2 Thessalonians · Chapter 2
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
John Wesley
V. 2. Be not shaken in mind-In judgment.
Or terrified-As those easily are who are immoderately fond of knowing future things.
Neither by any pretended revelation from the Spirit, nor by pretence of any word spoken by me.
Adam Clarke
Verse 2. Be not soon shaken in mind] apo tou noov. From the mind; i.e. that they should retain the persuasion they had of the truths which he had before delivered to them; that they should still hold the same opinions, and hold fast the doctrines which they had been taught.
Neither by spirit] Any pretended revelation.
Nor by word] Any thing which any person may profess to have heard the apostle speak.
Nor by letter] Either the former one which he had sent, some passages of which have been misconceived and misconstrued; or by any other letter, as from us-pretending to have been written by us, the apostles, containing predictions of this kind. There is a diversity of opinion among critics concerning this last clause, some supposing that it refers simply to the first epistle; others supposing that a forged epistle is intended. I have joined the two senses.
The word saleuqhnai, to be shaken, signifies to be agitated as a ship at sea in a storm, and strongly marks the confusion and distress which the Thessalonians had felt in their false apprehension of this coming of Christ. As that the day of Christ is at hand.] In the preface to this epistle I have given a general view of the meaning of the phrase the coming of Christ. Now the question is: Whether does the apostle mean, the coming of Christ to execute judgment upon the Jews, and destroy their polity, or his coming at the end of time, to judge the world? There are certainly many expressions in the following verses that may be applied indifferently to either, and some seem to apply to the one, and not to the other; and yet the whole can scarcely be so interpreted as to suit any one of these comings exclusively. This is precisely the case with the predictions of our Lord relative to these great events; one is used to point out and illustrate the other. On this ground I am led to think that the apostle, in the following confessedly obscure words, has both these in view, speaking of none of them exclusively; for it is the custom of the inspired penmen, or rather of that Spirit by which they spoke, to point out as many certain events by one prediction as it was possible to do, and to choose the figures, metaphors, and similes accordingly; and thus, from the beginning, God has pointed out the things that were not by the things that then existed, making the one the types or significations of the other. As the apostle spoke by the same Spirit, he most probably followed the same plan; and thus the following prophecy is to be interpreted and understood.
Joseph Benson
Verses 1, 2. We beseech you, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ — As you look for Christ’s second coming, and expect comfort from it; or rather concerning his coming, as the preposition uper is understood to signify in other places of Scripture, and in other authors. For he does not beseech by the coming of Christ, but his coming is the subject of which he is treating; and it is in relation to this subject that he desires them not to be disturbed. And by — Concerning; our gathering together to him — Namely, in the clouds. The phrases, the coming of Christ, and the day of Christ, may be understood either figuratively of his coming in judgment upon the Jews, or literally of his coming in glory to judge the world; the latter is the proper signification in this place, as the context will evince beyond contradiction. St. Paul himself had planted the church in Thessalonica, and it consisted principally of converts from among the Gentile idolaters, who had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 1 Thessalonians 1:9. What occasion was there, therefore, to admonish them particularly of the destruction of Jerusalem? or why should they be under any agitations or terrors of mind upon that account? What connection had Macedonia with Judea, or Thessalonica with Jerusalem? What share were the Christian converts to have in the calamities of the rebellious and unbelieving Jews, and why should they not rather have been comforted than troubled at the punishment of their inveterate enemies? Besides, how could the apostle deny that the destruction of the Jews was at hand, when it really was at hand, as he himself says, (1 Thessalonians 2:16,) and the wrath of God was already beginning to come upon them? He knew, and doubtless they knew, (our Lord having declared it,) that the destruction of Jerusalem would come to pass in that generation. The phrase, therefore, must necessarily be taken in a more general acceptation, of his coming to judge the world, as it is constantly used in the former epistle. That ye be not soon shaken in mind — Apo tou noov, from the mind, or judgment, you have formerly held: or from the true meaning of my former letter, as Chandler interprets the clause. Or be troubled — Perplexed, or put into confusion. The original word, qroeisqai, signifies to be agitated with the surprise and trouble which is occasioned by any unexpected rumour or bad news, Matthew 24:6. Neither by spirit — By pretence of some revelation from the Spirit of God; nor by words — Some declaration pretended to have been uttered by me; nor by letter — Some counterfeit writing, or some passage in the former epistle; as from us — As written by me, or by my appointment; as that the day of Christ — That is, the coming of Christ to judge mankind; is at hand — It was a point of great importance for the Thessalonians not to be mistaken concerning the time of Christ’s second coming; for if they had inferred from the apostle’s doctrine that it was at hand, and it had not taken place according to their expectation, they would probably have been staggered in their faith, and finding part of their creed to be false, they might have been brought hastily to conclude that the whole was so.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Verse 1, 2. We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord, the only hope of the saints, and by our gathering together to him. By the coming of our Lord reference must be had to the promise made to the disciples. After he had said that the gospel must first be preached to all nations, before the stones of the temple should be thrown down, and that the then surviving generation should see that event, he made a climax, and spake of the Son of man’s coming in the clouds of heaven. Matthew 24:30. Now, as the first coming corresponded with prophecy, we rest on the certainty of the second coming of Christ at the end of time. St. Paul therefore beseeches the church not to be shaken in mind, as though the coming of the Lord were delayed, by any such visionary teachers as attend not to the distinction of the sacred text, between the first and the second coming of our Lord. No, nor to be moved, though mistaken zealots should declare that they spake by the Holy Spirit, or though they should affirm that Paul himself spake such words, or even that they had read such an idea in some letter pretended to be his. Thus it was that this illustrious man rebutted the hurtful errors of some in the open face of the church, and with a plenitude of luminous predictions, which before he had imparted but to few.
Daniel Whedon
2. That—Depends upon beseech. Soon—Hastily; as soon as the rumour reaches your ear. Shaken—Tossed to and fro, as by billows of the sea. In mind—Rather, from your intellect, in the higher sense; wise judgment, and so self-possession and composure. By spirit—Neither a false understanding of the ancient prophecies, nor any sign by dreams is meant: but the declaration through the Spirit of some inspired Church member. Note on 1 Thessalonians 5:19. Nor by word—Intelligence of some word or statement of ours. Letter as from us—The as implies that the reference is not to his first epistle, but to some letter falsely rumoured as from him. St. Paul herein denies the having sent any such letter. Why, however, any one should forge a letter, or what motive there could be for the Church dishonestly to spread those false impressions, it is impossible to conceive. But it is plain that the Church was in high excitement under false rumours. The charismatic persons were led, by excitement, to imagine revelations, which it required the higher inspiration of the apostle to overmaster; and probably misinterpretation of his first epistle was shaped by rumour into the statement that an epistle had been received announcing the immediate advent. Day of Christ—Better reading, of our Lord—The parousia, or second advent. Note on 1 Corinthians 15:23. The notion of any allusion to the destruction of Jerusalem, or of any double meaning in this prophecy, (as countenanced by Dr. Clarke,) is to be promptly rejected. See our notes on Matthew 24 and 25. At hand—The Greek is very strong: is present, is here. Probably a somewhat reproving hyperbole, as implying that their excited fancies made them feel and act as if the judgment throne were visible and already set! The true height of Christian calmness should prevent such billowy commotion, even if it were so; but the old man will often surge up and disturb the new man in us.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
John Wesley
V. 3. Unless the falling away-From the pure faith of the gospel, come first. This began even in the apostolic age.
But the man of sin, the son of perdition-Eminently so called, is not come yet. However, in many respects, the Pope has an indisputable claim to those titles. He is, in an emphatical sense, the man of sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled, the son of perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers, destroyed innumerable souls, and will himself perish everlastingly. He it is that opposeth himself to the emperor, once his rightful sovereign; and that
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped-Commanding angels, and putting kings under his feet, both of whom are called gods in scripture; claiming the highest power, the highest honour; suffering himself, not once only, to be styled God or vice-god. Indeed no less is implied in his ordinary title, "Most Holy Lord," or, "Most Holy Father."
So that he sitteth-Enthroned.
In the temple of God-Mentioned Revelation 11:1. Declaring himself that he is God-Claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone.
Adam Clarke
Verse 3. That man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.-oJ anqrwpov thv amartiav, ouiov thv apwleiav. “The article,” says he, “joined to these appellations, is emphatical, as in the former clause, importing that the ancient prophets had spoken of these persons, though under different names; particularly the Prophet Daniel, whose description of the little horn and blasphemous king agrees so exactly in meaning with Paul’s descriptions of the man of sin, and son of perdition, and lawless one, that there can be little doubt of their being the same persons; but this will best appear by a comparison of the passages:—
And that man of sin be
revealed, the son of
perdition.
Who opposeth and
exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that
is worshipped; so that he,
as God, sitteth in the
temple of God, showing
himself that he is God.
Only he who now letteth
will let, until he be taken
out of the way.
And there shall that
wicked one be revealed.
Giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of
devils.
Daniel 7:21. And the same horn made war
with the saints, and prevailed against them.
Daniel 7:25. And he shall speak great words against the Most High; and shall wear out the
saints of the Most High.
Daniel 11:36. And the king shall do
according to his will; and he shall exalt himself
above every god, and shall speak marvellous
things against the God of gods.
Daniel 8:25. He shall also stand up against the Prince of princes.
Daniel 7:8.I considered the horns, and,
behold, there came up among them another little
horn, before whom there were three of the first
horns plucked up by the roots.
Daniel 7:25. And he shall think to change
times and laws, and they shall be given into his
hand. See Daniel 8:24.
Daniel 11:38. In his estate he shall honour the god of forces (Mahuzzim, gods who are
protectors, that is, tutelary angels and saints.)
Forbidding to marry.
Whom the Lord shall
consume with the Spirit of
his mouth, and shall
destroy with the
brightness of his coming.
Daniel 11:37. Neither shall he regard the
God of his fathers, nor the desire of women.
Daniel 7:11.I beheld then, because of the
voice of the great words which the horn spake; I
beheld, even till the beast was slain, and his body
destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Daniel 7:26. And they shall take away his
dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the
end.
Daniel 8:25. He shall be broken without
hand.
After entering into great detail in his notes, he sums up in the following manner:-
“Now as, in the prophecies of Daniel, empires governed by a succession of kings are denoted by a single emblem; such as, by a part of an image, a single beast, a horn, &c., of a beast; so in Paul’s prophecy, the man of sin, and son of perdition, and the lawless one, may denote an impious tyranny, exercised by a succession of men who cause great misery and ruin to others; and who, at length, shall be destroyed themselves. It is true, the papists contend that one person only is meant by these appellations, because they are in the singular number, and have the Greek article prefixed to them. But in Scripture we find other words in the singular number, with the article, used to denote a multitude of persons; for example, Romans 1:17; o dikaiov, the just one, by faith, shall live; that is, all just persons whatever: Titus 1:7; o episkopov, the bishop must be blameless; that is, all bishops must be so: 2 John 1:7; oplanov, the deceiver, signifies many deceivers, as is plain from the preceding clause, where many deceivers are said to have gone out. In like manner the false teachers, who deceived Christ’s servants to commit fornication and idolatry, are called that woman Jezebel, Revelation 2:20, and the whore of Babylon, Revelation 17:5; and in this prophecy, Revelation 17:7, the Roman emperors, and magistrates under them, are called o katecwn, he who restraineth. Farther, a succession of persons, arising one after another, is denoted by appellations in the singular number with the article; for example: the succession of the Jewish high priests is thus denoted in the laws concerning them, Leviticus 21:10, 15; Numbers 35:25-28. As also the succession of the Jewish kings, Deuteronomy 17:14; 1 Samuel 8:11. From these examples, therefore, it is plain that the names, man of sin, son of perdition, lawless one, although in the singular number, and with the article prefixed, may, according to the Scripture idiom, denote a multitude, and even a succession of persons arising one after another.
“The facts and circumstances mentioned in these prophecies are, for the most part, so peculiarly marked, that they will not easily apply, except to the persons and events intended by the Spirit of God. And therefore, in every case where different interpretations have been given of any prophecy, the proper method of ascertaining its meaning is to compare the various events to which it is thought to relate with the words of the prophecy, and to adopt that as the event intended which most exactly agrees in all its parts to the prophetic description.
“According to this rule, though many different interpretations have been given of the prophecy under consideration, that, in my opinion, will appear the best founded which makes it a prediction of the corruptions of Christianity, which began to be introduced into the Church in the apostle’s days, and wrought secretly all the time the heathen magistrates persecuted the Christians, but which showed themselves more openly after the empire received the faith of Christ, A. D. 312, and, by a gradual progress, ended in the monstrous errors and usurpations of the bishops of Rome, when the restraining power of the emperors was taken out of the way by the incursions of the barbarous nations, and the breaking of the empire into the ten kingdoms prefigured by the ten horns of Daniel’s fourth beast. Now, to be convinced of this, we need only compare the rise and progress of the papal tyranny with the descriptions of the man of sin, and of the mystery of iniquity, given in the writings of Daniel and Paul.
“And first, we have shown in note 1, on 2 Thessalonians 2:7, that the mystery of iniquity, or the corrupt doctrines which ended in the errors and usurpations of the see of Rome, was working secretly in the apostle’s days, as he affirms, 2 Thessalonians 2:7; and that the power of the Roman emperors, and of the magistrates under them, was that which then, and during the succeeding ages, restrained the mystery of iniquity in its working, and the man of sin from revealing himself. For, while the power of the state continued in the hands of the heathen rulers, and while they employed that power in persecuting the Christians, the corrupt doctrines and practices introduced by the false teachers did not spread so fast as otherwise they would have done. At least they were not produced to public view as the decisions of Heaven, to which all men were bound to pay implicit obedience. But, after the heathen magistrates were taken out of the way by the conversion of Constantine, and after he and his successors called the Christian bishops to meet in general councils, and enforced their assumption of Divine authority by the civil power; then did they in these councils arrogate to themselves the right of establishing what articles of faith and discipline they thought proper, and of anathematizing all who rejected their decrees; a claim which, in after times, the bishops of Rome transferred from general councils to themselves. It was in this period that the worship of saints and angels was introduced; celibacy was praised as the highest piety; meats of certain kinds were prohibited; and a variety of superstitious mortifications of the body were enjoined by the decrees of councils, in opposition to the express laws of God. In this period, likewise, idolatry and superstition were recommended to the people by false miracles, and every deceit which wickedness could suggest; such as the miraculous cures pretended to be performed by the bones and other relics of the martyrs, in order to induce the ignorant vulgar to worship them as mediators; the feigned visions of angels, who they said had appeared to this or that hermit, to recommend celibacy, fastings, mortifications of the body, and living in solitude; the apparitions of souls from purgatory, who begged that certain superstitions might be practised, for delivering them from that confinement: by all which, those assemblies of ecclesiastics, who by their decrees enjoined these practices, showed themselves to be the man of sin, and lawless one, in his first form, whose coming was to be with all power, and signs, and miracles of falsehood; and who opposed every one that is called god, or that is worshipped. For these general councils, by introducing the worship of saints and angels, robbed God of the worship due to him; and, by substituting saints and angels as mediators, in the place of Christ, they degraded him from his office as mediator, or rendered it altogether useless. However, though they thus opposed God and Christ by their unrighteous decrees, they did not yet exalt themselves above every one who is called God, or an object of worship; neither did they sit yet in the temple of God, as God, and openly show themselves to be God. These blasphemous
extravagances were to be acted in after times by a number of particular persons in succession, I mean by the bishops of Rome, after the power of the Christian Roman emperors and of the magistrates under them, was taken out of the way. For the bishops of that see, having very early obtained from the Christian emperors decrees in their own favour, soon raised themselves above all other bishops; and, by a variety of artifices, made the authority and influence of the whole body of the clergy centre in themselves; and claimed that infallible authority which was formerly exercised by general councils, of making articles of faith; and of establishing rules of discipline for the whole Christian community; and of determining, in the last resort, all differences among the clergy; and of anathematizing every one who did not submit to their unrighteous decisions. In this manner did the bishops of Rome establish in their own persons a spiritual dominion over the whole Christian world. But not content with this height of power, by dexterously employing the credit and influence which the ecclesiastics, now devoted to their will, had over the laity in all the countries where they lived, they interfered in many civil matters also; till at length they reared that intolerable fabric of spiritual and civil tyranny conjoined, whereby the understandings, the persons, and the properties, not of the laity only, but also of the clergy themselves, have for along time been most grievously enthralled, in all the countries where Christianity was professed.
