2 Thessalonians 2:8, commentary and pictures

That Wicked is the man of sin, the son of perdition and mystery of iniquity, the papal power through which Satan manifests his own character and government, and the verse is also applied to Satan himself as arch deceiver whose confederacy of evil ends at Christ's return. He is revealed after the falling away and after the restraint upon the mystery of iniquity already at work is taken out of the way, following the long prophetic supremacy of 1,260 years ending in 1798. The Lord Jesus will then bring the lawless one to nothing, consuming him with the spirit of His mouth and destroying him with the brightness of His personal coming in the clouds of heaven. His coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and deceivableness of unrighteousness, falling upon those who perish because they received not the love of the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness, whom God gives over to strong delusion to believe a lie. At that same coming all the living wicked are consumed from the whole earth while Christ gathers His faithful ones to the city of God, a day of terror to the wicked who cannot endure His glory and of gladness to the righteous.

Identity of That Wicked

That Wicked is the man of sin, the son of perdition, and the mystery of iniquity, identified as the Papacy through which Satan manifests his own character and brings out the principles of his government. His revealing comes after a falling away, as one who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or worshiped, sitting in the temple of God and showing himself to be God, while the mystery of iniquity was already at work. This power was to maintain its supremacy for 1260 years ending in 1798, and it continues its work of deception until the second advent when the Lord consumes him with the spirit of His mouth and destroys him with the brightness of His coming. His coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, so that God sends strong delusion to believe a lie that all who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness might be damned.

The man of sin is worshiped in the pope and his representative the cardinal, men claiming to be Christ's vicegerents on earth and inspired by Satan. This identification embraces the Romish Church and its papal leaders as the wicked one to be ultimately destroyed by the Lord at His coming in the clouds of heaven. Its teaching is seen in directing prayers to dead apostles and saints and to Mary for favors in place of a Thus saith the Lord, though the dead are not in heaven but lie in their graves and Mary has not been raised but waits for the trump of God to call the dead from their prison house, so that all such prayers fall to the ground. Its revived influence and power, including the movement to enforce Sunday observance, develop before that destruction at Christ's second coming.

The verse is also applied to Satan himself, the arch deceiver, whom Christ's coming will destroy by the spirit of His mouth. At that return the wicked power opposing God comes to an end, the wicked are consumed by the brightness of Christ's coming, and Satan's rebellion and the confederacy of evil are terminated.

The Wicked is revealed among professed Christians as an idolatrous apostasy against God's law, in which Satan has worked since Eden to destroy the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, God's sanctified memorial of creation, and to institute a spurious sabbath in its place so the memorial is lost from the mind. It gives the glory and honor due to God's Sabbath day to a man-made institution and compels others to worship this idol, leaving them unsealed by God, and to disregard the fourth commandment is to stand on Satan's side of the controversy, for to offend in one point is to be guilty of all. The mystery of iniquity is the devising of satanic agencies carried into effect by the man of sin in this age, when men claiming to be Christians call the world to worship the image they have made, trampling upon the law of Jehovah and making His memorial, the sign between Him and His commandment-keeping people, a thing of naught to be despised, while the spurious rival sabbath is exalted as the great golden image was exalted in the plains of Dura. All who will not observe the spurious sabbath will be placed under oppressive laws, with the ceremony and formalism, vainglory and oppression seen in the course of the heathen king Nebuchadnezzar manifested again, yet the power of apostasy and those who believe its lie will be defeated, the conflict in which Satan and evil men appear to succeed will end in the triumph of truth and righteousness, and those who believe the lie and remain unrepentant despisers of God's law will be visited with God's retributive judgments poured out without mixture of mercy.

Revealing Before Destruction

The Wicked is revealed after a falling away, as the man of sin and son of perdition who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or worshiped, sitting in the temple of God and showing himself to be God, with the mystery of iniquity already at work. That revealing comes after he who restrains the mystery of iniquity is taken out of the way, and the one then disclosed will be consumed by the Lord with the spirit of His mouth and destroyed by the brightness of His coming. His coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved but had pleasure in unrighteousness, for which cause God sends strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that all who believed not the truth might be damned.

Before the man of sin is disclosed to the world for who he is and what his work has been, there will be one fierce struggle. That time is marked by increasing deceptions, delusions, impostures, and false cries that Christ is here or there, which must not be followed. While that disclosure approaches, the Protestant world is becoming tender and affectionate toward the man of sin, who belongs with mystic Babylon that has not spared the blood of the saints.

The advent of the Lord could not be looked for until after the great apostasy and the long prophetic supremacy of that power. That Wicked is another name for the man of sin, also called the mystery of iniquity and the son of perdition, representing the papacy. Its supremacy was to be maintained for 1,260 years ending in 1798, and not till after that reign could the coming of Christ take place.

