Expository Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12: The Coming Man of Sin
2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 says, "Let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except come a falling away and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God and that is worshiped; so that he as 'God' sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things? And now, ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let until He be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming- even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not in truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:"
Here we understand the coming of the end times. The Lord has His patience yet He has limits to it. His grace and mercy are definitely not infinite to the unbeliever though He grants such everlasting mercy to those who are His own that even when they stumble, He chastises them (Hebrews 12:5-6) yet He casts them not out (John 6:37) and restores them (Psalm 51). But not quite with the wicked. Observe:
1.) The day will not come until the great falling away. (v. 3)
This speaks of the Rapture that it will not come UNTIL the great falling away. Jesus in Matthew 24 had given signs before His coming. While Christians will endure to the end, the unsaved won't (1 John 2:19). There are Judas Iscariots in the Church, as such they pretend to be Christians but are not. Have not therefore false brethren in the midst of God's saints driven such perils (2 Corinthians 11:6, Galatians 2:4) and yet God will judge them. This falling away is not true Christians departing from the faith, no, no true believer will depart and stop believing. Genuine converts will not fall away and remain saved or no longer be saved, they stay saved and fall away not lest God's Word be a lie. As great expositors like Charles Spurgeon and John Calvin say, perseverance to the end is a mark of true conversion. False converts are sit-ins, they don't last long. They may be as the Dominicans and the Jesuits who they or train others to infiltrate the flock, to sow discord in the family of Christ and drive the flocks into compromise and ecumenism or even destroy them as the Inquisition has caused the Great Harlot to be drunk in the blood of the saints. Oh so much blood has Babylon drank, the blood of the saints in her wantonness. If Rome could not destroy the Christians with Inquisition, why not infiltration? This is when the final church age of Laodecia is and no doubt, we are at the last church age!
2.) The Antichrist revealed for who he is (v. 4)
The signs are indeed among us. This Antichrist is called the man of sin, the son of Perdition. Jesus called Judas Iscariot as such in John 17:12 in his great priestly prayer. Like Judas Iscariot, this Antichrist is an imposter, a sham and one who pretends to be a brethren but is in fact the usurper. The Papacy is looked upon by great Reformers like Martin Luther, John Knox and John Calvin as well as the most powerful Baptist preachers such as Charles Spurgeon and Jonathan Edwards as the fulfillment of the Antichrist in Scripture. Behold upon these words that which great Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon spoke of his unholiness the Pope in Rome:
"It is the bound and duty of every Christian to pray against this Antichrist and as to what Antichrist is no sane man ought to raise a question.If it be not the popery in the church of Rome, there's nothing in the world that can be called by that name."
"Of all the dreams that have ever deluded men, and probably of all blasphemies that ever were uttered, there has never been one which is more absurd and which is more fruitful in all manner of mischief than the idea that the Bishop of Rome can be the head of the church of Jesus Christ. No. These Popes die, and how could the church live if its head were dead? The true head ever lives and the church ever lives in Him."
"A man...this is very interesting...a man who deludes other people by degrees comes to delude himself. The deluder first makes dupes out of others and then becomes a dupe to himself.I should not wonder but what the Pope really believes that he is infallible and that he ought to be saluted as His Holiness. It must have taken him a good time to arrive at that eminence of self-deception. But he's got to it, I daresay by now, and everyone who kisses his toe confirms him in this insane idea. When everybody else believes a flattering falsehood concerning you, you come at last to believe it yourself. Or at least to think it may be so.But the Pharisees being continually called the learned, rabbi, father, the holy scribe, the devout and pious doctor, the sanctified teacher believed the flattering compliments. They used very grand phrases in those days and doctors of divinity were very common, almost as common as they are now and the crowd of doctors and rabbis help to keep each other in countenance by repeating each other's fine names until they believed they meant something. Dear friends,it's very difficult to receive honor and expect it and yet to keep your eyesight for men's eyes gradually grow dull through the smoke of the incense which is burned before them.And when their eyes become dim with self-conceit, their own great selves conceal the cross and make them unable to believe the truth."
"Christ did not redeem His church with His blood so the Pope could come in and steal away the glory.He never came from heaven to earth. He never poured out his very heart that he might purchase his people.That a poor sinner, a mere man should be set upon high to be admired by all the nations and to call himself God's representative on earth, Christ has always been the head of His church."
It is in fact covetousness that the Pope should call himself by the names of holy father, our most holy father and whatever. The title Dominus Deus Noster Papa means "Our Lord God the Pope". Deus alter in terra- Another God on Earth. Such are the blasphemies spoken. So no wonder why so many Reformers have considered that the final Pope will be the Antichrist for these reasons. What is pretty interesting is that "Vicarius Filii Dei" sum it up and it is the number 666. No doubt that some believe that the two beasts shall rise from the Great Whore. It makes this dictator no better than the atheist dictators like Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin who themselves also oppose everything called God and tried to make themselves look like they were God when they were but mere foolish men. Here therefore the words of the Popes themselves:
Pope Boniface VIII said in his Bull Unam Sanctum, "Furthermore we declare, state and define (dogmatic statement)that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of all men that they submit to the Roman Pontiff."
