2Th 2:11 | KingComments | STEP | . In these verses Paul tells some particularities about the antichrist. The antichrist is not only wicked and focused on himself, he is also the great deceiver. By displaying “power and signs and false wonders” he deceives those who have no life of God. God also gives these observable manifestations. You can see them in the life of the Lord Jesus and His apostles and in the first church ( ; ; ; ). The antichrist is therefore also a great imitator of the Lord Jesus. The source from which he draws his displays, is the lie. That means that satan is his inspirer, for satan is the father of lies ( ). Satan tries everything to tempt people. It is important to keep in mind that what at the beginning was meant for the benefit of the believers, served to emphasize the Word of God. The Word of God was not complete then. Now it has been completed we need no more confirmation through signs and wonders. We are living in the time of faith, not of sight ( ). God is asking of each individual to have faith in His Word. You know that the period of faith is coming to an end. We are living in the later days. The coming apostasy is becoming more and more sharply outlined. A sign of that is the declining interest in God’s Word. That a huge number of people is buying modern, freely translated, easy reading Bible translations, is not a proof of a revival. It is rather a satisfaction of the human spiritual need. You are allowed to read the koran as well next to it. The language usage has been adjusted to the requirement of the time. And do you remember which particular time that is? Right – the end time. Just take a look around you. The demand for visible and tangible elements that could be of help for the faith experience, is increasing. Christians, even true Christians, start to attach more and more importance to rituals and relics. It paves the way through which ‘power and signs and false wonders’ can enter into the professing church. The spirit of the antichrist is very busy. Movies, in which the so-called good or white magic is used to conquer the evil, are watched by a huge number of people. Such movies are ‘sold’ to Christians as inspiring, in order to do the good. What a deception that is! The opposite effect is happening. Christians are sold to the magic! And let this be clear: there is no such thing as good or white magic. Magic comes from the lie. . Satan uses “all the deception of wickedness”. Nothing is too foolish for him. Everything is useful, as long as it serves his intention. There is no trace of uprightness in him. He will absolutely manipulate people without conscience and drag them with him into destruction. That is his goal, because he thinks to hit God the most in such a way. But also here it appears that he doesn’t know God. His deception only eagerly finds entrance with “those who perish”. Those are the people to whom the word of the cross is foolishness ( ). The gospel, the truth, has been offered to them, but they have rejected it as ridiculous. There is no love for the truth. They refuse to open their heart to the truth; the preaching leaves them cold. They do not want to be saved. . “For this reason”, or ‘on this basis’, God will make sure that they believe the lie. You see that they owe it to themselves. Their attitude toward the truth is what causes them to perish. God wants to save them ( ), but they refuse. Many times He has begged them through His servants to be reconciled to Him ( ), but they reject Him, again and again. They perish because they have not obeyed the gospel ( ) and because they have not accepted it, which the Thessalonians and you have done ( ). Therefore it is about people to whom the way of salvation has been presented, but who did not accept it. It is therefore not about people who have never heard of the gospel. That means that this judgment of hardening will come upon our Western world especially, where the word of the gospel has sounded so clear. Although they have not died yet, it will be too late for them to repent. They have let the appointed time pass by, as did Pharaoh ( ). The judgment of hardening will strike the wicked ( ), will strike Israel, with the exception of a remnant ( ) and in this section it will strike professing Christianity after the rapture of the believers. What will remain as Christianity on earth after the rapture of church is a Christ-less Christianity. Christianity will then exist of people who maintain their confession as Christians without any connection with the Christ of God. They will be an easy prey for the work of error that will then be sent by God. It will then be made impossible for them to still repent. After the rapture of the church, there will be no more opportunity for those who have not believed the truth before that moment. For those who have ever heard the gospel and rejected it, there will be therefore no second chance! Because they refused to believe the truth, they will believe the lie. God uses satan to execute the judgment that He has determined. God has sovereign power in His use of satan and his demons. He has used satan to test His servant Job. He has used a spirit of lies to tempt Ahab, so that he would be killed in the battle ( ). . The revenge that God brings on people is closely related to the violation that they have committed ( ). Have these people preferred the lie of the devil above the love for the truth? Then God will make sure that they will embrace the lie of the devil to their own judgment. The lie which they will believe is the claim of the antichrist that he is God ( ). You see today how God is being excluded further and further from society and that man becomes the center more and more. Well, soon man’s admiration for man will receive its unreturnable completion as man pays all his homage to the man of sin. This is the result if the truth is not believed. It comes down to faith in the truth. That is not a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. Therefore you read earlier about ‘love’ of the truth. Love is something of the heart. Therefore the truth has got nothing to do with a theoretical, theological knowledge of the head, but a relationship with a person. That Person is the Lord Jesus. He is the truth ( ). Do you want to know the truth about God? Then you will learn to know it if you are occupied with Him. Do you want to know the truth about man? Then you must look at Him. What man is supposed to be before God you see in Him. What man is as a sinner, is missing completely with Him. Every deed, every word, every thought of God, becomes completely visible in Him and it is also the test for everything that you as man do, say and think. Whoever does not believe the truth and has no inward relationship with it nor feels any love for it, will set his own standards. Those are by definition standards which allow the sinful man to live as he pleases. Such a life shows “pleasure in wickedness”. Such a person deliberately and consciously chooses to fulfill the desires of his own ‘I’. It does not arise in his mind what God wants and what is to the honor of the Lord Jesus. God’s judgment on him will be righteous. Now read 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 again. Reflection: What do you do with what you have learnt about the terrible future of the unbelievers?

‏ 2 Thessalonians 2:11

Those Who Perish

2Thes 2:9. In these verses Paul tells some particularities about the antichrist. The antichrist is not only wicked and focused on himself, he is also the great deceiver. By displaying “power and signs and false wonders” he deceives those who have no life of God.

