3: The Mystery of Lawlessness and the Failure of Man’s Solutions
Scripture warns that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thessalonians 2:7). That mystery is not confined to some future Antichrist; it is the spirit of rebellion against God’s order that has been active since the Fall and is intensifying in our day. The riots across Europe are one more visible manifestation of that lawlessness. When large numbers of people decide that the rules of civil society no longer apply to them—when they burn public buildings, loot stores, and attack police—they are acting out the same spirit that rejects the authority of God Himself. Jesus predicted that nation would rise against nation and that lawlessness would increase (Matthew 24:7, 12). The economic pressures, housing crises, and government failures that sparked the protests are real. Yet the Bible never presents human government as the ultimate solution. Romans 13 teaches that governing authorities are God’s servants to punish evil and praise good, but those authorities themselves are made...