Insight for Living

Bill Meyer: We've all seen what happens when a teacher steps out of the classroom or an authority figure disappears. Chaos breaks loose. And one day, the greatest restraining force the world has ever known will be removed, and the man of lawlessness will emerge.

Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll traces the rise and fall of this man. The message comes from his series called Steadfast Christianity, and Chuck is working through four words that will help us in this study. They are defiance, delay, destruction, and delusion. We resume our study in 2 Thessalonians 2.

Chuck Swindoll: First, the defiance. Verse three: "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it," that is the Day of the Lord, the time of earthly judgment, "will not come unless, number one, the apostasy comes first; and number two, the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who 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."

Now, if you let your mind wander in passages like this, you will leave thinking this was kind of a boring talk. But if you'll think with me, you'll find some real interesting information. You may not agree with each of my interpretations, but that's your prerogative. You want to be wrong, it's up to you. I'm just going to try to tell you what I think it says.

Please observe that before there is the Day of the Lord sweeping across this earth, there must begin the apostasy. And second, there must emerge ultimately the man of lawlessness. The apostasy interests us first. We see apostasy today, but it's like seeing the tip of the iceberg. It's like the little tremor of the earthquake in light of the great quake yet to come.

The definite article is there on purpose. It is the apostasy, as though there will never be another one like it on the earth, and there will not. It's a time of large-scale, wholesale, widespread turning away from the truth of Scripture and obedience to God.

I know there is that in pockets of our world today. In fact, I know there is a spirit of lawlessness that wraps itself around our world, but there are still today marvelous movements for Christ, great chunks of Christianity, pockets of people here and yon who would stand for Christ and, if necessary, die for him. We have not entered the time of wholesale, worldwide, large-scale turning away from obedience to God and reverence for Scripture.

Thankfully, we live in a land that allows us the privilege and the freedom of worshipping our God and holding his word high. There will be a day in the apostasy when one will be killed for such an act. It will be a time of unrestrained defiance as this worldwide anti-God movement is underway. The reason it will be underway is the man of lawlessness, revealed here as the son of destruction.

He will be a human being. He will have enormous charisma. He will have, to use today's terms, television presence. He will be persuasive. He will be politically sophisticated. He will be marvelously convincing in the realm of religion, so much so that he will speak and people will be convinced that his words come from God. He will do miracles and wonders and signs, and he will give all of these things as reason to follow him, and people by the millions, by the billions, will follow this leader, even though he opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so that he himself becomes an object of worship. He displays himself as deity in the flesh. They will believe him.

One reputable student of Scripture writes: "This will be the Antichrist, the great world dictator who will appear at that time, offering himself to the world leaders as one who has the solution to their insoluble problems. This figure is called in the word of God by several names: the prince that shall come, the little horn, the beast, the Antichrist, the son of perdition, the wicked one, the king of fierce countenance, the man of lawlessness, to name a few." Clearly, he will be totally opposed to God.

My convictions are that when the believers are swept from this earth to heaven and there is left chaos upon this earth in their immediate absence, there will be the need for someone to calm the waters. This man will be primed and ready to speak. I believe he will stand before not only a nation, but a world, and will win their approval.

He will have a body of people serving as his emissaries, his cabinet. They will win a hearing for him. They, too, will be gifted with signs and miracles and wonders to attract the attention of the masses, for those things always draw a crowd. And in light of those works of miracles, they will be prompted to follow him.

He will have a whole economic system that he will offer, called in Scripture the mark of the beast. People will have an identification that they will carry that will allow them to buy and sell. Without it, one cannot do that. Therefore, those who become Christians, as difficult as it will be in that era, will be unable to live in the marketplace, freely buying and selling, as the non-Christian world will live, and it will become rugged, and it will, in fact, lead often to martyrdom.

Now, there are those who don't claim that this is true. However, I find this passage exceedingly helpful when I come to the book of Daniel or the book of Revelation to find information about our future. I find other positions simply don't have the specific answers that are needed to interpret those passages. And while I'm not fascinated by the study, I certainly find myself intrigued and drawn to it for some answers. It certainly explains some things that are happening in our day, doesn't it?

Now, there's delay right now. Verse five: "Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, that in his time he may be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he's taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed."

Now, at the present time, there is a delay placed upon this lawless lifestyle. There is a restraining power. Obviously, whoever is able to restrain one that does the work of God, quote-unquote, will have to be stronger than any human being, and therefore, I believe the restrainer is the Holy Spirit. I believe his work in the church is currently restraining sin.

There is a twice-repeated statement in this passage regarding restraining. Verse six: "You know what restrains him now." Verse seven: "He who now restrains" will continue to do so till he's taken out of the way. If you were to press me with a question, you would ask when will that occur? I take it that when the believers are swept from this earth to heaven, with them goes the same marvelous presence of the Holy Spirit that has been doing his work, making his moves, shaping our world in God's direction.

