Let us turn to God's words and turning to that second epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians and directing you this morning to words that we have here in chapter 2 and verses 7 and 8.

2 Thessalonians 2, I'll read verses 7 and 8. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 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.

And particularly that eighth verse, 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.

Earlier in the year, I think it was back in May, we did turn to this portion of God's Word and looked at the words that we have previously in verses 3 and 4 and sought to say something with regards to what the Apostle is speaking of as he describes this man of sin and son of perdition.

Let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, all that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."

It's a remarkable portion this, of course. It's a prophetic statement that we have in the Epistle of the Apostle. And what is he setting before us? Well, it's a remarkable description of the rise of the papacy and we have it so clearly stated, I remember some years ago reading that little exposition of these verses by a bishop in the Church of England Christopher Wordsworth, he was the nephew of the poet Williams Wordsworth at one stage he was the headmaster at Harrow School but then subsequently he was Bishop of Lincoln and he wrote I believe an unanswerable exposition of these verses to establish that the papacy is clearly here spoken of and prophesied by the Apostle Paul and we were looking then at what he said in those two verses three and four in the earlier parts of this year

And just really to remind you what we have there, we see that there was a restraint. There was something that was preventing the manifestation of this mystery, the mystery of iniquity. And what was that restraint? It was something that, as it were, was in the way.

verse 7 the mystery of iniquity that already work only he who now leteth will let until he be taken out of the way and it's interesting it's the same word that we have in the previous 6th verse which is there translated withholdeth in verse 7 it's translated that he leteth is in the way and then there in verse 6 exactly the same word now you know what withholdeth that he may be revealed in his time

and what was it that was preventing the manifestation of this great system that we are so familiar with now the might of the Roman Catholic Church and of course it's still something to be reckoned with, but when we think back to earlier centuries, and certainly previous to the time of the Reformation, the time of the Dark Ages, the power then of the papacy throughout Europe was quite remarkable.

But previous to that, in the days of the Apostle, there was that that was preventing this manifestation. What was it? Well, Bishop Wordsworth amongst others said it was in fact the imperial power of Rome that prevented it because of course in the days of the apostles there was persecution subsequent to that there was persecution from the Roman authorities

Paul had obviously said something about these things to the Thessalonians As he says in verse 5, Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you of these things? He'd spoken to them but he didn't feel it was safe to write in his epistle of these things. He was certainly always one who would plainly and boldly declare the gospel, there's no dispute in that, and again he reminds these Thessalonians of that blessed truth.

As he says in the previous epistle, there in chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians and verse 3, our exhortation was not of guile, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which tries our hearts.

There was no deceit in the man, but he was aware of opposition. He'd known it, of course, when he was there at Thessalonica. Now the record in Acts chapter 17, there were those Jews who were opposing him and stirring up trouble and making accusations to the authorities that these men were turning the world upside down, so Paul must surely be careful of saying anything concerning the political power of Rome and that that power might yet be removed.

It would, but it would come in God's time and only in God's time, and then there would be that revelation. And this is what Paul is speaking of. Three times he speaks of a revelation. At the end of verse 3, that man of sin reveals the sign of perdition. Again, the end of verse 6, that he might be revealed in his time, and also there at the beginning of verse 8 then shall that wicked be revealed the time would come when Imperial Rome would fall and then there would be another power that would fill that vacuum and it would be the power of Papal Rome that would stand where once Imperial Rome stood and what is this This papal Rome, well, it's an apostasy. There's a falling away, we're told, aren't we, in verse 3. Except there come a falling away first. And the expression falling away is the word, the Greek word from which we have our own English word apostasy, apostasia. It's a falling away. It's a denial of the truth. It's a counterfeit. It's referred to as the mystery of iniquity.

What is the gospel? Well, the gospel is the mystery of godliness. Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. And there is the devil's counterfeit. And the devil's counterfeit is another mystery, but it's a mystery of iniquity. It's apostasy. And it's anti-Christianity, really. In fact, the word that we have in verse 4, where we read of one who opposeth and exalted himself above all that is called God, that word opposeth has the idea really at its root of opposing in the sense of putting oneself in the place of another. And what is it that the papacy does? What do they do with the Pope? They put him in the place of God.

It's interesting to think of the different titles that they give to that man of sin and that son of perdition. They call him the Holy Father. Now that name of course only occurs once in scripture and it falls from the lips of the Lord Jesus in John 17 where Christ himself declares Holy Father as he prays to the Father in heaven. It's the name of God the Father. the Holy Father.

