07 II Thessalonians 2:6-8 "Let No One Deceive You" Part 2

May 31, 2026

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: “Let No One Deceive You” Part 2 Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 FCF: We often struggle fearing the uncertainty of the end times. Prop: Because God will cause the man of lawlessness to be revealed and to be destroyed, we must not let anyone deceive us. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. In a moment we’ll begin reading in verse 3 and read through verse 12 again. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week we spoke at length about the coming of the man of lawlessness both who he is and what he is going to do. We approached this topic from each eschatological framework within Christendom by trying to understand each framework itself and how they view end times prophesy. The oldest beliefs concerning the end times conclude that things will get much worse for Christians prior to the Lord Jesus returning. It seems that the Thessalonians assumed this as well as they saw their persecution level rise steeply. But Paul corrects them by telling them that the Day of the Lord has not come. He then goes on to describing the man of lawlessness and apostasy that must precede Christ’s coming. This event and the man is so blasphemous that no human has ever been so bold as to claim to be over all other gods, sit in God’s temple, and claim to be Yahweh Himself. But this man of lawlessness will. That is why it cannot be the Day of the Lord yet. Today, Paul will continue his discussion of the man of lawlessness and the sequence of end times events leading up to the return of Christ. Let’s get back to his discussion. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Sovereign King of Kings, we come to You today as Your humble people whom you have called out of darkness with a divinely given faith. We hold fast to Christ’s work with a rope that was made by Your hands. Such a rope will endure all the lies of the evil one. But this does not mean we can be complacent or passive. We must actively cling to the rope of faith in Christ. Our anchor holds through the fiercest storms. And our faith, if it is saving, will hold to Him. So, Lord, help us to cling to what you have revealed. That we might trust fully in your sovereign hand to uphold us and to bring about these terrible things in their due time. That we might trust Your promise that a New Kingdom comes and that we might hold fast to Christ until it does. We pray this in His name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “If the Lord will not suffer it, neither men nor devils can do it.” C.H. Spurgeon “God is working out His eternal purpose, not only in spite of human and satanic opposition but by means of them.” A.W. Pink [Slide 3] “Satan can do nothing without the command of God to whose dominion he is subject.” John Calvin The devil’s way of extinguishing goodness is God’s way of advancing it.” George Barlow [Slide 4] “The hands of the wicked cannot stir one moment before God allows them to begin and cannot stir one moment after God commands them to stop.” “The wickedest enemies of God are only axes and saws and hammers in His hands and are ignorantly His instruments for doing His work in the world.” J.C. Ryle [Slide 5] “The whole history of the world is discovered to be but a contest between the wisdom of God and the cunning of Satan and fallen men. The outcome of the contest is not in doubt.” “God’s plan will continue on God’s schedule.” A.W. Tozer “To know that nothing happens in God’s world apart from God’s will may frighten the godless, but it stabilizes the saints.” J. I. Packer Let these words sharpen your mind to understand the text this morning. I.) God will determine when the man of lawlessness is revealed, we must not let anyone deceive us. (6-8a) a. [Slide 6] 6 - And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. i. After Paul calls to their attention that he has taught all this to them before, he once again uses the phrase “you know.” ii. We saw this phrase come up repeatedly in 1 Thessalonians. But this is the first time Paul banks on their previous knowledge to make his point in this letter. iii. What do they know? iv. They know what restrains the man of lawlessness now. v. Well, Paul, it is all well and good that they know what restrains this man – but WE DON’T! vi. This gives us one of the most perplexing questions regarding end times prophesy that we have. vii. Who or what is restraining the Man of Lawlessness? viii. Who or what is keeping the Man of Lawlessness from committing his blasphemies and leading this global apostasy? ix. [Slide 7] The uncertainty is centered on four concepts. 1. First, that Paul refers to this restrainer as an impersonal force here in verse 6 and then later as a personal being in verse 7. Yet it does not appear that he is referring to two things. So how can something be both impersonal (neuter gendered participle) and then personal (masculine gendered participle)? 