The Wicked Warning
3. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.4. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.5. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?6. And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.7. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till He is taken out of the way.8. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming.9. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,10. And all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and be saved.11. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie,12. And so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.2 Thessalonians 2:3-12
The Meaning of WickednessWhen the Bible speaks of wickedness, it is referring to the particular type of evil that prides itself in wrong. This pride is so powerful that the wicked person defies God and everything that appears to be God. While this level of wickedness or lawlessness is ascribed to the anti-Christ, it will be shared by all those who refuse to obey God’s Truth.
Just to give you some idea of what this mean, we need only look at those who break the law and then either bribe judges to side with them or will claim outright that they have done nothing wrong. That is wickedness. In the last days, the Bible speaks of lawlessness in high places. That reference in Ephesians 6, warns us that we are not in a battle against flesh and blood, but these are satanic forces that are ruling governments, persuading leaders, and giving rise to spiritual wickedness in the heavenly realm. What should believers do about this and how shall they overcome such forces? The only defense is for the child of God to put on what is known as the whole Armor of God. This spiritual equipment will provide protection from the forces of evil and will ultimately lead us to victory over all the forces of darkness.
Lest we confuse lawlessness with sin, we need to clarify that wickedness is the total disregard for right. It is reserved for those who scoff at God’s righteousness and either claim that God does not exist in their book or that they are their own God. Please understand that all of us sin, but that does not make us wicked. Our sin is usually due to ignorance on our part. Our sin is usually due to weakness and the inability to resist the lusts of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Our sin is usually due to our lack of prayer and the inability to live as God would have us live. In other words, we get too weak to fight so we give in to sin. While not excusing sin, wickedness goes to the extreme of daring God to do anything about the wrongdoing. Wickedness is not only taking pleasure in sin, but also destroying anyone or anything that gets in the way of those who indulge in that practice. It is total evil. Most of us would admit that we are bad but not that bad.
In this passage, the Apostle Paul speaks of “the Rebellion” that will take place. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till He is taken out of the way. While the rebellion is a specific time period that is quickly coming upon the world, the secret power of wickedness is already in operation. You see it happening when people have no shame to their evil behavior. Evil people are driven by three basic things: greed, lust, and hatred. Their greed is out of control to the point that they are not satisfied with merely having enough: they want it all. Their lust drives them to the point that they will not settle until they indulge in whatever their appetite craves. There is no respect for anyone. There is no value assigned to anyone except themselves. There is no limit to what they will do to get whatever they want. The hatred is directed at everyone who looks anything like God. Since they can’t attack God, they will attack the things that belong to God and seek to destroy every evidence of things that are holy. They have no inclination to do right. They have no desire to pray. They have no conscience, no morals, and no respect for others. The rebellion will be filled with people engrossed in this movement of wickedness because all restraints by God will be removed. The Lord will simply let them have their own way for a little while and then He will judge them with the Sword of Truth. Paul tells us that the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. Now is the time for us to ask whether or not we are on the Lord’s side. Why Do People Give in to Wickedness?
How could people be so gullible and fall for such wickedness? It is quite simple, the evil one promises people whatever they want. So people don’t want to live by rules. You see that witnessed in your children. They rebel against the rules. What makes the time of wickedness so unique is that the leader will be the anti-Christ himself. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. He will use trickery and fake miracles to deceive those who do not follow the truth of the Bible. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie. Those who are not trained in God’s Word will fall victim to this strong delusion by thinking that these miracles are from God and that the one working the miracles is God. The result will be that millions of people will be led into the rebellion all because the devil in the person of the anti-Christ is promising them everything that they want.
What makes the Church so vulnerable? First of all, the Church represents God and is founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church will be a target for false teachings and even idolatry. But here is something that people will not want to hear but it is all too true. Not everyone in the Church is saved. Of those who are saved, not everyone is walking in close fellowship with the Lord. This mystery of wickedness is already at work and you see it in the Church today. There is hardly a week that passes without some preacher being exposed for some type of scandal. There is hardly a week that passes without some Church member getting caught in the wrong place doing the wrong thing. There is hardly a week that passes without some strife, rift, or falling out that takes place among Church folk who are more interested in proving they are right than following the Lord. This makes the Church itself a target for wickedness. Paul was not writing these words to say that the Church was faultless. He wanted them to be on their guard against the wickedness. The only way to live for God is to keep your focus on God’s Truth. Keep your mind on the Holy Spirit’s power. Keep your life clean through prayer. And keep pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In other words, Church people are capable of wickedness whenever they get out of the will of God. That is why God is warning us about wickedness. The Lord wants us to be seeking Him so that when He returns, we will be found in Christ not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.In a sense, the Church is like the Bible character Lot. Lot lived in a place called Sodom because he thought it was green and fruitful. (see Genesis 13:10-11). Once he had lived in the plain for a while, he realized that he had picked a bad neighborhood. The folks were terrible sinners before God and his soul was vexed constantly with the evil practices of people who were wicked. The Apostle Peter said that Lot was a righteous man living among the unrighteous. That is the Church. But if the Church is not careful, it can quickly pick up the lawlessness and think that it is normal.
