Life Project Blog

…and into the fire.

We figured out what was going on in verses 1-4 with some detective work, and now we must grab our sleuth garb once more as we continue into these verses:

Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? ⁶ And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.⁸ Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His ^[f]coming;⁹ that is, the one whose ^[g]coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and ^[h]signs and false wonders, ¹⁰ and with ^[i]all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

2Thessalonians 2:5-10 (NASB)

I usually don’t do this, but for this discussion, I’ve left the verse and footnote markers in place; they will be important for us here.

Verse 5 is easy to understand, but it also makes our caution lights go on; Paul is reminding the Thessalonians that he has already taught them about all of this, so they should already understand what’s going on. While this statement might have reminded them of his earlier teachings and thus helped them understand their current situation, it tells us that Paul might not feel the need to mention every detail again, and since we were not present when he taught the Thessalonians in the first place, our job is likely to be made more difficult, as is the case. Verse 6 is not the best literary sentence Paul ever came up with, and not his easiest for us to follow.

It follows his teaching of verses 3-4, so that we now know all about the man of lawlessness, all we need to figure out is this “holding back” business. Since the man of lawlessness is Satan, and “lawlessness” is sin, rebellion… apostasy, then who might be holding him back until the time comes for him to be revealed (exposed)? Only God can fill this bill entirely, so let’s assume Paul is referring to God for now, and see if that is confirmed in the rest of the text.

This brings us to verse 7, which is the crucial verse. As I read it, the “mystery of lawlessness” is Satan because he is the “man of lawlessness” who deceives, and who has not yet been revealed or exposed, thus he is mysterious. The man of lawlessness is “already at work” as the Thessalonians are well aware (remember this!) but he and his work are being restrained. That might have come as a surprise to the Thessalonians who were being harshly persecuted, as it may also come as a surprise to many today who see Satan and his works seemingly running rampant all over the world, but he is being restrained or held back even now.

Do you recall my little theory from a few passages back? I mentioned there that God was restraining the works of Satan, and cited at least one example: Why did they arrest and kill Jesus, but not also arrest and kill His disciples? Why didn’t the temple guards arrest and kill the Apostles at Pentecost? God will not permit His eternal purpose to be destroyed by Satan. Satan has leeway right now, but he can only go so far, for he is being restrained even now.  If you’re sharp, you’re recalling the story of Job right about now…

Continuing in verse 7: “…only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way” we need to consider who is going to be taken out of the way. The word “he” appears here twice. The first “he” is God, but is God also the second “he”? Unless we can think of someone who can actually remove God from the situation, I highly doubt it. The subject of the sentence is “the mystery of lawlessness”, thus the second “he” is the mystery of lawlessness, and we’ve solved that particular mystery already; it is Satan.  So here’s the picture: Satan is busy at work trying to ruin God’s plan. God is allowing this to play out for now, but is only letting Satan go so far, until the time comes for God to take Satan out for good.

Verse 8 confirms this picture, but does verse 9?

This is why I left the footnotes in place; the footnotes in the NASB for both verses 8 and 9 are the same, for the Greek word is the same. The footnote says: “or presence”. The Greek word is parousia which means “presence” or “coming” and the tense is determined by the context. Since verse 7 clearly tells us that the man of lawlessness is already on the scene and hard at work, context should tell us that verse 9 should have been rendered “presence” and verse 8 “coming” because the whole point of this chapter is that Jesus hasn’t come yet, but Satan is here now. Therefore, both verses 8 and 9 confirm our understanding of verses 7 and 8.

Oh! In all of the excitement, I almost forgot to mention that Paul finally names names in verse 9. The presence of the man of lawlessness is in accord with the works of… (drum roll please)… Satan: of course it is, for the man of lawlessness is Satan. The result of all of Satan’s activities is that he not only deceives, but that he does so with wickedness for those he deceives, for their lack of love for the truth results in their utter destruction.

When we pick up next, we’ll be in the home stretch, see you then!

