This Material Has Not Been Edited For s10

THIS MATERIAL HAS NOT BEEN EDITED FOR

SCRIPTURAL ACCURACY, SPELLING, OR GRAMMAR

II Thessalonians

Chapter Two

2:1-12 ADMONITION.

C 2:1-3-. Exhortation: negative.

D 2:-3-. The apostasy: open.

E 2:-3. The man of sin.

F 2:4. The character of his acts.

C 2:5, 6. Exhortation: positive.

D 2:7. The mystery: secret.

E 2:8. The lawless one.

F 2:9-12. The character of his acts.

2 Thess 2:1-12

2:1The Great Apostasy Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ*had come. 3Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin*is revealed, the son of perdition, 4who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God*in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He*who now restrains will do so until He*is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie, 12that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. NKJV

3. Instruction concerning the Day of the Lord. 2:1-12

A. To Come in the Future. 2:1, 2.
Paul plunges into the problem which called forth the letter-the reports that the afflictions endured by the believers were sure signs that the Day of the Lord had already come. This Paul categorically denies.

2 Thess 2:1-2

By (hyper) the coming (Parousia; see note on 1 Thess 2:19) should be translated as regarding the coming (Miligan). So also by our gathering together (cf. Mark 13:27; 1 Thess 4:17).

2. Soon here means "hastily," or almost "easily." Shaken in mind. Thrown off the course of sound thinking and reasoning. Be troubled. The present tense suggests "be kept in a state of agitation or panic."

CHAPTER TWO

Three upsetting means are suggested:

(1) Spirit-report of a special revelation given to Paul;

(2) Word-a report of a sermon preached by Paul;

(3) Letter-a false epistle.

As from us, purporting to be from us (RSV), probably applies to all three. The gist of these false reports was that the day of the Lord (Christ does not have good manuscript support) had arrived. The verb (enesteken) means "is present" (cf. Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 3:22; Heb 9:9), not is at hand. Day of the Lord. See note on 1 Thess 5:2.

‘That ye be not soon shaken in mind, [Into the no swiftly to-be-shaken you from the mind] or be troubled neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, [no-yet to-be-being-alarmed no-be-sides thru spirit no-besides thru saying no-besides thru letter as thru us] as that the day of Christ is at hand. [As that has-in-stood the Day of-the Master.].’ 2 Thessalonians 2:2 + Concordant Greek Text 400 AD.

Note: The word Master denotes Jesus Christ or as Wycliffe prefers to use the word Lord.

Homily 3 - 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 2 John Chrysostom AD 400

Chapter 2:1, 2. "Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind."

When the Resurrection will be, he has not said, but that it will not be now, he has said. "And our gathering together unto Him." This also is no little matter. See how the exhortation also is again accompanied with commendation and encouragement, in that He and all the Saints will certainly appear with us.

Here he is discoursing concerning the resurrection and our gathering together. For these things will happen at the same time. He rises up their minds. "That ye be not quickly shaken," he says, "nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is now present."

Here he seems to me to intimate that certain persons went about having forged an Epistle, as if from Paul, and showing this, said that the Day of the Lord is at hand, that thence they might lead many into error. Therefore that they might not be deceived, Paul gives security by the things he writes, and says, "Be not troubled, either by spirit or by word ": and this is the meaning of what he says: Though any one having the spirit of prophecy should say this, believe it not.

For when I was with you I told you these things, so that you ought not to change your persuasion from the things which you were taught. Or thus, "by spirit": so he calls the false prophet, speaking what they spoke by an unclean spirit. For these men, willing the more to be believed, not only endeavored to deceive by persuasive words, (for this he shows, saying, "or by word,") but they also showed a forged letter, as from Paul, declaring the same thing.

CHAPTER TWO

Wherefore pointing out this also, he has added, "or by letter as from us." Having therefore secured them on every side, he thus sets forth his own doctrine, and says:

THE SIGN: A FALLING AWAY FIRST:

1. Only One God. Not one God is three sections or three persons but three manifestations.

2. Only One authority of Scripture. The Bible is the inspired word of God.

3. Only One way to God. Through the Cross of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God.

4. Only One teacher that each believer has to have in there heart. The Holy Spirit.

5. Only One manifestation of the Spirit of God in the gifts and helps for the church.

6. Only One way to walk in God. In Spirit and in truth as born again believers.

7. Only One way to acquire sanctification. Living a holy life set apart from the world life.

Note: we are living in a time that God’s word [the Scriptures] are called into question as not being true and so called theologians try to turn the true believers from believing in the miracles and wonders that are in the Bible. We hear that there are many beliefs and they are all traveling the same direction to God but this denies the Lord Jesus and His sacrifice at Calvary.

Gone are the:

(a) Baptism of the Holy Spirit speaking in other tongues.

(b) The office of the Prophet in the local church.

