2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Someone placed Paul's signature on a phony letter, and sent it to the church at Thessalonica. When the young believers read it their faith was shaken and they were troubled, because it said that the day of Christ had already come. The brethren believed that they had missed the blessed day of "our gathering together to Him." Paul assured them that he was not the writer of that letter.
Prophecy is a major theme of false teachers. Jesus warned of this in Matthew 24:11, saying, "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." Paul wanted to make sure that this didn't happen at Thessalonica, where the coming of Christ was constantly on their minds. He wrote, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition."
Two things must occur before we are gathered together to Him. First, there will be a great apostasy in the church, a falling away. In Paul's first letter to Timothy he wrote, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons...." 1 Timothy 4:1. See also 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Second, the man of sin will be revealed. He is called "the son of perdition," a designation also given to Judas Iscariot. See John 17:12. Because of this some Bible teachers believe that Judas will be the man of sin. During World War II some preachers declared that Adolph Hitler was this man.
Paul describes him as one "who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." In the nineteenth century many Protestant theologians believed that the pope of the Roman Catholic church was the man of sin, because he was "the vicar of Christ."
"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish." The man of sin will be a worker of miracles, deceiving many.
Just who will be deceived? Those who "did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved," and "did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." An apostate church will be full of religious people ripe to believe the lie. Be not deceived. It will get worse before the Day dawns.
Lord, we are watching for the Sun of Righteousness to rise with healing in His wings. Keep us from evil and error. Thank You for the light of Your Word. Lead us in Your truth. In Jesus' name. Amen!