"The supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds therefore requires together with a perfect accord in the one faith,complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff as God Himself."- Leo XIII
"The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ but He is Jesus Christ Himself hidden under the veil of flesh. Does the Pope speak? It is Jesus Christ who speaks."- Pius X
See therefore how un-Christian these Popes are. So I should never upon by any means embrace Roman Catholics as my brethren in Christ but bad trees, tares and goats that need a spiritual rebirth so they may become good trees, wheat and sheep!
As of late, we are encountering the New World Order. Note thereof that Daniel spoke in Daniel 7:7-8 the Beast that would later be unraveled as the Roman Empire. The fourth beast, exceedingly powerful and there is the horn speaking great things. In verses 19-21 declares that such a man declared war against the saints and prevailed against them. The foreshadowing can be seen as how the Pope in his war against Christendom while claiming to be the vice president of Jesus and then appointed as king of the universe by God Himself (which is pure nonsense!) has made war especially against the true Christians. Think thereof before the rise of the great Martin Luther and John Calvin, the Baptists have been persecuted already before hand. John Huss, Girolamo Savonarola and William Tyndale all paid the price of being a Christian. Martin Luther lived a life of persecution, the murder of the Calvinistic Christians in St. Bartholomew's day, the victims of the Inquisition of "St." Dominic and the Dominicans and the dreaded Jesuit Order of Ignatius of Lieola. For in fact in the oath of the Jesuit that every man, woman and child will bow down to the Pope as Christ on Earth.
In the final days, Satan's man the Antichrist will one day sit. I cannot be certain if this be the Pope of the last days be the Antichrist and his fellow right hand Cardinal be his False Prophet for I believe most likely, the Pope will be the False Prophet the second beast to endorse the political Antichrist reviving the Roman Empire. Such a man will one day rule the world from Jerusalem thinking that he is God, deluded that he can defeat God and in Revelation 13, the final days before God ends the world to restore creation as it should be with His saints. In fact, it is very necessary that after great persecutions and so on that the Church must first be taken away before the Antichrist can come to full power. Reasons? It's plainly because for one, I would say that as long as the Church is around, the Antichrist has a lot of pain to take care of and the more he persecutes, the more the Christians will grow. The Popes have succeeded only in persecuting Christians but never in stopping its growth likewise with every other anti-Christian force. But it is very necessary that the Christians be taken out of the way first.
3.) Remember these things (v. 5-6)
The Apostle Paul beseeches the Thessalonians to remember all that he had written by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. The truth of the Antichrist will be revealed in due time, during this time the Apostle Paul had spoken of the coming days that will be never like before and we are now living in it!
4.) The mystery of iniquity (v. 7)
The mystery of iniquity is at work in the world. The problem of man is sin and yet man continues to say they are but basically good. The sinister systems of works salvation and liberation theology have been a long plague.
The Pharisees though they appeared pious were denounced with eight woes in Matthew 23 where Jesus Christ has predicted the rise of the great Apostate Church! No doubt, here's what it says:
1.) First woe (Matthew 23:13) - They shut the door of Heaven against men neither do they go in themselves. Today the sinister system is of how works salvation prohibits both the teachers and the followers from ever entering Heaven. The Pharisees taught the impossible system of works salvation that man must do works to earn God's favor. The priests of Babylon from her Pope to her priests teach the same heresy, that they have denied true salvation to their followers yet they themselves enter in. The sin of presumption doctrine has kept people in captivity even its teachers.
2.) Second woe (Matthew 23:14) - How true indeed upon they that would be devouring the houses of widows and make such long prayers. While the Roman Catholics have accused the Christian brethren of ripping out money through the tenth of one's income, how about them? They have done more than tithe, in fact every ritual requires money. Widows are sadly women left weakened because of the departure of their husbands and the responsibility of the home falls upon them- without the father, the mother must take the job of provisions, even find a job and the children will have to learn to take over her position. And in that state, she is so weak she is so easily duped except by the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 10:1-2 denounces the crime of doing so against widows. As said, "Popish priests under pretence of long prayers for the dead, masses and dirges that I know not what, enrich themselves by devouring the house of the widows and fatherless. Note, it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety however it passeth now, will be reckoned as double iniquity in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men."
