Second Thessalonians 2:1-17
II Thessalonians 2:1 and 2:
2:1But we ask you, brothers, on behalf of the
presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering-together on him,
.2for you not to be quickly shaken away-from the mind-set nor
to be caused-tumult neither by means of spirit, nor by means of word,
nor by means of letter as (if it were) by means of us - as that
the day of the Lord stood-in2;
Paul continues: but we (myself
and those with me) ask you, brothers…. Here again he addresses the
Thessalonian holy-people (sanctified-people,
Christians, saints, children of God) as "brothers" and so reminds them
that they are all brothers in the spirit category because they all have
the same holy spirit within them, including Paul and those with him.
But we ask you (with familiarity), brothers…
- on behalf of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ – in the interests
of the coming and being present of our Lord Jesus Christ (the
initial-part of the still-future event promised to come to pass by God
and the Lord Jesus Christ when he will come to be present in the air);
and
- our gathering-together on him - the corresponding-part of this event
when the Lord Jesus Christ will cause all holy-people/Christians to be
gathered-together to the place where he will be in the air so we
will be with him (refer to I Thessalonians
4:13-17)…
…for (with a view to, for the purpose of) you not to be quickly shaken
(not to be speedily or swiftly caused to rock in a waving motion,
agitated to move to-and-fro) away-from the mind-set (from the correct
thinking and perception in your mind) nor to be caused-tumult (disturbed
inside and made to be frightened or alarmed causing you to cry aloud in
commotion), not even if information comes to you:
- by means of spirit – through any form of communication which source is
spirit (the spirit-source that lies and contradicts the true Word of
God, both directly and indirectly, is the devil/satan and his evil and
unclean spirits; these spirit communications may be via someone claiming
to be a prophet or a psychic but speaking or evidencing in some form,
perhaps using a ouija board or tarot cards,
etc, information they are receiving from the devil and his
devil-spirits, demons); nor
- by means of word – through any spoken-account, no matter who/what the
actual-words may come from (perhaps a prominent-person in the community
or a talk-show-host or a religious leader or a fortune-teller, etc); nor
- by means of a letter as if it were by means of us – through any letter
(epistle, sent-document) that you may receive purporting to be from
myself and/or those with me;
…as that the day of the Lord stood-in and continues to stand-in (the
information you may receive would be that the day of the Lord has
already begun to stand and is presently standing in-effect, in-force)!
The coming to be present of the Lord Jesus Christ and the
gathering-together of all Christians unto him in the air is what begins
the day of the Lord, which is the time-period when the Lord Jesus
Christ, who is second-in-command to God, will exercise and demonstrate
the fullness of his lordship and authority and strength and ability
to/before all people and spirits in heaven and earth (excluding God
Himself of course).
[Reference: I Corinthians 15:50-58; I
Thessalonians 2:19, 4:13-17, 5:1-5; I John 4:1.]
Verse 3(a):
.3(a)
someone must not wholly-deceive you according to not-one manner because
(the day of the Lord cannot stand-in) except the departure may
come first,
Someone must not wholly-deceive you (don't allow
anyone to throughly-beguile or fully-delude you with a false/lying
statement) in accordance with not one manner (no-matter what mode or
direction they seem to be turning). And here the double negative gives
emphasis to what Paul is teaching. The lying statement being promulgated
was that the day of the Lord was already standing-in, that it was now in
effect!
But Paul makes it quite clear that the day of the Lord has not already
stood-in and cannot stand-in – why not? Because the
day of the Lord cannot come and stand in force except/unless the
departure would come first. This departure is what will happen
FIRST - if the departure has not occurred then there is no way that the
day of the Lord is in effect.
What "departure" is Paul referring to? The word "departure" is translated
from the Greek word apostasia which
literally means "a standing away from something or someone" (refer to
also Acts 21:21 same word, and Acts 19:9 verb form). This agrees with
what Paul has previously taught the Thessalonian
holy-people in his first letter to them: that the Lord Jesus Christ will
descend from heaven and all his holy-people will be caught-away
unitedly and we will all be together with
him in the air (refer to I Thessalonians 4:13-17), and that it will be
after this occurs that the "wrath" begins towards those who
reject God and the Lord Jesus Christ (refer to I Thessalonians 5:1-11).
All Christians will be taken away-from the earth to be with the Lord
Jesus Christ and thus all of us, including the Lord Jesus Christ, will
be standing-away-from the rest of those left-behind on earth at that
specific time.
