II. Standing Firm in Doctrine (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

II. Standing Firm in Doctrine (2:1-12)

2:1-2 To build a doghouse, you don’t need a foundation. But you do need one to build a house. And to build a skyscraper, you need a deep foundation. Many want to be skyscraper Christians, but don’t want to pay the price of digging a foundation. Paul tells his readers not to be easily upset or troubled by false teaching (2:2). But if you’re not grounded in the truth of Scripture, don’t be surprised if you are unable to stand firm.

The Thessalonians were being told that the day of the Lord [had] come—that they had missed the rapture and were thus living in the tribulation! They were deceived in three ways. First, they were deceived by a prophecy—a spiritual or religious utterance. Paul told them previously, “Don’t despise prophecies” (1 Thess 5:20), but the devil tries to talk in the name of God too. That’s why John said we must “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1). Beware anyone who says, “God told me such-and-such,” if it doesn’t agree with God’s Word.

Second, they were deceived by a message—hearsay. You might still be doing things merely because “Mama said.” But the only legitimate messages we are to follow are those that agree with the message that comes from God.

Third, they were deceived by a letter—by things written down. Some of us need to change the books we’re reading and skip looking at the newspaper horoscope. Rat poison is 90% food. But it’s that last 10% that’s designed to kill. The standard of God’s Word must provide our foundation.

2:3 Paul says they could not have missed the rapture and entered into the tribulation period (1 Thess 4:13-18; 5:1-3), because the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed before that. This is a good reminder that even new believers need to seek to understand prophecy because knowledge of the future will control decisions in the present. You don’t need to study every religion in the world; you just need to know Christianity well. Then you’ll be able to identify counterfeit religion. After all, federal agents learn to identify counterfeit dollars by studying the real thing.

2:4 Satan convinced Adam and Eve to re-bel, to operate independently of God. That’s what couples do who illegitimately give up on their marriages; that’s what children do who disrespect their parents. The agenda of hell is to deceive people. Eventually, the human preference for lies through Satanic deception will lead to the appearance of “the lawless one” (2:3). He will be empowered to bring the rebellion against God to ultimate fruition. The lawless one will exalt himself as the supreme object of worship and proclaim himself to be God (see Rev 13:5-8). You have to listen carefully to what people say—learn to discern. Know what you believe and why you believe it to protect yourself from the enemy’s lies.

2:5-8 The only reason the world is not as wicked as it could be is because something currently restrains the lawless one (2:6). The mystery of lawlessness is Satan’s program of sin, and the one now restraining is the Holy Spirit working through the church (2:7). The Spirit sets himself up like a dam to hold back the full expression of evil until God removes his church out of the world at the rapture. The relationship of the church (and individual Christians) to the Holy Spirit affects the expansion or limitation of sin in our lives, our families, and the broader society.

2:9-10 Satan comes with miracles, signs, and wonders, but they are false (2:9). Satan is no ninety-pound weakling. He is a powerful spiritual being, and he can mimic supernatural wonders. Deception started with Satan’s influence, and it continues as those who are perishing refuse to accept the love of the truth (2:10). When you reject truth, you invite lies into your life. The Word of God is truth; therefore, we should measure everything by Scripture.

2:11-12 If someone persists in hardening his heart and believing a lie, eventually God will give him what he wants (see commentary on Exod 4:21). That’s the reality behind Paul’s insight that for this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie (2:11). Although you might believe you can get to heaven on your own—by living a good life, going to church, and doing your best—that’s a lie. The only way to heaven is through God’s channel, Jesus Christ. Those who allow themselves to believe anything else will be condemned (2:12). They will be judged for their decision to reject the truth. Delusion and deception will be greatly amplified during the tribulation (see Rev 13:11-18).