That they all might be damned who believed not the truth

 'Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 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; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that HE MIGHT BE REVEALED IN HIS TIME. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.' 2Th 2:1-12

This is something people don't like to think about. They say things like- our ancestors have been waiting for Jesus for centuries and He's not returned and that old stuff about his coming quickly is obviously not true. But it is true and yes, for centuries- since 33 AD and the death of our Savior- people have been waiting for Him to return. Paul told the people in his day the following…

2Th 2:3 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; 2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Don't be deceived. Christ will return but there is going to be a falling away first. That falling away will reveal the man of sin, the son of perdition ((SATAN)) who places himself above God to the point he will sit in God's place as if he were God.

This hadn't had this happen in Paul's day, but it had begun. A falling away came first, a falling away from what? A departure from truth that is capable of causing a deception- something that can deceive people.

We are told the truth, Satan and his power on earth would be revealed before Christ's return. People couldn't let themselves be deceived by believing otherwise. They needed to expect this revelation of the man of sin.

2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

Paul wanted knowledge of the deception of Satan being revealed to be on people's minds. Paul didn't want people to be lulled into a complacency that would say otherwise. Paul wasn't advocating smooth words and a hope of Christ's return to the exclusion of what must come before that happens. He wanted them to remember he talked about this stuff when he was physically with them.

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming

That mystery of sin was already at work among them and would remain among them until that Wicked is revealed…. And it would be that Wicked revealed who would eventually be consumed — by what? 'Whom the LORD shall consume with the SPIRIT OF HIS MOUTH' What comes from the Lord's mouth? TRUTH.

The spirit of the Lord's mouth… Truth will consume the Father of Lies. The Lord will destroy that Wicked with the LIGHT of His Return.

What this is all saying, if I'm understanding it correctly (BIG IF), is that evil will exist right up until the LORD'S return.

Evil will exist and this evil can cause people to be deceived. This evil will present itself as God, understandably causing the people to be deceived.

Paul is admonishing Christ's followers not to be deceived by this evil which had already begun to infiltrate that Christian organization. Alongside the true followers of Christ there would exist lies, deception making itself seem as if it were of God. That Wicked would be revealed. We can't let ourselves be deceived even centuries later, especially centuries later as we still wait for our Lord to return. We have to recognize that among Christ's followers is an EVIL that has existed in and among Christ's followers throughout time and it will only be done away with by Christ at His return. WE ARE NOT to attempt to destroy the EVIL as if we had the power to do such a thing. We are warned, we are made aware of the deception among God's people, a mingling of wheat and tares until the very end. We need to seek TRUTH Christ's TRUTH so that we are not deceived and we do not become a part of the deception of the evil one.

So great is this evil…

2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

READ THAT AND RE-READ THAT, AND RE-READ IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

This Wicked will work with DECEPTION! The deception will be so incredibly strong that people will no longer love truth, and once they no longer desire truth to be saved but want only their deception, God is going to give them strong delusions, letting them believe the lies they want to believe.

These people will be damned that do not believe TRUTH. These people will be damned that have pleasure in unrighteousness.

We have truth or lies, righteousness or unrighteousness. When we choose to accept lies from the deceiver we allow ourselves to be deceived. This deception is going to appear like the REAL THING, it's the only thing that makes deception - deception.

You can't be deceived if you don't believing you are in the truth.

You won't be in the truth, but you will believe you are.

You will believe you have all the truth you need and you'll stop searching for truth.

You will believe you have enough and need no more, you are already rich in the blessings of God you don't need to seek out more truth than what you already have. You have the love of God and you are doing the work of God, you are believing and you are loving your fellow man by taking care of his needs- helping them as Christ instructed. You are clothing them, feeding them, housing them, visiting them, you are doing so much for your fellow man that you must belong to Christ, because the Bible says those who do those things are Christ's.

So why, why does Jesus say that many will say didn't they do wonderful works in His name, but they are lost? Why are they lost if they are doing the wonderful works, doing all that Jesus said they should do? These people believe they are genuinely Christ's. We have Paul telling us that the Wicked will be revealed, that it will exist and already exist among them and wouldn't be destroyed until Christ return's. We have these truths and we are warned not to be deceived. So how can we ever be deceived if we are doing all those wonderful things that we are told by Christ's to do?

There are truth and there are lies, there is truth and there is deception, there is righteousness and unrighteousness-- we must seek TRUTH above all things. Our wonderful works and believing we are doing the words of God, of Christ, will not automatically guarantee that we are Christ's. There is a deception that makes people believe they are Christ's but they aren't.

We have to have a love for TRUTH, a desire not to want to be deceived. We need to seek truth. Our allegiances reveal where we believe. If we align ourselves with deception when we are able to leave that deception for the truth, we are accountable. You say TRUTH doesn't matter, that nothing matters but Christ- you are deceived, Christ is the TRUTH. Christ stands for TRUTH. His life was one of all TRUTHFULNESS.

Our actions will determine if we want to serve The Truth by following the truth He followed, or if we just want the label Christian and no more.

What is truth? Study to show yourself approved unto God- rightly dividing the word of TRUTH. Study truth.

