Dear Weekly Readers!
Please find the below article from a Foreign Mission Board
member, Shane Juuti.
Dear brothers and sisters in faith, and anyone whose heart
is seeking a place of comfort, may the Peace of God be yours.
The importance of a portion of
scripture found in 2 Thessalonians 2 has struck my heart, especially as a
reminder to believers of the importance to share the true message of the Gospel
with people.
Paul tells the Thessalonians not to be troubled about things
that are going to happen. He talks of a
falling away from the truth. Then he speaks of the son of perdition being
revealed. Starting at verse 4 he writes:
“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, showing 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.”
This mystery of iniquity which is already at work, I believe
is another picture of the antichrist spoken of by John in 1 John 4. On one hand
this iniquity wants to deny Christ abides in flesh; on the other, it wants to
have the worship due God and replace God in man’s heart with a worship of self,
which is in reality idol worship. But, one is withholding or constraining or
preventing it from having free rein. The
word “let” is Old English for, to hinder, or prevent. I feel it is very important to look very
closely at what is withholding, or letting, this iniquity.
We find written in Revelations 20:1-3 “And I saw an angel come down from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand, and
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and bound him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him,
that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be
fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” A little further on in the chapter we read of
those who have partaken in the first resurrection, living and reigning with
Christ a thousand years. So we know this
thousand year period spoken of is this time we live in, from Christ's resurrection
till he comes again. Angels are very often used as messengers in the Bible, so
I believe this is a message that binds Satan, and this binding is the same
spoken about using the word “letteth” in Thessalonians.
It's very telling that the angel has a key. This message is so important that it is Christ
himself that delivered it. Matt. 16:19 “And I will give unto thee the
keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.” In the end of John Christ first gives
them the Holy Ghost, and then says John 20:23 “whosesoever sins ye remit they
are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
If one doesn't first have the Holy
Spirit the keys are of no value, because we only exercise them by the power of
God through the Holy Spirit. That message believed by faith, that a sinner can
believe their sins forgiven in the name, and because of the blood of Christ
releases them, but binds Satan, for he is no longer free to accuse a heart that
that sin is standing between them and a righteous God. And, a heart that has heard and believed this
truth will not be deceived into thinking that there is another way to the peace
and joy of a good conscience before God.
If the true and full gospel of Christ is not spoken, (for it
is Christ who letteth or retains) the Devil is freed to deceive. It tells us he sitteth in the temple of God. We know the heart of a believer is the temple
of God. Cor. 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God
dwelleth in you?” Satan will try
to deceive man into believing that there is some other way to deal with sin.
Any other way is in reality a work of flesh, and worship of Christ's work is
replaced by worshipping one’s own ability to cleanse one's own heart.
It is this deception that leads to a falling away from the truth,
because people don't love the true gospel message; “God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie.” What a very sad state to be in.
May God grant that the true gospel message of Christ Jesus
would never be lost in our midst, but go forth to others. Amen.
God’s Peace.
Shane Juuti
Gimlet, Alberta
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