The Man of Lawlessness

If you have a Bible, go ahead and grab it. We’re in 2 Thessalonians 2 this evening. Tonight we are going to be looking at what I believe is the most difficult section of Scripture out of the entire 2 letters to the Thessalonians. Tonight we are going to address the reality and to an extent the identity of someone that Paul refers to as the Man of Lawlessness and how he relates to the second coming of Christ. Who is this person? And why does Paul spend 12 verses discussing him? He is an important figure in history and you may know him by a different title and that is the title of “The Antichrist.” What I want to do tonight is look at many of the places where the Bible references the Antichrist just so we can begin to paint a picture of who and what we should look out for, should the Lord decide to return in our lifetime. I want to look at 4 things tonight and I will try to leave us some time at the end for questions if you have some. Here’s the 4 things that we are going to look at: 1. Who is the Man of Lawlessness? 2. What will he do? 3. When will he come? 4. How can we prepare? So, as you can see, we’ve got a lot to cover and not a whole lot of time to do it so let’s go ahead and open up in prayer and then we will read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 ESV

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. 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. 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.

Who is the Man of Lawlessness?

So, let’s talk identity. Who is this person that Paul refers to as the Man of Lawlessness. The title man of lawlessness and Antichrist are interchangeable. I believe that Paul is referring to the same person so for the most part, I’ll just refer to him as the antichrist. The Bible also refers to this figure as the Abomination of Desolation in Daniel 12 and Matthew 24. The Apostle John also refers to him as the Beast in the book of Revelation. All through history, people have made an attempt to identify who this antichrist is. Almost anytime a major war happens, people start pointing at individuals who may fit the mold. Certainly during World War 2, you had a fair amount of people that attempted to identify Hitler as the Man of Lawlessness, especially considering his treatment of the Jewish people but Hitler came and went, as have other, let’s just call them what they are: horrible people. In the times of the Apostles and the early church you had Roman dictators like Nero and Domitian and Marcus Aurelius that were frequently connected to the antichrist but they too came and went and Christ did not return. Based off of what we have read here from Paul, what can we piece together concerning who the Antichrist is? Maybe it would be easier by saying who the Antichrist isn’t. The Antichrist is not Satan and is not a lesser demon. He has a great demonic influence and presence, but I believe that it is clear that the Antichrist is not a demon. He is a real person, a real man. The title that Paul uses, the Man of Lawlessness, also shows that this person believes that he stands above God and above the Law. He answers to no one and positions himself above any and all things. Paul makes this clear in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 when he says that the Antichrist is the one “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.” So, we know that the Antichrist, when he comes, will be a real person with a real set agenda that rejects God, law, and authority. Even worse than all that, this person will not only reject God, he will proclaim himself as God. The Antichrist is a false Christ. He will be the final culmination of what Christ warns about in Matthew 24:23-24

Matthew 24:23–24 (ESV)

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

This man is sent with the purpose of causing chaos and destruction and he is empowered and sent by Satan himself. Satan’s greatest desire as his time begins to run out is to try and take as many people with him as possible and one of the greatest tools in his belt to do that will be the Antichrist. The Antichrist exists to lead the world and if possible the Church astray. He will be a king of deception. No one in history will have the power to deceive like the Antichrist will because Satan is so greatly empowering them with the ability to produce false signs and wonders. Paul says in verse 10 that “All wicked deception” will be found in him. John Piper said, “He is empowered and driven by Satan, animated by Satan, serving Satan, accomplishing Satan’s purposes in vain.” So, can we actually identify this person? Can we put a name to him? As we saw earlier, people have attempted to do this for thousands of years but have not been successful. However, I think that when the time comes, it will be clear to all believers who he is and I think one way that will be clear is by our next point and that is what the Antichrist will do.

What Will the Antichrist Do?

