3Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Deception is the trade of the devil (John 8:44). He traffics in lies and always has, for it is core to his nature. We see this in the self-deception of the great rulers of the ancient world. Of the king of Babylon, Isaiah wrote:
“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:13–15).
To the ruler of Tyre, Ezekiel lays a similar charge:
“[Y]ou have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the seas’; Yet you are a man and not God, although you make your heart like the heart of God . . .” (Ezek. 28:2)
So also, one is coming who will have an enormous influence on the world, whom Paul calls “the man of lawlessness” and “the son of destruction.” This is one who places himself above any and all laws, becoming his own standard. He even thinks himself capable of pulling off a coup against God. How much more audacious can he be, to display himself as the supreme God of the universe?!
The end times, which earlier Paul called the “Day of the Lord” (2 Thess. 2:2) when Christ returns, He will settle the score, once and for all. Satan from the word “go” has been trying to usurp God’s position and authority. In the Garden of Eden he covertly queried Eve, “Indeed, has God said . . . ?,” planting the seed of doubt, challenging God’s authority. The devil desperately desired the human race to listen to him, to follow him, to trust him, to live according to his image and not according to God’s image in which they were created. He wants humanity to be his selfie. He wants his followers to see life in their own image with everything revolving around themselves as individuals. The person who rejects God and follows the lie of Satan thus becomes enslaved to the ultimate selfie, a reflection of the image of the devil.
We Christians (who follow Christ and not the devil) should not be surprised at the increase of deception in this world. Paul says there will be a complete turning away from the Lord (“apostasy”) before the Day of the Lord comes. So we should expect it, we should be ready for it.
Lord, I trust in You by faith and I reject anything that stands against Your truth.
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