While You Were Gone
What in the World is Going on? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsA look at what is happening on earth in the church's absence.
Notes
Transcript
Back in July I started a series entitled “What in the world is going on?” I had sketched out about 10 or 12 messages to preach on current and future events. Today marks my 27th sermon in this series.
We have for the past several weeks been looking at the scene unfolding in heaven. We have seen recently that Jesus has taken from God the Father the seven sealed scroll an is about to open the firsts seal which will begin the tribulation period. I have been studying Revelation 6 for quite a while now, but I did not have peace with preaching it today. Instead another question occured to me. Chapters 4-5 deal with the church in heaven, but I asked, “What has been going on on earth?”
This thought, how will the rapture of the church impact earth led me to 2 Thessalonians 2, and our message this morning will in that passage and I believe it will help explain what has been going on, while you were gone. Read with me beginning in verse 1...
Everything will change when the church is gone.
When that happens, where will you be?
Notice these changes that will take place. While we are with Jesus in heaven, on the earth...
Millions Will be Missing v. 1-2
Millions Will be Missing v. 1-2
Imagine you go home today. You eat lunch with family and friends, the evening comes you settle down for bed, you get a good night’s rest and wake up with your alarm. You go to your kitchen and get the coffee started. While that heavenly brew is brewing, you turn on the TV and every channel is the same thing: Hundreds of planes have crashed, fallen from the skies. There are countless pile ups on the interstates and highways as people seemingly lost control of their vehicles and began crashing. Trains have collided, and hospitals and first responders are overwhelmed because of the mass casualty event. Thousands are dead or dying, and worst of all, millions of people, all over the globe, are missing. Gone. No trace.
Eye witnesses report shopping with a friend, they turn to look at a sales rack, and when they turn back, their friend is gone. No sign of struggle. Just gone. Reports just like this one are coming in from all over the world. More questions than answers, but the most important question of that day will be....what happened? Here is the answer: The church, the Bride of Christ, has been raptured out ahead of everything else that is about to take place.
After the rapture, there will be...
Total Economic Collapse.
Since 1973 over 60 million babies have been killed by abortion
While you and I view that as a tragedy, the proponents of abortion view it as a triumph!
They claim that those are 60 million less mouths to feed in this every shrinking world.
Those are 60 million less children to grow up in poverty around the world.
This crowd that thinks humans are the problem are about to have a serious wake up call!
In the absence of the church the economic system of the world will crumble.
The sudden disappearance of the work force will lead to labor shortages, lack of skilled workers like this world has never seen!
You say, “That won’t happen. The disappearance of Christians won’t make a difference in the workforce.”
Really? I have just three words for you then: “COVID-19 lock downs.”
Today we have more jobs than people willing to work them!
When the church is raptured out, and panic ensues, businesses will shut down, banks will close, wall street will collapse, depression will follow, and our economy will collapse! But, not only that, there will be...
Global Civil Unrest.
While the church is in heaven receiving here rewards, hell will break loose on earth.
Jesus said, “Nation shall rise against nation...”
There will be wars like never before.
Not only will there be national military action taking place, but there will be local unrest as well.
George Floyd’s death was a tragedy that never should have occured.
The riots and demonstrations that followed were equally tragic and should have been stopped.
None of that will compare with what will happen following the rapture of the church!
There will be civil unrest EVERYWHERE!
Not even Ramseur will be exempt.
Carlie C’s will ransacked
Silver Dollar will be robbed of as many weapons as possible
Cox Home Center will be looted as people seek building materials to fortify their home.
Gas stations will burn, restaurants cleaned out of food
Death and destruction everywhere.
There will be so many questions and so little answers that the world will seem upside down. There will be so much fighting, death, and destruction that the world will be desperate for it to end. So desperate that they will latch onto anyone who can restore any semblance of peace and order. Anyone. It is in the aftermath of the rapture that millions will be missing, and, next, the...
Man of Sin Will be Manifested v. 3-9
Man of Sin Will be Manifested v. 3-9
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 opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Falling away = apostasy. The word means defection. Once the church is gone from the earth there will be at total departure from God. There will be many alive on earth after the rapture that claim to be Christian, to believe in God, to follow His teachings, but they only know about Him and have no relationship with Him. Once the true church is removed, then those false professors will turn totally away from God. The remaining “church” is a false church and will be dealt with in Revelation 17.
My friends, it is not that they simply turn away from God that condemns them as it is that they turn to the Wicked one. Here is a simply truth for you: Whenever you reject the truth your only choice is to believe a lie.
The final apostasy will not happen until the church is raptured out, and when that happens two notable events will take place:
The Rise of Antichrist
We are unsure of the chronology
By this I mean that the Bible is silent on exactly how long it will take for the “man of sin” to be revealed
It could be moments
It could be months
It could be years
What we know for sure is that he will not reveal himself until AFTER the church is raptured
2 Thess. 2:1-2 “1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”
The Thessalonians were under the false impression that they had missed the rapture and were now going through the tribulation period.
Paul is writing to inform them this is not the case, there had not yet been a “falling away” and the “man of sin” had not revealed himself yet.
Paul informs them that none of these events will take place until AFTER the church’s rapture.