“This height, however, of spiritual and civil tyranny united, the bishops of Rome did not attain till, as the apostle foretold, that which restrained was taken out of the way; or, till an end was put to the authority of the Roman emperors in the west, by the inroads of the barbarous nations; and, more especially, till the western empire was broken into the ten kingdoms, prefigured in Daniel’s vision by the ten horns of the fourth beast; for then it was that the bishops of Rome made themselves the sovereigns of Rome and of its territory, and so became the little horn which Daniel beheld coming up among the ten horns, and which had the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things; to show that its dominion was founded on the deepest policy, and that its strength consisted in the bulls, excommunications, and anathemas, which, with intolerable audacity, it uttered against all who opposed its usurpations. And in process of time, the bishops of Rome having got possession of three of the kingdoms into which the western empire was broken, signified by three of the horns of Daniel’s fourth beast being plucked up by the roots before the little horn, they call themselves the vicars of Christ, on pretence that Christ had transferred his whole authority to them. They also thought to change times and laws, as Daniel foretold; for, as the vicars of Christ, they assumed the power of saving and damning men at their own pleasure; and altered the terms of salvation, making it depend, not on faith and holiness, but on the superstitious practices which they had established; and sold the pardon of sins past, and even the liberty of sinning for the future, for money. Moreover, they openly made war with the saints who resisted their corrupt doctrines and practices, and prevailed against them, and wore out the saints of the Most High; for, by the cruel and bloody persecutions which they obliged the princes who acknowledged their authority to carry on against those who adhered to the pure doctrines and worship of Christ, they destroyed incredible numbers of them. Nay, by the terror of their excommunications and interdicts, they forced even the most powerful sovereigns to bend to their yoke: thus with their mouth did they speak very great things. At length they assumed the right of conferring kingdoms and of deposing princes, and actually deposed some, with the help of the potentates of their communion, who put their mandates in execution. Lastly, to render this exercise of their tyranny the more effectual, they arrogated the power of loosing subjects from their oaths of allegiance; whereby they made void the most sacred of all moral obligations, the obligation of allegiance. But this impious scheme of false doctrine, and the spiritual tyranny built upon it, agreeably to the predictions of the Prophet Daniel and of the Apostle Paul, began at the Reformation to be consumed by the breath of the Lord’s mouth; that is, by the Scriptures put into the hands of the laity, and by the preaching of true doctrine out of the Scriptures.
“Upon the whole, I think every impartial person who attentively considers the foregoing sketch must be sensible that, in the bishops of Rome, all the characters and actions ascribed by Daniel to the little horn, and by Paul to the man of sin and the lawless one, are clearly united. For, according to the strong workings of Satan, with all power, and signs, and miracles of falsehood, they have opposed Christ, and exalted themselves above all that is called god, or an object of worship; and have long sat in the temple of God, as God, showing themselves that they are God: that is, they exercise the power and prerogatives of God. And seeing, in the acquisition and exercise of their spiritual tyranny, they have trampled upon all laws, human and Divine; and have encouraged their votaries in the most enormous acts of wickedness; the Spirit of God has, with the greatest propriety, given them the appellations of the man of sin, the son of perdition, and the lawless one. Farther, as it is said the man of sin was to be revealed in his season, there can be little doubt that the dark ages, in which all learning was overturned by the irruption of the northern barbarians, were the season allotted to the man of sin for revealing himself. Accordingly, we know that in these ages the corruptions of Christianity and the usurpations of the clergy were carried to the greatest height. In short, the annals of the world cannot produce persons and events to which the things written in this passage can be applied with so much fitness as to the bishops of Rome. Why then should we be in any doubt concerning the interpretation and application of this famous prophecy? “At the conclusion of our explication of the prophecy concerning the man of sin, it may be proper to observe, that the events foretold in it being such as never took place in the world before, and, in all probability, never will take place in it again; the foreknowledge of them was certainly a matter out of the reach of human conjecture or foresight. It is evident, therefore, that this prophecy, which from the beginning has stood on record, taken in conjunction with the accomplishment of it verified by the concurrent testimony of history, affords an illustrious proof of the Divine original of that revelation of which it makes a part, and of the inspiration of the person from whose mouth it proceeded.” See Dr. Macknight’s Commentary and Notes, vol. iii., p. 100, &c.
With all this evidence before him, the intelligent reader will now be enabled to judge for himself, and to adopt for his own that opinion which appears to be the best supported by circumstances and facts. The labours of the above learned men have certainly narrowed the principal subjects of inquiry; and we may now safely state that, in this very obscure prophecy, the Spirit of God had in view either the Jewish or an apostate Christian Church, possessing great spiritual and secular influence and jurisdiction. That the words appear to apply best to the conduct of many of the popes, and the corruptions of the Romish Church, needs no proof; but to which of these Churches, or to what other Church or system, we should apply them, some men, as eminent for their piety as for their learning, hesitate to declare: yet I must acknowledge, that the most pointed part of the evidence here adduced tends to fix the whole on the Romish Church, and on none other.
Whatever may be intended here by the words mystery of iniquity, we may safely assert that it is a mystery of iniquity to deny the use of the sacred Scriptures to the common people; and that the Church that does so is afraid to come to the light. Nothing can be more preposterous and monstrous than to call people to embrace the doctrines of Christianity, and refuse them the opportunity of consulting the book in which they are contained. Persons who are denied the use of the sacred writings may be manufactured into different forms and modes; and be mechanically led to believe certain dogmas, and perform certain religious acts; but without the use of the Scriptures, they never can be intelligent Christians; they do not search the Scriptures, and therefore they cannot know Him of whom these Scriptures testify. The mystery of iniquity contained in this prohibition works now, and has worked long; but did it work in the apostles’ times? Did it work in the Church at Thessalonica? Is it possible that the present crop should have been produced from so remote a seed? What does that most solemn adjuration of the apostle, 1 Thessalonians 5:27, mean? I charge you by the Lord, that this epistle be READ unto ALL the holy brethren. Why was such a charge necessary? Why should it be given in so awful a manner? Does it not absolutely imply that there would be attempts made to keep all the holy brethren from seeing this epistle? And can we conceive that less was referred to in the delivery of this very awful adjuration? This mystery of iniquity did work then in the Christian Church; even then attempts were made to hide the Scriptures from the common people. And does not this one consideration serve more to identify the prophecy than any thing else? Let him that readeth understand. See the notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:27, and at the end of that chapter. {1 Thessalonians 5:28}
II THESSALONIANS
Joseph Benson
Verses 3, 4. Let no man deceive you by any means — By any of these ways fore-mentioned, or any other; for that day shall not come, unless a falling away, h apostasia, the apostacy, come first — The article here is emphatical, denoting both that this was to be a great apostacy, the apostacy, by way of eminence, (the general, grand departure of the whole visible church into idolatrous worship,) and that the Thessalonians had been already apprized of its coming. Although the Greek word here used often signifies the rebellion of subjects against the supreme power of the country where they live, or the revolt of soldiers against their general, or the hostile separation of one part of a nation from another; yet in Scripture it commonly signifies a departure, either in whole or in part, from a religious faith or obedience formerly professed, Acts 21:21; Hebrews 3:12. Here it denotes the defection of the disciples of Christ from the true faith and worship of God, enjoined in the gospel. Accordingly, the apostle, foretelling this very defection, (1 Timothy 4:1,) says, aposthsontai tinev, some shall apostatize from the faith. See the note on that verse. And that man of sin — The head of this apostacy, given up to all sin himself, (Revelation 13:5, 6,) and a ringleader of others unto sin, verses 12, 14. If this idea be derived from any ancient prophet, it must be from Daniel, who hath described the like arrogant and tyrannical power, Daniel 7:25; He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws. See also Daniel 11:26. Any man may be satisfied that St. Paul alluded to this description by Daniel, because he hath not only borrowed the ideas, but hath even adopted some of the phrases and expressions. The man of sin may signify either a single man, or a succession of men; the latter being meant in Daniel, it is probable that the same is intended here also. Indeed, a single man appears hardly sufficient for the work here assigned; and it is agreeable to the phraseology of Scripture to speak of a body, or a number of men, under the character of one. Thus a king (Daniel 7., 8.; Revelation 17.) is often used for a succession of kings, and the high-priest, (Hebrews 9:7, 25,) for the series and order of high-priests. A single beast, (Dan 7, 8.; Revelation 13.) often represents a whole empire or kingdom, in all its changes and revolutions. The woman clothed with the sun, (Revelation 12:1,) is designed as an emblem of the true church, as the woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, (Revelation 17:4,) is the portrait of a corrupt communion. This man of sin is said to be revealed when he enters on the stage, and acts as he is described. The son of perdition — One who brings destruction upon others, both spiritual and temporal, (Revelation 17:2, 6,) and is devoted to destruction himself, verse 8. Thus the Papacy has caused the death of numberless multitudes both of opposers and followers, has destroyed innumerable souls, and will itself go to destruction. The son of perdition is also the denomination of the traitor Judas, (John 17:12,) which implies that the man of sin should, like Judas, be a false prophet, should betray Christ, and be devoted to destruction. Who opposeth — Or shall oppose, (the prophets speaking of things future as present,) and exalt himself above all — Greek, epi panta, above every one, that is called God — This is manifestly copied from Daniel; He shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, and speak marvellous things against the God of gods. Or that is worshipped — Eebasma, alluding to the title of the Roman emperors, sebastov, august, or venerable. He shall oppose and exalt himself, not only above inferior magistrates, who are sometimes called gods in holy writ, but even above the greatest emperors, and shall arrogate to himself divine honours; so that he, as God — Assuming the authority of Christ; sitteth in the temple of God — Exercises supreme and sovereign power over the visible church, as head thereof, even over all that profess Christianity. By the temple of God, the apostle could not well mean the temple of Jerusalem, because he knew very well that would be totally destroyed within a few years. It is an observation of the learned Bochart, that after the death of Christ the temple at Jerusalem is never called by the apostles the temple of God; and that when they mention the house or temple of God, they mean the Christian Church in general, or every particular believer; which indeed is very evident from many passages in their epistles: see 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-24; 1 Peter 2:5. Besides, in the Revelation by St. John, which was written some years after the destruction of Jerusalem, there is mention made of men’s becoming pillars in the temple of God, (Revelation 3:12,) which is a further proof that the sitting of the man of sin in the temple of God, by no means implies that he was to appear in the temple of Jerusalem. In short, the meaning of the verse is, that the wicked teachers, of whom the apostle speaks, would first oppose Christ by corrupting the doctrine of the gospel concerning him, and after that they would make void the government of God and of Christ in the Christian Church, and the government of the civil magistrate in the state, by arrogating to themselves the whole spiritual authority which belongs to Christ, and all the temporal authority belonging to princes and magistrates; showing himself that he is God — Exercising all the prerogatives of God, accepting such titles, and doing such things, as, if they indeed belonged to him, would show him to be God: an exact description certainly of the Papal power.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 3, 4. Let no man deceive you, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. These words, like most of those that follow, are taken from prophecies in the old testament, as is the manner of St. John in the revelation. By consequence they have the fairest claims to our study and full investigation. Know then, as I stated when with you, as if the apostle should say, that the day of the jews is near, and it shall come suddenly upon them as the lightning from the east; but that the coming of the Lord to judge the world, though it should be accounted ever near, and kept before our eyes, is yet at the distance of many ages. For the Spirit speaketh rhtwv, desertè, learnedly, expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, as has been named in the preseding verse, that “God was manifest in the flesh;” namely, the Arians in the east; and also that the Pontificate in the west shall set up the commandments of men above the pure and unadulterated word of God, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats. 1 Timothy 4:1-3. These apostasies shall remove the candlestick from the east, and cause a deathful gloom to overspread the west.
And that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, sitting in the temple of God. What is meant by the temple of God? Answer, the christian church; for this having succeeded the Hebrew temple, is called the church of the firstborn, and the temple of the living God. What is meant by the son of perdition, which the Targum on Isaiah 11:4 calls, Armillum improbum, the armed wicked one? Answer: not an individual, but an ecclesiastical body. So Christ is repeatedly called, in connection with the church. 1 Corinthians 12. “As the body is one, and hath many members, so also is (the) Christ.” The Mons testament quotes a reading, L’ enfant, the child of perdition. He was born in the apostolic age, and from infancy loved the preëminence. His father was an Amorite, and his mother a Hittite. Some of the christian fathers thought they saw him in Nero; others in Trajan, and in Caligula. All these indeed were armed wicked ones, but they were only his cousins. He did not come to maturity to be declared, o uiov, the son, till all his cousins were removed from their iron thrones. Then, when the Goths, the Huns, and the Vandals, had broken up the pagan empire and deluged Europe with blood, and spread the cloud of northern darkness and dreary winter over the church, leaving her in the hands of benighted ecclesiastics to do just what they pleased with religion; then, I say, this son appeared in strong characters, and took heaven and earth into his own hands, and assumed the title of Vice Deo.
Peter Jurieu, a French protestant minister, whose works are comprised in seven volumes, 8vo., affirms that the Waldenses were the first who in the twelfth century descried the Man of Sin, and gave the alarm to the christian world. They exposed his pride, and the bloody cruelties of his persecutions, as the Antichrist, the enemy of the saints, who would not worship the image of the beast which had conceded to him his power. They depicted him as the little horn of Daniel, who thought to change the times and the laws: Daniel 7:25.
Others descried him as the foolish shepherd, foreseen by the prophet Zechariah. “Lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who shall not visit those that are cut off, neither shall seek the young ones, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which standeth still, but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their limbs in pieces.” Zechariah 11:16. Who opposeth and exalteth himself, et se efferens, and carries himself above all that is called God; whether Numen, or Dii, or angels, or idols adored by the gentiles. The word sebasma, designates, not the deity alone, but whatever is divine, august, adorable, venerable. The emperors of Rome were adored after death, but the Man of sin, like Nebuchadnezzar, caused all men to worship the image of the beast, as the only condition on which he allowed them to exist.
So that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God, and the sole lawgiver of the church. To whatever deity a temple was dedicated, the image of that deity was elevated on a pedestal, that the crowd might prostrate before the statue. Similar to this is the fine satire of the prophet, addressed to the power of Babylon. “Thou hast said — I will sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north.” Isaiah 14:13. Here we see him enthroned amid the legion of honour, of cardinals, legates, archbishops, princes, priests and friars, whose orders and numbers are countless, keeping the garrisons of all the earth, each having sworn to his god, “that without subjection to the church of the Romans no human creature can be saved.”
Daniel Whedon
3. No man deceive you—Words very similar to those of our Lord. Matthew 24:4. Deceive does not necessarily imply a deceptive purpose in the man. By any means—The three above enumerated means, or any other. That day shall not come—Critics agree that the italicised words, though not in the Greek, are properly supplied by our translators. A (or rather, the definite article the) falling away—The apostasy—the well-known apostasy. Not a political rebellion or revolt. The whole passage indicates that it is a religious apostasy from Christ, led by antichrist, the man of sin, leading to the most blasphemous opposition to God. Man of sin—Not merely sinful man, but man made up of sin. He is concrete wickedness. A deep allusion to the Satanic character lying at the base of antichrist. Son of perdition—Applied by Christ to the antichrist among his apostles, Judas. John 17:12.
