INTRODUCTION
OPENING TITLE SLIDE
• Have you ever noticed how quickly rumors can spread?
• A single false report can travel faster than the truth.
• Whether it’s breaking news on your phone, a whispered conversation in a hallway, or a dramatic post on social media, confusion can grip hearts almost instantly.
• Such confusion is the root of why Paul wrote the passages we have been examining concerning the Second Coming of Jesus.
• A rumor had swept through the church: Jesus had already returned, and we missed the party.
• Can you imagine the panic?
• The fear?
• The doubt?
• Some believers were shaken to the core.
• Others were confused about what they’d been taught.
• In the middle of the storm, Paul steps in with a steady voice, reminding them that God’s plan isn’t determined by human panic, false teaching, or deception.
• We’re living in a time when confusion, fear, and speculation about the end times are just as real.
• Turn on the news, scroll through your feed, or walk into a coffee shop; everyone seems to have an opinion on the future.
• One thing you need to know about the awesome God we serve is that He does not want us to live in fear; He wants us to live with confidence in who He is and who we are in Him.
• He wants us to live with confidence in His word.
• We have said in the first three messages in this series that only God knows when He will send Jesus back; however, we will see some things that must happen before Jesus comes.
• The interesting aspect of the text today is that people have speculated who Paul is speaking of when he tells the Thessalonians about the man of lawlessness as well as the timeline.
• One thing I want to stress from a timeline standpoint is that the events Paul shares with us in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 take place BEFORE the Second Coming, not after.
• This information is important to know because folks have developed bad theology concerning the Second Coming.
• As it was during Paul's writing of 2 Thessalonians, not understanding the truth can lead to bad theology and possibly impact how we live our lives, along with perhaps waiting for certain "signs" to come before we would consider coming to Jesus.
• The undercurrent to the message today is as follows.
• Where do you go for truth?
• When it comes to faith in Jesus, we go to the Bible.
• I cannot tell you how often people have ideas about God, Jesus, or any other faith issue, and they will share their views with me.
• If the view does not appear to line up with Scripture, I will ask where they find their thought in the Bible.
• Most of the time, their thought or view is not found in the Bible or is taken out of context from the Bible.
• When Paul deals with incorrect teaching, Paul combats the teaching with the truth of God's Word.
2 Thessalonians 2:1–3 NET 2nd ed.
1 Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
2 not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
• In moments of fear and uncertainty, people will cling to whatever voice seems the loudest, even if it isn’t true.
• That’s exactly what happened in Thessalonica.
• Paul steps in like a calm voice in the storm, reminding them, “Don’t be easily shaken or alarmed.”
• The problem wasn’t just the rumor itself; it was the confusion it caused in the hearts of believers.
• Before the rebellion… before the revealing of the lawless one… before the return of Christ, Paul addresses this first reality:
Confusion can shake your faith if it isn’t anchored in the truth.
• Let’s look at verses 1–3 and see what Paul says about this time of confusion.
SERMON
MAIN POINT 1 SLIDE
I. A Time of Confusion
• In the latter part of 1 Thessalonians, Paul explained the events that would occur as Jesus returned.
• Some had deceived some of those in the church into thinking they were in the midst of the Day of the Lord.
• This deception led people to live in a way that was not pleasing to God.
• The wrong ideas folks were being tricked into believing were having a negative impact on some in the church.
• Confusion can shake your confidence.
• In verse 2, Paul uses the word "shaken."
• It is the same word that was used for a ship being thrown off course in the middle of a storm.
• The word also referenced being unsettled or deeply distressed.
• The brethren in Thessalonica were drifting spiritually, not because they did not believe in Jesus, but rather because they were listening to wrong voices and believing the wrong message.
• When we cling to what is not true or unfounded rumors, fear and misinformation will harm our hearts and minds.
• Confusion often doesn’t scream loudly at us; it whispers in the shadows.
• It creeps in through headlines, conversations, “new revelations,” and half-truths.
• When we aren’t anchored to God’s Word, we can easily lose spiritual bearings.