While we cannot be certain of the chronology...
We are certain of his character - the Bible calls him...
The man of sin, Son of perdition
Perdition = waste.
Judas, when he saw Mary break an alabaster box of ointment and anoint the feet of Jesus, said, “What a waste”
Funny how Jesus did’t view it as a waste!
Judas would later be filled with the the “spirit” of perdition, the only person in Scripture we are told to be possessed by Satan himself.
In 2 Thess. Paul says the man of sin is the son of perdition
He comes promising peace, but he brings death, destruction, and waste with him.
Willful king
Daniel 11:3 “3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.”
Notice the difference between this false king and the True King Jesus, John 5:30 “30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
The man of sin’s character is to act on his own will - he will do it his way, have his way, and no one will stand in his way.
One final title that referring to his character (there are nearly 30 titles - don’t have time to look at them all.)
The Antichrist
Only John calls this man by this particular title, but it fits.
The prefix “anti” means to be opposed to or to be in place of.
John warns us in 1 John 4:3 that the “spirit of Antichrist is already in the world...”
Paul says something similar in 2 Thess. 2:7 “7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”
The spirit of antichrist is already alive and well in our world and has been for years
It is the spirit of doubt and denial, the spirit that hates all things related to God, His Word, and His people.
Do not confuse this spirit of antichrist with the person of antichrist who will one day come!
What then is keeping him from rising to power? To answer that question we must look at the second notable event following the rapture...
The Removal of the Holy Spirit
Church if it was not for the restraining power of the Holy Spirit of God there is nothing that could stop the antichrist from coming to power today!
2 Thess. 2:6-7 “6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”
Notice in verse seven, the words “letteh” and “let”
What a great tragedy in the English language
The meaning of the word “let” has changed greatly since 1611
In our day the word “let” means to allow
In 1611 when the Authorized version of Scripture was translated it meant “to stop”
In fact, it is the exact same word translated as “witholdeth” in verse 6
Let me say a word about the “removal of the Holy Spirit”
First, it is impossible for the Spirit of God to be removed from the earth
He is as much God as the Father and the Son
This means if they are omnipresent, then so is the Spirit!
Therefore it is impossible for Him to be removed from the world.
Second, what is referred to here is the “restraining” power or ministry of the Spirit
Why doesn’t Satan just take over now?
Becasue the Spirit of God is “withholding” = to hold down
Lastly, when will this restraining ministry be removed?
When the church is raptured from the earth!
Do you want to hear something amazing?
The moment you trust Jesus as your Savior, not only are your sins forgiven, not only are you given a new home, but your are given a new Spiritual nature, and the Holy Spirit resides within you, forever!
For this reason we KNOW a Christian cannot lose their salvation - if you could then the Holy Spirit would have to go to hell with you.
For this reason we know that the rapture must take place before the tribulation can begin, because the antichrist cannot be revealed until the restraining power of the Spirit is removed, and this will happen when the church is raptured to heaven!
Listen to me, there is coming a day when the antichrist will walk on this earth, but it will not happen until the church is ruptured out of here! If you are saved you will be in heaven while these terrible events are transpiring here on earth! Millions will be missing, the man of sin will be manifested, but the worst part of it all is that the...
Masses Will be Mystified v. 10-12
Masses Will be Mystified v. 10-12
Here in these closing verses is the greatest tragedy of all history: For the last 2000 years the gospel has been preached. Billions of people have heard the truth of the love of God, how that God, in His great love for humanity, in spite of their sin, sent His Son Jesus to die for them. See the Bible tells us the “wages of sin is death” that is what we deserve, eternal separation from God. But nevertheless, God has said that whosoever will believe the truth that Jesus died in their place and call on Him for forgiveness, I will save them!
Church, this offer is only good until the rapture takes place. These verses plainly teach that once that event occurs, everyone who has heard the gospel in this current age and rejected it, will not be allowed to be saved. You say, “That’s not fair! God should give them a chance to be saved.” Really? He gave them 2000 years to do so, seven more years won’t make a difference. They have made up their mind, they have rejected the gospel, they will be damned for eternity in hell.
Conclusion:
This is serious business we’re dealing with. The rapture could happen at any time, and I believe it is sooner than we think. I will close with the same question I opened with, If the rapture happened this afternoon, where would you be?
I’ll answer that for you. If you are saved you would be in heaven. If you are not save, you would be left behind to endure the awful tribulation period, and after that, hell for all eternity.
Let’s bow our heads together as the musicians come.
How many of you would say with certainty if the rapture happened right now, you know that you are saved and you know you would be in heaven, would you raise your hand?
Not everyone could raise their hand and I want to thank you for your honesty. I also want you to know that right here, right now you can know your sins are forgiven and you have a home in heaven. You say, “How can I know that?” Simple: Admit to God what He already knows, that you are a sinner and you do not deserve to go to heaven, you cannot save yourself. Believe what God says is true, that Jesus died for you, took your place, and all you must do to be saved is call on Him. Is there one today that would say, that’s me. I’m a sinner in need of forgiveness, and right now I am calling on Jesus to forgive me and save me. I fully believe that He died for me and I am asking Him to save me. If that’s you will you raise your hand?