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Adam Clarke
Verses 3, 4. For that day shall not come, except, &c.-“The day of Christ shall not come except there come the apostasy first.” The apostasy here described is plainly not of a civil but of a religious nature; not a revolt from the government, but a defection from the true religion and worship. In the original, it is the apostasy, with an article to give it an emphasis; the article being added signifies, “that famous and before-mentioned prophecy.” So likewise is the man of sin with the like article, and the like emphasis. If, then, the notion of the man of sin be derived from any ancient prophet, it must be derived from Daniel 7:25; 11:36. Any man may be satisfied that St. Paul alluded to Daniel’s description, because he has not only borrowed the same ideas, but has even adopted some of the phrases and expressions. The man of sin may signify either a single man, or a succession of men; a succession of men being meant in Daniel, it is probable that the same was intended here also. It is the more probable, because a single man appears hardly sufficient for the work here assigned; and it is agreeable to the phraseology of Scripture, and especially to that of the prophets, to speak of a body or number of men, under the character of one: thus, a king, Daniel 7:8; Revelation 17:1-18, is used for a succession of kings. The man of sin being to be expressed from Daniel 7:24, according to the Greek translation, He shall exceed in evil all that went before him; and he may fulfil the character either by promoting wickedness in general, or by advancing idolatry in particular, as the word sin signifies frequently in Scripture. The son of perdition is also the denomination of the traitor Judas, John 17:12, which implies that the man of sin should be, like Judas, a false apostle; like him, betray Christ; and, like him, be devoted to destruction. Who opposeth, &c., is manifestly copied from Daniel, He shall exalt himself, &c. The features exactly resemble each other: He opposeth and exalteth himself above all; or, according to the Greek, above every one that is called God, or that is worshipped. The Greek word for worshipped is sebasma, alluding to the Greek title of the Roman emperors, sebastov, which signifies august or venerable. He shall oppose; for the prophets speak of things future as present; he shall oppose and exalt himself, not only above inferior magistrates, (who are sometimes called gods in holy writ,) but even above the greatest emperors; and shall arrogate to himself Divine honours. So that he, as God, sitteth in the temple, &c. By the temple of God the apostle could not well mean the temple of Jerusalem; because that, he knew, would be destroyed within a few years. After the death of Christ the temple of Jerusalem is never called by the apostles the temple of God; and if at any time they make mention of the house or temple of God, they mean the Church in general, or every particular believer. Who ever will consult 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Timothy 3:15; Revelation 3:12; will want no examples to prove that, under the Gospel dispensation, the temple of God is the Church of Christ; and the man of sin sitting implies this ruling and presiding there; and sitting there as God implies his claiming Divine authority in things spiritual as well as temporal; and showing himself that he is God, implies his doing it with ostentation.
Joseph Benson
Verses 3, 4. Let no man deceive you by any means — By any of these ways fore-mentioned, or any other; for that day shall not come, unless a falling away, h apostasia, the apostacy, come first — The article here is emphatical, denoting both that this was to be a great apostacy, the apostacy, by way of eminence, (the general, grand departure of the whole visible church into idolatrous worship,) and that the Thessalonians had been already apprized of its coming. Although the Greek word here used often signifies the rebellion of subjects against the supreme power of the country where they live, or the revolt of soldiers against their general, or the hostile separation of one part of a nation from another; yet in Scripture it commonly signifies a departure, either in whole or in part, from a religious faith or obedience formerly professed, Acts 21:21; Hebrews 3:12. Here it denotes the defection of the disciples of Christ from the true faith and worship of God, enjoined in the gospel. Accordingly, the apostle, foretelling this very defection, (1 Timothy 4:1,) says, aposthsontai tinev, some shall apostatize from the faith. See the note on that verse. And that man of sin — The head of this apostacy, given up to all sin himself, (Revelation 13:5, 6,) and a ringleader of others unto sin, verses 12, 14. If this idea be derived from any ancient prophet, it must be from Daniel, who hath described the like arrogant and tyrannical power, Daniel 7:25; He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws. See also Daniel 11:26. Any man may be satisfied that St. Paul alluded to this description by Daniel, because he hath not only borrowed the ideas, but hath even adopted some of the phrases and expressions. The man of sin may signify either a single man, or a succession of men; the latter being meant in Daniel, it is probable that the same is intended here also. Indeed, a single man appears hardly sufficient for the work here assigned; and it is agreeable to the phraseology of Scripture to speak of a body, or a number of men, under the character of one. Thus a king (Daniel 7., 8.; Revelation 17.) is often used for a succession of kings, and the high-priest, (Hebrews 9:7, 25,) for the series and order of high-priests. A single beast, (Dan 7, 8.; Revelation 13.) often represents a whole empire or kingdom, in all its changes and revolutions. The woman clothed with the sun, (Revelation 12:1,) is designed as an emblem of the true church, as the woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, (Revelation 17:4,) is the portrait of a corrupt communion. This man of sin is said to be revealed when he enters on the stage, and acts as he is described. The son of perdition — One who brings destruction upon others, both spiritual and temporal, (Revelation 17:2, 6,) and is devoted to destruction himself, verse 8. Thus the Papacy has caused the death of numberless multitudes both of opposers and followers, has destroyed innumerable souls, and will itself go to destruction. The son of perdition is also the denomination of the traitor Judas, (John 17:12,) which implies that the man of sin should, like Judas, be a false prophet, should betray Christ, and be devoted to destruction. Who opposeth — Or shall oppose, (the prophets speaking of things future as present,) and exalt himself above all — Greek, epi panta, above every one, that is called God — This is manifestly copied from Daniel; He shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, and speak marvellous things against the God of gods. Or that is worshipped — Eebasma, alluding to the title of the Roman emperors, sebastov, august, or venerable. He shall oppose and exalt himself, not only above inferior magistrates, who are sometimes called gods in holy writ, but even above the greatest emperors, and shall arrogate to himself divine honours; so that he, as God — Assuming the authority of Christ; sitteth in the temple of God — Exercises supreme and sovereign power over the visible church, as head thereof, even over all that profess Christianity. By the temple of God, the apostle could not well mean the temple of Jerusalem, because he knew very well that would be totally destroyed within a few years. It is an observation of the learned Bochart, that after the death of Christ the temple at Jerusalem is never called by the apostles the temple of God; and that when they mention the house or temple of God, they mean the Christian Church in general, or every particular believer; which indeed is very evident from many passages in their epistles: see 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-24; 1 Peter 2:5. Besides, in the Revelation by St. John, which was written some years after the destruction of Jerusalem, there is mention made of men’s becoming pillars in the temple of God, (Revelation 3:12,) which is a further proof that the sitting of the man of sin in the temple of God, by no means implies that he was to appear in the temple of Jerusalem. In short, the meaning of the verse is, that the wicked teachers, of whom the apostle speaks, would first oppose Christ by corrupting the doctrine of the gospel concerning him, and after that they would make void the government of God and of Christ in the Christian Church, and the government of the civil magistrate in the state, by arrogating to themselves the whole spiritual authority which belongs to Christ, and all the temporal authority belonging to princes and magistrates; showing himself that he is God — Exercising all the prerogatives of God, accepting such titles, and doing such things, as, if they indeed belonged to him, would show him to be God: an exact description certainly of the Papal power.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 3, 4. Let no man deceive you, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. These words, like most of those that follow, are taken from prophecies in the old testament, as is the manner of St. John in the revelation. By consequence they have the fairest claims to our study and full investigation. Know then, as I stated when with you, as if the apostle should say, that the day of the jews is near, and it shall come suddenly upon them as the lightning from the east; but that the coming of the Lord to judge the world, though it should be accounted ever near, and kept before our eyes, is yet at the distance of many ages. For the Spirit speaketh rhtwv, desertè, learnedly, expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, as has been named in the preseding verse, that “God was manifest in the flesh;” namely, the Arians in the east; and also that the Pontificate in the west shall set up the commandments of men above the pure and unadulterated word of God, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats. 1 Timothy 4:1-3. These apostasies shall remove the candlestick from the east, and cause a deathful gloom to overspread the west.
And that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, sitting in the temple of God. What is meant by the temple of God? Answer, the christian church; for this having succeeded the Hebrew temple, is called the church of the firstborn, and the temple of the living God. What is meant by the son of perdition, which the Targum on Isaiah 11:4 calls, Armillum improbum, the armed wicked one? Answer: not an individual, but an ecclesiastical body. So Christ is repeatedly called, in connection with the church. 1 Corinthians 12. “As the body is one, and hath many members, so also is (the) Christ.” The Mons testament quotes a reading, L’ enfant, the child of perdition. He was born in the apostolic age, and from infancy loved the preëminence. His father was an Amorite, and his mother a Hittite. Some of the christian fathers thought they saw him in Nero; others in Trajan, and in Caligula. All these indeed were armed wicked ones, but they were only his cousins. He did not come to maturity to be declared, o uiov, the son, till all his cousins were removed from their iron thrones. Then, when the Goths, the Huns, and the Vandals, had broken up the pagan empire and deluged Europe with blood, and spread the cloud of northern darkness and dreary winter over the church, leaving her in the hands of benighted ecclesiastics to do just what they pleased with religion; then, I say, this son appeared in strong characters, and took heaven and earth into his own hands, and assumed the title of Vice Deo.
Peter Jurieu, a French protestant minister, whose works are comprised in seven volumes, 8vo., affirms that the Waldenses were the first who in the twelfth century descried the Man of Sin, and gave the alarm to the christian world. They exposed his pride, and the bloody cruelties of his persecutions, as the Antichrist, the enemy of the saints, who would not worship the image of the beast which had conceded to him his power. They depicted him as the little horn of Daniel, who thought to change the times and the laws: Daniel 7:25.
Others descried him as the foolish shepherd, foreseen by the prophet Zechariah. “Lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who shall not visit those that are cut off, neither shall seek the young ones, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which standeth still, but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their limbs in pieces.” Zechariah 11:16. Who opposeth and exalteth himself, et se efferens, and carries himself above all that is called God; whether Numen, or Dii, or angels, or idols adored by the gentiles. The word sebasma, designates, not the deity alone, but whatever is divine, august, adorable, venerable. The emperors of Rome were adored after death, but the Man of sin, like Nebuchadnezzar, caused all men to worship the image of the beast, as the only condition on which he allowed them to exist.
So that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God, and the sole lawgiver of the church. To whatever deity a temple was dedicated, the image of that deity was elevated on a pedestal, that the crowd might prostrate before the statue. Similar to this is the fine satire of the prophet, addressed to the power of Babylon. “Thou hast said — I will sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north.” Isaiah 14:13. Here we see him enthroned amid the legion of honour, of cardinals, legates, archbishops, princes, priests and friars, whose orders and numbers are countless, keeping the garrisons of all the earth, each having sworn to his god, “that without subjection to the church of the Romans no human creature can be saved.”
Daniel Whedon
4. Who opposeth—’O antikeimenov, the antagonist, one lying anti, or opposite. Antagonist to whom? To Christ. “For,” says Lunemann, “he is the forerunner of Christ’s advent, and has, as Christ’s counterfeit, an advent (parousia) and a revelation of himself; his works are the direct antithesis to Christ’s works, and it is by Christ’s appearing that he is abolished. This antagonist is, then, no other than antichrist. 1 John 2:18.” And it is curious to note that anti signifies, in the Greek, instead of, as commonly as it means opposed to; so that antichrist might as well mean substitute for Christ, or, in papal phrase, “vicar of Christ,” as antagonist of Christ. Exalteth himself above… God—Alford argues from this clause that the pope cannot be meant, because the pope, so far from placing himself above God, is an abject adorer of gods. Alford’s words are a feeble repetition of a Romanist argument. Says the Rhemish commentator: “How can the Protestants, then, for shame, and without evident contradiction, avouch the pope to be antichrist, who, as we say, honoureth Christ the true God with all his power, or, as they say, honoureth idols, and challengeth no divine honour to himself, much less to himself only, as antichrist shall do. He humbly prayeth to God, and lowly kneeleth down in every church at divers altars erected to God in memory of his saints, and prayeth to him. He saith or heareth mass daily, with all devotion; he confesseth his sins to a priest, as other poor men do,” etc. To Alford and the Rhemist it may be replied, 1. Alford mistranslates Paul’s Greek preposition epi, which signifies not so properly uper, above, as against. 2. If the prophecy is to wait for a being who literally exalts himself above the Omnipresent and Omnipotent, it waits an impossibility. No finite being can exalt himself above the infinitely high. The very thought is inconceivable. 3. The only possible meaning of exalting himself above God is to arrogate and usurp the attributes and authority of God over men; making his own laws the substitute of, or validating power for and over, the divine rule. Now the papacy has assumed the attribute of infallibility; it has manifestly and manifoldly, by virtue of that attribute, truly reversed and overridden the divine law. It holds itself as the giver of Scripture, and proceeds to overrule Scripture by its traditions. It claims, against and over and above the law of God, to absolve from sin. Nor does Alford at all invalidate the strange fact that the pope “creates the God he adores;” manufacturing a wafer when he pleases, and then by consecration transforming that wafer into God. To claim the power of creating God when he pleases is one of the most flagrant self-exaltations over God conceivable. Nor does the fact that he worships the God he has created invalidate the argument. The pagan idolater first makes his fetish and then worships it. As God— Usurping divine attributes, such as infallibility, absolution, God-making. The best critics, however, omit these words. Sitteth—Literally, Takes his seat, and by implication keeps it. Temple of God—Not the Jewish temple, which is never called so in the New Testament, but unquestionably the Christian Church. See 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21. This seating himself in supremacy in the Church is a vivid picture of the inauguration of each new pope. Forthwith upon his election he enters St. Peter’s Church, the claimed temple of God; is lifted by his cardinals and placed upon the high altar. There he takes his seat, and is by them adored, kneeling on their knees and kissing his feet. Their technical term for this act is adoration; and the words on the papal coin are, Quem creant, adorant: Whom they create, they adore. Is God—He is styled, “Dominus Deus noster papa; alter Deus in terra: The Lord God our pope: a second God on earth.” This antichrist, whoever he may be, then, occupies a high, a supreme, seat in the Christian Church. He cannot, therefore, be Nero, nor Mohammed, nor any mere secular prince or warrior.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
Adam Clarke
Verses 5, 6, 7. Remember ye not, &c.-The apostle thought it part of his duty, as he made it a part of his preaching and doctrine, to forewarn his new converts of the grand apostasy that would infect the Church, even while he was at Thessalonica. From these verses it appears that the man of sin was not then revealed; his time was not yet come, or the season of his manifestation. The mystery of iniquity was indeed already working; the seeds of corruption were sown, but they were not grown up to maturity; the man of sin was yet hardly conceived in the womb; it must be some time before he could be brought forth; there was some obstacle that hindered his appearing. What this was we cannot determine with absolute certainty at so great a distance of time; but if we may rely upon the concurrent testimony of the fathers, it was the Roman empire. Most probably it was somewhat relating to the higher powers, because the apostle observes such caution; he mentioned it in discourse, but would not commit it to writing.
