Christians of all ages have speculated about the identity of the Antichrist, or Man of Lawlessness which Paul speaks of in his second letter to the Thessalonian Church. From figures as varied as Roman Emperors, Attila the Hun, Napoleon, Hitler or Stalin, or your favourite politician you love to hate. If there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that we cannot agree on who the Antichrist is or will be.
While time will reveal who Paul was speaking about, we are left with plenty that explains the Antichrist’s purposes. And while we might disagree about who the Antichrist will be, we can see the same devilish purposes at play in a restrained way today since many antichrists are busy today (1 John 2:18). Being forewarned is being forearmed, to resist the devil’s work today and the Man of Lawlessness’ work in the future, before Christ returns to put those schemes to an end.
It seems that Paul had already taught the Thessalonians about the Man of Lawlessness (v.5), so he only reminds them of important facts they need to remember which encourages them that Jesus had not yet returned. Unfortunately, that in-person detail has not survived.
Jesus’ return will not happen until “the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction” (v.3). This man, who we call the Antichrist (1 John 2:18), will rise up as the banner-waver for Satan by promoting disobedience against God’s righteous law. He is also the son of destruction, who like Judas Iscariot is doomed to hell (John 17:12).
As if rebellion was not enough, he also “opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, … proclaiming himself to be God” (v.4). He demands that people worship him, opposing the only true faith in the True and Living God.
He will do this by “tak[ing] his seat in the temple of God” (v.4). This statement is clearly full of speculation. Is this referring to a rebuilt Jewish temple, following the historic example of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Pompey, and Caligula (Matt. 24:15-16)? Or figurative language?
Or, as I believe, a reference to the Antichrist seeking to corrupt the Church, which Paul elsewhere describes as the Temple of God (Eph 2:20-21), into worshiping him? Time will tell (unless you affirm the original WCF 25.6 as written, which is often qualified by denominations in our stream of Christianity today).
If he does as I believe he will, and attempts to subvert the Church for satanic purposes, then this involves corrupting church teaching and church office to point to him as the object of worship. There is plenty of this lawlessness at work today.
These pictures have parallels in the imagery of the Bible’s apocalyptic texts. For instance, Daniel 7 refers to a “little horn” (Dan. 7:8) which is the final scene in a vision of the empires of world history that would eventually succumb to Christ’s kingdom (Dan 7:9-15). In Revelation, a series of images portray the conflict between the devil and God through history. This includes imagery of a beast who reprises and combines the beasts of Daniel, and an accompanying beast who deceives and leads the world into worship of this beast (and behind it all, the devil).
This imagery is terrifying if you seriously dwell on it, until you remember that in the end Jesus Wins. The passages in Daniel, Revelation, or here in 2 Thessalonians were not written to scare us, but to reveal what is otherwise hidden. Like a road sign that warns of caution ahead, these passages are written to forewarn us, so we are prepared.
While we (probably!) have not seen the arrival of the Man of Lawlessness today, that does not mean the spirit of lawlessness is not busy at work today.
The description in these verses appear so relevant to every age, because they are present in every age, just not in final form. So while we may not see the man himself, we can see the work of the devil in our day and resist it.
The man of lawlessness wants two things. Rebellion, and apostasy. Rejecting God’s righteous law, and embracing the worship of anything other than God (which is worship of the devil ultimately).
We also see the game plan of the devil revealed in this passage. The Man of Lawlessness will use all means, including coercion and deceit to ensure worship of himself. This is true in every age. We should not be surprised to see opposition to the gospel, from authorities and groups, and through false teaching and false teachers slipping into the Church.
So as believers, our response should be to hold firmer to Christ alone in affliction, to worship the Triune God alone, and to seek to please God by putting sin and rebellion to death in our own lives!
Forewarned is forearmed. The Man of Lawlessness will come. His spirit is at work today. But the good news is his arrival signals Jesus’ return.