But then another title that the devotees of Rome would give to the Pope is they call him the Supreme Pontiff. It's a religion of course of priestcraft. There are many priests and the power of the priest is so evident. Certainly it would have been historically in Southern Ireland, the great power of the priest.

I remember meeting many years ago, Dr. Hugh Farrelly was of Irish stock but he was an American citizen. I can't remember how long ago it was that his family had emigrated from Ireland to the United States but he remarked to me that as a young boy he lived in a community which was made up mostly of Irish immigrants and he says the priest was the man He was them and everybody looked up to the priest and therefore he himself, you see, desired to enter into the priesthood.

He did, but when he was a seminarian and he was doing his studies, he began to see all the inconsistencies of the Roman system. Eventually, he came out. Strangely, he wasn't converted. He came out and then he went back in. He was dissatisfied when he came out for a while, but then in the end, when the Lord really dealt with him, he came right out, clearly out, as the consequence of his conversion.

But he would speak of the power of the priest.

Well, the Pope, of course, is the supreme priest. He's the high priest, in that sense. He would assume the position of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as he would assume the position of God the Father, and of course they also referred to him as the Vicar of Christ. The Vicar of Christ. Who is the Vicar of Christ? Vicar simply meaning in someone's place. Vicarious. Christ's sacrifice is a vicarious sacrifice. He dies in the place of others. well the vicar of Christ surely is God the Holy Ghost the other comforter that he speaks of sending and so we see how Roman Catholicism looks to the Pope as one who is in the very place of all the persons in the garden

well these are some of the things that we were speaking of earlier in the year but I thought I'd return to it I know it's In a sense, I don't often do this, but it's topical, isn't it? When we think of events this past week. Last Lord's Day morning I tried to say something with regards to the ministry of the women in the church and we looked at those opening three verses in In Luke chapter 8, those women that ministered to Christ of their substance had a real ministry, a real love for the Lord and from those verses I try to say something with regards to the proper ministry of women because of course now we see another apostate church, that of the Church of England appointing a woman to the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. like a high priestess really, I suppose. It's an apostate church. How can it be a biblical church if it discounts the teaching of the Word of God?

So we looked at a topical subject last Lord's Day and I thought it might be useful to turn to this topical subject today in view of what's happened this last week with the King, Charles III, visiting Vatican City and apparently sitting and praying with the Bishop of Rome, with the Pope. Now of course at his coronation not that long ago the King made a very solemn promise, a great oath in the presence of God when he said he would, he promised to uphold the Protestant and Reformed religion of the Church of England. Well, now we see that he's an oath-breaker. He's an oath-breaker. And yet, of course, we, as Christians, as those who take account of the Word of God, we recognize the powers that be, we still recognize him as the king.

I was thinking about it. Well, of course, the apostles, they had to recognize the Caesar as the one who had authority the Lord himself says render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's the powers that be are ordained of God we know that but how solemn it is when the head of state is a covenant breaker but I was thinking of these things and I thought well I don't really want to go over matter that we looked at previously so Today I want to really think of the ruin, the ruin of this whole system, the ruin of the papacy.

It seems to be a great force and yet it is said to be destroyed. And we have it here in this 8th verse. When the mystery of iniquity is revealed when that that lets is eventually altogether taken out of the way 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 and two things here are quite clear he is to be destroyed first of all by the spirits of the Lord's mouth and that is the gospel and the ministry of the gospel and then he will ultimately be destroyed by the brightness of the Lord's return, his second coming when all matters will be made so clear when the great day of judgment arrives

but first of all let's consider that great guy to look at the text as it were in a reverse order he's going to be destroyed it says with the brightness of the Lord's coming and then we read in the context the following verses even him who's coming that is speaking of the papacy is coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they receive not the love of the truth but that they might be saved and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie that's the description that we have they are those who are following this system that is in a sense the very masterpiece of the devil himself as we see there at verse 9

remember who the devil is and what the devil is and we see him there in the garden of Eden when God has given commandment to the man who is made in his own image after his own likeness Adam is not to eat of that fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil God tells him in the day that they eat us thereof thou shalt surely die dying thou shalt die death is inevitable and then when the serpent is the instrument of the devil comes to the woman now he contradicts what God had said thou shalt not surely die thou shalt not surely die and she partakes and of course death follows she partakes, she gives to her husband, he partakes and they are spiritually dead they are dead in trespasses and sins there in John 8.44 what are we told concerning the devil he was a murderer from the beginning but not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.

