Facing the Future Without Fear

His true character is revealed in the following description: "He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God's sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God" (2:4; emphasis added). For this reason, he has been given the title "antichrist." He will oppose everything that God stands for and counterfeit everything that God does:

Although he failed in his first attempt to dethrone God (Isa 14:13-15), he will not be deterred from one final attempt at another coup (cf. Rev 13:1-10).

Who will the antichrist be? The simple answer is that we don't know. Every attempt to identify this historical figure has proven to be futile. We know that he is coming; we just do not know who he will be. An unhealthy fixation on the antichrist will only serve to distract us from our focus on knowing, loving, and serving the real Christ. We would do well to heed the apostle John's warning that a "spirit of the antichrist" will characterize every age. He describes it in the following way: "But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now" (1 John 4:3; see also 1 John 2:18, 22; 2 John 7). While we know that a future historical figure will one day burst on the scene, we also acknowledge that "the spirit of antichrist" is already here. The lawless one may be coming, but lawlessness is already here. The one 227who opposes Christ may be coming, but people who oppose Christ are already here. We may miss the reign of the antichrist, but you will not miss the spirit of the antichrist. In light of these challenging days, Paul gives a solemn charge: "Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil" (Eph 5:15-16).

The spirit of antichrist that is characteristic of the present age will pale in comparison to the coming man of lawlessness. In an ultimate act of defiance against God, he will sit "in God's sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God" (2 Thess 2:4). Commentators have offered a number of interpretations as to what Paul means when he speaks of sitting in God's sanctuary. Some have identified the sanctuary as that of the literal temple in Jerusalem. Others suggest that Paul is referring to a figurative heavenly temple or perhaps even to the church as the temple of God.

While no view is without its difficulties, apparently Paul has in mind the temple in Jerusalem. A figure like the antichrist would almost certainly desire a worldwide platform from which to blaspheme God. One could find no more prominent place than that which has historically represented the very presence of God. If the temple in Jerusalem is in view, then it is likely that the apostasy to which Paul refers in 2:3 is a reference to what Jesus called the "abomination that causes desolation" (Matt 24:15; cf. Dan 9:27). Though we cannot be certain what this event will be like, we have some historical referent that may give us an idea. In 167 bc the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Jewish temple by erecting a statue of Zeus in the sanctuary and sacrificing a pig on the altar. Driven by his hatred for the Jewish people and his disdain for God, Antiochus sought to bring an end to their worship and their God. Because this act of desecration would have been well known to His disciples, Jesus alludes to it as He describes the coming Day of the Lord. Although He does not speak of the antichrist, He clearly points to a public and heinous act of desecration that would occur in the final days of human history.

Is this the event that Paul had in mind when he wrote about the apostasy? Although the text is not explicit, apparently Paul was foretelling a future event of similar scope and magnitude. Since the antichrist will be a worldwide figure, we can safely assume that his reign of terror will be on a worldwide scale. Paul may have left much to the imagination, but it is difficult to see how his description of the reign of the 228antichrist could be anything other than a public and prominent display of Satan's power.

Paul makes clear that the antichrist is no ordinary man. Empowered by Satan himself, the antichrist will be Satan's superman. Listen to Paul's description:

This description vividly portrays the power and the activity of the antichrist. A number of observations must not be missed. First, he will have a "coming." He will attempt to mimic Christ in every way possible, including the way that he enters the world stage. Morris calls this a "parody of the incarnation" (Morris, First and Second, 232). Second, he will be empowered by "Satan's working." Just as Christ was filled by God's Spirit (Luke 4:1), so the antichrist will be fueled by Satan's power. Third, he will perform "false miracles, signs, and wonders." Paul uses the word false to identify the real motive behind the antichrist's miracles. His attempt to mimic Christ only goes so far. Jesus performed miracles to demonstrate His power to save; the antichrist will perform miracles to accomplish his purpose to deceive.

His sole reason for existence is to deceive those who are perishing (2:10). The antichrist will merely be a reflection of his father—the father of lies (John 8:44). This is why Paul calls him the "son of destruction" (2 Thess 2:3). Both his earthly objective and his eternal end are destruction and ruin. Interestingly, in the biblical record the only other figure who is referred to as the "son of destruction" is Judas Iscariot (John 17:12). MacArthur provides a helpful contrast between the two:

Judas desecrated the temple with the money he received for betraying Christ (Matt. 27:5); Antichrist will desecrate the temple by committing the abomination of desolation (Matt. 24:15). Judas, apparently without influencing others, went astray, a tragic solitary disaster (Acts 1:18-19); Antichrist will lead the world into destruction (Rev. 13:5-8). (MacArthur, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 273-74)

To remind the Thessalonians that the Day of the Lord had not yet arrived, Paul gave them the following information:

Based on previous instruction, Paul is reminding them of the impossibility that they were in the Day of the Lord. He bases this argument on the abiding work and presence of the restrainer.

