Chapter Two
Problem Number One - Hoodwinked!
2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
As mentioned in the Introduction, the Thessalonians believed that the rapture had occurred and that somehow they missed it. Paul now addresses that concern by first referring back to two events he wrote about in his first epistle, namely the gathering together of the believers (the rapture) and the coming of Jesus (the second coming). Even though the Greek is clear that he is referring to two separate events, those who don’t believe there will be a rapture choose to ignore the wording and say that these two events are the same. There is no doubt they are related as one proceeds the other making them linked, but they are different and occur at different times.
2:2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
Paul gently admonishes them to not be shaken by any of their own contrary thoughts or be alarmed by some outside influence, what anyone may have said, or in a false letter stating it was from them, that claimed that the day of the Lord had already arrived, in other words, disregard all of that, as the day of the Lord has not arrived, which was true then, and remains true today.
Considerations
Let’s stop and review as eschatology can cause headaches!
Paul is not playing some sort of “shell game” by moving event names around and changing the order or their prerequisites. But nonetheless it is still confusing! Here is a snapshot of the end-times events to help our brains figure this out in outline form with time flowing from top to bottom:
I. Now
II. The Rapture, Jesus meets believers in sky, and the resurrection begins (can happen any time)*
A. Bema Seat judgment for believers (see Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10)
III. The Tribulation (a seven-year period)**
A. The Man of Lawlessness Revealed ***
B. First half events (first three and a half years)
C. In between events (middle of tribulation)
D. Last half events (last three and a half years)
IV. Jesus Returns to Earth****
A. Armageddon
B. Man of Lawlessness sent to Lake of Fire and unbelievers destroyed sent to Hades
V. Millennial Kingdom on Earth (see Revelation 20:1-10)
A. Israel occupies full size of the Promised Land
B. Satan bound until near the end of millennium
VI. White throne judgment (see Revelation 20:11-15)
A. Satan and all unbelievers sent to the Lake of Fire
VII. Eternity with Jesus
* 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
** 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (Paul’s “The Day of the Lord” begins)
*** 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12
**** 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
The Man of Lawlessness Will Come Before Jesus Returns to Earth
Since this teaching is in response to the Thessalonian church’s misunderstanding of his first epistle (combined with false teaching) and potentially due to heightened persecution, Paul’s motivation is primarily to provide comfort instead of instruction. Therefore, this section is neither an exhaustive nor a detailed account of end-time events, but what he does provide gives us insight regarding the beginning of the Tribulation, leading into the Day of the Lord.
2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
Paul heard that the Thessalonian believers thought that the day of the Lord had come (see verse two). That the persecution they were currently facing seemed to them as being God’s wrath and punishment. Paul strongly calls them to not be deceived, for that day will not come until the rebellion comes first (Greek apostasia, to rise up in open defiance of authority, to engage in an insurrection) and the man of lawlessness (Greek anomias, complete disregard for the laws and regulations, some manuscripts state “man of sin”) is revealed, who Paul further identifies as the “son of destruction.”
Out of several potential preceding events and actions of people leading to the Day of the Lord, Paul narrows it down and choses two events and the actions of one person. One of the events is described simply as “the rebellion,” but who is rebelling? While it is true that the word apostasia can be found in the Bible referring to a number of political and military rebellions (see Acts 21:21, and Joshua 22:22; 2 Chronicles 29:19; Jeremiah 2:19 in the Septuagint), the word also points to the concept of forsaking one’s former allegiance, that of being unfaithful, which can also apply to a group of people who have turned away from their beliefs. Now we come back to the question, who? Paul refers to “the rebellion,” pointing to a specific event that he likely taught them (see verse five). His teaching of the end times to them undoubtedly included the Olivet Discourse (click here to read the commentary on the Olivet Discourse), which includes: “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:10-13, ESV) Jesus is speaking about the church, Christianity will become divided, false prophets will lead people away from the truth, and at the same time there will be an increase of lawlessness at a time when the love of many will grow cold (see also Hebrews 10:25-32; 2 Peter 2:20-22; Revelation 3:14-22). Paul is giving us a sign that can serve as a warning of the approaching “Day of the Lord” (see Considerations below).
