“绕过”或“有待实现” Bypassed or shall shall come to pass?

Title: Bypassed or shall shall come to pass?
Date: 5 December 2021
Preacher: Rev Enoch Keong

As mentioned by Pastor Siow Hwee last Sunday, we will have the second sermon on the topic of the man of lawlessness today. The passage we read is about the man of lawlessness, who is called the lawless one in this portion of the chapter. We read in the verses descriptions of scenarios, characters and their actions. The passage is therefore a story. A story with but only 1 character that is familiar to us, that’s the Lord Jesus. But it’s the other characters and descriptions in this story that had been arresting attentions and generating much speculation. Readers had been wondering for a long time, who is this man of lawlessness or the lawless one? Who is the one retraining him? Until when? What is the mystery of lawlessness? People are curious because the story fuels imaginations about end-time saga. Others need to know because they are genuinely concerned about what the future holds and how much suffering is to take place before the end finally comes. A story as such can cause anxiety. Yet, it cannot be the case that Paul is trying to stoke fear. So what is the story really trying to convey?

Before getting to what the story is trying to say, let’s try first to quieten to whatever extent possible the curiosity in us concerning the puzzling characters and descriptions, so that we can better focus on the story’s message.

First, the retraining and the one who restrains. Suggestions for the “what” is restraining and the “he” who restrains are legions. We will name only a few: the power of God being the ‘what’ with God himself as the ‘he’. God restrains the lawless one, sounds correct. But this suggestion begs the question on why didn’t Paul just tell us that it is God? So perhaps Paul wasn’t referring to God.

Others suggest that Paul could be referring to the Roman empire and the emperor, or the rule of law and government in general.

Some Christian would like the next one. The gospel and apostle Paul. Jesus said that “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (Mark 13.10) before the end shall come. Once again, we have a suggestion that sounds correct. But would Paul see himself to be the restrainer of the lawless one, who shall wreak havoc on earth? So, readers remain unconvinced.

One very interesting suggestion submits the power of evil as the ‘what’ and Satan the ‘he’. This suggestion sees the revealing of the lawless one as Satan catching the best timing to play the trump card, to win the maximum number of followers to himself. Could this be it?

A recent proposal sees Paul’s arguments to be following exactly the way Daniel relates his vision in Dan 10-12 in term of timing and sequence of events. In that case, the ‘what’ would be referring to the activity of archangel Michael and the ‘he’ would be the archangel himself [1]. The case is well argued, but I am not sure it has ended successfully the guessing game. And we should decide for ourselves if we ever need to involve in the game.

The next major unknown would be the lawless one. Many had associated him with the antichrist, and prominent people in history such as Napoleon, Hitler, Saddam Hussein had been taught to be the one. Compared to the guessing game on the restrainer, this guessing game on the lawless one sees more players, ranging from individuals to publications to the movie industry. Again it’s for us to decide if we need to join many others, to spend time and effort in it. What we can say at most, is that this figure embodies everything that God disapproves, and his aim is to overthrow God and take his place.

Following the same logic, the mystery of lawlessness would refer to the rebellion against God and his will.

That’s how much time we can afford this morning on the puzzling characters and descriptions. Here’s a summary table for us. Hope that’s enough attention given to them in a sermon, and we can now give our attention to the important part. That is to answer the question, what is the story really trying to convey?

Firstly, as pointed out by Pastor Siow Hwee when expounding verses 3 and 4, the story debunks false teaching on Jesus’ second coming by reminding that there is a sequence to the last things. The rebellion and the coming of the lawless one must first take place prior to the second coming. And since neither had happened, the claim that Jesus’ second coming was a spiritual one, and that it had already happened, simply holds no truth.

But Paul as a pastor knows, that those who were shaken by the false teaching would not be comforted simply by being reminded on the sequence of events at the end-time. He therefore gives them the story that runs from verse 3 all the way to verse 12.

Paul’s story, is about the final destruction of the lawless one and God’s judgment on the ungodly. It reads a little like the book of Revelation, and some have taken it to be an exposition of the last things. But when we slow down a little in reading this story, we shall see that it is not about the end times, but a message of comfort through and through. Allow me to show us.

The story begins at verses 3 and 4 which talks about the rebellion and the revealing of the man of lawlessness. These are events that will happen in the future.

In verse 5 Paul introduces a pause, and ask if his readers had already forgotten what he taught them in time passed concerning the day of the Lord.

Restarting the story in verses 6 and 7, he says things concerning the present, that the lawless one is under a restraining order and it will be so until a time appointed by God.

From there he jumps forward, to again talk about the future, where lawless one shall deceive many but will be slayed before long.

Then in the conclusion, Paul again jump backward to the present time, saying that God is judging the unbelievers by sending a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false. God sending a delusion sounds strange, but it is consistent with other parts of scripture where we see God punishes sin by sin, like how he had dealt with the recalcitrant Israelites in the days of Isaiah (cf Isa 6:9-10).

