Paul's Exhortations to the Thessalonian Church 2nd Letter Volume 13

Paul Explains the Great Apostasy Part 5

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. KJV

The person that Paul refers to in the previous verse (who will be completely destroyed by our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ) has been called by a few terms throughout the Scripture. In the previous verse he is referred to by Paul as the 'man of sin' or the 'lawless one' or as the Prophet Isaiah referred to him as lucifer, but he is also referred to by the Apostle John as the 'beast' as he declared of him with these words, "And I saw three loathsome spirits like frogs, [leaping] from the mouth of the dragon (that's the devil) and from the mouth of the beast (that's the man of sin) and from the mouth of the false prophet( that's the false holy spirit). For really they are the spirits of demons that perform signs (wonders, miracles). And they go forth to the rulers {and} leaders all over the world, to gather them together for war on the great day of God the Almighty." (Revelation 16:13-14) (Amplified Bible). What we just recorded from the Apostle John, is a declaration of the false trinity and the 'beast' can also be labeled as the anti-christ the complete adversary, antagonist, and antithesis of Jesus Christ, for he will rule this world and its system during the Great Tribulation making many people believe that he is the true Christ, but he will be destroyed by our Lord Jesus Christ, for this man or man of sin is (as we have declared in earlier studies/commentaries) actually the devil incarnate, that is, represented, revealed, and released in bodily form just as the Apostle Paul now writes to these believers in Thessalonica with these words, "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders," (2 Thessalonians 2:9) (KJV).

You see the devil is also a 'fallen angel', that is, a spirit being who is not omnipresent and cannot do his dirty wicked evil work of killing, stealing, and destroying (John 10:10) except he does it through a human being or human body, therefore, he comes in the form of the 'man of sin' or the anti-christ, he is himself deluded into thinking he is god, remember what he himself said as recorded for us by the Prophet Isaiah, "How have you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer {and} daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened {and} laid low the nations [O blasphemous, satanic king of Babylon!] And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol (Hades), to the innermost recesses of the pit (the region of the dead). Those who see you will gaze at you {and} consider you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms?" (Isaiah 14:12-16) (Amplified Bible). The little English phrase 'the working' is translated by one Greek word energeia which is where we get our English words energy and energize from and it means active, operative, efficiency (energy): - operation, strong, (effectual) working.

As we just said above, the 'man of sin' will be a real human being in a real human body that has had his soul (mind, emotions, and will) completely taken over by the fallen angel the devil that the Prophet Isaiah just declared, denoted, and described also above during this 7 year Great Tribulation period until the True Christ comes and kills the body of the 'man of sin' and tosses his soul with a new corrupt body into the Lake of Fire as we also declared in the last study/commentary. When Paul declares that he will display signs and lying wonders, it is no surprise that these things occur, for the devil is a spirit being (the chief demon as it were) that lives not in the confinement of the natural world, therefore, he can do things that are out of the realm of ability by human beings that are bound in the natural world or realm, just as again the Apostle John declared for us with these words, "And the beast that I saw resembled a leopard, but his feet were like those of a bear and his mouth was like that of a lion. And to him the dragon gave his [own] might {and} power and his [own] throne and great dominion. And one of his heads seemed to have a deadly wound. But his death stroke was healed; and the whole earth went after the beast in amazement {and} admiration. They fell down {and} paid homage to the dragon (the devil), because he had bestowed on the beast all his dominion {and} authority; they also praised {and} worshiped the beast, exclaiming, Who is a match for the beast, and, Who can make war against him?" (Revelation 13:2-4) (Amplified Bible).

Sadly, even before the Great Tribulation takes place there are people who will succumb to the lies of the devil through the  'spirit of anti-christ' already at work in the earth as the Apostle John told us (1 John 2:18 & 2 John 1:7) and they will be deceived by the lie because the lie appeals to the flesh of humanity or to humanities fallen nature we all have received as a result of Adams sin just as Paul now writes to these believers and we believers with these words, "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:10) (KJV). The English word 'deceivableness' is translated by the Greek word apate meaning to cheat or delude, make delusional and deceive. The little English phrase 'of unrighteousness' is translated by one Greek word adikia meaning (legal) injustice (properly the quality, by implication the act); moral wrongfulness (of charater, life or act): - iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong. In other words, the devil has in place throughout the earth a system of moral error that he promotes as the truth and not error, for example, there are in many places now in 'organized religion' or the visible Churches of Christianity that prescribe, proclaim, and even promote homosexuality to be an accepted part of their religion, ordaining openly gay Priest, Bishop, Pastors, Deacons, etc. declaring it to be the will and desire of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, but this is just not true, it is delusion, it is deceit, it is deception. Unrighteousness is what everyone is born with as Paul declared in Romans 3:10, but the devils desire is to make unrighteousness equal with the righteousness of Christ and thereby promote it as being approved by God as normality. We all have a corrupt nature that wants to glorify that which is evil and surpress that which is right or good, but only those who have been deluded and deceived will teach these errors and encourage and even affirm others in them.

