The Man of Sin

The Apostle Paul warned about the man of sin, or son of spiritual destruction. This evil man is alive today, exposed by a great revolt inside God’s own Church. In the midst of a great rebellion, God’s little remnant is delivering His message and enduring persecution and trials. Their faith is growing exceedingly! (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

The biblical book of 2 Thessalonians is dramatic prophecy for this end time. It’s all being fulfilled right now! Chapter 2 is a tragedy. But chapter 1 is one of the most inspiring passages in the Bible. God has recently revealed deeper understanding about this book to me.

2 Thessalonians 2

The Interpreter’s Bible Commentary recognizes that the rebellion of 2 Thessalonians 2 is within God’s Church. This fact is plain to any student of the Bible.

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (verses 1-4). This passage speaks of God’s spiritual temple, or His Church, which is far greater than any physical temple of the Old Testament (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21; Revelation 3:12).

Do you realize how much God is intervening in world affairs today? He’s letting Himself be known to the world, warning them of what is coming and giving all kinds of hope to anyone who will heed what He says. All of this is leading to the greatest event in universe history: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!

A great falling away within God’s Church was prophesied to precede Christ’s return. Ninety-five percent of God’s people have rebelled, but a loyal few continue to proclaim God’s truth.

The man of sin in God’s Church is absolutely lawless! He acts like he’s God! His other title, “son of perdition,” is the same label Christ put on Judas Iscariot. He’s another Judas betraying the Son of God, who leads the Church. What a monstrous betrayal. How devastating. His appearance is a sign that Christ’s return is imminent! You can prove this. The specifics of this prophecy are startling.

We are talking about a revolt, an apostasy. This Church disaster had to take place before Christ can return. The end of 2 Thessalonians 2:2, which says “the day of Christ is at hand,” can also be translated “the day of Christ has set in,” according to Interpreter’s. I wrote in Malachi’s Message, “The point is, an event ‘has set in’ that connects DIRECTLY with the return of Jesus Christ!”

The Second Coming and the last Church era are directly connected. There are seven eras (Revelation 2-3). In this seventh era, the Laodicean era, God has given a new throne and stone to His Church. These symbols are more pure than they were before. God’s loyal people will rule from that throne alongside Jesus Christ for all eternity! (Study my free book The New Throne of David to discover more about this amazing truth.)

“Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he [the man of sin] might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [restrains] will [restrain], until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:5-7). For many years, one man held back the man of sin and his mystery of lawlessness. God has removed this man, giving the man of sin all kinds of leeway to do his dirty work.

God allowed this treachery because He wanted to find out how His people would respond in crisis. More tough times are ahead.

The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary states about verse 7: “The continuance of the mystery of iniquity working is only until he who now withholds is taken out of the way. Then it will work no longer in mystery, but in open manifestation.” In other words, God’s man will be taken out of the way—die—so everybody can see the man of sin.

You can prove who these two men are. My son’s free book Raising the Ruins will give you all the details of this Church rebellion and how God responded. It’s a powerful, powerful book.

2 Thessalonians 1

Back to 2 Thessalonians 1: “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth” (verses 1-3). Among God’s loyal people, faith and love grow abundantly! We’re here to build His character.

This passage is not about Paul’s day. He thought the Second Coming would occur in his lifetime, but the tribulation of a.d. 70 by the Romans against Jerusalem was just a type of the Great Tribulation to precede Christ’s return. We must learn from 2 Thessalonians, which Paul wrote for us. We must heed to escape a lot of suffering.

“So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure” (verse 4). God’s loyal people are powerful in persecution! He praises His little remnant! We need a lot of patience to endure our many trials and tests.

Faith, love, patience—God’s people are showing God’s character in action! Isn’t that wonderful?

2 Thessalonians 1 brilliantly introduces chapter 2. Through crisis and spiritual wreckage, God’s loyal people keep delivering His message—and growing in His character in the process! We are preparing for our reward of ruling on David’s throne under Christ for the Millennium, and then forever! But first, we must deliver God’s truth to the entire world! This message is filled with hope: Correct your ways, and live! Hope galore! We need this hope with all the turmoil and dangerous chaos throughout the world.

“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:7). Christ will return with His mighty angels! We don’t have to be troubled.

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 8). This world does not know God or His true gospel. They think they do, but they don’t.

Verse 11 discusses “the work of faith with power.” God’s Work is done by a little remnant and empowered by God! You can see this Work all over the world. It’s on tv, radio, the Internet and in literature. There’s nothing else like it!

Evil in Full Force

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). God will reveal the man of sin to you! Do you know who he is? Do you really know about the great falling away? Have you proved it to yourself? You absolutely can. I guarantee it! You need to understand this revelation, or you won’t understand what’s happening in the world.

The man of sin brings destruction by willful deception. Remember, he has the same label as Judas. Satan the devil entered into Judas the night he betrayed Jesus (Luke 22:3; John 13:27). The man of sin is an end-time Judas. That ought to shake us! If that isn’t serious, what is? We must heed this warning sign and repent!

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9). God will stop the man of sin, who is doing Satan’s work through lying wonders. This is the great and final rebellion.

“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish [are perishing]; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (verses 10-11). God sent His Church the full force of evil’s delusion—to test us! Our brethren are perishing spiritually. They had the truth and lost it. God won’t tolerate this.

You must be willing to stand up for God’s truth (verse 15). As we go through persecution and trials, God will give us exceedingly great love, exceedingly great faith and exceedingly great patience. We will be strong like Christ was on Earth and like God the Father is. That’s the greatest blessing of all!