"THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY"
“THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY”
Tuesday Morning Bible Study
August 22, 2011
Taught by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
2 Thess. 2:1-3: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that you not be shaken in mind, or are troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, not by letter as from us, 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; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or this is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
Paul warns his hearers not to be shaken over certain teachings on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is here associating our being gathered together unto Christ with the Day of the Lord. Two words are used to describe the unsettling effect of the teaching. It drives men ‘from their sober sense like a ship from its moorings’ and also produces a lasting state of disturbance.
He refers to three possible ways the deception of these teachings may have reached the Thessalonians: (1) (neither by spirit), (2) nor by word, (3) nor by a letter from Paul.
Paul now makes clear the events that must precede the Day of the Lord:
- A falling away or widespread rebellion against God known as the Great Apostasy.
- The man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God.
Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible:
21 Facts about the Antichrist:
- Called the man of sin because he will be the embodiment of lawlessness and leader of the great apostasy. (Rev. 13: 1-18; 14:9-13; 15” 2-4’ 16: 2-12)
- Called the son of perdition because of being destined to destruction by his rebellion, like Judas or any other man who sells himself to satan.
- He is to be revealed.
- He will be the opposer of God.
- Will exalt himself above God.
- He will accept worship as God.
- His worship will be carried on in the temple of God.
- He will claim to be God.
- He has a set time to be revealed.
- God has set supernaturally a power which now holds back or hinders his revelation.
- The spirit of lawlessness now works preparing for his revelation and has worked in the battle between good and evil.
- The mystery of iniquity, or spirit of lawlessness cannot reveal him until the hinderer of lawlessness be taken out of the world.
- When the hinderer of lawlessness is taken out of the world, then shall that wicked by revealed.
- When the wicked one is revealed, he will live until the second advent of Christ, will head the armies at Armageddon, and will be destroyed by Christ. (Rev. 19: 11-21, Dan. 7: 24-28; 8: 23-27; 9:27; 11: 36-45; 12: 1-7; Mt. 24: 15-31)
- Satan will embody a man because he will be killed by Christ at Armageddon (Dan. 7:11; 8:25; Isa. 11:4; Rev. 19: 11-21)
- He will be Satan’s agent and his last attempt to raise up a world dictator.(Dan. 8:24; 11: 37-39; Rev. 12:2)
- He will have miraculous powers from Satan. (Dan. 8:24; 11:37-39; Rev: 13:2; 11-18; Mt. 24:24)
- He will be a deceiver.
- Those who are lost will follow him.
- The reason for men being deceived by him is that they have rejected truth, loved sin, and refused salvation.
- He will be a great delusion and a lie.
(Vs. 5-7) Do you not remember that when I was with you, I told you these things? Now you know what is restraining him from being revealed in his time. It is so he may be manifested (revealed) in his own (appointed time). For the mystery of iniquity (that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority) is already at work in the world, (but it is) restrained only until he who restrains is taken out of the way.
John speaks of many anti-Christs in 1 John 3:18: “Little children, it is the last time (hour, the end of this age). And as you have heard that the antichrist (he who will oppose Christ in the guise of Christ) is coming even now many anti-christs have arisen, which confirms our belief that it is the last time.”
1 John 4:3: “And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now is already in the world.”
We know very well the many spirits in the world today that deny Jesus Christ as the Son of God. There is no other way by which men may be saved except they believe on Him and receive Him as their Lord and Savior.
There are many men in history that satan has embodied and have had the spirit of anti-christ: Antiochus Epiphaes who in 1267 B.C. installed in the Temple at Jerusalem the cult of Zeus, whose representative he claimed to be. Gaius had attempted ten years previously to have his image set up in the Jerusalem temple.
The Lord takes the words of Daniel and applies them in Mark 13:14: “But when you shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that reads understand,) then let them who are in Judaea flee to the mountains.”
The letter of Hebrews rules out a future Temple for Christian worship. We are the Temple. Some interpret this as a Jewish temple in Jerusalem taken over by antichrist. In which case, the worshippers are said to be the people of Israel. As Christians, we cannot worship at a Jewish synagogue sacrificing animals, etc. Because there is only one sacrifice forever and that is Jesus Christ. It would be heresy for a Christian to offer any other sacrifice.
If the apostasy becomes so great that the church is dominated by the man of lawlessness, then we would cease to be a Christian church. We see the spirit of anti-christ working its way into the government of the church in these days. There is a move by some to disregard the Offices of the Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist and Teacher which are foundational to the church, "with Jesus Christ as the Chief Cornerstone." Those who are unruly and rebellious submit to no authority except themselves.
