Today's Passage - 2 Thess 2:5-8

2 Thessalonians 2: 5-8 Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. Paul specifically mentioned here the barriers caused by the "man of lawlessness" or the anti-Christ, in particular the barriers to the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can change the hearts of men and turn them towards Jesus Christ as well as lift up the victorious power of Christ. On the other hand, when the power of Christ is lifted up, the work of the enemy cannot move forward. Hence the work of the Holy Spirit is to stop the work of the anti-Christ. The Holy Spirit will continuously work in the hearts of men to bring them to repentance. Once the work of the Holy Spirit stops, men will not have the opportunity to be forgiven, and are prone to the attacks from the spirit of the anti-Christ. Hence, Jesus once said, "Every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." When a person blasphemy against God, he can repent for it when the Holy Spirit touches him; However, when a person blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will no longer touch him and he will not have the opportunity to be saved. Before Paul was saved, his name was Saul. On his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians there, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. Paul blasphemed against God and persecuted Christians before he came to know the Lord. However, on the road to Damascus, the light of the Holy Spirit shone upon him and led him to repentance, turning him towards Jesus Christ. Later on, he became a Christian and became one of the apostles of the kingdom of God. When the light of the Holy Spirit shone, Paul was touched and he repented and his sins were forgiven. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is at work in this generation and throughout the world. We see a huge harvest of God around the world. The work of the devil was being blocked and limited by the Holy Spirit. However, when the work of the Holy Spirit ceases, the power and the spirit of the anti-Christ will start to manifest and lure the hearts of men away. But praise be to God, He promises that when He returns, the work of the devil will be destroyed. The light of glory on His second coming will eliminate all darkness. Hallelujah! This is the hope that we have in Christ. May God help us to hold fast to this hope in our daily lives and depend on the work of Holy Spirit in order to preach the gospel. Pray with Pastor Tong Lord, thank you that you allow us to depend on you and believe in you. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who gives us the opportunity to share the gospel and reap the harvest. Help us Lord to seize the opportunity and work hard to preach the gospel so that others may come to know you. Because when the time comes and the work of the Holy Spirit ceases, the spirit of the anti-Christ will be at work. But one day, you will return and destroy the work of the devil. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!  Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - We have almost reached our Phase I Target!  Click here to donate online.