2 Thessalonians (Lesson 3) 1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

2 Thessalonians (Lesson 3) Warnings About Deceit: 2 Thess. 2:1-3a... There was great comfort in knowing that the Lord’s final judgment will be fair to all parties. Much of the comfort afforded by the truths concerning the Lord’s return had been diminished by the errors circulated among the Thessalonians about the timing of the event. The error that appears to have caused the greatest concern was that the day of Christ “had/has come.”

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) Warnings About Deceit: 2 Thess. 2:1-3a... Paul raises three possibilities about why some had been deceived in this matter... Whatever may have been the source of the problem, the disciples must not allow themselves to be deceived for any reason.

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) The Falling Away: 2 Thess. 2:3b-5... Jesus had admonished his followers, “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 25:36). Paul did, however, know some things about circumstances that would have a bearing on how soon Jesus would reappear from heaven. Although the “day and the hour” were still unrevealed, God had shared certain other details with His apostle.

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) The Falling Away: 2 Thess. 2:3b-5... All these occurrences would be elements of a “falling away” that would come “first,” i.e., before Christ returns for the final judgment. This ominous forecast of things to come for the body of Christ has given rise to innumerable interpretations and applications since the apostle first spoke and wrote of them. The fundamental premise advanced by Paul was that there would be a falling away from the patterns of doctrine and practice established by him for the church at Thessalonica and for churches in other locations.

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) The Falling Away: 2 Thess. 2:3b-5... The student of scripture and church history should not be overly reluctant to reach definite conclusions drawn from obvious correlations between the prophecy of God’s word and cold facts of the historical record. There are two interpretations of Paul’s warning that seem to merit our attention... The apostle was not speaking of any specific or particular departure from pristine Christianity.

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) The Falling Away: 2 Thess. 2:3b-5... Paul had in view specific historical occurrences within particular periods of historical time. We cannot know how many additional details of the great falling away Paul had previously shared with the church members at Thessalonica, but he reminds them that familiarity with “these things” should have prevented their minds from being troubled about an imminent second coming.

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 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. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) Revelation of the “Lawless One”: 2 Thess. 2:6-9... Other facts concerning this departure from the apostolic order were added by Paul: Perverse attitudes toward God’s authority and man’s submissiveness were already rearing their ugly heads before the final words of the New Testament were written. Paul chooses not to identify either the restrainer or the man of sin whose potential was being hindered.

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) Revelation of the “Lawless One”: 2 Thess. 2:6-9... The restrainer would at some point be “taken out of the way,” and when that was done the son of perdition would have the opportunity to expand his sphere of influence much more rapidly. Tracing the introduction and the development of changes made in the churches following the close of apostolic revelation, will enable students to identify the “falling away,” the “man of sin,” and “he who now restrains” with almost absolute certainty:

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) Revelation of the “Lawless One”: 2 Thess. 2:6-9... Church history records a proliferation of false doctrines and practices following the “conversion” of emperor Constantine [c. 312 A.D.] and the removal of the seat of government to Byzantium [Constantinople], which distanced the Roman bishops further from the restraints of civil authority. The “coming” [flourishing] of the man of sin would be accompanied by the “working of Satan.”

2 Thessalonians(Lesson 3) Revelation of the “Lawless One”: 2 Thess. 2:6-9... Space will not permit descriptions of the deceitful practices employed by the Roman hierarchy in its efforts to dominate the lives and thinking of common people during the dark days of religious ignorance and superstition. Amid his discussion of the ominous threat posed by the man of sin, Paul injects the fact that all will not be lost to his devastating work among the saints.