The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 (ESV): 1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 

Who is this text describing?  Typically, expositors of this text point to the Antichrist.   They would be partially correct.  It also points to the Elijah figure in Malachi 3 & 4.  How so?

He takes his seat in God’s temple.   At the hear of Malachi’s prophecy is the idea that those who qualify as the transitional prophets all exercise all 3 sets of keys & thus all 3 major offices held by the Redeemer - Mediator - Prophet, Priest, & King - without themselves being Redeemer-Mediator. 

In addition, the text is written in a manner that indicates that they too might one day be theandric as well.  The Bible is clear that the Redeemer - Mediator is theandric, but it nowhere precludes the existence of other theandric entities, while simultaneously precluding the existence of more than one Redeemer - Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). 

Malachi 3:1–5 (ESV): And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 

5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. 

This individual comes to the Lord’s temple.  As a Prophet who is also a governing Priest-King, he has a place in God’s temple.  In addition, he speaks for the LORD & he might well be the LORD.   

As the Hebrew Prophet of record for the age in which he arrives, this individual’s ministry has a winnowing effect & comes at the time of rebellion.   His ministry also exposes the man of lawlessness, ie the spirit of (the) Antichrist.   

This individual also administers the covenant like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, & John the Baptist did in the name of the Redeemer-Mediator.  He also sound very like a man who understands that true liberty comes to God’s people by way of living & believing the law of love, eschewing both legalism & licentiousness, which, in the minds of the Opposition makes him sound lawless. 

 

5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. 

Pay attention to the way Paul speaks to the Corinthians about food sacrificed to idols.   On the one hand, he acknowledges that the party of weaker conscience is right about demons underwriting idols - which means they also respond to the eating of meals dedicated to idols.  On the other hand, he stands firm against the party of weaker conscience determining the liberty of the party of stronger conscience by way of insinuating that it is a sin to eat food from the marketplace that was sold there as what amounts to leftovers from a meal dedicated to Aphrodite or another pagan pseudodeity.   

Instead, he taught those in both groups to paraclete one another, in order to help grow the church out of this phase in which they were disputing with each other, especially in view of the multiple problems among them & the need to work together & not at cross purposes with eqch other. 

He also wrote, “All things are lawful, but not all things are wise.” (1 Corinthians 10:23). To the legalist, that sounds like a recipe for antinomianism.  To the licentious, it sounds like a license to do whatever you want.  To Paul, it echoes Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew 22:36 - 40.   

The same concept appears in Romans. Romans 13:8–10 (ESV): Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

In other words, perfect love fulfills the Law.  Moreover, 1 John states that guilt & fear go hand in hand. 

1 John 4:16–18 (ESV): So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 

Putting these texts from Matthew 22, Romans 13, & 1 John 4 together, we know & understand (1) The First Table of the Law is summarized as “Love God over & above everyone else & everything else;” (2) “Love your neighbor (who can be God, any other created being or beings, even you yourself) before yourself; (3) Everything else hangs on those 2 principles; (4) Existential fear of judgment is related to existential guilt - where one is located the other is for moral reasons (sin incurs God’s righteous judgment); (5) At its heart, failure (& success) to obey the Law (& Gospel) w/respect to each & every thought, word, & deed runs through our motives (1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah 17: 9 - 10, Matthew 5:41, James 1:14 - 15) & those motives involve loving God & neighbor in the manner which the LORD requires; (6) Perfect love fulfills the Law (& cures existential fear & guilt related to sin; (7) & since Perfect Love for God & neighbor fulfills the Law perfectly relative to what constitutes sin, such love also maximizes liberty.  

In addition, this applies to all 3 Universal Spheres of Moral Governance & Obedience (insofar as the Bible teaches the 3-Fold Use of the Law).  In other words, the Law of Perfect Love & Liberty applies in/to the 3 Cardinal Spheres (Reaches) — Individual, Churchly/Ecclesiastical, & Civil (Secular, not just Sacred).   

In other words, it is entirely possible to do anything one desires without sinning — if & only if you are able (& therefore willing) in thought, word, & deed to love God in the manner in which Matthew 22, Romans 13, & 1 John speak.   That is what moral liberty of the sort Paul references in 1 Corinthians 10:23 actually means.

1 Thessalonians 2:7 continues, Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. “

The extraordinary Satanic spirit of lawlessness at work in the World that drives repeated cycles of fear & guilt (& therefore God’s judgment) is constantly held at bay by God’s restraint. After all He decreed it.   (Romans 11:32)

The extraordinary state of lawlessness, defined as periodic cycles of reformation, rest, & reformation is also a product of God’s goodness & grace.  Therefore, when God’s restraint is lifted, cycles of declension occur.  Moreover, it is entirely possible for a cycle of liberty to arise — if certain conditions are met.  For example a Jubilee Cycle is supposed to result in relief for the poor & other members of the classes of people God defines & recognizes as “the Least of These.  Covenantal obedience in Deuteronomy results in continuance in the land and relative peace & blessing. Likewise, covenantal disobedience results in sanctions that are proportional to the iniquity committed by the people (Deuteronomy 27:1 - 30:20)

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 

If there is a corresponding lawless one who is a prophetic Biblical Libertine in contrast to the Antichrist, this applies to him / them as well. 

9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 

Satanic activity historically increases during a time near & not long after a covenantal expansion from one administration to the next.   These transitional prophets appear when Worldly Witchcraft is high & faith & faithfulness are low.  

10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 

11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 

Those whom God proverbs by way of sending a strong delusion, are people who refuse to love the truth & took pleasure in unrighteousness. 

God bless us all, each & every one, & “Go and Sin No More.”