(d) The teaching about Hell and the judgment that is coming.

(e) The teaching about living a holy life unto the Lord.

(f) The soon coming of Christ for His church.

(g) The anointed minister, moving in the Holy Spirit, not in the wisdom of man.

I am not talking about every church, just like Elijah thought that all the prophets were killed and God told him that He had reserved 7,000 that have not bowed the knees to Baal [1 Kings 19:18] Paul the Learner

‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, nd ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.’ Jeremiah 6:16 KJV

B. To Be Preceded by Definite Signs. 2:3-12.
The day will be initiated by an outburst of rebellion and by the revelation of the man of lawlessness. The vanguard of the Satanic army is on the march, but the dreadful, doomed leader has not yet come into view.

CHAPTER TWO

2 Thess 2:3

Let no man deceive. See Matt 24:4ff}. By any means. Those in 2 Thess 2:2 or others. That day shall not come does not occur in the Greek text, but something like it must be supplied. A falling away, literally, the apostasy. The meaning of the word was known to Paul's readers, but we are not so fortunate.

Apostasia usually means "rebellion," whether in a political or religious sense. The reference here is probably to the marshaling of the powers of evil against the people and purposes of God. Christ and Paul both warned against this final wicked conspiracy (e.g., Matt 24:10ff. 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 3:1-9; 4:3ff.).

Apparently it will be of sufficient scope and intensity to mark itself off from the spirit of general opposition to God (mystery of lawlessness, 2 Thess 2:7) which characterizes the world's attitude. The capstone of the rebellion will be the revelation of the man of lawlessness. Be revealed suggests that he is waiting behind the scenes until the time for his public appearance is ripe.

In the NT only John uses the term "antichrist" (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7), but there can be no doubt as to whom Paul had in mind. Son of perdition (cf. John 17:12) points both to the nature and to the fate of the lawless one. His actions seal his doom. For son of, see note on 1 Thess 5:5.

Homily 3 - 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4

Ver. 3, 4. "Let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposes and exalted himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God."

Here he discourses concerning the Antichrist, and reveals great mysteries. What is?

1. "The falling away?" He calls him Apostasy, as being about to destroy many, and make them fall away. So that if it were possible, He says, the very Elect should be offended. (From Matt 24:24)

2. And he calls him "the man of sin." For he shall do numberless mischief’s, and shall cause others to do them. But he calls him "the son of perdition," because he is also to be destroyed.

3. But who is he? Is it then Satan? By no means; but some man, that admits his fully working in him. For he is a man. "And exalted himself against all that is called God or is worshiped." For he will not introduce idolatry, but will be a kind of opponent to God; he will abolish all the gods, and will order men to worship him instead of God,

4. And he will be seated in the temple of God, not that in Jerusalem only, but also in every Church. "Setting himself forth," he says; he does not say, saying it, but endeavoring to show it. For he will perform great works, and will show wonderful signs.

CHAPTER TWO

Note: Here is a new thought. Every one believes that:

(a) The Jews will build a Temple to Jehovah in the land of Israel.

(b) That the man of sin will set in that temple proclaiming himself as God.

(d) That at that time the Lord will come to bring judgment on the earth.

The only problem with this thought is:

1. When I was in Israel in 1972 the Jews had no desire to tare down the Mosque of Omar to build a new Temple to God.

2. First because it would cause a holy war that Israel is not prepared to take on.

3. Second because in there view the Messiah is to build the temple, not them.

4. Third the world would not allow such a thing to happen.

5. Fourth God has moved His temple into the hearts of mankind.

See my study at www.lakesideministries.com in Topical Studies second Prophecy under The Person and Ministry of the False Prophet, the Religious leader.

The Man of Sin

ANTICHRIST describes a particular individual or a group of people who oppose God and His purpose.

Old Testament. The Old Testament described the antichrist in various ways. Especially in Daniel, there arose the expectation of one who would oppose the Lord and His people Israel. This evil leader was referred to as the king of the north (11:40) who would come with a mighty army to crush the nations, to persecute the righteous (7:25), to bring death (8:10), and to set up his throne in the Temple (8:13).

This latter event the Jews term the "abomination of desolation." Many Jews viewed the arrival of Antiochus Epiphanes IV as the embodiment of these verses. Yet in the mind of many Jews, the rule of Antiochus did not meet the full expectations of these Scriptures. There evolved a permanent expectation of an antichrist figure in Judaism. In later Jewish history such Roman figures as Pompey and Caligula were identified with the antichrist.

In Daniel one also finds a collective antichrist. In 7:7-28 the Fourth Empire was viewed as a collective antichrist […it had ten horns]. In later Judaism, the Fourth Kingdom or the collective antichrist was viewed as the Roman Empire (2 Baruch 26-40; 4 Ezra 5:3-4).