But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

 2 Thessalonians 2

But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Daniel 7:26-27

I continue my pause on my study of 1 Corinthians as I participate in a men's discipleship group (d-group) at my church.  Today, my focus is John MacArthur's discussion of the man of lawlessness as raised in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as part of Paul's description of the great tribulation.  Per MacArthur, this man of lawlessness is the culmination of all false teachers and deceivers throughout human history who speak at behest of Satan.  Although we understand him to be the final antichrist - we must understand that per 1 John 1, 2:18, 22, 4:3, and 2 John 1:7 all who deny Christ in the present age (before Christ returns) are the spirit of this final antichrist.  Attributes of this man of lawlessness/sin include: 

• lawless, blasphemer
• acts in defiance of Christ 
• destructive of all things Godly
• final man of sin - final earthly figure
• plays a crucial role in last days
• culmination of all hatred towards Christ, blasphemy, false teachers, etc.

MacArthur urges us to understand that the spirit of the antichrist is in the world today - it is real.  He provides one example - Adolph Hitler - and Hitler is described as possessed of Satan. We are also urged to understand how scripture portrays the antichrist in Ezekiel 38-39, Daniel 7-9, 11, Zechariah 11, and in Revelation as the beast.  The man of lawlessness represents a scary time for those who are not part of God's elect (by God's choosing - not of any effort on their/our own).  He will dominate the whole world during the great tribulation, but will be destroyed per Daniel 7:23-27. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who protects me from harm as You arm me with all that I need to battle sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I know sin (and the antichrist) is real and I continue to have sin in my life - as such I am not deserving of the blessings You pour out for me.  Help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

 2 Thessalonians 2

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

I continue my pause on my study of 1 Corinthians as I participate in a men's discipleship group (d-group) at my church.  Today, my focus once again is 2 Thessalonians 2, and I lean on DesiringGod.com's Ask Pastor John feature where someone poses the question who is "Who is the Man of Lawlessness" discussed in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. 

Piper attempts to avoid that which is less certain and focuses instead on what the text describes and is more certain: 

• man; "a human, not an angel, not a demon" (v3)
  
• quintessentially lawless, subject to no law or lawgiver/authority (v3)
  
• claims to be god, but opposed to all things God, and so the anti-christ (v4); see also 1 John 2:18
  
• quintessentially doomed (v3)
  
• not Satan but animated by, and in the service of Satan (v9)
  
• as a man he has supernatural power, albeit in service of great falsehood (v9)
  
• unparalleled in his ability to deceive (making unrighteousness a pleasure) (v10, 12)
  

Piper goes on to say that Paul's words here describe and unpack Jesus's prophecy from Matthew 24:10-13. Piper concludes by sharing that "I think some people try to get around this text by saying, 'Oh, there’ve been lots of men of lawlessness. They’ve cropped up in all kinds of seasons of history.' Well, that’s true, but it’s irrelevant because this man of lawlessness is going to be destroyed by the final fiery second coming."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good to me - I know that all I have is from You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to and apply Your message for me today and every day.