The Man of Lawlessness (The Anti Christ)

Hi, and thanks so much for listening to the latest episode from the Haymo Proclaim podcast. Even now, there are many Antichrists in the church. Even though the Antichrist has not yet appeared, both John and Paul warned that many Antichrists can and do mislead spiritually. We must never make the mistake of thinking that false teaching only comes from outside the church. Hi, and welcome to Him We Proclaim with John Fawnville.

We're continuing our journey through the series called The Glorious Second Coming of Jesus. In today's episode, we'll explore a compelling topic. The man of lawlessness. yet may know him by another familiar name, the Antichrist.

So who exactly is this mysterious figure? What are his defining characteristics, and what will the world look like when he emerges, leading an unprecedented rebellion against Christ? These are some of the big questions we often wonder about, and today we'll dive into the biblical answers that shed light on this pivotal prophecy. Stay tuned as we unpack these profound truths together. Let's listen in to this important message.

Well, take your Bibles and turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. And we're going to be looking at verses 3 to 12. This week and next week.

So let's read 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 3 to 12 together.

So, this is what the Apostle Paul writes to us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

So, it's God speaking to us.

So look at verse 3. Paul says to the Thessalonian believers, and he says to us, he says, Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day, that is the return of Christ. For that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first. And the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

who opposes and exalts himself against every so God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already in work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless ones by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders. And with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion.

so that they may believe what is false. In order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure. in unrighteousness.

So we're going to look at the Antichrist today. And next week... A few Bible characters have raised more questions and provoked more speculation and curiosity than the Antichrist, right? As with the second coming of Christ, we looked at last week, there has been no end to the wild speculation as to the identity of the Antichrist. whom Paul calls the men of lawlessness.

I like what this one author writes about it. He says, We are not the first generation of Christians who lived when, quote, pen the tele on the Antichrist was a popular Christian pastime. That really sums it up. Let me give you some examples of speculation about the identity of the Antichrist. The early church fathers believed that Antichrist would be an apostate Jew.

who would appear after the fall of the Roman Empire And he would claim to be the Messiah in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. Fast forward to the 16th century, the 16th century reformers and the Reformation and their theological heirs after them. They were all united in their belief that the Pope was the Antichrist. Uh preterists. Preterism is a view of the book of Revelation that teaches that all prophecies have already been fulfilled, and so that everything is in the past.

It's a historicist position. And so Preterists of various types have argued that Antichrist appeared at the time of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by Rome in A.D. 70. Other preterists have believed that Nero was the Antichrist, who is now a relic of history. Dispensationalists, the confessional tradition that I came from and was taught in school.

Dispensationalists argue that an Antichrist will appear during the seventieth week of Daniel. After the so-called rapture of the church takes place. And it is said that he will make a peace treaty with Israel at the beginning of a seven-year period of tribulation. And then at the midway point of this tribulation, three and a half years into it, he reveals his true identity to Israel and he enters into a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and he betrays Israel. And then they say that at this point, world peace will give away to an unprecedented time of persecution and warfare.

Then they say that this great time of tribulation will culminate into the final battle of Armageddon. Jesus will then suddenly return to the earth. He will destroy Antichrist and those who joined his rebellion. Jesus will then set up his rule on earth for a thousand years from a literal Davidic throne in a rebuilt temple in the city of Jerusalem.

So that's the dispensational view. This dispensational view is the predominant view of American evangelicals. When most evangelicals think of Antichrist, Their thinking has been reinforced and influenced by popular fiction novels and fiction movies such as the Left Behind series, which maybe you've read. These are written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. But regrettably, these fiction novels and these fiction movies are read by a majority of evangelicals and they're watched as if they're systematic theologies.

They're not. What they are in reality. They are based on speculation. It is speculation that provides compelling, no doubt, but inaccurate accounts of the Bible's teaching about the Antichrist and the end-time events that surround his appearance.

Now, just recently, in the past ten years or so. Uh even more wild speculation has abounded and occurred in our country where both Presidents Obama and President Trump now are considered to be the Antichrist. A Southern Baptist wrote that Donald Trump is perhaps not the Antichrist, but he says in his article that Donald Trump definitely, without any doubt, fits the perfect description. He is an Antichrist. And so the list of possible Antichrists could go on and on and on throughout the history of the church.

