Refusing to Love Truth

Introduction

A. Ever arrived so late for an event that you missed part of the festivities? Last summer our family was in Connecticut for Jon Albright’s wedding. I was to conduct the ceremony. We arrived a week early to vacation in Pennsylvania especially Hershey. On the day of the wedding rehearsal, we left Philadelphia to drive to Hartford, CT. It is approximately 200 miles between the two cities. The rehearsal began at 5 p.m. We left Philadelphia at 11 a.m. Our intent was to arrive in Hartford early enough to go to the hotel and clean up before going to the rehearsal. No one told me that it would take six hours to drive 200 miles. Also no one told me that there was a toll booth every 15 miles. That was a sinking feeling as we were driving into Hartford realizing that everyone was waiting for us to get there so that the rehearsal could take place.

B. There is nothing like missing out on a significant event. Maybe you had big plans derailed by a sick child. There is nothing you can do except cancel your plans and take care of your child. But you know you are missing something which is significant. Here is what is happening in Thessalonica. We don’t know where the story got started, neither does Paul. Someone has started the nasty rumor that Jesus had already returned. Someone said that the day of the Lord had already taken place and the Thessalonian Christians had missed out on it. The Thessalonians were in a real quandary. In essence if that be the case then they were suffering for nothing. Plus if true it meant that they were not Christians after all. This is the reason Paul begins this letter by telling them to persevere through the suffering. They are suffering because of their faith and they are to continue not only their suffering but their faith so that Christ can be seen in their lives.

C. Now in chapter 2, Paul turns his attention again to the return of Christ. This text is one of the most difficult in all of Paul’s writings. It is nearly impossible to separate our own culture from this text. We have a tendency to read the text and try to fit it immediately into our context. This morning what we must do it first fit the text into their immediate context and then and only then try to see what the text has to say to our context. I don’t want to get bogged down in theological discourse. I do want us all to be encouraged about what is really happening in our world and how the return of Christ is real. Let’s continue with focusing on what Jesus has done for us. When there are uncertainties, what Jesus did for us at the cross is a truth to hang on to.

The Issue

A. Let’s make sure we understand the context of this chapter first. The issue which the Thessalonians are concerned about is stated in verses 1-2. They were concerned that the day of the Lord had already occurred. Somewhere they had gotten the idea that Jesus had already returned; taken with him those who belonged to him; and they had missed out. The word “unsettled” in verse 2 carries the meaning of being shaken from your mind, that is, from one’s composure or conviction. The Thessalonians are in a constant state of nervous anxiety. They are on pins and needles. They think they have missed the most significant event in the history of the world. And Paul is going to try to calm their fears.

B. One of the ways Paul does that is in verse 1. He starts this section with making the day of the Lord and our being gathered to him simultaneous events. When the Lord returns we will be gathered to him. Remember back in 1 Thess. 4:17 that those who are alive when Christ returns will meet Jesus in the air. This is intended to have a calming effect. Paul has already boasted about their faith in chapter one and commended them for their perseverance. He is in essence stating that they belong to God. 2:1 then is a way of saying that the Lord’s return and our being gathered to him is a future event. Whatever Paul has to say in the next several verses, this is the issue he is dealing with.

Explanation

A. Paul goes on in verses 3-10 to explain how it isn’t possible for Christ to have returned yet. This text has a number of words and phrases which can cause us a lot of problems. Notice in verse 3 the word “rebellion” and the phrase “man of lawlessness.” Then in verse 6 “what is holding him back.” Then all of verse 7 is a mind bender. What is Paul saying? Look at verse 5. Whatever Paul is saying is not new to the Thessalonians. He covered this material when he was there. It is unfamiliar to us. Paul had no reason to fill in all the details because he had already gone through this before. Again we are participating in a one sided telephone conversation.

