II Thessalonians 2&3; Acts 18:18-19:41

Who is the man of lawlessness? I guess I am one who is less interested in guessing his identity and more interested in looking at the setting around which the lawless one will be revealed. I want Christians to recognize the signs and, instead of chalking off another box, get out there and do something to stop it. I think that’s what Paul was trying to do.

Paul tells us a rebellion will occur. Satan will perform counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders. Every sort of evil will deceive people who refuse to love the truth. They will have powerful delusions, believe the lie, and delight in wickedness.

Check your local listings.

Actually, Paul is describing life on planet earth since the beginning of time. Satan has always been a liar. People have always delighted in sin. But our modern world plasters it all over the big screen for all to see for the price of a ticket. And what that has done is made blatant sin seem exciting, desirable, even normal. 

I know the fire is out of control. But are we just going to sit back and watch our world burn? What kind of world are we leaving for our children when we are gone? 

I don’t know. Maybe we should let the companies that advertise during TV shows that promote sin know that we aren’t buying their products any more. Maybe we should write our lawmaker and tell them we aren’t voting for them as long as they support ungodly legislation. No doubt we should be talking to our children about what they are seeing. And no doubt we should hold our pastors and teachers accountable in preaching the truth of Scripture.

One thing we need to understand. We can’t expect sinners to act like Christians or to value the same things we value. If we want our world to change for the better, we need to be diligent about winning lost souls. The system won’t change until the people within the system repent.

Father, I pray that your children will grasp the urgency. Forgive our silence. Forgive us for wanting to give up. Forgive us for taking part in the sin by watching the shows, buying the products, laughing at the jokes, and not looking for opportunities to share you with people who so desperately need you. God, I don’t want to be a part of Satan’s work by my lack of action. I want to be a part of the solution, a warrior in your army, your voice to lost souls. I pray that the man of lawlessness won’t be able to be identified in our lifetime because we who know you are faithful to do the work you have for us to do.