September 28 2026

September 28 Monday

2 Thessalonians 2:8

“When Jesus Comes in Glory”

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”

Welcome to Pastor’s Chat. Today we continue our study of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and we're going to focus primarily on verse 8. In the previous verses, Paul has been describing a coming world ruler whom he calls “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition,” and now in verse 8, “the lawless one.” As I have shared before, I believe this is the person the Bible elsewhere identifies as the Antichrist. Paul has told us that something is presently restraining his revelation. I believe this refers to the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit working through the Church. But there is coming a time when that restraint will be removed, and Paul says: “And then the lawless one will be revealed.”

For a period of time, which I personally believe will be in the 7 Year Tribulation after the rapture of the church, this man will exercise tremendous power and influence. The world will look at him and see someone who seems unstoppable. But Paul doesn't leave us wondering how the story ends. Listen to the rest of verse 8: “whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” I love that! After everything Paul has said about this man of sin, we might expect some enormous battle between two equally powerful forces. But that's not what Paul describes. The Antichrist may appear powerful to the world. But he is no match for Jesus Christ.

Paul says the Lord will “consume” him with the breath of His mouth. Think about that. Jesus doesn't need an army to defeat him. He doesn't need some sophisticated weapon. He simply speaks. And it's over. That reminds me of how the Bible begins. Genesis 1 says: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” God spoke creation into existence. Psalm 33 says: “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” The God Who spoke this universe into existence certainly has no difficulty defeating the forces of evil.

And Revelation 19 gives us another picture of this same glorious victory. John sees Jesus returning from heaven as the King of kings and Lord of lords. The armies of the world gather against Him. The beast and the false prophet stand in opposition to Him. But there is never any question about the outcome. Jesus wins. And my friend, that's something Christians need to remember today. Sometimes we look at our world and become discouraged. We see evil seemingly increasing. We see people rejecting God. We see biblical truth mocked. We see injustice. We see wars and violence. And sometimes we wonder: “Where is all of this headed?”

The Bible tells us. It's headed toward the return and ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ. Evil will not have the last word. Satan will not have the last word. The Antichrist will not have the last word. Jesus will have the last word. Paul says the Lord will destroy the lawless one with “the brightness of His coming.” I love that expression. Think about the contrast. The Bible describes this present world as being under the influence of spiritual darkness. But when Jesus appears, darkness cannot remain. You don't have to fight darkness. You simply turn on the light. And when the Light of the world, Jesus Christ, appears in His glory, the kingdom of darkness will fall before Him.

There is another truth here that I think is important. The word translated “coming” is the Greek word parousia. It speaks of an arrival or presence. The same word was used back in verse 1 when Paul spoke about “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus really is coming again. His first coming was in humility. His second coming will be in glory. The first time He came, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. When He comes in glory, Revelation pictures Him clothed with majesty and authority. The first time He came, He was placed in a manger. When He comes again, He comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. The first time He came, men placed a crown of thorns upon His head. When He comes again, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And there's an important encouragement here for us today. We don't have to wait until that future day to recognize His authority. We can bow before Him now. We can acknowledge Him as Lord today. We can surrender our lives to Him today. And we can live every day with the confidence that our King is coming. For those of us who know Christ, Bible prophecy shouldn't primarily produce fear. It should produce hope. Paul wrote in Titus 2:13 that we are: “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Notice what he calls it. The blessed hope. When we see darkness around us, we have hope. When circumstances are uncertain, we have hope. When the future seems frightening, we have hope. Why? Because our hope isn't ultimately in government. It isn't in the economy. It isn't in our health. It isn't even in our ability to understand every detail of Bible prophecy. Our hope is in Jesus Christ.

And perhaps that's the most important lesson from this one verse. Don't become so fascinated with the Antichrist that you lose sight of Christ. The Antichrist gets a few verses. Jesus gets eternity. The lawless one will have his moment. Jesus has the final victory. So today, let's keep our eyes on Jesus. Let's faithfully serve Him. Let's share the Gospel while we still have opportunity. Let's live in such a way that we won't be ashamed when He comes. Because one day the heavens will open, the King will appear in His glory, and every promise God has made will be fulfilled. Jesus is coming again. And when He comes, He wins. And because we belong to Him, we are on the winning side.

Let's pray. Father, thank You for reminding us that no matter how powerful evil may appear, You are still sovereign and Jesus Christ will ultimately triumph. Thank You for the blessed hope of His coming. Help us not to become fearful or discouraged by the darkness around us, but to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus. Give us grace to faithfully serve You, share the Gospel, and live each day ready for His return. May our lives proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, and may we look forward with joy to the day when He comes in glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God bless, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!