Joseph Benson
Verses 5, 6. Remember ye not, &c. — These things were not asserted now merely to serve the present occasion: the apostle had spoken, yea, and borne a faithful testimony concerning them while he was at Thessalonica. Indeed, the rise and progress of this apostacy, with the various heresies connected with it, and the evils which were about to be occasioned by it, were matters of such offence and scandal, that unless the disciples had been forewarned concerning them, their happening might have led the weak to fancy that God had cast away all care of his church. The apostle, knowing this, made the prediction of these events the subject even of his first sermons to the Thessalonians, after they had embraced the gospel; and doubtless he followed the same course in all other places where he preached with any degree of success. See 1 Timothy 4:6. Beza observes that this prophecy was often repeated and earnestly inculcated in the first age, but is overlooked and neglected in modern times. And now ye know — By what I told you when I was with you; what with-holdeth — Restraineth the man of sin from exercising his impious tyranny. It seems the apostle, when at Thessalonica, besides speaking of the apostacy and of the man of sin, had told them what it was that hindered his appearance. But as he has not thought fit to commit that discovery to writing, we cannot determine with absolute certainty what it was; but if we may rely upon the concurrent testimonies of the Christian fathers, it was the Roman empire. Indeed, the caution which the apostle observes with respect to speaking of it, renders it highly probable that it was somewhat relating to the higher powers. He mentioned it in discourse, but would not commit it to writing. As he afterward exhorts the Thessalonians to hold the traditions which had been taught them, whether by word or his epistle, it is likely this was one of the traditions which he thought it proper to teach them. The apostle’s manner of speaking here, (that he might be revealed in his time, or in his own season, as en tw eautou kairw properly signifies,) seems to imply that there were reasons for permitting the corruptions of Christianity to proceed to a certain length. “Now what could these reasons be, unless to show mankind the danger of admitting any thing in religion but what is of divine appointment? For one error productive of superstition admitted, naturally leads to others, till at length religion is utterly deformed. Perhaps also these evils were permitted, that in the natural course of human affairs, Christianity being first corrupted and then purged, the truth might be so clearly established, as to be in no danger of any corruption in time to come.” — Macknight.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 5-7. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things. To you in particular who are elders, I also mentioned what hindered this child, this son, this man of sin from being revealed, though it is not prudent to say more at this time.
Erasmus, three hundred years ago, gave the following paraphrase on the words of Paul. “Remember, I told you before that the wicked man would appear, the child of perdition, who is as much dissimilar to Christ as he is hostile to his kingdom, and is exalted above the Son of God, and above every name by which deity is known and adored. I told you indeed that this wicked one may in his time exercise his tyranny over the saints, for even now, wickedness works under him, and Satan by the aid of wicked men grievously assaults the professors of the gospel. And as you perceive by the delicacy of my words, that there is nothing that lets or hinders this antichrist from showing himself in his proper character, but he who holds the power of the world; or until that power which holds all others in subjection be superseded, and taken quite out of the way. When that is effectuated, then shall that wicked one show himself without disguise, and furnished with all the nets and hooks of anglers, and wily deceits, to subjugate the souls of men to destruction. But with all his diabolical rage, the Lord Jesus shall suffocate him with the breath of his mouth, notwithstanding all his counterfeit glare of mock divinity; and shall utterly obscure and extinguish his power by the brightness of his glory.” — Many great names understand by “the spirit of his mouth,” the preaching of the gospel with the Holy Ghost, which shall illuminate the public mind, and convert the people to the Lord.
Daniel Whedon
5. Remember ye not—No reproof here, but one of several appeals to the memory of his readers, with which these epistles abound. I told you— Probably not in his public preaching, but in private conversation. St. Paul, then, is not here giving them any new revelation, or any after-thought. He had told the Thessalonians at his first visit that events of unknown magnitude intervened between the present hour and the parousia.
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
John Wesley
V. 6. And now ye know-By what I told you when I was with you. That which restraineth-The power of the Roman emperors. When this is taken away, the wicked one will be revealed. In his time-His appointed season, and not before.
Adam Clarke
Verses 5, 6, 7. Remember ye not, &c.-The apostle thought it part of his duty, as he made it a part of his preaching and doctrine, to forewarn his new converts of the grand apostasy that would infect the Church, even while he was at Thessalonica. From these verses it appears that the man of sin was not then revealed; his time was not yet come, or the season of his manifestation. The mystery of iniquity was indeed already working; the seeds of corruption were sown, but they were not grown up to maturity; the man of sin was yet hardly conceived in the womb; it must be some time before he could be brought forth; there was some obstacle that hindered his appearing. What this was we cannot determine with absolute certainty at so great a distance of time; but if we may rely upon the concurrent testimony of the fathers, it was the Roman empire. Most probably it was somewhat relating to the higher powers, because the apostle observes such caution; he mentioned it in discourse, but would not commit it to writing.
Joseph Benson
Verses 5, 6. Remember ye not, &c. — These things were not asserted now merely to serve the present occasion: the apostle had spoken, yea, and borne a faithful testimony concerning them while he was at Thessalonica. Indeed, the rise and progress of this apostacy, with the various heresies connected with it, and the evils which were about to be occasioned by it, were matters of such offence and scandal, that unless the disciples had been forewarned concerning them, their happening might have led the weak to fancy that God had cast away all care of his church. The apostle, knowing this, made the prediction of these events the subject even of his first sermons to the Thessalonians, after they had embraced the gospel; and doubtless he followed the same course in all other places where he preached with any degree of success. See 1 Timothy 4:6. Beza observes that this prophecy was often repeated and earnestly inculcated in the first age, but is overlooked and neglected in modern times. And now ye know — By what I told you when I was with you; what with-holdeth — Restraineth the man of sin from exercising his impious tyranny. It seems the apostle, when at Thessalonica, besides speaking of the apostacy and of the man of sin, had told them what it was that hindered his appearance. But as he has not thought fit to commit that discovery to writing, we cannot determine with absolute certainty what it was; but if we may rely upon the concurrent testimonies of the Christian fathers, it was the Roman empire. Indeed, the caution which the apostle observes with respect to speaking of it, renders it highly probable that it was somewhat relating to the higher powers. He mentioned it in discourse, but would not commit it to writing. As he afterward exhorts the Thessalonians to hold the traditions which had been taught them, whether by word or his epistle, it is likely this was one of the traditions which he thought it proper to teach them. The apostle’s manner of speaking here, (that he might be revealed in his time, or in his own season, as en tw eautou kairw properly signifies,) seems to imply that there were reasons for permitting the corruptions of Christianity to proceed to a certain length. “Now what could these reasons be, unless to show mankind the danger of admitting any thing in religion but what is of divine appointment? For one error productive of superstition admitted, naturally leads to others, till at length religion is utterly deformed. Perhaps also these evils were permitted, that in the natural course of human affairs, Christianity being first corrupted and then purged, the truth might be so clearly established, as to be in no danger of any corruption in time to come.” — Macknight.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 5-7. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things. To you in particular who are elders, I also mentioned what hindered this child, this son, this man of sin from being revealed, though it is not prudent to say more at this time.
Erasmus, three hundred years ago, gave the following paraphrase on the words of Paul. “Remember, I told you before that the wicked man would appear, the child of perdition, who is as much dissimilar to Christ as he is hostile to his kingdom, and is exalted above the Son of God, and above every name by which deity is known and adored. I told you indeed that this wicked one may in his time exercise his tyranny over the saints, for even now, wickedness works under him, and Satan by the aid of wicked men grievously assaults the professors of the gospel. And as you perceive by the delicacy of my words, that there is nothing that lets or hinders this antichrist from showing himself in his proper character, but he who holds the power of the world; or until that power which holds all others in subjection be superseded, and taken quite out of the way. When that is effectuated, then shall that wicked one show himself without disguise, and furnished with all the nets and hooks of anglers, and wily deceits, to subjugate the souls of men to destruction. But with all his diabolical rage, the Lord Jesus shall suffocate him with the breath of his mouth, notwithstanding all his counterfeit glare of mock divinity; and shall utterly obscure and extinguish his power by the brightness of his glory.” — Many great names understand by “the spirit of his mouth,” the preaching of the gospel with the Holy Ghost, which shall illuminate the public mind, and convert the people to the Lord.
Daniel Whedon
6. Ye know—So that all the specific points, the characteristics of antichrist were already known to them. What withholdeth—He who now letteth, or hindereth, or prevents from coming. This hindering, or holding back, is done (verse 7) both by a what, in the neuter gender, signifying a thing, and by a who, in the masculine, signifying a person. This thing and person, who thus hinder antichrist, his readers know; but St. Paul persists in not here naming it and him. Now there is a universal Christian tradition, held in the Greek, Roman, and Protestant Churches alike, which explains both the hinderer and the reason for this mysterious silence. The hindering thing was the Roman empire, and the hindering person was the emperor. And says Chrysostom, “If St. Paul had said that the Roman empire was to be destroyed, the heathen would have destroyed him as a rebel, and all the faithful with him as persons who took up arms against the Roman empire; and when that shall have been taken away, then the ‘man of sin’ will come.” Similar in very explicit terms (as given by Bishop Newton) were the views of Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Lactantius, Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine.
We have already said that John’s Apocalypse largely supplements this Apocalypse of St. Paul. With a great body of commentators, we identify this “man of sin” with the “beast” of Revelation 13; and the Roman empire with the great red dragon of 11 and 12. Each, as we have noted, is the antichrist, the historic guise of the personal Satan of his period. And we thus can understand why the man of sin cannot appear until the emperor disappears. For the beast antichrist cannot develop until the dragon antichrist has finished his career, both beast and dragon being guises and phases of the personal Satan.
When the dragon (Satan under insignia of the Roman empire) is cast down, his guise drops off, and he is the naked “Satan.” Revelation 12:9. He next infuses his “power” into the “beast,” and gives him his “seat” and external “authority.” Revelation 13:2. Though he does not merge his personality in the “beast,” yet he is the corporate soul of the organic monster, (papal Rome,) and constitutes it the regular successional antichrist of history. While the beast is in power, Satan is latent in him; but when the beast is destroyed by the conquering Christ, Revelation 19:11-21, (Christ versus Antichrist,) the naked Satan reappears, as at Revelation 12:9, is arrested, and cast into prison. At the close of the thousand years he makes his true literal, personal, incarnate parousia, and perishes before the divine parousia. He probably “deceives the nations” by professing to be the glorious Messiah, but turns out to be Satan-Messiah, such a Messiah as he tried to tempt Christ to be. Note on Matthew 4:8. He will exhibit all the traits described in this, St. Paul’s, Apocalypse in a far deeper atrocity than the more immediate subject, and will verify the primitive Christian belief of a personal “man of sin.” The climax of blended human and diabolic wickedness will be attained, and the “brightness of His coming” before the “great white throne” will cut it short.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
John Wesley
V. 7. He will surely be revealed; for the mystery-The deep, secret power of iniquity, just opposite to the power of godliness, already worketh. It began with the love of honour, and the desire of power; and is completed in the entire subversion of the gospel of Christ. This mystery of iniquity is not wholly confined to the Romish church, but extends itself to others also. It seems to consist of,
1. Human inventions added to the written word.
2. Mere outside performances put in the room of faith and love.
3. Other mediators besides the man Christ Jesus.
The two last branches, together with idolatry and bloodshed, are the direct consequences of the former; namely, the adding to the word of God. Already worketh-In the church.
Only he that restraineth-That is, the potentate who successively has Rome in his power. The emperors, heathen or Christian; the kings, Goths or Lombards; the Carolingian or German emperors.
Adam Clarke
Verses 5, 6, 7. Remember ye not, &c.-The apostle thought it part of his duty, as he made it a part of his preaching and doctrine, to forewarn his new converts of the grand apostasy that would infect the Church, even while he was at Thessalonica. From these verses it appears that the man of sin was not then revealed; his time was not yet come, or the season of his manifestation. The mystery of iniquity was indeed already working; the seeds of corruption were sown, but they were not grown up to maturity; the man of sin was yet hardly conceived in the womb; it must be some time before he could be brought forth; there was some obstacle that hindered his appearing. What this was we cannot determine with absolute certainty at so great a distance of time; but if we may rely upon the concurrent testimony of the fathers, it was the Roman empire. Most probably it was somewhat relating to the higher powers, because the apostle observes such caution; he mentioned it in discourse, but would not commit it to writing.
Joseph Benson
Verse 7. For the mystery of iniquity — There is a mystery of iniquity as well as of godliness, the one in direct opposition to the other. The expression, a mystery, in the Scripture sense of it, is something secret or undiscovered. See note on Ephesians 1:9. The mystery of iniquity, therefore, is a scheme of error, not openly discovered, whose influence is to encourage iniquity. Doth already work — Energeitai, worketh inwardly, in men’s minds, or in the church, and perhaps also secretly. The seeds of corruption were sown, but they were not yet grown up to any maturity: the leaven was fermenting in some parts, but it was far from having yet infected the whole mass. To speak without a figure, the apostle means that the false doctrines and bad practices, which he foresaw in after times would be carried to a great height by the power which he denominates the man of sin, were already operating in the false teachers, who then infested the church. Accordingly, in his speech to the elders of the church at Ephesus, not long after this epistle was written, he told them, (Acts 20:29,) that grievous wolves would enter in among them, not sparing the flock; and that of themselves men would arise speaking perverse things, &c. And before he wrote his epistle to the Colossians, false teachers had actually arisen in Phrygia, who earnestly recommended the worship of angels, (Colossians 2:18,) abstinence from certain meats, and various bodily mortifications, (Colossians 2:21, 22,) according to the traditions and doctrines of men. For the apostle wrote that epistle expressly for the purpose of condemning these idolatries and superstitious practices. To these things may be added an excess of reverence for pastors, and setting them up as heads of factions, 1 Corinthians 1:19; 3:22; the ambition of pastors themselves, and contending for rule and precedence, 3 John 1:9; errors in point of doctrine already promulgated, as justification by the merit of works, Galatians 2:16; external performances put in the room of faith and love; the having recourse to other mediators besides Christ Jesus, and various human inventions added to the written word. Only he who now letteth — That is, restraineth, will restrain, &c. Chandler thinks this verse should be translated thus: The mystery of iniquity already worketh, only until he who restrains it be taken out of the way; that is, it works in a concealed manner only until then. The restraining here spoken of refers to the mystery of iniquity, as the restraining, mentioned verse 6, refers to the man of sin. These were connected together, and were restrained by something which the apostle had mentioned to the Thessalonians, in his sermons and conversations, but which he did not choose to express in writing. This, as was observed on verse 6, was generally understood by the fathers to be the Roman emperors and empire, as it is plain from Tertullian, who says, (Apol., p. 31,) “We Christians are under a particular necessity of praying for the emperors, and for the continued state of the empire; because we know that dreadful power which hangs over the whole world, is retarded by the continuance of the time appointed for the Roman empire.” “To this conjecture,” says Macknight, “the fathers may have been led by tradition, or they may have formed it upon Daniel’s prophecies. But, in whatever way they obtained the notion, it seems to have been the truth. For the power of the emperors and of the magistrates under them, first in the heathen state of the empire, and afterward when the empire became Christian, was that which restrained the man of sin, or corrupt clergy, from exalting themselves above all that is called God, or an object of worship civil and religious.” The reader must observe, the Roman empire, united under one powerful head, was extremely jealous of every other authority and power, and therefore was watchful to prevent the establishment of every such spiritual tyranny and usurpation as that by which Satan was attempting to make his grand effort against Christianity. It must be observed, however, that though the Roman empire, for several ages, restrained the progress of the mystery of iniquity, and the increase of the power of the corrupt clergy, by keeping the church under persecution, and curbing all authority but its own, and thereby retarded the establishment of the ecclesiastical tyranny here spoken of; yet, as Mr. Scott remarks, “the conversion of the Roman emperors to Christianity, in the beginning of the fourth century, tended greatly to prepare things for this apostacy, by giving scope to the ambition and avarice of the ecclesiastics, and by multiplying exceedingly merely nominal Christians; but it was not till the subversion of the western empire by the northern nations, and the division of it into ten kingdoms, that way was made for the full establishment of the Papal usurpation at Rome, the capital city of the empire.”
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 5-7. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things. To you in particular who are elders, I also mentioned what hindered this child, this son, this man of sin from being revealed, though it is not prudent to say more at this time.
Erasmus, three hundred years ago, gave the following paraphrase on the words of Paul. “Remember, I told you before that the wicked man would appear, the child of perdition, who is as much dissimilar to Christ as he is hostile to his kingdom, and is exalted above the Son of God, and above every name by which deity is known and adored. I told you indeed that this wicked one may in his time exercise his tyranny over the saints, for even now, wickedness works under him, and Satan by the aid of wicked men grievously assaults the professors of the gospel. And as you perceive by the delicacy of my words, that there is nothing that lets or hinders this antichrist from showing himself in his proper character, but he who holds the power of the world; or until that power which holds all others in subjection be superseded, and taken quite out of the way. When that is effectuated, then shall that wicked one show himself without disguise, and furnished with all the nets and hooks of anglers, and wily deceits, to subjugate the souls of men to destruction. But with all his diabolical rage, the Lord Jesus shall suffocate him with the breath of his mouth, notwithstanding all his counterfeit glare of mock divinity; and shall utterly obscure and extinguish his power by the brightness of his glory.” — Many great names understand by “the spirit of his mouth,” the preaching of the gospel with the Holy Ghost, which shall illuminate the public mind, and convert the people to the Lord.
