The mystery already at work
Opening reading — 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work.”
— 2 Thessalonians 2:7, KJV
Paul told the Thessalonians that the mystery of lawlessness was already at work in his day. The lawless one was yet to be revealed, but the spiritual influence behind his coming was already active.
That raises a question for every believer today. If the lawless one appeared to defend things we care about, would we recognize his lawlessness? Paul’s warning calls us to examine what we already accept, what we excuse, and whose authority we follow when Scripture challenges a tradition we love.
1. The work is hidden, but its fruit can be seen
Paul describes a spiritual conflict involving unseen powers in Ephesians 6:11–12. Yeshua gives us a practical way to discern what is happening in the visible world. In Matthew 7:15–20, He warns that false prophets come in sheep’s clothing and says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”
We may never see the spiritual influence behind a teaching. We can examine what that teaching produces. Does it lead people to repent, love the truth, and obey Yahweh? Does it train them to explain away whatever He commands when obedience becomes inconvenient?
This is how lawlessness can take root in a religious setting. People can speak reverently about Yeshua, sing His praises, and sincerely believe they are serving Him, while learning to dismiss the very authority He taught them to honor. Yeshua describes that danger in Matthew 7:21–23. The people there appeal to their prophecies and mighty works. He calls them workers of lawlessness and says that entry into the Kingdom belongs to those who do the will of His Father.
2. A lawless age prepares people to welcome a lawless ruler
Paul says the lawless one comes “after the working of Satan,” with power, signs, lying wonders, and unrighteous deception (2 Thessalonians 2:9–10). Paul also says that those who perish “received not the love of the truth.”
Notice what makes people vulnerable. They have already lost their love for the truth by which they could test what they see. When people are accustomed to setting aside Yahweh’s instruction, a ruler who claims the right to stand above it can appear admirable. His defiance may be praised as courage. His promises may be welcomed as deliverance. His power may be mistaken for Yahweh’s approval.
A people trained by Torah would have a standard by which to judge him. Deuteronomy 13:1–4 says that even if a sign comes to pass, Yahweh’s people must reject a prophet who uses it to draw them after other mighty ones. The sign can be impressive and the message can still lead away from Yahweh. Torah had already taught Israel how to face the kind of deception Paul describes.
3. The falling away comes first
Paul opens 2 Thessalonians 2 by identifying his subject as the coming of Yeshua Messiah and our gathering together to Him. He then says that the falling away must come first and the man of lawlessness must be revealed. Paul calls him the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim or worshiped (verses 1–4).
Paul distinguishes between the mystery already operating and the person who will be revealed. In verses 6–8, he describes a restraint and says that then the lawless one will be revealed. The passage gives us the order of events without giving us a date or a way to measure when the falling away has reached its full extent.
Follow the thread through Scripture.
Passage | What it shows |
Daniel 7:25 | An arrogant power speaks against the Most High, persecutes His people, and intends to change times and law. |
Daniel 11:31, 36 | Daniel describes the abomination that desolates and a king who exalts himself above every mighty one. |
Matthew 24:12, 15, 24 | Yeshua says multiplying lawlessness will cause love to grow cold. He directs His hearers to Daniel and warns of false messiahs and deceptive signs. |
2 Thessalonians 2:3–10 | Paul describes the falling away, the self-exaltation of the lawless one, and his coming with deceptive signs through Satan’s working. |
Daniel describes the defiance. Yeshua tells His disciples to pay attention to Daniel and watch for deception. Paul shows how the same rebellion can already be working beneath the surface before the lawless one is revealed openly.
4. Where has Christianity made room for lawlessness?
The warning applies directly wherever Christian teaching makes Yahweh’s commandments optional. Yeshua warned that religious tradition can make the word of Yahweh of no effect (Mark 7:8–13). That warning reaches any congregation, ministry, or home fellowship that gives inherited practice greater authority than Scripture.