To be born again means just what it sounds like, that is, to be given another nature totally opposite of the old corrupt nature every human being is born with, therefore, now a war is at hand (Galatians 5:17) and there can never be an acceptance of that which is abhorrent to Jesus Christ as normality, but those who have been seduced by the lie of the devil will not listen to the truth, but will make up human reasoning, resolutions, and results that make the lie seem like the truth, such as genetics, DNA, that is, one was born this way and cannot help it, these are all lies prepared by the devil through human instruments to keep men and women from the 'love of the truth', for this is exactly what our Lord Jesus meant when He said these words, "So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. They answered Him, We are Abraham's offspring (descendants) and have never been in bondage to anybody. What do You mean by saying, You will be set free? Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Whoever commits {and} practices sin is the slave of sin. Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever. So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really {and} unquestionably free." (John 8:31-36) (Amplified Bible). We born again sons and daughters of our Lord Jesus Christ will always struggle with sin while we are away from our home in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ as our new nature wars against our old nature, but we will never accept that which is unclean to our Lord Jesus Christ as good and His will, but we will desire and purpose to do as the Apostle Paul taught the believers in Rome and we believers today with these words, "[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good." (Romans 12:9) (Amplified Bible).

"Literally, 'wonders' or 'prodigies of falsehood.' His 'power, signs, and wonders,' all have falsehood for their base, essence, and aim (John 8:44), [Alford]. In Matthew 24:24 Jesus implies that the miracles shall be real, though demonic, such mysterious effects of the powers of darkness as we read of in the case of the Egyptian sorcerers, not such as Jesus performed in their character, power, or aim; for they are against the revealed Word, and therefore not to be accepted as evidences of truth; nay, on the authority of that sure Word of prophecy (here, and Mattew 24:24), to be known and rejected as wrought in support of falsehood. The same three Greek words occur for miracles of Jesus (Acts 2:22; Hebrews 2:4); showing that as the Egyptian magicians imitated Moses (2 Timothy 3:1-8), so Antichrist will try to imitate Christ’s works as a 'sign,' or proof of divinity." JFB Commentary

"According to the energy of Satan; that is, the energetic or efficient operation of Satan. The word rendered 'after,' it need not be said to one who looks at the Greek, does not refer to time, but is a preposition, meaning according to; in conformity with; meaning that the manner of his appearing would be accompanied by such works as would show that the agency of Satan was employed, and such as he only could produce. It does not mean that the coming of the Lord Jesus would be after Satan had worked in this manner, but that the manifestation of that wicked one would be with such demonstrations of power and wonder as Satan only could effect. The system over which he presides is originated by Satan, and sustained by those things which he alone can perform. The idea is, that it would be under the direction and control of the great enemy of God, and that the things on which it would rely for support could be traced to his agency. In all the pretended miracles to which it would appeal, there would be nothing which Satan could not accomplish." Albert Barnes

"Many are the subtle artifices the man of sin has used, and various are the plausible pretences by which he had beguiled unwary and unstable souls to embrace false doctrines, and submit to his usurped dominion. The persons are described who are his willing subjects, or most likely to become such, 2 Thessalonians 2:10. They are such as love not the truth that they may be saved. They heard the truth (it may be), but they did not love it; they could not bear sound doctrine, and therefore easily imbibed false doctrines; they had some notional knowledge of what was true, but they indulged some powerful prejudices, and so became a prey to seducers. Had they loved the truth, they would have persevered in it, and been preserved by it; but no wonder if they easily parted with what they never had any love to. And of these persons it is said that they perish or are lost; they are in a lost condition, and in danger to be lost for ever." Matthew Henry

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…