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2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Those who resist the TRUTH, end up believing a LIE....
V 1–4: DON’T BE DECEIVED Continuing teaching on the second coming of Christ, Paul deals with those who have been deceived into thinking that ‘the day of Christ’ has already come, because of the tribulations they are facing. He tells them to stay firm: that day will not come without a falling away, and the revelation of the man of sin (the Antichrist), who will oppose everything to do with God, and exalt himself. He will even sit in the temple of God claiming to be God. V 5–12: REMEMBER MY REMINDERS Paul reminds them that he had often told them what would happen before the second coming of Christ. (The verb for ‘told’ is in the imperfect tense, indicating he kept on doing it.) As God withdraws His restraining influence (thought by some to mean that the Holy Spirit will withdraw), the lawless one (the man of sin, or Antichrist) will be revealed. God the Son will consume him with the breath of His mouth and ‘destroy him with the brightness of His coming’. The lawless one will perform satanic works and lying wonders with great powers and signs. Those who are perishing will be deceived. Having rejected God’s truth, He will send them a delusion that they will believe. Condemnation awaits them. V 13–15: SALVATION AND SANCTIFICATION Paul thanks God that the Thessalonian Christians have been chosen for salvation to be sanctified through God’s Holy Spirit and a belief in the truth of His word and His gospel. This glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and he urges them to stand fast in these godly traditions. V 16–17: GRACE OF GOD Grace from the Father and Son will give those Christians consolation and comfort, establishing them in ‘every good work and word’. Paul prays for this for them.
v1 Now *brothers and *sisters, do not worry about the return of our *Lord Jesus Christ. When he comes, he will gather us all to himself. v2 Some people may say that the *day of the Lord has already come. Take no notice of anyone who says that. There may be *prophecies that say that. If so, they are false. There may be reports or letters that seem to have come from us. But if they say that, we did not write them.
Verses 1-2 Paul, Silas and Timothy had already taught the Thessalonians that the *Lord Jesus would come again. Before he comes, those who believe in Christ will have to go through many troubles. But when he comes, he will take those Christians who are alive on earth to be with him. They will join with all those Christians who have died. God will raise up those Christians from the dead. So the *Lord will take the whole of his church up from the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). That will be the start of the *day of the Lord. The ‘day of the Lord’ is not a 24-hour day but a period of time. It covers many events. It will be a time when God will defeat all his enemies (Isaiah 2:12). In his anger, he will destroy them (Isaiah 13:9). This will bring trouble on the earth (Isaiah 13:11; Amos 5:18 (refs2)). It is a way of talking about the time when the *Lord will deliver the nation of *Israel (Jeremiah 30:7-9). It also is a way of speaking about the time when God will set up his *kingdom on the earth.
But other people taught that the *day of the Lord had already come and was now present. This worried the church in Thessalonica. It was wrong to teach this, and the Thessalonian Christians should not accept it. If the *day of the Lord had already started, then Jesus would come very soon. But there are certain events that must take place before he comes. The writers show what these are in the next few verses.
Many of these false ideas seemed to have come with Paul’s authority. Some people said that a *prophecy from Paul and his friends taught that the day had come. Some spoke messages and they said that they had come from Paul, Silas and Timothy. There were letters that some said that Paul and his friends had sent. All of these things taught that the *day of the Lord had begun. None of them had actually come from Paul, Silas and Timothy. The Thessalonians should refuse all of these ideas and not allow them to upset the church. They should not let these false ideas worry them in their minds and spirits.
The wicked man must come first 2:3-12
v3 Do not listen to anyone who tells you these wrong things. Before that day, there will be a time when many will turn away from God. A powerful and wicked man will also come, but the *Lord will destroy him. v4 This man will oppose God. And he will oppose everything that people call God. He will oppose everything that people *worship. He will say that he is more powerful than all of them. He will even sit in the *temple of God and say that he is God.
v5 I told you these things when I was with you. You remember that. v6 Now you know what stops this man from coming yet. But the wicked man will come at the proper time. v7 The secret power of evil is even now at work in the world. But someone is holding it back. When God takes that person out of the way, the evil power will increase. v8 Then that wicked man will come. But the *Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath from his mouth, and destroy him by the *glory of his appearance. v9 *Satan will cause that wicked man to come. He will come with the power of *Satan. He will do all kinds of false but wonderful things. v10 He will speak with wicked lies to those who do not trust in God. And they will believe him. They will die because they did not receive and love the truth. So, God could not save them. v11 So God sends the power of error to work in them so that they believe wrong things. v12 Some people have not believed the truth, but have enjoyed *sin. God will punish all those people.
Verse 3 Some people had tried to convince the Thessalonians that the *day of the Lord had started. We do not know if they did not understand the truth. But perhaps they had some other intentions. From verse 2, it seems that they lied about where they had got what they taught. The writers tell the Thessalonians not to believe these people, because the *day of the Lord had not yet come.