And what do we read here? Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. It's a very masterpiece of the devil. It's Satan himself, as he were, transformed into an angel of light. Because in many ways there's something attractive about it. And in some ways it seems to be so orthodox. It's Trinitarian, they speak of God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And there's that that is aesthetically attractive. Or the pomp and the ceremony. What a masterpiece of the devil is this! And yet it's a persecutor of the true people of God.

It's said, isn't it, that papal Rome created more martyrs than ever imperial Rome did. There was persecution in the early centuries of this Christian era. Oh, there were many who suffered at the hands of of the Roman Caesars. And yet, more were murdered, many more martyrs under the Reformation than even in those days of persecution. And it's just as the Lord Jesus Christ himself foretells. Remember the words that we have there in the 16th chapter of John's Gospel? These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues. Day to time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me." Not just applicable to what was going on in the early years of this Christian era, but what was going on at the time of the Reformation, the martyrs, the blood of the martyrs. And yet, how this great force is to be destroyed at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not only here in Second Thessalonians, that we have prophecy concerning the papacy, but of course there's also those words that we have in the 17th chapter of the Revelation, and interestingly the man that I spoke of at the beginning, Christopher Wordsworth, also wrote of how John, in the Revelation, gives prophecy concerning the papacy.

This is a man, you see, who was a minister, a much respected minister in the Church of England 150, 160 years ago, Bishop of Lincoln. And he wasn't even an evangelical. He was very much a high church Anglican. He was not a Tractarian. He wasn't one who in any way would court Rome. He saw Rome for what it was and he also wrote a commentary or released an exposition of the words that we have there in the 17th chapter of John

And you're familiar, I'm sure, with the passage. Verse four, the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery. Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth and I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration.

You can understand how John wondered at the sight because she she claims always to be mother church and yet she persecutes those who are the true followers of the Lord Jesus. Back in Daniel, Daniel 7.25, He shall wear out the saints of the Most High, wearing out the saints of God. And yet, ultimately to be judged, ultimately to be abolished, brought to naught, destroyed, at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's what we're told here in this 8th verse. At the end of that verse, "...how the Lord shall destroy her with the brightness of His coming." The brightness of His coming. And it's interesting, isn't it, because back in the opening verse, in the opening chapter rather, and we were reading that on Thursday. What does the Apostle say there at verse 7 following? To you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."

Or do they not deny the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? They don't preach the Gospel. They preach a false religion, a false way of salvation. There is but one way of salvation, by grace, through faith. and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God but the whole system ultimately to be judged and to be condemned

but let us turn to what else we are told here in the former part of the verse whom the Lord shall consume it says with the spirit of his mouth and that is to be understood surely in terms of Christ's gospel not so much what will come to pass at the end of the day of judgment but what is to take place now in the day of grace in that sense the spiritual aspect we might say what exactly is the spirit of his mouth? this is the Lord who is being spoken of and the Lord coming, but He comes, doesn't He, in the Gospel? We're living in that blessed day, the acceptable time and the day of salvation.

What is the Spirit of His mouth then? Well, first of all, surely it's what we have here before us today in Holy Scripture. It's our Bible. That's the Spirit of His mouth. all scripture is given by inspiration of God we read in 2nd Timothy 3.16 that expression given by inspiration of God it's just one word that's being translated and it's again one of those Greek words which welds together two words it's the word God and it's the word breathe, the verb to breathe. In other words, what the apostle is saying there is all scripture is God breathed. All scripture is the breathing of God. And that's the very thing that we have here of course in the text, the spirit of his mouth.

When we speak, we aspirate certain words, don't we? It's part of the way in which we pronounce our words, our breathing. And the Bible is God's breath. The Bible is the spirit of his mouth. And again, the imagery that we have in Revelation 19 and verse 15, Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. that's the scripture surely it is Hebrews 4.12 the word of God is quick and powerful sharper than a two-edged sword piercing to the dividing a son of soul and spirit into the joints and marrow a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart I know there in that verse in Hebrews 4 we can see in the context that the reference is to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the word of God himself.