Daniel Whedon
7. The mystery of iniquity—As antithetical to “the mystery of godliness,” 1 Timothy 3:16, which is the incarnation, including its kindred truths; the mystery of iniquity is Satanic possession, (see note on verse 9,) with its kindred errors and lies, as described in vv. 10-12. Now—Literally, already. Surprisingly early. This word hints at an unknown distance of development of existing seeds of guilty error. Work—In-work, operating secretly and lurkingly in the minds of men. Same word as rendered working in ver. 9, where see note.
The seed doctrine here alluded to was the radical principle of Simon Magus, and the vital germ of Gnosticism, the inherence of all evil in matter alone. See note, Acts 8:9. This doctrine (note, Acts 6:5) had two sides to it. First, it could be said by one class of GNOSTICS, that the material body could be consigned over to all licentiousness, while the soul remained pure and holy; or, Second, it could be said by others that the body should be abhorred, scourged, starved, and ascetically crucified. Of the former of these two classes Conybeare and Howson say: “Their immorality is the subject of constant animadversion in the writings of the Fathers, who tell us that the calumnies which were cast upon the Christians by the heathen were caused by the vices of the Gnostics. Irenaeus asserts that they said, ‘as gold deposited in the mud does not lose its beauty, so they themselves, whatever may be their outward immortality, cannot be injured by it, nor lose their spiritual substance.’—Iren., 6. 2, quoted by Burton. And so Justin Martyr speaks of heretics, who said ‘that though they lived sinful lives, yet, if they know God, the Lord will not impute to them sin.’—Tryph., 141. And Epiphanius gives horrible details of the enormities which they practised. Again, their addiction to magical arts was notorious. And their leaders, Basilides and Valentinus, are accused of eating idol-sacrifices (like the Nicolaitans of the Apocalypse) to avoid persecution.”—Vol, i, p. 453. Note on 1 Timothy 6:20.
Against the holders of this former view St. John affirms that any such denial of sin is untrue, 1 John 1:6-10; that the truly regenerate does not practice sin, 2 Thessalonians 3:8, 9; that all transgression of law is sin, 2 Thessalonians 3:4; and he denounces these licentious hypocrites in Revelation 2:14, etc. The latter view led in the Corinthian Church to the denial of the resurrection of the body, (Revelation 15:12-19;) in the Colossian Church to ascetic fastings, celibacies, and mysticisms, (Colossians 2:18;) and in Asia Minor generally to Docetism, or the denial of the unity of the Logos with a body of real flesh, condemned by 1 John 4:3, and expressly identified by him with antichrist, “whereof ye have heard that it should come.”
St. John’s allusions to antichrist are, indeed, here very instructive. They are three: 1 John 2:18-22, and 4:3; 2 John 7. In the last two antichrist is expressly identified with the last of these two classes of views. In the first we have three points: 1. That the coming of the antichrist was generally known to be predicted as taking place at the last time; 2. That there are many (without the article) elemental antichrists now; and, 3. From this it is inferred that it is a (without the definite article) last time. This is not asserting, as Alford ineffectually maintains, that the real antichrist, or the real advent, is approaching; but that some terminus is approaching analogous to the final catastrophe, (see note, 1 Timothy 4:1,) since there are some antichrists existing analogous to the final antichrist. The above described asceticism, based on the inherent evil of matter, was wrought at a later period into the system of Gnosticism. Thence it was embraced in the Popish system in the form of clerical celibacy, abstaining from meats, bodily flagellations, and monasticism. The forbidding to marry, consummated by Pope Hildebrand, completed the absoluteness of the papacy, by cutting the clergy from all human ties and compacting them into a devoted hierarchy, profoundly servile to the pope. And the enactment of the dogma of the “immaculate conception” of the blessed mother by Pope Pius Ninth, in our own day, is the last articulate expression of the ascetic Gnosticism which was already working in Paul’s day.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
John Wesley
V. 8. And then-When every prince and power that restrains is taken away. Will that wicked one-Emphatically so called, be revealed. Whom the Lord will soon consume with the spirit of his mouth-His immediate power.
And destroy-With the very first appearance of his glory.
Adam Clarke
Verse 8. Then shall that Wicked be revealed.-When the obstacle, mentioned in the preceding verse, should be removed, then shall that wicked, &c. Nothing can be plainer than that the lawless, (o anomov,) as the Greek signifies, the wicked one, here mentioned, and the man of sin, must be one and the same person. The apostle was speaking before of what hindered that he should be revealed, and would continue to hinder it till it was taken away; and then the wicked one, &c. Not that he should be consumed immediately after he was revealed. But the apostle, to comfort the Thessalonians, no sooner mentions his revelation than he foretells also his destruction, even before he describes his other qualifications. His other qualifications should have been described first, in order of time; but the apostle hastens to what was first and warmest in his thoughts and wishes: Whom the Lord shall consume, &c. If these two clauses refer to two distinct and different events, the meaning manifestly is, that the Lord Jesus shall gradually consume him with the free preaching and publication of his word; and shall utterly destroy him at his second coming, in the glory of his Father, with all the holy angels. If these two clauses relate to one and the same event, it is a pleonasm very usual in the sacred, as well as other oriental writings; and the purport plainly is, that the Lord Jesus shall destroy him with the greatest facility, when he shall be revealed from heaven, as the apostle has expressed it in the preceding chapter.
Joseph Benson
Verse 8. And then — When every prince and power that restrains is taken away; that wicked — O anomov, that lawless one, who boasts himself to be above all laws, and the infallible judge, dispensing with, and interpreting the laws of God, according to his pleasure. Nothing can be more plain than that this wicked or lawless one, and the man of sin, must be one and the same person: shall be revealed — This revelation must mean that he would then no longer work secretly, but would openly show himself, possessing the character, and performing the actions ascribed to the man of sin. Whom the Lord shall consume — The apostle does not mean that he should be consumed immediately after he was revealed; but, to comfort the Thessalonians, he no sooner mentions his revelation, than he foretels also his destruction, even before he describes his other qualifications; which qualifications should have been described first in order of time, but the apostle hastens to what was first and warmest in his thoughts and wishes. The word analwsei, here rendered to consume, Chandler observes, is used to denote a lingering, gradual consumption; being applied to the waste of time, to the dissipation of an estate, and the slow death of being eaten up of worms. He supposes it has the same meaning here, importing that the man of sin is to be gradually destroyed by the spirit — Or breath rather, as it seems pneuma should have been here translated; of Christ’s mouth — By which expression the preaching of true doctrine, and its efficacy in destroying the man of sin, are predicted. For the mouth being the instrument by which speech is formed of breath, or air from the lungs, the breath of his mouth is a proper figurative expression to denote the speaking or preaching of true doctrine. Accordingly, the preaching of the gospel is termed, (Revelation 19:15,) a sharp sword proceeding out of the mouth of Christ; and (Hosea 6:5) God says, I have hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the word of my mouth. See also Isaiah 11:4. Or, the expression may include both the preaching of the gospel and the power of the Spirit accompanying it; and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming — By clear, convincing reasons and arguments contained in the doctrine of those that shall speak or write by the Spirit of Christ, or by God’s manifest judgments against him in the pouring out of the several vials, Revelation 16. The original expression, epifaneia thv parousiav autou, is, literally, the bright shining of his coming, and means that, as darkness is dispelled by the rising of the sun, so the mystery of iniquity shall be destroyed by the lustre with which Christ will cause the true doctrine of the gospel to shine. “If,” says Dr. Benson, “St. John and St. Paul have prophesied of the same corruptions, it should seem that the head of the apostacy will be destroyed by some signal judgment, after its influence or dominion hath, in a gradual manner, been destroyed by the force of truth.” According to Daniel, (Daniel 7:27,) after the little horn is consumed and destroyed, the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; a prediction which undoubtedly signifies the general conversion of both Gentiles and Jews to the Christian faith, and the universal reign of righteousness and peace through all the earth.
Daniel Whedon
8. Then—As soon as the hinderance is withdrawn. The Roman-pagan empire must disappear, before the Roman-papal power can disclose itself. The Roman emperor must cease before the Roman pope can commence supremacy. The great red dragon must be cast down before the beast can rise. One antichristic guise must be dropped before another can be assumed. That Wicked—That Lawless; who overrules God’s laws and substitutes his own. Revealed—Clearly alluding to the personal Satan. For as Christ is revealed, being pre-existent, so is this antichrist revealed, being pre-existent. Consume… destroy—We have now a vivid
semi-poetic picture of the double destruction of antichrist. Our apostle, in the glow of inspiration, interrupts his description to hasten to the destruction. He has a moment of old Hebraic rapture, and gives us a splendid specimen of Hebraic parallelism:—
Shall consume with the breath of his mouth,
Destroy with the brightness of his coming.
But the Hebrew parallelism was not always the reiteration of the same thought, but two richly varied phases of the same subject. The subject here, as just noted, is the double destruction of antichrist, first under his beast guise, as in Revelation 19:12-21, and the second in his incarnate form, as in Revelation 20:7-10. Consume with the spirit (or breath) of his mouth—An allusion to the beautiful words of Isaiah 11:4: “He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” This figure is not to be degraded into a description of a physical or bodily destruction by an uttered word of Christ. “The rod of his mouth” is the powerful truth that he utters to the world; and “the breath of his lips” is that divine doctrine by which the old man is slain that the new man may be born. This passage is virtually reproduced in Revelation 19:15: “Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations.” As a material image this would be very gross; but as an emblem of all-conquering truth going forth from the lips of Jesus, cutting and smiting down all before it, it is a parable of beauty. And so the entire passage (Revelation 19:11-21) is a picture of spiritual conquests and providential overrulings by Jehovah-Christ in behalf of his earthly kingdom. Kings, there, are, as in ancient prophecy, antitheistic dominations and organisms; the beast and false prophets are not so much men as antichristic systems; their overthrow is the emancipation of “the nations” of verse 15, who are still existing in Revelation 20:3, 8. This battle and overthrow are not the work of a day, but of an age; and it is the preparation for that predominance of Christ’s kingdom symbolized by the reign with Christ of the imparadised “souls” of the martyrs in the battle, who are enthroned over the world, Satan having been bound. And—As the previous member of this parallelism describes Revelation 19:11-21, so the following corresponds with 20:7-10. Destroy—Bring to naught. Not “annihilate,” as Alford (apparently following Lunemann’s vernichten) translates it; but, abolish, nullify. To “annihilate” would imply the putting the very elements of his being out of existence. Brightness of his coming—The epifaneia thv parousiav, by the resplendence of his parousia. Very flatly rendered by Alford “annihilated by the appearance of his coming.” It is by the epiphania, and not by the parousia, that antichrist is said to be destroyed. The word in the New Testament uniformly implies either physical or moral resplendence; as an adjective, Acts 2:20; as noun, 2 Timothy 1:10; as verb, Acts 27:20; Luke 1:79. In Revelation 20:9, antichrist’s armies are “devoured” by “fire out of heaven,” just before the parousia.
This interpretation does, with a slight yet effective variation, ratify the view taken of this parallelism by the best Protestant writers. Thus says Dr. Gloat: “The spirit or breath of his mouth has been understood to denote the preaching of the pure gospel, the diffusion of the word of God, and the revival of evangelical doctrines, which will undermine popery. By the brightness of his coming is meant… the final destruction of popery by the coming of Christ to judgment.” Substitute antichrist here for popery, embracing our historic-prophetic view of antichrist, and these words express our exposition of this parallelism. And so says Bishop Newton: “If the two clauses relate to two different events, the meaning manifestly is, that the Lord Jesus shall gradually consume him with the free preaching of his gospel, and shall utterly destroy him at his second coming.” The former began to take effect at the Reformation, and the latter will be accomplished in God’s appointed time.
And this puts into our hands a key for the solution of the most important section of the Apocalypse, Rev. 10-20. It is a tracing the history of the stages of contest between Christ and antichrist from the first to the second coming. The former appears under successive phases of his true Person, as man-child, conquering hero, and final judge; the latter lurks through various guises and exposures as dragon, beast, naked Satan, and incarnate anti-messiah. At the successive time-points the two, Christ and antichrist, meet; at every point Christ is increasingly victorious; until at last his glorious advent consigns the adversary to hell forever.
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
Adam Clarke
Verse 9. He should likewise practise all other wicked acts of deceit; should be guilty of the most impious frauds and impositions upon mankind; but should prevail only among those who are destitute of a sincere affection for the truth; whereby they might attain eternal salvation.
Joseph Benson
Verses 9, 10. Him whose coming — The apostle, in his eagerness to foretel the destruction of the man of sin, having broken in upon his subject, now returns to it again, and describes the other qualifications by which this wicked one should advance and establish himself in the world. He should rise, the apostle signifies, to credit and authority by the most diabolical methods; should pretend to supernatural powers, and boast of revelations, visions, and miracles, false in themselves, and applied to promote false doctrines. The expression, whose coming, here signifies the first appearance of this lawless one in an open manner. The mystery of iniquity wrought covertly in the apostles’ days; and the man of sin was not to show himself openly, till that which restrained was taken out of the way. His coming, therefore, or his beginning to reveal himself, was to happen after the empire became Christian, and to take place in the manner described in the following clause. After the working of Satan — Whose first setting up, and further increasing of his power, is by Satan’s influence; or with such a kind of working as Satan is wont to use wherewith to seduce persons; with all power — Pretended power from God; and signs — Fictitious or false signs, namely, not such as are fit to prove the truth of the doctrines which they are brought to confirm, but are mere impostures and forgeries; and lying wonders — Such illusions and deceptions as were effected by the power of Satan, to confirm the doctrines and dominion of Antichrist, and were calculated to cause wonder in the beholders. Macknight reads this clause, with all power, and signs, and miracles of falsehood, judging the structure of the sentence requires that yeudouv, of falsehood, be joined not only with wonders, or miracles, but with power and signs. And in explication of the terms he observes, that they are either signs, miracles, and exertions of power, performed in appearance only; mere impositions upon the senses of mankind; or they are real signs and miracles performed for the establishment of error; and consequently they are the works of evil spirits. Of this sort the miracles performed by Pharaoh’s magicians may have been; also some of the miracles related by heathen historians. For the apostle intimates that by some kind of miracle, or strong working, which had the appearance of miracles in the eyes of the vulgar, Satan established idolatry in the heathen world. Nay, our Lord himself foretels that false Christs and false prophets would show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible they would deceive the very elect. Wherefore, seeing the coming of the man of sin was to be after the working of Satan, with all power, &c., it is not improbable that some of the miracles, by which the corruptions of Christianity were introduced, may have been real miracles performed by evil spirits, called here miracles of falsehood, because they were done for the establishment of error: see Revelation 13:13, 14, where the same events seem to be foretold. This description of the wicked or lawless one, plainly evinces that Mohammed cannot be the man of sin, as some pretend. For, instead of working miracles, he utterly disclaimed all pretensions of that sort. In like manner, and for the same reason, the man of sin cannot be the factious leaders of the Jews in their revolt from the Romans, as Le Clerc and Whitby have affirmed; nor any of the heathen Roman emperors, as others have imagined. Besides, although these emperors exalted themselves above all other kings and princes, and opposed Christ very much, they did not apostatize from the Christian faith, nor sit in the temple of God. With all deceivableness of unrighteousness — Or every unrighteous deceit, (the phrase being a Hebraism.) The apostle means those feigned visions and revelations, and other pious frauds, by which the corrupt clergy gained credit to their impious doctrines and practices. In them that perish — Who are in the highway to eternal destruction; because they received not the love of the truth — The cause this why God suffered them to fall into such destructive errors.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 9, 10. Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders. Here we are taught that Satan himself is the author and instigator of all the apostasy of the church, whether of the Arian departure from the faith, or of the cloud of pagan darkness and pagan immoralities, which overspread the darker ages of the church. He mimics and imitates the works of God.
