“The man of lawlessness”
Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, is revealed. (2 Thessalonians 2:3 BSB)
What it sounds like today
A cryptic reference to some end-times villain.
The cultural key
Paul points to a climactic figure of rebellion who appears before the day of the Lord, one who 'exalts himself' and even 'sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God' (the next verse). 'Son of destruction' is the very phrase Jesus uses for Judas, marking this figure as the ultimate betrayer. The portrait draws on Daniel's arrogant king and feeds into Revelation's beast; the label 'antichrist' comes from John's letters, but this is the fullest sketch of the figure. Paul assumes his readers already know the outline; we reconstruct it only partially.
Recovered meaning
Before the end, Paul expects a supreme impostor who sets himself in the place of God. The scene warns that evil will crest in a person, not just a trend, gathering up Daniel, the Gospels, and Revelation into one dark figure.