Jesus is Our Anchor

Scriptural Foundation:

2 Thessalonians 2 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Great Apostasy

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stead Fast

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

Reflection:  

The last 18-24 months have been the hardest season of my life. A lot of disappointment, a lot of loss, a lot of dysfunction and delusion. Nothing having to do with God but more to do with relationships and interactions with people and reconciling the difference between what I have been studying in the Word of God and what I was seeing in the world around me.

It all started with a great expectancy in my spirit December 2018. And it plunged into a valley of grey.  I know that the God of the mountaintop is the same God of the valley however perspective is one hell of a thing.  I have had to take captive every thought purposely and purposefully that has entered my mind and trace it back to how it got there – eye gates or ear gates. I lived through a season that I felt a drift because I just did not understand what was happening. So, I armored up and looked up and have been standing for a very long time.   

I have realized looking back that I was in a wilderness experience, amplified by our recent global pandemic.  For the first time, my life slowed down to a manageable speed.  Although virtual living has its challenges – the kitchen table being a place we break bread/classroom/home office – it also had its benefits.  It is the little things like doing laundry and having everything put away within the same day.  Planning meals and sitting around the table to enjoy them. Kinda like a non-fancy thanksgiving every night.  I did not realize until the world stopped that I was running on a treadmill at a breakneck speed and there turns out to be a setting for a stroll. Who knew? 

As the world slowly starts ramping up the speed again, I cannot help but think how I do not want to go that fast anymore.  Life becomes a blur when you are not paying attention and you cannot pay attention when your life is running at the speed of light.  It is like sitting in the Adirondacks and then getting transported to Time Square. Wait that sounds familiar…

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

– Matthew 4:8-11

The devil took Jesus from the physical wilderness He was in, to a high mountain that he could see the kingdoms of the world and asked Him to bow down. Similarly, we are now being asked to compromise on certain things to get things back to “normal”.  These compromises have been causing our minds to be shaken and troubled.  Compromise is the erosion that starts the falling away process.   For those that do not compromise, there is a restraining sense in their spirit like a bit in a horse’s mouth. 

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

– James 1:25-27

If we are looking in the perfect law of liberty daily, we should not be deceived when God sends the world strong delusions. But the sad truth of the matter is that the Church has become lukewarm and at times looks like the world because it has downed for itself the cloaked of compromise. 

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.  – Revelation 3:15-16

In our foundational passage, we read about the Great Apostasy.  It makes sense that the enemy will use the Church distracted by the speed of life to usher in the son of perdition.  Having the non-committed believers fall away first. This will clear the way for the people that have not known Christ to be swept away in the currant of deception to be lost forever.  

This difficult season has created a lot of weak moments for everyone.  However, we must be constantly checking that we stand fast and hold the traditions which we were taught.  We know that Jesus is coming, right now we should be fighting for each soul that still hangs in the balance.  I heard something several years ago that has stuck with me.  As Christians, we are here to plunder hell and populate heaven and that is only going to happen when our lives – our words and our actions line up with the Word.  Otherwise, it may be our weakest moment that becomes the postage stamp that send someone to hell.  We can enjoy this life, but saints do not lose track of your assignment.   

Seeking Revelation:

Grab your notebook:

• What have you learned about your self during this quiet season?
• What has disappointed your soul in the wilderness?
• Have you made some compromises that you have regretted?
• How do you make your way back to the Lord and your assignment?

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. – 2 Timothy 2:13