House of Hope Online

May 31, 2026

Here is a link to the podcast audio:

Or, if you prefer to listen on Spotify, click here:

Many like to quote Jesus by using the expression “the truth will set you free.”  But a closer look at the scriptures shows that quote omits an important qualifier that Jesus used in His statement.

John 8:

 31 ¶ Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine;

 32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NASB)

So, Jesus is not saying the truth will set you free.  He is saying: “If you abide in My word…the truth shall make you free.”

Truth alone does not set you free.  In fact, often the truth hurts and causes us to react in a way that is anything but freeing.  For example, the truth about our past behavior, mistakes, or character flaws may cause us to hold these wrongs in secret to protect our self-esteem or reputation.  That is not freedom.  That is bondage.  Jesus went on in John 8 to make this very point.

John 8:

 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

The truth is we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  That truth does not set us free.  It’s embarrassing. 

So, if the truth alone does not set us free, what does?  Jesus said abiding in, that is, living in God’s word, is what allows the truth to set us free. 

What sets us free is that God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to take on our sin, to overcome our sin, and to die for our sin, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  The truth that we have sinned is not freeing, but the fact that Jesus loved us so much that He overcame and removed our sin is freeing.

Paul made this very point in the synagogue at Antioch.

Acts 13:

 38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

 40 “Take heed therefore, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon [you]:

 41 ‘BEHOLD, YOU SCOFFERS, AND MARVEL, AND PERISH; FOR I AM ACCOMPLISHING A WORK IN YOUR DAYS, A WORK WHICH YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE, THOUGH SOMEONE SHOULD DESCRIBE IT TO YOU.’”

 42 ¶ And as Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.

Verse 39 says believing in Jesus frees us.  Jesus is the Word of God.  If we abide in the Word, then the truth of the Word will set us free.  Verse 41 is a quote from Habakkuk 1:5 where the prophet spoke a condemning word over the people because of their sin.  Paul points to Jesus as the way to avoid judgment for sin.  Abiding in the Word of God will set you free.  Note in verse 42 that the people wanted to abide in God’s word by inviting Paul to speak again the next week.

If we go back to John 8, as Jesus continued to speak the truth to the Jews in this passage, they were not set free because they did not abide in His words.

John 8:

 56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw [it] and was glad.”

 57 The Jews therefore said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.

The Love of the Truth

According to Jesus, abiding in God’s word is central to our freedom.  If we abide in the Word of God, the truth will set us free.  There is love in the Word of God.  God has sent forth His word out of love for us.  Jesus is the Word, and He was sent because God loves us and wants none of us to perish.

The love of the truth of God’s word is evident in 2^nd Thessalonians 2, where Paul describes who will perish due to the deception of the antichrist, when he is revealed post-Rapture.  The people of Thessalonica were upset because false teachers put forth the notion that the Rapture had already occurred, and they missed it.  To set them straight, Paul gave some clear guidance as to the chronology of key End Times events, and in the process, the Apostle emphasizes the importance of receiving the love of the truth of God’s word.

2^nd Thessalonians 2:

 1 ¶ Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,

 2 that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

 3 ¶ Let no one in any way deceive you, for [it will not come] unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

In this passage, Paul is discussing in rapid fire the timing of 1) the Rapture, 2) the onset of the Tribulation, and 3) the Second Coming of Jesus.  He is clearly describing the Rapture in verse 1 when he uses the phrase “our gathering together to Him.”  That is a clear reference to the Apostle’s description of the Rapture in 1^st Thessalonians 4:17.

Then in verse 2, Paul talks about the “day of the Lord,” which is a reference to the Tribulation.  Remember in 1^st Thessalonians 4:16 Paul wrote that at the Rapture, we will hear a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the sound of a trumpet.  The trumpet is a war cry that calls us into formation for the Rapture, but it also signifies the commencement of God’s war against evil, which is the Tribulation, and which is referred to in scripture as the “day of the Lord.”

Then, in verse 3, Paul clearly states that the day of the Lord, or the Tribulation, will not occur until and unless the apostasy occurs first, and the man of lawlessness, or the antichrist, is revealed.  The word “apostasy” in verse 3 is the Greek word “apostasia,” which means a defection from truth, a falling away, or a forsaking of the truth of God’s word.

There is some debate in the church about the chronology of events here.  Some think Paul is saying the Rapture will not occur until the antichrist is revealed.  However, my opinion, which is based on the teachings of pastors and teachers that specialize in End Times prophecy, is that Paul is saying the Rapture occurs at some point during the apostasy but before the Tribulation begins and the antichrist is revealed.  I could argue that the apostasy has already begun, as we see many trying to dispute the truth of God’s word to justify social, cultural, and scientific trends.

