Chapter 20

Believers, Unbelievers and the End Time

Paul knows unbelievers are darkened in their hearts and utterly unable to comprehend Christ or concern themselves with heavenly things. But his message to the believers is freedom from bondage to the flesh and world, and that, through death with Christ and the consequent power of His resurrection. There is bondage from the outside, that is, the need for commandments and doctrines of men. The anti-religion of Paul is revolutionary. He rejects the very appearance of religion and the misguided value placed on the low view of self which produces a false humility, also, the low view of the human body resulting in self-imposed ascetic rigors which are of absolutely no value against the indulgence of the flesh.[1] If you died with Christ, Paul asks, why as living in the world, do you subject yourself to regulations?[2] But the bondage goes deeper. The tyranny from the outside fuels the energy of the darkened sense of bondage. The earth in its present fallen condition is the perfect environment for self-worship to thrive. Satan, the idol of this world, is wasting no time as he ambitiously works to control humanity from the outside while at the same time he hollows out their souls from the inside. Paul refers to Satan’s soon coming champion as the man of sin who exalts himself above God. He further describes this man as the lawless one who easily deceives the people of the last days with power, signs, and lying wonders.[3] They idolize the one who celebrates their shameful, God-ignoring lifestyles of self-indulgence, promiscuity, passion, compulsive desires, inordinate affections, all of which spring from willingness to subordinate God to worldly idols.[4] They are led like dumb animals to slaughter while smugly scoffing at the Godly ones who refuse and resist Satan’s enthrallment.

It is Paul who accurately diagnoses the true soul-condition of the world. The world groans and travails, waiting for the Son of God to inaugurate the righteous and peaceful kingdom of God.[5] The rule and authority of Christ and the Church will be curative, bringing healing and reconciliation to the sin-tired world.[6] This is the long vision of Paul which ultimately defines his theology. But he brings the somber prophetic message of God’s severity to the present world bent on paving its own road to peace and safety. The Lord’s coming is for an appointed time, subsequent to what Paul describes as the falling away which is the state of affairs necessary for the man of sin to fully launch his campaign for world dominance and God-status.[7] What we learn from Paul concerning this momentous time and exalted man of the hour is that a world-wide cry for peace and safety issues forth from the sea of humanity.[8] The coming of the man of sin occurs at the pitch of the world’s anxious compulsion for peace and safety. He places himself above law, claims Divine right, certifying himself with supernatural displays of power accompanied by lying wonders.[9] The people of the world are enamored of their own images, finding in the man of sin reflections of their narcissistic selves.[10] They consistently and resolutely reject the love of Christ as scandalous and foolish.[11] Reminiscent of obstinate Israel persevering in their insistence of having things their way, God gave them over to their own willingness to reject Him and embrace the beguilements of the world and its idolatrous self-deception.[12] The attractive, even bedazzling persona of the man of sin is betrayed in the end by his destructive true nature.[13] His politics and religion are revealed as the destructive forces behind his obsession to be worshipped as God. In the end he is vanquished by the very power and light of Christ which he coveted and so pathetically mimicked.[14] Like every great civilization in history, the last and most arrogant crumbles over the sandy foundation of self-aggrandizing hubris in the face of the Creator God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ.

Fast forward from Paul’s prophecy of two millennia ago to the present day. This is a summary of his warning: There are enemies who are in aggressive opposition to the plan of God to redeem mankind, but especially that body of humanity selected to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.[15] Those groups, also called the Elect, who are destined to rule and reign with Christ over God’s kingdom, are the primary targets of the enemy forces of darkness.[16] Their leader is Satan, the god of this world, also and aptly known as the prince of the power of the air.[17] His purpose is no less than to overturn the plan of God to place the Elect children in cosmic authority over the entirety of God’s created world being seated with Christ on the throne of glory. Satan presides over a vast organization of men and spirit beings as well as the godless hybrid races that are the result of generations of lawless intermingling of the celestial and terrestrial seeds.[18]

At the time of the end which Paul refers to as the Day of Christ the enemies of God will stage what they believe will be the deathblow to God’s plan to enthrone Christ and His Bride. The Prince (Satan) and his organized forces, having set the world stage with a sustained campaign of mass mind control and social engineering which Paul recognized as incipient in his own day, unleashes his final desperate attempt to defeat God’s plan of redemption. The incomprehensible audacity of Satan is his absolutely futile plan to claim kingdom ruler-ship for himself and his high command.

Being the master of the earth’s atmosphere as well as celestial space, Satan creates a theatre of deception from above, captivating the minds and hearts of the masses with aerial displays of power. These displays, Paul relates, are received as signs, that is, they fulfill the expectations of the people who have been carefully and thoroughly programmed to embrace the new and enlightened leadership. Paul further informs us that miracles will accompany the introduction of the man of sin. The miraculous will be truly wonderful to behold, facilely enthralling the people of earth with bewitching charm and awe-inspiring power. By manipulating the forces of nature through exotic, supernatural technology, Satan, in league with Godless human and angelic agents stages a grand entrance onto the world scene and with diabolic pageantry he will stupefy the masses who have been conditioned for ages to expect messianic deliverance from above. The Christianized West will be especially predisposed to celebrating the appearance of a savior ostensibly from the heavens, heralded with power, signs, and lying wonders. Though Paul’s prophetic warning concerning the coming of the false messiah seems eminently clear, the deception will be worldwide. All will believe the lie—only the Elect will know the difference.

Speaking of the Day of the Lord, Paul is careful to make one thing emphatically clear: The wrath of God is not the portion of His children.[19] The trouble and distress of the last days are more intense than at any time in the history of the world. God’s people living in those dreadful years will be tempted to doubt the goodness of God as perilous times and fearful events intensify. Comfort and edify one another is Paul’s plea. Christians are hated by the world and the god of the world but the Heavenly Father loves them and will faithfully see them through tribulation and persecution. They love life but they love the Giver of Life more, and many will be privileged to join the blessed ranks of the martyrs along with the Apostles and multitudes more who have “loved not their lives unto death” through the ages.[20] Paul’s incisive counsel to the persecuted and pressed at the end of His first letter to the Thessalonians is one of His most eloquent doxologies, brilliant as it is brief: “Be exhorted brothers and sisters. Warn those who are not pursuing God’s plan for their lives, comfort the overwhelmed and support the weakened. Be patient with everyone, all the time. Suffer evil and never retaliate for you have no rights, only the responsibility to pursue what is Godly for yourself and all others.

Never stop rejoicing.

Never stop praying.

The will of God in Christ for you is to give thanks in everything, no matter what.

Don’t interfere with the flow of the Spirit. Seriously consider anointed utterances. Don’t be gullible; be discerning always. Hold on tenaciously to what is good and right. Say no to evil; it will be presented to you in many forms.

My prayer to the God of peace is that you be set apart completely in spirit, soul and body, being kept and cared for in the forgiveness of God at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Faithful God who calls you will assuredly answer my prayer for you…”[21]