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Grace Bible Church 4000 E. Collins
Rd. P.O. Box #3762 Gillette, WY 82717
(307) 686-1516 - Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2
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THE PERSON AND PROGRAM OF ANTICHRIST 2Th 2:8-12 (04/01/12) Grace Bible
Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl
Hilbert
A. He Promotes
Himself as God (4-5) B. He is
Restrained by the Restrainer (6-7) C. He Will be
Brought to an End by the Second Coming (8) 1. After the
Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is removed at the Rapture of the Church, it is
at that time that the “lawless one”
will come on to the scene. He will be identified as the one who signs a
covenant with Israel (Dan 9:27a) and begins the ultimate Apostasy (2Th 2:3). 2. Before going
into more detail concerning the Antichrist, Paul reveals his end. As terrible
as the term of the Antichrist will be, it has been revealed to the
Thessalonians that his end will be swift and permanent. “The Lord will slay” him. “Slay” (anaire,ō
- purposely put to death or kill) can be used as a military term (Eze
26:11), a judicial punishment (Luk 23:32 cp. Act 2:23) or can express
swift action (Mat 2:16). 3. The Lord will
do this with the “breath of His mouth,”
an expression that refers to the execution of His power by His word. As He
created the world by the word of His power (Gen 1:1; Psa 33:6, 9; 2Pe 3:5;
Heb 1:3), so he can destroy by the word of His power (2Th 2:8; Rev 2:16;
19:13, 15, 21). Thus He will destroy the Antichrist (Rev 19:20 cf. Satan’s
end will come after the Millennium, Rev 20:2, 10). 4. The Lord will
bring the Antichrist and his short reign to an “end” (katarge,ō - abolish and rendered inoperative) and usher
in the new age of the Millennium (Rev 20:4). 5. This will
happen by means of Christ at His
Second “Coming” (parousi,a - presence
alongside) when He comes to earth with His saints (Rev 19:14). D. He Will be in
Accord with Satan (9) 1. Paul goes
back to give more detail concerning the lawless one. It is he whose “coming” (parousia - presence alongside) is in accordance with the activity
of Satan. The Antichrist’s “coming” is not in the order of our Lord’s
glorious appearing, but rather it should be translated “presence” (i.e. when
he comes on the scene). 2.
It is “in accord”
(kata. - agreement with,
accordance) with Satan and his
counterfeit plan. Satan is the mastermind and source of the Antichrist’s
timing and direction. 3.
Satan’s “activity” (ene,rgeia - workings,
operative power) will be to replicate
God’s position and power (2Co 11:13-15). In so doing Antichrist will attempt
to deceive, disguise, and pass himself off as God (2Co 11:13-15; 2Th 2:4). 4.
The Antichrist will
carry out Satan’s program by the use of signs and miracles. Paul described
that it will be through “power” (du,namis) acts that demonstrate supernatural powers, “signs” (sêmei,on) acts that point to the performer, and “wonders” (te,ras) acts that mystify and amaze. These will all be “false” (pseudo - false or deceit, last in construction and applies to all
three acts) in the sense that they will appear to be true miracles of the
power of God, but they are merely supernormal and not supernatural. Satan has
some power though limited (nevertheless, deception is his forte, vs. 10), but
these false miracles will but in the sense that they deceive the masses into
believing the Antichrist is the true God. a) True Miracles
by God and Christ: (1) Are only
performed by the power of God. (2) Are only
performed on the basis of righteousness and truth. (3) Are signs to
identify God as the one true God alone. (4) Are wonders that
draw observers to God alone. b) False
Miracles by Satan and Antichrist: (1) Are only
performed by the deceptive power of Satan (Rev 13:14). (2) Are only
performed on the basis of unrighteousness and deception. (3) Are deceptive
signs to identify Satan and Antichrist as God. (4) Are false
wonders that draw observers to Satan and Antichrist. (5)
Are an attempt to
counterfeit God and Christ’s true miracles and program. (Death and resurrection Rev 13:3 cp. Rev 5:6) E. He Will
Deceive the Masses (10) 1. Along with
these false wonders Satan will attempt to deceive the masses (cp. Joh 8:44;
Rev 12:9). “Deception” is the
Greek word apa,tê,
which means to deceive by purposeful trickery or seduction (2Pe
2:13; Col 2:8; Mar 4:19 ). All deceit is sin, but such deceitfulness is “unrighteous” (adiki,a). 2. It will
especially be directed toward “those
who perish” in that believing such deception from the “son of
destruction” they will follow him to their own destruction (“perish” apo,llumi, same word as in 2Th 2:3). 3. In addition,
they were deceived to their own destruction because they inherently did not “receive the love of the truth.” In
other words, they may have understood the truth but did not love God nor did
they have a desire for the truth of God’s Word. 4. Had they
sought God and received His truth about Christ, they would have been “saved”. F. He Will Lead
them to Delusion and Judgment (11-12) 1. Because the
masses did not receive the love of the truth, God will send to them the “deluding influence” (ene,rgeian pla,nês
- lit. “working of delusion”) associated with the Antichrist’s
deception (11). a) If a person
completely turns away from the truth, God turns them over to the delusion and
all its influence and workings. They will believe the Antichrist’s delusion
hook, line, and sinker. Just as in the case of unrepentant sin, God turns
them over to their sin to reap all of the consequences of the sin (Rom 1:24,
26, 28). Not only has the external restraints of the Restrainer been removed,
but all internal restraints are removed by God. b) As a result,
they fully “believe what is false”
(“false”tō pseudei, “the deception” that the Antichrist promotes) from the
Antichrist and do without remedy. 2. Since they
would not receive the truth, God gave them over to the Antichrist’s deception
“in order that” (h,ina -
conjunction of purpose, “for the purpose
that”) they will receive the just “judgment”
of God, along with the Antichrist (Rev 19:20-21) (12). a) They not only
refused to “believe the truth” but
“took pleasure in” wickedness. Eudoke,ō
means they were “well (eu)
pleased (doke,ō)” and
“delighted” in wickedness. b) “Wickedness” (adiki,a) is the same
Greek word used in vs. 10 and literally means “unrighteousness” which is the
basis for unrighteousness and wicked participation and deeds. IV.
OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A.
Those
who reject Christ and His truth will be deluded and turned over to sin and
judgment (Rom 1:24, 26, 28; 2Th 2:11-12). B.
The
love of the truth will ward off Satan’s deception for the believer (Joh 3:19-21). C.
The
believer must be on guard for Satan’s deception and limited power because he
is the “the prince of the power of the air” (Joh 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 1Jo
5:19; Eph 2:2-3). |
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