OK, let’s have another run at our passage, 2Thessalonians 2:1-4. We’re in much better shape now that we have done some investigating; we’ll apply what we learned. To do this, I’ll switch from the NIV to the NASB for this entire passage so that we can keep those anomalies we found from causing confusion again. Here’s the text:

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

2Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NASB)

The first time we looked at this passage, we got through the first two verses pretty easily; the Thessalonians had somehow gotten the idea that the Lord had already returned. Paul set them straight on that, telling them not to listen to any such nonsense. In 3-4, he is amplifying this statement by reminding them that there is a way they could tell this for themselves.

Jesus isn’t coming (returning) until the apostasy has come and the man of lawlessness has been revealed. The NIV used the word “rebellion” instead of apostasy, and for me the word rebellion is the one I would normally use, since it is a more commonly understood word. “Apostasy” on the other hand is a word that always requires definition, since it is not commonly used outside of religious circles. It means a departure from God and the ways of righteousness. In this particular case, it is handy because it makes the nature of rebellion clearer: Humanity will turn away from God and His ways.

Before we get too giddy with end of the world excitement, please allow me to remind you that this rebellion or apostasy happened in Genesis 3.The relationship between God and Man since Genesis 3 has been like a roller coaster ride. At times, things seem to calm down, and many are faithful to Him, but most of the time, there is more rebelling and apostasy going on that not. The persecution of the Thessalonians is an example of people turning away from God and His ways by persecuting His church, and as long as this is going on, the Lord hasn’t returned.

What was happening at the time of this writing, therefore, could be what Paul is talking about, but to be fair it could also refer to something in the future; the grammar is neutral on the time factor. Yet Paul clearly indicates elsewhere that this apostasy has begun. Remember those false teachers in First and Second Timothy, Jude and 1 John for instance? There is also the concern Paul expresses about those Jews who have rejected Christ and opposed His church (1Thessalonians 2:14-16; Romans 9-11) which also would qualify as “apostasy”. Think about this carefully: If apostasy means falling away from God and His ways, who could possibly be more apostate than the Jews who refused to follow the gospel that their God had foretold of, promised, and then went to such extreme lengths to bring to fruition right in their very midst?

Since the Thessalonians were being persecuted because of local Jewish instigation, it would be altogether logical and contextual to conclude Paul had it in mind when he was writing this.

Now we come to the man of lawlessness; whoever this is, he will one day be revealed. The immediate reaction of most people would be to assume that this guy “will come” some day, but I would suggest that we read a little more carefully, asking ourselves what “revealed” means. It could mean that some latent force or personality, one that has been inactive and waiting for just the right moment bursts upon the scene, like a sleeper cell that suddenly comes out and blows something up. It could also mean a puppet-master who has been pulling the strings behind the scenes and is suddenly exposed for who he really is.

Isn’t this fun; don’t you love doing this?

Let’s keep in mind how this discussion began: Somebody was trying to deceive the Thessalonians into thinking that the Lord had already come, but that He hadn’t come for them; they might just as well forget all about their faith and give it up!

Thankfully, Paul cleared things up for them in the first 2 verses. Now he’s talking about this man of lawlessness who will be revealed or exposed before or at the time of Jesus’ return: What do you think he’s talking about?

 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2:4)

Now can you see why it was so important to get the tense right here? Whoever this dude is, he is already at work in the mid-first century, and is not a person who comes along later. The Thessalonians are suffering at his hand… but who is he? Come on Paul, name names!

Hold on, Paul did name a name… “the son of destruction” at the end of verse 3. Who is the son of destruction? It sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

There is another place in the New Testament where the same Greek words are found that the NASB renders “son of destruction” and that is John 17:12 where they are rendered “son of perdition”. (apoieia)  Who was that, you ask? Why it was Judas Iscariot, the guy into whom Satan went when he betrayed the Lord.

But Paul isn’t talking about Judas Iscariot, is he? No, he’s talking about Satan!