• Paul gives some examples of the false voices that the Christians needed to be aware of.
• He identifies three sources to be careful of: by spirit, meaning someone claiming they were sharing a divine revelation or message; verbal misinformation that may twist Paul’s teaching; and finally, even a letter from us—in other words, a fake document that was passed off as being from Paul.
• A deepfake type of letter.
• The enemy is crafty. He doesn’t have to make people stop believing in Jesus; he just has to get them to believe the wrong thing about Jesus.
• Satan has always used lies to cloud God’s truth (Genesis 3, Matthew 24).
• We’re living in a time when “prophetic claims,” internet theories, and spiritual rumors can spread in seconds.
• Not every loud voice is a trustworthy voice.
• We must test every message against the unchanging truth of God’s Word.
• Paul lets the folks know that confusion is defeated by knowing the truth of God’s Word!
• In verse three, Paul reminds the people that some things would need to take place BEFORE Jesus would return.
• Paul’s goal was to steady their hearts, to bring clarity where fear had taken root.
• Truth isn’t just information; it’s an anchor.
• When the world is spinning with speculation, the Word of God is stable.
• When fear grips hearts, truth sets us free.
• When rumors spread, Scripture speaks louder.
• Let’s move to verses 3-7 to catch a glimpse of another sign of the time of the return.
2 Thessalonians 2:3–7 NET 2nd ed.
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.
5 Surely you recall that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you.
6 And so you know what holds him back, so that he will be revealed in his own time.
7 For the hidden power of lawlessness is already at work. However, the one who holds him back will do so until he is taken out of the way,
MAIN POINT 2 SLIDE
II. A Time of Rebellion
• The events shared in 1 Thessalonians 4 were not going to occur BEFORE the events Paul shares in this chapter.
• Paul will give us three events that will occur BEFORE the Lord's coming, not AFTER.
• This is important to understand because the context indicates that Paul is informing his readers that Jesus has not yet returned, as the events he mentions have not yet occurred.
• Many today have falsely put these events after 1 Thessalonians 4, where they say Christians will be removed from the world before the events in this chapter take place.
• Once again, look at what the Bible says, not what people want it to say.
• The events listed are not some minor uprising, but rather, a full-out spiritual rejection of the authority of God.
• That makes it easy to spot, doesn’t it?
• In verse three, Paul says a rebellion will happen.
• The word "rebellion" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 translates the Greek word apostasia.
• This term is crucial to understanding the eschatological sequence described in the chapter, as the writers state that the Day of the Lord will not come unless this event occurs first.
• The meaning of "apostasia" has historically been debated, as it carries two primary connotations:
• Religious Defection (Apostasy): Abandoning or renouncing one's previously held religious faith.
• Rebellion: Open resistance to or defiance of governmental authority, its officers, and laws.
• In ancient literature (papyri), apostasia was often used in the general sense of rebellion.
• The context as well as contemporary usage of the word would lean more toward translating the word as REBELLION, not apostasy.
• Other New Testament passages predicting "apostasy" from the Christian faith generally refer to events earlier in church history (like the Gnostic heresy), not specifically the timeframe just before Christ's second advent, which is the focus of 2 Thessalonians 2.
• This strengthens the conclusion that the passage deals with widespread rebellion against God's law by unbelievers, rather than the falling away of the faithful.
• When we look at verses 10 and 11, those verses speak of those who have not accepted the truth.
• So this time of rebellion does not refer to a bunch of Christians abandoning the faith (apostasy), but a general rebellion against God by those who do not want to accept the truth of God.
• The surrounding prophetic context focuses heavily on the theme of lawlessness, introducing the "man of lawlessness" and the "mystery of lawlessness" (verse 7).
• This terminology speaks directly to anarchy and rebellion against law and order.
• The second event is the man of lawlessness; the son of destruction is revealed.
• Paul describes him as “the son of destruction,” one characterized by devastation and ruin.
• He will exalt himself above every god and display himself as God, declaring ultimate authority.
• This aligns with prophetic figures like the Antichrist in 1 John 2, the “little horn” of Daniel 7, and the beast of Revelation 17.
