2 Thessalonians 2 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence
Because Paul and Silas were forced to leave the city of Thessalonica early due to persecution (see Acts 17), they were not able to spend as much time teaching and equipping the saints as they would have liked. And soon enough, false teachers had already filled the void seeking to mislead God’s people. Paul had already written them at least one letter to continue teaching and encouraging them, but some underhanded men were also forging letters from the apostle Paul suggesting that the believers in Thessalonica had missed the return of the Lord Jesus. So the primary thrust of Paul’s message in this chapter is to correct those lies and to comfort the hearts of the Thessalonians that they might continue to walk with the Lord by faith, obeying his Word and dedicating themselves to good works.
Paul refutes the eschatological lies of his enemies by stating that two things must happen prior to the return of the Lord. He says: “That day will not come unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed.” Paul doesn’t give any further elaboration here about the rebellion itself, but using similar language in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 he says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.” Clearly, this is a rebellious message that is being taught by liars who have devoted themselves to demons. So Paul suggests that in some way there would be great opposition to the true gospel of Christ.
Additionally, Paul states that the Man of Lawlessness must first be revealed prior to the coming of the Lord. This lawless one is also identified as the “son of destruction,” the one “who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship,” and he who “takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” Most theologians associate the lawless one with the antichrist mentioned in John’s epistles (1 Jn 2:18, 22; 4:3; and 2 Jn. 1:7). In 1 John 2:18 the apostle warns his audience saying, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard the antichrist is coming, so many antichrists have come. Therefore we known that it is the last hour.” If we compare this verse with the others in John’s epistles, it seems that there are numerous embodiments of the spirit of the antichrist and the spirit of lawlessness at work in the world at various times.
Even in the Old Testament, we read of individuals who embodied this spirit and were judged because of it. In Isaiah 14:13-14 the prophet says this of the king of Babylon: “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God. I will set my throne on high…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.” Similarly in Ezekiel 28:2ff, the Lord says to the king of Tyre, “Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods…therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you, the most ruthless of nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down into the pit and you shall die the death of the slain.”
All throughout history we have seen this type of spirit rise up in the hearts of certain kings and Caesars, popes and other religious leaders. And each generation has sought to identify one particular man as the Man of Lawlessness. Perhaps, many of them were correct in their identifications, when a lawless one was revealed, a rebellion occurred and the Lord came in judgment upon a nation, but just as there are multiple fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies that pointed originally to contemporary figures in the day of the prophets but also pointed to the Christ who was to come, so too, even in New Testament revelations there may be multiple manifestations that ultimately culminate in a final Man of Lawlessness who leads a final rebellion that is squashed by the Lord Jesus himself by the mere breath of his mouth when he returns with his angels in glory.
But what if I’m wrong about this? Paul’s point remains the same. If we trust in the Lord Jesus, we do not have to worry about times and seasons, for we are God’s beloved, his chosen ones, who are promised to share in His glory on the final day. So stand firm in the faith and hold on to the promises of the gospel in the midst of uncertainty and dark days. The Lord always keeps His promises.