The man of lawlessness… opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
It is very important to know how to recognize the activity of Satan. What does a man who is completely under the control of Satan do? We are told that he “opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship.”
It doesn’t say, “The man of lawlessness exalts himself over God.” He cannot do that. He might think that he can, he might try to, but nobody succeeds in exalting him or herself over God. That’s impossible.
Instead, the man of lawlessness exalts himself over “every so-called god” and over every “object of worship.” This man exalts himself over religion, and every means “every religion across cultures and around the world.”
Many people today believe that religion provokes intolerance and intolerance provokes violence. There is a growing consensus that religion is a force for evil. One of the ways you hear that is when someone says, “I’m interested in spirituality, but I’m against organized religion.”
Think about what that means: he will exalt himself against every major religion—Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. He will say, “A plague on all your houses. Religion is the source of intolerance and violence in the world, and we must break its power. It’s religion that divides the world. If we get rid of religion, then we’ll finally have peace.”
Where do you see this kind of opposition in the world around you?
