Two events must occur before the day of the Lord - The apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, as Paul explains in his letter. The men who are spreading false rumors in Thessalonica are deceiving believers by raising false expectations about the imminence of the “day of the Lord” and the “arrival” of Jesus when he will gather his saints.
Paul’s
warning for disciples not to be “deceived” parallels the opening
exhortation of Jesus in his ‘Olivet Discourse - “Let no man deceive you.”
And the Apostle makes this warning in a similar context of overheated
prophetic expectations - (Matthew 24:4, Mark 13:5, Luke 21:8).
- (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) - “That no one may deceive you in any respect. Because that day will not set in, except the apostasy come first, and there be revealed the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself on high against everyone called God or any object of worship, so that he, within the sanctuary of God, will take his seat, showing himself that he is God.”
THE APOSTASY
That day will
not commence until, “first,” the apostasy occurs, and second, the “man
of lawlessness” is revealed. The syntax of the Greek clause could mean either
that the “apostasy” will precede the “man of lawlessness” or that
both events will occur concurrently. In this context, most likely, it means that
both events must transpire before the “day of the Lord.”
And here, the
“apostasy” and the arrival of the “man of lawlessness” are inextricably
linked. This figure will excel at propagating the very deceptions that lead Christians
astray. And most certainly, the deceivers who are active in Thessalonica are forerunners
of this ultimate deceiver.
The term “apostasy”
translates the Greek noun apostasia, meaning, “falling away, apostasy,
defection.” In both the New Testament and the Greek Septuagint, it refers
to defection from the true faith. It is related to the Greek verb that
means “to forsake, depart, revolt, to withdraw” - (Matthew 5:31, Acts 21:21, 1 Timothy
4:1, Hebrews 3:12).
The expectation of a future “apostasy” is common in the
New Testament and originated with Jesus. Furthermore, in his comments in the
‘Olivet Discourse,’ he links “lawlessness” to apostasy:
- (Matthew 24:10-12) – “And, then, will many be caused to stumble and will deliver up one another and will hate one another; and many false prophets will arise and deceive, many; and because of lawlessness being brought to the full, the love of the many will grew cold” - (Compare 1 Timothy 4:1).
LAWLESS ONE
This dark figure
is given two designations - the “man of lawlessness” and the “son of destruction.”
The latter is used only once in the chapter. However, and possibly not
coincidentally, the exact same phrase, “son of destruction,” was applied
by Jesus to Judas Iscariot - (John 17:12).
And the image of a man who causes “lawlessness” and “destruction” is derived from the figure of the “little horn” in the book of Daniel - (Daniel 7:24-25, 11:31-36).
In 2 Thessalonians, the “one who opposes and exalts himself on
high” alludes to the passage in Daniel, but it also echoes the
interpretation of the vision of the ram and goat given to the prophet Daniel
by Gabriel in the eighth chapter of his book - “And
through his policy, he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, and he shall magnify himself in his heart” - (Daniel 8:25).
Originally, it referred to Antiochus IV, the ruler of the
Seleucid empire who attempted to destroy the religion of Israel and destroyed
many of the “saints” of Israel - (Daniel 8:9-13, 8:21-26, 9:26-27 11:1-4,
11:31-36).
SANCTUARY OF GOD
“The sanctuary
of God” (ton naon tou theou). Elsewhere in his letters, Paul
consistently applies the “naos” or “sanctuary” of God to the
church, NOT to any building in Jerusalem or elsewhere - (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19, 2
Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:21).
The goal
of this “lawless one” is to cause followers of Jesus to depart from the
faith. That is why Paul warns of his future appearance in the “sanctuary of
God.” In other words, he will be active in the church of Jesus Christ.
Throughout
the discussion, Paul focuses on the spiritual well-being of the Christians in
Thessalonica. His goal is to keep them safe from misinformation about the “arrival”
of Jesus and to prepare them for the future onslaught of satanic forces against
the body of Christ.
And rather
than provide a list of “signs” by which believers can determine the timing or
nearness of that day, the Apostle provides two missing events that prove it has
not yet arrived. Indeed, that day will not come until they occur.