A person following revealed truth isn't guaranteed Salvation. If they follow the truth and do not have the love of Christ they aren't Christ's. They have to go hand in hand! Truth and love- truth and compassion- loving GOD in all truth, and loving MAN in all truth. You can't stop at one and neglect the other.

God's Ten Commandments that Jesus upheld and expounded on, living a life of sinlessness in obedience to those Ten Royal Laws is truth. But if I stop there and do not advocate for love in actions towards others while fulfilling the commandments, I'd be very remiss.

REMEMBER. Isn't that word 'remember' a powerful, powerful word of caution.

If you tell someone to remember it's for a reason, always. When you say remember, you don't want something forgotten.

When Christ lived out his life in perfect obedience, shaking the man made dross off the Royal Ten Commandments, polishing them so their truth would shine through, it was for us that He did that.

If the Royal Ten Commandments were to be done away with, Jesus had plenty of opportunity to rip it apart in many, many ways. He reinforced it- the TWO COMMANDMENT ENCOMPASSING THE TEN- LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS. Jesus went about shaking the heavy weight of man's interpretation off those Ten Commandments. He told them if they committed adultery in their lust, not just in their actions- that their minds were sinning and that was just as bad as their flesh committing the act of sin. Wow, Jesus went and made that commandment so much more restrictive than the people were following it already.

Jesus said, if you're hateful in your heart towards someone to the point of wanting them dead, you are a murderer already! Again, the do not murder commandment was made more restrictive than they were ever thinking it should be.

Jesus took another commandment they'd made super restrictive in many ways and said that it was wrong what they'd done to it. There is a proper way to keep the Sabbath and that's not by being a statue unmoving, unthinking, being loveless on that holy day. Do you see?

Jesus knew that sin was a transgression of the law, and He did NOT transgress the Royal Law, the Ten Commandments in any way at all whatsoever! He was, is and will ever be, SINLESS. This is TRUTH! HE IS TRUTH.

If we ignore something that Jesus went to great pains to point out the truth about- that the Ten Commandments are absolutely still binding and must be obeyed and when transgressed forgiveness must be sought, then we are deceived. We should never ignore truth!

Those who argue the Ten Commandments are no longer in effect are deceivers, and so many believe them! They say those who advocate for keeping the Ten Commandments are being sticklers for the law and trying to get to heaven by their works.

That's a lie! LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS upon those two commandments hang all TEN! Only through LOVE and recognizing the love in the TEN COMMANDMENTS- the TWO COMMANDMENTS BROADLY, can we recognize the LOVE of Christ. He sacrificed Himself, the Sinless One, the One who transgressed not a single Ten Commandment because He knew we are sinners in need of a Savior from our failings, from our sinfulness. I can believe about myself that I keep the Ten Commandments in all truth, in love, and I'd STILL fall short. I have my Savior who did that for me! But He did not do it for me and say, 'Okay, you don't have to keep the commandments any longer, I did it for you. Go on, go transgress those laws they aren't in effect any longer.' He didn't say, 'I know you can't keep them, so don't even try.' NO. He said 'IF YOU LOVE ME KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS….. ' How could He say that knowing we couldn't?

He could say it because in those commandments are PURE LOVE, and IF we have accepted CHRIST as our SAVIOR, He will send us the Holy Spirit and through the Holy Spirit it is possible to keep the revelation of love throughout the Ten Royal Laws. Loving God and loving Others in TRUTH.

I don't keep the SABBATH commandment as Christ commanded me to in order to be saved, in order to think I obtain righteousness by my action. I keep the SABBATH commandment of Christ because I LOVE HIM, and HE loved me enough to create the SABBATH commandment. He LOVED ME ENOUGH to keep the SABBATH commandment perfectly to show me the Love in the SABBATH.

I can't change the Sabbath to suit my traditions.

Just like the Jewish leaders (when Jesus ministered upon Earth) over time had piled many rules upon the Sabbath, today people have taken the Sabbath and moved it around to suit their own desires. If you think I'm wrong, tell me why the Sabbath day was kept by the Jewish people and early Christ followers both until it became a selling point to win over the pagan people to change it to a day they worshipped the sun on? The resurrection of Christ was NEVER EVER a reason for the change, it's NOT BIBLICAL AT ALL WHATSOEVER. Man changed it and labeled it as a Christian holy day, not God. And today millions upon millions upon millions believe in that LIE, that DECEPTION and say it doesn't matter at all whatsoever. It doesn't matter that we are told to REMEMBER that particular Royal Law. It just doesn't matter. Jesus' love is all that matters and the excludes the Ten Commandments- as if Jesus didn't make them all the more important to us with His ministry.

DECEPTION! BLINDED! BELIVING LIES! DECEIVED!

IT MATTERS IN THE SEARCH FOR ONLY TRUTH!!!!

As I said, my keeping the true Sabbath will not earn me anything at all. My loving Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, enough to live His truth matters. He gave us the truth in His life, don't let yourself be deceived so that you'll be among those who think they are doing all things a Christian should, but will be shocked when Jesus tells them to get away from Him.

Don't let yourself be deceived! Search for TRUTH! You won't be able to say you weren't given an opportunity to know the truth, you are being given it- right now. 'This wicked' works deception and will continue to do so until Christ returns. 'This wicked' has worked deception since the days of the Apostles in many different ways. Don't be deceived! Seek truth! Seek Jesus!

2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.