2. Second, the restrainer could be seen either positively or negatively. Is it a good thing or bad thing that the man of lawlessness is held back? Even as a Christian that is hard to answer. Especially since the Lord’s return happens after he comes. 3. Third, what does it mean that the restrainer is taken out of the way? Is this by force? Is it violent? 4. Finally, that Paul does not name the restrainer raises the question, why? Why would Paul not name it? a. That question is actually easy to answer. Because the Thessalonians already knew who or what he was talking about. b. But the follow up question is much harder. c. Since this letter is breathed out by God, why is God being unclear? Why didn’t God move Paul to write the name of the restrainer, or at least spell it out more clearly? i. Is it held in mystery intentionally to prevent someone or something from stopping, avoiding, or hindering the work of the restrainer? ii. Would Paul or the Thessalonians be harmed or in danger if the restrainer was named? iii. Is God keeping Paul from inadvertent praise or worship of the restrainer? iv. Has God included enough hints within the text to deduce the restrainer’s identity already? x. [Slide 8] Because of these aspects of uncertainty, there have been several options put forward which arrange themselves into 4 general categories. 1. Humans a. The Roman Empire and the Emperor – As agents preventing the rise of lawlessness. i. This answers why Paul would not have named it but it raises other issues. ii. Is Paul placing the coming of the Man of lawlessness necessarily AFTER the fall of Rome? Did Paul expect Rome to fall soon? If he did, this is the only place in all his writings that he assumes so. b. Human government – i. In that things haven’t quite been aligned for such a man to step onto the scene, and humans generally standing for moral goodness by punishing the wicked and helping the innocent is what is preventing this from occurring. ii. This is a more general version of the first one, which sheds the problem of Rome falling but inherits the same problems in that it is much less likely that all human government topples? c. The Jewish State – The fall of apostate Judaism. Although one wonders how and why this is preventing the man of lawlessness from coming. This would be a postmil position in reference to seeing the events described here having nothing to do with the end times and everything to do with AD 70. 2. [Slide 9] Christians a. The preaching of the gospel and Paul the apostle– God’s Kingdom is still advancing. i. It is difficult to understand how Paul might see himself or the work of the gospel as being the thing preventing the coming of the man of lawlessness. ii. This is linked to both the Amil and Postmil position although Postmil still sees this as not talking about end times at all. b. The church – Being salt and light. i. The Mid-Tribulational Premillennial camp believes this. ii. Once the rapture happens half way through the tribulation, this makes way for the Man of Lawlessness to utter his blasphemies and there is none to rebuke him. iii. But why would Paul not mention it? Why keep this mystery from the church? And even though the church is salt and light – it is hard to see or imagine how we are preventing such a powerful man from coming just by existing. c. Generally speaking, I tend to see every human answer, believer or unbeliever, as severely underestimating the power of his man and his apostasy. So what about some non-human categories. 3. [Slide 10] Angels a. The Angel from heaven with the key to the Abyss and a great chain - The binding of Satan – i. During the Millennial reign an unnamed angel who comes down and does not fall down from heaven, has the key to the abyss and binds Satan for 1000 years. ii. Later Satan is released for a time and leads an army to battle against Christ’s people. iii. Amillennialism would say that the restrainer then is this angel and that Satan is currently bound which is why the man of lawlessness has not come yet. iv. This answers the secrecy with the need to hide truth from the forces of darkness. However, taking this view forces us to take Revelation 19 and 20’s description of these events not as a chronological record of events but as the order in which John saw the visions. b. Demonic infighting i. Another view espouses that the forces of darkness are not united and as long as this is so, the man of lawlessness will not come. ii. Paul keeps this hidden to keep them from being united. iii. However, the New Testament in no way suggests or hints at the forces of darkness being disunited. iv. If anything, it seems that Satan has rallied them and leads them. The New Testament says it is the Devil and his angels. This seems to speak of unity not disunity. c. Angelic Warfare i. When the man of lawlessness is mentioned in Daniel, in close proximity we have