2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 With the Breath of his Mouth
Good morning, everyone! We are all happy to see Dr. Ben back with us this Sunday. We have been studying about the events that will happen during the end times. So, we are back to 2 Thessalonians study. (David’s lectionary) Did you know that there are some people who came up with the Doom’s Day clock? [Pic 1—some scientists] In this clock, when it gets closer to midnight, it means there will be a global catastrophe. Perhaps the end of the world as we know it. According to those who came up with this clock we are closer to midnight, 89 seconds left, due to uncheck scientific and technological advances. The main factors influencing this clock are nuclear warfare, climate change, and artificial intelligence (AI). But as believers, we trust in God’s sovereignty and perfect timing. God will decide when the earth and the universe will come to an end. These verses today, help us to see end time events that must occur before the end of the world as we know it. Especially, we will learn about the coming of the Antichrist and what will happen to him when our Lord Jesus returns. My title is:
With the Breath of his Mouth
2 Thessalonians 2:6-8
Key Verse:8:
“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”
Look at verse 6. “And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.” Just for those who have not been here, the one being restrained is the devil, who wants to raise up the Antichrist to bring chaos and disaster upon the world. Remember what Paul had written in verse 3, “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” According to this verse, a man of lawlessness, also known as the Antichrist will appear in the world. However, Satan cannot usher him on the world stage at the moment because something or someone is restraining him. There are many views among biblical scholars in history of who this restrainer may be. Some though it was the Apostle Paul. Some thought it was Michael the archangel or some other angel. Some think it’s the preaching of the gospel. But there are two main views on this restraining influence throughout Christian history. One of those views is that human government is holding back the evil in the world. For example, these days America is forcefully trying to end the nuclear arms development of a particular country. But there is a clear problem with this view. Human government is not stronger than Satan. Whatever is holding him back, has to be stronger than Satan. Certainly, government restrains evil to a certain degree. But all it can restrain is just civil lawlessness and human lawlessness. It can’t hold back the power of Satan.
The second view, which seems to make more sense, is the Holy Spirit. There are two main reasons for this belief. In verse 6, there’s a change of gender. Verse 6. “And you know what is restraining him.” This thing that’s restraining Satan from bringing the Antichrist onto the world scene is called a what. In other words, it’s neuter here. But then notice in the end of verse 7, “Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” Here it’s masculine or a person. So, whatever this restraining force is, it’s a who and a what. It’s a person and it’s also a power. This fits well with what we know of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit is both neuter and masculine. Because the Greek for spirit is pneuma which is a neuter word. But the Holy Spirit is also referred consistently in scripture in the masculine—as a person. As Jesus said about him in John 14:26a, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things…” So, it fits here well that you have this Spirit who’s both a what and who’s a person and a power. Who is powerful enough to hold back Satan? Who is stronger than the devil? The only answer of course is God. God’s the only one who could restrain the power of Satan from bringing the Antichrist onto the world scene. And of course, the member of the godhead who is consistently spoken of as restraining sin is the Holy Spirit.
We see an example of this power of the Holy Spirit in Genesis 6:3, “Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.’” When the Spirit was moved out of the way, the floodwaters came and destroyed the earth and mankind. Except, of course, those in the ark. Where does the Holy Spirit reside today here on earth? He resides in the souls of his people individually. But he also resides in the church corporately. It’s the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit through believers and through the church. When the Spirit is taken out of the way, the church will be raptured to heaven and believers will go with him. How true it is that the Holy Spirit is the real restrainer. The believer’s body is the temple of the Spirit of God. First Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.” All believers together is a formidable restraining force. When the church is removed at the rapture the Holy Spirit goes with the church. Then his restraining power in this age of grace will become inoperative. The church gone the restrainer no longer operating through the church. The way will be cleared at last for the man of sin. Satan will be swift to seize the initiative once the obstacle that he has fought and feared so long is mysteriously and supernaturally removed. He will be able at last to reveal his man on the scene.
