The Lawless One or Antichrist (part 1) - Study 2/17/11
The Lawless One or Antichrist (part 1)
President Obama is the antichrist. You are probably shocked if you are hearing this assertion for the first time. All you need to do is Google “Obama as antichrist”. You will be amazed of the amount of the returns on this subject. We do not have time to explore what has been written because it is nonsense even when they used the Scripture to support their positions. Obama is not the first world leader that had been dubbed the antichrist. It sounds more like a political commentary by the opposing party of the President that is in the White House. It used to Ronald Reagan and in between him and Obama, it used to Bill Clinton and then George W. Bush. Way down in history other world leaders had been declared the antichrist like Mikhail Gorbachev of Russia, Pope Benedict XVI and Roman Emperor Nero Caesar.
Why are we on this subject anyway? Chapter 2 of the Letter to the Thessalonians is on this subject. Remember Apostle Paul is writing to encourage the Thessalonians about their persecutions and encourage and explain the end times and the Day of the Lord and the second coming of Christ. Apparently, someone forged a letter in the name of Paul saying to the Church that Christ’s second coming had already taken place and there was real fear and worry among the Thessalonians. This is the context of chapter 2. This is one of the difficult chapters of the Letters to the Thessalonians that requires diligent study and proper interpretation of Scriptures.
We must deal with the text before us and answer some key questions. Is Christ coming and when is he coming? In the context of the end times, who is the antichrist and how do we know who he is? When does the text say the antichrist/lawless one will appear in the world scene? What could be holding the antichrist back from appearing now? Are signs and forms of antichrist activities present in the world right now? How are we to live in light of this truth in Chapter 2? I invite you to embark on the study with me and ask more questions and let’s dig into other Scriptures that shed light on chapter 2 (because Scripture interprets Scripture).
2 Thessalonians 2
1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[b] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[c] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. From the opening statements, we can see that the second coming of Christ and the end times was very important and dear to the Thessalonians. In the previous letter, Paul had written the Thessalonians about those who had died believing in Christ and then went on to remind them saying, “15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16). In person and in letter Paul had been consistent in the same message. The issue of whether Jesus is coming back for His people was settled for the Thessalonians and should be for us.
2. In the present chapter 2 we see doubts and fear that had been sown by some unscrupulous elements. “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come” vs.1-2. We have insight from Paul’s letter to Timothy of persons who were going about teaching that Christ had already come. 17 “Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:17-18). I will equally be disturbed if I were the Thessalonians. We must therefore watch out for false teachers because they can destroy our faith in God.
3. If Christ had not come then when is He coming the Thessalonians are now wondering? Again, Paul had taught them saying “1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2. We do not know when but He is coming unannounced like a thief. However, certain things must take place before that day. Jesus Himself spelt out the conditions in Matthew 24 (please read it). For example, 12 “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”(Matthew 24: 12-14). The gospel must be preached to all before the end which is currently going on. Apostle Paul would address the “rebellion”, or the “falling away” or “the love of many growing cold”, or the “Apostasy” in this chapter 2 of Thessalonians vs.3 “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs” Are we there yet? I believe we are getting there because we can see all kinds of rebellion against God. It is increasing on a daily basis.
4. The question is who is it that is “rebelling” and what does it mean? We know that Paul has used this same Greek word somewhere else in his writing. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils”(1 Timothy 4:1). Some people believe the “departing” or “rebellion” or “falling away” used here refers to the departing of the Church which is the rapture spoken about in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. I would disagree with that interpretation. I believe it really means people falling away from the faith and believing in nonsense such as the prosperity gospel of today. Yes, the rapture of the church will occur before the Day of the Lord (the Judgment Day not to be confused with the rapture) but Paul talks about it later in vs.7 which we will study next week.
5. The other thing that will happen before the Day of the Lord’s return is the revealing of the lawless one or the antichrist. “3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction”. Who is this man of “lawlessness”? He is certainly not President Obama. We will devote the next studies to studying and understanding this man. For now you will be glad to know that we will not meet him nor be around when he is revealed. We will prove it in our next study see vs. 7.
We have just laid the basic foundation for this chapter. Please dig in and find answers for yourself as you study and pray. The question for now and always is how do we live in light of the truth of the soon return of our Lord Jesus? Our Lord told us how. 36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. … 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:36-44).
Are you watching and waiting? A watch man always has a search light with him so let’s immerse ourselves in the light of the Word of God so we will not be deceived. We must also know that people will fall away believing in nonsense and the “feel good gospel” and “no preaching about abstaining from sin and right living”. May we never be in that category. We “must be ready”. Are you ready to the Lord Jesus even at this time? Lord, help us to be ready. Amen.
