There is a lot to navigate in this passage - the end times are not a simple matter! But here, Paul’s number one purpose is not to outline every detail about Christ’s second coming and the events leading up to it. Rather, he is seeking to confirm for the Thessalonians that they haven’t missed anything! Paul is trying to teach a confidence and fearlessness in their Christian walk by rooting them in what they already know to be true. Much like the Thessalonians, our culture has ways of using talk of the end times to illicit fear. But Paul is trying to teach them to understand the end times and thereby have confidence in what our God is going to do. Today, we should have the same goal because God controls the future. Therefore, we must be confident in our faith today. 

1. Be confident about the end times (2 Thess. 2:1-3)

The future is shrouded in mystery. Although a lot of the Bible discusses the future, it is often confusing. This can result in the temptation to respond in one of two ways: either obsess or leave it alone completely. Neither of these are the proper way to handle the information God gives us. We can live confident lives today because we know how Christ is going to work things out for His glory and victory. Paul assures the people that the time of tribulation (which many of them fear) is not upon them. Christ has not returned yet. The next event on the prophetic timeline is the rapture, where Christ will take His children up to be with Him (1 Thess. 4). The tribulation follows the rapture and precedes Christ’s return to take final victory over Satan and the Antichrist. In these verses Paul makes his purpose clear: to encourage the Thessalonians and give them hope for today. We have that same confidence. We know the prophecies of the end times mean Christ will come again. Yet, we can take confidence in more than knowing the general truth that Christ will return. 

2. Be confident in God’s revelation (2 Thess. 2:5, 3-8)

Paul explains the details of what’s going to happen to precipitate the Lord’s return. If we are not careful, we begin to think we need a great deal more detail about the second coming to have confidence. What we don’t realize is we have everything we need in God’s word. Verses three through eight are a primary example of the information God gives. Some examples of the information given is: 

• Apostasia (or the “falling away”): there will be a whole-hearted decision of people to reject God. 
• Son of perdition (aka the “Antichrist”): The Antichrist will oppose God, showing active hostility against Him and exulting himself above God. He can be thought of as the leader of the rebellion (“apostasia”).
• The restrainer: there are several interpretations of what/who this is, but the best interpretation is that it is the Holy Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit will not be entirely or literally removed from the world, but He will stop restraining this mystery of lawlessness and the Lawless one himself. Today, the Spirit prevents Satan from empowering the Antichrist until He decides the time is right. Even when Satan’s agent seems to be in power, it is still the Lord who is actually in control.
• Jesus will kill the lawless one: when He comes a the second coming, the Antichrist and all Satan’s work will be destroyed and Christ will prevail. 

All of that is only a portion of the information the Bible gives of God’s revelation. That all sounds like a lot and can be very overwhelming, but it is encouraging because it shows God has not forgotten about us. He has not changed His mind. No matter how bad life gets here, know that God is still in control and we can have confidence in our faith today. So, we can be confident about the end times and that God is in control, and there is a third way we can be confident in our faith. 

3. Be confident you have believed the truth (2 Thess. 2:10-13).

During the time of the Antichrist there will be many who will reject God completely and be lost in greater delusion. Thankfully, this isn’t us. By God’s grace, if you have believed, then you have “loved the truth” and refused pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thess. 2:13). We know we are His children and He will return for us, but how do we know it is the truth? Paul first mentions the Thessalonians’ faith in Christ (v.13b). Because of Christ’s death on the cross, they are given His righteousness and eternal like in God’s holy presence. Turning to Christ in repentant faith always results in salvation (Rom. 10:13). Next, they endured suffering for the Name of Christ. If a person does not truly know Christ, he will not continue to claim to follow Him when things get rough. For the believer, we have been given God’s Spirit, and He enables us to continue in our faith and stand firm no matter what comes our way. Finally, Paul points to the evidence of their changed lives. They were not who they once were, and they continued to grow in their relationship with the Lord. A clear sign of the truth of salvation is the visible change in their life. By God’s work in us, we can be confident that we have believed. 

Conclusion: 

While there was a lot of information in this passage, Paul’s purpose was not to give us every detail about the time between the rapture and second coming, but to give us hope and confidence. Because God controls the future, we must be confident in our faith today. We can be confident about the end times, His revelation, and the truth of the gospel. It is because of this that no matter what happens or how difficult life gets, we are safe. We know where we are going and what will happen. And ultimately, God wins. Rejoice and live confidently – for we know we have believed the truth and follow the one who holds the future. 

Questions for Discussion: 

1. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. Why might the Thessalonians have been worried about the end times? Have you ever been worried about the end times and our relationship to them? Why does Paul write to the Thessalonians about the end times?
2. Read 2 Thess. 2:3-12. What stands out to you about Paul’s description of the events leading to Christ’s Second Coming? What in this passage helps you have confidence? 
3. Read 2 Thess. 2:10-13. Explain the contrast between the followers of Antichrist in v. 10-12 and the way Paul describes the Thessalonian believers. How does this contrast give us confidence and hope?