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.
— 2 Thessalonians 2:8

When Jesus comes at the end of the age, He will come in great power and glory. In fact, when He comes, His glory will be so brilliant that it will totally annihilate the antichrist! This is why Paul told the Thessalonians, “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” (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

After time runs out for the antichrist to do his work on the earth, Jesus will come. And Paul declares that when the Lord comes, He will “consume” this evil leader “with the spirit of his mouth.” The Greek word translated “consume” is anairo, which means to kill, to murder, to slay, to slaughter, to do away with, or to abolish. The meaning here is clear: When the Lord comes, He will obliterate the antichrist. He will wipe him out and permanently do away with him.

How will the Lord do this? Paul says that “…the Lord shall consume [the antichrist] with the spirit of his mouth.…” The word translated “spirit” is actually from the Greek word pneuma, which is normally translated spirit. Thus, the verse could be translated, “BY the spirit of his mouth.” This means that even though Satan energizes the antichrist with all the power he possesses, this evil leader doesn’t stand a chance in the Presence of Jesus. Paul lets us know that this demonized leader doesn’t even have enough strength to withstand one puff from the mouth of the Lord!

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

The Greek word stomos describes the mouth of the Lord from which this obliterating power will come. You see, on that day the Lord will open his mouth and speak — and when He does, so much power will be released that it will permanently remove the antichrist from the world scene.

In fact, Paul says this final encounter with the Lord will “destroy” this evil leader. The word “destroy” is the Greek word katargeo. Paul uses this word twenty-five times in his New Testament writings, so we know exactly what he intends by using it. This word means to bring to nothing; to reduce to waste; to render inactive; to abolish; or to put out of commission. There is no doubt that when Jesus Christ comes, He will permanently put the antichrist out of commission! The rule of evil will come to an abrupt end when Jesus returns at the end of the age.

I want you to know what Paul is talking about when he uses the phrase “the brightness of his [Jesus’] coming.” The word “brightness” is the Greek word epiphaneia. This word was used in classical Greece to describe the sudden and occasional surprise appearance of the Greek gods. When the fabled gods suddenly appeared, they were glorious and mighty in appearance. Now Paul reaches into classical literature and borrows a word that clearly means Jesus’ coming will take many by surprise and will be accompanied by great splendor and glory.

The world, entrenched in evil, will think it has won the victory and is secure in its plans. But then the Lord will come and take them all by surprise! Before anyone realizes what is happening, God’s glory will fill the sky, and Jesus will mightily appear in the sky overhead. His “coming” (from the word parousia, which describes the Lord’s strong Presence) will take the world by surprise, overwhelming everyone as every evil system set in place by unregenerate man is suddenly obliterated!

An interpretive translation of Second Thessalonians 2:8 could read:

“When the Wicked One steps onto the stage and makes his presence known, it won’t be too long afterward that the Lord will come. And when He comes, His coming will be so grand, so glorious, and so overwhelming that He will totally obliterate the Lawless One by the mere breath of His mouth. Just one puff from the Lord, and this evil person will be incinerated! The very Presence of the Lord will eradicate him, permanently putting him out of commission.”

You see, when you serve Jesus Christ, you have joined the greatest Champion in the universe. There is no power that can equal or surpass His power. There is no might on planet earth to compare with His awesome might. And just think — when you become a child of God, you become a joint heir with Him! Everything He possesses — including His power and His victory — becomes yours!

You should rejoice in the knowledge of what Jesus will do by His mighty power when He returns at the end of the age. However, don’t overlook the fact that this same power is available to you today. Jesus has given you His power so you can use it in this life.

So if evil is resisting you in some area of your life right now, open your mouth and let the power of God be released to obliterate that attack! Shock the devil with a sudden manifestation of God’s power that permanently immobilizes him in every area of your life!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I thank You for Your awesome power that You have chosen to share with Your children. I don’t ever have to let the devil run freely in my life. By opening my mouth and speaking the Word of God to my situation, Your power can be released to obliterate the enemy’s work in my life. Thank You for making me Your joint heir and for investing Your great power in my life!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I boldly declare that God’s power resides in me. There is enough power inside me to obliterate any attack the devil would attempt to bring against my life. Rather than sit in fear and fret about what is happening to me, I will open my mouth, speak the Word of truth, and watch the power of God attack, overwhelm, and overcome the strategies that the devil has tried to use against me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What are the areas of your life that seem to be under demonic assault right now?

2. What are you doing to resist these attacks? Are you foolishly shutting your eyes and hoping they will go away by themselves? Or are you opening your mouth to speak the Word of God and to release the power of God into your situation?

3. What scriptures should you be speaking over your life right now to bring a permanent solution to these assaults?