There will be two major events before the *day of the Lord comes. There will be a period of time in which many will turn away from God. Then a powerful and evil man will come. Neither of these two events had yet happened. At that time, many who said that they were Christians will change They will deny that they believe in the *Lord. Paul, Silas and Timothy had told the Thessalonians about that time which is to come. They called it the ‘falling away’. There always will be some who say that they believe but later turn away from the *Lord. But in the ‘falling away’, a large number of people will deny that they believe in the *Lord. The ‘falling away’ is more than just to deny the *Lord. It includes turning against him as well. That had not yet happened so the *day of the Lord had not yet come.
The ‘falling away’ will come first and then a wicked man will have authority. He is the Man of *Sin. He will do what is against the law of God. In the *Greek, it calls him the ‘son of ruin’, because the *Lord will destroy him. He will be a powerful ruler for a time. But the *Lord Jesus will fight against him and defeat him.
Verse 4 In all that he does, this Man of *Sin will oppose God. He will *persecute all who believe in the *Lord. He will be against all the religions of the world and their gods. He will say that he is greater than God is. And he will say that he is better than all other gods. Paul says that he will go into the most holy part of the *temple of God. There he will sit down. And he will say that he is God. He will command all the people to *worship him as God. The *Lord Jesus spoke about this in the *Gospels (Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 (refs2)). The *Lord Jesus referred to the *prophet Daniel who wrote about this event (Daniel 9:26-27; 11:31-37 (refs2)). This partly came true before the time of Jesus. A *Greek ruler stopped the daily offering of animals to God in the *temple. But Jesus was probably speaking about the time when the *Roman army destroyed the *temple in AD 70.
The *temple of God was in *Jerusalem city. But the *Roman army destroyed the *temple in AD 70, soon after Paul wrote. So these words may not mean that the Man of *Sin will enter a man-made temple. Paul might have been using picture language to say that this Man of *Sin will try to put himself in the place of God. Or they may mean that the *Jews will have to build the *temple again before the ‘son of ruin’ can enter it.
Verse 5 Paul expected the Thessalonians to remember what he taught them while he was with them. They should have remembered what he said. He had already told them about the ‘falling away’ and that the ‘Man of *Sin’ would come. They should have known that these events were to happen first before the *day of the Lord. There should have been no confusion about this.
Verse 6 The Man of *Sin will come when the *Lord allows him to come. Until that time someone or some force will stop him coming. The Thessalonians knew who that person or that force was. Paul, Silas and Timothy had told them this while they were with them. But the writers did not say who or what it was in this letter.
The most likely force that is stopping the Man of *Sin is the power or the Spirit of God. God will not allow this man to come until the proper time. That is the time fixed by God for this evil man to appear. No one knows when it will be. But it is just before or it is part of the *day of the Lord.
Verse 7 There is a power of *sin, which is already at work in the world. The Thessalonians could not know the secret of that power, because they could not see it. They could see the effects of evil in what it did. And they could see it in the troubles that they suffered. That evil power cannot now do all that it wants to do. This is because there is someone who stops it. That person, who limits the force of evil, also holds back the Man of *Sin. The ‘falling away’ and the ‘Man of *Sin’ will not come until God takes that person away. When the time comes that God has planned, he will remove that person. This will allow the Man of *Sin to come and then the full force of this secret power of *sin will come.
Verse 8 God will remove the person who is stopping the wicked man. Then the wicked man will come. For a short period, he will have power on the earth. The forces of *sin will be free to do all kinds of evil and wicked things. After this, the *Lord Jesus Christ will come to the earth and destroy that wicked man. Jesus will destroy him by the breath of his mouth. It is as if the breath of Christ is a fierce sword, which will kill the enemy. It may be that the words of Christ will have special power to destroy the man. Or perhaps it is the command of Christ that results in the death of the man.
When they see Christ coming, all his enemies will be afraid. They know that his arrival will be their end, because he will destroy them all.
Verse 9 The wicked man cannot come until God takes away the one who stops him. When God allows it, *Satan will send that Man of *Sin. He will come as *Satan’s agent, full of his power to do his evil work. That work is to lead people away from God, to cheat and destroy them.
The Man of *Sin will come with all kinds of powerful works. These will show him to be someone great. He is the false Christ, the one who is instead of Christ. The wonderful things that he does will attract people to him. They will *worship him as God. It will seem that the power of God is at work in all these things. Many will accept that lie for the truth. The reality is that the power is from the devil. The devil always lies. His purpose is to draw people away from the true God.
Verse 10 What the Man of *Sin says and does is attractive. He will impress all those who do not trust in the true God. By what he does and says, he will trap people. They will believe his lies and will trust him. All that he does is false, because his power comes from the evil one.
The people had refused to accept the truth. The right choice could have brought them *salvation. The truth could have saved them from the lies of the Man of *Sin. But they did not love the truth. They did not turn to Christ. They chose not to receive *salvation from God. As a result, they will die a death without hope.
Verse 11 The people did not receive the love of the truth. Therefore, God will cause a power to work in them so that they believe the lie. There is here a moral principle that God has made. It is the rule of life that those who refuse the truth will go further into error. A power works in those who will not accept the truth. That power causes them to believe a lie.
