Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, you. Ladies and gentlemen, elect ladies and gentlemen, let's pray. Let's pray. Today, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for this time together, we meet together. on the first day of the week, commemorating and celebrating new life, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who's present with us where two or three are gathered together in his name. Welcome, Lord Jesus. We worship you and praise you and love you because you loved us first and demonstrated that love, settled the issue of your love by dying on the cross. and you were vindicated in the Spirit by resurrection. And now we have the guarantee of our resurrection. Since we died with you, we will also live with you. Absolutely certain. Thank you for all these things. Today, as we continue to study the musterion, the mystery, we will look at the mystery of iniquity, which is very great, very subtle, very sinister and very subtle. Lord, open our eyes that we might behold and understand the times that we live in and also the wiles of the devil, for we're not ignorant of his devices. We thank you and praise you. Bless the Word of God, every aspect of our service in Jesus' name. Amen. Good morning, everybody. Revisiting the mystery, is our present series. I've entitled the message this morning, The Mystery of Iniquity from 2 Thessalonians 2.7. Sunday, May 25th, 2025. The message today is going to be educational. as well as edifying and mysterious, indeed mysterious. The Word of God is indeed mysterious, and the truth is stranger than the lie. You'll see what I mean today when you're talking about the wicked one and the mystery of iniquity. Second Thessalonians 2.1, we have all of our verses there. Red will be the primary passages, purple supporting passages. You don't have to look at all of them, but I put them there just to try this today to see if it would help, if it might help you. Plus I can send them to you so that you can read them over, look them over, memorize them all, because we're having a test next Sunday, no we're not. Second Thessalonians 2.1, from the New American Standard Version, says, now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him. Here Paul says, he's addressing them, with regard to our Epi Sunagoge. You know, it's not up there. You'll see it in a minute. Epi Sunagoge. Epi Sunagoge, where we get the word synagogue, It is upon synagogue, epi-synagogue, that is, our gathering together, which is the occasion upon which we shall be taken into heaven. Whether we're dead or alive, get glorified bodies, and those who are alive and remain will be caught up together with us in the clouds. Not with us, because I'm going in the rapture, so we'll be caught up together with them. To forever be with the Lord. And it is the day, referring to the day that He comes for us, because He's coming for us. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. That day's coming. So get ready. If you believe that, your life will show it. You'll know how to conduct yourself. You will. 1 Timothy 2.15. Know how to conduct yourself. 3.15. In the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth, you'll think it's important to go to church if, if, you're looking for His coming. So, get ready. By getting to know Him, we get ready. By getting to know Him, we get ready. By getting rid of all—this is tough, this is a tough one—all self-righteousness. Philippians 3.10, that I may know Him. The great aspiration of your life and time Philippians 3.9, to be found in him when he comes, at his coming. To be found in him means at his coming, when he shows up. Eureka! I have found it. Not having my own righteousness. Boy, that's a good one, isn't it? I wish more believers thought that was important. But they don't. They're always ready to debate, always ready to argue, instead of rallying around that one aspiration, knowing Christ and fellowshipping in Christ, everything else will take care of itself. You'll agree on more things than you can ever imagine if you get to know Christ and the Word, which is the mind or the thinking of Christ. So anyway, bye. Getting to know Him and attempting to be found without any righteousness of your own, not attempting but believing, so that you have no righteousness of your own, it's His righteousness, you're getting ready for Him to come. So how are you doing with these two? I hope you're doing better than you were. Not that I've attained, but I'm conscious and aware. And you should be too. If you're anything at all like me, You need to be reminded continually. Do you mind if I repeat myself? You shouldn't, because for you it's safe. I don't care. I don't mind. So you say the same things over and over and over again. Well, you haven't heard them yet. If you did, if everybody heard them, if everybody knew them, if everybody saw the results, then you wouldn't complain about repetition. Repetition is really, really good. Tell me once, I'll definitely forget. Tell me twice, I'll probably still forget. But tell me over and over and over again. And I just might remember and then flee from the calamity of my poor decisions and false thoughts, false thinking, wrong thinking, wrong decisions, wrongdoing that I suffer under continuously. I don't need any help to do that. So, with regard to our Epi Sunagoge, that is the occasion upon which we will be gathered together to Christ. He's referring here to the mystery appearing of Christ when He comes with the clouds, the gathering and glorification of the bodies of those who died in Christ and simultaneously with one living generation. This will be the final day of the Mystery Age. The Mystery Age ends that day. 1 Corinthians 15.51, Behold, I tell you a mystery. See? We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a moment, in an atoma, an atomic moment, smallest increment of time possible, in the twinkling of an eye, one REM, one rapid eye movement. at the last trumpet. It's not the last administration of President Trump, but at the last trumpet. Because the King James says, at the last trump. No. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised. Imperishable. And we will be changed. Thank you, Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4.13 says, But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, soul and spirit. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. We who are alive and remain will be simultaneously caught up, says caught up together, that's what it means, at the same time, with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always, from that time forward, be with the Lord where the head is, the body is, the body is, the head is. Therefore, comfort, strengthen, encourage one another with these words. Or Titus 2.11, how about that one? For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation, equal privilege and opportunity for salvation to all men, instructing us, we need instruction, instructing us to deny or to say no, or neomi, to ungodliness, asobiah, We're going to be studying next the famous passage. We're doing a new series on the mystery of godliness. It's called The Great, Grand, and Glorious Mystery of Godliness, starting next week. Instructing us, not next week, the week after, instructing us to deny ungodliness worldly desires, looking for to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age. That's not easy to do unless you're filled with the Spirit, loaded with the Word. Unless you've processed the Word, unless a good portion of the Word has become flesh in you. As it did As it was in Jesus. That's the whole idea. That the Word might be flesh in you. So you don't have to think about it. All you have to do is think with the Word. In categories. In every circumstance and situation in your life. So to live sensibly, righteously. The Word of God is sensible. The Word of God is righteous. The Word of God is godly. and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope, the blessed hope, the blessed hope. That's what we don't have yet, but it's coming, it's coming, the blessed hope. And the appearing, the soon appearing, I always say, of the glory, of our great God and Savior, Granville Sharperall. Both of those descriptions are of one, Christ Jesus. He's our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, G-G-A-S. Great God and Savior. These are detailed explanations of actual events that must be interpreted and understood literally. People try to spiritualize them. They're not spiritual. They're not to be spiritualized. They're not analogous to anything. They are facts of Scripture. They need to be interpreted and understood literally as they are presented. When this occurs, the next event, after this occurs, the next event is the Bema Judgment. Romans 14.10 and 2 Corinthians 5.10. You know what the Bema Judgment is. It's the doling out of rewards, or the withholding of them, as the case may be. The Lord Jesus Christ looks for something to reward you for. even if you didn't realize what you were doing. Usually that's the case, because He did it in spite of you. Since the stakes are eternal, nothing is more urgent than being ready by knowing Christ and being found in Him with no self-righteousness. When all is said and done, only three remain. There's nothing else. So this makes it simple. Only three remain. And one evokes, one is evoked by the, the former evokes the latter. In other words, if you have faith, hope, and love, you have faith that becomes hope, and hope becomes love. So when all said and done, only these three remain, faith, hope, and love. 1 Corinthians 13, 13. 1 Corinthians 3, 15. Faith is the availability of the soul, of your soul, my soul, to receive divine truth. That's all it is on your part. It's your availability to hear and to receive divine truth. For that purpose, we come to the local assembly to hear messages from the Word of God by a chosen, gifted communicator, gifted and appointed by Jesus Christ. He's called poimen kai didaskalos. He's the shepherd who teaches. Or he could also be called episkopos, the overseer. Or he could be called diakonos in a very specific sense, one who waits tables, Or he can also be the presbuteros, that is, the old man of the ship. So you can call me whatever you want. I'm all of those, in some aspect or another. So hope, that's faith. Hope is purity. Did you know that? Urgency and anticipation of the Lord's soon return. You can write these down and memorize them. Love. on respect for the Lord Jesus Christ. First and foremost, profound gratitude and continual occupation with the person of Christ. You'll sin far less. You won't be sinless, but you'll sin less