This sermon delves into the topic of the Antichrist as mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2, warning against deception and the spirit of lawlessness already at work. It emphasizes the need for discernment, urging listeners to test all teachings against the truth of the Bible. The story of a woman deceived on a train serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the importance of seeking wisdom and not blindly following false knowledge. Additionally, it stresses the significance of personal transformation before attempting to influence others, drawing parallels to a priest's realization of starting change from within.

We can pray once again. Lord, please be with us and speak to us through your holy word. Amen. Today I'd like to speak about the Antichrist. We read it in 2 Thessalonians 2 from verse 3. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. The man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. Who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship so that he takes the seat of the Lord. Who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship so that he takes the seat of the Lord. Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And when and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth. The breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders. And with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. We will read thus far. Here the Apostle Paul is writing to the Thessalonians. Here as we have read now from 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. And he says don't you remember that when I was with you I reminded you of these things, I told you of them. So Paul asks this question of the Thessalonian Christians, don't you remember that I had told you about the Antichrist when I was with you. And I don't have time to go into detail because it is a broad subject but I will touch upon a point or two. The Bible says when the Antichrist comes, Jesus was on earth and the Antichrist also was there. And many, the Lord Jesus said when he was on earth that when the Antichrist comes many will be deceived. The Bible often uses the expression I don't want you to be ignorant and then it mentions whatever subject. We don't know when the Antichrist will come but we do know the spirit of the Antichrist is already at work among people. And when he comes he will come as an angel of light deceiving many. I remember the story of a certain woman and her little child. This happened in a rural hilly area of England. There was a train travelling in this rural area in the white snow in winter. The train went from village to village picking up passengers or letting them off. Now this train was due to stop off at a little village. There was a certain woman, a wife with her little child who was to disembark at that village. Now as the train was going along the conductor came along To this young wife and her baby and said now we are drawing closer to that particular village to tell you when we have arrived. The conductor said now you can start getting your things together now so that when I come to tell you that we have arrived you are ready to disembark. But there was another passenger close by who then said to the woman look ignore him I know when we are about to come to that particular village These things are not so well and I will tell you when you are about to get off. So she got her things together, took her child And as they went along the train stopped. And the passenger who was together with this woman or sitting there in the same coach said we have arrived now you can get off. So indeed she got off with her luggage and her baby. Then the train went off again. After some time the conductor arrived and then asked where is the young lady. And the person said well she got off when the train stopped. The conductor was shocked and said who dared to tell her that. The conductor was shocked and said who dared to tell her to disembark. We had just stopped for a minor thing that needed to be fixed on the train and then we went off. Now though we have arrived. Now it was an extremely cold and snowy winter. When the train then left this woman and her child she could not find her way. Because the train had not stopped at her village she did not know where she was. Now the conductor in the train was angry. The conductor was angry that this had happened. Said she will freeze to death which is indeed what happened to her and her baby. And so there are also people today where they will try and display such deep knowledge. And they will say they know and the person like her failed to discern. Use discernment, use the word, check what a person claims to know and examine it in the light of the Bible. And she and her baby died a horrible death. Because of listening to one who claimed to have knowledge that he knew where she should get off. The Bible often warns and says do not be deceived. Don't listen to the one who claims to have such deep knowledge. And so like flies attracted to dirt that person somehow gets a great following. Ask for discernment and wisdom from the Lord. Don't just listen and swallow what a person claims to know. I remember when I was very young I had a young cousin and she was a lovely girl. I don't know whether she was about two or even younger. Her mother was a specialist in planting and arranging beautiful flowers. Then this little girl got to one of the flowers and ate it. And so she was taken to the doctor. The doctor diagnosed that it was a poisonous plant. I remember that because we were just about one and a half to two kilometers from that church. It was the practice in those days that if there was to be a burial, a funeral, they would bring the coffin firstly to our house because we were close to the church. I remember the story so well because that corpse was in our home. This little girl had been attracted to this beautiful flower, had eaten it, swallowed it and died. This little girl had been attracted to this beautiful flower, had eaten it, swallowed it and died. Woe to those who just swallow anything, whether it comes from a mother or a father or even a preacher. Be discerning. Examine what they say in the light of the Bible. The Scriptures are the truth. We must be in accordance with it. Have you grasped that point? Do you understand it? Don't just think about something else or lunch coming up and then you leave here and the message has gone into one ear and gone out of the other. Let's continue now to another point. Many years ago, in the 1100s, that is almost a thousand years, a certain priest had seen how badly things were going in his world and wanted to change things for corruption and depravity. They were rampant, similar to our era right now, except that things are far, far worse now. When he was young he said, I'm going to change this world, which he failed to do, so he said, I will change at least our nation, which he failed to do. Then he said, well, if I failed to change the nation, let me at least change our town, our area. But the city or the town did not want to repent. Then he said, well, let me change my family, but he failed in that too. When he was old, he said, I have failed in changing the world, our country, our people, our village. So let me be the one that changes. And when he prayed earnestly, Lord, help me to change, the Lord helped him. He was like old Scrooge, which we saw in the Christmas carol play last night, who changed in his old age. He had prayed, Lord, I failed to change the nation, change me. When he changed, his wife and children converted. When his family changed, his whole village repented. Then he said, I have failed because I put the cart before the horse. If only I had called upon the Lord for myself when I was young, perhaps then our nation and country would have been changed. If only I would have started where I am now, maybe our nation would have been saved. That was in 1100, God revealed this mystery to him. It's got to start with you. It's no use preaching to your wife if you are not right. It's no use speaking to your children if you are not right. It's got to start with you, yourself. It's got to start with you, yourself. It's got to start with you, yourself. Start preaching to your wife and telling her what to do. In France there was a preacher, he would preach to his wife every day until his wife said, I don't want anything more to do with this, I'm exhausted by it. And this man was regular in church attendance. One day he said, now let's go, come with me. When he got back, from the service, he said it was a marvellous service, the Lord blessed it and you've missed out by not being there. And he said to his wife, God worked and spoke in a wonderful way today. His wife said, it's the same old story again and again, I am tired of it, it nauseates me. Finally, the wife then said, well tell me, what did the preacher say? He said, the preacher said, let us stop preaching to our wives, let's close our mouths and live for the Lord. The wife said, what? That must be God indeed who spoke that. You hear that? Stop speaking the gospel and telling the gospel to others if you are not shining like the sun. What does it help to propagate the gospel if you yourself are just a wash out? Your life must be set right first, that the Lord would wash you so that there's not a stain or a blemish, otherwise you are just hardening the hearts of others, making them like concrete. The Lord said to his wife, God worked and spoke in a wonderful way today. He said, let us stop preaching to our wives, let us close our mouths and live for the Lord. Don't listen to anyone who claims to have special knowledge that the Antichrist has already arrived and who he is. In the meantime that person might be like the Antichrist or have the spirit of the Antichrist in him. The Antichrist will come like a peacemaker, one who is to bring peace on earth and who will fix the world's problems, for things are indeed depraved in this world. This morning somebody phoned me and said, in Norway there is a Romanian family with five children, the lost child, perhaps in grade three or so. These children spoke about Jesus trying to bring the gospel. While still speaking about the Lord, police arrived and all five children were taken away from the parents, confiscated. This little child in grade three was imprisoned for three months. He was not allowed to speak about the Lord Jesus Christ in this school. You are not allowed to speak about the Lord Jesus Christ. Norway had been a Christian nation but now the spirit of the Antichrist is at work there forbidding speaking about Jesus at school.