After clarifying the judgment that will occur when Jesus returns, Paul turns to another issue related to the return of Jesus – the man of lawlessness:
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 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. 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, 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” (2 Thess 2:1-4).
It is easy to forget that the two Thessalonian letters were probably the first of Paul’s letters to his churches. So this church was under constant attack from Jews and heathens not that long after Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul had already been jailed and the Thessalonian church was under constant attack as well. Imagine the plots that were framed and are still being framed to take the church down!
One plot seems to have been a letter sent to these new, untested believers, saying that the Lord had already come, implying that these souls had been left behind to suffer and go to hell. And it appears that at least some in the church have fallen for the trick and are terrified. We see twisted narratives like this in our culture today.
But Paul rejects the claim that Jesus has returned by saying that first “the” rebellion must occur, in which “the” man of lawlessness must be revealed, taking his seat in the Jewish Temple, claiming himself to be God.
“Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 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. 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” (2 Thess 2:5-8).
This is chilling in comparison with our own times. Lawlessness is surely at work in our time, and we feel anxiety in a manner similar to the Thessalonians wherever our faith is pure but wobbly. So we too should be comforted by what comes next:
“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. 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” (2 Thess 2:9-12).
This is another reason why rebuilding the perfect unity Jesus prayed for is so important now. We can see the lawlessness and the belief in what is false, because God is showing us the delusion he is using to condemn the lawless ones.
In uncertain times, Paul says that we must gather together in perfect unity by remembering that God’s plan is unfolding even now, and evil will be overcome by the breath, the Spirit, of God, issued by Jesus himself.
Hurry back for Part 2!