Introduction
Several verses from our previous lesson.
2 Thessalonians 2:2-4 NLT
2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 NLT
Prophecy Regarding the Day of the Lord
6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
Examine the Scriptures:
2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 NLT
Prophecy Regarding the Day of the Lord
6 And you know what is holding him (the man of lawlessness) back,
The day of the Lord.
3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.
The man of lawlessness:
An individual characterized by complete opposition to God.
An individual who is often identified as the Antichrist.
An individual who is later called “the son of destruction.”
An individual who represents the climax of human rebellion.
- There is currently a restraining force preventing the full revelation of the “man of lawlessness.”
- Paul does not explicitly identify the present restraint of the man of lawlessness.
for he can be revealed only when his time comes.
- The “man of lawlessness” cannot appear until God permits it.
7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly,
- Lawlessness is already at work in ways that are hidden from us.
The antichrist could be someone we already know.
1 John 2:18 NLT
Warning about Antichrists
18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.
“The last hour,” as used here refers to the time between Christ’s first coming and His return.
1 John 4:3 NLT
3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
1 John 3:4 NLT
4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:2 (repeated)
2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those (false teachers) who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.
Ephesians 2:2 NLT
2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
1 Peter 5:8 NLT
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Lions quietly stalk their prey, often at night, dusk, or dawn when visibility is low.
They use tall grass, bushes, and terrain as cover to avoid being seen.
- The spirit behind the future Antichrist is already influencing the world.
and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
This lawlessness will exist in ways that we are not aware of.
8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
The man of lawlessness will be revealed.
- The man of lawlessness will exercise great authority, temporarily.
- Despite his impressiveness, the man of lawlessness will be destroyed by Christ.
The power of Christ’s presence when he comes to earth will immobilize the antichrist’s program.
Christ will destroy the man of lawlessness:
with the breath of his mouth,
and the splendor of his coming.
9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.
- The man of lawlessness is deceptive and will operate with power and signs and miracles.
Don’t underestimate the power of the antichrist.
The man of lawlessness is empowered by Satan.
Evil can be made to look good.
People will stand in awe of him.
Matthew 24:24 NLT
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction,
It will appear to unbelievers at that time that he is indeed God.
He will be able to pass himself off as God and will receive worship as God.
because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.
Deliberate rejection of the truth.
The truth:
John 14:6 NLT
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Ephesians 1:13 NLT
13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.
Notice the progression:
Truth is available
They reject it
They become vulnerable to deception (next verse)
They perish
11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.
Because of their deliberate rejection of the truth:
Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false… (ESV)
For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie (NIV)
- God will cause those who refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them to be greatly deceived.
They will believe: (verse 4)
4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
Romans 1:18-29 NLT
God’s Anger at Sin
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. …
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
John 3:18-19 NLT
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.
Romans 10:9-10 NLT
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
- Those who reject the truth and enjoy evil are judged by being left to the consequences of their sin.