But the Scriptures and the Lord, they are one tremendous nine. The written and incarnate word in all things are the same. How is Christ revealed to us? He is revealed to us in Scripture. And that is the sword that proceeded out of his mouth. The spirit of his mouth

And of course when we think of historical events, what was the Reformation? Well, the Protestant Reformation here in England certainly very much centered in the book, very much centered in the scriptures. We can think of course of Tindale, And it was 500 years ago, 1525-1526, that his translation of the Greek New Testament into the English language was first published, 500 years ago. That was the great event really of the Reformation in England. And it very much, I say, centered in the book.

I know, and I've said this before, when we think of other nations, we maybe think in terms of great men. We associate, of course, Germany with the work of Luther. When we think of Geneva, we think of Calvary. We think of Scotland in terms of John Knopf. They were great men. also raised up in England at the time, but I think the uniqueness of the English Reformation was that it centered so much in the book.

Ultimately, of course, even the king orders that the Great Bible is to be placed in every parish church throughout the kingdom. Not that he was ever really converted from Romanism, but he has his problems with the papers. and he ordered that the bible should be in every parish church and the people would gather to hear the reading of the bible because the priest was so ignorant that someone would read the word eventually of course they The Reformers also published the homilies, which are really sermons so that they could not only hear the word being read, but they could hear expositions of the word in the homilies. It all centered very much in the Scriptures.

The breath of his mouth. But then also, though we speak of the Bible as the breath of his mouth, there's a sense in which the preaching of the Gospel The proclamation of the Gospel is also the breath of his mouth. And the Reformation in England, as I've already indicated in some measure, was very much a great preaching movement. It was Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, and then subsequently, of course, a martyr. who said concerning preaching, this office of preaching is the only ordinance whereby God hath appointed to save us. Oh, let us maintain this. It was a great preaching movement, the English Reformation.

And what was the truth that was being preached? Well, it was the truths of Sovereign Grace. It was the truths of Sovereign Grace. Even the truths that follow this passage Look at what we read here at verse 13, We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, says Paul to the Thessalonians, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How did these Thessalonians come to faith? Well, doesn't Paul say what it was there in the in the first epistle in chapter 1 and verse 5? Our gospel came not unto you in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. It was very much the work of faith with power. That text we were looking at only on On Thursday evening Paul says we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of His calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power.

Well the word has to be declared and proclaimed and preached But oh, there must be that blessed anointing of the Spirit upon the Word to make it an effectual Word. And that's how it came to these Thessalonians. Again, writing in the 2nd chapter of the 1st epistle and verse 13, For this cause also thank we God without ceasing because when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the Word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe." Or that we might know God's Word in that sense, effectually working.

The breath of His mouth, the way in which it came to those who He speaks of in Ephesians. Remember what He says to them, the Lord Jesus Himself we know had never been at Ephesus. His ministry was to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and went outside the confines of Palestine that time and yet when Paul after his preaching there at Ephesus in Asia Minor or Turkey writes to them remember what he says in chapter 4 and verses 20 and 21 you have not so learned Christ if so be ye have heard him and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus.

How did they hear Christ? Through the preaching. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord, and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. They know not the voice of the stranger, they hear the voice of Christ. They hear the voice of Christ. Not so much the words of a man, but to hear the Lord speak, and the Lord speak so graciously and so effectually. This is what he's being spoken of. This is the answer really to all the machinations of the Roman Catholic Church and all that's going on, all the confusion of the ecumenical movement, all the confusion of multi-faithism. What a world it is. when we think of the religious aspect of this world. So much confusion. What is the great answer? It is simply the preaching of the Word of God. That's what we see here.

How does Christ come to accomplish his great work of salvation? The salvation of course is accomplished. But how is it to come into the hearts of sinners? How is it going to be applied? It's by this office of preaching and the ministry and the opening up of the great truths of the gospel of the grace of God. And even Rome, consumed by Christ's gospel. Our only hope is that. Surely it is what God has done in Christ and what we have said before us in the gospel of our Lord and Savior.

Oh God grant then that we might be those who like David of old can encourage ourselves in the midst of all that takes place about us to encourage ourselves in the Lord our God and to rest in what we're told quite specifically here in Holy Scripture. There will be that blessed day, the final day of judgment. But how we can take courage even now in the day of grace, in those things that the Lord has been pleased to declare to us.

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he who know letteth will let until he be taken out of the way, 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.

May the Lord bless His word to us. Amen.

Let us conclude our worship this morning as we sing the hymn 1063. The tune is, 699.

Nothing know we of the season when the world shall pass away,
but we know the saints have reason to expect a glorious day
when the Savior will return and his people cease to mourn.

The hymn 1063 of June 699.