THE BOOK OF 2 THESSALONIANS

The Day of the Lord and the Antichrist

2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 SCC 8/3/14

Paul is going to give you several aspects of the career of Antichrist:

The Antichrist is being restrained until he appears v 6

1. Antichrist has not yet come but there is a time when he will be revealed.

So the power that holds back Satan from bringing the Antichrist and the final apostasy must be supernatural. Satan doesn't want to wait for God's timetable. God has a timetable and God is operating that timetable. He wants the false Messiah now. He wants the blasphemy now. He wants to set himself up as the controller of the universe and his Antichrist, as it were, as Christ now.

2. But God says no and God is restraining him through a supernatural means.

And the man of sin cannot come until God removes this restraining force. So he says to the Thessalonians...you know this, you know that there is a force, a supernatural force that keeps Satan from doing what he would otherwise want to do.

3. The reason for the restraint is so that in his time he may be revealed.

God has this restraining force imposed on Satan in his plan for Antichrist because God has appointed a season and no sooner. But in the right time, he says, he may be revealed. In God's perfect plan, Antichrist comes on time on the schedule God has eternally ordained. He controls all of it. And He has ordained a specific time for the appearing, the manifestation, the apocalypse, the revelation, the unveiling of Antichrist just as He did for the appearing of Jesus Christ the first time and the appearing of Jesus Christ the second time. God the Father knows exactly when Christ will appear. God Himself sets this thing and just as God has ordained the coming of Christ to bring it to an end, He has ordained the coming of Antichrist to start the final judgment.

The Antichrist’s appearance will ignite lawlessness v 7

1. A mystery is some reality, some great truth that you would never known, you could never know if God didn't tell you.

The true character of lawlessness is already at work. But you haven't yet seen the final picture of it. That's the idea. It's already working. Evil men are growing worse and worse. It already is visible. We're watching a dying culture. We see iniquity prevailing and escalating. And so the mystery is gradually unfolding. It is already at work, but we have not yet seen in this world what lawlessness is really like, it is still somewhat of a secret. And the world will not know how wretched sin is, how wicked Satan is, how evil the kingdom of darkness is until the mystery is fully revealed. The mystery will not be fully revealed until He who restrains is taken out of the way.

2. The Holy Spirit is the person who exerts the force that holds back Satan.

In Genesis chapter 6:3, "Then the Lord said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever." What you have here is a concept. The Holy Spirit is battling against wicked men. And God says My Spirit isn't going to do that forever. My Spirit isn't going to fight your wickedness forever. It wasn't long until He drowns them all. The Holy Spirit was battling against the flood of wickedness in the ancient world. In Acts chapter 7, one other verse that shows us the Spirit's ministry in this kind of area. In Acts 7:51, "You men who are stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit." Now here again you have the Holy Spirit battling against sin, battling against iniquity, battling against evil, trying to restrain, as John tells us, to convict in John 16. So that restraint will go on until the man of sin is revealed in God's perfect time. What happens is the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way in terms of blocking Satan, in terms of His restraining ministry.

The Antichrist is destined for utter destruction by the Lord 8

1. This is the third mention of the revelation of Antichrist, the appearing, and the manifestation, the coming of Antichrist. Whom the Lord will slay...the Lord's going to kill him. The greatest world ruler the world has ever known, he has surpassing control over the whole of the earth, this massive Satanic empowered man is so powerful.

2. Yet Christ doesn't have to do anything, He doesn't have to call an army, He doesn't have to speak a word, all He has to do is breathe and he will be destroyed. Literally abolish, render inoperative, immobilize. Both verbs side by side give you the full annihilation of this man and his enterprise. This one comes to a quick end and he's destroyed with the breath of God's mouth. His whole enterprise is brought to an end.

3. Please note when it happens...by the appearance of His coming, that's the Second Coming of Christ. After the Rapture the lawless one will have greater freedom. He will do things that will eventually result in his being identified as the Antichrist. However the mere breath of the Lord Jesus’ mouth will slay him when Christ comes with His saints at the Second Coming.

The Antichrist will have a powerful influence based in deception v 9

1. So powerful is he that with all the deception of wickedness he works He comes in real satanic power. Satan's power is limited, but it is real. And so he comes in the actual energy of Satan. Then note again, "With all power and signs and false wonders." Power, signs, wonders...or you could translate it, miracles, signs and wonders. He's a counterfeit. He mimics the true Christ. And while it is not just magic, it is real supernatural power, it does have its limitations but it is convincing.

2. Verse 10 says it is convincing enough to deceive people with all the deception that wickedness can muster. Please note it says with all power, or all miracles, signs and false wonders, literally miracles, signs and wonders that are false and deceptive. They are false not in the sense that they're fakery but that they lead to false conclusions about who he is. Power...what is that? It is mighty displays of supernatural acts. Signs...pointing to him as the one who does them, pointing to his supernatural power. Wonders are getting the astonishing results. It lures people to believe that Antichrist is the world's savior, the world's Messiah.

The Antichrist’s influence will lead to eternal destruction for many 10

1. And then verse 10, "With all the deception of wickedness." That is all that wickedness can do to deceive, all the deceit that wickedness has at its disposal, all the deception that wickedness at its worst can produce. The whole operation is a lie. It is false. It lures people to believe that Antichrist is the world's savior, the world's Messiah. Even non‑religious people are going to see him as the one who will solve the world's problems, who will fix the world.

2. One final thing that to note is his influence. The extent of his influence is upon all who perish. Literally those who are perishing, those who reject the truth, those who do not love the truth, the truth written, the truth incarnate. If you don't love the Word of God and love the Lord Jesus Christ so as to be saved, you will be caught up in the deception. The unregenerate will believe the lie. John 8 Jesus said to the Jews, "You're not of God, you're of your father the devil, and he's a liar from the start." If you don't believe the truth of God, you'll believe the lie of the devil. This is the class of people who will succumb to Satan's deception.

CONCLUSION:

First, there is one coming that will attempt to mimic Jesus Christ so as to motivate people to follow him and give them what they truly want. In exchange those people’s souls will be damned.

Second, the spirit of deception rears its awful head in every generation. Satan’s most effective tool is that of deception. If he cannot prevent you from hearing the truth he will work on you to believe a lie.

3. Jesus Christ will counter every punch the evil one has to throw. He is ultimate prevail over the Antichrist and stop the deception forever.