I'll leave that to you to go read and research. There's no point of mentioning any more of this because all of it is just wild speculation that is irresponsible. Uh and so there's no point in mentioning what we are to emphasize this morning is what we know that Paul is saying, and we are to refrain from speculating on what we do not know. Also, don't forget, what we want to keep in mind is the context. We learned last week that the context is that in contrast to a great deal of contemporary teaching on the end times, Paul's purpose in Second Thessalonians is not to speculate.

about end time events. His purpose is pastoral. His purpose is to calm and comfort. Young believers who became alarmed in their faith. And he does it by correcting false teaching about the day of the Lord.

Very soon after Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, these young, newly converted believers in the faith. Their church was immediately plagued with false teachers. And these false teachers were telling them that the day of the Lord had already come, and they missed it. And so, as a result, some of these young Thessalonian believers, Paul says, right here in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 1. He says, or verse 2: He says, I don't want you to be shaken and alarmed in your faith.

He wants to come and comfort them. And so he comforts them in verse 3 by reminding the Thessalonians, verse 5, of things that he'd already taught them. And in verse 3, he reminds them of two things that he had already taught them. He comforts them by reminding them that two specific and mistaken events must take place before the Lord returns, which is the rebellion, which we looked at last week, we'll look at it this week. And then the revelation of the man of lawlessness, whom is the Antichrist.

And Paul is arguing for these young believers that these two events will be so visible and so unmistakable that it will be impossible for them and for us, obviously, for them, it's 2,000 years past, and now for us, right? It's impossible for us to miss the second coming of Christ. And so his reasoning is clear. Here's the pastoral import. None of these events have taken place.

Therefore, you don't need to be alarmed. You don't need to be shaken in your faith. You need to trust in Christ and relax. This hasn't happened.

So that's the pastoral context that Paul is dealing with in trying to comfort these young believers.

Now let's look at these events. The first event that we looked at last time was this great end time rebellion. Paul comforts these alarmed believers and he informs them that the day of the Lord will not come unless the rebellion occurs first.

So he says, just prior to Christ's return, A great rebellion, this word is apostasia, this apostasy will take place on a massive grand scale within the visible church preceding Christ's return. It will take place among professing Christians.

Now, we looked at that last week.

Now, in verses 3 through 12 that we read this morning, is that Paul shows that this falling away from the truth, this apostasy, this great rebellion, it takes place in connection with the revelation of the man of lawlessness. It takes place in connection with the appearing of Antichrist.

So, this brings us to the second event that Paul comforts these young believers with. He says, Be comforted, don't be shaken and alarmed. The day of the Lord will not come unless the man of lawlessness is revealed.

So, the questions that we want to ask are: how are we to recognize this man of lawlessness when he is revealed? What are we to be looking for? What will he be like? What will he do? Who will he lead in this great massive rebellion in Christ's church?

And what is his ultimate fate? What's the outcome?

So we're going to look at these questions. These are the questions that Paul answers in verses 3 through 12. And what we're going to see is that he outlines five features of this, the man of lawlessness, five features of the man of lawlessness. And so let's look at the first feature this morning. We're going to look at the character of the man of lawlessness.

What is he like? What are we to be looking for? What is he like? So look at verse 3. Paul says.

He says, Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and unless the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. Verse 4, who opposes and exalts himself against every so god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

So, what would this man of lawlessness be like? Paul tells you, first of all, he's going to be a counterfeit. He's going to be a counterfeit. The first characteristic that we note about the man of lawlessness is that he is a counterfeit. In 1 John 2, verse 18, John calls the men of lawlessness the Antichrist.

The preposition in the Greek, anti, means in the place of. This Antichrist, this men of lawlessness, will come in place of the real thing. He will pretend to be Christ. He will be pretend Christ to be Messiah. He is a man.

Look at this, verse 4. He is a man. He's the man of lawlessness.