Paul informs us of the actions of one individual that he calls, “the man of lawlessness,” the “son of destruction.” The only other person called “the son of destruction” in the Bible was Jesus’ disciple Judas (see John 17:12), who was manipulated by Satan (see John 13:2) and essentially self-destructed. This man of lawlessness will also be destroyed, but before that he will be a central figure in the Tribulation period. Most theologians refer to him as the “Antichrist”[1] (although that is not a Biblical title,[2] he is called a beast, one of three in the book of Revelation, this one is from the sea, see Revelation 13:1-10, which mirrors Daniel 7:8-25). In the English language the prefix “anti” generally refers to being against something or someone, but in the Greek it can also refer to the replacing or putting something in lieu of the genuine article, a substitute, in place of. According to the Bible the seven-year Tribulation period has many events involving several individuals which are documented in several Biblical books (see Deuteronomy 4:30; Isaiah 2:12; 13:6-9; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:24-27; 12:1; Joel 1:15; 2:1-31; 3:14; Zephaniah 1:15-16; Mathew 24:15-28; Mark 13:19-20; Revelation 6-16).
2:4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
The lawless one, the “Antichrist,” will be someone who will not only deny God, he will also oppose (Greek antikeimenos, to be hostile towards) Him, and every other “so-called god” that people around the world have embraced as gods or any object that any of the many religions of the world might consider worthy of worship. Proclaiming to be God, he sets up a throne in the temple of God. This language is reminiscent of Daniel’s prediction of an ungodly king who will “He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods.” (Daniel 11:36, ESV). Regarding this same king, Daniel also says, “With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.” (Daniel 11:32, NIV) The prophecy recorded in Daniel 11:2-12:10 refers to events that occurred during the time period from approximately 530 B.C. to 164 B.C., which nearly matches other prophecies (such as Revelation 13) that point to the yet future Tribulation period, making those historical events a model for the end times (click here to read about Daniel’s prophecies and here to read about Biblical models and types).
2:5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
It appears that during those few weeks Paul spent in Thessalonica he covered a lot of “theological” ground. Considering that there are many Christians today that have little knowledge of the end times, it is truly remarkable how much Paul was able to teach in such a short period.
2:6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.
In those previous lessons to the Thessalonians, Paul had taught them about the spiritual reality of the battle between Satan and God. From the time God cursed Satan in the garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:14-15, which is also the first reference in the Bible to the coming Messiah), Satan has desired to kill and remove God’s people and usurp all authority on earth, to be a god himself (see Isaiah 14:14; Ezekiel 28:2, click here to read more about Satan). Paul explained to them that God has been restraining him, but will remove that restraint during the end times. At that time the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist) will be revealed, but not before.
God will not allow the Antichrist to be revealed until a specific time. That time will likely be when all those who will accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus have made that decision. Only God knows who they are, not only now for those alive, but also those who will in the future. Since God knows all things (being omniscient), He has known even before creation (see Matthew 25:34; Ephesians 1:4; 2 Timothy 1:9; Revelation 13:8; 17:8). Comparable to what Paul wrote in his epistle to Rome where he noted that the partial hardening of the hearts of Jews will end when “the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ” (Romans 11:25b, NLT) God will remove what is restraining Satan from revealing the Antichrist at the time the last person comes to Christ.
2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
The Greek word that is translated as ‘mystery’ is the Greek mystērion referring to that which has not been revealed before. What hasn’t been revealed? We know from the apostle John that “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4, ESV) But for anyone reading the Old Testament, that information is nothing new. Paul is unveiling the fact that there are many people who are at work who seek to undo the efforts of God’s people. In a sense he is saying that there are many ‘antichrists’ just as John pointed out, “Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.” (1 John 2:18-19, NLT) The fact that was not revealed before is that these who are hostile to God and His people, are individuals that came from within the church. Sadly, many of them have started their own churches with the intent to deceive, which gives us insight as to the birth of so many Christian denominations.