To be honest, Paul's reference to the restrainer has perplexed even the most able Bible commentators. However, what may be baffling to us was clearly obvious to the Thessalonians. Using his previous instruction about the Day of the Lord as a reference point, Paul was building a foundation on which they could regain their hope and reestablish their footing. His message to them is actually quite simple: the Day of the Lord cannot come until the restrainer is removed. That Paul provided no long explanation indicates that his point was self-evident to the Thessalonians. Perhaps this was the evidence the Thessalonians needed to change their perspective about the Day of the Lord. Maybe they nodded their heads in approval and confidently moved on. We, on the other hand, cannot move on so quickly.

While identifying the restrainer is no easy task, a careful reading of the passage does provide some clues. In verse 6 Paul mentions "what" restrains, but in verse 7 he points to "the one" who is doing the restraining. On one hand, he speaks of the restrainer as a force (neuter), but on the other hand, he speaks of the restrainer as a person (masculine). The implication is that someone who has the ability to exercise supernatural force is currently holding back the antichrist.

But this only leads to the question, Who is holding back the antichrist? Attempts to identify this person are many.18 Some see the restrainer as a government, such as the Roman Empire, not as a person. Others suggest that Paul is referring to the nation of Israel or even the preaching of the gospel, while still others argue that Satan himself is holding back the antichrist. Whoever is responsible for holding back the antichrist is obviously very powerful, and that power will not be released until its proper "time" (Mark 13:32-33).

230Perhaps the best approach in seeking to identify the restrainer is to acknowledge the obvious: God is ultimately the one responsible for holding back the antichrist. G. K. Beale offers an important insight:

It is clear that God is the ultimate power behind whatever historically particular agent is in mind. This is explicit from the observation that the restrainer will restrain until the revelation of the antichrist at the proper time.... This time is certainly set by God, since the whole segment (2:6-12) is placed within a prophecy-fulfillment framework. God will bring history to a conclusion in his own timing. (G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians, 217)

Through the power of His Spirit, God exercises His sovereign control over human history. Only when He chooses to remove His hand of restraint will the antichrist be revealed. This conclusion may appear to be an oversimplification of a difficult text, but it takes into account Paul's reference to the restrainer as both a force and a person. Only the Holy Spirit could fit such a description. Since the Holy Spirit is God, His removal from the scene does not indicate His complete absence. Rather, it points to a deliberate lessening of His suppression of evil.

In summary, through the Person and power of the Holy Spirit, God is presently holding back the evil onslaught of the antichrist. Though "the spirit of antichrist" pervades the age, the stage of human history awaits the arrival of the "man of lawlessness." God will one day remove His restraint through the temporal cessation of the Spirit's restraining work; when this happens, the antichrist will be revealed.

2 Thessalonians 2:8b, 10b-12

The antichrist exits the stage of history just as quickly as he entered when God seals his fate with the coming of Jesus Christ. The same fate awaits every person who will be deceived by the antichrist. Even during the dreadful Day of the Lord, God's purposes will prevail. As Paul illustrates in these closing verses, God is methodically moving human history toward its final and perfect consummation. The "man of lawlessness" is simply a means by which God will bring this consummation to pass.

231Paul announces that the antichrist will meet his final fate at Jesus' coming. He purposely speaks of the "brightness of His coming" to emphasize two aspects of the Lord's return: His presence will be revealed, and His purposes will be fulfilled. Paul clearly wanted to make the point that Jesus was coming not only to reign but also to judge. By the "breath of His mouth" He will effortlessly destroy the antichrist (cf. Isa 11:4). At that moment every aspect of his reign will be rendered inoperative. His temporary seat in the sanctuary of God will be exchanged for his permanent home in the lake of fire (Rev 19:20). How ironic that the "man" who thought that he could conquer everything will be brought to nothing at Christ's return (Rev 19:11-21).

By the deceptiveness of his miracles, signs, and wonders, the antichrist will be successful in leading many to follow him (Rev 13:13-14). The full effect of his work will be embraced by the untold numbers of people who would rather believe what is false than to trust in what is true. As devious and deceptive as the antichrist may prove to be, the ultimate responsibility for failing to embrace the gospel falls squarely on the shoulders of anyone who rejects "the love of the truth" (2:10b). As Stott so aptly puts it, "Behind the great deception there lay the great refusal" (Stott, Gospel and the End, 172).

