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of Paul’s words. Those who compartmentalize this person into a certain position are not
considering this word in its wider context.
The man of lawlessness
This rebellion would be caused by and associated with “the man of lawlessness” (ὁ
ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας) whose coming is the second condition that must take place before
Judgment Day. He “would be revealed” (ἀποκαλυφθῇ). ἀποκαλυφθῇ is the aorist passive
subjunctive from the verb ἀποκαλύπτω, from which the English word “apocalypse” is taken.
The word is used of the revelation of certain persons and circumstances in the end times. As
Paul is speaking of the final coming of Christ, he uses end time language. George Mulligan in
his commentary draws special attention to this word: “The emphatic ἀποκαλυφθῇ by which the
appearance of this sign is described is very significant, not only as marking the ‘superhuman’
character of the coming spoken of, but as placing it in mocking counterpart to the ἀποκάλυψις of
the Lord Jesus Himself.” 36
While Paul does not use the term ἀντίχριστος “antichrist,” the description and
characteristics of this “man of lawlessness” indicate that this man is the Antichrist. The term
ἀντίχριστος is only found in John’s letters (1 Jn 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 Jn 7) where he speaks of the
Antichrist as well as (lesser) antichrists that have come. John defines this ἀντίχριστος as a liar, a
man who denies that Jesus is the Christ (1 Jn 2:22), one who does not acknowledge that Jesus is
from God (1 Jn 4:3), and a deceiver (2 Jn 7). The fact that Paul does not use the term here does
not mean that he is describing someone else. Here Paul reveals this “man of lawlessness” to be
the Antichrist. He is not using the term as a title but rather as a description of his activities. Paul
is speaking of the one dominant person who stands in opposition to and in place of Christ.
Lenski says in his commentary, “We should not confuse the little antichrists with the great
Antichrist, the antichrists outside of the visible church with the great Antichrist inside of it.” 37
One must not get confused with the use of terminology. The important thing to remember is the
concept of this person described in Scripture, not the title used by the various writers. The term
36 George Milligan, D.D., St. Paul’s Epistles to the Thessalonians: The Greek Text with Introduction and
Notes (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1952), 98.
37 R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to
Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon (Minneapolis, MN: The Wartburg Press, 1946), 433.
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