Isn't it almost amazing that this false statement ("the day of the Lord
has stood-in and continues to stand-in") would be promulgated following
Paul's writing his first letter by revelation to the
Thessalonian Christians explaining what will
happen to all holy-people when Christ will come to be present! There is
no way that the day of the Lord could have begun when Christians are
still on the earth. The Lord's day begins
with the gathering-together of all Christians to meet with the Lord
Jesus Christ in the air.
God's Word continues to foretell more information about what happens
after Christ gathers the church:
Verses 3(b) and 4:
….3(b) and the
man of the lawlessness, the son of the destruction, may be revealed,
.4the (one) adversarying
and super-lifting-himself on all being said (to be) a god or an
object-of-reverence so-as-for him to sit-down into the interior-temple
of God pointing himself out that he is God!
The day of the Lord cannot stand-in except the
departure would come first and consequently after that happens "the man
of the lawlessness, the son of the destruction" would be revealed
(caused to be uncovered, as removing a veil and exposing what was
previously hidden from view).
When the Bible refers to someone or something as being the "man" or "son"
of such-and-such which is intangible, for example "the man of the
lawlessness" or "the son of the destruction," we must recognize that
this is a figure of speech. The words "lawlessness" and "destruction"
denote the quality of this "man" or "son" and the phrase indicates the
essence, making a distinction regarding this "man" and "son" from the
only true God and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
This figure of speech tells us that "the man of the lawlessness" = the
one (this Greek word translated "man" does not specify gender) who
characterizes and emanates its lawlessness of being without the laws of
the only true God which are God's words (being in the state of being
lawless, in violation-of, non-observance or transgression of the law of
God which is God's Word) [some Greek texts have the word "sin" instead
of "lawlessness"]; and this same "man" will also be "the son of the
destruction" = the one who originated-from and is devoted-to or belongs
very emphatically to destruction (perdition, being utterly-lost and
ruined away-from the only true God).
This same "man of the lawlessness, the son of the destruction" is also
the one who is being adverse (opposing, is in opposition, figuratively
putting itself in the position of lying/laying against or being "anti"
God and the Lord Jesus Christ and all who are in God's kingdom) and who
is super lifting himself (lifting himself over, raising or taking
himself up and carrying himself above and over) all/everything whereby
he will be actively exerting downward pressure on/upon all/everything
being said to be, called or addressed as god or an object of reverence!
God has very clearly made it known by His revealed Word all throughout
the years that He is the only true God and that He is the only One Who
is to be reverenced in this manner. However, in the earth today there
are many different religions and cults which have devil-spirits and
idols and icons and people, etc, which they call their "god" and their
"object of reverence" and influencing other people to bow-down and
reverence this or that as their god. This "man of the lawlessness, the
son of the destruction" will lift himself up, he will exalt himself
above all of these "gods" using and exercising the unholy spirit-power
of the devil/satan.
The consequence or result of this one adversarying
and super lifting himself on all being said to be a god or an
object-of-reverence is that he will actively sit-down into the
interior-temple of God pointing-out (demonstrating, exhibiting,
indicating as pointing-out with the finger away-from some other object
towards a particular object – in this case: away-from the only true God
towards himself) that he himself is God and therefore he is the one to
be reverenced!
The 'interior-temple' refers to the innermost-part of God's temple, as
the most sacred area within the temple in Jerusalem, where God's
presence was manifested-forth, called the "Holy of Holies." This one's
objective is to replace God with himself thus attempting to make the
devil/satan the supreme spirit! He will go into that area or place in
the temple where the only true God's presence was manifested-forth, the
Holy of Holies, in his attempt to usurp God's position by trying to make
himself "holy" or "sanctified" through/by the fact of being there in
that physical place!
The devil's first recorded attempt to do this
took-place during Genesis chapter 3. However, his plan did not succeed as we can
read about in the Bible and which we can testify to because the seed of
the woman, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, was born and he has
accomplished redemption; and the Lord Jesus Christ will in the future
accomplish everything that God has foretold! See also Matthew 4:1-11,
and via Ananias with his wife in Acts
5:1-11. Satan continually attempts to usurp the only true God and the
Lord Jesus Christ, but all his attempts have and will be defeated as is
also recorded in God's Word.
[Reference: Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:2; Daniel chapters 7-12; Matthew
23:16-19, chapters 24 and 25; Acts 2:22, 17:23; I Corinthians 8:5; Book
of Revelation.]