and less if that's how you live. Gratitude and continual occupation with the person of Christ. Verse two. Now this is, we don't even take it apart yet. He says that you not be quickly shaken from your composure to be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Seemingly, there was a fake epistle with a forged signature alleging that the authorship of Paul stating that the mystery appearing of Christ and the snatching away the elect had occurred. and that they were left behind. This elaborate hoax involved a forged letter and fake news that the end had come, and these believers were deemed unworthy, and as a result relegated to the seven years of tribulation, or waiting for the tribulation period to dawn on them. Suffering. and violence of the tribulation period. This was an evil plot to distort and to cast doubt on Paul's face-to-face teaching and the reliability of Paul's epistles, all 13 of them, especially the two that were written to Thessalonians, that's 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. By his following statements, Paul will swiftly put to rest all doubt and fear created by this forged letter of fake news. Verse 3, let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy, it says, in your Bible, it's the departure. I'll show you that so clearly today. I told you it's educational today. For it will not come unless the departure comes first. Apostasy means to depart. It's noun form. And the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man of lawlessness is revealed, i.e., also known as the son of destruction. So in this passage, verse 3, he says, let no one by no means or by any means or in any way disturb, upset, or unsettle you, as if, or that if, not should have come first the departure, the removal." In verse 1, this action is termed epi sunagoge. It means the gathering, our gathering together to the Lord. Here, the same action is apostasia. Here in its noun form with the article referring to the same event as the gathering together, and here the departure or removal. That's what it means. Also relative to 1 Thessalonians 4.17, harpazo, which means to snatch away, to remove or take away. We call it the rapture. Next he says, and then, and or then, should be revealed the man of anomios, lawlessness, the man of lawlessness. Here we have the ultimate abomination or atrocity, the incarnation of evil, as it were, the son of lawlessness claiming to be the son of righteousness. the son of the devil, Antichrist, claiming to be the son of God, Jesus Christ. He says the man of lawlessness, then he says the son of destruction or perdition, the son of destruction impersonating the son of salvation. As we'll see, claiming to be God in the flesh, and Savior of the world, and as such, demanding the worship of all. To debunk these claims, Paul reminds them of what he clearly taught while he was present with them. And he spent a good deal of time there, Thessalonians. That the tribulation will not come until Antichrist is revealed. Furthermore, the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the church is removed. With regard to these statements, epi sunagoge, the gathering together, apostasia, the departure, or herpazo, the snatching away, refer to the subject at hand, the exit resurrection of the church, living and dead, dead and living, or as we call it, the rapture of the church. People deny that that's even a fact, a factor, a true doctrine of scripture. And my goodness, that's the blessed hope. I will argue with you about that. The fact that Satan would make himself like the Most High God, remember that? Isaiah 14, 12-14? The five I wills of Lucifer? And therefore, that's not a part of the mystery, that's already been revealed. The mystery information is the existence of the church as the body of Christ in the sinister and subtle devices that Satan will use to dissuade and deceive believers, to kill their progress, to rob them of their reward, and to destroy their personal sense of identity, security, identity, and destiny with his false teachers and false doctrine. John 10-10a, 1 Timothy 4, 1-3, and 2 Timothy 3, 1-12. Verse 3. But no one in any way deceived you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. These things are coming. This is known as the abomination of desolation referred to by the prophet Daniel, Daniel 1131 and 1211, and of course by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24, 15 to 22. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, let the reader understand Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out of the house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. But woe to those who are pregnant, those who are nursing babies in those days, but pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. Verse 5, do you not remember, Paul says, that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? I told you before and I'll tell you again. We all need to be reminded. lest we forget, forsake the truth, and experience the unnecessary negative results that follow. Repetition is for our safety. Tell me once, and I will surely forget. Tell me once again, and I will still forget. Still might forget, but tell me again and again. and I will hear and heed the warning and escape the calamity," in Philippians 3.1. So what we should say is, say that again, repeat