2 Thessalonians 2 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

2 Thessalonians 2

The Man of Lawlessness

2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,¹ 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. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness² is revealed, the son of destruction,³ 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. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 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. 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. 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. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Firm

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits⁴ 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. 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.

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.

Footnotes

[1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15
[2] 2:3 Some manuscripts sin
[3] 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom)
[4] 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning

Commentary

v1-2: Paul is concerned about false teaching concerning the Lord's return. The coming of the Lord and our gathering together to Him, are to be expected at the same time, 1 Thess 4.16-17.

The false teachers used three methods to bring their error;

by spirit, that is, by alleged prophecy or revelation;
by report or word, that is, teaching allegedly given by Paul or another apostle;
by letter, for example, 2 Cor 3.1; perhaps a reference to a counterfeit letter which was circulating amongst churches.

We can expect the enemy to use different tactics against different churches. We are not to be unsettled or alarmed by such things. Rather we must stand fast, and trust what God has said (v15). By implication, the day of the Lord had not already come, for that must follow the Lord's return.

v3-4: The Day of the Lord will be preceded by the falling away, compare 1 Tim 4.1-3, and by the revealing of the man of sin, see Mark 13.14-23; Rev 13.13-14. He will seek to usurp the rule and authority of the true God, even by lying wonders, as in v9.

v5: Paul had already taught the Thessalonians these things.

v6-7: The restraining influence from the Lord will be removed, and the man of sin (the mystery of lawlessness) will be fully revealed. Such is God's mercy, even to unbelievers, that this restraint remains.

We understand that the restraint is God's Holy Spirit within the church. When the church is taken up, at Christ's return, this restraint is removed.

v8: Although the lawless one, the man of sin, will be revealed, we can have every confidence that the Lord will consume him and destroy him. The lawless one will only have freedom for a time, before he is destroyed.

v9-10: The lawless one is empowered by Satan, and performs counterfeit miracles, deceptions, and deceiving many who do not obey the truth. The spiritual man has discernment, and sees beyond appearance.

v11-12: Many prefer Satan's lies to God's truth. God will send a strong delusion, which confirms them in their unbelief and unrighteous behaviour. Here too is assurance that God is in total control, and that He is constantly active in the world. This is consistent too with Rom 1.21-32, where God gives up mankind to corrupt belief and behaviour.

v13: Our confidence; we are chosen by God for salvation, proved by sanctification by the Spirit, and our belief in the truth. Here word and Spirit work together in us, bringing holiness. Holy living reflects our holy calling. Here is security; chosen "from the beginning," and chosen for holy living, for conformity to Christ. See also 1 Thess 4.3; here in Paul's earliest letters, he sets down the call to holiness.

v14: We are called by the gospel by the almost unimaginable glory of Christ, as well as to the holiness of Christ.

v15: We must therefore stand fast; the world is not our friend to cling to, rather we must hold the truth in Christ. Our confidence in the promises of God motivates us, not to complacency, but to stand fast.

v16-17: Paul's prayer;

He has confidence of everlasting consolation, something to come; and
He has a request for comfort and strength, something for today.
We are to be established in good words and works, declaring the truth of the gospel by our lives.