Eschatological Jitters
Introduction: A Cure for Prophetic Panic
The modern evangelical world has, for the better part of a century, suffered from a bad case of eschatological jitters. We have been conditioned to read the daily news with one eye and a prophetic timeline with the other, looking for signs, portents, and the latest candidate for the Antichrist. This has produced a great deal of anxiety, a fair bit of date-setting foolishness, and a general posture of cultural retreat. The church has often behaved like a nervous tenant, packing its bags and waiting for the landlord to evict them, rather than as a faithful steward, tending the garden and expanding the master's business.
The Thessalonians had a similar problem. They were a young church, under intense persecution, and someone had slipped them some bad information. A forged letter, a spurious prophecy, or a whispered rumor had convinced them that the great and terrible Day of the Lord had already come, and they had somehow missed it. They were shaken, alarmed, and confused. Paul writes this second letter to them not to hand them a more detailed flowchart of the end times, but to give them theological ballast. He writes to calm them down, to stabilize their minds with apostolic truth, and to reorient them to their task in the world.
This passage is not a crystal ball. It is a dose of doctrinal smelling salts. It is a summons to stability in a world of chaos. Paul's message is simple: settle down, certain things must happen first, and the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ is not even a contest. The great enemy of the faith, this man of lawlessness, is not a figure to be feared, but a pathetic tyrant whose doom is already written, and who will be flicked into oblivion by the breath of the Lord's mouth. This passage is therefore a great comfort to the saints, and a warning to all who would set themselves against the throne of God.
The Text
Now we ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken in your mind or be alarmed whether by a spirit or a word or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it has not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, exhibiting himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus WILL SLAY WITH THE BREATH OF HIS MOUTH and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming, whose coming is in accord with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of unrighteousness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God sends upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness.
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 LSB)
Do Not Be Alarmed (vv. 1-2)
Paul begins with a gentle, pastoral plea.
"Now we ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken in your mind or be alarmed whether by a spirit or a word or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)
The foundation of our hope is the "coming," or parousia, of our Lord and our "gathering together," or episunagoge, to Him. This is our blessed hope. But this hope was being twisted into a source of fear. They were being told that the Day of the Lord, a time of judgment and final consummation, had already arrived. The word for "has come" means it is already present. They thought they were in the middle of it, or worse, had been left behind.
Notice the sources of this disinformation: a "spirit" (a false prophecy), a "word" (a sermon or report), or a "letter as if from us" (a forgery). The devil is not above using the most pious-sounding methods to unsettle the saints. He will use counterfeit spirituality, counterfeit preaching, and counterfeit apostolic authority. The lesson for us is plain: our stability must not rest on subjective experiences, sensational rumors, or even documents that claim authority they do not possess. Our stability must be in the settled, established Word of God as taught by the true apostles.
The command is "not to be quickly shaken in your mind or be alarmed." Christian stability is a matter of the mind. We are not to be like a ship tossed on the waves, moved by every wind of doctrine or prophetic speculation. We are to be anchored. And Paul is about to give them the anchor.
The Unholy Prerequisites (vv. 3-4)
Here is the anchor. Paul gives two great historical events that must precede the final Day of the Lord.
"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it has not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, exhibiting himself as being God." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
First, "the apostasy" must come. The definite article matters. This is not just a general spiritual decline, but a specific, identifiable falling away. Historically, this points to the great rebellion of the Jewish nation against the covenant and the gospel, which culminated in the utter destruction of their temple and city in A.D. 70. That was a great apostasy, a definitive judgment that cleared the way for the gospel to go to the Gentiles unhindered.
Second, "the man of lawlessness is revealed." This is not some future super-villain from a Hollywood script. This is a type, a recurring figure, an office of rebellion that embodies the spirit of antichrist. The phrase "man of lawlessness" describes one whose foundational principle is rebellion against God's law. He is the "son of destruction," a Hebraism meaning he is destined for destruction, just like Judas Iscariot (John 17:12).
