Letters to the Church

The New Testament warns of a future apostasy caused by deceivers and the Lawless One before the Day of the Lord arrives . The New Testament repeatedly warns us that before Jesus returns his Church will be attacked from within by deceivers, “ false anointed ones ,” and “ false prophets .” Before the “ Day of the Lord ” begins, his disciples will be confronted by the “ Man of Lawlessness ” whom the Apostle Paul links to the “ Apostasy ,” the final great “ falling away ” from the true faith.

The Son of Destruction will use deceitful signs and lying wonders to mislead many saints into abandoning the Faith – 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9. The “ Day of the Lord ” will not begin until the “ Man of Lawlessness ” is revealed when he “ seats himself in the Sanctuary of God .” His arrival will coincide with the “ Apostasy .” This Master Deceiver will be characterized by his ability to hoodwink believers using “ signs and wonders .”

Many saints will apostatize when the Lawless Man, the Son of Destruction, seats himself in the Sanctuary of God . As the Apostle Paul explained, the “ Day of the Lord ” will not come until the “ Apostasy ” occurs and the “ Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction ” is unveiled as he seats himself “ in the Sanctuary of God .” He will appear only after the “ Mystery of Lawlessness ” has run its full course, and he will be destroyed when Jesus arrives on that final day – (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9).

The New Testament warns repeatedly of coming deceivers and false prophets who will cause many to depart from the faith . Jesus warned his disciples about coming “ deceivers ,” “ false Anointed Ones ,” and “ false prophets ” intent on misleading his followers, warnings reiterated and expanded in the writings of his true Apostles. He began his ‘Olivet Discourse’ with the stern warning - “ Beware lest anyone deceive you ,” for “ many ” deceivers will come and successfully “ deceive many .”

Paul warned of the coming Apostasy and linked it to the unveiling of the Man of Anarchy when he seats himself in the Assembly . Paul responded to false reports about the “ Day of the Lord ” by pointing to the expected Apostasy and the “ Man of Lawlessness .” Jesus will not “ arrive ” until the “ Apostasy ” occurs and the “ Lawless One ” is revealed. Rumors claiming that the “ Day of the Lord had set in ” were circulating in Thessalonica, disrupting the Assembly – (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Two events must occur before the Day of the Lord begins - The Apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness in God’s House . Men spreading rumors in the church of Thessalonica were raising false expectations about the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord ” and the “ arrival ” of Jesus. The Apostle Paul warned the Thessalonians not to be alarmed or deceived by such rumors since two key events must occur before that day comes.

Jesus will arrive and gather his people on the Day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ . In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul refutes claims that the “ Day of the Lord ” is imminent. That day will not arrive until the “ Apostasy ” and the “ revelation of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction .” Jesus will destroy this Master Deceiver at his “ Arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’, an event the Apostle links to this final great day.

Followers of Jesus must cling tenaciously to the Word spoken in the Son or they will drift away from God’s gracious salvation . The Letter’s first literary section concludes with an exhortation and warning. The disciple of Jesus who fails to heed the far “ better word ” God is speaking in His Son will suffer an even “ sorer punishment ” than the rebellious Israelites when they disobeyed the Mosaic Law. The Torah was delivered to Moses by angels. Nevertheless, it was God’s word, and therefore, lawbreakers received severe punishments – (Hebrews 2:1-4).

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 .”