2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 – Bible Study & Exploration
Who is the Lawless One that will be Revealed?
(Verse 7) Paul makes it clear that lawlessness is not something new. The man of lawlessness won’t be revealed until the believers in Christ are removed. Then there will be an unprecedented increase in lawlessness (evil), the likes that no one has ever witnessed.
It’s important to understand that lawlessness has always existed since the fall of mankind. So we shouldn’t interpret it in such a way that there will be no difference when the antichrist arrives on the scene. The book of Revelation teaches that the world will be a place where people will try to escape from the terrible but deserving wrath of God, but there will be no where to hide.
Who Is The Man of Lawlessness?
The man of lawlessness and the antichrist are the same person. He is known by both names and many others.
The term the “antichrist” simply means “against Christ.” The world is filled with people that are against Christ. This has been the case since ancient times. But the Bible is teaching of a person who will be considered “the antichrist.” He will oppose Christ by turning the worlds attention away from Christ and to himself. He will do this by mimicking Christ and the Holy Spirit. He will reach the epitome of his work by demanding that he be worshiped as if he were God. He will do this from the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.
We see the antichrist being introduced for the first time in the book of Daniel. Daniel goes on the describe how the antichrist will begin his role as a rapidly rising and highly influential political figure. He will gain a great deal of followers. Then he will focus on his true aspirations of being the spiritual leader of all people on earth.
The Bible gives no indication of who this person will be. It teaches only on the path he will take and the events he will attempt to influence. They will all lead to his eventual demise, just as Paul mentions in the next verse.
What will happen to the Antichrist?
(Verse 8) Looking carefully at verse 8, we see it span a time period of seven years. This is one of those unique verses we see scattered throughout scripture. It’s a single verse whose beginning and end traverse a long period of time. In this case, it happens to be seven years.
How do we know this to be the case?
The beginning of verse 8 states, “And then the lawless one will be revealed.” We know that the lawless one who is the antichrist will be revealed just prior to the beginning of the Tribulation period which will occur after the rapture.
The end of this same verse reads, “whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” We know that this will occur at the end of the Tribulation period when Christ makes His Second Coming. Thus, we have seven years that pass between the start of this verse and the end.
These types of verses help us by providing insight to God’s plans and purpose.
So what happens to the antichrist when Christ returns? Let’s let Revelation explain that as it refers to the antichrist in this scene as the beast.
“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.”
Revelation 19:19-21
Now, let’s take a look at who will be controlling the beast and its false prophet in the following verses.