We need to be aware of these as well, so that we can recognize them whenever they appear and defend against their harmful effects in our own lives. Paul says that in this unseen realm the “mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” He uses that word, “mystery”, to mean manifestation or even revelation. He insists that, since the days of the apostles, lawlessness has been at work in the world; we should assume, therefore, that it continues to be at work in our own day. What forms does this mystery of lawlessness take?

Forms of lawlessness
Paul mentions several in this chapter. First, men exalt themselves as God, rejecting His revelation and claims and, godlike in their own minds, choosing for themselves a course of life that prefers created things to an eternal Deity (v. 4: cf. Rom. 1:18-21). The consequences of man’s usurping the place of God are disastrous all around (Rom. 1:22-32). Paul may have had some specific individual or historical conditions in mind, but the principle he enunciates can be seen to be active in any age.

Those folks around us at work, at our kids’ soccer game, and running for political office, who reject God and His Law and think they know best how to run their lives, embody the mystery of lawlessness Paul warns against in this passage. They are in rebellion against God and His Law, whether they will admit that or not, and they embody the spirit of the mystery of lawlessness that is at large in our world (v. 3).

At the same time, those who set themselves up – whether consciously or unconsciously – as a god and make up their own rules concerning how to live are capable of some amazing feats (vv. 9, 10). They can be successful in business, make lots of money, be funny and have plenty of friends, wield political power deftly, maybe even break the world record in the hundred meters. Their achievements can be pretty impressive, and this only adds to their ability to make others think that, Hey, there must be something to doing your own thing, finding your own way, apart from faith in God.

When this begins to happen, God sends a delusion upon such people, so that they come more and more to prefer The Lie and to indulge in all manner of unrighteous preoccupations (vv. 11, 12). In a world where The Lie is so everywhere-present and powerful, it’s amazing that there is as much goodness and decency as there is. This is only because of the fact that God, by His Spirit, restrains the madness of The Lie so that it cannot run its full course of vanity and destruction (v. 7). But this will not always be the case, Paul warns.

Until He comes
In the end, those who follow the path of lawlessness will find themselves up against the reality of the Lord of Truth, even Jesus Christ. Upon His appearing at the end of the age, the slightest breath out of His mouth will “bring to nothing” all those who have preferred lawlessness to the Kingdom of God and fleshly indulgence to the pursuit of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit (v. 8).

The mystery of lawlessness has established its presence in the souls of men throughout the course of history. It is certainly to be seen in our own day as well. The antidote to this cancerous spiritual infection is, as Paul says later in this chapter, to press on in sanctification, pursue the glory of Jesus Christ, stand firm in the traditions of orthodoxy, and labor diligently in the work of the Kingdom of God (vv. 13-17).

We shall never eradicate the mystery of lawlessness and its dark and foreboding ways; but the Light of Christ has arisen in our lives, and the darkness not only cannot overcome the Light of the World, but even now is receding against its ever-brightening presence (Jn. 1:5; 1 Jn. 2:8, 15-17).

Let us be aware of the mystery of lawlessness and protect against its corrosive, destructive effects in our lives, churches, and communities; and let us, in view of its powerful, unseen presence, be ever more diligent in seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

For more insight to this subject, get the book, Unshakable Foundations, by Norman Geisler and Peter Bocchino, from our online store. Or read the article, “Keeping Love Hot,” by T. M. Moore.