Tom writes:

Rebellion. The man of lawlessness setting himself up over everything. Counterfeit miracles. We didn’t talk about these things in the churches I came to faith in. When someone raised them we gave each other “knowing looks” and quietly reached for the biscuits. But the incredible thing is that Paul had only spent a month with the Thessalonians and this was stuff he had told them about (2:5). The End Times was routine fare for the early church. And so I’ve been working hard at trying to claim this stuff back from the yelling fringes of Youtube. I wonder if you could do the same? Could we start talking about a coming “Day of the Lord”? Could we discuss - in a nice way that still involves our brains- the “signs of the times”. Paul tells us that towards the End the general attitude of “lawlessness” will culminate in a single individual or project which celebrates atheism. This project will achieve such success that it will penetrate even the heart of God’s church. Many have identified this movement with a Roman project or the Communist form of government or a particular Papal decree or even wearing masks in church.

People have loved to point the finger at a hundred things that other people are doing… But the huge benefit of this passage is how it links lawlessness to the breaking of God’s laws that have always been in place. The man of lawlessness isn’t so much going to try to make us get a vaccine as try to make us remove God from the scene. Lived idolatry and practical Atheism have always been the scourge of God’s people. They are so subtle. We should beware them sneaking into the churches we agree with, not berate the way they are seducing the churches (or people of the world) we don’t agree with. Every time we hear reports of such things “out there” we can use them to lean more firmly on God “in here”. A general sense of lawlessness needn’t cause fear in us. Instead it can cause us to turn to Jesus more, to trust Jesus more and to gather deep encouragement from Jesus some more. If Jesus predicted it then he is not phased by it. He knows what he is doing. And he can give us more than enough strength to stand firm and to keep doing good in every word and in every deed. The encouragement and strength that comes from understanding the times is why Paul preached it even to new believers, and why we should do as well.

Question for reflection

When you hear major bad news in the world, how does it affect your relationship with Jesus?

2 Thessalonians 2 - Thursday 1st August