The Man of Lawlessness
Paul turns to the coming of the Lord Jesus and the believers' gathering to Him and asks the Thessalonians not to be quickly shaken by any message, spirit, or supposed letter claiming that the day of the Lord has already come.
N1ow concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come.
Paul says that day will not come until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, a figure who exalts himself above every object of worship and claims divine place for himself. He reminds the church that this was part of his earlier teaching while he was with them.
3Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness — the son of destruction — is revealed. 4He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5Do you not remember that I told you these things while I was still with you?
The Thessalonians know what presently restrains the lawless one until the proper time, even though the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But once the restraint is removed and the lawless one is revealed, the Lord Jesus will destroy him by the breath of His mouth and the splendor of His coming.
6And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
Paul says the lawless one's coming is energized by Satan through deceptive signs and wickedness among those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth. For that reason, God gives them over to delusion so that judgment falls on those who rejected the truth and delighted in wickedness.
9The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, 10and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, 12in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.