MORNING MESSAGE: John Cline
Reader: Diana Harcus
Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-15
How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture was a hugely influential book written by Dr. Francis Schaeffer in the last quarter of the 20th century. Schaeffer’s question, “How should we then live?” has stuck in my thinking as I have sought to determine how we Christians should live in this day of shifting morality, even lawlessness. That topic Paul also wrestled with in writing to the church he had started in the city of Thessalonica. After Paul’s forced departure, in which he had to flee the city for his life, individuals had infiltrated that church and falsely claimed that Paul had given them the inside scoop on theological matters. Bad theology resulted. Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians, addressed that bad theology, for example, regarding the timing & events of Christ’s return.
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. (2 Th. 2:1,2)
A few weeks ago, we saw in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians an example of this false teaching: that both the rapture of the church and the “day of the Lord” had occurred, but unseen to the Thessalonians.
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you, I used to tell you these things? (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5)
When Paul had originally spoken face-to-face to those new-to-the-faith Christians in Thessalonica, he told them of Christ’s Second Coming and the accompanying rise of the “man of lawlessness”. With both evil and righteousness coming, how were the Christians then to live? “Don’t you remember that when I was with you, I used to tell you these things?” Paul asked. His words had brought both excitement and fear to the Thessalonians, all with a sense of urgency for their own lives. Their response to Paul’s message reflects how most Christians react – I surely did, as well as my newly-converted friends – when they first hear about the Second Coming of Christ and the days of lawlessness that will be inflicted on earth; both excited and fearful.
Paul was surprised, though, that the Thessalonians had become so confused but he knew it was because of the false teaching they had been fed. Paul explained that, first, the day of the Lord had not come; second, that the rebellion that would come at the time of the day of the Lord had not yet started; third, that because the day of the Lord rebellion had not yet happened, the “man of lawlessness” had not yet been revealed; and, fourth, that the “man of lawlessness” was “doomed to destruction”.
Last Sunday, we read Paul’s words that “God is just” and those words bring comfort for the “man of lawlessness” is not in control. He will oppose God and Christians, exalt himself over God, and set himself up in God’s temple, and even proclaim himself to be God, but God will oppose him and defeat him. God is in control, not that evil man.
I need to tell you that commentators are of two opinions as to what Paul meant in using the word “temple” Paul used when referring to the “man of lawlessness” setting himself “up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God”. The first opinion is that Paul was referring to the Jerusalem temple, i.e. that the “man of lawlessness” would set up in that temple the “abomination of desolation”, prophesied about by the prophet Daniel. Daniel’s prophecy, though, was fulfilled in 167 B.C. when a foreign ruler from Macedonia, Antiochus IV, who called himself “Epiphanes” which meant “god manifest”, invaded Jerusalem, entered the temple, burned the Jewish Scriptures, put to death many faithful Jews, prohibited for three-and-a-half-years (the famous “3 ½ years so many people talk about) the daily offerings and sacrifices which the temple priests performed for the forgiveness of people’s sins, and, then in their place, instituted pagan sacrifices, and, finally, set up an altar to himself in the temple. Jesus then mirrored that prophecy (for there are prophecies that had or have a “double fulfillment”) by speaking in Matthew 24:34 of a future “abomination of desolation” which would be one that his hearers would live to see. “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” Jesus, it is reasonable to believe, was referring to events in 70 A.D. when the Roman army took over the temple, stopped daily offerings and sacrifices, and set up an altar to the Roman Emperor who proclaimed himself to be a “god”. Jesus told his disciples:
“When you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (Mark 13:15)
That warning the Jerusalem Christians heeded in what came to be known as the “flight to Pella”, for when they saw that Jerusalem was about to be sieged (surrounded by the Roman army), they recalled the warning by Jesus and fled that city, making their way to the city of Pella on the north-east side of the Jordan River, a city that became the centre of Christianity for the last half of the first century A.D. Meanwhile, the so-called Second Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem, a fact that would appear to still leave open the possibility for a Third Temple to be built there, which many believe would be the one event that would bring about the return of Christ, and make possible the “man of lawlessness” setting up in the temple.
However – and this is where I will get into trouble with many of you for what I am about to say counters the popular, common teaching about the necessity of a Third Temple being built, a theology that has been common since the mid-1800’s but was never taught before that. This alternate or second opinion regarding what temple Paul was referring to with his words about the “man of lawlessness” setting himself up in the temple is that Paul was not referring to a physical temple in Jerusalem, at all, but to a spiritual temple.
In the new year, I will start preaching through Ezekiel, and then move on to Revelation, the final two books of our 16-year-plus journey of preaching through all 66 books of the Bible. Those two books of Ezekiel and Revelation are quoted by proponents of the first opinion to support their belief concerning the temple, that there will be a Third Temple in Jerusalem. However, I don’t agree with that treatment of Ezekiel and Revelation, so I need to speak on it ahead of time. You see, I support a second opinion regarding the “temple” and that is, that the temple Paul referred to is a spiritual one.
The original temple in Jerusalem had been built by King Solomon and then destroyed by the Babylonians. It was then rebuilt by the returned-from-Babylonian-exile Jews and known as the “Second Temple”. King Herod the Great later beautified the temple and expanded the “Temple Mount” area. When his disciples marvelled at its beauty, Jesus deflated their wonder by remarking to not get too excited for it would be knocked down any, a shocking statement to his hearers.
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. (John 2:19-21)
To understand how Jesus could say that let’s establish the purpose of the temple, in the first place. The temple was where God resided while on earth, the place that people could go to meet with Him. It was also the place where people went to for forgiveness through the sacrificial system established in it. Now, when Jesus was on earth, God was with him. Jesus was the physical place where God resided. Thus, his body was the temple.