It is not stated whether the rebellion occurs among Jews, in the church, or is a general refusal by men to acknowledge the Creator’s authority. As we now are seeing a clear division of the Godly and ungodly, it is my thinking it is the rebellion of mankind against God and the church falling away from the authority of God; giving that authority over to popular opinion; then ultimately a popular man.
The spirit of anti-christ and persecution associated with satan has existed throughout the whole of the Church’s history. Due to the specific descriptions in Daniel and here, I believe satan will embody a man in the last days manifesting all of his evil and wickedness.
The lawless one opposes Christ, rather than presenting himself as a false messiah, for he acknowledges no other authority than his own. Whereas the Messiah by definition only did what He saw the Father do.
Paul repeatedly gave instruction on this subject. Acts 17:7: “And Jason has received them to his house and privately protected them! And they are all ignoring and acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, (actually) answering that there is another king, one Jesus!
Even in the apostle’s day there existed a restraining power (well understood by his hearers, though not by us) which would prevent the revelation of anti-christ so long as it continued to operate. This power is referred to in Verse 6 and verse 7. I prefer to believe this power is the Holy Spirit. There again are all sorts of controversie:
- Governments
- The church.
- The Holy Spirit
If you are passionate about one or the other, I don’t know anyone who knows more than you do, and that includes the commentators.
The forces of lawlessness, although operating beneath the surface of affairs, would not be revealed until the restraint of law and order disappeared. Then they would appear embodied in the man of lawlessness.
This is in contrast to 1 Tim. 3:16 and the mystery of Godliness: “And without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness; God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into Glory.”
Paul passes over the career of the man of lawlessness, and gives no timetable of events, confining himself to asserting the great spiritual truth of the ultimate triumph of Christ.
(Vs. 8-9) “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.”
BRIGHTNESS OF HIS COMING: - Strong’s #G2015 “epiphaneia" “An appearing, appearance, used by the Greeks of a glorious manifestation of the gods; The presence and power of God.
1 Ti. 6:14: That you keep this commandment without spot unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Ti. 1:10: “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
2 Ti. 4:1: “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.”
2 Ti. 4:8: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
2:13: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The brightness of His (epiphaneia) will be revealed when he comes (Parousia).
In April 2008, the Lord gave me a message, “The Opening of the Mouth in the Midst of them” from Ez. 29:21:
Ez. 29:21: “In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give you the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
This is Messianic and points to the victory of Jesus Christ over the man of sin “the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
11 Thess. 2:8: 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.”
Rev. 19: 11-21: And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called, THE WORD OF GOD. AND OUT OF HIS MOUTH GOES A SHARP SWORD, THAT WITH IT HE SHOULD SMITE THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON; AND HE TREADS THE WINEPRESSE OF THE FIERCENESS AND WRATH OF ALMIGTHY GOD. And he has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against him that say on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant was slain with the sword of Him that saw upon the horse which SWORD PRECEDED OUT OF HIS MOUTH; AND ALL THE FOWLS WERE FILLED WITH THEIR FLESH.”
II Thess. 2: 10-12: “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 the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Fully acquainted with the luring power of sin, the anti-christ will snare all those who prefer wickedness to the Truth of God. Consequently his offers will attract every heart that has refused to love the truth which could have saved them. He will be given superhuman might; as signs they teach some truth; as wonders, they will amaze men.
The fainthearted at Thessalonica are reassured---only those on the road to ruin will be deceived. In all this the justice and sovereignty of God are vindicated. Behind these verses lies the characteristic OT insight that all events, even the activities of the powers of evil, are ultimately in God’s control. Men are doomed because the refused to love the truth. In Romans 1, God ‘gives them over’, so here in His sovereignty, he allows them to be deceived, and they believe the lie as opposed to the truth.
But as for you, beloved brethren of the Lord, we are deeply moved to give thanks to God for you. We praise Him that you were among those chosen from the beginning to be saved and made holy---both by His Holy Spirit and your faith in the Truth.
He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
Bill Yount wrote me this week that he is writing another book to encourage the elect to stand firm in the tribulation of these end times.
Christians living in the last hours will feel the charm of satan’s man. His deceptive powers will be so fantastic, even the very elect could be deceived (Mt. 24:24). Let us be faithful to encourage the faint hearted in these turbulent times.
To that end, may the Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who has so greatly loved us, faithfully supplying encouragement and unfailing hope go even further and by His grace, inspire you with the courage and confidence needed to make you active for Him in both words and deeds.
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V; Amplified; Text from F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary- Peter E. Cousins; Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible; C. S. Lovett’s Lights on 11 Thess.
Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those from whom I have gleaned.