Introduction
While there is much to write concerning this “man of sin,” I will keep it as basic as possible. Even while keeping this study basic, there is a wealth of information regarding the basic study of this person. There is no need for the reader to send me an e-mail after reading this series of posts, reminding me that I “left this out” and “left that out” regarding the person of the man of sin. Understanding that volumes have been written concerning him, there is no way I can exhaust the subject in a post or two. I will examine this “man of sin” from the standpoint of II Thessalonians the second chapter. Although a few other passages may be consulted, II Thessalonians 2 will be the main text:
II Thessalonians 2:1-3 –
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
That Day Shall Not Come, Except…
In the above passage, II Thessalonians 2, I draw your attention to the latter phrase of the third verse – “…for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
Paul makes it clear to the Thessalonians that “that day” shall not come until there is a falling away, and the man of sin is revealed. Much false doctrine has arisen in failing to correctly identify “that day.” To what day is Paul referring when he says “that day shall not come”? The day is clearly identified in verse 2:
II Thessalonians 2:1, 2 –
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that THE DAY OF CHRIST is at hand.”
“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that THE DAY OF CHRIST is at hand.”
Paul tells the Thessalonian people not to be deceived into thinking that the day of Christ, or the day of the Lord, is at hand. Noah Webster, in his definition of the word “hand,” defines the phrase “at hand” this way: “At hand, near; either present and within reach, or not far distant.”* The term “at hand” can mean “near,” or it can mean “now present.” It is clear to me that the Thessalonians believed that they were presently in the time period known as the day of the Lord, the period of time initiated by the Great Tribulation. It seems that they had received a letter from someone claiming to be Paul the apostle, stating that the Lord had come for His church, and the day of the Lord had begun. Why else would Paul exhort the Thessalonians not to be deceived even by a letter “as from us”?
The Thessalonians thought they were in the day of the Lord, not only because they may have received a letter claiming to be from Paul stating this, but they were also suffering severely at this time.
In II Thessalonians 1, Paul repeatedly acknowledges the present sufferings of the Thessalonians:
II Thessalonians 1:4 – “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your PERSECUTIONS AND TRIBULATIONS that ye endure:”
II Thessalonians 1:5 – “Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which YE ALSO SUFFER:”
II Thessalonians 1:6 – “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that TROUBLE you;”
II Thessalonians 1:7 – “And to you who are TROUBLED rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.”
With a letter supposedly from Paul stating that the day of the Lord was now present, and with a myriad of sufferings and severe persecutions, the Thessalonians were shaken in mind, and troubled, that the day of the Lord was at hand, or now present.
Paul writes this second epistle to the Thessalonians to clear up this misconception. Paul plainly states, that there are two events that, if they have not yet occurred, then the Thessalonians could NOT be in the time period known as the day of the Lord.
II Thessalonians 1:3 – “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come A FALLING AWAY first, and THAT MAN OF SIN BE REVEALED, the son of perdition.”
Paul reassures the Thessalonians that there is no way they were in the day of the Lord if there has not been BOTH a falling away, AND the revelation of the man of sin. In no way are we presently in the day of the Lord, or the Great Tribulation, because the man of sin has not been revealed. This was the message of Paul the apostle to the Thessalonians, as well as to us.
With that introduction, I would like to discuss the “man of sin.”
TO BE CONTINUED...
*Webster, Noah. Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of American English.
*Webster, Noah. Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of American English.
