Few topics possess Christian minds and stir more controversy than what is popularly called “the end times.” It’s what I term Biblical gymnastics at its best. The field of play is the whole of the Old Testament and New Testament scriptures. And commentators indeed have a proverbial “field day” discussing it. Books and movies about it abound, and their writers (in many cases) have gotten rich because of it.
It intrigues me that when one studies a book like 2 Thessalonians the point of the letter is obfuscated by this topic. We focus on: “Who is the Man of Lawlessness?” (2:3-4) and “What (or who) restrains him?” (2:6-7). It is clear that the recipients of this letter knew the answer to these questions (2:5), but alas, we do not. Unless, of course . . . we get creative enough. Right?
No. We still don’t know, do we?
The purpose(s) of Paul’s letter is clear (but seldom discussed): don’t be shaken in mind or alarmed (2:2), or deceived (2:3); stand firm in what you’ve been taught (2:15); discipline the idle ones (3:6-15), and keep doing good to others (3:13).
But since none of that has the fantastic flare we are enamored with we choose to de-emphasize those items and spend our time in the futile pursuit of the unknowable. Whoever can “pearl string” the most verses (or parts of verses) together WINS!
Trouble is . . . the book we call The Bible was never meant for this purpose. And that is why a brief historical review of the various identities of this elusive “Man of Lawlessness” contains so many entries. You see, to a great extent, it’s all about VANTAGE POINT, i.e. the point in history where YOU ARE when you make your assertion.
In the early 50s A.D. when 2 Thessalonians was written, the recipients seemed to have an idea who this was, but . . . he/she/it isn’t specifically named
In the late 1st and early 2nd century a generic category of “false teachers” is suggested by Polycarp; the “Roman Empire” by Irenaeus; “Nero” is mentioned, too, in the Ascension of Isaiah, etc.
By the time we get to Martin Luther “the Pope” is as popular suggestion, and this is echoed by Calvin and Wesley, too.
In the 1940s Adolf Hitler receives the designation.
And on it goes. Writers constantly pair this individual with the Antichrist (careful to avoid the context of 1 & 2 John in which it occurs), of course, but that is a whole other topic to discuss; it’s a part of the pearl stringing, too, finding cryptic references in Daniel and apocalyptic references in Revelation, matching them up with the words of Jesus in the Gospels, fanning them into flame in 1 & 2 Thessalonians, etc. It’s a recipe with many disconnected ingredients with a dash of this’n’that thrown in, heated in a pot of Gog and Magog from Ezekiel, and voila: you have your answer! Nailed it!
Maybe not.
I don’t think we’re going to figure this one out, folks. It’s time to cut bait. Because the truth is this: instead of being unshaken, unalarmed, and standing firm . . . I think many of us have opted for being deceived. And avoiding that was Paul’s point from the very beginning.
The God Story 
Recent Comments