Look at verse 8. “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” God permits him to be revealed. Permits him to come on the scene. But is sovereign and in control because he destroys him at his right time. If you go to Revelation 19, it talks about Jesus having a sharp two-edged sword coming out of his mouth. Revelation 19:15, “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” The sharp sword is the word that he speaks. Jesus is going to just have to say one word, and it’s going to be all over for the Antichrist. It’s going to be effortless. He’s going to dash him to pieces. He will be broken like a clay pot smashed on the floor. We know from Ephesians 6:17 that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. It is like a blade that cuts and slices into our inner being. God’s word is so powerful that the universe was created by his mere command. God’s word that created this universe, will also destroy it and bring judgment upon mankind. Isaiah 11:4, “…but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth.” What does this have to do with life today? Sometimes difficult to think about eschatology because it seems so surreal. But let’s think of some implications for believers today.
The first point we see is that God has a timetable. God is in control even the development of evil is under the control of God. Notice it says in verse 6, “And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.” When God’s time is right, he’s going to allow the Antichrist to be revealed. Satan would love to turn his man loose upon the world right now. He’d love to have sin reach its maximum expression. But the restrainer is holding this back. As I said earlier, the restrainer has to be more powerful than Satan himself. Sometimes people have this wrong idea that God and Satan are equal forces. Like good against evil—kind of fighting this cosmic war. Like ying and yang. Light verses darkness. [Pic 2—Luke vs Darth Vader] Don’t go to the dark side! Martin Luther said about the devil that he is God’s devil. It doesn’t mean that God created him to be the devil. Actually, it was man’s sin of disobedience that invited the devil into the earthly realm. Man could also have kept the devil under control as long as he did not listen to him but listen to God. Once we listen to the devil it’s game over for weak sinners as ourselves. But the devil is not allowed to go past God’s sovereignty and domain. In the sense he’s under the control of God. He can’t come on the scene till God allows it. For example, God put a limit on what Satan could do to his servant Job.
When we think about the coming of Jesus it was the perfect time. Galatians 4:4, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.” God had a perfect timing, a proper time when Christ was to come. He’s also going to have a proper time when the man of sin will be revealed. There was a definite time for the first coming of Christ. There’s a definite time for the second coming of Christ. There will be a definite time for the coming of the Antichrist. When the rapture occurs, the Spirit indwelt church, and its restraining influence is going to be removed. Satan will then be able to put his man and his plan into full swing. Bringing his man on the center stage in the world. The rapture is going to remove the one obstacle blocking the way to the full outbreak of evil in the world through the Antichrist. In God’s time, the door will be wide open for him to come to power. This means that Satan has to wait on God’s timing. Satan is really defeated before he starts because he has to wait on God to allow him to bring his man onto the scene. He can’t make his final diabolical move until God releases him to do so. Satan is like a raging bull behind a strong gate, waiting to be released. God is in control and has a timetable. Satan’s hands are tied by the sovereignty of God. Of course, this restraint will be removed according to God’s time schedule.
The second point is that Satan has an antichrist ready in every generation. He always has somebody ready because Satan doesn’t know when the restrainer is going to be removed. He doesn’t know God’s timetable. He’s not omniscient. Satan wants to bring his man onto the world scene. He wants to take the world back like it was right after the flood when Nimrod ruled the whole world. That’s his plan throughout history. Satan has an antichrist alive somewhere in the world. I mean you had Nimrod, Pharaoh, and Nebuchadnezzar. Alexander the Great, the Caesars, Napoleon, Stalin, and Hitler. These were antichrists that were waiting in the wings. Today, someone could claim Putin is like an antichrist. Ukrainians nicknamed him Putler. When God allows Satan to bring his plan into motion. Then there’s somebody today that Satan has somewhere on earth waiting in the wings as well. It could be in any generation. That is why Satan has prepared a man, somewhere in the world, to bring into a place of great influence.