To say that the second half of this verse is the cause of great consternation would be an understatement. The ‘who’ Paul is referring to is believed by most theologians and commentators is a reference to the Holy Spirit (although some believe it is a reference to the church),[3] and what He is restraining is the coming of the Antichrist, which is also considered true by most. So what’s left to question? What action does the Holy Spirit take to remove the restraint? Did He step aside and allow the Antichrist to come or did He leave with all the believers at the time of the rapture? Since people will be saved during the Tribulation and since that transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit, many believe He remains. Even though the Holy Spirit is omnipresent (being everywhere at the same time, see Psalm 139:7-10), we know that He provides services beyond just being present, for example: He indwells in believers (see John 14:17); seals believers (see Ephesians 1:13-14); provides power (see Job 33:4; Luke 1:35); guides us to the truth (see John 16:12-13); tells us what to say (see Ezekiel 11:5); teaches us (see John 14:26); and much more. Does He provide all these simultaneously? He can, but most of the time He provides what is needed at the time of the need. Which means He doesn’t need to leave to allow evil to proceed. Regardless of how He does it, when the right time comes the Holy Spirit will allow the Antichrist to proceed.
2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
At some point the Antichrist will be revealed and will orchestrate several evil activities at this time (while the term shenanigans is not generally considered a theological term, it certainly fits here), but Paul skips all that and points out that at the end, Jesus will kill (Greek anelei, to take away, abolish) the Antichrist with the breath of His mouth (see also Isaiah 11:4), emphasizing the ease of his destruction (see Revelation 19:20). Reminiscent of the words in the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress,” that “One little word shall fell him.”[4] Just as the timing of the Antichrist’s arrival was predetermined, so was his destruction. In addition to the destruction of the Antichrist, Jesus will “bring to nothing” everything the Antichrist had done, it will all cease when He appears.
2:9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
Paul informs us that the power behind the Antichrist is none other than Satan. Through Satan’s power, the Antichrist will offer “signs and wonders” that will deceive many. It is interesting to note that these two words are often found next to each other in Scripture and are generally accepted to refer to some form of supernatural involvement, but usually that’s God, not Satan (see Exodus 7:3; Deuteronomy 4:34; 6:22; Isaiah 8:18; 20:3; Jeremiah 39:21; Mark 13:2; John 4:48; Acts 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Hebrews 2:4). Paul is saying that the Antichrist will use every kind of evil deception to trick those who are lost. Paul next reveals the reason why they were able to be deceived, because they refused to love the truth, and that includes God’s Word, if they had believed the truth of the gospel message they would have accepted Jesus as their Savior and be saved (see Considerations below).
2:11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
As a result of unbelievers rejecting God’s Word as being the truth, God sends them a strong delusion (Greek planēs, to cause someone to hold a wrong view) that allows them to believe in lies and things that are false. Many argue and question does God do that? Or did He just permit it? The Greek is clear, Paul is describing a mighty act of the One who is the Judge, punishing evil by evil.[5] If you reject the truth the only other option is to trust in what is false. One delusion will likely be the belief that all is right with their thinking, for example, that rejecting Jesus and embracing their own brand of spirituality is right, that all is right in the world, and that all that they have to do is listen and obey the Antichrist.
Please note that this “Therefore” does not point to a simple consequential summary, it points to the judgment of those who chose to reject God’s plan for salvation. Something that is eternal and as such be something that every believer should be motivated to help prevent. In Paul’s last epistle to Timothy he wrote, “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26, NLT)
2:12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Paul contrasts believing in the truth with having pleasure in unrighteousness, that those that fell away from the truth were not due to circumstance or compulsion, instead they found pleasure in sin. They delighted in doing wrong, to them evil has become good.
The conjunction (Greek hina) translated here as “in order that,” might be better translated as “so as a result” those that did not believe the truth and had pleasure in unrighteousness. For example “And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.” (NET)
Regarding the Thessalonian’s thinking they missed the rapture, Paul demonstrated that there were a number of events that were to happen before Jesus came back and seeing that these that Paul presented had not yet occurred, they could see that they did not miss the rapture.