And when that presence of the Spirit of God as we now know it is removed, restraint is removed. And the authority figure now emerges as the man of sin, and he will, at least for a while, take charge. As long as the church of Jesus Christ is present on this earth, lawlessness remains under great restraint.

By the way, when I say that, it reminds me of a couple of scenes out of my life. I remember a scene out of my elementary school days and a scene out of my military days when I was stationed overseas in the Marine Corps.

This first one occurred when I was in about the fourth or fifth grade. I don't remember which. Third, fourth, fifth, somewhere along there. And we had a teacher who was very, very strong and strict, and she was she was good, but I'll tell you, you didn't get away with one spit-wad.

Now, there was one occasion where she had us all reading in our books, and we were to read the next eight pages, and she left the room, unfortunately, leaving us to read. And a spit-wad, no need to mention who from, but a spit-wad moved from the left of the room to the behind the left ear of a fellow on the right of the room, through a straw that came from a milk carton at lunch. It was a perfect shot.

And the person whose ear was struck decided to take an eraser in revenge. And then another fellow took watercolor pan and poured it on the girl in front of him. I was a victim of this. I couldn't imagine kids doing that in my elementary school days, but it just broke out.

Another fellow tied pigtails of a girl to the chair, so that when she stood up, she looked like Samson at the gate, you know? And I mean, it just broke loose until the restrainer came back. It was really something when the restrainer returned to the classroom.

The other occurred after we had been in the field about ten days, and we were rank, and in a rather foul mood. And you get a group of a thousand Marines together in one chow hall, you have disaster in the making. And so happened that the mess officer left early that evening, and someone noticed it and because he didn't like his pie, decided to push it in the face of the guy sitting next to him, who took his tray and emptied it all over the fellow.

And before long, there were layers of pie and meat and gravy and potatoes every square foot of the hall. I got out of there. I couldn't imagine guys doing stuff like that, but I'm telling you, it was really something because the restrainer had left.

So happened that evening that he heard the noise, which was unusual noise coming from the mess hall, and he came back in. It was a great moment in my life when he stepped in. As I recall, I was up to my armpits in pie and gravy and potatoes, all because the restrainer had left.

Now, we'll laugh about stories and we've all been through them, or at least partly like that. We've seen it happen when some authority steps out of the scene and what happens when the human nature occurs or begins to emerge. I find no better interpretation for this section of Scripture and several others than that.

I think gratefully to God we are in an interlude, a time of great grace, where the Spirit of God is moving in great chunks of time, and we're among it, right here in Southern California. It's a marvelous thing to be a part of it. You can't even describe it at times, and it's so good. And some of the miraculous things God is doing and some of the marvelous events that are occurring and the shaping of lives and the changing of events, it's amazing. Even in the political scene, God's at work. What a time to be alive.

One man writes it this way: "It is necessary to define what is meant by the Day of the Lord. In a word, it is the period of time predicted in the Scripture when God will deal directly with human sin. It includes the tribulation time preceding the second advent of Christ, as well as the whole millennial reign. It will culminate in the judgment of the great white throne. The Day of the Lord is therefore an extended period of time, an extended period of time lasting over one thousand years. This is brought out in the events included in the Day of the Lord presented in chapter five of 1 Thessalonians."

Our present time is a day of grace. God is not attempting in our day today to deal directly with human sin. He may impose judgment in some cases, but there are many wicked people who flourish, who have health and wealth. They may succeed in business, even though they are not Christian and not honoring the Lord. The Lord is not attempting to straighten that out now. This is the day of grace.

But there will be a time when he does step on the scene to deal with such events, and that will be a time of great destruction. Locate, if you will, verse eight: "Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness."

I call this event a first-round knockout. After the events of that time of great tribulation have unfolded and this earth has groaned and ached through one scene after another, then our Lord Jesus will come exactly as described in Revelation 19 and will put an end to this beast and his following, his emissaries, his entourage, and will establish himself as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Now, men and women, most of you have never trafficked in the satanic realm. You've not been involved in what has been commonly called in our day a ministry of deliverance. You probably have seen demon oppression and possession but didn't know it. Some of you would know it, a few of you.

But I want to tell you, as a minister of the gospel and one not given to foolishness and extremism, the few times I have dealt with satanic and demonic activity, I've found myself awestruck. It is a frightening encounter. And my experience with it has not been sought, nor has it been frequent. I can't imagine a scene on this earth that lasts for years under the direction of one so motivated and inhabited by the evil one himself. I can't imagine what he will direct. But by comparison with the tribulation we know today, it defies description.

And many will believe him and will follow his lie and will openly and deliberately reject the truth of Scripture. And God's response, verses 11 and 12, is one of delusion. "For this reason," because they have made their bed, he will have them lie in it, "God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness."

