Message summary: Today there are many voices clamoring for our attention claiming to be true. There's a lot of fake news so discernment will be an increasing challenge. But Paul states, "Let no one deceive you in any way" which is an ongoing warning to all who follow Christ.

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"Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come" (2 Thessalonians 2:1,2).

I received an email this morning informing me that my "McAfee Total Protection" plan had been renewed. Well, I don't have a "McAfee Total Protection" plan. It is a totally fake, scam type email I receive every so often. It was from a random gmail address and told me I was charged $310.00. The sender, Janna, was polite though, ending with "Gratefully". I suppose she would be grateful if I fell for it and called the number provided to give her my credit card information!

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 provides an  interpretive challenge. Paul alludes to verbal teachings he had shared with the Thessalonians when he was with them in person but these messages are not recorded in writing. “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?” (v.5).

Today we have many means of listening to a recorded message; a transcript, tape, CD and now of course many messages are on YouTube. But try searching on YouTube for "Paul's first messages to the Thessalonian church in Acts".

Pastor David Guzik points out, "The challenge in understanding this chapter comes from the fact that it is a supplement to what Paul has already taught the Thessalonians in words, and we don’t know exactly what Paul said to them."

This teaching “concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him” was dealt with in Paul's first letter in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. (We dealt with this passage in a series of messages last month.)  But further clarification was needed due to bad teaching (fake news) that was coming their way "to the effect that the day of the Lord has come”.

This was causing great distress and they were being shaken in mind and alarmed and understandably so. Imagine the sense that you had missed out on Christ's coming!

The center part of the text today is instructive since we deal with the same today and in a sense more so. "Not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us".

This indicates there were three sources of deceptive teaching causing confusion to the Thessalonians:

1) A spirit - This may refer to the claim of some to a prophetic utterance made in the power of the Spirit of God. There were evidently those in the church with the gift of prophecy, but the church and the leaders were to carefully examine and accept only what was from God. In other words, was it in keeping with both the Old Testament and that which they heard from Paul, an apostle. That's the same today but we have the entire New Testament as a guide. We need to reject what does not line up with Scripture no matter how "spiritual" it may be delivered.

2) A spoken word - This may have been a preacher either from within or outside the church who was teaching false doctrine and causing distress. Some are very persuasive and gifted as speakers but again, we need to reject that which does not line up with Scripture.

3) A letter seeming to be from us - This to me is the most dangerous. Someone was attempting to use the credibility of Paul to advance their cause. How convincing this would be and what would have been the signs of a forged letter at this age is unknown. But now, especially with Artificial Intelligence, a whole new level of deception is coming our way with video and audio practically indiscernible from the genuine.

All of the above are illustrative of fake news, a term that's been popularly used in recent years but is actually an ancient problem.

Today there are many voices clamoring for our attention claiming to be true. There's a lot of fake news and discernment will be an increasing challenge. In the very next verse 1 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul states, "Let no one deceive you in any way" which will be the basis of our message tomorrow.

B e encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13