FRIDAY, JANUARY 9
Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-7, 8-12

2 Thessalonians 2:1-7 says, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 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, 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. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 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.” The mystery of lawlessness is already at work and the one thing we know about that mystery comes out of verses 8-12. Verses 8-12 says, “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. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” The mystery of lawlessness finds pleasure in unrighteousness. People who find pleasure in unrighteousness deserve the full measure of the judgment of God. And the only way to save the nation is to invoke the covenant of Sure Mercy over the land and invoke God’s judgment on all those who choose the mystery of lawlessness and find pleasure in lawless actions! Finding pleasure in sexual sin earns judgment. Finding pleasure in killing and beheading innocent people earns death!