said the reason God will let antichrist appear (at what then is the beginning of the Tribulation) will be to judge men who rejected Christ, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.
        6. Yet, since believers have accepted Christ, and are not guilty of such judgment, God has chosen them to be raptured, to receive Christ's heavenly glory in place of the Tribulation, 2 Thess. 2:13-14.
      4. Thus, Paul urged believers to stay active and comforted in hope of the Pretribulation Rapture, 2:15-17!
Lesson: The REASON GOD allows the Tribulation ever to occur is to let the world be deceived to trust in a FALSE Messiah since it rejected Christ! Well, the Christian is NOT guilty of such a rejection, so the Holy Spirit IN him RESTRAINS the antichrist's appearing until AFTER the RAPTURE occurs!

Application: As ONLY the PREtribulation Rapture view can fit Paul's teaching in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, we adopt it and reject all of the other end time views noted in the introduction notes above!