MPC 20th February 2005.February 20 - 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 "Cosmic Conflict"
Garnet Swann MPC 20th February 2005.
Yesterday Kirsty and I moved into the area. We've now swapped allegiances. We're considered traitors by our south-side friends by crossing over - to the other side of the River. But we want to say thanks to all those who helped us move. It was so appreciated.
But when you move - it is amazing what you find to chuck out. During the week Kirsty was cleaning out the kitchen pantry and discovered some pasta sauce - which had an expiry date of year 2000. I've been told canned pasta sauce doesn't work like wine - it doesn't get better with age, so we got rid of it. Actually - what's unbelievable is that since 2000 we've moved 4 times, across 3 different states, all the while hauling this matured pasta sauce around with us. Just crazy!
Now I reckon we can treat this passage that we're looking at this morning - sort of like that out-of-date pasta sauce. It is so strange and bizarre as we read it - we are tempted to sort of push it to the dim dark back of our bible reading and understanding
Like that pasta sauce it is so easy to ignore this part of the bible and forget about it.
Like that pasta sauce maybe we're even tempted to toss it out - what is the use of it anyway?
But as we get into this passage together, we need to remember that this was originally written to help the Christian people living in the town of Thessalonica. And as the bible to us - it's meant to help us living in 2005 on the north side of Brisbane (now that we've moved over - I reckon I can say that now!). But even with it's unusualness and difficulties there is much here that can be a great encouragement to us. So let's get into it.
As you look at the outline of my talk you'll see 5 points. Whenever I see 5 points, I think, "Oh, boy!" Well, we'll move through them fairly quickly.
Firstly I want to raise the issue of fanatics and falsehood. And this touches on what Paul has to say in verses 1-3.
See, it seems that these Thessalonian Christians have been shaken by various teachings about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ - which I take it to mean when Jesus will finally return in the future. These Christians are confused and pulled in all sorts of directions. They hear this. They read that. They're hearing many things that are unsettling them.
You know, we can hear of crazies today who have weird theories about the future. Only last year a fellow Victor Hopchenk "prophesized" that God would send an asteroid to hit Los Angeles in April 2004. What I want to know is how come Los Angeles and Hollywood always gets to be at the center of everything!
But we were not the first ones to hear weird theories about the end. This passage is telling us that there were crackpots even back then.
But we should see that these Thessalonian Christians were being confused not just because of the crackpots, but because of deliberate manipulative falsehood. See it there in verse 2 and 3 - we are told that people were purposely trying to deceive them - in writing a letter about the end and making out that it was from Paul.
It sorts of reminds my of a practical joke played at the bible college that I went to. A student got a hold of the official college letterhead and typed out a letter as if from the Principal to say that a student had failed a subject and must report to the office. This little bit of trickery was all in good fun.
But this is malicious. This is manipulative. People are trying to draw others into their own understanding of Jesus' return by claiming their view comes from a person they trust.
Verse 2 tells us that they're trying to deceive these Thessalonian Christians into accepting that the day of Jesus' return has already come. Now it seems strange to us that any Christian could accept the teaching that Jesus has already come - it just sounds bizarre, but this is the falsehood that is unsettling these Christian people and this is the issue that Paul goes on to deal with.
What does Paul do?
Well, to confront this false teaching he talks about the timing of things. What he says basically is - Jesus hasn't come yet because the 'The Fraud must come First'. I'll read verse 3-4.
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.
Here we read that Jesus' return has not come because this man of lawlessness must come first. And we discover a few things about this man of lawlessness.
We read that this man of lawlessness pridefully, wickedly sets himself up as God. He wants to be the object of worship. He even seats himself in the temple of God and he calls himself God.
What a fake. What an utter fraud.
There was a guy by the name of Louis de Rougement. He lived in the late 1800's. He lectured across Europe talking about his 30 years of living in Australia. After getting shipwrecked on the coast of north west Australia he said that he took part in cannibal feasts with the natives.
He built a house of pearl shells.
He sent off fleets of pelicans carrying messages for his rescue.
He had ridden on the back of sea turtles, found gold nuggets too big for a man to carry.
