2 Thessalonians 2:1-12--The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
​English Standard Version

The Man of Lawlessness
2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 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. 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, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 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. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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Many people today still wonder who the Antichrist will be and how he will be recognized when it is time for his appearing.  Should we as Christians be looking for the Antichrist before the return of Christ for His Church, or will Christ return first in what we call the Rapture of the Church?  These were questions that were on the minds of the Thessalonians, especially since they did not get to spend as much time with Paul as they wanted.  They wrote to Paul asking these questions, and Paul wrote them back with his teaching and instruction, which is also for us today, since the answers have not changed.

Paul told the Church gathered in Thessalonica to not be concerned about having missed the second coming of Christ when we will be gathered together to Him (the Rapture).  Many were trying to deceive the early Church Christians to make them believe that there would be a secret rapture that could be missed, or that it was only going to happen spiritual, but not physically, but Paul said that this ingathering would not happen unless the time of rebellion and lawlessness comes first (this is good evidence for those who believe in a mid-Tribulation Rapture.

Not only will there be a time of lawlessness that will get worse and worse as we get closer and close to the Day of the Lord, but there will be a "man of lawlessness" that will lead this final rebellion against the Lord and His people called the Antichrist.  He is called the "son of perdition" or the "son of destruction," because he is predestined to not believe (the same phraseology was used of Judas Iscariot because he was predestined to be a type of antichrist, but there will be another like him that the devil will once again possess and will deceive many people).  He will try to cause others to worship him as God, even making an image of himself in the Temple of the LORD to be worshiped by all the peoples of the world.  It is by this abomination that the Jews will recognize him.

Though there is only one man who will be the Antichrist, the spirit of antichrist is at work in the world today, but is being restrained by the work of the Holy Spirit within the Church (this is the verse that many who ascribe to a pre-tribulation Rapture ascribe to say that the restraining force must be removed, and that restraining force must be the Holy Spirit's work through the Church, so the Church must be removed by way of the Rapture, but that goes against Paul's teaching a few verses earlier and the idea that he is telling the Church to be on the lookout for the Antichrist.  There would be no need to look for him if all the Christians would be removed before his appearing).  The spirit of antichrist has been at work since the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden--it is any spirit that encourages us to worship man or the creature rather than God the Creator.

At the time that the rebellion comes to fruition, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will come back and destroy the Antichrist and all those who took His side with the breath of His mouth--the same Word that spoke everything into existence will speak the destruction of all those who oppose Him. 

Though it will not be obvious to all those who are deceived, the kingdom of Antichrist is the kingdom of the devil.  The devil will be the supernatural power behind the Antichrist, and Satan will allow the Antichrist to perform many false miracles, signs and wonder (including a false resurrection).  These are meant to deceive those who are of the world and have disbelieved, and he would hope even to deceive the Elect, if possible, though the Lord will protect those who belong to Him from being deceived.  Those who have chosen not to believe the gospel will be sent strong delusions so that those who have made their choice will have to live with it.  They will believe the lies and will not believe the truth.  Their decision has been made.  Therefore, do not put off until tomorrow the decision that the Lord is giving to you today to repent and believe.  You never know when you will die and not get that decision again or when this time of deception and delusion will come, and you will no longer have another chance.  Refusal to say "yes" when you know "yes" is the right answer is a choice to say "no," and that may be a choice you have to live with forever and ever.