The working of the man of sin forms among the last features plainly revealed in earth's history. It stands at the close of the ordered fulfillment of the prophecies of Daniel and John, which figuratively delineate historical events leading down to the close of this earth's history. That fulfillment was made clear as light, including the message of time borne to the people, and it connects with the present special work of giving the third angel's message, in which those who have acted a part in the first, second, and third angels' messages and have passed over the ground are guarded against false paths.

The time for this fulfillment is fast approaching, the last great crisis is upon us, and the working of the man of sin is now being revealed. The world and professedly Protestant churches are taking sides with the man of sin, and the coming great issue will center on the seventh-day Sabbath.

Destruction at Christ's Coming

The Lord Jesus Himself will bring the lawless one to nothing, consuming him with the spirit of His mouth and destroying him with the brightness of His coming in the clouds of heaven. That revealed wicked one is destroyed at the manifestation of His coming, after the restraint is removed and after his working with Satan's power and signs and lying wonders and delusion upon those who reject the love of the truth. The man of sin and the kingdom of darkness continue that deceptive work until the personal second advent, when their power ends. Therefore there is no thousand years of righteousness and peace and no conversion of the world before Christ comes, and the popular view of a spiritual reign of Christ or a temporal millennium before the end of the world is contrary to the teachings of Christ and His apostles.

At that same coming all the living wicked who obey not the gospel are consumed and blotted from the whole earth. Those who have rejected God's mercy and trampled His law are consumed with the spirit of His mouth and destroyed with the brightness of His coming, while Christ gathers His faithful ones to Himself and delivers every one found written among the living. Christ takes His people to the city of God, leaving the earth empty and desolate and emptied of its inhabitants. The glory of God gives life to the righteous but is a consuming fire to the wicked, slaying those who cling to sin. By a life of sin they have placed themselves out of harmony with God and debased their natures with evil, so like Israel of old they destroy themselves and fall by their iniquity.

The rocks and caves made or exposed by the great earthquake will not shelter the wicked from His glory. Its brightness is too great for people in their present state to endure. Before the second advent the saints must receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and share in God's glory so they can behold Jesus and stand before Him. The destruction proves the plagues come before the advent, since the living wicked not already swept away by the plagues are destroyed by the brightness, for they cannot suffer the plagues after being destroyed by Christ's coming. The wicked thus remain dead in the dust throughout the thousand years, with final judgment executed only after they are raised and not during that time.

Satanic Deception and Unbelief

The revealing of that Wicked is not isolated but comes after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness. His activity is marked by that satanic power and deception, and his destruction by the Lord at His coming stands alongside that description of Satan's deceptive work. After the restraint upon the mystery of iniquity is taken out of the way, the Wicked is revealed whose coming bears these satanic marks of power, signs, lying wonders, and deception.

That deception falls upon them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved but had pleasure in unrighteousness. For this cause God sends them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Those who refuse to obey the truth may thus be given over to deception and darkness, while the wicked power itself will still be destroyed when Christ comes. Churches that refuse God's warning messages of truth and accept a lie fall and become Babylon, sharing in that rejection and its consequences.

This satanic working includes concealed work through phrenology, psychology, and mesmerism, used to mislead people and undermine faith in Christ. It also embraces spiritualism and kindred deceptions by which faith is subverted. The same deceiving power of unrighteousness among those who perish connects the Wicked with the world's subjection to evil in the end-time departure from the faith, with false teaching and the godless traits of the last days.

The same exposure and final destruction applies to a licentious pretended reformer and those deceived by him who love not the truth and have pleasure in unrighteousness. Their strong delusion is to believe there is nothing displeasing to God in licentiousness and adultery.

Its teaching is also seen where prayers are directed to dead apostles and saints and to Mary for favors, in place of a Thus saith the Lord. Those dead are not in heaven but lie in their graves, and Mary has not been raised to heaven but waits for the sound of the trump of God that shall call the dead from their prison house, so that all such prayers fall to the ground. That system of false worship belongs to the man of sin worshiped in the pope and his representative the cardinal, men claiming to be Christ's vicegerents on earth and inspired by Satan, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming in the clouds of heaven.