So he's a man. He's a human. Who is not from God, but he sets himself, verse 4, he sets himself forth as God. And so, this end-time figure will enter into the visible church. And he will set himself forth in the church in place of Christ.

He will be a counterfeit incarnation. He will be a counterfeit redeemer. He will be a counterfeit messiah.

Now, also look at verse 3, and it gives you a clue. Look at verse 3. Paul says that the man of lawlessness. is to be revealed. It's a very important word here because the word revealed back in chapter 1 verse 7 is the exact same word that Paul uses for Jesus' revelation when he returns.

So back in chapter 1, verse 7, Paul says, when Christ returns, when the Lord Jesus is revealed. from heaven with his mighty angels. And so Paul is telling us that this end time figure, he will appear. And set himself forth in the church as a counterfeit Messiah, Redeemer, the incarnate God. And he'll do it with a counterfeit second coming.

He will appear. He will be revealed. One Bible teacher says that the revelation of the man of lawlessness mocks the revelation of Jesus Christ. And so as we'll come to see by his counterfeit appearing, he will deceive false professing believers in the church through satanically empowered signs and wonders.

So, in contrast to this counterfeit Christ Messiah, what do Christians believe, teach, and confess? How do we recognize the authentic thing? Listen to question 15 of the Heidelberg Catechism as it talks about Jesus as the mediator and redeemer, the sole manifestation of God in human flesh. What kind of mediator and redeemer must we seek, must we look for? Here's the answer.

One who is a true and sinless man. And yet, more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is at the same time true God.

So for example, John in his prologue says of Jesus, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. Glory is to the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. No one has ever seen God, the only God, the begotten God, who is at the Father's side. He has made him known. Jesus, his response to Philip's question: Show us the Father.

In John 14:9, Jesus says to Philip, Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Colossians chapter 1, verse 15, Paul says, Jesus is the image. of the invisible God. He is the icon of the invisible God. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3, the author of Hebrews says, Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact representation of his nature.

Paul, however, says that this counterfeit Christ, this antichrist, is the exact opposite representation of God's nature. As a human agent of Satan, the Antichrist is a counterfeit Christ. He is the very antithesis of the incarnation of our Lord. If Jesus is God in human flesh, the Antichrist is a satanically empowered counterfeit in human flesh. Jesus, the author of Hebrews says, is the exact representation of God's nature, whereas Antichrist is the exact representation, Paul says, of Satan's nature.

So this Antichrist is a man like Christ, but he is a counterfeit incarnation. He has a counterfeit second coming, and he performs counterfeit signs and wonders. And so, if Jesus is a supreme and sole manifestation of God in human flesh, the Antichrist is a supreme manifestation of all that is evil.

So, this leads us to the second characteristic that Paul uses to describe the Antichrist. He's not only a counterfeit, but Paul says he's a man of lawlessness. This end-time figure, he says, three times in this passage, he describes this end-time figure, verses 3, verses 8 and 9, as being lawless. He's a man of lawlessness. This speaks to the state or condition of what he is disposed to in his nature.

This is what he is in himself. He is a man of lawlessness. It's a Hebrew phrase that is used to indicate. That Antichrist is sinful to the core of his being. 1 John 3, verse 4, John defines sin as this.

He defines sin as lawlessness. He says, everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. In the Westminster shorter catechism in question 14, it asks this question: what is sin? And it gives this answer: it says, Sin is any one of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God.

So, sin, what is sin? Sin is a failure to measure up to what God requires. It is not a conformity to God's moral law. Sin is disobedience to God's commands. This is why some translations, like the King James Version, uses a translation man of sin, which we know is just scribal insert because the less possible translation would be man of lawlessness.

And they probably looked at 1 John 3:4 and said, Well, that probably means man of sin, but the point is. This man of lawlessness, Paul characterizes the Antichrist as one who is in a state or condition of being utterly disposed to being lawless. His nature is disobedience. His nature is lawlessness. His lawless nature is the exact opposite of Jesus, who is the real thing, who said this.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law of the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. Jesus in John 4, 34, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Hebrews chapter 10, verses 5-7, the author cites Psalm 40, verses 6-8, and he applies these passages in the Psalms to Jesus. And he says, Jesus is actually the one speaking in this Psalm, which Jesus says, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.