Considerations
The Apostate Church and Apostate Individuals
In Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, he wrote “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2, NLT) This “turning away” began a long time ago as Satan penetrated the church with false teachers from nearly the beginning of the church. Jude wrote, “I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4, NLT) Now nearly two-thousand years later, these false teachings have watered down the truth to the point in some churches it is no longer found. In this day of literally 50,000 plus Christian denominations in the world, the effectiveness of the church in saving the lost and impacting people’s lives is minimal. The apostate church and apostate individuals are here now.
Alignment with Daniel’s Seventy Weeks
Recorded in the book of Daniel is a four-verse prophecy that has become known as Daniel’s Seventy Weeks (see Daniel 9:24-27). It, like most end-time related prophecies, is highly debated. When the weeks in the prophecy are understood as groups of seven years, the 490-year prophecy accurately predicted the date of Jesus’ arrival and death, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the temple, but the last seven years have not been fulfilled. The gap between the 483rd year and the last seven years is also very controversial. It is believed that the last seven years will begin when the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel (see Daniel 9:27). There are three major parallels between these two books:
1) Daniel reveals a person will make a seven-year covenant (a treaty) with the people (see Daniel 9:27a). Paul reveals a man of lawlessness, the son of destruction (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3).
2) Daniel records that the covenant will be broken after three and a half years (see Daniel 9:27b). Paul tells us that the Antichrist will exalt himself and use the temple as his throne proclaiming to be god (see 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
3) Daniel notes that this defiler will be destroyed (see Daniel 9:27c). Paul informs us that Jesus will destroy the Antichrist and everything he built up for himself (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8).
The Book of Daniel
The most criticized book of the Bible is Daniel, as the prophecy in Daniel chapter eleven is considered by many theologians and commentators to be the most comprehensive and detailed prophecy in Scripture (Daniel 11:2-12:10, see above, click here to read commentary). The accuracy has made many atheists and other naysayers to attempt to denounce the book by saying it was written after the fact and therefore is a fraud. But, since copies have been discovered dating from long before some of the prophetic events recorded occurred, those claims can easily be refuted.
The Temple During the Tribulation
In order for the Antichrist to “take his seat in the temple of God” (verse four) and to desecrate the temple that was prophesied by Daniel and spoken of by Jesus (see Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15), it would seem that you need to have a temple first (although there is nothing in Scripture that specifically discusses the rebuilding of the temple at this time). The temple was never rebuilt after its destruction in 70 A.D. There are a number of reasons why it has not been rebuilt from man’s perspective (from God’s perspective every believer is His temple, therefore there is no need for a structure, see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21). Considered the primary issue preventing the rebuilding of the temple is the fact that the Temple Mount[6] is also a sacred site for Islam. That building a temple at or near any of Islam’s current structures there would be a political impossibility. Many believe that the Antichrist will broker a seven-year covenant (see Daniel 9:27) which would allow the temple to be rebuilt, and the Jews do, but halfway through the covenant period, the Antichrist breaks the covenant and commits the abomination of desolation (see Matthew 24:15-28).
This temple will be rebuilt but it will not be God-ordained. It has been prophesied but it was not requested by God. This unauthorized temple will likely be called the Antichrist’s temple.
Refused to Love the Truth
The phrase Paul used, “they refused to love the truth” is interesting, both in a specific application (such as referring to God’s truth which leads to salvation), but also in a general application of truth. We live in a time where we see false news, unreal artificial intelligence created imagery, promotion of causes that do not exist, etc., almost everyday! What changed? Why are these things being tolerated? The desire and need for truth is no longer important, lack of accuracy is one thing, but the total disregard and absolute ignorance of the facts is beyond comprehension. This idea would have been laughed at ten years ago. Paul was right, when he wrote that people will refuse to love the truth, it’s happening now.