And the claim that caught him out - every sunset, wombats would take to the air and fly. After he was caught for his lies he wasn't too shy about it - he went on another lecture circuit, calling himself "The Greatest Liar on Earth".
It's sort of funny that this fraud was so bold about it. But there is nothing funny about this one. This is the 'Greatest Liar on Earth'. He is the embodiment of evil and arrogance. His self absorption knows no ends. His thirst for power and praise is unquenchable and he will not stop until he is treated as God.
But the million dollar question we all have is - who is he? Who is this one who tries to replace God? What is the identity of this man of lawlessness?
Some argue well that it is a picture of one of the Roman emperors who brings destruction on the physical temple in Jerusalem and proclaims themselves as God. There's a lot going for that view. But I'll put this out for you to think about - I myself do wonder if it's a more generalized picture of Satan who is active in the world now. This man of lawlessness is a way of speaking of Satan who is now at work in our experience of reality. So when it says in v3 that the man of lawlessness is to be revealed - it doesn't mean that he is not in the world in any sense, in fact Satan is having his way in the world now, but that he's yet to be fully shown for who he is. Sort of like how as Jesus is Lord - he's the boss and king, but he is yet to be revealed to the world as boss and king.
It's interesting that in v4 - you can literally read it as this man of lawlessness in Paul's own present - is seated in the temple, so this could be a picture of the way Satan figuratively seeks to be as God, usurping God, replacing God. And v7 might back this up in saying that the secret power of lawlessness is already at work.
See, I wonder if Paul is trying to show that beyond the veneer of what we see with our eyes, Satan is now in the world doing his rebellious activity.
It reminds me of when my brother bought his house. It all looked so great. From what he could see with his eyes it was the dream home. But one day he touched a part of the wall and it just crumbled away revealing a nest of termites which were devouring the place. Beyond the veneer, things were just, well, awful.
And it is sort of like this world - just go below the surface and you realize Satan is active with his arrogant prideful rebellion against God.
You know, we look around us here in Australia, and things are good. Our neighbours are nice to us. We have order and peace. We have so many things to enjoy like holidays and family and days at the beach.
But there's another side, and it's the power of Satan which is at work. His power is at work inside people who do not know God. See people have decided that they're the ultimate judge of what is right and wrong. They've sought to displace God and make themselves their own authority.
So, when sexual faithfulness in marriage is thought of as outdated.
When being generous with money is thought of as a waste.
When Christians are attacked or put down, it's not because we've just got a clash of opinions. It's because Satan is active, rebelling against God and denying his rule.
Before Jesus will come the man of lawlessness must be revealed, but he is now arrogantly, wickedly opposing God.
Well, Paul goes on in verse 6-7 to say more about this man of lawlessness, and his point here is that restraint is before the revealing.
Now Paul can say in v6 - you know what is restraining him now. But I've got to confess - I don't know. I have no idea! See, we weren't there to listen into the past conversations they had about this as verse 5 tells us. There's all sorts of assumed knowledge going on here.
So I don't know what is this thing which is holding back the man of lawlessness in verse 6. I don't know what this is precisely about. But it does seem to me what ever it is - it is God who's ultimately behind it. Ultimately it is God whose holding Satan back.
It is like this man of lawlessness is a dog on a leash. He's being held back. The leash is tight. But there will come a day when God will let go and this one will show himself for all he is.
You know this should make us thankful to God for this restraining period. Generally there is so many good things in the world. There is beauty and pleasure. There's peace and there's order. We can go to the beach and go to the movies. We should thank God because God's the reason for this. He's upholding the world with his goodness. But God's restraining hand is the only reason this world does not disintegrate into total chaos.
See - Satan is at work but he is limited and restricted. When God takes his hand off, then the full force of evil will be revealed.
In this passage we're given a picture of this man of lawlessness - in terms of what he is like - he is a fraud and he wants to displace God. We are told he will go from being restrained to being revealed. But we are also told of his impact in the world, what he does. And we are told that he will deceive. But he will deceive those who are disobedient already. Verse 9-10 tells us that.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
This man of lawlessness is in the business of deception. There is no truth within Satan. He peddles lies. This means for those who not do know God, they have swallowed Satan's lies. And you know - Satan's lies can come in all shapes and sizes.
