Beguiling Miracles

The Son of Destruction will use deceitful signs and lying wonders to mislead many saints into abandoning the Faith – 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9.

The “Day of the Lord” will not begin until the “Man of Lawlessness” is revealed when he “seats himself in the Sanctuary of God.” His arrival will coincide with the “Apostasy.” This Master Deceiver will be characterized by his ability to hoodwink believers using “signs and wonders.”

When the “Son of Destruction” takes his place in the House of God, it will constitute his “arrival” or ‘parousia’ (παρουσια), the satanic counterfeit of the “arrival” of the Lord Jesus Christ.

'[Mask - Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash]

The “Lawless One” will be destroyed when Christ “arrives to render vengeance against all those who disobey the Gospel.” Unfortunately, before his judgment, this man will cause many to “depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons” – (1 Timothy 4:1).

• (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9) – “And then will be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, and he will immobilize him by the appearance of his arrival, whose arrival is according to the energizing of Satan with all power and signs and wonders of a lie.”

Jesus will “arrive” with a great “appearance” of glory. In contrast, the “Lawless One” will “arrive” with signs, impressive works, lying wonders, and other deceptions “energized” by Satan that are intended to disrupt and even destroy the Church. The fact that the Devil can produce impressive “signs and wonders” should caution us against assuming that miraculous displays are evidence of God’s approval of anyone’s life or ministry.

These deceptive activities will be welcomed by those who reject the truth, therefore, God will send them “energizing deception.” Put another way, God will allow the “Lawless One” to mislead those who choose not to “welcome the truth.”

The English term “energizing” represents the Greek word ‘energeia’. It means “energy, effectual working, operation.” Thus, the works and “signs” performed by this Master Deceiver will be “energized” or made effectual by the Devil.

“Powers, signs, wonders.” Elsewhere in the New Testament, all three Greek nouns that are so translated here are applied to the miracles of Jesus and the Early Church. Satan is intent on counterfeiting Christ’s deeds and those of the Apostles - (Hebrews 2:4, “God also bearing witness with them by signs [‘sēmeia’] and wonders [‘terata’] and manifold powers [‘dunamis’]”).

The Greek term translated as “lying wonders” more accurately means “wonders of a lie.” The supernatural acts of the “Lawless One” will characterized by “lies,” their function is to spread deception. This does not mean this man’s miracles are fake, rather, they produce deception. This understanding is confirmed by the next clause”

• “And with all manner of the deceit of unrighteousness in those who are destroying themselves.”

OLD TESTAMENT BACKGROUND

The Apostle Paul bases his description of the “Man of Lawlessness” on the figure called the “Little Horn” from the Book of Daniel, the “King of Fierce Countenance” and the “Contemptible Man”:

• “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have come to the full, a king of fierce countenance <…> will stand up. And his power will be mighty, but not by his own power. And he destroyed wonderfully, and he will succeed and act with effect, and destroy mighty ones and the saints. By his cunning he will cause deceit to succeed in his hand, <…> and he will destroy many” - (Daniel 7:7-8, 8:23-26).

• “And in his place will stand up a Contemptible Man to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom. But he will obtain the kingdom by flatteries”- (Daniel 11:21).

So, likewise, the “Lawless One” will be “energized by Satan with all power, <…> and with all manner of deceitfulness.” He will not operate under his own power, and his lies will be activated and empowered by the Devil.

Paul’s words also echo several sayings of Jesus, including his warnings about coming “deceivers” who will “deceive many.” Lawlessness will proliferate as the “love of many grows cold.” False prophets will deceive even God’s Elect by showing “great signs and wonders” - (Matthew 24:3-13, Thessalonians 2:1-2). Similarly, in the Book of Revelation:

• “The False Prophet, did great signs, so that, he even caused fire to descend to the earth before men, and he deceived the Inhabitants of the Earth through the signs that were given him to do.”

Like the “Man of Lawlessness,” the False Prophet’s ability to deliver “signs and wonders” will come from an outside source, namely, the “Great Red Dragon,” Satan – (“He began speaking as a dragon. And all the authority of the first Beast he uses before him”).

We will not be powerless against the onslaught of these end-time deceptions. Paul concludes his description on a positive note. He is persuaded that the Thessalonians will “stand firm and hold fast the Traditions they were taught whether through discourse or through our letter” - (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

In fact, the disciples who “hold fast” to the traditions received from Jesus and his Apostles will find themselves “chosen for salvation, in sanctification of spirit and belief of the truth” even as Satan through his Master Deceiver causes many others to “depart from the Faith.”

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SEE ALSO:

• Stand Fast! - (Paul instructed believers on how to avoid the coming deception and thereby find themselves standing “blameless” before Jesus)

• The Apostasy - (Paul warned the Thessalonians of a future apostasy and linked it to the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction)

• Howling Imposters - (The New Testament warns repeatedly of coming deceivers and false prophets who will cause many to depart from the faith)

• Seated in the Sanctuary - (The Man of Lawlessness will be unveiled when he seats himself in the House of God - 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)