As to real miracles, the calm enquirer can scarcely be persuaded to believe that the Hebrews, destitute and oppressed, could have escaped the power of Egypt, and conquered the belligerent nations of Canaan in that strong and military country, without the special intervention of Jehovah’s arm. And in Ahab’s time, when the prophets were murdered, how could religion subsist without miracles; and how could the Mosaic economy, established with miracles, be conceded to christianity without the equal seals of divine power and authority.
The papal miracles which overspread Europe, and very much contributed to the contempt of revelation, exhibited the weak side of human nature, and brought contempt upon the ministers of religion, who in their day did not protest against the superstition of the people. The elegant Ganganelli, the pious Fenelon, the eloquent Massillon, Bourdaloue, and Flechère, are silent, I grant, about miracles; but courage was denied them to protest against the errors of the age. The faith of the credulous, gained by imposture, is ruined by discovery. These are the artifices of Satan foreseen by the spirit of prophecy, and the church was fairly and strongly warned against them. Matthew 24:24. Revelation 13:13. Concealment was another artifice of the man of sin, the son of perdition. No sooner was his infancy, his growth, his strength and character exposed to public view, than he took away from the people the sacred volume, the word of life, a crime never before committed. He began to burn the bibles, to burn the translators, and martyrs of every name and nation.
Daniel Whedon
9. Even him—Italic words inserted by our translators to indicate that Paul returns from the destruction of antichrist back to a completion of his description of antichrist. Whose coming—Antichrist is the caricature, the black shadow, of Christ. Like Christ, he has his parousia, his revelation. Is after the working of Satan—Lunemann (followed by Alford) does not penetrate the full truth here; but he furnishes the interpretation that establishes it. The working of Satan, he says, does not mean activity after the model of Satan; but is “an energizing equivalent to a Satanic possession; that is, the devil in and through him works.” Alford says: “Satan being the agent who works in the lawless.” It is not a true incarnation, but a mock incarnation, a possession. So that here again antichrist is a mockery of Christ. The pattern of this possession is found in the demoniac of Gadara, Mark 5:9, (where see note,) where the man and demon are so identified, that predicates may be applied of the individual that suit either nature, or include both; just as in the divine unity of Christ predicates are affirmed often that suit one or the other nature, or both inclusive. Power—The three terms here used present the miracle in three aspects, or three classes. Power is a miracle, as being a display of supernatural might; a sign is a miracle, as proof of a doctrine or authentication of a religious teacher; a wonder is a miracle viewed as an external marvel. We all know that popish history is full of professed miracles. Transubstantiation assumes to be a miracle of stupendous power; nothing less than transmuting a wafer into God! Even at the present day large communities are excited by rumoured miracles, and extensive pilgrimages are made to the scene of their performance. Lying—This epithet properly characterizes all three classes.
Against identifying the man of sin with the papal power it is often objected that the Roman Church of the Middle Ages fills a large part of Church history, possessed a large amount of piety, and was the author of a large amount of good to mankind. This may all be cheerfully granted; for the text expressly says that it was in the very temple of God that he enthroned himself. The Western Church of the Middle Ages retained a large amount of Christian truth and power, by which she took the dead corpse of falling pagan Rome, and uniting it with the barbarians of Europe, whom she slowly civilized, laid the foundations of modern Europe and America. The churches and monasteries were built with much of holy purpose, and were largely the abodes of piety and learning. The schoolmen were among the moral and intellectual benefactors of mankind. All this proves that the Western Church could truly be called the temple of God. But to such a history there are two sides. Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome are splendid objects in human history. They were human governments, and as such, “ordained of God,” and their rulers were “ministers of God.” And yet, on the other side, as idolatrous, apostate from God, despotic and worldly, they are in prophecy figured as “beasts.” And so in the very temple of God the papal power arose, forged the most stupendous falsehoods and the most abject superstitions, and thereon founded the most absolute despotism, sustained by the direst cruelties recorded in history. But this forbids not the trust that there is many a true saint in the Roman communion.
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
John Wesley
V. 10. Because they received not the love of the truth-Therefore God suffered them to fall into that "strong delusion."
Adam Clarke
Verse 10. And indeed it is a just and righteous judgment of God, to give them over to vanities and lies in this world, and to condemnation in the next, who have no regard to truth and virtue, but delight in falsehood and wickedness; 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12.
Upon this survey there appears little room to doubt of the genuine sense and meaning of the passage. The Thessalonians, as we have seen from some expressions in the former epistle, were alarmed as if the end of the world was at hand. The apostle, to correct their mistake and dissipate their fears, assures them that a great apostasy, or defection of the Christians from the true faith and worship, must happen before the coming of Christ. This apostasy all the concurrent marks and characters will justify us in charging upon the Church of Rome. The true Christian worship is the worship of the one only God, through the one only Mediator, the man Christ Jesus; and from this worship the Church of Rome has most notoriously departed, by substituting other mediators, and invocating and adoring saints and angels, nothing is apostasy, if idolatry be not. And are not the members of the Church of Rome guilty of idolatry in the worship of images, in the adoration of the host, in the invocation of angels and saints, and in the oblation of prayers and praises to the Virgin Mary, as much or more than to God blessed for ever? This is the grand corruption of the Christian Church: this is the apostasy as it is emphatically called, and deserves to be called; which was not only predicted by St. Paul, but by the Prophet Daniel likewise. If the apostasy be rightly charged upon the Church of Rome, it follows of consequence that the man of sin is the pope; not meaning any pope in particular, but the pope in general, as the chief head and supporter of this apostasy. He is properly the man of sin, not only on account of the scandalous lives of many popes, but by reason of their most scandalous doctrines and principles; dispensing with the most necessary duties; and granting, or rather selling, pardons and indulgences to the most abominable crimes. Or, if by sin be meant idolatry in particular, as in the Old Testament, it is evident how he has perverted the worship of God to superstition and idolatry of the grossest kind. He also, like the false apostle, Judas, is the son of perdition; whether actively, as being the cause of destruction to others; or passively, as being devoted to destruction himself. He opposeth-he is the great adversary of God and man; persecuting and destroying, by croisades, inquisitions, and massacres, those Christians who prefer the word of God to the authority of men. The heathen emperor of Rome may have slain his thousands of innocent Christians; but the Christian bishop of Rome has slain his ten thousands. He exalteth himself above all that is called God, or is worshipped-not only above inferior magistrates, but likewise above bishops and primates; not only above bishops and primates, but likewise above kings and emperors; deposing some, obliging them to kiss his toe, to hold his stirrup, treading even upon the neck of a king, and kicking off the imperial crown with his foot; nay, not only kings and emperors, but likewise above Christ and God himself; making even the word of God of none effect by his traditions-forbidding what God has commanded; as marriage, the use of the Scriptures, &c.; and also commanding or allowing what God has forbidden, as idolatry, persecution, &c. So that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, &c.; he is therefore in profession a Christian, and a Christian bishop. His sitting in the temple of God implies plainly his having a seat or cathedra in the Christian Church; and he sitteth there as God, especially at his inauguration, when he sits upon the high altar in St. Peter’s church, and makes the table of the Lord his footstool, and in that position receives adoration. At all times he exercises Divine authority in the Church, showing himself that he is God-affecting Divine titles, and asserting that his decrees are of the same or greater authority than the word of God. So that the pope is evidently, according to the titles given him in the public decretals, The God upon earth; at least there is no one, like him, who exalteth himself above every god; no one, like him, who sitteth as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. The foundations of popery were laid in the apostle’s days, but of which the superstructure was raised by degrees; and several ages passed before the building was completed, and the man of sin revealed in full perfection. The tradition that generally prevailed was that that which hindered was the Roman empire: this tradition might have been derived even from the apostle himself; and therefore the primitive Christians, in the public offices of the Church, prayed for its peace and welfare, as knowing that, when the Roman empire should be dissolved and broken in pieces, the empire of the man of sin would be raised upon its ruins. In the same proportion as the power of the empire decreased, the authority of the Church increased, and the latter at the expense and ruin of the former; till at length the pope grew up above all, and the wicked, or lawless one, was fully manifested and revealed. His coming is after the energy of Satan, &c; and does it require any particular proof that the pretensions of the pope, and the corruption of the Church of Rome, are all supported and authorized by feigned visions and miracles, by pious frauds and impositions of every kind? But how much soever the man of sin may be exalted, and how long soever he may reign, yet at last the Lord shall consume him, &c. This is partly taken from Isaiah 11:4, And with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked one; where the Jews put an emphasis upon the words the wicked one; as appears from the Chaldee, which renders it, “He shall destroy the wicked Roman.” If the two clauses, as said in the note on 2 Thessalonians 2:8, relate to two different events, the meaning is, “that the Lord Jesus shall gradually consume him with the free preaching of the Gospel; and shall utterly destroy him at his second coming in the glory of the Father.” The former began to take effect at the Reformation; and the latter will be accomplished in God’s appointed time. The man of sin is now upon the decline, and he will be totally abolished when Christ shall come in judgment. Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, Lactantius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose, Hilary, Jerome, Augustine, and Chrysostom, give much the same interpretation that has here been given of the whole passage. And it must be owned that this is the genuine meaning of the apostle; that this only is consistent with the context; that every other interpretation is forced and unnatural; that this is liable to no material objection; that it coincides perfectly with Daniel; that it is agreeable to the tradition of the primitive Church; and that it has been exactly fulfilled in all its particulars; which cannot be said of any other interpretation whatever. Such a prophecy as this is an illustrious proof of Divine revelation, and an excellent antidote to the poison of popery.
See the Dissertations on the Prophecies; and Dodd, as above.
10. Dr. Macknight proceeds, in general, on the plan of Bishop Newton; but, as he thinks that the apostle had the prophecy of Daniel, in Dan. 7, and 8, particularly in view, he collates his words with those of the prophet in the following way:—
Joseph Benson
Verses 9, 10. Him whose coming — The apostle, in his eagerness to foretel the destruction of the man of sin, having broken in upon his subject, now returns to it again, and describes the other qualifications by which this wicked one should advance and establish himself in the world. He should rise, the apostle signifies, to credit and authority by the most diabolical methods; should pretend to supernatural powers, and boast of revelations, visions, and miracles, false in themselves, and applied to promote false doctrines. The expression, whose coming, here signifies the first appearance of this lawless one in an open manner. The mystery of iniquity wrought covertly in the apostles’ days; and the man of sin was not to show himself openly, till that which restrained was taken out of the way. His coming, therefore, or his beginning to reveal himself, was to happen after the empire became Christian, and to take place in the manner described in the following clause. After the working of Satan — Whose first setting up, and further increasing of his power, is by Satan’s influence; or with such a kind of working as Satan is wont to use wherewith to seduce persons; with all power — Pretended power from God; and signs — Fictitious or false signs, namely, not such as are fit to prove the truth of the doctrines which they are brought to confirm, but are mere impostures and forgeries; and lying wonders — Such illusions and deceptions as were effected by the power of Satan, to confirm the doctrines and dominion of Antichrist, and were calculated to cause wonder in the beholders. Macknight reads this clause, with all power, and signs, and miracles of falsehood, judging the structure of the sentence requires that yeudouv, of falsehood, be joined not only with wonders, or miracles, but with power and signs. And in explication of the terms he observes, that they are either signs, miracles, and exertions of power, performed in appearance only; mere impositions upon the senses of mankind; or they are real signs and miracles performed for the establishment of error; and consequently they are the works of evil spirits. Of this sort the miracles performed by Pharaoh’s magicians may have been; also some of the miracles related by heathen historians. For the apostle intimates that by some kind of miracle, or strong working, which had the appearance of miracles in the eyes of the vulgar, Satan established idolatry in the heathen world. Nay, our Lord himself foretels that false Christs and false prophets would show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible they would deceive the very elect. Wherefore, seeing the coming of the man of sin was to be after the working of Satan, with all power, &c., it is not improbable that some of the miracles, by which the corruptions of Christianity were introduced, may have been real miracles performed by evil spirits, called here miracles of falsehood, because they were done for the establishment of error: see Revelation 13:13, 14, where the same events seem to be foretold. This description of the wicked or lawless one, plainly evinces that Mohammed cannot be the man of sin, as some pretend. For, instead of working miracles, he utterly disclaimed all pretensions of that sort. In like manner, and for the same reason, the man of sin cannot be the factious leaders of the Jews in their revolt from the Romans, as Le Clerc and Whitby have affirmed; nor any of the heathen Roman emperors, as others have imagined. Besides, although these emperors exalted themselves above all other kings and princes, and opposed Christ very much, they did not apostatize from the Christian faith, nor sit in the temple of God. With all deceivableness of unrighteousness — Or every unrighteous deceit, (the phrase being a Hebraism.) The apostle means those feigned visions and revelations, and other pious frauds, by which the corrupt clergy gained credit to their impious doctrines and practices. In them that perish — Who are in the highway to eternal destruction; because they received not the love of the truth — The cause this why God suffered them to fall into such destructive errors.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 9, 10. Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders. Here we are taught that Satan himself is the author and instigator of all the apostasy of the church, whether of the Arian departure from the faith, or of the cloud of pagan darkness and pagan immoralities, which overspread the darker ages of the church. He mimics and imitates the works of God.
As to real miracles, the calm enquirer can scarcely be persuaded to believe that the Hebrews, destitute and oppressed, could have escaped the power of Egypt, and conquered the belligerent nations of Canaan in that strong and military country, without the special intervention of Jehovah’s arm. And in Ahab’s time, when the prophets were murdered, how could religion subsist without miracles; and how could the Mosaic economy, established with miracles, be conceded to christianity without the equal seals of divine power and authority.
The papal miracles which overspread Europe, and very much contributed to the contempt of revelation, exhibited the weak side of human nature, and brought contempt upon the ministers of religion, who in their day did not protest against the superstition of the people. The elegant Ganganelli, the pious Fenelon, the eloquent Massillon, Bourdaloue, and Flechère, are silent, I grant, about miracles; but courage was denied them to protest against the errors of the age. The faith of the credulous, gained by imposture, is ruined by discovery. These are the artifices of Satan foreseen by the spirit of prophecy, and the church was fairly and strongly warned against them. Matthew 24:24. Revelation 13:13. Concealment was another artifice of the man of sin, the son of perdition. No sooner was his infancy, his growth, his strength and character exposed to public view, than he took away from the people the sacred volume, the word of life, a crime never before committed. He began to burn the bibles, to burn the translators, and martyrs of every name and nation.
Daniel Whedon
10. Deceivableness—Rather, deceivingness, actively taken; referring to the deceiving operations of the man of sin. Of unrighteousness—The deceptiveness of his iniquity. In them that perish—The objects of the unrighteous deception; literally, towards or upon them who are the perishing: namely, those who receive, and become partisans of, the iniquity of antichrist. They are now sinking to perdition. Because—Reason why they are the perishing; first, they loved not the truth; secondly, they consequently believed not the truth; thirdly, they incurred from God these strong delusions to the belief of the deception of the man of sin, that they might be (not damned) but judged. Received not the love of the truth— Back of their disbelief of truth was their hatred of the truth. And this hatred was voluntary and not necessary, for they received not—they rejected the possible predisposition towards the truth. Back of all was a free responsible will. For these followers of antichrist had, or might have had, knowledge of the true Christ. They were in the Church, as he was seated in the Church, ver. 4; and they were guilty of a falling away, verse 3, an apostasy. That they might be saved—The result which would have followed their choosing the love of truth.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
John Wesley
V. 11. Therefore God shall send them-That is, judicially permit to come upon them, strong delusion.
Adam Clarke
Verses 9-12. Whose coming is after, &c.-The apostle was eager to foretell the destruction of the man of sin; and for this purpose having broken in upon his subject, he now returns to it again, and describes the other qualifications by which this wicked one should advance and establish himself in the world. He should rise to credit and authority by the most diabolical methods; should pretend to supernatural powers; and boast of revelations, visions, and miracles, false in themselves, and applied to promote false doctrines.