Verses 5-8(a):
.5You remember that I used-to say these-things
to you yet being with you, don't you? -
(yes.) .6Also you knew2 now the (thing)
holding-down with-a-view-for him to be revealed in the time of himself,
.7for the mystery of the lawlessness is already
caused-to-in-work only until the (one) now holding-down may
become out-from (the) midst .8(a)and
then the lawless-one will be revealed –
Paul continues by asking the
Thessalonian holy-people, expecting the affirmative answer of
"yes": you remember (bring to your minds, your memory), don't you, that
I used-to continually lay these-things before you while I was still
physically with you? Also you knew previously and you still know
(perceive, see) at the present time what is actively holding-down
(having fast or firm in the sense of suppressing down or causing to
restrain) for the purpose of "the man of the lawlessness, the son of the
destruction" to be revealed (uncovered, exposed) during his own specific
time (his limited occasion or season). Consequently this specific time
must be still future – it can't be happening now because we holy-people
have not been gathered-together with the Lord Jesus Christ yet!
In truth, the mystery of the lawlessness (the secret pertaining-to and
consisting-of the state of being without God's law; of being in
violation-of, non-observance or transgression of the law of God which is
God's Word) is by this time caused to in-work (it is being worked
within, made to produce effects by being in work, it is energized; refer
to Ephesians 2:2, I Timothy 4:1 and 2) but this is happening secretly
only until (continuing for a period of time but will end when) the one
who is at this moment holding-down will become out-from the midst (will
not be on earth anymore) and then the lawless-one will be revealed (at
that time but not before then).
The word “mystery” throughout Paul’s letters means “secret.” A mystery
contains the details that are known and can be understood by those
involved in it and by those to whom it has been revealed – it is not
inexplicable to those involved in it.
It is interesting to notice that in Paul's first letter to these
Thessalonian holy-people he taught them that
the Word of God is presently being caused to in-work in them who were
people believing what God says - the only true God was energizing His
Word within them (refer to I Thessalonians 2:13). But here in Paul's
second letter, he teaches regarding the contrary, the devil/satan's
counterfeit work, which is that the mystery of the lawlessness will
continue being caused to work within certain people who do not believe
what God says.
The secrecy of satan's in-working or
energizing will only continue until the time that the one who is
presently holding it down, suppressing or restraining the devil, will
become out-from being in their midst! It is only then, at that time,
that the lawless-one (the one in whom the fullness of this lawlessness
will reside) will be revealed (unveiled, uncovered, exposed). The devil
will no longer have to secretly in-work or energize his unholy spirit
power - but this "freedom" of his will only last for a limited period of
time during the wrath! [Chart]
What is it that is suppressing "the man of the lawlessness, the son of
the destruction"?
Answer: The fact that the event referred to as the
"departure" in verse 3 above has not happened yet and thus all
holy-people with holy spirit within us are still here on earth (refer to
also Paul's first letter - I Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Who is the one who is presently exercising his authoritative-power
so-that the lawless-one cannot be revealed until he becomes out-from the
midst?
Answer: The Lord Jesus Christ.
The truth that holy-people/Christians were in Paul's time and are still
on earth today was and is the reason why the lawless-one was held-down
during Paul's time and still today. We Christians have holy spirit
within us; it is the spirit of Christ in us (refer to Colossians 1:27)
so that the devil and his host of devil-spirits cannot fully-attempt to
take-over the world and those in the world until we are
gathered-together with our Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ will gather
the church together with him, he will be taken out of the devil's way
here on earth; Christ will remove himself and the church from the scene
for a limited period of time.
After the departure has occurred, then the lawless-one will be revealed
at his own opportune-occasion or specific-time. The devil/satan himself
knows that he will be able to fully-activate his opposition to Christ
and God as soon as Christ takes himself and the Christians out of his
way, but the devil does not know when that will happen for he too is
waiting. But when it does happen he can uncover the fullness of his
evil-malignity upon the earth! In the meantime, he is secretly (meaning
that he does all he can to disguise himself and his methods) in-working
or energizing his lawlessness among those who believe his lies, false
statements, getting himself and those who follow him organized and ready
for the specific-time when he can reveal his lawless-one, the one in
whom satan will dwell!
After our departure, the devil and his devil-spirits will be free to do
as they please on the earth for a certain length of time, and it is
during this time that the devil/satan/serpent's seed, as foretold by God
in Genesis 3:15 to the serpent in the presence of Adam and Eve, will be
revealed and made manifest. But after that time-period ends, Christ will
come with his holy-people and his able angels in flaming fire giving
vengeance (refer to II Thessalonians 1:7-10; and to learn more about
Genesis 3:15 you may read my study of Appendix to Romans).
Verse 8(b):
– .8(b) whom
the Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of his mouth and will
render-ineffective with the shining-light of his presence –
Even though God's Word is teaching about the power
and activities of the devil/satan and his lawless-one during the "wrath"
period of time (which will be after the church has been
gathered-together) Paul, by revelation, interjects these words about
what the Lord Jesus Christ will do regarding that situation, and thus
encourages and comforts the holy-people while reading this passage.
