The Church's Steadfast Hope In the Midst of the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2)

There was a False Teaching that Jesus already came

It’s almost like Paul is telling them to calm down. He’s already taught on the 2nd Coming in 1 Thess. 4 and reminded them at the beginning of this second letter what the judgment of God would like look at the return of Christ.

False teachings can affect people in 2 ways:

False teachings can affect people intellectually and emotionally.

i. “shaken in mind” (intellectually)

ii. “alarmed” or “troubled” (emotionally)

Remember this: Orthodoxy leads to Orthopraxy.

Ortho = right, correct, straight

Praxy = Practice.

Orthopraxy = Correct Practice or Correct Behavior

Doxy = whereas the Greek word, doxa, means “glory”, orthodoxy refers to Correct Beliefs— those which glorify God.

Correct Beliefs leads to Correct Behavior.

False teaching confuse your intellect, throwing you into seasons of doubt or maybe unnecessary guilt. When you are shaken in mind, it becomes easy to be alarmed or troubled.

Easy example— you weren’t healed because you didn’t have enough faith. That false teaching will confuse your intellect and create unnecessary guilt.

Other example— your mother isn’t in heaven because she wasn’t baptized. That will shake your mind and cause an unnecessary grief.

John shows this connection well:

“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:3–6, ESV)

The False teaching for the Thessalonians could have come by:

A Spirit— some word of prophecy (1 Thess. 5 talked about testing prophecies)

Spoken word— something taught in a public setting

“Letter seeming to be from us” Counterfeit writers in Paul’s day. Even today, people can write anything they want. We must be so discerning when we read.

So, Paul is going to reinforce orthodoxy as he continues writing his letter.

Further teaching on what must happen before Jesus returns

“The Rebellion” comes first (v.3)

ἀποστασία apostasía = Apostasy [ap·os·tas·ee·ah/]. Obviously, where the word Apostasy comes.

Mirriam-Webster: renunciation of a religious faith; abandonment of a previous loyalty

From the context of 2 Thess. 2:9-12, it seems this apostasy, or abandonment of Christ, is a global apostasy, not just a falling away of false believers or limited to Jewish or Christian believers. I think it includes those who falsely claim to follow Christ—they will be taken away by deceit like Jesus talks about in Matt 24:10-12. But it seems that this rebellion will be a time of great havoc and wickedness unleashed in our world.

I think this is why many look at the events of our world today and say Jesus is coming soon. I wish I knew the answer to how much worse does it have to get?

We at least know this, that…

Then the Man of Lawlessness will be revealed.

He is the one who will personify this severe hostility to Jesus Christ.

“Antichrist” not used here— only John used it in 1 & 2 John.

[chart of characteristics for the Antichrist from David Jeremiah “Agents of the Apocalypse”, pg. 143].

It’s important to note the difference between what you might consider a Capital A “Antichrist” and a lower-case antichrists. Many antichrists have come.

“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18, ESV)

The spirit or attitude of the antichrist is already here.

“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.” (1 John 4:3, ESV)

This is how many in our world live right now— violently opposed to Jesus and his followers.

But there will be a final Antichrist or the Man of Lawlessness appear before Christ returns. The severity of hostility will be like nothing we’ve seen yet.

The prefix “anti” can mean either against or instead of. Either would be accurate for the Man of Lawlessness, because he will set himself up instead of Christ, and he certainly then is against Christ.

V.4- he opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship— So he puts himself up higher, or instead of, every idea of god, but most severely, he sets himself up against the One True God himself, but will set himself up in the temple of God.

Could be a physical temple, or some look at how the word for temple here is also the same word when Paul metaphorically used it to refer to the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit within a believer.

Eph. 2:21 calls the church a temple, so some think that the Man of Lawlessness will claim superiority within the church.

But there seems to be a global effect of the Man of Lawlessness, not just something within the church.

In AD 40, only a few years before Paul wrote this letter, Gaius Caesar (Caligula), who had declared his own divinity, attempted to have his image set up in the holy of holies in Jerusalem. So there is some precedence to this kind of action.

But there will be some kind of visible and clear display of the Man of Lawlessness claiming deity, a great defiance to God.

v.6- Paul says you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. No, we don’t know that! Why would Paul just breeze by that??!!

We know from v.7 that the kind of lawlessness that will be amplified by the Antichrist is already active in the world. But the man of lawlessness is currently restrained.

By what? There are multiple suggestions by scholars, but I’m going to believe it is the Holy Spirit of God put in place by God the Father to restrain the Man of Lawlessness until he is finally and fully destroyed by Jesus the Son.

We know that a major rebellion (apostasy) will come, then the Man of Lawlessness will be revealed. After this, then Jesus will return.

V.8 tells us what will happen— [READ].

This is where all hope lies. Because even as we see lawlessness abounding around us, we know that there is an eternal punishment coming for those who practice unrighteousness.

We know that the One in Whom we put our hope will come, and He will deal with our enemies.

You see, the lawless one comes by the activity of Satan, performing all kinds of powerful but false signs and wonders. And those who are perishing, that is— those who are already on their way to hell because they are rejecting Jesus—they are further convinced by the deception that Satan puts out there. So God allows them to continue in their depraved minds and ways all the way to eternal condemnation.

A very simple reminder:

Jesus = truth

Satan= deception

There is a steadfast hope in the midst of all this talk of lawlessness and however bad it is going to get. V.13-15 Paul reminds the Thessalonian believers that they

are chosen by God,

that they are saved;

they were called to this salvation through the gospel of Christ,

so that they would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (this is a promise)

should stand firm and hold to the tradition taught to them.

Even as the lawlessness piles up around, we must not suffocate under its weight or be drawn into its chaos of unrighteousness. No, we stand firm by the truth of the gospel of Christ, and we wait expectantly for the destruction of all unrighteousness and the eternal reward in glory for all who trust in Jesus Christ!

Now listen to this benediction in v.16-17— [READ].

Maybe today your heart needs comforted. Maybe established in every good work and word. All of this can come from Jesus Christ.