Sounds to me like Romans 1. Not only did they believe in evil and an evil lifestyle, but they took pleasure in that lifestyle and God gave them over to it, so there is no recourse but to carry it to its ultimate. That's the scene here. If you forget the context, you will judge God as being uncaring and without compassion. If you understand the deliberateness of their unbelief, you'll say God is doing what is just and what is right.

I struggled a bit with whether I should conclude the message as I'm going to conclude it, but I think I shall. I'd like you to turn to Revelation 19. I'd like to read the concluding scene on this earth as a wrap-up for a message on lawlessness, the man and the mystery. You've patiently sat and listened through this, and I appreciate your hearing ear.

I want this scene to emerge from the Bible in all of its vivid color, so it doesn't need any help from me. It says it well by itself. Your reading of the event that will occur when our Lord Jesus faces the Antichrist at Armageddon.

19:11: "I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and wages war. And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadema," meaning crowns, many diadems. "He has a name written upon him which no one knows except himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God." That's not the name written on him, but that's the name he's known as. It's clearly the Lord Jesus Christ, identified in John 1 as the Word of God.

"And the armies which are in heaven," I take these to be the believers swept from the earth at the day of Christ, "the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; and he treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."

Verse 19: "And I saw the beast," that's the man we just read about, "and the kings of the earth," these would be the political rulers in that day, "and their armies, assembled to make war against him," can you imagine, "the one who sat upon the horse and against his army. And the beast was seized," this is the first-round knockout, "the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone." The man and his campaign manager are both forever removed.

Turn the page, chapter 20, verse 11. What about the unsaved? "I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them." The thing that makes a move so difficult is we lose our place. Paul Tournier has written a great book called A Place for You. He talks about how all of us have a place. From conception, we have a place, the womb of our mother. At birth, in the arms of our parents. Growing up, in the home where we live. This is what gives an orphan such trauma: he lacks, or she lacks, a place.

And here, for the first time in their conscious awareness, there's no place. There's no earth. Heaven is changed. The whole surrounding is disorienting, and they are now standing naked before the living God at this great throne. If I read this correctly: "I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne," verse 12. "Books were opened, another book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. The sea gave up the dead in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire; this is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone, if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

How do I respond, and how do I handle this? Well, if I am a child of God, I am relieved. I have great hope, great promise in my Savior's return for me. If I'm without Christ, I have the greatest need that's ever been present in the human heart, the need to turn my life over to someone who can get me through eternity. That's Christ, and Christ alone. I'd like us to bow together.

I'm grateful, Father, for your truth that lives and abides forever. Where I have done it a disservice, forgive me. May it be quickly forgotten. Where I have spoken the truth, may it never be forgotten. May it run and have free course through the power of your Spirit in this day of great grace, not simply that we might miss hell and gain heaven, but out of praise and adoration that we might live for you for the rest of our lives. It is in the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

Bill Meyer: Chuck Swindoll has just offered you the most important invitation you'll ever receive, and the question he asked is worth sitting with: Can you look back to a moment when you gave your life to Christ? If you can, reaffirm it today out of love and gratitude. If you can't, that moment can be right now.

This is Insight for Living. Keep listening as Chuck continues his in-depth study of Paul's letter. But first, I'd like to point you to some helpful resources that are designed to deepen your understanding of 2 Thessalonians. First, did you know that Insight for Living offers an interactive Bible study workbook for 2 Thessalonians? It's a spiral-bound resource designed to lay flat on your lap or on the table where you can easily take notes as you read through Paul's letter. The Bible study workbook, like the teaching series, is called Steadfast Christianity. You're invited to purchase the Searching the Scriptures Bible study by calling us at 800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org/offer.

Next, we've selected a book that reinforces the leadership themes in this series. It's a classic from Chuck called Hand Me Another Brick. Whatever you're building in life—a family, a leadership team, a classroom of students—they'll all outlast you, especially where God is involved. Nehemiah knew that. So did Paul. And Chuck has spent a lifetime teaching that truth to a generation of leaders hungry for something real. In Hand Me Another Brick, Chuck walks you through Nehemiah's blueprint for courageous, God-honoring leadership and shows you how to leave something behind that matters. This timeless classic is yours when you send a generous gift to support Insight for Living. If you're in a small group Bible study, this book will definitely stir up some lively conversations among your friends. To receive a copy of Hand Me Another Brick, call 800-772-8888. You can also write to us at Insight for Living, Post Office Box 5000, Frisco, Texas, 75034. Or go online to insight.org/donate.

I'm Bill Meyer. Join us when Chuck Swindoll continues his study in 2 Thessalonians called Steadfast Christianity Monday, on Insight for Living.

Guest (Male): The preceding message, Lawlessness: The Man and the Mystery, was copyrighted in 1986, 1991, 2002, and 2024, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2024 by Charles R. Swindoll, Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.