Man Of Sin - Instrumental Version
When Paul wrote his second letter to the church in Thessalonica it was in a very dangerous time for the young church. Persecution against the new Christian believers following the risen Christ was strong. They were in hiding a great deal. They were the underground church, hunted and killed freely. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes the time In which they were living like this: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8, 9.
The messages that were sent by letter to the churches were clothed in cryptic language to protect the message bearers. The weary, persecuted church longed to know how long until their deliverance. They understood that Jesus promised to come again, and like Adam and Eve, when they first heard the promise of the Messiah, they hoped that their suffering would be over quickly and the promise would be fulfilled within their lifetime.
Paul very carefully laid out the time in which they were living, encouraging them to press on through persecution and letting them know that the message that some were circulating in the church that the time of persecution would end quickly was not from the Lord. He exhorted them not to be deceived. He explained clearly that the day of Jesus’ return would not come before a great apostasy or falling away and the revelation of that certain “man of sin”, the “son of perdition” whose reign and power was developing through the mystery of iniquity beginning all the way back in their time.
Looking backward across the landscape of prophecy we know that they were yet in the very beginning of the Dark Ages. There were 1,260 long, dark years ahead of them, through which the man of sin – who opposes God and exalted himself above all that is called God and claimed the worship of God, seating himself in place of God and claiming God’s worship, – would be developing and perfecting his power over the Earth. There would yet be many years even after the Dark Ages ended that the man of sin would then be revealed as Antichrist on the Earth, initiating the New World Order in defiance of the Kingdom of the Lord.
Only when all of these things were revealed on the earth, and every intelligent mind could have a chance to make a decision based on the revealed facts for or against God, would Christ come, because then the war over souls would be ended. Every soul would have decided for or against Jesus.
They were at the beginning of this dark time. We are now looking backward, nearing the end. The message of these verses for us is the same: be not deceived, know the matter at hand, and understand what the Bible teaches regarding these things. But the context is different because now the time is drawing nearer than ever. Jesus is coming soon. More than ever we must realize our calling to share the gospel, to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, to stand fast to the word of God, and to allow God to establish His character in Us in every good word and work.
“Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
Revelation 1:7