In some ways we have already answered this as we have described who the antichrist is. When the antichrist comes, he comes with a set purpose. He is coming to deceive and lead astray, he is coming to oppose God and exalt himself and he will take his seat in the temple of God and proclaim himself to be God. Now what does this seat in the temple of God mean? Depending on how you interpret this, some people believe that the time will come when the temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt and this is the temple that is being referred to. Now that could be the case but I am not entirely convinced that this is what it means. The main reason that I disagree with this is because the Antichrist is coming to reject Christ and put himself in the place of Christ but the Jewish people have already rejected Christ to an extent. Yes, I do believe that a day will come where we will see a large number of Jewish people coming to faith in Christ but for now, the Jewish people have already rejected Jesus as God so does it make sense for the antichrist to set himself up within the Jewish temple? He may or he may not, I’m not going to make a definitive statement one way or the other because no matter where he may set himself up, it will be clear to believers who this person is. I think that I hold the view of GK Beale, a great theologian and pastor who has written a number of commentaries on 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Revelation, and I think that where Paul refers to the temple of God, he is actually making a reference to the church. I think that when the Antichrist comes, he will seek to lead followers of Christ away from their faith and the best place to do that is within the church. So, it may very well be the pope at some point or someone similar. It could likely be someone that at first appears very religious and slips into the church unnoticed. Now, however the antichrist comes into play, to those who have been waiting and watching as we are called to do, we will know him when he comes. What else then will the Antichrist do? We know that he comes to lead people astray and we know that he comes to exalt himself. We also know that he is coming to destroy and persecute the people of God. Daniel 7:25 “He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.” This all lines up with the great tribulation that we spoke about back in 1 Thessalonians 5. Jesus warns about this tribulation and about the persecution that will come from that tribulation in Matthew 24:21-22

Matthew 24:21–22 (ESV)

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

The tribulation will come to an end for the sake of those that belong to Christ. The final tribulation will not be an eternal tribulation. On Heaven’s calendar, there is a start and an end date and God is ultimately sovereign over both points. As God’s people we are to look for God’s intervention in all things. If we had time, we could look in more detail as to what the role of the Antichrist will be but I think that we have covered the basics of what he will do and what his purpose will be in the grand scheme of eternity. Let’s look at the next big question: When will the antichrist come?

When Will the Antichrist Come?

What’s the simple answer to this question? No one truly knows but we will know when it happens. Now you might think, “That’s a stupid answer! Give me something more concrete! I need events, I need times, I need hours!” Remember what Paul told the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5, the times and the seasons are not for us to know. But Paul does give us a little more information here in 2 Thessalonians 2. According to verses 2 and 3, the day of the Lord, the second coming of Christ, will not occur until the rebellion and the antichrist comes first. When the antichrist comes, we know that Christ is not far behind and this in itself is an encouragement to all believers that will be on earth at that time. We also know that the antichrist will not come until God allows him to. 2 Thessalonians 2:6 “And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.” The Spirit of God is restraining the power of the antichrist at this very moment and will continue to do so until the proper time has come. Regardless of when this moment comes, we are still to be ready. We are to be searching. We are to be awake and searching the Word of God so that we can be prepared. Now I want to share with you 2 verses that both say the same thing. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 “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.” Then later on, John writes in 1 John 4:3

1 John 4:3 (ESV)

and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

What do these 2 verses say? It says that in a way, the spirit of the antichrist is already here. From the moment that Christ rose from the dead, Satan and the spirit of the antichrist has been at work. G.C. Berkouwer wrote, “Suddenly we are confronted by a number of antichrists, not as something in a distant future, but as a present reality. The actuality—whether of “antichrist” or “antichrists”—looms large. All of it is summarized in one unmistakable characterization that would seem to rule out any possibility of doubt: “This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son”. How is this to be reconciled? A common solution is to distinguish between “forerunners” (antichrists) and the antichrist. The “antichrists” are presently with us; the “antichrist” will appear at the end of history.” There will be a culmination at the end where all the evil of the spirit of the antichrist which has plagued the faithful of God for thousands of years will be brought together in one person. But we as the people of God should not be surprised because Satan and the spirit of the antichrist has plagued us for thousands of years. The church is being tested and tried and the greatest test is still to come but all that truly belong to Christ will endure to the end. The antichrist should not catch us off guard because his spirit has plagued the church for years and plagues us even now. So, if the spirit of the antichrist is already at work and the great culmination of that spirit is still to come, what can we do now to prepare? If there is even a small chance that Christ could return in our lifetime, shouldn’t we be prepared?