this report that Michael the archangel is battling against other fallen angelic creatures and holding them at bay. ii. One interpretation then is that this is talking about angelic entities fighting demonic entities and holding things the way they are until they are removed. iii. Secrecy then is to prevent Paul or the Thessalonians from worshipping these entities or praying to them instead of to God. iv. One wonders how simply suggesting angelic warfare would tempt them to worship angels though? Certainly, other parts of scripture mention this. And Paul has touted the growth and endurance of their faith. d. Michael the Arch Angel – i. This is a more specific interpretation of the last one. ii. And bears the same evidence. iii. Again we might wonder what the real danger would be that they would worship these entities by simply stating that they restrain the man of lawlessness from coming. iv. Other passages in the New Testament name Michael and Gabriel. 4. [Slide 11] God Himself a. The providence of God – i. Which summarizes everything we’ve just said so far. ii. In the end, God’s providence is His working in normal and creaturely agency as well as intervening in supernatural ways to bring about His will. iii. Of course we might wonder why Paul doesn’t simply say it. iv. Perhaps the Lord led him to include enough clues in the text itself for us to determine that this is so. b. The Holy Spirit - i. By this it is meant that the Holy Spirit does powerfully and intentionally intercede to prevent this man from stepping onto the scene. ii. The word Spirit in Greek is neuter gendered and when the adjective “holy” is used to describe the third person of the Godhead, it too is neuter in gender. iii. But when the Scriptures substitute a pronoun for the Holy Spirit, they do not use “it” but “He.” Thus, this could explain why Paul uses a neuter and then a masculine participle to describe the restrainer. iv. But why not call out the work of the Spirit here? v. Although quite uncertain, Paul has not spoken much about the Spirit of God in either 1 or 2 Thessalonians. 1. Not speaking of this text, commentators have remarked on the absence of the third person of the Godhead suggesting that perhaps there was some connection between the Spirit’s Work and the accusation of the Jews in Thessalonica that Paul was an insurrectionist. 2. So perhaps Paul keeps his references to the Spirit to a minimum and certainly never in a context suggesting that He is actively opposing some human power from rising, in order to spare the Thessalonians more grief from local Jews should this teaching fall into the wrong hands. xi. Some of you may recognize that I do not normally include so much detail when we discuss uncertain things in the scripture. xii. [Slide 12] Here is my protocol when dealing with interpretational discrepancies in a sermon. 1. If I am reasonably convinced of a specific interpretation, I won’t usually even bring up other options. I will present it as the only interpretation. I usually do this when I thought the passage said something and most if not all the commentators I consulted say the same or similar things. 2. If I am somewhat convinced of a specific interpretation, I will usually give other options but present my interpretation as the best without a deep analysis of the others. 3. If I am convinced but without any assurance, I’ll give all the options and state pros and cons to both before arriving on my conclusion. 4. If I remain uncertain… I am going to give you every option and their problems and probably not pick a conclusion. xiii. Can you guess which one we are on today? 😊 xiv. If a gun was put to my head and I had to decide just one, I’d say the Holy Spirit. And I’ll explain why in a moment. xv. But I do so cautiously and find more comfort in agreeing with Augustine of Hippo who said about this passage “I frankly confess I do not know what he means.” b. [Slide 13] 7 - For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; i. Paul continues to look to the future but without neglecting the present. ii. With this statement Paul recognizes and validates small fulfillments of what he has already said. iii. There is nothing new under the sun. iv. All the things Paul has said will be, have been done in smaller or lesser degrees since the dawn of time. v. This mystery of lawlessness is the current opposition and blasphemy pointed at the God of the universe. vi. In other words, Paul says that all the pieces are there. They are all in play. vii. It is the same story and it’s already been played out in several times throughout the history of the world. viii. And in that sense, there is nothing that needs to be done before it happens again … except that this time it will be the last cycle. Why? Because something will be different this time. c. [Slide 14] only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. i. Two concepts we must address here. ii. First, is whether or not the work of the restrainer is good. 1. Generally speaking, Paul seems to indicate that the work of the restrainer is good because it is difficult to see how the apostasy could be a good thing. 