Take a look with me for a moment at the time column on the chart. If Paul was preparing his readers to face the end-time, his focus would have been on future events. But Paul’s objective was to comfort those who were shaken, which is why his story is about the pass, present and future events. By pointing the Thessalonian Christians to the pass, he reminds them that what they have believed is gospel truth. Their faith should remain rock solid. In alerting them to what is happening behind the scene at present time, he makes it clear that God is at work and is in control. And when the end finally arrives, Paul declares, Jesus shall win. In short, Paul’s story seeks to comfort those who were shaken by demonstrating that believers were, are and shall be in God’s good hands.

Still there’s one more thing to be said in comforting the fearful believers; something important and critical. Question, which point in time would be the most scary when we talk about the end-time? Wouldn’t it be those days where there will be great sufferings under the hands of the lawless one? Paul describes that time this way (v8; cf. Isa 11:4), “And then the lawless one will be revealed”. That is the time when the great suffering begins. Immediately he continues with, “whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” It’s only after this declaration that he went backwards to describe what would happen when the lawless one is revealed. Paul, a lousy storyteller, illogical sequencing of events, poor editing. No. Paul is staying true to his purpose for writing, to comfort those who were shaken. Hence, while saying that Christian will one day run into such tough times, he is also saying that the days where all hell breaks loose shall not be long, because Jesus shall come, and win, quickly and swiftly. These are the 3 points Paul made to comfort the fearful ones.

Does what Paul says here have anything to do with us? We don’t have people trying to scare us, suggesting that Jesus has come and that we have missed the boat of salvation. We at least don’t hear of such teachings in Jubilee, and probably not much of it if people we interact with are from mainline churches, Protestant Christian as well as Roman Catholic. But Paul’s message of comfort is critical to the Thessalonian Christians and to all Christians down history, because we are all travelling along the same time line. We are all journeying toward the time where the last things will take place. There will come a time where all hell shall break loose; it might happen during our lifetime. God’s people, you and I, need know and be assured in those days, that we will be in God’s good hands. And in the present time, we also need to know and be assured that God is always working for our good behind the scene. And in times of self-doubts, or when meet with difficulties and uncertainties about our faith, let’s be assured that we are not bypassed but that every word of God shall come to pass.

But today’s passage is not altogether on words of comfort. In fact, the story makes much mentioning of evil. We read in verse 7 that “…the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” In other words, as believers we need to be on our guard, because we are not that much safer from deception than when the lawless one is revealed. Deception, by nature, are nicely packaged attractive danger.

Do we like shows like Fast and Furious and Money Heist? Shows that make heroes out of robbers? They being movie and television series means that many people enjoy watching these shows. As viewers watch, we get endeared to the characters because of their humanness and charm, their warmth and heroism. We start to lose track of the surrounding circumstances depicted in the stories, forgetting little by little the damage these characters would be causing if it’s not just entertainment but real life happenings. After a while, perhaps some of us would even start to think a little differently about lies, killing, and other vices. There is this line in season 5 of Money Heist in which the character Tokyo says to her first love, “If we don’t steal, our lives are stolen from us.” If we have also been following the series, what is your response in hearing the line? Oh no! That’s fallacy! Or we respond with a wow! Or cool! I might be overstretching things a bit. But you get my point, ideas, healthy and twisted are everywhere, we are exposed to them, all the time. When they come as nicely package attractive stuff, we unknowingly increase our acceptance and appetite for them.

Our passage comes with no packaging and doesn’t sound attractive; it doesn’t even propose a solution to curb evil in the present time. It only calls us to recognize that lawlessness is already at work and we that we are to be on our guards.

What the passage does tell us is that judgment has already come upon the ones who refuse to love the truth (v.10). Although these verses are about those who did not believe the truth but instead take pleasure in unrighteousness, it tells us at the same time that the truth is not only be known and believed. Yes, we are to know and to believe the truth, but like how we endear to the characters in Fast and Furious and Money Heist, we are also to endear ourselves to the gospel, to live lives with a dynamic and healthy relation to it.

Just to suggest a little on what this might mean. I think it includes letting the word of God to firstly defines us. Next, to encourage and to correct us. To be the lens to tell apart nicely packaged attractive goodness from nicely packaged attractive danger. To compel us to walk the extra mile with those in need. Please don’t go around citing scripture in every other sentence we say, but to infuse – like a teabag in water – the heart of the scriptures into our speech and even into the way we look at the world and at others.

Our journey has brought us to another Advent season, a time to remember that Jesus has come and shall come again; a time to take stock of the dynamic and healthy relation with the gospel. Advent is a time where are we are asked to purify ourselves and to reconnect with him who cleanses us of evil and impurities. If our attachment to our Lord has weakened along the way, or if our first love has grown cold somewhat, Advent invites us to reconnect and rekindle our first love. Let us go to him in prayer.

[1] Weima, Jeffrey A. D. 1-2 Thessalonians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2014. p.532-3

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