The Lord Jesus will consume the lawless-one [some Greek texts do not
include the word "Jesus" and some have the word "eliminate" instead of
"consume"]. How will the Lord Jesus consume/eliminate the lawless-one?
He will do this with/by the spirit of his mouth (the spiritual and
living words coming or being breathed by him out of his mouth) and he
will render the lawless-one ineffective (useless, inactive, inoperative)
with/by the shining-light of his presence (the complete light being
shone upon all, the illumination caused-by and emanating-from the Lord
Jesus coming and then being present at that time). The ending-result of
this will be the fulfillment of the bruising of the head of the
devil/satan/serpent (who has many different names corresponding to the
different characteristics, activities, etc, that particular name
describes) as God foretold in Genesis 3:15.
[Reference: Isaiah 11:4; Matthew chapters 24 and 25; Acts 2:20;
Revelation 19:11-21.]
As we continue, God's Word returns to the future activities of the
devil/satan and the lawless-one, and when reading the next section we
need to remember what we have read - that the lawless-one will only be
revealed after Christ and the church leave the earth.
Verses 9-12:
– .9whose presence is according to
(the) in-working of satan in all ability and signs and wonders of
(the) lie .10and in all deceit of unrighteousness to the
(people) being destroyed, in-the-place-of which-things they did
not accept the love1 of the truth with-a-view-for them to be
saved .11and because-of-this God sends to them an in-working
of wandering with-a-view-for them to believe the lie .12in
order that all-together the (people) not having believed the
truth but having considered the unrighteousness good may be
judged.
The lawless-one's coming and then being present at
that time in the future will be in accordance (conformity and
proportion) to/with the in-working of satan (satan's
inner-working in action, the active energy, the powerfully active work
being done within that lawless-one by satan,
satan's effectual work) within the sphere of action of all/every
ability (able-power, capability) and signs (signals or standards of
designation and authentication) and wonders (supernatural occurrences)
pertaining-to the lie.
What lie? The devil/satan/serpent's lie is that he is God, and as such he
is the one who gives and maintains life etc to all, and all must
reverence, worship and serve him and whom/what he designates! This lie
began in Genesis chapter 3, and continues being repeated throughout the
centuries by the devil and those who decide to follow him as their god
in the place of the only true God. "Satan" is the name emphasizing the
devil's opposing and adversarial attributes.
The lawless-one's presence is according to the in-working of satan in all
ability and signs and wonders of the lie and within all deceit of
unrighteousness (every delusion, beguilement, especially allurement by
false-statements, consisting-of unjustness, injustice, wrong, not-right)
to those who are being destroyed (being utterly-ruined and lost
away-from the only true God).
Why are these people going to be destroyed during the "wrath" period of
time? Because in-the-place-of (in-exchange-for, in-opposition-to,
instead-of) the ability and signs and wonders of the lie these people
willingly did not accept (this verb is in past tense because at
that time it will be in the past; they did not welcome, did not
subjectively take/receive to themselves what was presented to them,
which is) the love1 of the truth (the word "love1"
comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love -
love pertaining-to and proceeding-from the truth which is God's Word).
The Godly-love of the truth is presented to them with a view for them to
be saved. God gives them the opportunity to believe what God says and
thus to be saved, made safe to/with/by God.
God's Word explains that it is because of these people's willful
non-acceptance of the Godly-love of the truth that the only true God
will send to them (meaning that He will not stop it because He will not
overstep their decision made by the freedom of their will).... Paul uses
the Hebrew idiom where the active form of the verb is used to indicate
that the subject of that verb permitted or allowed the thing to
take-place, even though the actual cause is instigated by the devil and
his devil-spirits.
Because of this God sends to them an in-working, as verse 9, of wandering
(pertaining-to the error caused by and issuing-from the devil, satan,
not-staying in the rightful-place, the leading-astray in error away-from
the truth of God's Word) with a view for them to believe the lie (to
have faith in, trust the devil's lie). Why? For the purpose and result
that all-together (all as one group at the same time) the people who, by
that time, will not have believed (not have had faith in, not trusted)
the truth, but on the contrary they will have supposed the
unrighteousness to be a good thing, will be judged. God will judge them;
He will make His decision of judgment.
What detailed foretelling, all of which lines-up with the revelation
given in the Book of Revelation and elsewhere in God's
previously-revealed spoken and written Word regarding the future! The
Apostle Paul wrote this information by revelation from God and/or the
Lord Jesus Christ at this time to help the
Thessalonian holy-people/Christians to know what will happen, and
thereby they and all Christians should not be concerned about the future
- whether we live or whether we die before the Lord Jesus Christ comes
to gather us together with him.