Since Eden there has been a working to destroy the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, God's sanctified memorial of creation, and to institute a spurious sabbath in its place so the memorial is lost from the mind. To lead men and women to disregard the fourth commandment places them on Satan's side of the controversy, for to offend in one point is to be guilty of all. The Wicked is revealed among professed Christians as idolatry that gives the glory and honor due to God's Sabbath day to a man-made institution and compels others to worship this idol, leaving them unsealed by God. This means trampling upon the law of Jehovah and making the memorial of God, the sign between Him and His commandment-keeping people, a thing of naught to be despised, while a spurious rival sabbath is exalted as the great golden image was exalted in the plains of Dura. All who will not observe the spurious sabbath will be placed under oppressive laws, and the ceremony and formalism, vainglory and oppression seen in the course of the heathen king Nebuchadnezzar is being and will continue to be manifested. Those who believe the lie and remain unrepentant despisers of God's law will surely be visited with God's retributive judgments poured out without mixture of mercy.

Prophetic History and End Times

The man of sin rose through apostasy and in that falling away put aside the spiritual gifts of prophecy, tongues and knowledge together with the faith, hope and love of primitive Christians, yet those gifts were not intended by God to cease but remain for the church until the perfect state comes. That same power, the papacy, continues until the personal second coming, and its revival with the movement to enforce Sunday observance takes place before Christ destroys it. The time of that revealing and destruction is fast approaching, for the world and the professedly Protestant churches are taking sides with the man of sin, and the coming great issue will center on the seventh-day Sabbath. Before he is disclosed to the world for who he is and what his work has been there will be one fierce struggle amid increasing deceptions, delusions, impostures and false cries that Christ is here or there, which are not to be followed, and in that hour the Protestant world is becoming tender and affectionate toward him.

Churches become Babylon when they refuse God's warning messages of truth, reject the truth and accept a lie, and this fall is the fall announced for the churches of Revelation 18. The man of sin belongs with that mystic Babylon which has not spared the blood of the saints. His working forms among the last features plainly revealed in earth's history, standing at the close of the ordered fulfillment of the prophecies of Daniel and John which delineate historical events down to the close of this earth's history. That fulfillment was made clear as light, including the message of time borne to the people, and the verse connects with the present special work of giving the third angel's message to the world. Those who have passed over the ground of that message of time and have acted a part in the first, second and third angels' messages are by that experience guarded against false paths.

Warning and Hope for Believers

Paul sent the warning to the Thessalonian church for believers facing the perils of the last days. Those who refuse to obey the truth may be given over to deception and darkness, while the wicked power will be destroyed when Christ comes.

That final destruction belongs to the day of judgment, still future, coming in the day when the restraining Spirit of God is wholly withdrawn from the wicked. The destruction of Jerusalem was only a faint shadow of it. Its approach is signaled so that people may heed the warning and flee from the coming wrath. At that same coming Christ will gather His faithful ones to Himself and deliver every one found written among the living, while those who obey not the gospel, who have rejected mercy and trampled law, will be consumed with the spirit of His mouth and destroyed with the brightness of His coming. Like Israel of old the wicked destroy themselves and fall by their iniquity, for by a life of sin they have placed themselves out of harmony with God and debased their natures with evil, so that the manifestation of His glory is to them a consuming fire.

When Christ shines forth gloriously before His ancients, that exceeding glory and brightness will destroy the apostasy that exists through the night of spiritual darkness until His coming. That shining will break up the spell of fanaticism and delusive sentiments and teachings, breaking up the whole system of satanic delusion that souls have preferred to the truth that involves a cross and requires sacrifice. For the righteous it will be a day of gladness.

Before the man of sin is disclosed to the world for who he is and what his work has been, there will be one fierce struggle amid increasing deceptions, delusions, impostures, and cries that Christ is here or there, which must not be followed. At that time the Protestant world is becoming tender and affectionate toward the man of sin, who belongs with mystic Babylon that has not spared the blood of the saints. God's people must then take their place as bold and valiant soldiers of Jesus Christ to meet the issue that must come, with lives hid with Christ in God. They must stay awake to catch the beams of light shining from the angel who is to brighten the earth with his glory.

The great apostasy is working to a climax and will develop into spiritual darkness deep as midnight and impenetrable as sackcloth of hair, growing denser in human minds after truth has penetrated and been rejected. This seductive working of the enemy producing apostasy among men and women who have had great light and abundance of evidence of the truth for this time was foretold in Scripture for the closing days of earth's history, and this condition must be accepted and submitted to, for no human power can change it. Some minds that have been deceived will have the darkness removed as they recognize the light and have their eyes opened, but for many it will be too late to correct the errors they have made. Those who believe the lie and remain unrepentant despisers of law place themselves on the adversary's side and, remaining unsealed, will surely be visited with retributive judgments poured out without mixture of mercy. The conflict in which Satan and evil people appear to succeed will end, and truth and righteousness will triumph when the power of apostasy and those who believe its lie are defeated. That end is near, associated with the removal of restraint from transgressors and with deceptive powers taking the world captive, when the world in its iniquity will pass beyond mercy.