Sermon Tone Analysis

“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

Let no one deceive you in any way.

For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.

Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

[1]

Even a cursory review of events now unfolding in our world lead the most jaded to begin looking up in anticipation of the Master’s return.

Of this His child may be certain, His Return is nearer today than it was yesterday.

The Master did say quite plainly, “Concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven” [MARK 13:32].

Nevertheless, though we are unable to speak with certainty of the timing of His return, we remain confident that He shall come again to gather His people to Himself.

The Master spoke of His return to those who followed Him.

His servants, the Apostles, likewise wrote of His coming and the necessity for His people to be ready for His return.

We are poised on the cusp of a new year; news reports bring disturbing accounts of turmoil in our world.

As we read news headlines, the prophetic words of Zechariah seem stunningly current: “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples” [ZECHARIAH 12:2a].

The remainder of Zechariah’s prophecy must also be announced if we will be faithful to the Word.

The prophet continued by saying, “The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah.

On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples.

All who lift it will surely hurt themselves.

And all the nations of the earth will gather against it” [ZECHARIAH 12:2b, 3].

The words of the Master are certainly apropos for this time.

You will recall that He said, “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed.

This must take place, but the end is not yet.

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines.

These are but the beginning of the birth pains” [MARK 13:7, 8].

The Master cautioned those who would follow Him that when these things began, they must be on their guard [see MARK 13:9], for those who are called by His Name would be marked for abuse of every sort—because they are called by His Name.

I don’t know what this New Year will bring—no one knows.

No doubt “Evil people and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” [see 2 TIMOTHY 2:13].

Nevertheless, I am confident of this singular truth: Christ the Lord is coming again, and His coming may be momentary.

Jesus has promised to return for His people, and He has not rescinded that promise.

I live in anticipation of His coming for the people of God.

His return may be this year—perhaps today.

GOD’S TIMETABLE — No doubt it is an encouragement to remember that Christ has told us of what is yet to be.

During His final days in the flesh He invested a great deal of time informing disciples of future events.

Then, based upon what He had taught them He warned disciples, “Be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand” [MARK 13:23].

Knowing what is about to occur gives the child of God great comfort and enables that child to stand firm in this most holy Faith.

The next major event in God’s Timetable is the Rapture—the removal of God’s people from this world.

There are Christians who are fearful, believing that they will be called to go through the Great Tribulation.

However, I am of the persuasion that “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him” [1 THESSALONIANS 5:9, 10].

Knowing that we are destined for rapture and not for wrath is indeed great encouragement.

Thus, the Apostles says, “Encourage one another and build one another up” [1 THESSALONIANS 5:11].

Earlier, in that same letter to Thessalonian Christians, Paul had informed the believers of God’s plan.

He wrote, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” [1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-17].

Again, Paul used this teaching to build up the Thessalonians, and all who would follow in their train.

He wrote, “Encourage one another with these words” [1 THESSALONIANS 4:18].

God has pledged on His sacred honour to remove His people from this world before He pours out judgement.

We Christians should know that we have not been fitted to live on forever in the flesh; we are not destined to continue on this earth.

Here, our presence is resented and the One we serve is not loved.

The Master Himself warned those who would follow Him, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Whoever hates me hates my Father also.

If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause’” [JOHN 15:18-25].

At best, the denizens of this fallen world tolerate believers; however, our presence is not welcomed!

Paul described the life of conscientious believers, “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise.

We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything” [2 CORINTHIANS 6:4-10].

Indeed, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself” [PHILIPPIANS 1:20, 21].

With the Apostle, we say with confidence, “According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” [2 PETER 3:13].

So, God has appointed a day when Christ the Lord shall return to remove His holy people, and they will be gathered to Him.

Our text introduces the Rapture as preceding several events on God’s Timetable.

Immediately following the Rapture, the period that is identified as “The Great Tribulation” [see REVELATION 7:14] begins.

In the text for this day, that time is identified as “the Day of the Lord” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:2].

“The Day of the Lord” refers to a period of unprecedented judgements poured out successively on the earth.

That time is referenced by Isaiah, who warns:

“The LORD of hosts has a day

against all that is proud and lofty,

against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;

against all the cedars of Lebanon,

lofty and lifted up;

and against all the oaks of Bashan;

against all the lofty mountains,

and against all the uplifted hills;

against every high tower,

and against every fortified wall;

against all the ships of Tarshish,

and against all the beautiful craft.

And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,

and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,

and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

And the idols shall utterly pass away.

And people shall enter the caves of the rocks

and the holes of the ground,

from before the terror of the LORD,

and from the splendor of his majesty,

when he rises to terrify the earth.

“In that day mankind will cast away