3.) Third woe (Matthew 23:15) - Upon to which, their converts are in fact greater than a child of Hell than themselves. I would say that while many Roman Catholics may appear as good citizens in the case hence some of my own relatives as such, but inwardly they have their dirty secrets that cannot hide itself. Take for instance I know of a Roman Catholic woman who is so religious and yet her dirt comes out that she backbites during her confessions, she is a mean mother-in-law, an unforgiving wife and caused her own children to have no backbone because of her dominating personality. Such do sing in the choir and yet commit adultery habitually and think nothing is wrong. And what is worse is that, the Roman Catholic institution after "granting forgiveness" to the confessionals and seeing such people continue in their sins getting worse, still administer Communion. Have they not read in 1 Corinthians 11:28-30 that whosoever shall eat the body and the bread of the Lord unworthily or disrespectfully is guilty of mishandling the body of Christ? Worse, by their doctrine of transubstantiation have they disrespected the sacrament of the Lord's supper which is but a symbol, not the literal body and blood and is a seal and signifying of salvation but not necessary for salvation but a result of salvation? I doubt it then. For such, even great corrupt politicians have not been excommunicated and continue to receive Communion and church favors, have I then much to say? Then they say, "Aren't there any adulterers in thine flock o preacher?" Then so shall I reply, "There are who stumble but not habitual. Those who are habitual are but wolves in sheep's clothing on my flock who are actually but entrusted to me." is my reply.
4.) Fourth woe (Matthew 23:16-19) - The sins have gone as far as to even swear by the altar and to swear by the Temple of God, worse to swear by Heaven. For it is the altar and not the gift that sanctifies and to swear by the altar is to swear much more than the gift. Oh how such sin it is that they swear by Heaven that such lies like Sola Scriptura is not Scriptural, that the Council of Trent and not God's Word is the final authority for they full ye reject the Word of God to keep their own traditions (Mark 7:8-9). Indeed, they have sworn by Heaven which they also swear by God's throne and Him that sits thereon. And indeed this Pope swearing by heaven that he himself is the God of the Earth, Jesus under the veil of flesh has condemned himself unto blasphemy! The Man of Sin swears by the Temple of God as well!
5.) Fifth woe (Matthew 23:23-24) - Indeed they are very religious, they leave no ritual undone. Observe thereof of the Roman Catholic priests who are seen so faithful in their duties, seen kneeling on the floor and praying long prayers and praying like the Pharisees for display. Yet the history of Roman Catholicism has shown this much evil in their doings. They have been guilty of oppression, remember therefore the Inquisition or how they tie the burdens such as 1 Timothy 4:1-3 says of their manmade traditions. Think of how many Baptists and Protestant Christians were burned to death simply for eating meat during the Lenten season!
6.) Sixth woe (Matthew 23:25-27) - Jesus had used an abhorrent language against the Pharisees thereof that speaks of apostasy. Notice therefore the golden cup of Babylon the Great that though it'd be a cup of gold but inside it are the very dirty stuff- the blood of the saints and all filthiness. Think of therefore how the cup of gold and precious stones are actually but the chalice of evil. Many who had refused to believe in the heresy of transubstantiation were bloodily murdered in so many ways, as written in the Foxe's Book of Martyrs. Such saints however refused to accept deliverance so they may obtain a better resurrection, proof such people remain saved despite circumstances and their actions showed it.
7.) Seventh woe (Matthew 23:38) - The Pharisees were compared to tombs that are but filled with dead bones. No matter how beautiful a tomb would be, it would have dead bones. The dead die, they become unsightly because of rotting flesh then dead bones remain. Such a prophecy was later verified upon the very catacombs of the Vatican are filled with dead men's bones and the worship of the bones of dead "saints" like Francis Xavier of the dreaded not blessed Jesuit Order.
8.) Eighth woe (Matthew 23:29) - Jesus has condemned the building of the tombs for the prophets and saints whom corrupt religion itself has killed. Think of the death of Zechariah at the hands of the Baal worshipers whom Joash later supported out of peer pressure. Think thereof of the prophets of God whom the wicked King Ahab and his wife Jezebel murdered so the prophets of Baal may prevail. Think of the wickedness of Athaliah who was no doubt the most evil queen of her time who also dared to murder even her own grandchildren just so she could stay on the throne and stop the lineage of the Messiah! And in a Presbyterian point of view as commentator Matthew Henry says, "The extravagant respect which the church of Rome pays to all the memory of saints, departed, especially the martyrs, dedicating days and places to their names, enshrining their relics, praying to them and offering to their images while they make themselves drunk with the blood of the saints of their own day is a manifest proof that they had not only succeeded but exceed the scribes and Pharisees in counterfeit hypocritical religion which builds the prophets' tombs but hates the prophets' doctrine." Though Matthew Henry is but human and is prone to mistakes, I myself have observed that to how Babylon the Great has been in Revelation 17-18 condemned for killing the Christians while claiming herself to be a Christian. Worse, they have killed in God's name (John 16:23).
