2 Thessalonians 2 – The Man of Sin & The Five Most Sinful Cities in America

Finger Pointing Up

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When a person commits any of the below sins, or especially when a government does, other people feel the effect. 

Tomorrow we’ll look at…

 

 

2 Thessalonians 2
The Man of Sin

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 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.

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“Shaken” – the Greek for this verb was often used of a ship adrift from its mooring and suggests lack of stability.

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;

“A falling away” – at the last time there will be a falling away from the faith.  But here Paul is speaking of activity rebellion, the supreme opposition of evil to the things of God.

“That man of sin” – the leader of the forces of evil at the last time.  Only here is he called by this name.  John tells us of many “antichrists” (1 Jn 2:18), and this may be the worst of them – the beast of Rev 13 – though Paul’s description of the man of sin has some distinctive features.

He is not Satan, because he is clearly distinguished from him in v. 9.

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.3 4

“All that is called God, or that is worshiped” – he is not merely a political or military man, but claims a place above every god and everything associated with worship.  He even claims to be God.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know what with holdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

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

“Mystery” – in the New Testament a mystery usually denotes something people could not know by themselves but that God has revealed.  The expression here indicates that we know some things about evil only as God reveals them. 

4 4This evil is already at work, but will in the day of the Lord (The Great Tribulation) intensify dramatically.

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:

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

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.

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

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

13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

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14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

“Comfort…stablish” – the prayer is for inner strength that will produce results in both action and speech.

The Five Most Sinful Cities in America

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The Seven Deadly Sins

There really isn’t any city that is more sinful than another in the eyes of God.  Randy Nelson of Movoto (Real Estate Agency) has given us five most sinful cities.

A lot of people say that Las Vegas is “Sin City.”  Nelson says Vegas is the 10th most sinful city in the United States, CNN Travel says it is 4th.  I say that the winner would be Los Angeles thanks to Hollywood.

The information here in regards to these sins comes from Wikipedia.  Wikipedia is usually pretty good, but it is done by volunteers and the information it gives is not necessarily always correct.

I have never found anything incorrect with Wikipedia except for what they say about the Christian faith.  The information it gives is never completely wrong, but it is never correctly right either.  That is what false teachers/prophets do, not meaning that Wikipedia is a false teacher.

7 The amount
The amount of money a casino makes per day varies greatly. It can depend on the casino itself, the location, and the days of the week.
The yearly revenue for a casino can vary just as much. The Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada makes around $5.777 billion dollars as of 2010.

The next highest grossing casino’s is Atlantic City, New Jersey. The gross roughly $3.573 billion dollars a year.

The casino’s that are highest after Atlantic City are Chicagoland, Illinois.

My advice though is to never go to Wikipedia with an answer about Jesus, the answer you are looking for is in the Bible and if you can’t understand that ask of God (Jas 1:5) and if you can’t hear Him then more than likely the answer you are seeking is not important, at least not at that time.

If you cling to Jesus at all times, then you will see.  He will guide you, He will correct you, He will show you many things and you will be amazed.

The Seven Deadly Sins

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a classification of vices  that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct Christians concerning fallen humanity’s tendency to sin.

8 WrathWrath – is an emotion related to one’s psychological interpretation of having been offended, wronged, or denied. Often it indicates when one’s basic boundaries are violated. Some have a learned tendency to react to anger through retaliation.

9 GreedGreed – also known as avarice, cupidity or covetousness, is the inordinate desire to possess wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value with the intention to keep it for one’s self, far beyond the dictates of basic survival and comfort. It is applied to a markedly high desire for and pursuit of wealth, status, and power.

10 SlothSloth – refers to laziness.  And is defined as spiritual or emotional apathy, neglecting what God has spoken, and being physically and emotionally inactive. It can also be either an outright refusal or merely a carelessness in the performance of one’s obligations, especially spiritual, moral or legal obligations.

 

11 PridePride – an inwardly directed emotion that carries two common meanings. With a negative connotation, pride refers to an inflated sense of one’s personal status or accomplishments, often used synonymously with hubris.

 

 

12 LustLust – an emotion or feeling of intense desire in the body. The lust can take any form such as the lust for knowledge, the lust for sex or the lust for power. It can take such mundane forms as the lust for food as distinct from the need for food.

 

13 EnvyEnvy – from Latin invidia is an emotion which occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it.

 

 

14 GluttonyGluttony – derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste.

 

 

15 Americas fifth
America’s fifth-most-sinful city: Milwaukee

Milwaukee puts the “sin” in “Wisconsin,” with Gluttony representing the community’s biggest moral failing — at least according to CDC obesity rates.

The Brew City’s long winters and good beer have apparently teamed up to help make 32.1% of Milwaukee residents obese.

“There’s a lot of beer there, and you know that stuff can pack on the pounds,” Nelson says. “I’m a good example of that.”

Wisconsin’s largest city also ranks 14th for Envy, 16th for Pride and Sloth and 18th for Wrath.
On the plus side, Milwaukee only comes in at 40th place for Greed and 62nd place for Lust.

16 Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh -America’s fourth-most-sinful city
The sins of Pride and Sloth will definitely test your mettle if you move to the Steel City.

Movato found that Pittsburgh places sixth among communities studied in terms of Pride, with one cosmetic surgeon practicing there for every 3,170 residents. The city also comes in ninth for Sloth, with the CDC estimating 28.4% of Pittsburghers are inactive.

Among other sins, Pittsburgh ranks 14th for Greed, 20th for Lust, 26th for Wrath and 27th for Gluttony.

But residents do score low on Envy, placing just 66th among the 95 cities that Movoto studied.

17 Minneapolis
Minneapolis – America’s third-most-sinful city:
Sloth is big in the Mini Apple.

The CDC estimates 30% of Minneapolis residents are inactive — a rate second only that of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Lust and Pride are also twin winners in the Twin City, with Minneapolis placing 10th in the Movoto study for both. The community also ranks 15th for Gluttony, 23rd for Wrath, 31st for Greed and 37th for Envy.

18 Orlando
Orlando – America’s second-most-sinful city:
Disney (DIS_) World’s hometown isn’t Mickey Mouse when it comes to sin.

Orlando ties St. Louis for third place in terms of Sloth, with an estimated 28.8% of local residents considered inactive. The Florida city also places fifth for Envy and Pride, 11th for Lust, 19th for Wrath and 24th for Gluttony.

On the other hand, Orlando residents are far less Goofy when it comes to Greed. Movoto says the city only comes in at 48th place for that deadly sin.

19 Americas most
America’s most-sinful city: St Louis

Pretty much the only thing that’s saintly about St. Louis is its name, according to Movoto’s study.
The site found that the Gateway to the West places No. 2 for Wrath and Envy, with 20 violent crimes and 65 property incidents per year for every 1,000 St. Louis residents.

Only rough-and-tumble Detroit scores worse on those measures among cities Movoto looked at. “The two things that really put St. Louis at the top of the list are thefts and violent crimes,” Nelson says.

St. Louis also places third for Sloth, ninth for Pride and 24th for Gluttony.

On the upside, the city only comes in 40th place for Greed and 95th place — dead last — for Lust. Nelson says that’s because no strip joints operate within St. Louis city limits.

…labor and welfare in the Ancient World.

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