God also gives these observable manifestations. You can see them in the life of the Lord Jesus and His apostles and in the first church (Acts 2:22; Rom 15:19; 2Cor 12:12; Heb 2:4). The antichrist is therefore also a great imitator of the Lord Jesus. The source from which he draws his displays, is the lie. That means that satan is his inspirer, for satan is the father of lies (Jn 8:44). Satan tries everything to tempt people.

It is important to keep in mind that what at the beginning was meant for the benefit of the believers, served to emphasize the Word of God. The Word of God was not complete then. Now it has been completed we need no more confirmation through signs and wonders.

We are living in the time of faith, not of sight (2Cor 5:7). God is asking of each individual to have faith in His Word. You know that the period of faith is coming to an end. We are living in the later days. The coming apostasy is becoming more and more sharply outlined. A sign of that is the declining interest in God’s Word. That a huge number of people is buying modern, freely translated, easy reading Bible translations, is not a proof of a revival. It is rather a satisfaction of the human spiritual need. You are allowed to read the koran as well next to it. The language usage has been adjusted to the requirement of the time. And do you remember which particular time that is? Right – the end time.

Just take a look around you. The demand for visible and tangible elements that could be of help for the faith experience, is increasing. Christians, even true Christians, start to attach more and more importance to rituals and relics. It paves the way through which ‘power and signs and false wonders’ can enter into the professing church. The spirit of the antichrist is very busy.

Movies, in which the so-called good or white magic is used to conquer the evil, are watched by a huge number of people. Such movies are ‘sold’ to Christians as inspiring, in order to do the good. What a deception that is! The opposite effect is happening. Christians are sold to the magic! And let this be clear: there is no such thing as good or white magic. Magic comes from the lie.

2Thes 2:10. Satan uses “all the deception of wickedness”. Nothing is too foolish for him. Everything is useful, as long as it serves his intention. There is no trace of uprightness in him. He will absolutely manipulate people without conscience and drag them with him into destruction. That is his goal, because he thinks to hit God the most in such a way. But also here it appears that he doesn’t know God.

His deception only eagerly finds entrance with “those who perish”. Those are the people to whom the word of the cross is foolishness (1Cor 1:18). The gospel, the truth, has been offered to them, but they have rejected it as ridiculous. There is no love for the truth. They refuse to open their heart to the truth; the preaching leaves them cold. They do not want to be saved.

2Thes 2:11. “For this reason”, or ‘on this basis’, God will make sure that they believe the lie. You see that they owe it to themselves. Their attitude toward the truth is what causes them to perish. God wants to save them (1Tim 2:4), but they refuse. Many times He has begged them through His servants to be reconciled to Him (2Cor 5:20), but they reject Him, again and again. They perish because they have not obeyed the gospel (2Thes 1:8) and because they have not accepted it, which the Thessalonians and you have done (1Thes 1:6 ; 1Thes 2:13).

Therefore it is about people to whom the way of salvation has been presented, but who did not accept it. It is therefore not about people who have never heard of the gospel. That means that this judgment of hardening will come upon our Western world especially, where the word of the gospel has sounded so clear. Although they have not died yet, it will be too late for them to repent. They have let the appointed time pass by, as did Pharaoh (Jer 46:17). The judgment of hardening will strike the wicked (Rom 1:22-32), will strike Israel, with the exception of a remnant (Rom 11:25) and in this section it will strike professing Christianity after the rapture of the believers.

What will remain as Christianity on earth after the rapture of church is a Christ-less Christianity. Christianity will then exist of people who maintain their confession as Christians without any connection with the Christ of God. They will be an easy prey for the work of error that will then be sent by God.

It will then be made impossible for them to still repent. After the rapture of the church, there will be no more opportunity for those who have not believed the truth before that moment. For those who have ever heard the gospel and rejected it, there will be therefore no second chance! Because they refused to believe the truth, they will believe the lie.

God uses satan to execute the judgment that He has determined. God has sovereign power in His use of satan and his demons. He has used satan to test His servant Job. He has used a spirit of lies to tempt Ahab, so that he would be killed in the battle (1Kgs 22:19-23).

2Thes 2:12. The revenge that God brings on people is closely related to the violation that they have committed (Eze 14:9). Have these people preferred the lie of the devil above the love for the truth? Then God will make sure that they will embrace the lie of the devil to their own judgment. The lie which they will believe is the claim of the antichrist that he is God (2Thes 2:4). You see today how God is being excluded further and further from society and that man becomes the center more and more. Well, soon man’s admiration for man will receive its unreturnable completion as man pays all his homage to the man of sin.

This is the result if the truth is not believed. It comes down to faith in the truth. That is not a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. Therefore you read earlier about ‘love’ of the truth. Love is something of the heart. Therefore the truth has got nothing to do with a theoretical, theological knowledge of the head, but a relationship with a person. That Person is the Lord Jesus.

He is the truth (Jn 14:6). Do you want to know the truth about God? Then you will learn to know it if you are occupied with Him. Do you want to know the truth about man? Then you must look at Him. What man is supposed to be before God you see in Him. What man is as a sinner, is missing completely with Him. Every deed, every word, every thought of God, becomes completely visible in Him and it is also the test for everything that you as man do, say and think.

Whoever does not believe the truth and has no inward relationship with it nor feels any love for it, will set his own standards. Those are by definition standards which allow the sinful man to live as he pleases. Such a life shows “pleasure in wickedness”. Such a person deliberately and consciously chooses to fulfill the desires of his own ‘I’. It does not arise in his mind what God wants and what is to the honor of the Lord Jesus. God’s judgment on him will be righteous.

Now read 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 again.

Reflection: What do you do with what you have learnt about the terrible future of the unbelievers?