Teaching or practice to examine | Passages to read | Question to ask |
“The Torah has been abolished.” | Matthew 5:17–19 and Romans 3:31 | How does this teaching account for Yeshua’s warning against breaking even the least commandments and teaching others to do so? |
“The Ten Words are no longer binding.” | Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, and Matthew 19:16–19 | What authority do we have to dismiss commandments Yeshua Himself taught? |
“The first day is now the Sabbath.” | Genesis 2:2–3, Exodus 20:8–11, and Luke 4:16 | Where does Scripture transfer the blessing and sanctification of the seventh day to the first? |
“Our customary holidays can take the place of Yahweh’s appointed times.” | Leviticus 23:1–4 and 1 Corinthians 5:7–8 | What gives us authority to set aside the days Yahweh calls His appointed times in favor of observances established by religious tradition? |
Paul explains the link between deception and delusion in 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12. People refuse the love of the truth and take pleasure in unrighteousness. Yahweh then sends strong delusion so that they believe the lie. The passage calls us to examine what happens when truth is made plain and people repeatedly choose what they would rather believe.
That same examination belongs in our own homes. A person can keep the seventh-day Sabbath and still excuse bitterness, dishonesty, or pride. Yeshua rebuked people who carefully observed details while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. He said to practice both (Matthew 23:23).
5. The deceiver will give people reasons to trust him
Satan disguises himself as a messenger of light, and his servants can appear as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:13–15). So consider where we might be easiest to deceive. It may be through someone who speaks eloquently about issues we already agree with, promises to correct real wrongs, or presents himself as a defender of faith and order.
Yeshua warned that false messiahs and false prophets would show great signs and wonders, so persuasive that, if possible, they would deceive even the elect (Matthew 24:24–25). Agreement on a cause tells us little about whether a leader submits to Yahweh. Watch what he asks people to believe, what he asks them to excuse, and whether he demands an allegiance that belongs to Yahweh.
6. Which camp will we follow?
Yeshua leads His people in obedience to the Father. He says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He also says that He has kept His Father’s commandments and abides in His love (John 15:10).
The lawless one exalts himself above what is worshiped. His coming is marked by deception and rebellion, and Yeshua will bring him to an end at His appearing (2 Thessalonians 2:4, 8–10).
Yahweh describes the heart of the obedient camp in Ezekiel 36:26–27. He promises Israel a new heart and says He will put His Spirit within His people and cause them to walk in His statutes. Paul gives the same pattern in Titus 2:11–14. Grace trains us to turn away from ungodliness, and Yeshua gave Himself to redeem a people from lawlessness and make them zealous for good works.
When we ask Yahweh to fill us with His Spirit, we should also ask Him to make us willing to obey when His Word corrects us. That is where the choice between the two camps becomes personal.
7. Few find the narrow way
Yeshua says the gate is wide and the way broad that leads to destruction, and many go in by it. The gate that leads to life is narrow, the way difficult, and few find it (Matthew 7:13–14).
There is reason to rejoice when Yahweh opens our eyes to His instruction. There is also reason to stay humble. Yeshua ends the same sermon with two people who hear His words. One acts on them and builds on rock. The other hears and fails to act, and the house falls when the storm comes (Matthew 7:24–27).
When Yahweh’s Word exposes something I have long believed or practiced, what will I do with what I have heard?
Questions for a home Sabbath discussion
- In 2 Thessalonians 2:7–12, what is already at work, and what is still to come?
- In Deuteronomy 13:1–4, what are Yahweh’s people told to do when a sign comes true but the message leads them away from Him?
- Where have we accepted a religious practice because it was familiar? What do we find when we test it against the relevant passages?
- How does Matthew 23:23 help us examine our own obedience while studying lawlessness in religion?
- In Ezekiel 36:26–27, what does Yahweh promise His Spirit will produce in His people? Where do we need that work in our lives today?
Closing exhortation — Endure to the End
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
— Matthew 24:13, KJV
Yeshua gave us this promise immediately after warning that as lawlessness increases, the love of many will grow cold. So keep your love alive. Keep Yahweh’s commandments when obedience costs you something. Hold fast to the truth when a persuasive voice tells you to compromise. When you stumble, repent and return to the way Yeshua taught you to walk.
Yahweh has promised to put His Spirit within His people and cause them to walk in His statutes (Ezekiel 36:26–27). Ask Him for the strength to obey today, and trust Him for the strength you will need tomorrow.
“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”
— Hebrews 10:37, KJV
Brethren, it won’t be long now. Yeshua told us to lift up our heads because our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28). Until He comes, keep His commandments, hold fast to your faith, and endure to the end (Revelation 14:12).
