1. Characteristics of the Man of Sin/Lawlessness 1.The man of sin/lawlessness is the ultimate result of “the falling away” from the faith (v. 3). 2.From Paul’s vantage point in 52 A.D., this sinister force was yet to be “revealed” (v. 3) 3.The man of sin/lawlessness (“the lawless one” who has no regard for the law of God—v. 8) is the “son of perdition,” the perishing one whose end is destruction. 4.The man of sin/lawlessness blatantly opposes God and His revealed will (v. 4). 5.The man of sin/lawlessness arrogantly seeks preeminence by exalting himself against God and all that is genuinely sacred (v.4). 6.In some sense, the man of sin/lawlessness will “sit in the temple of God,” fearlessly proclaiming himself as God (v. 4). 7.The man of sin/lawlessness, willing to be used as Satan’s vehicle, deceives those who love not the truth, by virtue of the “lying wonders” which he effects (vv. 9-10). 8.The prime objective of the man of sin/lawlessness is to deceive God’s children (vv. 9-10). 9.The early stages of this apostasy were “already at work” in Paul’s day (v. 7). 10.In Paul’s day, there was some influence (whose identity Paul’s readers knew) that “restrained” the man of sin/lawlessness, so that he may be “revealed in his own time” (v. 6). 11.The restraining force eventually would “be taken out of the way” (i.e., be gone from their midst) (v. 7). 12.The man of sin/lawlessness, after being revealed, would endure, in some form or another, until the end of time (i.e., until the second coming of Christ), at which time he will be destroyed by the Lord’s word of judgment and appearance (v. 8).

2. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? SUPPORT: 1.Paul wrote the epistle in cryptic or symbolic language to avoid any governmental notice. 2.Many of the Roman emperors laid claims to deity and demanded worship from Roman constituency (Nero, Domitian). 3.From about 64 A.D. on (in Nero’s reign) they persecuted (“opposed”) Christianity. 4.The one “restraining” is often identified as a previous Roman emperor. 5.One emperor, Caligula (12-41 A.D.) profaned the temple at Jerusalem by setting up a statue of himself inside it. AGAINST: 1.Could not be referring to Caligula because he is obviously pointing to the future and this had already happened before Paul wrote. 2.The "man of sin" was to be in existence (present and active, waging his opposition against God's people) when Jesus returns (2:5-8), and would be destroyed by Christ at His coming (2:8-10). 3.The Roman Empire and her emperors have faded into the pages of history, without the events predicted in the context taking place. Roman Emperors?

3. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? SUPPORT: 1.Those who espouse the doctrine of “Realized Eschatology” contend that all Bible prophecy, including the second coming of Christ, was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. 2.These argue that the “man of sin” was the “hardened, militant Jews (Zealots in particular)” who was destroyed by the coming of the Lord in the destruction of Jerusalem. 3.Even some who do not hold to “The A.D. 70 Doctrine” still argue that the “man of sin/lawlessness” was the Judaizing teachers. AGAINST: 1.The system of Judaism cannot be defended as the "falling away" because it was in existence prior to the church. 2.Paul’s prophecy of the second coming was not fulfilled in A.D. 70, as evidenced by the fact that Christians were not “gathered together” unto the Lord in connection with Jerusalem’s fall (cf. 1 Thess. 4:14-17; 2 Thess. 2:1). Judaism?

4. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? SUPPORT: 1.The term Satan means “adversary” and v. 4 says he is to “oppose.” 2.The devil was working "behind the scenes" during Paul's ministry and, hence, the reference to “the mystery of lawlessness.” 3.What Paul reveals about the “son of perdition” corresponds to descriptions of Satan in other passages. 4.It is argued that the Holy Spirit is the one who “restrains.” 5.Some believe that Satan may become incarnate before the end of time and gather his workers for a great battle. 6.Certainly Christ will destroy Satan at His coming (cf. Rev. 20:10). AGAINST: 1.The coming of the “man of sin/lawlessness” is “according to the working of Satan” (v. 9), which obviously distinguishes him from Satan personally. The Devil Himself?

5. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? SUPPORT: 1.Millennialists (and some others) contend that the man of sin “is an individual embodying anti-God power who is still to arise before the future day of the Lord.” 2.Some call this hostile person “the Future Fuehrer,” and contend that things are happening in the world today setting the stage for him to make his entrance. 3.They argue that he will appear just before the Lord comes again. AGAINST: 1.The “mystery of lawlessness” was already at work (v. 7) in Paul’s day. This clearly eliminates any person of the modern era or beyond. 2.How can we know such a figure would be “just about to come” when we cannot know “the times and the seasons” of His coming or things leading up to it (cf. 1 Thess. 5:1-2; Matt. 24:36). 3.This evil was to begin in the apostles’ days and to continue in the world until the second coming of Christ. Thus, it necessarily follows, that this could not be carried on by one man but by men in every age. An Eschatological Figure, Yet Future?

6. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? SUPPORT: 1.The popes have “left no wickedness unpracticed” and the titles they wear (like “Vicar of Christ” and “Our Lord God the Pope,” etc.) and the authority they pretend (over all temporal rulers too) make this idea attractive. 2.The “falling away” germinated from within the church. 3.The position of the pope claims all religious authority and infallibility. 4.The church makes claims of miracles being performed by recognized “saints.” 5.The pope or papal system exalts itself against God and Jesus, affirming the position as the infallible substitute of Jesus. 6.“The pope doeth whatsoever he listeth (wills), even things unlawful, and is more than God.” 7.According to Roman Catholicism, “Tradition,” i.e., the voice of the church, is superior to the Scriptures. 8.The papal system “sits in the temple of God” or claims to have supreme authority in the church. 9.The pope claims that whereas Christ is the head of the church in heaven, the papacy is the head of the church on earth. Hierarchical System of Roman Catholic Church—The Papacy

7. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? SUPPORT: 10.The papacy usurps the place of God by: a.Making claims that belong only to deity–“Our Lord God the pope; another God upon the earth, king of kings, and lord of lords.” b.Accepting adoration not proper for a man. Men bow before the papal dignitary, kiss his feet, ring, etc. (cf. Acts 10:25-26). c.Presuming to act for God in matters pertaining exclusively to deity, e.g., offering forgiveness of sins. d.The papal system lawlessly attempts to act for God. 11.The restraining power was the Roman government and when it fell, the Roman bishop or pope seized power, maintaining it to this day. a.Numerous church fathers took this position. b.It is a matter of history that when imperial Rome fell in A.D. 476, great power was shifted into the hands of church clerics. c.After imperial Rome fell, the apostate church of the day accelerated in its power. Great political authority was gained. Crowns were removed and bestowed at the behest of papal rulers. 12.The leaders of the Protestant Reformation movement identified the pope as the "son of perdition" [Luther, Wycliff, Huss] Hierarchical System of Roman Catholic Church—The Papacy

8. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? AGAINST: 1.The papacy limits its claim of infallibility to specific areas. 2.There are many “antichrists” or “lawless ones” (1 John 2:18), so the application does not have to be limited to one man or one false system. 3.ULTIMATELY, by this interpretation, a.This passage could have had no meaning or application for 500+ years. b.The second coming of Christ would be forced 500+ years into the future and could not have come a day earlier. c.The following passages would not have any force or meaning or direct application for 500+ years: i.Matthew 24:42-44; 25:1-13 ii.Mark 13:32-37 iii.Luke 21:34-36 iv.1 Thessalonians 5:1-4 Hierarchical System of Roman Catholic Church—The Papacy

9. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? SUPPORT: 1.The presence of the “man of sin” satisfies a multiplicity of possibilities, including any religious movement, any institution or system or any historical character. These are personified in “the man of lawlessness.” 2.Paul was possibly portraying [via symbolic language] the perpetual conflict of good and evil and the final outcome of the struggle. 3.The “man of lawlessness” seems identical with “the anti-Christ” in 1 John 2:18. John too is personifying evil especially the evil that operated in false teachers who denied Christ having come in the flesh (cf. 1 John 4:1-3). But that John has no one single person in mind appears from his use of “many anti-Christs” (cf. 1 John 2:18). 4.It may be that no specific power or person/persons are in view. 5.Paul has personified a principle, or idea of evil, which may appear in various forms in different historical periods as an opponent of truth. 6.Paul says that Christ will come and destroy “the man of sin” with the brightness of His coming (2:8). Similarly, Jesus said that the day would eventually come when “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted” (Matt. 15:13). The Principle of Evil Personified in Any & All Religious Error

10. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? SUPPORT: 7.The principle of evil personified in any and all religious error was “already at work”—cf. idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14); worship of angels (Col. 2:18); deceitful handling of the word of God (2 Cor. 4:2); strife and division (1 Cor. 3:3); human traditions (Col. 2:23); men seeking preeminence (3 John 9-10), etc. 8.The “restraining” force was someone or something the readers knew personally (v. 6). It is argued here that the “restraining” force could be either God through the power of His word or the apostles (maybe specifically Paul himself) and their once-for-all delivery of the whole counsel of God. 9.Any student of the Bible is able to understand the objective(s) of the text without having to positively identify every contextual detail. 10.This seems to fit with other passages that discuss apostasy from the truth (Acts 20:28-31; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:13; 2 Tim. 4:3). The Principle of Evil Personified in Any & All Religious Error

11. Who Is the Man of Sin/Lawlessness? AGAINST: 1.This concept does not fit the specific descriptives in this chapter. The text tells of a particular movement, “the falling away” (v. 3). 2.There are too many personal references to dismiss it as mere personification. 3.It is “the man of sin,” the article pointing to a definite influence, rather than a generic one. The Principle of Evil Personified in Any & All Religious Error

12. Characteristics of the Man of Sin/Lawlessness 1.The man of sin/lawlessness is the ultimate result of “the falling away” from the faith (v. 3). 2.From Paul’s vantage point in 52 A.D., this sinister force was yet to be “revealed” (v. 3) 3.The man of sin/lawlessness (“the lawless one” who has no regard for the law of God—v. 8) is the “son of perdition,” the perishing one whose end is destruction. 4.The man of sin/lawlessness blatantly opposes God and His revealed will (v. 4). 5.The man of sin/lawlessness arrogantly seeks preeminence by exalting himself against God and all that is genuinely sacred (v.4). 6.In some sense, the man of sin/lawlessness will “sit in the temple of God,” fearlessly proclaiming himself as God (v. 4). 7.The man of sin/lawlessness, willing to be used as Satan’s vehicle, deceives those who love not the truth, by virtue of the “lying wonders” which he effects (vv. 9-10). 8.The prime objective of the man of sin/lawlessness is to deceive God’s children (vv. 9-10). 9.The early stages of this apostasy were “already at work” in Paul’s day (v. 7). 10.In Paul’s day, there was some influence (whose identity Paul’s readers knew) that “restrained” the man of sin/lawlessness, so that he may be “revealed in his own time” (v. 6). 11.The restraining force eventually would “be taken out of the way” (i.e., be gone from their midst) (v. 7). 12.The man of sin/lawlessness, after being revealed, would endure, in some form or another, until the end of time (i.e., until the second coming of Christ), at which time he will be destroyed by the Lord’s word of judgment and appearance (v. 8).

13. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-2:12 – NKJV 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. 11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

14. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-2:12 – NKJV 2:1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 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, 4 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. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 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.

15. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-2:12 – NKJV 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

16. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-2:12 – NASB 6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed--for our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

17. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-2:12 – NASB 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, 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? 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.

18. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-2:12 – NASB 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, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.