A Third Temple is thus not needed because Jesus, in his death, fulfilled all the requirements of the sacrificial system. Please read Hebrews 8-10 to get a fuller understanding of this.
Calls for a Third Temple to be built undermine Jesus’ finished work on the cross. “It is finished”, he boldly stated just before dying. Animal sacrifices, such as the famous red heifer which has so many people excited about today, would deny the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice on his cross and, in my opinion, be a type of blasphemy against Christ’s work. His body was God’s temple. Paul then, understanding that the Holy Spirit, God’s presence on earth, entered Christians on the Day of Pentecost, after Christ had returned to heaven, stated that the church is now God’s temple. Sure, we humans are sinful, but God sees us as holy because of Christ’s sacrifice which dealt with all our sin. As well, Christians have the Holy Spirit, God’s presence on earth, in us. God is in us on earth; thus we are God’s temple. Paul understands this.
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16,17)
God will deal harshly with anyone who destroys the church. Wow! Paul has a very high view of the church. That is why he wrote to so many churches. In his second letter to the church in Corinth, a letter, like the second letter to the Thessalonians we are now preaching through, necessitated by bad theology. In it, Paul encourages righteous living.
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said. (2nd Corinthians 6:16)
Plus, in another letter to a different church, this time to the church in Ephesus, Paul writes that the church is a spiritual building of faith, for
Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20b-22)
Temple imagery is thus consistently applied by Paul to the people of God, Christ’s body, the church, not to stone walls in Jerusalem. The “Third Temple” opinion is “sexy”, attractive, enticing, but I don’t find it to be biblical, sorry! Now, if the church is the “temple” which the “man of lawlessness” will set himself up in and proclaim himself to be God in, thus deceiving God’s people, that would be an “abomination of desolation” in the highest order. You should know that no New Testament author, apostolic father, or early church writers expected a Third Temple. Instead:
They consistently identified Christ as the temple.
They viewed the church as God’s temple on earth.
They saw the old temple system as permanently finished.
John declares in his vision of heaven, at the end of Revelation,
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (Revelation 21:3)
God is with us! The Holy Spirit is within us! We are His temple! But the “man of lawlessness” will infiltrate the church, Paul warns. Satan is readying him for that role. Whichever opinion regarding the nature of the “temple” you believe, note that there is an urgency in Paul’s warning, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.” John put it thus:
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. (1 John 2:18)
The one Paul called the “man of lawlessness”, John calls “the antichrist”. John said, “many antichrists” having already come. This would be due to the fact that only God knows the day or hour of Jesus’ Second Coming. Satan doesn’t know, therefore, he must have his servant, the antichrist ready in every generation. That the return of Jesus did not occur when the New Testament authors believed it would, does not diminish the fact that Jesus will return one day, for he said he would The point of Jesus, Paul, and others talking about the Second Coming of Christ was give people hope in this lawless world and to prepare God’s people for that event. We must be ready! The apostle Peter, another of Paul’s colleagues, wrote:
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! (2 Peter 3:8-12)
Peter, echoing Jesus and Paul’s words, says that Jesus will return “like a thief”, at a time no one is expecting. But who is the antichrist, the “man of Lawlessness”, you are no doubt wondering? Again, from John:
Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John 4:3)
It is the “spirit” of the antichrist, the “man of lawlessness” that we should be concerned about, not that particular individual’s identity. Satan works through his antichrist, for Satan himself is not able to become incarnate. Reflect back through the past 2,000 years. There have been many periods in which the spirit of the antichrist has enabled lawless behaviour to thrive in our world. In the 20th century alone, there was the 1994 genocide of one million Tutsis in Rwanda; the 1970’s “killing fields” of Cambodia that saw 20% of the populace slaughtered; the 1966 Cultural Revolution in Mao Tse-Tung’s Communist China in which citizens were terrorized and 2 million killed; the 6 million murders in the WW2 Holocaust, the slaughter of some 30 million citizens under Josef Stalin’s rule in the Soviet Union; and the 1915 slaughter by Turkish Muslims of over 1 million Armenians. Think of other centuries, including our current one. Lawlessness has been in every generation because the “spirit” of the antichrist has always been on earth, awaiting the day of Christ’s return, when the ultimate antichrist, that “man of lawlessness”, will be revealed. Again, John:
I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. (2 John 1:7)
Perhaps a better question than asking who the “man of lawlessness” may be, “who is the man of righteousness”? Instead of asking “who is the antichrist?”, humans should ask, “who is Jesus the Christ?” We read God is holding back the “man of lawlessness”, the antichrist, but his identity will not be revealed until Christ’s return. As Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Paul concurred:
And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8)
The “man of lawlessness” – whose identity will be revealed at the time of Christ’s return – will be overthrown by Jesus and destroyed.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:9,10)
Satan will use false “signs and wonders” to deceive people, just as Jesus revealed when speaking of the Day of the Lord and his return,
“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.” (Matthew 24:24,25)
So, the “man of lawlessness” could enter the church and “deceive” the elect. And, about those who follow that man, Paul writes,
For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:11,12)
Were the Thessalonians ready for Christ’s return? Were they living for him? Paul concludes chapter two with words of encouragement:
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15)
That exhortation to “stand firm” Paul also mentioned to the Ephesians:
Therefore, take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)
When Christians stand firm, the victory is ours. Going back to John:
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4,5)
How should we then live as we await the coming of both Jesus in His Second Coming and the “man of lawlessness”? By standing firm, in absolute confidence that Jesus will provide victory. None of us can successfully fight spiritual warfare battles on our own – but Christ will fight for and with his people, the Spirit-filled beings in whom God resides on earth. I close with one final thought from the apostle John:
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
Let’s pray…