Joseph Benson
Verses 11, 12. For this cause God shall send them — That is, shall judicially permit to come upon them; strong delusion — The strong working of error in their hearts. From this we learn that, as a punishment of their sins, God suffers wicked men to fall into greater sins; and as the sin of the persons described in this passage consisted in their not loving the truth, what could be more just or proper than to punish them, by suffering them to fall into the belief of the greatest errors and lies? Thus the heathen, mentioned Romans 1:24, were punished by God’s giving them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts; that they should believe a lie — Or, as the words eiv to pisteusai autouv tw yeudei may be translated, so that they will believe a lie. The lie here intended by the Spirit of God, Macknight thinks, “is the monstrous lie of transubstantiation, or of the conversion of the bread and wine in the Lord’s supper into the real identical body and blood of Christ, through the will of the priest accompanying his pronouncing the words of institution; notwithstanding there is no change whatever produced in the accidents or sensible qualities of these substances. This impudent fiction is not only a palpable contradiction to the senses and reason of mankind, but a most pernicious falsehood, being the chief foundation of that fictitious power of pardoning sin, and of saving or damning men according to their own pleasure, which the Romish ecclesiastics have blasphemously arrogated to themselves, and by which they make men utterly negligent of holiness, and of all the ordinary duties of life.” That they all might be damned — Ina kriqwsi, might be judged, or condemned; that is, the consequence of which will be, that, having filled up the measure of their iniquity, they will at length fall into just condemnation; who believed not the truth — Received not the gospel in faith, love, and obedience; but had pleasure in unrighteousness — In corrupt passions and vicious practices. The original expression, eudokhsantev signifies both to take pleasure in a thing, and to approve of it. “From this we learn that it is not the simple ignorance of truth which exposes men to damnation. In many cases this may be no fault in the ignorant. But it is men’s refusing to believe, through their taking pleasure in unrighteousness, which will prove fatal to them; for a disposition of that sort renders the wicked altogether incurable.” Such is the interpretation which Bishop Newton, in his admirable work on the Prophecies, Dr. Macknight, and many other approved commentators, have given of this famous prophecy; an interpretation which applies with great ease to all the facts and circumstances mentioned in it, and is perfectly consistent in all its parts, which no other interpretation invented by learned men can be shown to be. The passage is evidently a prediction, as the above-mentioned divines have fully proved, of the corruptions of Christianity, “which began to be introduced into the church in the apostle’s days, and wrought secretly all the time the heathen magistrates persecuted the Christians, but which showed themselves more openly after the empire received the faith of Christ, A.D. 312, and by a gradual progress ended in the monstrous errors and usurpations of the bishops of Rome, when the restraining power of the emperors was taken out of the way, by the incursions of the barbarous nations, and the breaking of the empire into the ten kingdoms prefigured by the ten horns of Daniel’s fourth beast.” To be convinced of this, the reader need only compare the rise and progress of the Papal tyranny with the descriptions of the man of sin, and of the mystery of iniquity here given, and with the prophecies of Daniel. In the bishops of Rome all the characters and actions ascribed by Daniel to the little horn, and by Paul to the lawless one, are clearly united. “For, according to the strong working of Satan, with all power and signs, and miracles of falsehood, they have opposed Christ, and exalted themselves above all that is called God, or an object of worship; and have long sat in the temple of God as God, showing themselves that they are God; that is, they exercise the power and prerogatives of God. And seeing, in the acquisition and exercise of their spiritual tyranny, they have trampled upon all laws, human and divine, and have encouraged their votaries in the most enormous acts of wickedness, the Spirit of God hath, with the greatest propriety, given them the appellations of the man of sin, the son of perdition, and the lawless one. Further, as it is said that the man of sin was to be revealed in his season, there can be little doubt that the dark ages, in which all learning was overturned by the irruption of the northern barbarians, were the season allotted to the man of sin for revealing himself. Accordingly we know that in these ages the corruptions of Christianity, and the usurpations of the clergy, were carried to the greatest height. In short, the annals of the world cannot produce persons and events, to which the things written in this passage can be applied with so much fitness, as to the bishops of Rome. Why then should we be in any doubt concerning the interpretation and application of this famous prophecy?” — Macknight.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 11, 12. For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. The man of sin and his adherents, against whom the awful threatening is here denounced, had not their origin in mere ignorance, but in something worse; they are not said to have been ignorant of the truth, but having known it they believed it not, nor loved it, for they had pleasure in unrighteousness. Having rejected the truth as an encumbrance to their vicious course, it was easy to believe a lie, and greedily to receive or invent whatever became subservient to their secular interests or depraved propensities. Error as well as sin will encrease to more ungodliness; and he that takes a step downward, knows not where he shall stop, till he finds himself in the gulph of perdition. For this cause, God shall send them strong delusion. To men in such a state nothing is too gross for their belief, however inconsistent or absurd; and as they loved darkness rather than light, error shall be their ruin. When Ahab rejected the prophet Micaiah, and preferred the prophets of Baal, “the Lord put a lying spirit into the mouth of all his prophets, to persuade him to go up to Ramoth-gilead,” where he was slain in battle. 1 Kings 22:22, 23. When Pharaoh also hardened his heart against the express command of God to let Israel go, the Lord suffered his delusion to be confirmed by the enchantments and lying wonders of the Egyptian sorcerers. When men choose their own ways, and delight in their abominations, the Lord will choose their delusion, and bring their fears upon them. Isaiah 66:3, 4.
The enormous errors, cruelty, and wickedness of the apostate antichristian church had but a small beginning, which was noticed in the apostle’s day, but it went on and grew into a hideous mass of impiety, till it became the habitation of demons, and the hold of every foul spirit; and in it was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. Revelation 18:2, 24. Such is the progress of error and of sin; the beginning of it is like the letting out of water, which rises to a flood, in which men are drowned in destruction and perdition. 1 Timothy 6:9.
Daniel Whedon
11. For this cause—Namely, that they first hated and rejected the love of the truth. Shall send—Rather, present tense, sends; or, as the mischief was already working while St. Paul was writing, is sending. Strong delusion— Greek, a working of deception, that is, the deceiving operations of the man of sin. God, as God of providence, sends these deceptive operations as part of our probation; not to make us sinful, but to afford us means of trial, triumph, and salvation. St. Paul is full and formal in tracing their perdition and their being deceived to their own previous volitional and responsible act, and their mental state in consequence of that act. But for that state and act the delusion would have been no delusion. But, for those who hate the truth, the events sent by the providence of God will furnish ample grounds for being deluded, if they please. Note, Romans 8:11. That they should believe a lie—Greek, to the result that they believe the lie. Men may infer, but the words do not say, that it was the divine intention that they should believe falsehood. It states only a result, a result which the believers were fully, as free agents, able to avoid. We reject the absurd statement of Alford, “whatever God permits, he ordains.” The non-prevention by God of the voluntary sin of a free agent is not the ordaining of it. All that St. Paul affirms here is, that God sends a working of deception (by its own will already existing) to these persons, who are voluntarily predisposed to it. One set of sinners gratifies the willingness to be damned of another set. A lie—Rather, THE lie. The stupendous systematic lie of the “man of sin.”
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
John Wesley
V. 12. That they all may be condemned-That is, the consequence of which will be, that they all will be condemned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness-That is, who believed not the truth, because they loved sin.
Adam Clarke
Verses 9-12. Whose coming is after, &c.-The apostle was eager to foretell the destruction of the man of sin; and for this purpose having broken in upon his subject, he now returns to it again, and describes the other qualifications by which this wicked one should advance and establish himself in the world. He should rise to credit and authority by the most diabolical methods; should pretend to supernatural powers; and boast of revelations, visions, and miracles, false in themselves, and applied to promote false doctrines.
Joseph Benson
Verses 11, 12. For this cause God shall send them — That is, shall judicially permit to come upon them; strong delusion — The strong working of error in their hearts. From this we learn that, as a punishment of their sins, God suffers wicked men to fall into greater sins; and as the sin of the persons described in this passage consisted in their not loving the truth, what could be more just or proper than to punish them, by suffering them to fall into the belief of the greatest errors and lies? Thus the heathen, mentioned Romans 1:24, were punished by God’s giving them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts; that they should believe a lie — Or, as the words eiv to pisteusai autouv tw yeudei may be translated, so that they will believe a lie. The lie here intended by the Spirit of God, Macknight thinks, “is the monstrous lie of transubstantiation, or of the conversion of the bread and wine in the Lord’s supper into the real identical body and blood of Christ, through the will of the priest accompanying his pronouncing the words of institution; notwithstanding there is no change whatever produced in the accidents or sensible qualities of these substances. This impudent fiction is not only a palpable contradiction to the senses and reason of mankind, but a most pernicious falsehood, being the chief foundation of that fictitious power of pardoning sin, and of saving or damning men according to their own pleasure, which the Romish ecclesiastics have blasphemously arrogated to themselves, and by which they make men utterly negligent of holiness, and of all the ordinary duties of life.” That they all might be damned — Ina kriqwsi, might be judged, or condemned; that is, the consequence of which will be, that, having filled up the measure of their iniquity, they will at length fall into just condemnation; who believed not the truth — Received not the gospel in faith, love, and obedience; but had pleasure in unrighteousness — In corrupt passions and vicious practices. The original expression, eudokhsantev signifies both to take pleasure in a thing, and to approve of it. “From this we learn that it is not the simple ignorance of truth which exposes men to damnation. In many cases this may be no fault in the ignorant. But it is men’s refusing to believe, through their taking pleasure in unrighteousness, which will prove fatal to them; for a disposition of that sort renders the wicked altogether incurable.” Such is the interpretation which Bishop Newton, in his admirable work on the Prophecies, Dr. Macknight, and many other approved commentators, have given of this famous prophecy; an interpretation which applies with great ease to all the facts and circumstances mentioned in it, and is perfectly consistent in all its parts, which no other interpretation invented by learned men can be shown to be. The passage is evidently a prediction, as the above-mentioned divines have fully proved, of the corruptions of Christianity, “which began to be introduced into the church in the apostle’s days, and wrought secretly all the time the heathen magistrates persecuted the Christians, but which showed themselves more openly after the empire received the faith of Christ, A.D. 312, and by a gradual progress ended in the monstrous errors and usurpations of the bishops of Rome, when the restraining power of the emperors was taken out of the way, by the incursions of the barbarous nations, and the breaking of the empire into the ten kingdoms prefigured by the ten horns of Daniel’s fourth beast.” To be convinced of this, the reader need only compare the rise and progress of the Papal tyranny with the descriptions of the man of sin, and of the mystery of iniquity here given, and with the prophecies of Daniel. In the bishops of Rome all the characters and actions ascribed by Daniel to the little horn, and by Paul to the lawless one, are clearly united. “For, according to the strong working of Satan, with all power and signs, and miracles of falsehood, they have opposed Christ, and exalted themselves above all that is called God, or an object of worship; and have long sat in the temple of God as God, showing themselves that they are God; that is, they exercise the power and prerogatives of God. And seeing, in the acquisition and exercise of their spiritual tyranny, they have trampled upon all laws, human and divine, and have encouraged their votaries in the most enormous acts of wickedness, the Spirit of God hath, with the greatest propriety, given them the appellations of the man of sin, the son of perdition, and the lawless one. Further, as it is said that the man of sin was to be revealed in his season, there can be little doubt that the dark ages, in which all learning was overturned by the irruption of the northern barbarians, were the season allotted to the man of sin for revealing himself. Accordingly we know that in these ages the corruptions of Christianity, and the usurpations of the clergy, were carried to the greatest height. In short, the annals of the world cannot produce persons and events, to which the things written in this passage can be applied with so much fitness, as to the bishops of Rome. Why then should we be in any doubt concerning the interpretation and application of this famous prophecy?” — Macknight.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 11, 12. For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. The man of sin and his adherents, against whom the awful threatening is here denounced, had not their origin in mere ignorance, but in something worse; they are not said to have been ignorant of the truth, but having known it they believed it not, nor loved it, for they had pleasure in unrighteousness. Having rejected the truth as an encumbrance to their vicious course, it was easy to believe a lie, and greedily to receive or invent whatever became subservient to their secular interests or depraved propensities. Error as well as sin will encrease to more ungodliness; and he that takes a step downward, knows not where he shall stop, till he finds himself in the gulph of perdition. For this cause, God shall send them strong delusion. To men in such a state nothing is too gross for their belief, however inconsistent or absurd; and as they loved darkness rather than light, error shall be their ruin. When Ahab rejected the prophet Micaiah, and preferred the prophets of Baal, “the Lord put a lying spirit into the mouth of all his prophets, to persuade him to go up to Ramoth-gilead,” where he was slain in battle. 1 Kings 22:22, 23. When Pharaoh also hardened his heart against the express command of God to let Israel go, the Lord suffered his delusion to be confirmed by the enchantments and lying wonders of the Egyptian sorcerers. When men choose their own ways, and delight in their abominations, the Lord will choose their delusion, and bring their fears upon them. Isaiah 66:3, 4.
The enormous errors, cruelty, and wickedness of the apostate antichristian church had but a small beginning, which was noticed in the apostle’s day, but it went on and grew into a hideous mass of impiety, till it became the habitation of demons, and the hold of every foul spirit; and in it was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. Revelation 18:2, 24. Such is the progress of error and of sin; the beginning of it is like the letting out of water, which rises to a flood, in which men are drowned in destruction and perdition. 1 Timothy 6:9.
Daniel Whedon
12. That they all might be damned—Not damned, but judged. And damned if judgment justly goes against them. But a true translation should give only what the apostle says, and let the inferential results take care of themselves. God’s purpose is not that any man should be damned. Believed not—St. Paul reiterates, as if anxious to secure a true view of man’s responsibility and God’s justice, that they were voluntary rejecters of truth which it was in their power to accept. Had pleasure—Not from necessity, nor from God’s decree, but from free choice.
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
John Wesley
V. 13. God hath from the beginning-Of your hearing the gospel. Chosen you to salvation-Taken you out of the world, and placed you in the way to glory.
Adam Clarke
Verses 13. & 14. God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, &c.] In your calling, God has shown the purpose that he had formed from the beginning, to call the Gentiles to the same privileges with the Jews, not through circumcision, and the observance of the Mosaic law, but by faith in Christ Jesus; but this simple way of salvation referred to the same end-holiness, without which no man, whether Jew or Gentile, can see the Lord.
Let us observe the order of Divine grace in this business: 1. They were to hear the truth-the doctrines of the Gospel. 2. They were to believe this truth when they heard it preached. 3. They were to receive the Spirit of God in believing the truth. 4. That Spirit was to sanctify their souls-produce an inward holiness, which was to lead to all outward conformity to God. 5. All this constituted their salvation-their being fitted for the inheritance among the saints in light. 6. They were to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ-that state of felicity for which they were fitted, by being saved here from their sins, and by being sanctified by the Spirit of God.