Think about it, the morality of society will have to decrease to a point where the antichrist is going to be willingly accepted.  In continuing the discussion, Paul hints that what restrains the spirit of the antichrist today is going to eventually be removed.

2^nd Thessalonians 2:

 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed.

 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains [will do so] until he is taken out of the way.

 8 And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

 9 [that is,] the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

 11 And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false,

 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

Paul uses the expression “what restrains him now” in verse 6, but in verse 7, he writes “he who now restrains” will do so until he is taken out of the way.  What restrains the antichrist now is the presence of the Holy Spirit within the Christian Church.  As evil as the world is today, can you imagine the darkness here after we are removed by the Rapture from every aspect of society? From the government, from school districts, from the business world, and from the entertainment business?  Verse 8 says, once we are taken out of the way, the lawless one will be revealed, which the Lord will slay with His breath.  That is a reference to Jesus’ Second Coming, in Revelation 19:15-21 when He will smite the nations gathered against Him, and then subdue Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet.

The significance of this time period, aside from its imminence, is that great deception and evil will cause many to perish, and that brings us back to our central point of the importance and benefit of loving the truth of God’s word.

Those Who Perish

In 2^nd Thessalonians 2:10 Paul refers to “the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”

If we do not receive the love of the truth, we will perish.  The Greek word for “receive” in verse 10 is “dechomai,” which means to accept willingly and favorably, or to welcome the word of God into our lives.  In Jesus’ words, if we willingly abide in God’s word, the truth in that word will save us, or set us free from the bondage of sin and the deception of the antichrist spirit in the apostasy of today’s world.  This is critical because Paul writes that the deception of wickedness is for those who perish, because they did not willingly and favorably accept the love of the truth of God’s word, so as to be saved.

What’s more, verses 11-12 state that God will release a deluding influence on those who reject His word, so they will believe what is false.  This deluding influence will cause them to accept the outrageousness and deception of the antichrist.

It is for this reason Jesus said: “…abide in My word…and the truth shall make you free.”  The word of God will prevent us from perishing and from becoming subject to the deception of wickedness of the antichrist.

If we abide in God’s word, if we willingly accept it and welcome it into our spirits, the truth of that word will set us free.

Knowing the truth is not the same as abiding in truth.  It is not the same as receiving it with gladness.

Refusal to abide in God’s word will cause us to perish.  It will cause us to become part of the growing apostasy, the growing rebellion in this world against the word of God.

Becoming a Restrainer

Many today are celebrating that which is an abomination in the sight of God.  I am not breaking any news with that statement, as Jesus and many others have prophesied it.  As a church, we are called to be a restrainer until such time as we are removed by the Rapture.

How can we become a restrainer of evil?

We can restrain evil by speaking the truth of God’s word.  Only Jesus can defeat evil, and He will.  But we are called to be the restrainer by speaking the love of the truth from God’s word.

Become a restrainer by:

• Reading the Bible regularly (abiding in Jesus’ word).
• Believing all that is written in the pages of the Bible.
• Making no exceptions to that which is written in the Bible.
• Speaking the truth of God’s word in love.

Being a restrainer of evil does not mean we have to win the argument.  It simply means we must speak forth the truth, as Jesus did.  If we love the truth of God’s word, the Holy Spirit will help us become a restrainer.  He will give us the words to use, but He will not hold us accountable for anyone’s faith but our own.

Jesus loves us all.  His word tells us that, and His actions proved it.  Abide in His word and love truth.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for the truth of Your Word, and for Jesus, the Word made flesh who dwelt among us.  Through Jesus, everyone who believes is freed from all things.  We willingly welcome and accept the truth of Your word, which sets us free.  Help us to be the restrainer You have called us to be in the End Times, that Your Holy Spirit may draw many and save them from perishing by the deception of the antichrist spirit.  Lord, guide us and direct us in the performance of Your will.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

If anyone has not yet received the Lord Jesus Christ in their heart, and desires to do so, please repeat this prayer after me:

Father God, I repent of my sin and ask for forgiveness today.  I confess and declare with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with all my heart that You raised Him from the dead for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus, please come into my heart and change me.  Send the Holy Spirit to guide and direct me in wisdom and to enable me to overcome temptation from this day forth.  Thank You for my salvation.  I look forward to the day of the Rapture when I can be with You forever.  Amen.