So here's the contrast Paul is giving us, in contrast to Jesus, who came to perfectly conform his life to God's moral will. This anti-figure antichrist will be devoid of any trace of respect for and conformity to God's commandments, his moral will. He will be characterized as utter rebellion against God, the authority of God's word. It has been wisely said that the first generation believes and proclaims the gospel, the next assumes it, and the third denies it. That is why it's essential to rediscover and proclaim the core truths of the gospel in every generation.

You're invited to join us at the Reformation Conference hosted by Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida from January 17 to 19, 2025. This conference, presented by the Wittenberg Center for Reformation Studies, will focus on the five solas: scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, and glory to God alone. These five solas capture and summarize core truths of the gospel that were rediscovered and proclaimed by the Protestant reformers during the 16th century Reformation. Far from being historical relics, the truths encapsulated by the five solas are as relevant and necessary for the church today as they were back then. Join renowned scholars like Dr.

Ashley Null, Jonathan Leinbaugh, R. Scott Clark, Michael Horton, and Dorothea Wendeborg, as they lead us through a spiritually enriching and intellectually stimulating exploration of these foundational beliefs. Seats are limited, and early bird registration for the conference is open until October 31st. Visit conference.paramountchurch.com to secure your spot today. Don't miss this opportunity for spiritual renewal and gospel clarity.

Now we see this in Daniel because as we're going to see in a moment, Paul's thinking is clearly located in Daniel's prophecies back in Daniel 11 and 12. And Daniel tells us back in Daniel 11, 12, that this end time figure is going to appear in the covenant community of God's people, and he's going to lead a great rebellion within the covenant community itself. And in Daniel chapter 7, chapter 8, and chapter 11, Daniel reveals to us that an end time figure comes within the midst of the covenant community of God's people, and he changes God's laws in Scripture. And he teaches laws that contradict divinely revealed truth, and he does it within the church. And so this is one reason why Antichrist is called the men of lawlessness, because in essence, this counterfeit Christ, this Antichrist, is coming into Christ's visible church and he is going to pretend to be the ultimate moral lawgiver.

He's going to give laws that contradict God's laws. He's going to be teaching morality that clearly violates and contradicts God's morality. And he'll do it within the church. We're going to come back to that in a moment. But this Antichrist will be wholly opposed to God's law.

He will be filled with absolute contempt for God's moral will. He will be an active and an aggressive transgressor, openly defying the law of God in the church. And so his character. It is lawlessness. Look at verse 7.

2 Thessalonians 2 verse 7, Paul says, listen, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. We're going to come back to this at the end, but for now, listen. Paul says right now, in the church, there are this mystery of lawlessness that will come. To a climax with the appearing of the man of lawlessness is already working in the church right now. In 1 John 2, verses 18 and 22, John says the exact same thing.

He just uses the word Antichrist rather than man of lawlessness. And he says, Children, it is the last hour. And as you've heard that Antichrist is coming, so now many Antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour, who is the liar. But he who denies that Jesus is the Christ, Messiah, this is the Antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

1 John 4, verse 3. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God, this is the spirit of Antichrist, which you heard was, coming, and now is in the world already. 2 John verse 7: For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, the incarnation. Such a one is the deceiver and the Antichrist.

So, Paul, like John, is saying that many Antichrists. False teachers in the visible church and false believers in the visible church are already now operating in Christ Church as we speak. This mystery of lawlessness that is at work in the church will one day, Paul says, give away and culminate in the revealing of the ultimate man of lawlessness.

So, all this lawlessness working in the church now is building up to the appearance of this ultimate. lawlessness. And so when this man of lawlessness appears, he will preside in the church over a great massive rebellion against God and his people, and it will take place in the church. Third, look at the third description. Paul describes the man of lawlessness as the son of destruction.

This term destruction, it means perishing. It means ruin, destruction. Uh look at chapter 2 verse 10. Paul says, with all wicked deception, for those who are perishing. Paul describes the Antichrist and his followers as, quote, those who are now perishing.