Who invented apostasy (rebellion) in heaven? Satan did. Who instigated apostasy (rebellion) on earth? Satan did. Who opposed God all throughout the Old Testament? Satan did. Who opposed Jesus during His earthly ministry? Satan did. When the Pharisees were arguing with Jesus, who did He tell them their father was? Satan. Who was pulling the strings when Jesus went to the cross? Satan. Who was at work among the Jews who instigated the persecution of the church? Satan. Who will be exposed before the whole world for the fraud he has always been when Jesus returns? Satan.

Who was and is the man of lawlessness?

Earlier, we took a look at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, and ended up with a couple of ideas, and a bunch of questions. The next step is to have a closer look at the text itself. Since the ideas we came up with have led to more questions than answers, a closer look at the actual text is one way to see which way “the wind is blowing”. Any time I begin to wonder about the translation of the NIV (the example I’ve been using here) I first look at the NASB translation. The NASB (New American Standard Bible) is more difficult to read for many, because it is very literal, resulting sometimes in cumbersome English sentences. However, when you are looking at a passage that is hard to figure out, and you didn’t just want to jump onto another writer’s bandwagon, it is a great tool to get a sense of the text, to see if your translation might be what is making the text hard to understand, or harder than necessary to understand. I began by comparing our current text (2:1-4) and here is what I found:

NIV:

 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.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 worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

NASB:

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, ² that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. ³ Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Well now, isn’t that interesting do you see what I see? No, not just that some words are slightly different, not that the NASB puts added words in italics and NIV does not; how about the tense in verse 4…

NIV:

⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

NASB:

who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

The NIV speaks in future tense while the NASB speaks in present tense, and if the NASB is correct, that changes everything. Here’s why: Remember in the earlier post when I asked what good it would do for Paul to insert a chapter with information that is for “us” in our time, in a letter written to encourage the Thessalonians in their time? This is the type of question that should set off alarm bells in your head, because it tells you there is a possibility that the text might be taken out of context, and we do not want to do that, for it often leads to difficulty in understanding, and even outright error.

Yet, to be fair, we aren’t finished quite yet, for the NASB, like any other translation, can be the one that is wrong; we need to check the Greek, so grab your interlinear.

1. The Greek words in question here are antikeimai (to oppose) and hyperairo (to lift one’s self up, be exalted, be haughty). Both are in the present tense; there is no word in the original for “will”. Thus, I conclude that the NASB has it more correctly translated than the NIV does. Of course, I tested that conclusion by doing the same comparison in the rest of the passage, and here are the results of that investigation:

2:9

NIV:

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,

NASB:

that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

2:6-7:

NIV:

 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.

NASB:

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

Once again, I have checked the Greek to confirm the NASB rendering, and found it to be the more accurate of the two. In verse 9, we can again see the addition of future tense into the verse; that should be present tense to be faithful to the Greek. I also noticed an interesting variance in 6-7, in which the NIV adds the definite article “the one who” where the NASB (and Greek) have “he who”. Now this might not be a big deal; we haven’t gotten that far yet, but here’s why I mention it: If the NIV is right then there is only one person holding lawlessness back, and that is probably God. However, if the NIV is not right, then there may be more than one holding lawlessness back; just think about that! Without the definite article, which isn’t found in the Greek, God might be holding lawlessness back all by Himself, yet it could also turn out to be the faith of the Thessalonians (Body of Christ) that holds it (or him) back, and wouldn’t that put a whole different look to things? I guess that might make our investigation all the more interesting to complete…

Over the years, I’ve had a number of people ask questions like, “How do you figure these passages out?” That’s why I’ve taken you through all of this, to show you some ways you can look into these kinds of tough passages on your own; of course if you are an old pro at this sort of thing, you might find it a little bit dull. In any case, I hope it’s been helpful to some. One last thing, I mentioned that we just grab our interlinear, and I realize that most people probably don’t have one, particularly since I write this blog for “regular people” rather than for “academics”. If you don’t have one, there are several available on the internet for free; there is one you can check out here if you like.

Next time, we’ll start finding answers to our questions; see you then!