Meet the Apostle Paul—Part Seventeen
Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians appears to have been written shortly after the first. The church (a good church!) was still confused and shaken by the “end times.”
The church seems to have believed that the return of Jesus was near, and they were at a loss as to how to respond. Paul responds in a way that often puzzles students of Scripture. The Apostle was inspired by the Spirit to write,
2:1 Now, dear family, let’s clarify some things about the coming of our King Jesus the Savior and how we will be gathered to greet Him. 2 Don’t be so quickly shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Savior has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4 He will lift himself up and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
5 Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? 6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be unveiled, but King Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and annihilate him by the magnificence of His return.
9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
What in the world was Paul talking about?
The scholar who has spent the most time faithfully studying all things related to “last things” is Dr. Kenneth Gentry.[1] In his book Perilous Times,[2] Dr. Gentry makes a compelling argument that the “man of lawlessness” was the emperor Nero, the first systematic persecutor of the church.
When Paul is writing this letter, Claudius (10 BC-54 AD) sits on the Roman throne (reigning 41-54 AD). His wife, Agrippina (15-59 AD), greatly desired to rule the empire through her child, and Claudius’ adopted son, Nero (37-68 AD), who was a teenager at this time.
Claudius paid little attention to the various religious sects within his empire. He did expel “the Jews” from Rome at some point (probably around 48-50 AD) for disturbing the peace (Acts 18:2). Many historians believe the ruckus was caused by fiery debates in and around the synagogues between Jewish Christians and those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Yet, Claudius focused most of his attention on restoring peace to troubled areas, expanding the borders of the empire and major building projects including two aqueducts.
So, Paul assured the Thessalonians that they had nothing to fear regarding the return of King Jesus and, besides, it would not happen until sometime after Nero’s persecution of the church. Then, as Paul said earlier, no one knew when the Savior would appear.
Who was holding Nero back? Paul had let the Thessalonians know but he doesn’t tell us. He may simply have been referring to Claudius or to the archangel Michael or both.
Paul knew trouble was brewing for the young church. Nero’s persecution would cost the Apostle his earthly existence. Paul’s revelation about this coming trouble even pops up in his next letter—1 Corinthians.
Lord willing, we will pick up there next time.