Don't Be Fooled By What They Say.

2 Thes. 2:1-4 (NLT)
And now, brothers and sisters, let us tell you about the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered together to meet him. Please don't be so easily shaken and troubled by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Even if they claim to have had a vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us, don't believe them. 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. He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.





In the Bible, the day of the Lord is used in two ways: it can mean the end times (beginning with Christ’s birth and continuing until today), and it can mean the final judgment day (in the future). Because some false teachers were saying that judgment day had come, many believers were waiting expectantly for their vindication and for relief from suffering. But judgment day had not yet come; other events would have to happen first.

Throughout history there have been individuals who epitomized evil and who were hostile to everything Christ stands for (see 1 John 2:18; John 4:3; 2 John 1:7). These antichrists have lived in every generation and will continue to work their evil. Then just before Christ’s second coming, “the man of lawlessness. . . the man doomed to destruction,” a completely evil man, will arise. He will be Satan’s tool, equipped with Satan’s power (2 Thes. 2:9). This lawless man will be the antichrist.
It is dangerous, however, to label any person as the antichrist and to try to predict Christ’s coming based on that assumption. Paul mentions the antichrist, not so we might identify him specifically, but so we might be ready for anything that threatens our faith. If our faith is strong, we don’t need to be afraid of what lies ahead, because we know that this lawless man has already been defeated by God, no matter how powerful he becomes or how terrible our situation seems. God is in control, and he will be victorious over the antichrist. Our task is to be prepared for Christ’s return and to spread the gospel so that even more people will also be prepared.