[Reference: Matthew 24:5; John 8:40-44; Romans
1:18-32, 2:8 and 9; I Corinthians 1:18; II Corinthians 2:15 and 16, 4:3
and 4; Ephesians 2:2; I Timothy 2:4; Revelation 13.]
Verses 13 and 14:
.13But we owe-it to thank God always
concerning you, brothers having been loved1,2 by (the)
Lord, because God chose you for-Himself, a first-fruits-offering, into
salvation in holiness of spirit and belief of (the) truth
.14with-a-view-to that-which He called you by means of our
good-message into an acquisition of glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul continues: but we owe-it (myself
and those with me ought, are obliged) to constantly express our
gratitude to God about you, brothers…. And here again, Paul addresses
these holy-people as "brothers" and thus reminds them that they and Paul
and those with him and every-other holy-person is a brother in the
spirit category having received the same holy spirit-life from God by
means of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But we owe-it to thank God always concerning you, brothers who have been
loved1 and are still loved1 by the Lord, because
God chose you for-Himself (He took you for Himself by separating you
from other-people) being an offering of first-fruits. The offering of
first-fruits is the beginning-portion which is consecrated or dedicated
to the only true God – it is not the only part, but it is the first part
of the whole. [Some Greek texts have the words "from the beginning"
instead of "first-fruit offering."]
God chose you, a first-fruit offering, for Himself into (with a view to
and resulting in) salvation (the state of being saved, made safe) within
holiness of spirit (holiness which proceeds-from and consists-of spirit,
referring to the holy spirit which every
holy-person has received)… This holy spirit
is what makes you holy. The Greek word which is translated as "holiness"
may also be translated as "sanctification" and comes from the word
hagios which means to be separated
from that-which is common ("common" being the word sometimes used to
denote that-which is not set-apart for God, and so is
ceremonially-unlawful, unclean, or defiled). Those who are holy are
separated for God having come into the state of corresponding to the
essence of God Who is Holy/Holiness/Sanctity.
God chose you for Himself, a first-fruits-offering, into salvation in
holiness of spirit and belief of the truth (faith, trust which
proceeds-from and consists-of what is true, the essential reality,
inherent verity)…
- with
a view to that-which He called (invited) you,
- by
means of our good-message (through the gospel, the evangel that we
preached to you),
- into
an acquisition of glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (for the purpose of and
resulting in you being that-which God has made us to be around or about
Himself consisting-of and emanating importance, splendor, renown
belonging-to our Lord/Master Jesus Christ).
[Reference: Romans 8:30, 10:8-10; II Corinthians 3:17 and 18; I Timothy
2:4; I Peter 1:2.]
Verse 15:
.15Therefore consequently, brothers, you must
stand-firm and you must strongly-hold the traditions which you were
taught whether by means of our word or by means of (our) letter.
Following-on logically in correspondence to what I
have just written, brothers (again addressed as "brothers"), you must
stand-firm (not falling but stand fast) and you must strongly-hold
(exert your forceful-strength holding or keeping) the traditions which
you were taught (the things that were given, passed or delivered along
from us to beside or alongside you contained in our
teaching/instruction) whether through the spoken-account you physically
heard from us while we were there with you, or whether through our
letter (the first epistle we sent to you).
Verses 16 and 17:
.16But may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and
God our Father, the (One) having loved1 us and having
given (to us) agelong encouragement
and good hope in grace, .17encourage your hearts and set
(you) fast in all good work and word.
Paul next expresses his prayerful desire: may our
Lord Jesus Christ himself (notice the emphasis by the extra word
"himself") and God the Father of all of us…
…the One Who has loved1 us and has given
to us…
- agelong encouragement (lifelong exhortation, a calling-beside as a father and
mother invites their children near them to help them to do that-which is
right, eternal encouragement in the sense that it lasts for the duration
of this age) and
- good
hope (the definite expectation of a future event coming to pass which is
good)
- in grace (favor freely bestowed without any merit on the recipient's part)…
…encourage your hearts (exhort the center of your beings, which includes
your minds) and set you fast (firmly-fix or establish you) in all good
work and word (within the sphere of action of all/every deed and
spoken-account you speak that issues from God Who is good and sets the
standard for what is good, in accordance with what is perfectly
admirable from God's viewpoint, according to His words and intention
because He is the source of all true goodness).
[Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following
them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the
"Relevant Notes" link of this study.]
