GOD OF POWER
OPENING PRAYER:
‘Be enthroned upon the praises of a thousand generations; unto You the slain and risen king, we lift our voice to heaven.’
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
Stand Firm
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[c] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
REFLECT:
Are there any ‘new’ Christian teachings that you are unsure about? How can you find out their veracity?
This passage becomes increasingly complex as Paul brings in the idea of the ‘man of lawlessness’ . A notoriously difficult passage to interpret, potentially it refers to both spiritual and political powers.
There had been an attempt by Emperor Gaius to have his statue placed in the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 40. Whatever it might be, it is clear that Paul is addressing false teachings that were destabilizing the Thessalonian church, for example: the idea that Jesus had already returned. How can we discern today whether teachings we hear are true?
Paul acknowledges that evil is at work in the world; deceit and lies leading to death are compared to the truth. We then return to more familiar territory, with language that we have heard before in 1 Thessalonians: love, grace, hope. Paul’s pastoral heart urges the church to comprehend the truth of these teachings, but also to be encouraged and strengthened and to allow this to spill over into their actions. How do verses 13 to 17 help us understand the beginning of this passage?
APPLY:
What did you find challenging about today’s reading? Take time to read more about the second coming of Jesus (for example, Matthew 24 or Revelation 22).
CLOSING PRAYER:
Jesus, I pray for Your wisdom to discern what is true according to Your Word. Keep me steadfastly in Your way.
WORSHIP: