THEN SHALL THAT WICKED BE REVEALED

2 Thess 2:8-10 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

No doubt the Christians of Thessalonica had been shaken in mind, and troubled over thoughts that the day of Christ is at hand, that is, the second coming of Jesus on Judgment Day was soon to take place. Paul reinforces what he had already taught them, about this glorious event, in an attempt to clear up any misunderstandings the Christians of Thessalonica had about Jesus' return, and the gathering together unto Him,His faithful followers. In the fifth verse, he seemed to be reminding them of a great apostasy - a falling away that would take place before the coming of the Savior. First there would be a departing from the foundational faith, on which the church of Christ was established. In verses six and seven, Paul reminded them again of things he had previously revealed to them, when he was in their presence, and by letters in his absence.

The falling away,that is, thedeparting from true faith in God, began to take place soon after the church of Christ was founded in the first century A.D. Today, we can look back at the spiritual history of the church with a much clearer eye than those Thessalonians were able to do, at the time this epistle was written. Today, we can understand that the apostasy of the church was the direct result of many false doctrines, taught by many unrighteous, and covetous men, referred to in verse three as that man of sin, ...the son of perdition. And, today, we can understand the falling away will continue, as long as Satan continues to corrupt the minds of ungodly preachers, teachers, and those that follow their false doctrines.

To convince them of his previous teachings, Paul asks them this question: Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things (Vs. 5)? He assured them that the man of sin, ...the son of perdition would be revealed in his time (Vs. 6). Although the undermining of the church of Christ was already underway, it was still not evident at the time Paul wrote this epistle to them. Paul said that it was still a mystery of iniquity to them. How the church will be lead astray by false prophets was then, and is still, hidden; it was not apparent to them how and when this was to take place.

Satan does not enter a congregation of God's people with the sound of trumpets announcing his intent on destroying the faith of its membership. Jude perfectly describes how the devil and his followers operate. He wrote, For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 4). In verse 7, preceding the lesson texr, Paul assures these Christians, and Christians of all ages, that every man of sin, every son of perdition, will be revealed, condemned by God's righteous judgment, and taken out of the way.

Since the founding of the church of Christ, the influence of Satan has continued to pervert the gospel of Christ throughout all ages, and will continue until the end of time. But on that day, on the day our Savior Jesus Christ descends from heaven with His angels to gather together His faithful followers; on the Day of Judgment, then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. In this text, the term "Wicked"is used, and it is capitalizes. The reason is because it is referring to the "Wicked" one - it refers to "the man of sin" - Satan, Himself.

On this bright and glorious Day of Judgment, every false prophet, preacher, and teacher, as inspired by the "Wicked,"toopposed the cause of Christ, will receive just punishment for their evil, even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. The phrase, "after the working of Satan," means all men and women that, by their teaching, conform to the ungodly, unscriptural doctrines that are fostered by the devil, and reinforced by all of the craftiness Satan can muster, through the use of false, and deceiving,power and signs and lying wonders.

It is a terrible thing when men and women can be deceived into becoming followers of Satan and perish eternally for their sinful ways. But, even more terrible is the fact that those that follow their teaching are also deceived into believing unrighteous doctrines, which also leads them to banishment from the sight of God. They, too, will perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Indeed, the Day of the Lord is at hand. When, we know not, but this we know for sure: when the Lord returns to claim His own, then shall the wicked men and women of the world be revealed, and eternally separated from God's faithful children.