Lawlessness in the Church – Our Lawless Age (4)

Lawlessness in the Church

Our Lawless Age (4)

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-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4

What does Paul intend by saying this “man of lawlessness” will be taking “his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God”?

Is it possible that he means to warn the Thessalonians against those who lead in the Body of Christ according to a mindset more attune to worldly principles than the Law of God? Is he saying that church leaders will arise who, like wolves in sheep’s clothing, will lead congregations away from the truth of God, even as they use the terms of truth and the Gospel to ingratiate themselves on the followers of Christ (Acts 20:29-31)?

Certainly this was the case on Crete, where Paul charged Titus with suppressing false and worldly teachers who had appeared within the churches of that island and who were turning the Truth of God into word games designed only to attract a following.

It was also the case in Philippi, where false men had found their way into the worship of God, but whose only “god” was their belly (Phil. 3:19). Since these churches, and others, had been invaded by men calling themselves Christians but espousing worldly doctrines, why should the Thessalonians not expect the same?

In our lawless age teachers and preachers have taken seats of authority in the churches of the Lord, but what they are teaching has more affinity with a secular and postmodern worldview than with the Word of Truth. Men who deny the validity of God’s Law, who rail against sound doctrine, who invite people to make God their servant for the sake of whatever they hope to get from Him, who refuse to practice church discipline, who change the worship of God into a theatre of “feel-good” religion and therapeutic faith, and who run their churches more like CEOs than shepherds of God’s flock—all such pastors and teachers infest the churches with the ways of the world, denying the wisdom of God, and are content to have made something of a name for themselves.

These are hard words, and if they do not fit you or your church, then give thanks to God. But if they do, perhaps it is time to face up to the reality that our lawless age may have found a spawning ground within your own church through the hand of leaders who believe they know better than the Lord how to build His Church.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.