2 Thessalonians 2:3 - Meaning and Application

In these words, the apostle corrects the error he had warned them about and explains why they should not expect Christ’s return to be immediate. Several events had to come before the second coming of Christ. He says, first, there would be a general apostasy, or falling away (2 Thessalonians 2:3). By this, he does not mean a revolt in the state or a break from civil government, but a turning away in spiritual and religious matters, from sound teaching, appointed worship, church order, and holy living.

Paul speaks of a very great apostasy, not just among a few converted Jews or Gentiles, but one that would spread widely, though gradually. It would also make room for the revealing of antichrist, the man of sin. He says in (2 Thessalonians 2:5) that he had already told them this while he was with them, no doubt so they would not be shocked or stumble when it happened. As soon as Christianity was planted and took root in the world, a decline began in the Christian church.

This same pattern appears in the Old Testament church. Soon after any strong advance in religion, people tended to fall away. After the promise, there was rebellion. Soon after people began to call on the name of the Lord, all flesh corrupted its way. Soon after the covenant with Noah, the builders of Babel defied heaven. Soon after the covenant with Abraham, his descendants grew corrupt in Egypt. Soon after Israel was settled in Canaan, when the first generation had died off, they forsook God and served Baal. Soon after God’s covenant with David, his seed rebelled and served other gods. After the return from captivity, there was again a serious decline in godliness, as Ezra and Nehemiah show. So it should not seem strange that after Christianity was planted, a falling away would come.

Second, Paul speaks of the revealing of that man of sin, meaning that antichrist would rise out of this general apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Later he speaks of the revealing of that wicked one (2 Thessalonians 2:8), which points to the uncovering of his evil so that he may be brought down. Here he seems to speak of his rise, which would come about through the apostasy already mentioned. The point is that all kinds of false teaching and corruption would gather in him.

There has been much debate about who or what this man of sin and son of perdition is. Even if it cannot be proved with certainty that the papal power and tyranny are the only thing meant, what is said here fits them very closely. He is called the man of sin because of his extreme wickedness. He is not only committed to sin himself, but also encourages, approves, and commands sin in others. He is called the son of perdition because he is destined for destruction and is also the means of destroying many others, both in soul and body.

These names fit the papal state for those reasons, and so do the further marks Paul gives in (2 Thessalonians 2:4). He opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshiped. The bishops of Rome have not only opposed God’s authority and that of civil rulers, who are sometimes called gods, but have also lifted themselves above both God and earthly rulers by demanding greater obedience to their commands than to God’s commands or the magistrate’s. He also sits in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God. Just as God was once in the temple and is now present with his church, so this antichrist is a usurper of God’s authority in the Christian church, claiming divine honors for himself. This is especially fitting to the bishops of Rome, who have been given blasphemous titles such as “Our Lord God the pope” and “Another God on earth.”

Paul then speaks of his rise in (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). Two things should be noticed. First, something was restraining him until it was taken away. This is commonly understood to be the power of the Roman Empire, which Paul did not think wise to name plainly then. While that power remained, it held back the bishops of Rome from reaching the tyranny they later gained. Second, this mystery of lawlessness was to grow slowly until it reached full strength. That is how it happened. Corruption in doctrine and worship in the Roman church spread little by little, and the bishops of Rome slowly gained power, not all at once. This made the mystery of lawlessness spread more easily and almost without notice.

Paul rightly calls it a mystery of iniquity, because evil plans and actions were hidden under false appearances and excuses. At least they were hidden from common view. Under the claim of devotion, superstition and idolatry were advanced. Under the claim of zeal for God’s glory, stubbornness and persecution were promoted. Paul also says this mystery of lawlessness was already at work even then. While the apostles were still alive, the enemy had already come and sown weeds. Even then there were the deeds of the Nicolaitans, people who pretended to be zealous for Christ but were really against him. Pride, ambition, and worldly interests among church leaders, as in Diotrephes and others, were early signs of this mystery at work. Over time, it grew into the great corruption seen in the church of Rome.

Finally, Paul describes the fall and ruin of the antichristian state in (2 Thessalonians 2:8). The leader of this kingdom is called that wicked one, or that lawless person, because he sets a human power against the divine rule and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the same thing that shows him to be the man of sin also points to his ruin, because his evil will be exposed to the world. Paul assures the Thessalonians that the Lord will consume and destroy him. The consuming comes before the final destruction. It will happen by the Spirit of his mouth, that is, by Christ’s word of command. The pure word of God, joined with the Spirit of God, will expose this mystery of lawlessness and cause antichrist’s power to waste away. In time, it will be completely destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming.

Notice this: when Christ comes to destroy the wicked, his coming will be marked by special glory and shining splendor.

Paul then goes on to describe the rule and work of this man of sin. In general, he says it is after the pattern of Satan, the great enemy of souls, the chief opponent of God and humanity.

Satan is the great supporter of error and lies, and the sworn enemy of the truth as it is in Jesus, and of all who follow Jesus faithfully. In a more specific sense, this power works by Satan’s influence and deceit. A divine power is claimed for this kingdom, but in reality it comes from Satan’s work. Signs and wonders, visions and miracles are claimed too, and by such things the papal kingdom was first established and has been maintained. But these are false signs used to support false teaching, or only supposed miracles, either false in fact or fraudulently managed, meant to deceive people. The devilish tricks used to uphold the antichristian state are widely known. The apostle calls all of this “the deceit that comes from wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Some may call them pious frauds, but the apostle calls them wicked and unrighteous frauds. In truth, all fraud, because it opposes truth, is ungodly.

Many subtle tricks have been used by the man of sin, and many fair-sounding excuses have led careless and unstable souls to accept false teaching and submit to his usurped rule. The persons described as his willing subjects, or the ones most likely to become such, are those who do not love the truth so that they may be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:10). They may have heard the truth, but they did not love it. They could not endure sound teaching, so they easily took in false teaching. They had some mental understanding of what was true, but they kept strong prejudices, and so they fell prey to deceivers. If they had loved the truth, they would have held to it and been kept safe by it. It is no surprise that they quickly gave up what they never truly loved. Of such people it is said that they perish, or are lost. They are already in a lost condition, and in danger of being lost forever.

This leads to the sin and ruin of the followers of antichrist’s kingdom, as described in (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Their sin is this: they did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness. Since they did not love the truth, they did not believe it. And because they did not believe the truth, they found pleasure in wicked actions and were pleased by false ideas. An incorrect mind and a sinful life often go together, and each one helps the other.

Their ruin is described this way: God will send them strong delusions so that they believe a lie. In this way he punishes people for their unbelief, their dislike of the truth, and their love for sin and evil. This does not mean that God is the author of sin. It means that, in righteous judgment, he sometimes removes his grace from such sinners. He gives them over to Satan, or leaves them to be deceived by his agents. He gives them up to their own desires and leaves them to themselves, and then sin follows naturally, even the worst kind, ending at last in eternal damnation. God is just when he brings spiritual judgments in this life and eternal punishment later on those who have no love for the truths of the gospel, who will not believe them or live in line with them, but instead fill their minds with false teaching and their lives with wicked behavior.