The third point is that we are now in the time of restraint. This is the age of restraint. There really are several ages mentioned here in this letter. There’s the present age which is the age of restraint before the rapture. There’s the tribulation age after the rapture, which includes the age of rebellion. Then there’s going to be the Messianic age after the return of Christ, which will be the age of revelation when Jesus Christ is revealed. Presently the Holy Spirit is blocking the doorway so that the Antichrist can’t enter. But after the rapture the Spirit is going to step aside and lawlessness is going to rush in. All hell will break loose on earth. Evil will run rampant like nothing we can imagine. Like the Bible says the situation at the end will parallel the days of Noah. The removal of the restrainer will be like removing a dam. It will be like opening all the cages at a zoo. It will be like opening the doors of prisons and letting all the most dangerous vicious criminals out into the surrounding area.
As mentioned, we’re living right now on the day of restraint. The only reason sin isn’t as bad as it could be worldwide is because the Spirit through the church is restraining evil. What in the world will it be like when the restraint is removed? Well, I don’t want to be here and find out. I’m sure you don’t either. You don’t want to be here. When Jesus Christ came to this world the first time, he died on the cross and he purchased a pardon for you and for me. We can flee to him this morning for refuge. We can believe in him and trust in him to be our Savior. The Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. This is the time of restraint and the time of God’s amazing grace. We have the opportunity now to receive that free gift of eternal life that God will give us through Jesus Christ. We’re either have to go the way of Jesus or we’re going to perish. That’s really the choice of the world today. It’s really your choice and my choice—to follow Jeuss or not. Tragically this world is perishing. Someone said, it will get worse before it gets better. But you can go the way of Jesus by trusting in him and receiving him today. Don’t wait to do it because time is passing quickly. There is no better time than today to accept Christ as your Savior.
The fourth point is the foreshadow of what’s coming is already here. Look at verse 7.
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” What Paul is saying is that the man of lawlessness isn’t here yet. But the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. What we see today in our world is kind of a faint foreshadow of what’s coming. Now a mystery in the New Testament is something that’s previously hidden. It’s something that wasn’t previously revealed but God has now revealed it. Paul says there’s this mystery of lawlessness. The man of lawlessness is being held back. But this mystery of lawlessness is at work right now. The spirit that’s going to dominate the career of the Antichrist in the future is already operative in our world. It’s expanding, building up, and driving towards the day when the Antichrist will be revealed. That’s why we see the swelling tide of evil in our world today. That’s why we see the profound magnification of evil on every front. There all a preview of what’s coming. If you have been following the plight of our brothers and sisters in Christ, you know how terrible it is. In Syria and African countries, Christians are being kidnapped, tortured, and killed just because they believe in Jesus. People who are filled with the spirit of the Antichrist are committing these atrocities. It’s a buildup to when the man of sin ultimately is going to be revealed in one person. We see in our generation the incredible explosion of technology. The more advanced we get, the more weapons sinners have. And the more devastating those weapons become. It seems like at times in the Russian war against Ukraine that warmongers just want to test their missiles and see how much damage they cause. In spite of the terrible cost of human lives and destroyed buildings. There seems to be more and more ways to kill and spread sinful corruption today. It’s not that man’s heart changed but the methods for expressing our corruption are expanding.
This can be further explained in 1 John 4:3, “…and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” John says there the spirit of antichrist is already in the world. The mystery of lawlessness is already here even though the man of lawlessness isn’t. The spirit of the Antichrist is present in the world. It was already there back in the first century. But it’s building throughout history to a climax. Ultimately, when the restrainer is removed the Antichrist will come on the world scene. We see this surging all around us. If you just look at the world news, there are wars and rumors of wars. In America, we hear about mob beatings, shootings, and murders almost every night on the news. But as time passes the spirit of the Antichrist is going to intensify and that’s what we’re seeing today.
