Two Missing Events

Two events must occur before the Day of the Lord begins: The Apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness in God’s House. Certain men were spreading rumors in the church of Thessalonica, thereby raising false expectations about the imminence of the Day of the Lord and the arrival of Jesus from Heaven. The Apostle Paul warned the congregation not to be alarmed or deceived by such reports. Two pivotal events must occur before that day arrives.

Paul’s exhortation for us not to be deceived parallels Christ’s opening words of his sermon on the Mount of Olives: “Let no man deceive you!” The Apostle issued this warning in a similar context when overheated expectations about the future were circulating among the believers of Thessalonica - (Matthew 24:4, Mark 13:5, Luke 21:8).

• (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) - “Let no one seduce you in any respect, because except the apostasy comes first and the man without law, the son of destruction, is revealed; he who opposes and unduly exalts himself above all things that are called god or sacred, so that he sits in the sanctuary of God, presenting himself that he is god.”

[Schedule - Photo by Jo Szczepanska (Melbourne) on Unsplash]

The Day of the Lord will not commence until the Apostasy occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is unveiled. The term “first” in the Greek sentence could mean that the Apostasy will precede the unveiling of the Man without Law, or that both events will occur concurrently. Regardless, these two things must take place before that final day arrives.

The Apostasy and the unveiling of this Son of Destruction are inextricably linked. This deceiver will propagate the deceptions that seduce and blind believers to the truth, thus causing many of them to abandon their faith in Jesus, and he will be characterized by lawlessness and destruction.

The English term “apostasy” translates the Greek noun ‘apostasia’, meaning “falling away, apostasy, defection.” In both the New Testament and the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible, it is used for deserting the true faith - (Matthew 5:31, Acts 21:21, 1 Timothy 4:1, Hebrews 3:12).

The expectation of a final apostasy is common in the New Testament and originated with Jesus. He also linked lawlessness to a coming apostasy and disruption among his followers:

• “Then, many will be caused to stumble and will deliver up one another and will hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and deceive many. And because of lawlessness being brought to the full, the love of the many will grow c0ld” - (Matthew 24:10-12).

• “In later times, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons” - (1 Timothy 4:1).

• “For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine, they will have itching ears and heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts. And they will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables” - (1 Timothy 4:3-4).

THE MAN WITHOUT LAW

The Man without Law is given two designations, “Man of Lawlessness” and “Son of Destruction.” The latter is used only once in the chapter. The image of a man who causes lawlessness and destruction is based on “the Little Horn” with the “mouth speaking great things” described in the Book of Daniel - (Daniel 7:24-25, 11:31-36, John 17:12, Revelation 13:1-6).

The description of him “exalting himself” echoes the related passage from Chapter 11 of Daniel, and the interpretation of the vision of the Ram and Goat found in Daniel Chapter 8:

• “And through his policy, he will cause craft to prosper in his hand, and he will magnify himself in his heart” - (Daniel 8:25).

• “And the king will do according to his will. And he will exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and will speak marvellous things against the God of gods” - (Daniel 11:36).

The passage from Daniel originally referred to Antiochus IV, the ruler of the Seleucid Empire who attempted to destroy the religion of Israel. He caused many Israelites to compromise and even abandon their faith through “his flatteries.” He desecrated the Sanctuary in Jerusalem and caused the cessation of the daily burnt offerings for over three years - (Daniel 8:9-13, 8:21-26, 9:26-27 11:1-4, 11:31-36).

• “The little horn became great as far as the host of the heavens and caused some of the host to fall to the earth, and some of the stars he trampled underfoot. Because of him, the continual burnt offering was removed, and the place of the Sanctuary was cast down <…>, the transgression that desolates” – (Daniel 8:10-12).

Paul applies the term “sanctuary of God” elsewhere in his letters to the Church. The goal of this deceiver is to cause the apostasy of believers, which is why Paul warns of his future appearance in the sanctuary. He will be active in the Body of Christ - (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:21).

The Apostle’s purpose is to keep believers safe from misinformation about Christ’s return and the Day of the Lord, and to prepare them for this future onslaught by satanic forces.

Rather than providing a list of signs by which we may determine the timing or nearness of the Day of the Lord, Paul points to missing events to demonstrate that the day has not yet arrived, and it will not do so until the Apostasy and the revelation of the Son of Destruction in the Church take place.

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SEE ALSO:

• Just Judgment - (The arrival of Jesus will result in vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

• Disinformation - (Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion among the believers of Thessalonica – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

• The Day of the Lord - (Jesus will arrive to gather his saints on the Day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ)

• Deux Événements Manquants - (Deux événements doivent se produire avant que le Jour du Seigneur ne commence: l'Apostasie et le dévoilement de l'Homme sans loi dans la Maison de Dieu)

[Note: Text printed in small capital letters represents citations of, or allusions to, passages from the Old Testament]