2. But since the apostasy must precede Christ’s return, perhaps we could see it as a bad thing that he is being restrained. iii. Second, and part of that discussion is what we are to make of the phrase “taken out of the way” 1. To be taken suggests by force with violence, which would suggest that the restrainer is evil and opposed to God. 2. However, many scholars point out that taken out of the way does not necessarily carry that force. Because of some recent discoveries in Koine Greek grammar we might translate this as “until he comes out of the middle” iv. As a word picture, we might employ the Scriptural story of the Angel of Yahweh barring the way for Balaam to go and curse God’s people. Eventually the Angel of Yahweh let Balaam go but restricted what he was able to say. And later Balaam, although unable to curse the Israelites, did things to destroy them. v. I find remarkable symmetry in this passage with the relationship to the restrainer and the man of lawlessness. vi. This is why I SLIGHTLY favor the view that this is the Holy Spirit as the restrainer. And God doesn’t have Paul mention it so that the man of lawlessness is blind, just as Balaam was initially, both to what is preventing him and to what eventually allows him to proceed. vii. We know that God works this way because He did this with the crucifixion of Christ. Paul says that had the forces of darkness known what they were doing, they would have never crucified the Lord of Glory. viii. God has Paul not elaborate in order to hide this plan from the man of lawlessness himself. d. [Slide 15] 8 - And then that lawless one will be revealed i. We get the impression that as soon as the restrainer stops preventing this from happening, that it will happen quickly and without intermission. ii. The word revealed is interesting on two counts. 1. First, it is the same word from which we get our word “apocalypse”, which is what the last book of our bible is called. 2. Second, this is the third time that this word is used to speak of the man of lawlessness’ coming and in every case the voice is passive. Meaning that the action of revealing is being done to him not by him. 3. This establishes a theme in all of what Paul is discussing here. The theme is, that God is at work to bring all these things about in His timing and according to His will. Nothing will happen without His consent and without His decree. e. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Although it is certainly debated what or who the restrainer of the man of lawlessness actually is, no matter what option you pick, God’s providential, sovereign hand is certainly the right answer always. God has decreed the end from the beginning. God being all knowing and all-powerful means there could never be any real doubt. Whatever has happened or has been prophesied to happen, is all what God has willed to happen since before the foundation of the world. This is why New Testament writers, and even Paul in this text, speak of things in the future using present tense verbs. This, of course, does not eliminate other agents moving to accomplish God’s decrees and plans, but ultimately all things go according to His will. That being said, whatever is restraining the man of lawlessness, we know that behind it is God, waiting for the fullness of time to bring all things about in His timing. Therefore, we must not let anyone deceive us. The order is quite certain. The man of lawlessness and the apostasy will come after the restrainer comes out of the middle. Then, and only then, will the Day of the Lord come and Christ return. Don’t believe anything different. Transition: [Slide 17(blank)] But what will happen when the restrainer is gone? Can the man of lawlessness be stopped? Paul interrupts himself again… II.) God will destroy the man of lawlessness when Jesus returns, we must not let anyone deceive us. (8b) a. [Slide 18] —whom the Lord Jesus WILL SLAY WITH THE BREATH OF HIS MOUTH i. The last time Paul interrupted himself was to express frustration or confusion for why the Thessalonians could have begun believing that the Day of the Lord had already come since he clearly taught them all this about the man of lawlessness. ii. This time, he interrupts to bring comfort and peace. iii. As much as he has said about the man of lawlessness, and as harrowing as it sounds that the restrainer would step aside to permit him to be revealed, Paul desires his audience to understand that The Lord Jesus Himself will slay this man of lawlessness with the breath of His mouth. iv. This seems to be a loose quote or allusion to Isaiah 11:4 when Isaiah prophesies that the shoot of Jesse will destroy the wicked with the breath of His mouth. v. Well, when will Christ slay him with His breath? b. [Slide 