The Man Of Lawlessness { 2 Thessalonians 2}
12:30 AM
Paul opens this chapter by talking about the future " coming of the Lord" and he reminds the church that God has a timetable of events that will play out. One of the big events will be the revealing of " the man of lawlessness".
Who is this " man of lawlessness?
He is the Antichrist. He is the opposite of Christ and Paul reveals a lot about him in this chapter.
1. He is the son of destruction.
God represents creation and newness of life. The antichrist will bring death, and desolation.
2.He will make himself a god and oppose the true God.
“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.”
3. He will be given power from Satan and he will specialize in deception.
“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (9-10)
I heard the other day someone say that the devil speaks 97% truth. That's not a quote from the Bible but it does illustrate well how Satan operates. This is why we have to be faithful in studying God's Word. God's Word gives us the full truth so that we can recognize Satan's sometimes subtle and crafty distortions of that truth.
4. The antichrist represents that man has a choice. Those who submit to the antichrist choose to embrace the lawlessness he represents. By doing so, they choose to ignore truth and reject Christ. When that choice is made, God lets their minds reap the consequences of rejecting Him and His truth.
“Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (11-12)
The " man of lawlessness" will usher in a very troubling time when many will be deceived and ultimately reject God. But Paul doesn't leave us dwelling on such a bleak and sad situation. He reminds us who we belong to and that we were "chosen" to be receivers of God's blessings,favor, and righteousness.
“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (13-14)
He encourages us to stand firm in what we've been taught.
“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” (15)
Many are getting caught up in predictions of " the end times" and some even obsessively dwell on and worry about what is coming. I think it is good to know what God's Word teaches about end times and to be prepared spiritually for Christ's return. I also think it is important to remember that no matter what the future holds, God is ultimately in control. We need to encourage and support each other. In the end, Christ will overcome evil. “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.” (8) " Bring to nothing" ....how comforting is that?
0 comments