How Can we Prepare?

I think one of the most important things that we can do is remind ourselves that even in the midst of tribulation, even as the antichrist and Satan run rampant on the Earth, God is still in control. Even in the darkest days of tribulation, God is still sovereign and God is still on the throne. God is exactly where He is supposed to be. James Montgomery Boice said, “Jesus Christ is God. Jesus is the Lord of history. He is the God of detailed circumstance. Nothing has ever happened that has not flowed in the channel that God has dug for it. There has never been any events that have flamed up in spite of God to leave Him astonished or confused. The sin of man has reduced the world to an arena of passion and fury. Men tear at each other’s throats. Yet in the midst of the history of which Jesus Christ is Lord, each individual who has believed in Him as the Savior will know the power of His resurrection and will learn that events, however terrible, cannot separate us from the love of God.” The antichrist will be brought to nothing at the appearance of our Lord and Savior. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 “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.” I mentioned a while ago that when we think of the Battle of Armagedon, we think of it as this long, drawn out affair with no clear winners because there is so much destruction and there will be much destruction but what we also need to understand is that when Christ comes, it’s all over. We need to be reminded that the victory already belongs to the Lord. John writes in Revelation 19:19-21

Revelation 19:19–21 (ESV)

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

The time will come when all unrighteousness, Satan and all the forces of evil, will be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where they will be tormented day and night forever and will no longer have any influence on the world. Satan is a defeated foe but he is going to lash out and try to take as much with him as possible. We know that Satan is going to do this so what we need to do now is stand firm. Ephesians 6:10-13

Ephesians 6:10–13 (ESV)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

With just a couple minutes that we have left, I want to talk quickly about 3 points:

Our strength to endure comes from God alone

The first point is that our strength and ability to endure comes from God alone. It is through God working in us and His strength that we are able to endure. If it were not for God preserving us and empowering us, we wouldn’t stand a chance. The way that believers will be able to endure to the end is because we serve a God who loves us and empowers us. This doesn’t mean that life will always be easy but what it does mean is that we know the One that will be able to see us and empower us through it.

The Christian fight is a spiritual fight

The next point that we need to remember is that our battle on this earth is not with our neighbor. We are not at war with unbelievers, we are not haters of our enemies, our fight is a spiritual fight. We should pray that all we come to the knowledge of the truth and come to faith in Christ. We should strive with all our might to reach every single person with the Gospel. Our battle is not with flesh and blood, it is with the spiritual forces of evil. This doesn’t mean that Satan does not use mankind to fight against the church. Paul recognized that and I’m sure you have already noticed that. John Calvin wrote, “Our nature carries us wildly away against the men themselves; but this foolish desire will be restrained as by a tight rein by the consideration that the men who annoy us are nothing more than darts thrown by the hand of Satan.” Our battle is not with the man but with the one that has tempted the man. Our battle is with the one that is behind the curtain.

Stand firm in the good and the bad

One last reminder that I will share is that God has called us to stand firm both in the good and the bad. We are to stand firmly on the truths of the Gospel and in the strength of the Lord our God whether we are on the mountaintop or in the valley. Whether we are abounding or whether we are persecuted, our stance must remain the same. Our confidence must rest solely in Jesus Christ because He alone is our source of strength and salvation. We must remember that Jesus saved us in eternity past, he is saving us in eternity present, and he will save us to the end in eternity future. If we want to endure, if we want to be able to go through the great tribulation should it come in our lifetime, the only way we will be able to is through the strength of His might. So I call on each one of us this day to stand firm. I don’t know what you are going through right now but I do know that if you are a Christian, Satan has his eyes on you. He wants you to fall, he wants you to fail, stand firm. Next week we will talk more about what it means for us to stand firm in the faith. The battle belongs to the Lord and He has already won so stand firmly in His victory and His abilities. You can’t save yourself but you can fully trust the One who has decisively overcome the world. Are you able to do that? If not, I call on you this day to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, put your faith in Him, and stand firm in His Word and in His power. Let’s pray.