Paul the
apostle desired for the Thessalonians to know about the “man of
sin” and “son of perdition” because “the day of
Christ” was not to come until he was revealed. The “coming”
of this “antichrist” “is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders”, and in chapter two and
verse eleven of this second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul told
them about the “deceivableness of unrighteousness” which
shall be “in them that perish” where we read:
And with
all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because
they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
The
verse begins, “And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish;” Paul
began with the phrase, “And with all”
which means “by or in each, every, any, all, the whole and
everyone” “deceivableness”
or “deceit or delusion” “of unrighteousness”
which means “injustice or a deed violating law and justice” “in
them that perish” which refers
to “those who are to be destroyed, lost and ruined”. With
“deceit” and “injustice” the “man of sin”
will delude those who follow him, and the final result will be
“destruction” and “ruin” for them.
The
verse goes on to say, “because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” Paul
continued with the word, “because”
which means “for that, for this cause and on account of or instead”
“they received not”
or “they did not take hold of, receive, get or learn”
“the love”
which is the Greek word “agapē”
and means “affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly and
unconditional love” “of the truth”
or “what is true, real, in fact, certain and the truth as taught in
the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of his
purposes through Christ” “that
they”
which refers to “those who have been deceived in unrighteousness”
“might be saved”
which means “kept safe and sound, rescued from danger and
destruction, preserved and delivered from the penalties of the
Messianic judgment”. “Because”
people will reject the “love of the
truth” and
believe powerful “signs and lying
wonders”
of the “man of sin”,
they will be deceived and follow after “unrighteousness”.
This will cause their ultimate doom as they face the judgment of the
Messiah Jesus Christ who offers “rescue” and “preservation”
through salvation before the day of judgment comes.
When
we consider these words of Paul, we cannot help but wonder why people
would be “deceived” by such an individual as the “antichrist”.
However, there will be those who reject the “love of God”
and His plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ. This will lead them
to deception “of unrighteousness” and will eventually lead
them to destruction. This does not have to be. Jesus Christ offers
forgiveness of sins, a relationship with the Heavenly Father and the
promise of a “saved” life with Him for eternity. He died
on the cross to save people from their sins, and He rose from the
grave to demonstrate His victory of death, hell and the grave. Those
who believe in, rely upon, trust in and cling to Jesus and His
provision for salvation will never face the doom which lies ahead for
those who reject Him. May we examine our relationship with Him, and
should we find ourselves outside of a “love” relationship
with Jesus, let us align ourselves with His way before we are
deceived and find ourselves as those who will “perish”.
Next
time Paul tells the Thessalonians “God shall send them
strong delusion” because they
did not receive “the love of the truth”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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