that again, pastor, so I really get it. That's humility. Humility does that. Arrogance doesn't. It says, I already heard that. I already know that. We know nothing as we ought to know it. And if you haven't discovered that by now, you haven't made much progress. That's progress when you say, I know nothing yet as I ought to know it. That's progress. You made progress. Because humility, you went into the next level of humility, which is basic virtue. And then from there, you can build on that with gold, silver, and precious stones. Make sure for your own protection that you acquire and hone keen listening and learning skills. I can't emphasize that enough. The Lord will do it. You practice all the time. Practice listening and learning. Make sure that your rate of forgetting You could test yourself on Sunday after church, say, what did he say this morning? Oh, did he say this or did he say that? Or I don't remember a thing he said. It went in one ear and out the other. I left it downstairs and it left me before I got to the parking lot. You think that happens? I hate to tell you this, but it does in most cases. For me and for you. I always remember what I said. But you don't remember what I said. Some of you do, not many. So come on, let's get to it. Those are listening and learning skills. Make sure your rate of forgetting does not exceed your rate of learning. That would be unfortunate for you. Make sure you are ever learning and never forgetting. these most important truths, mystery truths, you need these. Verse six, and you know what restrains him now, that is the man of sin, the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. What is it or who is it that restrains evil? Good question. mystery truth regarding lawlessness or iniquity in its full extension, which is coming. In opposition to the greatest revelation of all, the mystery of Christ and his body, the church, is the present evil that will escalate and become more and more sinister and subtle. Ephesians 5.16, therefore we are to make the most of our time Are you doing that? Am I? Because the days are...it doesn't mean study the Word of God 24 hours a day. Nobody...God doesn't demand that. He says, just get in a good hour. I mean a good hour. A tithe of your time each day. Which is an hour a day. When you think of your waking hours. How reasonable He is. Come now, let us reason together. He says, Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as wool. Though they be like crimson. be white as snow, white as snow and as white as wool. So, making the most of your time because the days are evil. Therefore, during the Mystery Age, I don't call it the Church Age, I call it the Mystery Age, the days are expressly evil. and extremely perilous, which means dangerous and demonically active. Yet it's beneath the surface and you don't see it blatantly. If you see something blatant, it's just to divert your attention away from what's really going on. He says, evil men and seducers are going to get worse and worse. Are they? They seem nice. Oh no, they're worse. They get worse and worse. They're not nice, they're worse. Getting worse all the time. They never said Jesus was nice and he was so nice. These people try to be nice and they're not. They're evil people. Not all of them. Not even the ones that you think I'm talking about. You're not right. I'm not talking about, I'm not going to mention. Because they might be your favorite teacher. And then I would offend you, and you would say, who do you think you are? And I say, I'm nothing at all, except a voice crying out in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. 2 Timothy 3.13, but evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse. deceiving and being deceived. Paul instructs Timothy from the beginning to beware. In 1 Timothy 4.1 he says, but the Spirit speaks in no uncertain terms. This is from the beginning of the church, even as it is today. The Spirit speaks in no uncertain terms and says, in the latter times Told you this is the era of Laodicea, the final era of church history. In the latter times, certain notable ones, TIS, T-I-S, specifically means certain notable teachers, speakers, will apostatize. It's not the same apostasy that we looked at in the second verse of our text. He says, we'll apostatize, fall away, depart from the faith, paying heed to wandering spirits, and the doctrines of demon spirits. Doctrines of demon spirits. Teachings of demons. The teachings of demons. Certain notable teachers start to get distracted and drift away, drift off course by the activity of deceitful spirits that teach demonic doctrines. Then he says, by means of the hypocrisy of liars. It's all a bunch of lies. Because the lie is more palatable and seems more possible than the truth, because the truth is strange, very strange. Then he says, these men seared, like a branding iron, seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron. They're branded. These people are branded. So like Jesus says, be careful how you hear. He says, be careful what you hear. And he also says, be careful who you hear, who you listen to. Jesus said, be careful to hear what the Spirit, the Spirit says seven times to seven churches. If you do that, you can't go wrong. If you don't, you can. You will absolutely go wrong. Now verse six, back to our