The apostle Paul wrote about what he called the “mystery of lawlessness” in his second letter to the church in Thessaloniki, Greece.

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 2:7 (NASB95)

There are various theories concerning the identity of “he who now restrains,” the most plausible, in my opinion, being the archangel Michael. The prophet Daniel wrote:

Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19 He said, “O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. 21 “However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince. Daniel 10:18–21 (NASB95)

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 12:7–9 (NASB95)

A mystery (Greek: apocalupsis), biblically speaking, is something that is hidden unless uncovered by divine revelation. Paul taught that there is a godly mystery connected to the gospel, which is the inclusion of the Gentiles in the one new man, which is the church or body of Christ.

By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, Ephesians 3:4–6 (NASB95)

God has so orchestrated things so that we cannot see, understand, or believe his truth unless the Holy Spirit opens our sin-blinded spiritual eyes, ears, and heart.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)

At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. Matthew 11:25–26 (NASB95)

Just as we cannot see or comprehend the mystery of godliness in Christ without divine help, the mystery of lawlessness and evil is hidden from our eyes as well. Satan and sin have blinded our eyes, deafened our ears, and hardened our hearts.

Most people vastly underestimate the depths and scope of evil in the world. Jesus told us some very important things about the mystery of evil. He taught that Satan is a deceiver, the father of lies, in whom is no truth whatsoever. (John 8:44) He has managed to deceive the entire world (Revelation 12:9), which lies in his power. (1 John 5:19) 

Satan is even able to pose as an angel of light. (2 Corinthian 11:14) His demons often pose as friends, offering comfort, security, or protection to unwitting individuals who end up being oppressed at their hands. Satan’s lies are most alluring and bewitching, as evidenced by how easily Adam and Eve were seduced. Even today born-again Christians must beware of being pulled off track by deception. Paul warned the Corinthian church of this danger.

For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:2–3 (NASB95)

The bewitching power of legalism in the form of returning to Jewish practices was at work in that church, just as in Galatia. (Galatians 3:1)

A big part of the the mystery of lawlessness is its deceptive allure and how easily we are fooled. Another part of the mystery is the absolute depths of depravity that followers of Satan are willing to plumb.

Satan worshipers trade their souls for money, pleasure, and power. Most Christians are oblivious to the machinations of evil taking place beneath the surface. Jesus knew full well what he was getting into when he came to the earth to testify to the truth. (John 18:37) He fearlessly took on Judaism which had become satanic in nature by that time. He had no illusions regarding the depth of depravity that had wrapped itself around humanity. (John 2:25)

The evil plans hatched decades or even centuries ago, shall we say millennia ago, are playing out today. We are very likely close to the end. We see close up now more of what evil looks like. This is a good thing as long as we keep our eyes on the Lord. He laughs at the plans of the enemy, and so should we. However we have a responsibility, too.

If we do not make a strong decision to stand for truth, we may find ourselves running headlong off a cliff with all the other lemmings.

Truth is bound up in a Person named Jesus (John 14:6). Allegiance to him and the truth of God’s Word is our only defense. We cannot be neutral or passive. We must take a stand. Now is the time to publicly declare that Jesus is Lord and unashamedly stand for truth.