No sooner does this counterfeit Christ appear on the scene than he's destroyed by the true Christ. Chapter 2, verse 8: Paul says that when the lawless one is revealed, the Lord Jesus will kill him. You know, you've always heard people say, oh, when the Antichrist comes, I'm just going to march up to this so-called rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and just let him shoot me and get over with so I don't have to go through some great tribulation period. It's not going to happen. When he's revealed, listen, the Lord Jesus will kill him.

It's not going to take long. He will kill him with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing. by the appearance of his coming. You see.

So, the ultimate destiny of the men of lawlessness, Paul says, he's a son of destruction, is divine judgment. He's doomed to destruction. Lawlessness is his nature, destruction is his destiny. Fourth, look at the fourth characteristic, verse four. Let's look at verse four.

Paul characterizes the Antichrist as a usurper of God. The man of lawlessness opposes and exalts himself against every so god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Paul has in mind here, specifically Daniel chapters 11 and 12. Especially verses 31 and 36 of chapter 11, but other verses too we're going to look at in summary form. But Paul has in mind Daniel 11 and 12, where Daniel discusses this end-time figure coming who will be an opponent of God and bring about this large-scale compromise within the visible church.

Let me just summarize for you. In Daniel chapter 11, verses 30 through 45, Daniel prophesies clearly of a final enemy of God who will attack the covenant community and lead a rebellion within that covenant community. Listen to how Daniel refers to it. He refers to this end-time trial of persecution as a period when the lawless ones will do lawlessness and the lawless ones will not understand. They will be misled.

They will mislead or be misled. He says this end time figure will deceive with, quote, smooth words some who are in the covenant community, who forsake the holy covenant, and who, quote, act wickedly toward the covenant. They're apostates in the church. This rebellion led by the Antichrist Daniel speaks of corresponds directly to the rebellion that Paul refers to here in 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 3. Daniel says that this end time an enemy will persecute those who remain faithful to God's covenant.

Second, Daniel says that the Antichrist will appear openly before the covenant community and he will, quote, exalt and magnify himself above every God. Daniel 11, verse 36. Where do you think Paul got that from? Daniel says the doing of lawlessness is directly linked, quote, to the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up by this end-time enemy when he does it in the temple.

Now, this language parallels exactly Paul's point in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, where he says, The man of lawlessness, listen, opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God. proclaiming himself to be God.

So, the parallels between Daniel's prophecies and Paul's teaching in 2 Thessalonians here are clear and undeniable.

So the question is, what does Paul mean in verse 4 when he says Antichrist, quote, takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God? Dispensationalists argue that Paul is referring to a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem where the Antichrist will set up his rule and become the object of worship. There's just one tiny little problem with that whole argument.

Nowhere in the context of 2 Thessalonians does Paul ever talk about Israel as a nation. Paul is talking about the visible covenant community, which is the church in the whole context, the whole letter. Paul has been discussing this large-scale apostasy that will take place within the visible church prior to the return of Christ. And so Paul's reference to the temple in verse 4 does not refer to a rebuilt temple in Israel, it refers to the church. Paul is speaking of God's church.

Where this rebellion takes place. The phrase God's temple is found nine other times in the New Testament. And it almost always refers either to Christ or the church. Let me give you a couple of examples. Never once does the phrase God's temple refer to a literal rebuilt temple in Israel of the past or the future.

Let me give you an example. In John chapter 2, verses 19 through 22, John reports that when Jesus referred to the rebuilding of the temple, he was speaking not of the temple, but of his body and the resurrection. Matthew says the same thing in Matthew 26, verse 61. Listen to John, John 2, verse 19. Jesus answered them: Destroy this temple, the second temple, Judaism, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Obviously, at that point, you can't be referring to a literal temple and to build a whole temple in three days, right? The Jews then said, it has taken 46 years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? John verse 21, but he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. Israel's former temples under the Mosaic covenant merely served as types and shadows of the reality that was to come.

What was the reality? It is Christ and his church. Jesus, the Bible says, is the temple. John chapter 1, he pitched his tent. He tabernacled among us.