His character is described in verse 4. He is the ultimate egotist. He opposes and exalts himself above all worship. This is the original sin of Satan and the lie whispered to Eve: "You will be like God." This spirit is embodied in pagan emperors like Nero who demanded worship. It was embodied in the arrogant claims of the medieval papacy to hold the keys of heaven and earth. And it is embodied today in the modern secular state, which claims total sovereignty over every area of life, from the womb to the tomb, demanding ultimate allegiance and pretending to be the savior of mankind.
He "takes his seat in the sanctuary of God." The word for sanctuary is naos, which refers to the inner sanctum, the very dwelling place of God. In the New Covenant, the Church is the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16). This is not about a rebuilt brick-and-mortar temple in Jerusalem. This is about a power that seeks to usurp God's authority within His own house, the Christian Church. It is a fifth-column rebellion, an inside job. He sits where only God should sit and declares himself to be God. This is the central ambition of all antichrist figures: to replace the authority of Christ with their own.
The Restrainer and the Revelation (vv. 5-8)
Paul now explains why this man of lawlessness has not yet been fully revealed.
"And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that lawless one will be revealed..." (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)
Something is holding him back. Paul says, "you know what restrains him." The Thessalonians knew, but we have to infer it. The best understanding is that the restrainer is the principle of law and order embodied in the civil magistrate (cf. Romans 13). The "mystery of lawlessness" is the secret, simmering rebellion against God that is always at work in the world. But as long as there is a semblance of public justice and the rule of law, this spirit of anarchy is held in check. But when the restrainer is "taken out of the way," meaning when the government itself becomes lawless and abandons its God-given role, then the man of lawlessness is revealed in his full fury.
But this revelation is not for his triumph, but for his judgment.
"...whom the Lord Jesus WILL SLAY WITH THE BREATH OF HIS MOUTH and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
This is one of the most glorious and faith-building statements in all of Scripture. This great and terrible tyrant, this embodiment of satanic rebellion, how is he defeated? Not in a prolonged, bloody battle. He is slain "with the breath of His mouth." This is the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The weapon that topples thrones and destroys tyrants is the faithful preaching of the truth. As the gospel advances, lawlessness recedes. Christ simply speaks, and His enemies are undone. And He will "bring to an end" this whole sorry rebellion by the "appearance of His coming." The glory of Christ's presence, manifested throughout history in revival and reformation, and consummated at His final advent, simply obliterates this foe.
The Great Deception (vv. 9-12)
But why do so many people fall for the lies of the man of lawlessness? Paul explains the spiritual dynamics.
"...whose coming is in accord with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of unrighteousness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)
His power is a cheap imitation of Christ's. It comes from Satan and consists of counterfeit "power and signs and false wonders." It is a vaudeville act designed to deceive. But who gets deceived? "Those who perish." And why do they perish? Because they "did not receive the love of the truth." Their problem is not a lack of evidence; it is a lack of love. They are not intellectually unable to see the truth; they are morally unwilling to love it. The truth makes demands. The truth requires repentance. And so they reject it.
What happens when men persistently reject the truth they know? God gives them over to their desires. This is the doctrine of judicial hardening, and it is terrifying.
"And for this reason God sends upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)
When men refuse to love the truth, God does not just leave them alone. He actively "sends upon them a deluding influence." He gives them exactly what they want. They want lies? He will ensure they get lies so convincing that they are utterly trapped by them. This is not unjust. This is the essence of justice. The judgment is not arbitrary; it is the ratification of their own choices. They are judged because "they did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness." At the bottom of all unbelief is a moral choice. They loved their sin more than they loved their Creator. Therefore, God gives them over to a lie that will justify their sin, and in so doing, condemn their souls.
Conclusion: Stand Firm
So what is the takeaway for us? It is precisely what Paul says a few verses later: "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us" (2 Thess. 2:15).
We are not to be shaken. We are not to be alarmed by the latest tyrant who puffs out his chest and declares himself to be God. We have seen this movie before. We know how it ends. The man of lawlessness, in all his historical manifestations, is a pathetic figure on a leash, permitted to rise only so that he might be spectacularly cast down.
Our task is not to look for his coming, but to hasten his demise. And we do this by wielding the weapon that destroys him: the breath of the Lord's mouth. We must love the truth, believe the truth, speak the truth, and live the truth. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and it is also the power of God for the destruction of every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. So do not be anxious. Be faithful. The Lord Jesus has this entirely under control.