Solomon’s Colonnade ǀ Issue #17—Does Satan Know When the Son of Perdition Will Come?
Paul gives us an incredible description of how and when the Anti-Christ will come!
Understanding and knowing your enemies is essential in warfare. This principle has not changed in thousands of years in carnal warfare. In the Spiritual Domain as Disciples of Jesus, understanding and knowing Satan, our enemy is one of our most crucial tasks on earth. Like no other time in history, the Bible is coming alive. Nothing shocks the conscience with wickedness and evil like 21st-century America. You name it: idolatry, live birth abortions, murders, greed, LGBTQ+Minor Attracted Persons, the castration and gender mutilation of small children, and wicked wars! The total collapse of the nuclear family!
The Church today, through the power of the Holy Ghost and preaching of the Gospel, is the only thing holding the world together right now! Despite all the Church’s failures, vulnerability, and seeming disappointment, never underestimate the importance of the local church in the world. People who criticize the church do not realize that the presence of the people of God, like you reading this article, gives the unsaved people an opportunity to be saved. The presence of the church is delaying the coming of judgment. It begs the question? Does Satan know when the Son of Perdition will come?
With all the horrid realities settling in the world, many Pastors and pundits predict that the Anti-Christ is already present on the earth. While this prediction has been made for centuries, the Bible indicates when the Son of Perdition will come, and it is not found in Revelation. The Apostle Paul gives us an often-overlooked indicator in his 2nd letter to the Church of Thessalonians.
The Second Letter to the Thessalonians is known for Paul's teachings on the end times. During that time, false teachers were deceiving the Thessalonian believers by presenting them with fake letters that appeared to be from Paul. These letters claimed that the day of the Lord had already come and that they were in the midst of tribulation. Interestingly, even in ancient times, people dealt with fake news. In response, Paul wrote an extraordinary letter to the Thessalonians, laying out exactly when the Anti-Christ will come. He used the term "Son of Perdition," which we now know as "Anti-Christ" in the Book of 1 John and 2 John. It's genuinely remarkable how God is always one step ahead of Satan.
As with all of Paul's letters, he pulls no punches. This would have been very concerning at the time because Paul had assured the Thessalonians in his earlier letter that they would be raptured before the day of wrath came upon the earth.
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3
It is said that the day of the Lord's return will not come until the great apostasy occurs, but one event will happen suddenly and without warning - Jesus will come like a thief in the night and Rapture the Church! Essentially, Paul is conveying to the Thessalonians and us that the Rapture will occur before the rise of the Son of Perdition. The question remains: does Satan know who the Son of Perdition is? And when will he come? I believe the scripture is clear---he does not! Remember what Jesus told the Disciples in the Book of Matthew?
“But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Matthew 24:36
Do you think that when Jesus says no one knows, not even the Angels, know when He is returning? Do you really believe Satan will know when Jesus returns? Satan has no clue when Jesus will return! Satan cannot reveal the Son of Perdition until Jesus returns. I believe Satan doesn’t know who his anti-Christ is until after the rapture. Could he pick someone from every generation? Perhaps. Nonetheless, the reality is this: It is God’s timetable, not Satan’s! This is why we must know, breathe, and understand this word in the Bible! Let the Bible come alive!
Notice how Paul “says the man of sin is revealed”? The Son of Perdition! He is not revealed until Jesus Raptures His Church first! So, with this, we must conclude that Satan really doesn’t know who the Son of Perdition is at any given time! I’m sure not knowing that reality absolutely drives Satan insane! Could that be why there have been so many predictions on who the anti-Christ is? Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, to name a few. Because at any given time, Satan must establish the Anti-Christ based on Jesus’ action, not his action. Indeed, he is always looking over his shoulder. Do you recall what John said in his first letter?
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 1 John 2:18
Paul would later write how the Son of Perdition will operate:
“Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4
Once the Church leaves the earth, the Son of Perdition is revealed! The Son of Perdition will be a perfectly evil human being because he was utterly opposed to the perfect human being in Jesus Christ. Satan will occupy the Anti-Christ and mimic the Holy Trinity! The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Their counterparts in the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist or Son of Perdition, and the False Prophet.
The false prophet is mentioned in Revelation as the 2nd Beast. Similarly, he will mimic the Holy Ghost. He will be with the Anti-Christ and be like His PR handler like Colonel Parker was to Elvis. Again, Satan is mimicking God. Yes, eventually, the mark of the beast, the 666, but again, it’s mimicking the Holy Spirit. He will then deceive the remaining people on the earth into believing He is God!
Everything in the bible always points to Satanic deception. One clear thing in the bible is that Satan loves to be worshipped like God! He wanted desperately to be like God since he was Lucifer, so he did his coup de tat. The Son of Perdition will not have horns, and he will be good-looking; he will be a mesmerizing speaker who will captivate audiences worldwide! He will be winsome beyond belief! He will start gradually changing the laws of God, where evil is good and good is evil in the name of loving and kindness; he will be handsome and seem compassionate.
And yes, he will “sit in the temple of God.” Showing himself that he is God. What does Paul mean here? He will be adored and loved! He will start putting together peace treaties with the Nation of Israel. And the world will love him; he will bring the fighting in the Arab and Muslim world to a stop! Notice that the Anti-Christ or the Son of Perdition will not be confused about his gender, he will not have pronouns in his bio, and he will not have gender dysphoria! Don’t believe me? Ask Paul! The Son of Perdition is a “he”! He will make a covenant with Israel and the world in the most extraordinary form of peace in the history of the world! Notice, though, what Paul reveals in verses six and seven.
And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7
It is essential to understand that the world is currently being prevented from total collapse and chaos by the presence of the Holy Ghost of God. However, many good Bible-believing people misunderstand this fact. When the Church is raptured, the Holy Spirit will not be taken from the world but out of the way intentionally, giving Satan free rein. Despite the rapture, the Bible reveals that some people will still be saved during the tribulation. This is why the Holy Spirit will not leave the earth. Revelation 7:4 states that 144,000 Jews will be saved, and Revelation 20:4 reveals that people will be beheaded for accepting Christ. It is important to note that salvation is impossible without the Holy Ghost, so if no one can come to Christ during the tribulation, why are people being beheaded for their faith? The Holy Spirit will certainly be present on the earth during the day of the Lord but will not be restraining the forces of evil as He is today.
There are two forces at work today: God’s forces of salvation and Satan’s forces of death. As Disciples of Jesus, we must know our enemy because so many souls depend on it! Go Bold Disciples!