Letters to the Church

The first literary section of  Hebrews  concludes with an exhortation and ominous warning. Any disciple of Jesus who fails to heed the far “ better word ” that God is now speaking in His Son will suffer an even “ sorer punishment ” than the rebellious Israelites received when they disobeyed the Mosaic Law. The  Torah  was delivered to Moses by angels. Nevertheless, it was God’s word, and therefore, lawbreakers were punished severely.

The first chapter of  Hebrews  emphasizes the supremacy of the High Priest who now sits at the “ right hand of the Majesty on High .” In the chapter’s second half, the eternal sovereignty of God is described (“ Your throne, O God, is to times everlasting ”), then the qualifications of the Son for the priesthood are stated (“ You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness ”). This leads to the exhortation at the beginning of Chapter 2.

The epistle to the Galatians opens with a stern warning. What some believers contemplated doing would replace the true Gospel with something quite alien to the Apostolic message. To turn from the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” to the “ works of the law ” for justification meant abandoning the grace of God and rejecting the message preached by Paul, which is why he summoned God to “ curse ” any man, even “ an angel from Heaven ,” who preached “ another gospel .”

The Apostle Paul responded to false reports about the “ Day of the Lord ” by pointing to the expected apostasy and the “ Man of Lawlessness .” Jesus would not “ arrive ” to gather his saints until the “ Apostasy ” occurred and the “ Lawless One ” was revealed “ in the Sanctuary of God .” In doing so, he reiterated warnings found elsewhere in Scripture about the “ falling away ” and “ deceivers ” in the “ Last Days ,” including those made by Jesus in his ‘Olivet Discourse’.

The New Testament warns the disciples of Jesus about several things that will characterize the period between his first and second comings, ones that will intensify as the end approaches. They include a great many deceivers that will infiltrate the church along with deception, apostasy, the rise of an especially significant deceiver just prior to the end, and Satan’s final assault on the church.

The men spreading false rumors in Thessalonica about the future were raising false expectations about the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord ” and the “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus. Paul warned the Assembly not to be alarmed by such rumors, especially reports of this kind claiming to be from him or his coworkers.

The Little Horn in Daniel is the model for the Man of Lawlessness described by Paul to the Thessalonians . In his visions, Daniel sees a malevolent ruler called variously the “ Little Horn ,” the “ King of Fierce Countenance ,” the “ Contemptible One ,” and the “ King who does according to his will .” This figure is an arrogant ruler with a “ mouth speaking great things .” He profanes the Sanctuary, causes the cessation of the daily burnt offerings in the Jerusalem Temple, erects the “ Abomination that Desolates ,” and “ exalts himself against God .”

Jesus warned his disciples about coming “ deceivers ,” “ false Anointed Ones ,” and “ false prophets ” intent on misleading them, warnings reiterated and expanded in the writings of the Apostles. He began his Olivet Discourse with the stern warning - “ Beware lest anyone deceive you ,” for “ MANY ” deceivers would come and “ deceive MANY .”

After urging believers to enter God’s “ rest ,” the  Letter to the Hebrews  provides an eloquent description of the powerful word of God, then it returns to the subject of the Son’s priesthood “ after the order of Melchizedek .” Believers must strive to enter His “ rest ” while the opportunity remains - “ TODAY, hearken to His voice .” In contrast, ancient Israel refused to believe the words of Yahweh, therefore, Joshua could not lead the nation into the Promised Land.

The Letter continues with its analogy to  Israel’s rebellion  in the wilderness, thereby summoning believers not to make the same error of unbelief and fail to enter God’s “ rest .” In the desert, Yahweh decreed that the generation of Israelites that fled from Egypt would not enter the Promised Land. And so, disciples of Jesus who fail to “ hold fast the beginning of their confidence firm unto the end ” will face a similar fate. They will not inherit the promises of God.

Jesus will deal with the “ Lawless One ” at his “ arrival ” or Parousia . In describing this, Paul employs language from Daniel’s vision of the “ little horn speaking great things ,” originally, an image representing the Seleucid ruler who attempted to destroy the Jewish faith and nation through deceit and persecution.

Paul has explained why the “ day of the Lord ” has not commenced. Neither the “ apostasy ” nor the “ revelation of the man of lawlessness ” has occurred. Next, he describes the “ mystery of lawlessness ” that is setting the stage for the “ arrival ” of the “ Lawless One .” He will be unveiled when this  “ mystery of lawlessness ” completes its preparatory task.

Jesus will not “ arrive ” to gather his “ elect ” until two events occur - The “ Apostasy ” and the “ Revelation of the Man of Lawlessness ,” and they are inextricably linked. It is not just the presence of this figure but his unveiling in the Assembly that will signal the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord .” Not only will he cause many to apostatize, but his identity will be unveiled when he “ sits down ” in the “ Sanctuary of God .”

After expounding on the “ household of God ” and demonstrating the superiority of the Son  over Moses ,  Hebrews  continues with a lesson drawn from the history of Israel. During its sojourn in the wilderness, the Israelites complained bitterly against the “ servant of God ,” for leading them to a place with insufficient water supplies. Consequently, God decreed that the generation of Israelites freed from Egyptian bondage would not enter the Promised Land.

The “ Mystery of Lawlessness ” is active in the world, and especially so in the Body of Christ as it prepares hearts and minds for the “ arrival ” of the “ Man of Lawlessness ” and the “ Apostasy .” It will continue to do so until the appointed time when this “ Lawless One ” will “ come out of the midst ” and be unveiled in the “ Sanctuary of God .” Moreover, he then will employ “ lying signs and wonders ” to cause those who refuse the “ love of the truth ” to betray the Apostolic faith.

Many saints will apostatize when the Lawless One, the Son of Destruction, seats himself in the Sanctuary of God . As the Apostle Paul explained to the Thessalonians, the “ Day of the Lord ” would not arrive until the “ Apostasy ” occurred and the “ Man of Lawlessness ” was unveiled, the one who would seat himself “ in the Sanctuary of God .” Paul also labeled him the “ Son of Destruction ,” but is there any additional significance to this second designation?

After explaining the coming “Apostasy” and the “Man of Lawlessness,” Paul instructed believers in Thessalonica on how to avoid the coming deception and thereby find themselves standing “blameless” before Jesus when he “arrives.” To do so they must “stand fast” by adhering to the teachings and “traditions” of the Apostles. The conclusion to his discussion includes verbal links to his first letter to the Assembly. The second letter was written within a few weeks or months at the most of the first letter.