President Obama is the antichrist. You are probably shocked if you are hearing this assertion for the first time. All you need to do is Google “Obama as antichrist”. You will be amazed of the amount of the returns on this subject. We do not have time to explore what has been written because it is nonsense even when they used the Scripture to support their positions. Obama is not the first world leader that had been dubbed the antichrist. It sounds more like a political commentary by the opposing party of the President that is in the White House. It used to Ronald Reagan and in between him and Obama, it used to Bill Clinton and then George W. Bush. Way down in history other world leaders had been declared the antichrist like Mikhail Gorbachev of Russia, Pope Benedict XVI and Roman Emperor Nero Caesar.
Why are we on this subject anyway? Chapter 2 of the Letter to the Thessalonians is on this subject. Remember Apostle Paul is writing to encourage the Thessalonians about their persecutions and encourage and explain the end times and the Day of the Lord and the second coming of Christ. Apparently, someone forged a letter in the name of Paul saying to the Church that Christ’s second coming had already taken place and there was real fear and worry among the Thessalonians. This is the context of chapter 2. This is one of the difficult chapters of the Letters to the Thessalonians that requires diligent study and proper interpretation of Scriptures.
We must deal with the text before us and answer some key questions. Is Christ coming and when is he coming? In the context of the end times, who is the antichrist and how do we know who he is? When does the text say the antichrist/lawless one will appear in the world scene? What could be holding the antichrist back from appearing now? Are signs and forms of antichrist activities present in the world right now? How are we to live in light of this truth in Chapter 2? I invite you to embark on the study with me and ask more questions and let’s dig into other Scriptures that shed light on chapter 2 (because Scripture interprets Scripture).
2 Thessalonians 2
1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[b] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[c] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. From the opening statements, we can see that the second coming of Christ and the end times was very important and dear to the Thessalonians. In the previous letter, Paul had written the Thessalonians about those who had died believing in Christ and then went on to remind them saying, “15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16). In person and in letter Paul had been consistent in the same message. The issue of whether Jesus is coming back for His people was settled for the Thessalonians and should be for us.
2. In the present chapter 2 we see doubts and fear that had been sown by some unscrupulous elements. “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come” vs.1-2. We have insight from Paul’s letter to Timothy of persons who were going about teaching that Christ had already come. 17 “Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:17-18). I will equally be disturbed if I were the Thessalonians. We must therefore watch out for false teachers because they can destroy our faith in God.
3. If Christ had not come then when is He coming the Thessalonians are now wondering? Again, Paul had taught them saying “1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2. We do not know when but He is coming unannounced like a thief. However, certain things must take place before that day. Jesus Himself spelt out the conditions in Matthew 24 (please read it). For example, 12 “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”(Matthew 24: 12-14). The gospel must be preached to all before the end which is currently going on. Apostle Paul would address the “rebellion”, or the “falling away” or “the love of many growing cold”, or the “Apostasy” in this chapter 2 of Thessalonians vs.3 “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs” Are we there yet? I believe we are getting there because we can see all kinds of rebellion against God. It is increasing on a daily basis.
4. The question is who is it that is “rebelling” and what does it mean? We know that Paul has used this same Greek word somewhere else in his writing. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils”(1 Timothy 4:1). Some people believe the “departing” or “rebellion” or “falling away” used here refers to the departing of the Church which is the rapture spoken about in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. I would disagree with that interpretation. I believe it really means people falling away from the faith and believing in nonsense such as the prosperity gospel of today. Yes, the rapture of the church will occur before the Day of the Lord (the Judgment Day not to be confused with the rapture) but Paul talks about it later in vs.7 which we will study next week.
5. The other thing that will happen before the Day of the Lord’s return is the revealing of the lawless one or the antichrist. “3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction”. Who is this man of “lawlessness”? He is certainly not President Obama. We will devote the next studies to studying and understanding this man. For now you will be glad to know that we will not meet him nor be around when he is revealed. We will prove it in our next study see vs. 7.
We have just laid the basic foundation for this chapter. Please dig in and find answers for yourself as you study and pray. The question for now and always is how do we live in light of the truth of the soon return of our Lord Jesus? Our Lord told us how. 36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. … 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:36-44).
Are you watching and waiting? A watch man always has a search light with him so let’s immerse ourselves in the light of the Word of God so we will not be deceived. We must also know that people will fall away believing in nonsense and the “feel good gospel” and “no preaching about abstaining from sin and right living”. May we never be in that category. We “must be ready”. Are you ready to the Lord Jesus even at this time? Lord, help us to be ready. Amen.
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