B. So when we jump into the text we immediately want to know what Paul is talking about. Who is the man of lawlessness? What is this rebellion? Who is holding back the man of lawlessness? And when is he going to release this evil into our world? Every generation has had to deal with this text. The wide variety of explanations says something about the mystery to this text. Present day interpreters say that this is all about the rapture and the tribulation. If we go all the way back to 50 years after Paul wrote this letter, the explanation was believed to be the Roman Empire. This belief remained constant until the fifth century when Rome was sacked. Then it was thought to be those rulers after Rome. Then in the Middle Ages some thought this was Muhammad because Islam was taking over many of the Christian places. Later still some interpreted this to be the pope, specifically Pope Gregory IX. Later Luther, Calvin, Zwingli all said it was the papacy itself and not one individual man. This thinking continued until the seventeenth century. Then someone proposed it Napoleon; still later, Kaiser Wilhelm, Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. Do you get the idea no one really knows? The best explanation was given by Augustine in the fifth century when he wrote “I do not know what Paul means.”

Truth

A. Let’s get out of the realm of ideas and into something that we can sink out teeth into. While this passage is intriguing, there is no other passage in all of scripture that is comparable. Thus, we must be careful to not make it say more than intended. Paul knew what he was writing and the readers understood what he wrote. We are the ones who are in the dark. Remember that Paul wrote in 1 Thess. 5:2 that Christ’s return cannot be know by dates and times or signs. To read this text and try to make some sign out of it violates what Paul said earlier and what Jesus said in his ministry in Matthew 24. Thus, looking at this text we must not try to make it a specific person or time. We would do better to remain general than specific. So what is Paul saying in a general way?

B. First, Jesus can’t have his day, until Satan has had his. This coincides with what he wrote in 1:7. Evil is a part of our world. The day of the Lord cannot be everything it is intended to be until lawlessness has the opportunity to become everything it is intended to be. Do not hear that as some time reference. We live in an evil world. Is it worse now than it ever has been? I doubt it. Every generation of Christians understands that evil infringes on them. Evil is a weight which pulls this world into an abyss. This is why the Christian must not get derailed. We must not lose our composure or conviction. Sure we get discouraged because of evil; but we must never give up our faith. There is no room for believing that our situation is hopeless. Far from it. We await our Lord and in the meantime we recognize that Jesus is the only hope for this world. Evil will not ultimately win.

C. Second, evil is delusional. Those who do not know God will find themselves deceived at every turn. The great deceptions of our culture are that material possessions will be contentment; that intellectual pursuit will eventually answer all of life’s questions; that focusing on self will make this a better world; that the goal of life is pleasure; that every point of view is acceptable. These lies are powerful. They are convincing. And those who do not maintain a clear focus on Jesus will believe these lies and perish.

D. Third, both God and Satan are working in this world. In verse 9, Satan is said to be working. In verse 11, God is working. In fact, Paul uses similar language to describe both the coming of the Lord and the work of Satan.

1. Notice: 2:1 "coming" is used in reference to Jesus; v. 9 "coming" in reference to the lawless one;

2. 1:7 — Jesus is "revealed"; 2:3, 6, and 8 the lawless one is "revealed."

3. 1:7 and 2:8 — Jesus is coming with power, glory, and splendor; 2:9 the man of lawlessness is coming with counterfeit miracles (power), signs and wonders.

4. This means that Satan is powerfully deluded the minds of people. In many ways he looks like Jesus, but his objective is not salvation. Notice in verse 10 that those who perish are those who refused to love the truth and so be saved. Satan and God are both working in this world. This text says something about the choice that each of us are free to make. In order to refuse the truth, one must hear the truth. Some delight more in wickedness than the truth. Paul's point must not be missed — the work of Satan in this world causes people to believe the lies of this world. Believing such lies will result in not being saved.

5. This is all the more reason why as Christians we must remain clearly focused on truth. Pursuing truth as seen in Christ is our goal. Keeping our guard up so that we are not deceived is imperative. I can't answer all the questions about this text, but one truth can be stated — verse 3 "don't let anyone deceive you in any way." ILL. "Deception: hypocrisy." Satan's tactics are all camouflage and deceit. Don't be deceived. Love the truth. The gospel is clear. Invitation.

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