19] and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming— i. This second statement is parallel to the first but indicates to us the timing of the slaying and his being brought to an end. ii. The Day of the Lord. When the Lord Jesus returns, when He gathers His people together, that is when this will all come about. iii. Regardless of eschatological position, this remains true in some sense or another. iv. It is only the details that are debated. v. Christ’s coming will put an end to the works of the man of lawlessness. Forever. vi. Whether this happens before the millennium or after – in one way or another Christ’s coming will destroy the blasphemies of the man of lawlessness. vii. And eventually, if not at the same time, the works of Satan and all who do not believe the gospel will also be judged and cast into the second death which is the lake of fire. c. [Slide 20] Summary of the Point: Although there may be uncertainty about the coming of the man of lawlessness, there is no uncertainty about the end of the man of lawlessness. The Lord Jesus will consume him by His breath and cast him in the lake of fire. His plans will end. His agenda will topple. And his kingdom will fall. Although he and the apostasy he brings must precede the coming of the Lord Jesus and the gathering together of His saints – his end will be quick and final. So, we must not be deceived. Though he must be revealed, he will then be destroyed. Of this we can be certain. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and shapes our lifestyles? Basics Concepts of Faith and Practice: [Slide 21] Paul points the Thessalonians, once again, back to what they know. They know that there is a restrainer who is keeping this man of lawlessness from being revealed. They know that there is already the spirit of lawlessness everywhere now. That this mystery, this hidden agenda is behind the scenes working in the world as it is… but that it will not develop into this apostasy until the restrainer comes out of the middle. Once this occurs, the man of lawlessness will come. And while this is a terrible necessity, the man of lawlessness will be destroyed by the breath of the Lord Jesus when He comes again. These truths we must confess and we must not let ourselves be deceived to think anything different. But what impact does this have on us today? 1.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the man of lawlessness is being restrained by the sovereign will of God. a. Whatever the restrainer is, there is no question that ultimately it is by the sovereign will of God alone that the man of lawlessness is restrained. b. And it is only by the sovereign will of God that he will be revealed. c. As powerful as the forces of darkness are, they are still under the direct sovereign control of the God of the Universe. d. There is nothing Satan can do to change the Day of the Lord. e. He cannot hasten it forward and he cannot push it backward. f. Satan certainly desires to mock God. And although he cannot be incarnate himself, he longs to mimic and mock the second person of the Godhead and possess for himself an incarnate satan man. A satanic superman as some scholars have said. g. But the restrainer holds him back. And God is ultimately the One who knows and determines the day of judgment. h. So as much as we may fear the apostasy and the man of lawlessness’ opposition to God’s people. As much as we may be anxious about the coming persecution against God’s people… i. God is always in control. j. As Martin Luther said, “Even the devil is God’s devil.” God created him and God ultimately controls his activity. k. We can rest assured that nothing will come unless the Lord allows it to come. l. And not only that… 2.) [Slide 23] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” The man of lawlessness will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus when He returns. a. Not only will the man of lawlessness not come until God allows him to, but he will also be taken out by the breath of the Lord Jesus when He returns. b. Just like all of us, as Hannah prayed, his beginning is of God and His end is of God. The Lord sets him up to knock him down. c. This does not mean that believers won’t suffer from his work. Nor does it mean that every person who claims Christ will be spared the lawless influence that precedes him. d. But it does give us comfort to know that God will not enter a fight with this man as if they are on equal footing. His days have already been determined. His hour, his time, is set. e. His end is sure. f. Therefore, we do not need to be anxious or afraid. Nothing he can do will affect the Lord Jesus’ return and His coming kingdom. Nothing. 