When Jesus comes at the end
of the age, He will come in great power and glory. In
fact, when He comes, His glory will be so brilliant
that it will totally annihilate the antichrist! This
is why Paul told the Thessalonians, "And then shall
that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with
the brightness of his coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
After time runs out for the antichrist to do his work
on the earth, Jesus will come. And Paul declares that
when the Lord comes, He will "consume" this evil
leader "with the spirit of his mouth." The Greek word
translated "consume" is anairo, which means to
kill, to murder, to slay, to
slaughter,to do away with, or to abolish.
The meaning here is clear: When the Lord comes, He
will obliterate the antichrist. He will wipe
him out and permanently do away with him.
How will the Lord do this? Paul says that "...the Lord
shall consume [the antichrist] with the spirit of his
mouth...." The word translated "spirit" is actually
from the Greek word pneuma, which is normally
translated spirit. Thus, the verse could be
translated, "BY the spirit of his mouth." This
means that even though Satan energizes the antichrist
with all the power he possesses, this evil leader
doesn't stand a chance in the Presence of Jesus. Paul
lets us know that this demonized leader doesn't even
have enough strength to withstand one puff from the
mouth of the Lord!
The Greek word stomos describes the mouth
of the Lord from which this obliterating power will
come. You see, on that day the Lord will open his
mouth and speak - and when He does, so much power will
be released that it will permanently remove the
antichrist from the world scene.
In fact, Paul says this final encounter with the Lord
will "destroy" this evil leader. The word "destroy" is
the Greek word katargeo. Paul uses this word
twenty-five times in his New Testament writings, so we
know exactly what he intends by using it. This word
means to bring to nothing; to reduce to waste; to
render inactive; to abolish; or to put out of
commission. There is no doubt that when Jesus
Christ comes, He will permanently put the antichrist
out of commission! The rule of evil will come to an
abrupt end when Jesus returns at the end of the age.
I want you to know what Paul is talking about when he
uses the phrase "the brightness of his [Jesus']
coming." The word "brightness" is the Greek word epiphaneia.
This word was used in classical Greece to describe the
sudden and occasional surprise appearance of the
Greek gods. When the fabled gods suddenly appeared,
they were glorious and mighty in appearance. Now Paul
reaches into classical literature and borrows a word
that clearly means Jesus' coming will take many by
surprise and will be accompanied by great splendor and
glory.
The world, entrenched in evil, will think it has won
the victory and is secure in its plans. But then the
Lord will come and take them all by surprise! Before
anyone realizes what is happening, God's glory will
fill the sky, and Jesus will mightily appear in the
sky overhead. His "coming" (from the word parousia,
which describes the Lord's strong Presence)
will take the world by surprise, overwhelming everyone
as every evil system set in place by unregenerate man
is suddenly obliterated!
An interpretive translation of Second
Thessalonians 2:8 could read:
"When the Wicked One steps onto the stage
and makes his presence known, it won't be too long
afterward that the Lord will come. And when He
comes, His coming will be so grand, so glorious,
and so overwhelming that He will totally
obliterate the Lawless One by the mere breath of
His mouth. Just one puff from the Lord, and this
evil person will be incinerated! The very Presence
of the Lord will eradicate him, permanently
putting him out of commission."
You see, when you serve Jesus Christ, you have joined
the greatest Champion in the universe. There is no
power that can equal or surpass His power. There is no
might on planet earth to compare with His awesome
might. And just think - when you become a child of
God, you become a joint heir with Him! Everything He
possesses - including His power and His victory -
becomes yours!
You should rejoice in the knowledge of what Jesus will
do by His mighty power when He returns at the end of
the age. However, don't overlook the fact that this
same power is available to you today. Jesus has given
you His power so you can use it in this life.
So if evil is resisting you in some area of your life
right now, open your mouth and let the power
of God be released to obliterate that attack! Shock
the devil with a sudden manifestation of God's power
that permanently immobilizes him in every area of
your life |