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The History of the Ages – Lesson 191

Less than a year later, Paul writes II Thessalonians while still in Corinth. This is around AD 53. The content of this letter parallels the first. In this letter Paul encourages the church to be steadfast in persecution; describes, more specifically, events preceding the Second Coming; illustrates the stability of a Christ-centered life, compared to the instability of a world rushing towards it’s own destruction; and encourages these believers to reject worldliness and live by the principles of Christ.

As we saw in the last lesson, Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica drew a distinction between the rapture and the second coming and contained distinct, new revelation regarding the rapture. Now, some 9 months or so later, Paul writes a second letter to assure them of the fact that the second coming had not taken place already. Evidently for some reason they thought it might have. 

As in the last lesson, we won’t look at the usual more personal aspects (the salutations, encouragements and exhortations) and concentrate on the doctrinal issues. This is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. “Now, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to meet Him, we ask you, brethren, that you be neither disturbed or alarmed, whether it be by some (false) spirit, (wrong) teaching or letter said to be from us, saying the day of the Lord had already arrived.”

So, Paul gives us three possible reasons why they may have thought both the second coming and the rapture had already taken place: a prophecy or revelation given by a pretended spirit communication, a deceptive teaching or a counterfeit letter believed to have been from Paul (maybe it was all three). Then in verses 3-12 he sets their minds at ease by explaining two events that must take place before the second coming. And while doing that, he also inserts the rapture in its proper place to show them it had not taken place either. 

“Don’t let anyone lead you astray by any of these things, because that great day will not come until the predicted falling away, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to eternal destruction.” (Verse 3) The first thing that has to happen is the “falling away”. This is from apostasia, literally, to stand from or away, to revolt or defect. The noun form apostasion is translated “divorce” in Matthew 5:31 and 19:7.  

Most dictionaries define it as a departure, renunciation or abandonment of a religion. However, without getting into the finer points of the intransitive use of this word here in verse 3, the fact is that in this case it does not define one who departs from where he is to go somewhere else, but rather has chosen from the beginning to stay away. In other words, apostasia in verse 3 is not departing from the faith; it is choosing to never accept the faith in the first place – an important distinction (for instance, the Amplified Bible, unfortunately, says it’s the “falling away of those who have professed to be Christians”).  I’ll say more about this, as we get further into Paul’s explanation.

Then, the second thing that has to happen is that the “man of lawlessness” has to be revealed. This is the Antichrist and Paul describes him in some detail here (we look at him in even more detail when we get to Revelation 13). But for now, lets see what Paul says about him here. If I counted them correctly, there are 14 things here Paul uses to both describe the Antichrist and other circumstances related him and to the second coming.

1. He is called the “man of sin” (verse 3), where “sin” is anoma, meaning, without law, used to describe someone who is in open, flagrant defiance of God (some versions correctly call him the “man of lawlessness).
2. He is also called “the son of perdition” (verse 3). Here, the word “perdition” is from apoleia, the loss of wellbeing (not the loss of being), signifying eternal ruin (verse 3). The description “son of perdition” describes his destiny as one predetermined to eternal punishment, as are any who give themselves over to Satan (Judas is a “son of perdition” in John 17:12). 
3. He will “oppose” God (verse 4). This is from antikeimai, to be opposite, adverse or contrary. While God represents everything that is good and righteous, the Antichrist represents all that is evil and unjust.
4. He will “exalt himself above everything that is God” (verse 4), where “exalt is huperairo, used in the middle voice to signify exalting oneself exceedingly or disrespectfully above all that God represents.
5. He will allow himself to become an object of worship (verse 4). In this verse the words “that is worshiped” is translated from sebasma, the object of worship or veneration.
6. He will be worshiped in the future Jewish temple in Jerusalem (verse 4). This is predicted several times in the Old Testament and described in John’s Revelation. It will be a critical turning point in the middle of the 7-year tribulation period.
7. He will proclaim himself to be the one true God (verse 4). With reference to points 4 through 7, there is a past historical parallel to this future event. In 167 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes plundered the temple in Jerusalem and ordered that he be worshiped with sacrifices and offerings to be made on a regular basis in his honor. 
8. There is something restraining the Antichrist from being revealed, because there is an appointed time for that (verse 6).   
9. The next several points have to do with what is keeping the Antichrist from being revealed during this age (some call it the church age, some the times of the Gentiles, it is the time from the first coming of Christ to the earth to His second coming). The first thing Paul says about this is that a “mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (verse 7). This is an interesting phrase. “Mystery” is musterion, here I’ll spare you the details of the derivation of this word and just say that it came to be used to describe something secret or hidden in either the political or religious realm. Paul uses it to illustrate something hidden from human sight and, therefore, understanding, known only through revelation by God (compare 1 Corinthians 2:7). In context then, the “mystery of lawlessness” that Paul says is already present is a hidden or unseen rebellion against God’s authority. I’ll mention that “already” is ede, and means, “now”. This is referring to the ancient and ongoing rebellion of Satan and those in the sprit realm that chose to follow him in their quest to challenge God and spoil His plan for the ages.
10. Then he says this rebellion is restrained only until “he who restrains is taken out of the way.” (Verse 7) There are several theories as to the identity of the “he” in this verse. For now I’ll just say the only scripturally accurate one identifies “he” as the church universal. In a later lesson we’ll look at everything the New Testament says about this and debunk the various positions others may take. But for now, “he who restrains” is the church and the time “he” is “taken out of the way” is the rapture.
11. The Lord will destroy the Antichrist at the time of His second coming (verse 8). This is described in Revelation 19:20 when the Antichrist (called the beast here) and the false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire at Armageddon.
12. The Antichrist is Satan’s last attempt to set up a dictator (a man) who controls the world’s governments in a final, open attempt to foment a complete rebellion against God on the earth. To do this, he gives the Antichrist his own power, throne and authority (Revelation 13:2).  Remember, Satan is called the god, the prince and the ruler of this world. The result is the Antichrist has: “all power”, all the words derived from the stem duna- have the same basic meaning, being able or capable, the inference is that Satan gives the Antichrist the ability to do anything; “signs” is semeion, a miracle that shows the extraordinary power of the doer and his connection to the higher, spiritual realm; and “wonders” is teras, an unusual, strange or inexplicable event assumed to have a divine origin – then a “lying wonder” is an event with the specific purpose of deception, making one think it was God, when it is not; and “all deceit of unrighteousness”, where “deceit” is apate, that which gives a false impression, here signifying all manner of immoral words and deeds designed to deceive (verses 9 and 10).  
13. Only “those who are perishing” will follow the Antichrist because they “refused to love the Truth, that they might be saved.” This is the apostasy of verse 3 above. Those who are perishing do not abandon the truth; they refused to love it in the first place (verse 10).
14. This is Paul’s conclusion, “Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so they will believe the lie and so all will be condemned who have not believed the Truth, but took pleasure in their own wickedness.” (Verses 11 and 12) “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) However, this principle is illustrated over and over in the Old Testament: when men persist in rebellion against God, to the point of taking pleasure in their rebellion, God backs off, lets them have what they want, but makes sure the world knows and understands the result of their rebellion, which is, their eternal destruction.