The Mystery of Lawlessness

Its all over and you missed it! That's what some of the Jews were saying to the new congregation in Thessalonica when the Apostle Paul heard from them. And they were nearly in despair. Is it really so? Did Jesus already come to take His chosen ones with Him to heaven—and we weren't in that crowd? Have we nothing but death and darkness before us now? Please, Paul, please tell us it isn't so.

So the Apostle responds:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. - 2Th 2:1-2 ESV

Somebody was really being deceptive. They had written a letter as if it were from the great Apostle himself. And in that letter was a statement about the day of the Lord. It came. You weren't chosen. So Paul continues,

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. - 2Th 2:3-6 ESV 

OK. Thank you Paul, but that still leaves a bunch of questions. Who is this man of lawlessness, this son of destruction? And what temple of God are you talking about? Yes, now that you mention it, we do indeed remember you telling us about these things when you were with us, but we'd like some further clarification.

We read on,

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. - 2Th 2:7-10 ESV

Whenever you read the word mystery in Paul's writings you realize that this is something unknown to the unbelieving world. Believers know about it only because God's Spirit reveals it to them. So Jesus says to His disciples who wondered why he spoke to them in parables,

"To you it has been given to know the secrets (mysteries) of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. - Mat 13:11-13 ESV

Again Paul writes of himself and the other Apostles,

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. - 1Cr 4:1-2 ESV

So when we read about the mystery of lawlessness we must understand that this is insider information, known only to those in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells and to whom the Spirit speaks.

OK, so what is lawlessness? Basically it is what has been going on all through the years since the coming of Christ. Men everywhere ignore and mock God's laws, God's ethics and morals, God's way of life. We see it going on today, for instance, in the way that marriage is being completely redefined, especially here in the United States. We see it in the way that human life is being mocked and murder is made legitimate, a right guaranteed by the American constitution and Supreme Court. I speak, of course, about the millions of infants murdered every year through abortion. The Lord Jesus spoke about this when he taught us what to expect from the mouths of false prophets in the last days.

And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Mat 24:11-13 ESV

It can get worse, warns the Apostle, but the Lord restrains it. Behind it all is the lawless one who has yet to be revealed. And who is that? More about that one in my next post.