He is the temple of God. And his people are, by virtue of their union with Jesus, called throughout the New Testament the temple of God. Let me give you some examples. Paul, writing to the Corinthian believers, says of the church. Do you not know that you are God's temple?

and that God's Spirit dwells in you. If anyone, and he's speaking here of the visible church, this is one of the scariest passages for false teachers.

So listen up if you're a false teacher. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. You think God loves his people? Try him. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him.

What is Antichrist trying to do? Destroy God's temple. What will Jesus do when he appears? He will kill him with the breath of his mouth. Don't mess with God's people.

Right? For God's temple is holy, and that is what you are. You are that temple. 1 Corinthians 6 verse 19, Paul describes the individual believer as the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

2 Corinthians 6 verse 16, Paul says to the Corinthians, What agreement has the temple of God with idols?

Well, who's the temple? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said, quote, I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The point Paul is making is that God's people constitute the dwelling place of God's Spirit. What Paul is saying in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 4, is that prior to the return of Christ, the antichrist, the counterfeit Christ, will come into the visible church and cause it to become predominantly apostate and unbelieving.

This man of lawlessness will take his seat in the church. And he will oppose and exalt himself over God and demand to be worshipped as the true Messiah. Yeah. He will deceive many within the visible church by his satanically empowered counterfeit signs and wonders, verses 9-12.

Now listen, because Daniel assigns this individual to the end of time, it removes all speculative attempts to identify the Antichrist with an historical person. He's not appeared yet. Paul, following Daniel, is writing here of a future individual who has not yet been revealed. But when he is revealed, he will appear in the visible church and he will lead an end-time rebellion on a massive scale amongst. the people of God in the church.

So that's the character of Antichrist. As we reflect on Paul's description of the character of the Antichrist, I want to close this morning and highlight. We'll come back next week and look at two more important lessons, but I want to highlight one important lesson for us to consider this morning as we think about the character of this man of lawlessness. Here's a lesson for us. We must always be alert.

We must always be alert. Don't ever let your guard down in the church. We must always be alert because Paul warns in chapter 2 verse 7 that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work in Christ's temple, which is the visible church. John says in 1 John 2, verse 18, he says, even now there are many Antichrists in the church. And so even though the Antichrist has not yet appeared, both John and Paul warned that many Antichrists can and do mislead spiritually.

We must not think that false teaching comes from only outside the church, from cults like the Mormonism or Jehovah's Witnesses or Christian Science. We must never make the mistake of thinking that false teaching only comes from outside the church. Tragically, doctrinal heresies often come within the visible church itself. by its leaders. Just prior to his departure from Ephesus, Paul warns the Ephesian elders: listen to his warning.

I know that after my departure, Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves. Will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, B Alert. Let me give you some examples of the mystery of lawlessness that abounded in the church today.

Last week, I was talking to Pitty and John after church, and they came up to me and they said, We were talking to a friend who goes to a local church somewhere. I'm just going to keep it at that. And they said the new pastor has written Sunday school material for the children. And his first lesson was comparing Muhammad to Jesus and saying how much they were alike. That's the mystery of lawlessness already at work in the church.

If your young people in church don't come and get Jesus on every page, go find another church. Let me give you some other examples. There are professing Christian leaders, pastors, theologians, bishops, and church members who advocate the redefinition of marriage. In the church today. The Scottish Episcopal Church, just two weeks ago, redefined marriage.

and said Homosexual marriage is approved, it is okay, it's just a matter of indifference. And we should also ordain, it's okay to ordain homosexual pastors. Other teachers Other teachers teach that believers can be truly converted and yet remain in a complete unrepentant lifestyle of immorality, and they teach antinomianism. You need to understand, sometimes I hear on social media a lot these free grace movement people talk about how they brag about how they're being accused of being antinomian. Do you understand that antinomianism is a heresy?

As much as Legalism. Still, other professing believers and teachers and pastors and theologians and bishops in the church today deny the exclusivity of Christ. the uniqueness of the gospel and they advocate for not an exclusive view but an inclusive view and maintain that it is not essential to trust in Jesus alone in order to be saved. It's called exclusivism. Versus inclusivism.