Last point, we learn it is a very important that sin being restrained in our life. It’s one thing to look out at our world and talk about how bad the world is when we see the intensification of evil in the world. But what about in our own lives? Is sin being restrained in my life? Do I want it to be restrained? Do I ask God every day to help me? Remember that sin can be restrained because it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is restraining sin and evil in this world through the church. We need to be as the church in the world. We are to be the salt and light. It is only possible when we have sin restrained in our own lives. Sin can’t be restrained out in the culture and the world if it’s not restrained in us. Psychology, drugs, and even prison cannot remove the sinful nature in us. We must remember that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer of sin. The restrainer of sin can work in our individual lives when we allow the Spirit of God to control our lives. He blocks or restrains us from doing the things we would otherwise do. That’s what it says in Galatians 5:16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” We each need to ask ourselves, what sin is there in my life that needs to be restrained? Maybe it’s gossip and slander. Maybe just bitterness towards other people. Maybe it’s greed. Maybe it’s anger. Maybe you have a problem with lust and sexual desire. Maybe it’s with pornography. This is why we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit wants to hold sin back in your life and my life. One pastor said, “the spirit is resident in your life but he wants to be president.” He wants to dominate and to rule our lives. And as we do that and surrender ourselves to his power. He will help us to restrain sin. It not just WWJD, What Would Jesus Do, and that we can do it too. We cannot do it by ourselves. But Holy Spirit helps us to do what is pleasing to God! We need to walk in the spirit. In these times in which we live, there’s such a tsunami of sin out there in our culture. We need God’s help to follow the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit every day.
In conclusion, we learn in this passage that as believers we don’t need a Dooms Day Clock to tell us when the world will end. The world will end in God’s time. Also, from David’s message on Revelation 21 a while ago, we learned that God will make a new heaven and a new earth. We don’t have to be gloomy or pessimistic about the future. God is in control and he has the whole world in his hands. I believe also that before the Antichrist comes and terrible wrath comes upon the earth during the Great Tribulation; we will be raptured. In the meantime, we ought to live according to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit. Actually, the Bible teaches that believers can grieve the Holy Spirit when we are not in line with God’s will. When we intentionally sin against God. Ephesians 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of r. Redemption.” Instead, we ought to pray for the Holy Spirit to restrain us from our sinful proclivities. Rather, we out to serve God in holiness and righteousness as we walk in this sinful world. I pray to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in my daily life. I cannot restrain my own sins by my strength alone. I need the daily help of the Holy Spirit. He is our Helper. I also thank God for the powerful word of Jesus that will destroy the Antichrist with one breath from his mouth. May we read and study God’s word daily to strengthen us in our walk of faith and overcome the devil’s temptations. As we learned from Jim’s message last week on the Lord’s Prayer, we ought to pray to our Father God, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Thank God for the Holy Spirit who is our restrainer. Amen.
2 Thessalonians 2 6-8 presentation
Bible Study Questions:
2 Thessalonians 2:5-8
Key Verse: 8:
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
1. Read 2 Thess. 2:5. Paul reminds the Thessalonians about something he previously taught them. What was this teaching, and why is it significant for understanding the rest of the passage? Who is the “man of lawlessness” mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:3? What characteristics does Paul attribute to this figure, and how do they contrast with the teachings of Christ?
2. Read 2 Thess. 2:6. Paul speaks of something that is currently restraining the “man of lawlessness.” What do you think this restraint represents, and how might it apply to the present day? (Gen. 6:3) Read Rev. 13:1; 1 Jn. 2:22. How does these verses relate to what Paul is writing about here?
3. Read 2 Thess. 2:7. What is the mystery of lawlessness that is already at work? (1 Jn. 2:18) What happens when the restrainer moves out of the way? What do you learn here about God’s perfect time schedule? (Gal. 4:4)
4. Read 2 Thess. 2:8. What will happen to “man of lawlessness” when Jesus returns and appears before him? How powerful is Jesus’ breath? (Rev. 1:16; 19:15) Who wins the final victory in the end?
5. How do these verses relate to the broader themes of eschatology (the study of end times)? What implications do they have for Christians’ understanding of the return of Christ? How does this help us to worship our Lord Jesus even more? (Rev. 19:16)
6. How do these verses show why so many, including Jews, will be deceived? How can we pray for the restrainer to work practically in our life of faith? (Gal. 5:16) What practical steps can you take to remain steadfast in truth amidst deception?
2 Thessalonians 2:5-8
Read verses 1-4 for review:
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
