2 Thessalonians 2:8-17

8 Then that lawless one ¹will be revealed whom the Lord will slay ²with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the ³appearance of His ^[a]coming;

9 that is, the one whose ^[b]coming is in accord with the activity of ⁴Satan, with all power and ^[c]⁵signs and false wonders,

10 and with ^[d]all the deception of wickedness for ⁶those who perish, because * they did not receive the love of ⁷the truth so as to be saved.

11 For this reason ⁸God ^[e]will send upon them a ⁹deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,

12 in order that they all may be judged who ¹⁰did not believe the truth, but ¹¹took pleasure in wickedness.

13 ¹²But we should always give thanks to God for you, ¹³brethren beloved by the Lord, because ¹⁴God has chosen you from the beginning ¹⁵for salvation ¹⁶through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

14 It was for this He ¹⁷called you through ¹⁸our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brethren, ¹⁹stand firm and ²⁰hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether ²¹by word of mouth or ²²by letter from us.

16 ²³Now may our Lord Jesus Christ ²⁴Himself and God our Father, who has ²⁵loved us and given us eternal comfort and ²⁶good hope by grace,

17 ²⁷comfort and ²⁸strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

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2 Thessalonians 2:8-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 THESSALONIANS 2

In this chapter the apostle guards against a notion, as if the second coming of Christ was at hand; declares that, previous to it, there must be a great apostasy, and a revelation of antichrist; comforts the saints against fears of being included in this defection; exhorts them to stand fast in the faith, and closes this chapter with petitions for them. He entreats them in a most tender and solemn manner not to imagine that the day of Christ was at hand, and that they would not be disturbed and moved at it; and points unto the several ways, and cautions against them, they might be imposed upon and deceived by men with respect to it, 2Th 2:1,2 and assigns his reasons why it could not be yet, because before this time there was to be a general apostasy, and antichrist must appear; whom from his character, he calls the man of sin, and from his end, the son of perdition; and describes him as an opposer of God, an exalter of himself above all that is called God, as sitting in the temple of God and declaring himself to be God, 2Th 2:3,4 of which things he had told them before, 2Th 2:5 nor were they ignorant of what at present hindered the revelation of the man of sin, who was then in being, and was working and growing up apace; only there was something (the Roman empire) which hindered, and would continue to do so, until the fixed time of his revelation was up, 2Th 2:6,7 when be should be manifest; though he should not always continue, being to be consumed and destroyed by the breath of Christ's mouth, and the splendour of his coming, 2Th 2:8 and the appearance of antichrist in the world, being a matter of considerable importance, it is described by being after the working of Satan, and as attended with lying and false miracles, and with all deceitful and unrighteous doctrines and practices; which reprobate men would be left to give into, as a punishment of their not receiving cordially the truth of the Gospel; upon which account God would give them to such judicial blindness, as to give credit to a lie, which would bring on their final damnation, they not believing the truth, but taking pleasure in unrighteousness, 2Th 2:9-12, but lest this account of things should be discouraging to the saints at Thessalonica, the apostle styles them brethren; asserts them to be the beloved of the Lord; gives an instance of it, for which he gives thanks, namely, their election of God; the date of which was from everlasting; the means sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth; the end salvation by Jesus Christ; and the evidence of which was their effectual calling by the Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of Christ, 2Th 2:13,14 and then he exhorts them to stand fast in the doctrines that had been taught them, either in an epistolary way, or by the ministry of the word, 2Th 2:15 and concludes the chapter with petitions for them made to God the Father, and to Christ who had loved and comforted them, and given them good hope of everlasting things; that they might be comforted more and more, and be established in every good doctrine and practice, 2Th 2:16,17.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 28

1. Daniel 7:25; Daniel 8:25; Daniel 11:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Revelation 13:5f
2. Isaiah 11:4; Revelation 2:16; Revelation 19:15
3. 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13
4. Matthew 4:10
5. Matthew 24:24; John 4:48
6. 1 Corinthians 1:18
7. 2 Thessalonians 2:12, 13
8. 1 Kings 22:22; Romans 1:28
9. 1 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Timothy 4:4
10. Romans 2:8
11. Romans 1:32; 1 Corinthians 13:6
12. 2 Thessalonians 1:3
13. 1 Thessalonians 1:4
14. Ephesians 1:4f
15. 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 1 Peter 1:5
16. 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Peter 1:2
17. 1 Thessalonians 2:12
18. 1 Thessalonians 1:5
19. 1 Corinthians 16:13
20. 1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:6
21. 2 Thessalonians 2:2
22. 2 Thessalonians 2:2
23. 1 Thessalonians 3:11
24. 1 Thessalonians 3:11
25. John 3:16
26. Titus 3:7; 1 Peter 1:3
27. 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 13
28. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Footnotes 14

[a]. Or "presence"
[b]. Or "presence"
[c]. Or "attesting miracles"
[d]. Or "every deception"
[e]. Lit "is sending"
[f]. Lit "an activity of error"
[g]. Or "the lie"
[h]. Or "condemned"
[i]. Or "approved"
[j]. One early ms reads "first fruits"
[k]. Lit "in"
[l]. Lit "of"
[m]. Lit "to the gaining of"
[n]. Lit "of"