In addition, there are professing Christian bishops, theologians, and pastors who teach a future justification on the basis of your works. Such an erroneous doctrine of justification amounts to justification by grace through faith plus works, which is the very teaching that Paul condemns in the letter to Galatians. A final justification on the basis of your works weakens and destroys the assertion that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus right now. A final justification on the basis of works. Undermines Paul's bold declaration that no charge can be brought now or in the future against those who are Christ's.

We also have influential, evangelical, conference speaking. Book writing, book after book writing, evangelical author who's maintaining, quote, this, that a person is right with God by faith alone, but doesn't attain heaven by faith alone, end quote. Millions of followers follow this man. Let me read that again. This is not coming from some liberal Protestant, Episcopal, apostate, Methodist, fallen church.

This is coming from the leading conference-speaking evangelical in this country. We are right with God by faith alone, but doesn't attain heaven. by faith alone.

Now, let me read to you a confession of faith from another confession. That says this. Through Christ's atonement, we can be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Both propositions claim that salvation is partly through obedience, faithfulness, and works. One of them is by a popular author conference speaker, and one of them is the third article of faith expressed by Mormons.

And it is identical. All of these doctrinal errors are examples of the mystery of lawlessness, the spirit of Antichrist that is already at work in the church. And we must be alert. It doesn't matter how celebrity status you're. Your website is.

Your blog is. Doesn't matter how many books you sell and how many big conferences you speak at. It doesn't matter. If you're not preaching the purity of the gospel, we're not listening. We must prayerfully, in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, guard the truth of the gospel.

This is what Paul exhorted Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, verse 14. He says, By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. That is the chief work of a pastor and his flock to guard. this good deposit entrusted to him. and then faithfully feed that to his people week after week.

Look at, as we close, look at verses 10 and 11 in chapter 2. We'll come back to it. Paul says that this Antichrist comes with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, those in the visible church who are perishing. Look, because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. Verse 11, therefore God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false.

We need to be alert. To make sure that we are maintaining a love for the truth and are believing the truth, because Paul says it is those who are perishing in the visible church, who refuse to love the truth and so be saved, and who believe what is false, who face the exact same fate as the Antichrist. Make sure that we are loving the truth. Have a desire to come to church to be fed the purity of the gospel week after week. This mystery of lawlessness currently at work in the church is ultimately paving the way for this future revealing of the man of lawlessness and the rebellion that he will lead.

So, while we rightly expect the Antichrist to appear at the end of the age, Look at Paul's pastoral concern here. His pastoral concern is verse 7. We must be alert to the fact that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work in the church right now, and that many Antichrists have come. And these many Antichrists, this spirit of Antichrist, this mystery of lawlessness working now in the church, is all leading. To the appearing of the man of lawlessness who will lead this rebellion in the visible church.

So let us always, always be alert. Let's pray. And so, Father, we thank you that you have revealed to us the Gospel of your son. And we pray that you would help us to always remain alert. To see To be able to spot the counterfeits.

And to trust in the soul revealing of Jesus. God in human flesh. The temple of God. Who has pitched his tent among us, and we have seen his glory. Glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Keep us firmly planted here. Protect our church from false teaching. Protect our church from smooth talking. yet deceptive words that sound so good, but yet it's laced with poison. Help us to always remain alert.

Help us to always guard the truth, the treasure that has been deposited to us. And keep us faithful so that we have our hearts built up in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We pray this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. John Fawnville sends his thanks for listening today.

And before you hit the next episode, can I tell you about an encouraging book you might want to get soon? It's called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity. You're not alone if you've tried to conquer sexual temptations and tried all the methods available, only to find yourself feeling defeated again. This book may be just what you're looking for. In His Shepherding Heart, John shows that the gospel, not practical steps or more self-discipline, is God's provision for the power to live a life of sexual purity.

and it's available to every Christian. What I like is the book is available in three convenient ways: paperback, audiobook, or Kindle. Please look for the links that I put in the description and get a copy today. Does anyone come to mind who may like this episode? Please share with them and listen again to the Humid Proclaim podcast.