2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 3Let no one deceive you in any matter. Because unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and exalts himself above everything which is called a god or an object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself that he is God.
The problem the Thessalonians faced was deception. This deception came by means of false teachers and people who speculated about the coming of Jesus and other doctrines. Someone had led the church to believe that Jesus had come again and they had somehow missed out. This person could have been from within the church and taught this out of ignorance, or the person could have been intentionally leading them astray. We do not have enough information about the historical situation.
Paul gives some additional information of events related to the time before Jesus returns. From the perspective of contemporary theology, we would say that these insights were given to him by divine revelation, either direct from God or mediated through the early church from Jesus. Paul gives two primary signs in these verses. First, there will be an apostasy. The word comes directly from the Greek word apostasia, which means a turning from the truth in rebellion. People will reject God’s message of salvation through Jesus Christ (1:8). Sadly, we see this increasing as the commitment level of so-called Christians has diminished, evidenced in lower church attendance and evangelistic zeal. Those who claim to be Christians have compromised their lifestyles to the point that they are no longer distinguishable from non-believers.
Second, the man of lawlessness will appear. Paul describes quite a few things about this person in the following verses. The Greek has the article in from of man, implying that this will be a specific person. This person is lawless and disobeys God’s commands. This rebellion is the essence of sin. He is also the son of destruction. He causes destruction and calamity. This means that he has some type of influence over people and situations. It seems that this havoc is intentional as part of his rejection of God’s commands.
Verse 4 reveals the deep heart condition of this person. He follows the path of sin by setting himself up against God by claiming to be God. Adam and Eve were tempted to become like God knowing good and evil. Pharaoh did this during Moses’ call to let the Israelite slaves go free. Pride and arrogance against God are at the heart of sin. This person will even go as far as setting himself up in the temple, expecting people to worship him. The Roman emperors did this in the first century with the imperial cult.
There are leaders today who set themselves up against God. They may not blatantly do this in a temple, but they operate in mockery of God and God’s people. Paul may be prophetically speaking about a specific person who will arise in the end times. The mention of the temple of God could be taken literally as the third temple rebuilt in Jerusalem, or it could be symbolic of God’s presence among his people. Whatever the case, we must be vigilant in our worship of the true God and keep ourselves pure from defilement and compromise of the gospel.
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