You will find security in material things. That's Satan's lie.
You may as well just enjoy life because when you die you just become food for worms. That's Satan's lie.
Let me tell you about Arthur Furguson. Arthur was guy with a phenomenal selling ability. Throughout the 1920's he made big bucks selling off the Statue of Liberty, the White House, and Buckingham Palace. That is - he sold them off to gullible people who didn't know any better. What lies, but what gullible people! How gullible to fall for that trick.
But people who are deceived by Satan, are deceived not because they're gullible people. No, v10 tells us he deceives those who are perishing. And they're perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. They're not innocently gullible, like the man who thought he could buy the Statue of Liberty. They're involved. They're responsible for their deception.
You know, I think this section of 2 Thessalonians makes two things very clear to all of us. Firstly - Satan is active in the world. Christians are not materialists - that is, life is all about the things you can touch and taste and buy. Christianity involves supernatural and spiritual things like Jesus Christ's coming and Satan's activity. But the second thing we learn from 2 Thessalonians is that beyond the veneer of people's respectability and niceties, people are ensnared and caught up in Satan's deception.
You know, there are lots of difficult things about this passage. But there is one thing that is very clear. In fact it comes through again and again. And that is - Jesus will win.
Have a look with me at v8.
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.
See, you might think that once the man of lawlessness is finally revealed, he gets stuck in and causes havoc in the world. Jesus and Satan will get locked in a cosmic battle for the souls of the earth. But no. His revealing will be followed by Jesus' revealing and then Satan will be ruined. There is no great arm wrestle for the world once the lawless man is final shown in all his terror. He's shown and then he's snuffed out. For all his arrogance and fraudulence. For all his powerful, deceptive lies. Once Jesus is revealed - Satan is a gonner!
This is the greatest anti-climax in all the world. Imagine if you paid good money to see a boxing match. And there was one of the boxers at the start strutting around in the ring - looking so cocky and strong. And then his opponent starts walking down the aisle. And the man in the ring takes one glimpse at him and falls down.
Well, this is what Jesus will do. By his mere breath. By his mere appearance - Satan will be destroyed.
Now remember these Thessalonian Christians are alarmed and unsettled with this false teaching that the day of Jesus' coming has already arrived. And we need to be careful - as soon as we talk about Satan's work and his revealing, it could throw us back into another state of alarm and unsettledness. But there's nothing to be alarmed about. It's not as if the devil and God are two opposing forces battling it out for people's souls and we don't know what the outcome will be. No - God has absolute control and God will have victory.
For these Thessalonian Christians who were persecuted, what a great word to hear. They're in the midst of persecution and wouldn't they feel overwhelmed and overcome? Evil powers are set against them and wouldn't they feel so weak and exposed? Well, they can know that they are on the winning side. There is no doubt. They now may feel defeated. But there will come that day when the evil powers will be defeated and they will win.
And so for us as Christian people here - we can know we are on the winning side. Most of us in Australia don't experience a whole lot of suffering for being Christian. But even if we don't have hardship, isn't it true that the ways of the world can wear us down? We see how God's truth is ignored and scoffed at. We see the lies that people buy into again and again and again. It's just discouraging to see it all the time. And perhaps we face the temptation to think - is it all worth it anyway? Lots of people have pleasant lives and they happily don't worry about God.
But we need to know, beyond the veneer of pleasantness, is rampant wickedness and one day it will be dealt with utterly and completely.
The other day I heard someone say that before they ever read a book they've got to read the last page. Only if they like the ending will they start reading it. I just don't get it - how can you do that? That totally spoils everything!
At the moment I'm reading Moby Dick. I'm enjoying it but I only get to read about 3 pages before I fall asleep each night - but there's no way I'm going straight to the end to see how it turns out. And if you've read it - don't you tell me how it finishes!
Now that's novels. But in life, it is important to know how it'll all turn out. This is what God does for us in the first 12 verses of 2 Thessalonians 2.
Though beyond the veneer, Satan is active now with this man of lawlessness, one day evil will be revealed. But instead of being his moment of victory. It will be his destruction. For when this man is revealed, then Jesus will come and this man will be utterly done away with. Christ will have total victory.
This is an ending worth knowing about.