verses. Six, 2 Thessalonians 2.6. And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. When and where the Holy Spirit is present, evil is restrained. He's the restrainer of the Holy Spirit. Lewis Sperry Chaffer, a famous teacher, grace teacher commenting on this verse in his seminary class at Dallas Theological Seminary said this he said I'll try to imitate him he goes men you must know that it is the Holy Spirit that restrains evil and I'll prove it there are those who take the Lord's name in vain and cursed by the name of the Father and the Son it sounds pretty much like him But you will never hear anyone cursing using the name of the Holy Spirit. That reminds me of one of my radiologists that worked for me when I had my medical business, my imaging business. I'm not going to name him. But he could string together blasphemous concoctions that included the entire Holy Family. He would say, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, God damn it. Did that shock you? Sorry. That's what he said. but never used the name of the Holy Spirit. Never once. That's funny. Come on. The Holy Spirit is the restrainer, the preserver, the purifier, the preventer of the full extension of evil that will not occur until He is removed all of a sudden, allowing for the greatest evil ever to emerge. Verse 7, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he's taken out of the way. It says, for you see, gar, explanatory conjunction, for you see the musterion, the mystery, the revealed secret of lawlessness presently is at work. It is all along. Only that holding him back or holding him down, catecho, presently, arti, until out from among he should become the appearing. Even as Christ will have a parousia, that's the word for appearing, so too Antichrist. Then he says, of whom is according to the working or activity of Satan. This is, as we'll see, what I call Satan's final solution for the ethnic cleansing of Jews, which will be necessary to take control of the world. He's going to be that one world ruler, starting with all media, The vast majority, which is owned and controlled, the vast majority, 99.9%, owned by Jews, controlled by Jews. Brian L. Roberts, majority stockholder and CEO of Comcast, which by the way, you probably don't know this, is the world's largest media conglomerate, by far. You pay him $200 a month for your cable and your internet. He was born into a Jewish family in Philadelphia, the son of Ralph Roberts, the founder of Comcast Corporation. So there's the Jewish ownership of media, television, internet. television, radio, internet, all forms of communication, sound waves. He must also, the Antichrist that is, also acquire the inexhaustible wealth of the Jews to rule the earth. As you may know, the Jewish-owned Rothschild Foundation is the wealthiest company on earth. with assets between 20, they don't know how much they have, they know they have at least 20, and 500 trillion US dollars, along with controlling interest in most, if not all, Fortune 500 companies. They're Jewish. Unbelieving Jews. As savvy as they are. They are no match for Satan's sinister genius. Likewise, Satan acquires this wealth with great intrigue by a peace treaty with Jews around the world that protects Israel from Arab enemies. And when it seems that peace and safety prevail, he breaks the treaty and foments global genocide. It's a story of revelation, in case you don't know. seizing all of their wealth, taking control of not only communication, but also commerce, all commerce and all communication. So he goes on to say here, the working activity of Satan, it is the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, who works, his work and activity is that of Satan. And he says, in all kinds of power plays, it's dunamis, all kinds of power, all kinds of power plays. Then he says chi, which means along with, signs and wonders, false or fake ones. Here we have semion, which means signs. Marvels things so unusual and persuasive that they arouse great interest and command close attention. Seemingly miraculous occurrences that are contrary to natural happenings. Most often it is used with teros, as it is here, which means wonder. So it's signs and wonders. When performed by the Lord, real miracles In John 2.11, Revelation 13.13, and where those of Antichrist are concerned, nothing more than cheap tricks, cheap magic tricks. So you have semion, teros, pseudos, also called false or lying signs and wonders. Here it's clearly stated, they're part and parcel of an elaborate hoax. The main one being the mortal wounding of the Antichrist, from which he will immediately and fully recover. And everyone stands in awe. Revelation 13.1, there we go. You can look at it for yourself as I read it. And the dragon, it's a name for him, the Antichrist, stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. It refers to his power over nations, ten nations, Arab nations. And on his horns were ten diadems, and on his head were blasphemous names. The names of Christ. His Antichrist. He's Antichrist. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. Violent creatures. And the dragon gave him his power. The dragon did. Satan gave him his power. And his throne. And his great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. They worshipped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast. And they worshipped the beast saying, who is like the beast? And who is able to wage war with him? It was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies and authority to act for 42 months. That's three and a half years. It was given to him. And he opened his mouth and blasphemies against God and blaspheme to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle. That is those who dwell in heaven. He's blaspheming you as well. You're already in heaven. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe of people, tongue, and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him. Everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb, that is, who has been slain, the Lamb who has been slain from the foundation of the world. Everyone who hasn't believed in Him. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. Listening skills, learning skills. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes. If anyone kills with a sword, with a sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and faith of the saints. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke like a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men, and he deceives those who dwell in the earth because of the signs which it was given to him to perform in the presence of the beast. who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. It's the third time he mentions the same event. And it was given to him to give breath to the image, to an image of breath, to an image of the beast. Everyone thinks he's real. So that the image of the beast would even speak. Wow. And cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves to be given a mark on their right hand and on their forehead. And he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man. Satan incarnate, and his number is 666666. So, how much of what you see today can be believed? It's a question. How much that you see can be believed? Or how much of the news on either side of the political spectrum How much of the news is balanced and true? I didn't say, which side do you subscribe to? Versus, how much of the Word of God can you believe, even if it seems unprecedented and fantastic? Believe every word and live free. Be safe from the evil plot being unleashed upon mankind, even now. in the early stages. It's going to get far worse with the advent of, yes, AI, making the real and the fake indistinguishable. If ever the time has come, it's the time in which we live. So here again, add to the list, ek meso genetai, which means taken out of the way. Once again, the removal of the church. Epi sunagoge, the gathering together. Harpazo, the snatching away. Apostasia, the departure of the spirit through the church. And finally, ekmeso genetai, which means taken out of the way. All in reference to the simultaneous event that ushers in to the vacuum, the greatest evil manifestation in all of human history. The incarnation. Satan himself told you the truth is stranger than the lie is that possible possible with not only possible it going to happen according to Paul from and Paul knows he got this in heaven from his prehistoric genetic experimentation listen carefully I told you this is strange very strange from his prehistoric, Satan's prehistoric, genetic experimentation with the animal kingdom, when he was exiled to the earth, breeding violent creatures on the original earth, I'll spare you the details, because the truth is far stranger than the lie, in an attempt to make the planet unsuitable to the survival of man, and causing the Tohu Wabohu, That is, the removal of heat and light, wasting of the beautiful planet, which was prepared for man long before he was created, as previewed by the host of heaven, who sang and celebrated its pristine beauty when it was unveiled to them, long before man was created. Job 38, 1 to 7. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this who darkens the counsel of my words without knowledge? Don't be like that. gird up your loins like a man and I will ask you and you instruct me says the Lord where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth tell me if you have understanding who set its measurements since you know or who stretched a line on it the equator or what were its bases sunk or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy when he unveiled this pristine, beautiful planet. This is the place to which Satan, which Lucifer, and a third of the angelic host who joined the ranks of the ungrateful and discontented would be exiled, free to experiment with the life forms. God knew about all this, already present, It would breed these violent man-eating creatures, you know what they are, that would make the earth unsuitable for man. Therefore, when the limits of evil were achieved, the Lord would judge the earth by the removal of heat and light, that's tohu wabohu in Genesis 1-2, flash freeze the planet, the ice age, killing the mutant creatures, bred by Lucifer and the fallen angels, preserving enough of them in fossil form to prove their existence. You can't deny it. In Isaiah 45.18, listen to this, this is so important, in this entire purview of doctrine, of ancient doctrine, pre-angelic, or the angelic conflict from all eternity. Isaiah 45, 18, for thus says the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the