Revelation Chapter 16
Our next crucial scripture warning us of the deceptions to come comes to us from
2 THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 2
It might be necessary for the sake of those not too familiar with the implications of the text to back track a little to get the full picture of events, some of which is in the past, and some of which is to shortly take place. The following was taken from the American Standard Version, the NKJV, and “The Emphasized Bible” Rotherham Edition.
VERSE 1-4 “Now we beseech you, brethren, concerning the presence (Greek: Parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Second Advent), and of our gathering together unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand (or that it had already come at that time as some were stating); let no man deceive you in any wise: for that day will not come UNTIL first the falling away (the rebellion or apostasy, the departure from the truth) comes, and (secondly) the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (the Antichrist), that is he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits in the temple of God (the Church), setting himself forth as God (as God’s Vicegerent).”
VERSE 5-7 “Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what is restraining (what interposes), [him] to the end that [he] (the Lord Jesus Christ) may be revealed (discerned) in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only [there is] one (the Roman Empire) that restrains (it) now, until he is taken out of the way.”
That is to say, the seat for which the Man of Sin sought, was at that time, already held or occupied by another, the Roman Empire.
VERSE 8 “And then (at the time of our Lord’s second presence, after the great falling away, after the rise of the Antichrist system, both of which are confirmed by history), shall the lawless one be revealed (uncovered, exposed, recognized, even as it was by Luther and many others of the Reformers), this lawless one the Lord Jesus shall slay (consume) with the breath of his mouth (his Word, the truth), and bring to naught (annihilate) by the manifestation (the Greek: epiphania; the bright shining) of his presence (once again bear in mind the age in which we live, the age of faith, not of sight, this manifestation of the Lord’s presence is not to be found looking to the desert, nor to the inner rooms, nor the skies, but rather by looking to our “lamps” our Bibles, it is there that the Lord’s presence is revealed).”
VERSE 9-10 “Whose presence (the Lord Jesus Christ) shall be according to (or accompanied by) an in-working of Satan with all manner of mighty works and signs and wonders of falsehood, and with all manner of deceit (and deception) of unrighteousness in them who are destroying themselves, because the love of the truth (all truth, but partially that dealing with these events) they did not welcome (did not accept, nor heed) that they might be saved (spared from these deceptions).”
VERSE 11 “And for this reason God will send them (allow or permit to come upon them) strong delusion, to the end that they should (or will) believe the falsehood (The various lying signs and wonders performed by Satan and the fallen spirits, shall be so convincing to those who preferred error and who refused to accept the truth on this subject, that they will be totally overcome by them, believing them to be the works of the Father and of his Son) This so that they all should be judged who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (errors, falsehoods).”
It is important here to note the intimation is that the severities of these deceptions (or testings) will not only befall the world and the professing church, but the saints, the elect as well.
We will take a look at our third texts in our next post.