The Man of *Sin actually attracts them to trust in what is false. He is the agent of *Satan for this purpose. *Satan is the author of all that is false. But God will send a power to persuade those who refused the truth to accept *Satan’s lies. The final error is to believe that God is not God.
Verse 12 When people hear the truth of the *gospel of Christ, they must make a choice. They can accept the *gospel as true and put their trust in God. Then God will take away all their *sins and give them new life with him. Or they can refuse the *gospel. That is to prefer what *sin has to offer to what the *gospel says. God will cause those who have refused the *gospel to believe the lie. It was their choice and they are responsible for it. They had pleasure in what was wrong and God will punish them.
Thanks to God for the Thessalonians 2:13-15
v13 We must always thank God for you, *brothers and *sisters, because the *Lord loves you. God chose from the beginning to save you. He does this by the work of the Holy Spirit, who makes you holy, and by your *faith in the truth. v14 God called you to this through the good news about Jesus that we told you. He calls you to share in the *glory of our *Lord Jesus Christ. v15 So then, *brothers and *sisters, be firm. And hold to the truth that we taught you, both as we talked with you and in our letter.
Verse 13 The writers thank God for the Thessalonians. They feel that they owe it to God to thank him. These Thessalonians are their *brothers and *sisters whom the *Lord loves. It is because God and the *Lord Jesus love people that God chooses to save them. The *salvation of God is both a present joy and a future hope. God chose to save these Thessalonians from the beginning. That is before time began, because God created time and all things. He chose them to be among the first to receive his *salvation. He saved them from the judgement that is to come for all people. Those whom he has saved love the truth and they will not accept the lies of the devil. So, they will escape the punishment for their *sin.
It is by *faith in the truth that people receive the *salvation of God. The truth is the *gospel of the *Lord Jesus Christ. God gives new life to the *believers and the Holy Spirit lives in them. The Spirit works to change them and to make them holy.
Verse 14 Paul, Silas and Timothy *preached the *gospel of Christ to the Thessalonians. God called the Thessalonians by this method. He called them in order to save them from their *sins and to give them a new life with him. It was God’s desire that they should obtain *glory. It was God’s desire that they should share in the *glory that the *Lord Jesus has. They will do this when the *Lord Jesus comes for his people.
They did not earn it or in any other way get *glory for themselves. The *Lord does it all on their behalf.
Verse 15 When Paul, Silas and Timothy were in Thessalonica, they taught them about Christ and about the Christian *faith. After Paul and his friends had left Thessalonica, they had written to them. In the first letter to the Thessalonians, they taught them about many things. Timothy had also been back to Thessalonica. No doubt, he taught them while he was there. The Thessalonians must continue to believe what these three had taught them. They had taught the truths of the Christian *faith.
There were other teachers, some of whom were false. Some even said that they had Paul’s authority for what they taught. The Thessalonians had to refuse all that was false. They should hold on to what was true. They should be strong in their *faith in the *Lord. They should not let *persecution or false teachers cause them to turn from the truth.
Prayer for them 2:16-17
v16 We ask our *Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father to help you. God loved us and gave us strong courage and a firm hope in *grace. v17 May he encourage you. And may he make you strong always to do and say what is good.
Verse 16 The Thessalonians could not remain strong in their *faith without the help of God. So, Paul and his friends ask for this help on their behalf. They appeal to our *Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father. In the *Greek, the *Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father ‘is the one who loved us’. This teaches again that Jesus is one with God the Father. The Father and the Son, with the Holy Spirit, are the one true God. Both the *Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father loved the Thessalonians, as well as Paul, Silas and Timothy.
God loved them. So, he encouraged them and gave them good hope. The good hope was the promise of life after death. That hope is the sure certainty of a life with God that will not end. They did not deserve or earn the benefits of this hope. It is the free gift of God to those whom he loves.
Verse 17 In the *Greek ‘he’ is both the *Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. This again shows the unity of the Son and the Father in the one God. ‘May the *Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father encourage you and make you strong’. The purpose of this prayer is that the Thessalonians will be able always to do and say what is good. They will have the strength to refuse to do or say all that is not good.
☆ “Man of sin” (some manuscripts read “man of lawlessness”): This is the beast out of the sea (Rev. 13:1), the little horn (Dan. 7:8), and the false Christ who will aim to rule the world (Rev. 13:15-17). This is the Antichrist.
The word “apostasy” means “a standing away from” in the sense of a falling away, withdrawal, or defection from the truth. It may be the result of persecution (Matt. 24:9-10), false teachers (Matt. 24:11), temptation (Luke 8:13), worldliness (2 Tim 4:4), inadequate knowledge of Christ (1 John 2:19), moral lapse (Heb. 6:4-6), forsaking spiritual living and worship (Heb. 10:25-31), or unbelief (Heb. 3:12).
☆ The Day of the Lord is that extended period of time when God will pour out His wrath and judgment upon an unbelieving and ungodly world.
It will seal the fate of all who have heard, but rejected the truth of the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ).
We now have the Truth; the door of opportunity is still open for all to be saved.
We have the responsibility to reach this world for Christ.
Are we doing all we can?
■ ALSO READ: The Most Powerful Man In The World ? “The Black Pope” ?
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