“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;” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
Paul wrote this to the church at Thessalonica because false teachings were being spread, including false teachings about Jesus’ return. Some were saying that He had already returned, but that was definitely false. Paul told them to look for a man of sin, the son of perdition (hell), who will show up in the end times - the times of apostasy (when most people will renounce their faith in God). It will be a horrible time when this man of sin (the Antichrist) will place himself on a throne in the temple in Jerusalem. This man of sin will not only proclaim himself king of kings, but will also proclaim himself a god and demand that everyone worship him.
Thank our precious Lord that those of us who are Born Again, redeemed and sanctified will not be around for that horrible time. We will not have to worry about being forced to renounce our beliefs or coerced into worshiping the man of sin – that false god. We will have already been caught up (raptured) to meet Jesus in the air. I praise my precious Lord that I will not be here during those prophesied perilous times, known as the tribulation. I pray that those reading this will not be here on Earth either. I pray that everyone is called home to Heaven. Unfortunately, that is unrealistic.
People have been turning away from the teachings of the Bible for many decades now. The falling away from these holy precepts has grown exponentially over the past few years. People are turning to polytheism and false religion that promises they can get to “heaven” in many ways, but there is only one way to Heaven. Like the old song “My Hope is Built” by Edward Mote (1834) says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”
If you aren’t reading and adhering to the written Word of God, if you’re not trusting in the redemptive power of Jesus, you are heading down the wrong path – a path that leads to false gods and destruction. In the Bible, Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, wrote the following promise:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)