• His rise is not random; it is energized by Satan, empowered to deceive.
• Rebellion always has a leader. Just as the kingdom of God is centered on the true Christ, the rebellion will rally behind a false one.
• Since the early church, people have attempted to accuse various individuals of being the prophesied false Christ.
• Some will say this was Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
• When you look at our passage in its entirety, he does not fit the bill.
• This man will be the one who leads people away from God.
• He will set himself above all gods and every object of worship.
• Now, it is true that the Roman emperors did this, but they did not do what verse 9 says this person will do: perform all kinds of miracles and false signs.
• Verse four says this person will take a seat in the temple, leading many to believe that the temple would need to be rebuilt.
• The problem with that is there are a couple of Greek words for Temple.
• One word refers to a sanctuary where a deity dwells (NANOS), while the other, HIERON, denotes a place where a priest works and encompasses the entire temple complex with all its buildings and courts.
• The word used here is NANOS.
• The word HIERON is used when the "TEMPLE" in Jerusalem is spoken of in the New Testament.
• The phrase "takes a seat in God's Temple" is likely figurative language to denote another way this person declares himself god.
• Verse seven says, "For the hidden power of lawlessness is already at work."
• The spirit of rebellion is currently active, but the man of lawlessness is being restrained until God permits him to be released.
• The restraint keeps lawlessness from getting worse.
• It hinders the Man of Lawlessness from appearing on the scene of history.
• It ensures that the Man of Lawlessness is not revealed until "in his time," suggesting a divine timetable is in effect.
• The continued restraint may also be intended to provide time for Gentiles all over the world to have an opportunity to hear and obey the gospel until the "fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25).
Romans 11:25 NET 2nd ed.
25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
• We still see God is always in control.
• Let’s move to verses 8-12.
2 Thessalonians 2:8–12 NET 2nd ed.
8 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.
9 The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders,
10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.
11 Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.
12 And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.
MAIN POINT 3 SLIDE
III. A Time of Delusion, Defeat, and Victory
• When the man of lawlessness is sent, things will get bad.
• There will be a great time of delusion.
• Satan empowers the Lawless One with counterfeit signs and lying wonders (v. 9).
• These signs will be deceptive, not divine, designed to mimic the work of God and lead people astray.
• Those who are deceived are not innocent victims; Paul says it’s “because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved. ” (v. 10).
• God allows a “deluding influence” to confirm the choice of those who reject Him (v. 11).
• This influence is kind of like when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
• God finally said, "You will not change, and your chances are done."
• This time will also be a time of defeat!
• Paul doesn’t give the Lawless One a long biography because his story is short.
• Jesus defeats him effortlessly “by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.”
• The Greek word for “breath” points to the power of His word.
• The same Word that spoke creation into existence will end the rebellion in an instant.
• This echoes Revelation 19: the Rider on the white horse conquering with a sword from His mouth.
• Evil is loud, but it’s not lasting.
• It will be crushed, not by human power, but by the Word of Jesus.
• Ultimately, this will be a time for victory!
• While the rebellious are condemned (v. 12), those who love the truth will stand secure.
• God’s people have no reason to panic or fear, because Jesus’ return is not just an ending; it’s the beginning of His eternal reign.
• The contrast couldn’t be clearer:
• The deceived are swept away in judgment.
• The faithful stand firm in hope.
CONCLUSION
• Paul wrote these words not to terrify believers, but to steady their faith.
• Confusion, rebellion, and deception may rise, but so will the King of Kings.
• The enemy will have his moment.
• But Jesus will have the final word.
• So when confusion surrounds you, stand on the truth.
• When rebellion spreads, stay faithful to Christ.
• When deception grows, lift your eyes to the returning King.
• The return of Jesus isn’t just a line in a creed; it’s a promise.
• And when He returns, there will only be two responses: those who believed the truth and stand secure in Him, and those who believed the lie and are swept away in judgment.
• The difference isn’t how good you are.
• The difference isn’t how religious you’ve been.
• The difference is whether you belong to Jesus.