The closing verses of this passage reveal a chilling picture of those who will fall prey to the deceptiveness of the antichrist. Whatever else may be said about those who turn away from God, they ultimately make the deliberate choice to love their own sin more than they love God. As Paul puts it, they will perish not because they have not heard the truth, but because "they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved" (2:10b). That is a strong statement with significant implications. Human beings are notoriously reluctant to take responsibility for their own actions. Nearly everyone wants to pass blame on to someone else. Paul's reminder is that all will face the inevitable consequences for their own actions. Those who face judgment and condemnation will have no one to blame but themselves. The downward spiral of deliberate disregard for God is clearly illustrated in this passage: rejecting God's truth; believing what is false; enjoying unrighteousness; facing condemnation.

232Condemnation is the inevitable outcome of deliberate and willful disregard for and rejection of the truth of the gospel. Whether a person chooses to accept or reject salvation is a matter of the heart. The same is true for those who buy into the deception of the antichrist. Marshall makes this point well: "Whatever one may say about predestination, the lost carry the responsibility for their own perdition" (Marshall, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 203).

For those who persist in the path of disobedience, God will send "a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false" (2:11). This admittedly challenging verse reveals much about the ultimate outcome of those who repeatedly and persistently reject God's truth. Paul's statement that "God sends them a strong delusion" can be viewed in one of two ways. First, God will deliberately delude the reasoning of the disobedient to seal their condemnation. The precedent for such action is found in a number of biblical texts (Exod 10:20; Isa 6:9-10), but most notably in Romans 1 where Paul writes, "And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong" (Rom 1:28). For those who persist in willful disregard for Him by loving their sin more than Him, God simply "fixes" or confirms their pathway to eternal destruction. As Hiebert rightly points out, while God did not cause their sin, He "subjects them to the power of the error they chose. God uses their choice of evil as the instrument to punish their sin" (Hiebert, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 344).

A second way to view Paul's statement is that God will permit the antichrist to delude the reasoning of the disobedient. Richard Mayhue describes this view:

God will send them strong delusion (literally "a working of deceit") by having the restrainer step aside (2:6-7) and by letting Satan's undiluted and unchecked lying have its sway over all the earth. God does this by His permissive will, not His determinative will. In other words, Satan will be, for a time, totally free to give the people exactly what they want to believe, i.e. the lie (cf. John 8:44; Rom 1:25; 1 John 2:21). The populace will not be restrained (cf. 2:7) from believing Satan's ultimate deception—the lie that Antichrist is God and salvation is through him. (Richard Mayhue, Triumphs and Trials, 191)

233Those who choose to believe the antichrist will suffer the consequences of their delusion—eternal condemnation.

In either case one must not miss the point: those who ultimately suffer delusion and judgment do so not because they failed to have the opportunity to be saved, but because they would not believe and receive the truth. God is sovereign even in judgment. From our limited perspective, seeing how God would allow us to travel down a pathway to eternal destruction is difficult. However, if God is able to "work all things together for good," then we must accept that He can use both good things and evil things for His purposes (Rom 8:28). Morris provides a helpful insight:

God is using the very evil that people (and even Satan) do for the working out of His purpose. They think that they are acting in defiance of Him, but in the end they find that those very acts in which they expressed their defiance were the vehicle of their punishment.... God is sovereign. No forces of evil, not Satan himself, nor his Man of Lawlessness, can resist God's might. He chooses people's sin as the way in which He works out their punishment. (Morris, First and Second, 235)

John Stott offers a fitting summary of this passage when he writes, "History is not a random series of meaningless events. It is rather a succession of periods and happenings which are under the sovereign rule of God, who is the God of history" (Stott, Gospel and the End, 173). Like the Thessalonian Christians, we are afforded the privilege of joining with God in what He is doing in history. But unless we keep the big picture in mind, we, too, can be easily shaken by circumstances outside of your control. We would do well to remember a number of purposes that God is accomplishing in the world.

He is building and strengthening His church. The Thessalonians' anxiety about their present circumstances resulted from their failure to remember God's promises about future events. In a world awash with everything that is false, God has provided the church with the unlimited resources of His truth. He has given believers His future game plan. Armed with the knowledge and insight of His Word, God's people can fulfill their mission with passion and expectancy.

234He is using both good and evil to accomplish His purposes. When the world appears to be caving in around us, calamity is simply another means by which God accomplishes His ends. If God can use the vilest of people to fulfill His purposes, then we can be sure that He can also bring good out of our most troubling circumstances.

He is moving history toward a final consummation. The future of this world is not in doubt. Evil may appear to prevail for a season, but looks can be deceiving. God is methodically doing His work in the world. Whether He uses the decree of an unwitting Roman emperor, the vitriol of self-righteous Pharisees, or the lawlessness of the antichrist, we can rest confidently that we do not live in a runaway world. The next time someone asks, "What is this world coming to?" we can answer resoundingly, "This world is coming to Jesus!"