3.) [Slide 24] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must not let ourselves be deceived. a. The man of lawlessness is currently being restrained but the mystery of lawlessness is in the world today. b. This again speaks to the immanency of the events concerning the Day of the Lord. c. Whatever your eschatological framework is – you cannot believe something that requires several events to happen before it can take place. d. The way Paul words this – it could literally happen at any moment. As soon as the restrainer comes out from the middle of it – the apostasy will flood the world and the man of lawlessness will step on the scene, seat himself in the temple of God, claiming to be Yahweh Himself and the god of all gods. e. So we should not believe anyone who teaches something different. f. And for most eschatological frameworks, that isn’t a problem. g. But another thing we cannot let ourselves be deceived on is that God is somehow out of control of when this man will be revealed. h. Even if you take a view that the restrainer is human government, or the church, or the preaching of the gospel, we cannot allow ourselves to think for one moment that God waits to see what will happen. i. There is no rogue molecule in His creation. All creatures, from the loftiest angels, to the single celled organisms and everything in between are completely subject to His decree and His plan. j. The man of lawlessness will come when the Lord wills him to come. And he will be destroyed when the Lord wills him to be destroyed. k. We should not ascribe to any teaching to the contrary. l. We must remember what this text teaches us about the sequence and specifics of the events preceding the Day of the Lord. And we must trust and cling to what we have been given. 4.) [Slide 25] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The mystery of lawlessness is at work even today. a. If you are here today and you are not a believer in Christ or you have made a profession of faith in Christ, but you do not see obedience to Christ and growing in your faith as your top priority… then I have some difficult news for you to hear today. b. You might think that you will see the signs and will not believe the deception of the man of lawlessness. c. You might think that you won’t be fooled and you’ll know him when you see him. d. But my friends – Paul reveals to the Thessalonians that the mystery of lawlessness is already active. e. The work of lawlessness is ongoing. f. The lies the man of lawlessness will tell, are already being laced to every society, in every culture, around the world. g. The forces of darkness are at work, even now, preparing you to believe him. Through world leaders, cultural battles, worldviews, values, and commonly held beliefs and practices, they are grooming you to be little disciples of the Man of Sin. h. In all likelihood there are already things you believe, already things you do, already things you value and cherish that will be in accordance with the Man of lawlessness. i. So that when he arrives, you will have one foot already in the door. j. I cannot stress this enough. The only thing that will prevent anyone from being deceived by the man of lawlessness, will be God saving you by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. k. If you are not a believer or you have little to no evidence that you are… if you are not putting Christ’s Kingdom first… if you are not loving God first… if you are not loving others as yourself. My friends… l. You will be deceived. m. The time for you to believe on Christ and put Him as your highest priority is now. Lest you fall away. n. Let the word of Christ chase away the lies that are even now preparing you to be deceived unto death. o. Trust Christ and serve Him only. Put Him above all else. And you will see through the lies of this man when he comes. p. Let an Elder know if you desire to trust Christ and follow Him with your life today. [Slide 26 (End)] Let me close with a word of prayer by the puritan Philip Doddridge. How melancholy does the face of our earth appear when we reflect on the reign of Satan on it, on the influence of the dragon and the beast and the false prophet. O Lord, cut short their power. Send down the angel that has the key to the bottomless pit to bind this destroyer. And when he is loosed for a season, moderate his rage and support your saints under the terror of every assault until you appear to close this perplexing scene by the wise and glorious catastrophe of all things. Then it will be seen that the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus were not lost, and that it was wise to refuse the mark of the beast-though they could neither buy nor sell, nor enjoy their liberty, nor their lives, without submitting to it. Come quickly Jesus, we pray this in Your name… Amen. Benediction: Now may you be satisfied to fill a little space if God be glorified, And not hurry to and fro seeking for some great thing to do, But seek from God daily strength while keeping at His side, Till you can say with the apostle of old, I have learned to be content In whatever circumstance l am in. Until we meet again tonight, grace and peace to you.