Satan is Not God
What we know about Satan comes primarily from the writings of two prophets that God called to speak to two different kings, the King of Babylon (see Isaiah 14:12-15) and to the King of Tyre (see Ezekiel 28:13-15). It would be accurate to say that these prophets were speaking to the “power behind” those kings, and that power would be none other than Satan. In Isaiah 14:12 we read that he is referred to in Hebrew as hê·lēl' which can be translated as "light-bringing," "day star," "shining one," "shining star," etc. As he was once a top ranking angel of God. In the Latin Vulgate the name of the morning star, "Lucifer" is used.
Satan’s “heart was proud” because of his beauty and he corrupted his understanding and wisdom for the sake of his own splendor and brightness (see Ezekiel 28:17). Though a created being himself, he was deluded by his own pride and said in his heart, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:14, ESV). He thought that he was a god or could become like God. He began a campaign against God organizing various ranks and positions of authority of dark angels (called principalities and powers in Ephesians 6:12) to fight God, His angels, and anyone who serves God. It is interesting that even though deluded by his own pride, Satan offered Eve the same delusion when he lied to her, “you will be like God” (see Genesis 3:5), a lie that still influences people today. Who needs God if you are your own god? Pride is often the key barrier to accepting Jesus.
Meanwhile Stand Firm
2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mirroring the words of the epistle’s opening (see 2 Thessalonians 1:3), Paul reassures them that they are indeed saved. That he, Silas, and Timothy should always give thanks to God for them as they are truly loved by God. Paul then gives them the reason why, because God chose them as the firstfruits (Greek aparchēn, from the beginning, the first ripe fruit, in context the first believers in a region or country) to be saved. And like all Christians the process of being made righteous is through the sanctification by the Holy Spirit and belief in the truth of the gospel message. When they heard the gospel preached to them they responded and obtained the glory of Jesus, salvation is indeed theirs.
2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
With that reassurance Paul then asks them to “stand firm” and hold to the traditions (Greek paradoseis, doctrine or injunction communicated from one to another) that they were taught by them by either verbally or through their writings.
2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Paul closes the issue regarding the thought that they missed the rapture (Problem Number One) with a blessing that Jesus and God the Father, who loved them and gave them eternal comfort and hope through grace, comfort their hearts as well. That they be encouraged and strengthened in every good thing they do and say.
Considerations
Stand Firm
The Greek word stēkete literally means to stand, and is used figuratively to stand firm, to be constant, and to persevere. Paul used it in 1 Corinthians 16:13, calling believers to stand firm in their faith; in Galatians 5:1 to stand firm in their freedom in Christ (in other words don’t fall back in sin); Philippians 4:1 to stand firm in one spirit (to hold onto their beliefs and not let the world affect their relationship with Jesus); 1 Thessalonians to stand fast being immovable in Jesus; and here in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 to stand firm and hold onto what you have been taught about God, Jesus, and salvation (don’t fall for lies). Each time Paul used that word, he is reminding us to stand firm and hang onto God and His truth, to never let go even when facing struggles, worldly temptations, or any intense attack from the enemy. How can we stand firm under those conditions? Pray and then trust in Him to provide what you need to see it through.
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[1] See Appendix for “A Quick Snapshot Look at the Antichrist.”
[2] The word “Antichrist” (Greek antichristos) is used four times in John’s epistles, however, not as a reference to a specific person, but as a mindset of someone who denies Jesus being Lord and Savior, and replaces Him with their own idea of a deity or a philosophy of life (see 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7).
[3] While the church alone as an influence or power to prevent the arrival of the Antichrist is unlikely, we know that since the Holy Spirit dwells in believers and when the believers are raptured He would likely leave with them which could potentially remove any restraints.
[4] Hymn written by Martin Luther in 1529, translated to English by Frederic Henry Hedge in 1852.
[5] Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Auberlen, C. A., Riggenbach, C. J., & Lillie, J. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: 1 & 2 Thessalonians (p. 132). Logos Bible Software.
[6] The word ‘mount’ is not a reference to where the temple was ‘mounted’, but a reference to the mountain it’s on (see Jeremiah 26:18; Micah 4:1).