5.) Antichrist is due for judgment (v. 8)
See therefore that God allows the wicked to prosper to their ruin. Psalm 73 declares David's envy for the wicked and yet he also declares that he was foolish to do so. In Psalm 37, we read that David warns of not to fret because of wickedness because God will judge. Romans 12:19-20 the Apostle Paul warned that vengeance is of the Lord's, not man's. God has allowed the wicked to prosper for the reason that if He lets all the wicked perish now, nobody would get saved because we are but all wicked sinners exceedingly (Romans 3:10-23). In the case of the Antichrist, he has already sealed his doom to his own ruin.
6.) Even him by the signs and lying wonders (v. 9)
Note that Satan can also do miracles. 2 Corinthians 11:14 warns that Satan can appear as an angel of light. Though Satan cannot resurrect the dead but he can certainly heal the sick momentarily or even make it so real nobody knows it's a counterfeit. Satan is a master counterfeiter. Note that in Revelation 13:13-14 the False Prophet casts miracles. In Revelation 19:20 it's affirmed again that the False Prophet wrought miracles before the Antichrist. Satan has limited dominion and power such as how any form of witchcraft such as Feng Shui, palm reading, etc. has plagued this world. They grant temporary prosperity but never the irreplaceable joy of salvation. Worse, they lead so many to damnation.
7.) The destruction of those who love not the truth (v. 10)
Observe thereof the fate of those who love not the truth. How often I do see God warning sinners to repent both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. They have killed the prophets in the Old Testament, they have done the same to both the saints of the Old and the New Testament. Think therefore how these people knew God but rejected him (Romans 1:28-29). The world in itself sees the lies as the truth, they hate the Bible and has put its proponents under the worst tortures. Think of how so often it is because of preaching Scriptural truth do ye see the saints of God suffer the worst pains yet precious upon God is the death of His saints for they shall be with Him physically forever. Not so much with them, these people who hate the truth are destined for condemnation. In fact, the precious Savior had warned as Lord of all in John 8:24 that until believe Jesus is the Messiah and receive Him, they shall die in their sins. John 3:19-20 shows man's love for darkness and inevitable perish for refusing to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. How sad it is that they hate the Scriptural truth and love the lie! So many apologists of false religion continue to even use the sacred Scriptures to justify their lies!
8.) God using delusion to punish liars (v. 11-12)
God has chosen His delusions. Talk about how delusion hits people in their false religion, believing it as the absolute truth. Talk of the disillusioned atheist who worships their great atheist writers, the homosexual who believes that he or she is born that way and God made him or her that way, the Buddhist who believes in reincarnation and the visions of past reincarnation is but a vision of demons, or the Roman Catholic who believes that he or she is on the real church, that Peter was the first Pope when he is not or that they continue in their lies or in the demons pretending to be the souls of the departed, sinners who live wantonly and yet continue to say there is nothing in what they do- God has permitted them as punishments for the wicked doers. These delusions God sends to the hardened heart because they refuse to love the truth, they continue to fight against God and God, who He only chastises His own (Hebrews 12:5-6) declares the destruction of those not His own leaving them to their own peril. The Bible is full of ifs separating those who are God's forever vs. those who are fraudulent. By their works and motives are they uncovered!
The worst delusion is to those who persecute God's children and think they do God a favor. John 16:2-3 says, "They shall put you out of the synagogues, yeah, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father nor me." Think of the pseudo-Christian cults- the Roman Catholic institution or her rebellious daughters like Islam, Mormonism, SDAs and Watchtower to name a few. Many persecute the Christians thinking they are doing it for God, they claim to be serving God but in reality are unknowingly worshiping the Devil like the Pharisees who persecuted the Christians believing that they were doing God's service. Before Saul became Paul, he too thought he did God a service in what he did before he began to do God's service the right way. The Roman Catholic institution has carried out its persecution of the true Christians ironically in the name of Christ which is a fulfillment of John 16:2-3 and they are so disillusioned in what they do. No wonder Christ said, "Forgive them for they know what they do." in Luke 23:24.
9.) But God's elect be saved (v. 13). The elect cannot lose their salvation. I would hold to myself that not all the saved are of the elect but all the elect will get saved. Note thereof, "because God hath from the beginning chosen you for salvation..." Has He thereof chosen me or Paul who were but evil men to begin with to sanctification and a new life? Perhaps true as to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 saying, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a prophet unto all nations." Perhaps God had already predestined me to write this blog not for my own but for His glory or to the Apostle Paul whom started as Saul the Persecutor, he had chosen to witness unto the Gentiles. He doesn't call the qualified - he qualifies the called!
God bless!