one that cast Satan out of heaven, by the way. He said, don't rejoice that demons come out of your name. I saw Satan, because I threw him out, would fall like a bolt of lightning from heaven. But rejoice that your names are written in heaven. For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, you know who created the heavens? Jesus did. He is the God who formed the earth and made it. He established it. He did not create it a waste place. People teach that the earth was just a ball with nothing on it. It's not true. He did not create it a waste place, but formed it fully in order to be inhabited. I am the Lord, he says, and there is no one else. It had to have animal life. It had to have plant life for the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange that makes the whole world livable for man. Man is a being that depends upon oxygen. And plants depend on carbon dioxide and put forth oxygen. So you have to have both. So those animals were there. It was made for man's habitation right from the beginning. So from there, to human history, to the Nephilim eruption. You know what the Nephilim eruption is? Wherein Satan ordered the wholesale genetic corruption of the entire human race, in an attempt to eliminate pure Adamic stock, and thus the incarnation of Christ. Read about it, Genesis 6. that happened in the days of Noah and is the reason for the flood, wiping out all but eight people on the earth. Now to this, he adds his final solution. This is his final solution. Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming. The removal of the holy allows the unholy to emerge, which will likewise be swept away when the Holy One returns after seven years with great glory and power, which abruptly brings to naught Satan's insane attempt to make himself like the Most High God, to usurp the throne of Jesus Christ as King of the nations. Here we are told that he will be immediately slain by Numa, That's the breath or spirit. I told you the spirit restrains evil, puts him out of his misery. The breath of the Spirit of Christ that proceeds from his mouth by the Word of God. And all we attempt to do and all that he built will instantly crumble and burn when Jesus appears. Then it says, and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming. That is, the one who's coming, is in accord with the activity of Satan with all power, signs, and wonders." His final push. That was verse 9. His final push, his greatest deception, his incarnation, which he has saved for the end. In his ultimate masquerade, he impersonates Jesus, who is God incarnate. Though this is little known, scarcely taught, it's not really part and parcel of, in itself, of the mystery. The mystery is the existence of the church and the sinister and subtle warfare Satan wages in order to capture and control believers in his continual attempt to dishonor the Lord Jesus, 2 Timothy 2.26. Once again, the truth is stranger than the lie. To perpetuate these high crimes, he will use high-tech, mind-control weapons. with high-tech illusions, fake news, and AI deep fake technology. In verse 9, they are called illusions and fake wonders. Verse 10, with all deception of wickedness for those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. Those who perish are those who refuse the truth because they love the lie. Rather than the truth, they cannot be saved. Only the truth will save you, John 14, 6. Only the truth will set you free, John 8, 32. Jesus is the truth. He is the God of truth. In Deuteronomy 62, 4, a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. Verse 11, for this reason God will send upon them a diluting influence. so that they will believe what is false. You can't believe a lie until or unless you reject the truth. And ignorance is no excuse. In Romans 1.20, they are without excuse. All those who reject the Lord, by their insistence they become seared, hardened, and habitual, where thinking, choosing, and doing evil is concerned, they become darkened, perverted, corrupted look around verse 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness these love falsehood take pleasure in wickedness unashamed they pride themselves in doing evil according to Romans chapter 1 not only are they insatiable in evil they also are evangelize others or recruit others. Romans 124 to 32, God gives them over to the lust of their hearts. Verse 26, God gives them over to degrading passions. Verse 28, God gives them over to a depraved mind. And although they know the ordinance of God, in verse 32, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do them, but also heartily approve Give hearty approval to those who practice them. Pride, evil, violence, lying, hatred, and perversion. In these they take pleasure, just like their father the devil, a liar and a murderer. from the beginning." John 8, 44. Verse 13, 2 Thessalonians 2, 13. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. Fear not, for you and I are called and chosen from all eternity. So rejoice. God, for knowing the occurrence of our momentary, voluntary, non-meritorious perception and consent to the gospel of Christ, ensured our destiny, called us to Himself, and declared us righteous. He sees us already glorified, and should we choose sanctification after justification, greatly rewarded besides. God surely knows those who are His, in 2 Timothy 2.19. and keeps every one of them safe until the end. And we have no idea, remember this, you have no idea who is or who isn't. Therefore we let our light shine, that's what we do, for all to see, holding fast, holding forth the word of life. Philippians 2.16, 1 John 1.1. Always remembering this, that Jesus' final act You can take this one with you. Jesus' final act was to save a murderer in the final moments of his life. Think about that. Which I believe he still does, more often than we can imagine. Don't forget, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He was 1380's God. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit, faith, and the truth. Then it says in verse 14, it was for this He called you through our gospel that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan's going to try to imitate Christ as the Antichrist, but you're going to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here's a good one. This will make you love God. Just as it stands written, things which eye has not seen, ear has not heard, which have never entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. Wasn't it Jesus who said, let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me, in my Father's house. There are many mansions, many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. But I'm going to prepare a place for you. None of them are good enough. I'm going to prepare a brand new spot, place, place of dwelling for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, the mystery appearing of Christ, and receive you to myself. Get up here, I'll say, so that where I am, you may be also." Verse 15, So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the paradosis, the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. Paradosis is the body of precepts that are well known or known to all. Jude calls it the faith, the body of truth to be believed, once for all delivered to the saints. In Jude, verse 3, Verse 16, now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace. Jesus and God the Father love you. and will keep you safe unto the end. By the word of His grace and the spirit of grace, He'll comfort you in affliction and keep you ever hopeful. We know this so well in our house. Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 2 Peter 3.18. Undeserved blessing, unmerited favor is yours. Fully yours in Christ. Verse 17, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work. There's lots of good things to do, lots of good things to say. Protected from the wicked one, we press on to know the Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself up for us to save us for a time in eternity as we wait for Him from heaven. 1 Thessalonians 1.10, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. You're not going to go through these things. 1 Thessalonians 4.16, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. And those of us who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet Him in the air, to be forever with the Lord. Encourage one another with these things. So therefore, in closing, stay hid, closely connected to Christ, and the devil won't be able to touch you. The wicked one touches you not. The mystery of godliness greater, far greater, than the mystery of iniquity. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your Word. It's a beautiful thing that you've done. And to unveil these things, these plots, these tricks, this elaborate hoax that will take place at the end of time. And so we know our adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion seeking someone to drink down He's doing it even now. And He does it in the minds of believers who have gaps in their understanding. Oh, believers do believe in Jesus, but they're not smart enough or wise enough to believe in the devil. And therefore, he goes undetected. He sneaks around in the shadows and goes about undetected because they don't have the word that reveals his wiles, his schemes, his plots, both for now and for the future, which we can see clearly defined, clearly exposed in the Word of God. So Father, thank You for these things. Lord, may we pay close attention to these things so that we might be fortified against the evil one who's too powerful for us in and of our own strength and our own ability, but that You empower us to stand firm and to send away by the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, shield of faith. the helmet of salvation, the chestplate, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, shin guards, and the belt of truth that we wear at all times in Ephesians chapter 6, 11, 18. Father, thank you for these things, and bless this congregation as we continue to view these mysterious truths that are stranger than the lie. You think people would want to just say, oh, Satan, he's just hanging around. He's not going to do anything. Well, the Bible reveals what he's going to do, and you better believe it. If you don't. You wish you'd had when he comes after you. And he can. Don't let him. Stay hid with Christ and God, abiding and divine. And no one can touch us. He can't even find you. If you're hid with Christ and God and you know it, you stay there all the time. He can't even find you. He can't see you or find you. In Jesus' name we pray. Thank you for these things. Amen.