Here is something else that Lot experienced that the Church will also experience if we prepare our hearts to seek the Lord. The Bible said that angels were sent to Sodom with the specific task of removing him from that environment. The angels told Lot that they were sent by God to destroy that region but could not begin the judgment until he was safely out of the area. What is holding back the lawless one from being revealed in the world today? Please listen carefully to what Paul says in this passage. He is speaking of someone being removed or taken out of the way. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till He is taken out of the way … And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming.
I believe that the One refers to the Church. God Almighty will remove His Church from the world of wickedness. That does not mean that everyone who claims to be the Church will be taken out of the way. Those who are “professors” and not “possessors” will find themselves left behind. They will be a part of the false Church that will be operating during the tribulation times that will be coming on the world. But the real Church, the saved of God, the blood washed saints, will be taken up to be with the Lord and so shall we ever be with Him. The “One who now holds back” is a reference to God’s Church. They will be removed from the world. What happens after that will be total wickedness due to the fact that no one will be offering prayers of intercession. No one will be witnessing to the unsaved. No one will be conducting ministry to help those in need. God will give the wicked what they asked for. He will leave them to themselves until the time that He destroys them with the Sword of His Mouth. The Blessing of the WarningIn conclusion, every believer must heed the warning by God that a day of wickedness is on the horizon. We listen to warnings of storms by weather forecasters and wisely make plans to safely endure the storm. We listen to warnings from our physicians and we change our behavior in order to stay healthy. We even listen to warnings from economists that tell us what they predict will happen in the financial markets. Why should we not hear God’s warnings of that wickedness that will come in the last days?
First, we are to heed the warning to not be deceived. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. Note the term, “in any way.” Lawlessness and wickedness is something that could influence even the best believer. The best way to prepare is to stay close to the Lord. The best way to detect a lie is to know the truth. Did not Jesus say, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free?” Heed the warning.
Then, heed the warning by remembering that you also were in darkness. In other words, remember where the Lord has brought you from. Remember that you did not change your life, but the Spirit of the Living God, convicted you of your sin and then brought you out of that horrible pit. Remember that it was the Lord that gave you saving Grace and translated you from your horrible living into the Kingdom of His dear Son. God did that because He loved you. It was not your goodness, not your knowledge, nor your ability: it was God’s Goodness. Heed the warning and don’t give yourself credit for God’s good work in you.
Also heed the warning that you will be delivered from that time of rebellion and lawlessness. God will keep you from that hour where sin’s power will sweep over the world and will lure mankind into the final judgment. In the same way that God delivered Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah, He will deliver His Children from that wicked one. While the Bible calls Lot a righteous man, Lot later sinned with his two daughters because he failed to trust God to take care of him. Righteous does not mean self-righteous. Righteous means to “get it right with God.” God’s Children have it right with God. They know where their help comes from. They know that it is God’s Grace through which they are saved and it is not of themselves. They also know that God loves them and they are not ashamed to love Him back and call Him Lord. So, our warning is to obey God’s Voice and to be ready when the Master returns. Like the children of Israel when they were delivered from Egypt, we must have our bags packed and ready for the exodus from this troubled world.
Lastly, we heed the warning to thank God in every situation. If the Lord should tarry for another decade, century, or even a millennium, we must be thankful. If God does not deliver us by rapture, He will deliver us through death so that we will enter into His presence with joy. The reminder to maintain a thankful heart is the only thing that we can do. It is a matter of the will as well as a matter of the heart. That will set you and I apart from the ungodly and those who brag upon themselves. Each child of God realizes that it is because of God’s Mercy that we are not consumed, great is His faithfulness. Keep looking up, for your redemption is drawing near.