Joseph Benson
Verses 13, 14. But, &c. — Here he proceeds to comfort them against the terrors of the preceding prophecy; we are bound to give thanks always for you — As if he had said, I do not mean that ye believers at Thessalonica will be concerned either in this revolt against God, or in the punishment thereof; brethren, beloved of the Lord — Brethren in Christ through your believing in him, and therefore peculiarly beloved of God; because God hath from the beginning — Of your hearing and obeying the gospel; chosen you to salvation — Hath pardoned, accepted, and made you his chosen people and dear children, as he hath all who, hearkening to the call of his word, truly turn to him in repentance, faith, and new obedience; through sanctification of the Spirit — Through that renovation of mind and heart, and reformation of life, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s influences; and belief of the truth — By the instrumentality of which the Spirit works that important change in mankind. Whereunto — To which belief of the truth, and sanctification of the Spirit, or to which faith and holiness; he called you by our gospel — And inclined and enabled you to obey the call; to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ — The glory which he hath, 1st, Purchased, Ephesians 1:14; 2d, Promised, John 10:28; 3d, Prayed for, John 17:14; 4th, Prepared, and will bestow, John 14:2, 3: the very same glory which Christ himself now possesses, Romans 8:17; Revelation 3:21.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 13-17. We are bound to give thanks — because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. In these verses are contained the sweet cup of consolation which Paul administered to revive the spirit of the fainting church, from the awful aspects of the antichristian empire. He declares two things. First, that God had chosen them in the purposes of his paternal love, and by the good pleasure of his will, as declared to Adam, that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that the Messiah, Abraham’s heir, should bless all the families, or gentile nations, of the earth. He declares, secondly, that this grace had already distinguished them from the antichristian world by sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. So everywhere, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
This is the good pleasure of our Father’s will. Why then should the children disagree about the liberal legacies it contains? The gates of Zion are always open; there is room in her courts. Why should our commentaries be full of gloomy doctrines, nowhere known to the primitive church? They all contend that we err in making faith and holiness foreseen the cause of our election, and the calling of God. Certainly, this is playing an unfair game. Who denies that grace is the cause of grace? By grace we are saved through faith; not of works, nor of any mixture of human merit, lest any man should boast. The inestimable love of God, in the redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ, is the sole fountain of grace. When we say, that believers should be to the praise of his grace which hath made us accepted in the beloved, a sentiment which the apostles always associate with the like passages, we never dream of substituting the effect for the cause. This we call an unfair mode of reasoning, because it evades the grand question to prove a point which no wise man would deny. That point or touchstone, the total exclusion of a reprobate world from salvation by Jesus. This is nowhere done by St. Paul. — See the three Lambeth articles of faith, as quoted on Romans 8:38.
Daniel Whedon
13. But—In contrast with the dark picture of 10-12, we are relieved with the beautiful portraiture of the believers of the truth in Thessalonica. St. Paul presents the divine side of their salvation, the human conditions being subordinately assumed. From the beginning—From the first founding of the Thessalonian Church, when they were first called… by our gospel, as said in verse 14. This, in contrast with the unbelievers of verse 10, who by their own rejection became victims of delusions, Lunemann, followed by Alford, interprets from eternity, a sense which the phrase never has in the New Testament. It is entirely uncritical to quote as they do such phrases “before the foundation of the world,” etc. Equally uncritical to quote St. John’s “In the beginning was the Word,” where the sense of eternity arises from the verb was, as see our note there. In the following passages the phrase is used, limited by the adjoining words to the commencement of human history with Adam. Matthew 19:4, 8; John 8:44; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 24:21; Mark 10:6; 13:19; 2 Peter 3:4. So, limited by the context to particular things, in Luke 1:2; John 15:27; 1 John 1:1; 2:7, 13, 14, 24; 3:11; 2 John 5, 6; Acts 26:4. Chosen—in consequence of faith, just as those of verse 10 were rejected because of unbelief. Through—The preposition of instrumentality. On the divine side God uses the free act of the creature’s faith as his instrument in bringing them to salvation. Sanctification of, or from, as agent, the Spirit— Depends on salvation. It was not, then, first justification by faith which was wrought through sanctification of the Spirit, as Lunemann strangely puts it. Such an idea as sanctification being the primary means of our being chosen is wholly unbiblical. Belief of the truth—The firm permanent faith of the believer in contrast with the unbelievers of vv. 10-12.
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John Wesley
V. 14. To which-Faith and holiness.
He hath called you by our gospel-That which we preached, accompanied with the power of his Spirit.
Adam Clarke
Verses 13. & 14. God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, &c.] In your calling, God has shown the purpose that he had formed from the beginning, to call the Gentiles to the same privileges with the Jews, not through circumcision, and the observance of the Mosaic law, but by faith in Christ Jesus; but this simple way of salvation referred to the same end-holiness, without which no man, whether Jew or Gentile, can see the Lord.
Let us observe the order of Divine grace in this business: 1. They were to hear the truth-the doctrines of the Gospel. 2. They were to believe this truth when they heard it preached. 3. They were to receive the Spirit of God in believing the truth. 4. That Spirit was to sanctify their souls-produce an inward holiness, which was to lead to all outward conformity to God. 5. All this constituted their salvation-their being fitted for the inheritance among the saints in light. 6. They were to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ-that state of felicity for which they were fitted, by being saved here from their sins, and by being sanctified by the Spirit of God.
Joseph Benson
Verses 13, 14. But, &c. — Here he proceeds to comfort them against the terrors of the preceding prophecy; we are bound to give thanks always for you — As if he had said, I do not mean that ye believers at Thessalonica will be concerned either in this revolt against God, or in the punishment thereof; brethren, beloved of the Lord — Brethren in Christ through your believing in him, and therefore peculiarly beloved of God; because God hath from the beginning — Of your hearing and obeying the gospel; chosen you to salvation — Hath pardoned, accepted, and made you his chosen people and dear children, as he hath all who, hearkening to the call of his word, truly turn to him in repentance, faith, and new obedience; through sanctification of the Spirit — Through that renovation of mind and heart, and reformation of life, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s influences; and belief of the truth — By the instrumentality of which the Spirit works that important change in mankind. Whereunto — To which belief of the truth, and sanctification of the Spirit, or to which faith and holiness; he called you by our gospel — And inclined and enabled you to obey the call; to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ — The glory which he hath, 1st, Purchased, Ephesians 1:14; 2d, Promised, John 10:28; 3d, Prayed for, John 17:14; 4th, Prepared, and will bestow, John 14:2, 3: the very same glory which Christ himself now possesses, Romans 8:17; Revelation 3:21.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 13-17. We are bound to give thanks — because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. In these verses are contained the sweet cup of consolation which Paul administered to revive the spirit of the fainting church, from the awful aspects of the antichristian empire. He declares two things. First, that God had chosen them in the purposes of his paternal love, and by the good pleasure of his will, as declared to Adam, that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that the Messiah, Abraham’s heir, should bless all the families, or gentile nations, of the earth. He declares, secondly, that this grace had already distinguished them from the antichristian world by sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. So everywhere, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
This is the good pleasure of our Father’s will. Why then should the children disagree about the liberal legacies it contains? The gates of Zion are always open; there is room in her courts. Why should our commentaries be full of gloomy doctrines, nowhere known to the primitive church? They all contend that we err in making faith and holiness foreseen the cause of our election, and the calling of God. Certainly, this is playing an unfair game. Who denies that grace is the cause of grace? By grace we are saved through faith; not of works, nor of any mixture of human merit, lest any man should boast. The inestimable love of God, in the redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ, is the sole fountain of grace. When we say, that believers should be to the praise of his grace which hath made us accepted in the beloved, a sentiment which the apostles always associate with the like passages, we never dream of substituting the effect for the cause. This we call an unfair mode of reasoning, because it evades the grand question to prove a point which no wise man would deny. That point or touchstone, the total exclusion of a reprobate world from salvation by Jesus. This is nowhere done by St. Paul. — See the three Lambeth articles of faith, as quoted on Romans 8:38.
Daniel Whedon
14. Whereunto—Refers to the entire clause salvation… truth. By our gospel—Where the word our clearly limits it to Paul’s first preaching at Thessalonica, and fixes the meaning of from the beginning, in ver. 13. Obtaining—Attaining. Glory—At and beyond the advent.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
John Wesley
V. 15. Hold-Without adding to, or diminishing from, the traditions which ye have been taught-The truths which I have delivered to you. Whether by word or by our epistle-He preached before he wrote. And he had written concerning this in his former epistle.
Adam Clarke
Verse 15. Therefore, brethren, stand fast] Their obtaining eternal glory depended on their faithfulness to the grace of God; for this calling did not necessarily and irresistibly lead to faith; nor their faith to the sanctification of the spirit; nor their sanctification of the spirit to the glory of our Lord Jesus. Had they not attended to the calling, they could not have believed; had they not believed, they could not have been sanctified; had they not been sanctified they could not have been glorified. All these things depended on each other; they were stages of the great journey; and at any of these stages they might have halted, and never finished their Christian race.
Hold the traditions which ye have been taught] The word paradosiv, which we render tradition, signifies any thing delivered in the way of teaching; and here most obviously means the doctrines delivered by the apostle to the Thessalonians; whether in his preaching, private conversation, or by these epistles; and particularly the first epistle, as the apostle here states. Whatever these traditions were, as to their matter, they were a revelation from God; for they came by men who spake and acted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; and on this ground the passage here can never with any propriety be brought to support the unapostolical and anti-apostolical traditions of the Romish Church; those being matters which are, confessedly, not taken from either Testament, nor were spoken either by a prophet or an apostle.
Joseph Benson
Verses 15-17. Therefore, brethren, stand fast — In your adherence to the truth and possession of the grace of the gospel; and hold — Without adding to or diminishing from them; the traditions which ye have been taught — The instructions which have been delivered to you; whether by word — When we were present with you; or our former epistle — He preached to them before he wrote, and he had written concerning the things which he wished them to hold fast in his former epistle. The name traditions is here given by the apostle “to the doctrines and precepts of the gospel, on a double account; first, because they were delivered by Christ and by the Spirit to the apostles, merely on the authority of revelation; and, secondly, because the apostles delivered them to the world on the same authority, without attempting to prove them by any other argument. And this precept, hold the traditions, applies to no instructions or directions but those which the apostles and other inspired teachers delivered to the world as revelations from God. And though the inspired teachers, to whom these doctrines were revealed, communicated them to the world first of all by word of mouth, they cannot now be known to be theirs, but by their holding a place in those writings which are allowed to be the genuine productions of these inspired teachers. The traditions, therefore, on which the Church of Rome lays so great a stress, are of no manner of value.” Now our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father — Here again, as in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, prayer is addressed by the apostle to Christ as well as to the Father, and in the same words; who hath loved us — As a father loves his children; and hath given us everlasting consolation — Hath opened to us the sources thereof in his gospel, or furnished us with the means of it; and of good hope — That is, a well-grounded hope, namely, of the glorification of both our bodies and souls; through grace — 1st, Justifying us, and entitling us to that felicity; 2d, Sanctifying us, and preparing us for it; and, 3d, Strengthening us, and enabling us to withstand our spiritual enemies, and do and suffer the will of God to the end, and thereby bringing us to it. Comfort your hearts — Under all the afflictions you endure for the gospel; and establish you in every good word and work — That is, in every good doctrine and practice, in opposition to all the efforts of your enemies to seduce you, whether visible or invisible.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 13-17. We are bound to give thanks — because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. In these verses are contained the sweet cup of consolation which Paul administered to revive the spirit of the fainting church, from the awful aspects of the antichristian empire. He declares two things. First, that God had chosen them in the purposes of his paternal love, and by the good pleasure of his will, as declared to Adam, that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that the Messiah, Abraham’s heir, should bless all the families, or gentile nations, of the earth. He declares, secondly, that this grace had already distinguished them from the antichristian world by sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. So everywhere, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
This is the good pleasure of our Father’s will. Why then should the children disagree about the liberal legacies it contains? The gates of Zion are always open; there is room in her courts. Why should our commentaries be full of gloomy doctrines, nowhere known to the primitive church? They all contend that we err in making faith and holiness foreseen the cause of our election, and the calling of God. Certainly, this is playing an unfair game. Who denies that grace is the cause of grace? By grace we are saved through faith; not of works, nor of any mixture of human merit, lest any man should boast. The inestimable love of God, in the redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ, is the sole fountain of grace. When we say, that believers should be to the praise of his grace which hath made us accepted in the beloved, a sentiment which the apostles always associate with the like passages, we never dream of substituting the effect for the cause. This we call an unfair mode of reasoning, because it evades the grand question to prove a point which no wise man would deny. That point or touchstone, the total exclusion of a reprobate world from salvation by Jesus. This is nowhere done by St. Paul. — See the three Lambeth articles of faith, as quoted on Romans 8:38.
Daniel Whedon
15. Therefore—In view of the gracious things from the divine side, vv. 13, 14, perform your duty of perseverance in faith. Stand fast—In contrast with be shaken of ver. 2. Traditions—His written or verbal deliverances to them. These traditions they had received from him personally. They have no connexion with the pretended traditions of the Romish Church, which have no valid proof of authenticity, and yet are reckoned by Romanists as authoritative part of “the word of God,” co-ordinate with the Scriptures.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
Adam Clarke
Verse 16. Now our Lord Jesus] As all your grace came from God through Christ, so the power that is necessary to strengthen and confirm you unto the end must come in the same way.
Everlasting consolation] paraklhsin aiwnian. The glad tidings of the Gospel, and the comfort which ye have received through believing; a gift which God had in his original purpose, in reference to the Gentiles; a purpose which has respected all times and places, and which shall continue to the conclusion of time; for the Gospel is everlasting, and shall not be superseded by any other dispensation. It is the last and best which God has provided for man; and it is good tidings, everlasting consolation-a complete system of complete peace and happiness. The words may also refer to the happiness which the believing Thessalonians then possessed. And good hope through grace] The hope of the Gospel was the resurrection of the body, and the final glorification of it and the soul throughout eternity. This was the good hope which the Thessalonians had; not a hope that they should be pardoned or sanctified, &c. Pardon and holiness they enjoyed, therefore they were no objects of hope; but the resurrection of the body and eternal glory were necessarily future; these they had in expectation; these they hoped for; and, through the grace which they had already received they had a good hope-a well-grounded expectation, of this glorious state.
Joseph Benson
Verses 15-17. Therefore, brethren, stand fast — In your adherence to the truth and possession of the grace of the gospel; and hold — Without adding to or diminishing from them; the traditions which ye have been taught — The instructions which have been delivered to you; whether by word — When we were present with you; or our former epistle — He preached to them before he wrote, and he had written concerning the things which he wished them to hold fast in his former epistle. The name traditions is here given by the apostle “to the doctrines and precepts of the gospel, on a double account; first, because they were delivered by Christ and by the Spirit to the apostles, merely on the authority of revelation; and, secondly, because the apostles delivered them to the world on the same authority, without attempting to prove them by any other argument. And this precept, hold the traditions, applies to no instructions or directions but those which the apostles and other inspired teachers delivered to the world as revelations from God. And though the inspired teachers, to whom these doctrines were revealed, communicated them to the world first of all by word of mouth, they cannot now be known to be theirs, but by their holding a place in those writings which are allowed to be the genuine productions of these inspired teachers. The traditions, therefore, on which the Church of Rome lays so great a stress, are of no manner of value.” Now our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father — Here again, as in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, prayer is addressed by the apostle to Christ as well as to the Father, and in the same words; who hath loved us — As a father loves his children; and hath given us everlasting consolation — Hath opened to us the sources thereof in his gospel, or furnished us with the means of it; and of good hope — That is, a well-grounded hope, namely, of the glorification of both our bodies and souls; through grace — 1st, Justifying us, and entitling us to that felicity; 2d, Sanctifying us, and preparing us for it; and, 3d, Strengthening us, and enabling us to withstand our spiritual enemies, and do and suffer the will of God to the end, and thereby bringing us to it. Comfort your hearts — Under all the afflictions you endure for the gospel; and establish you in every good word and work — That is, in every good doctrine and practice, in opposition to all the efforts of your enemies to seduce you, whether visible or invisible.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 13-17. We are bound to give thanks — because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. In these verses are contained the sweet cup of consolation which Paul administered to revive the spirit of the fainting church, from the awful aspects of the antichristian empire. He declares two things. First, that God had chosen them in the purposes of his paternal love, and by the good pleasure of his will, as declared to Adam, that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that the Messiah, Abraham’s heir, should bless all the families, or gentile nations, of the earth. He declares, secondly, that this grace had already distinguished them from the antichristian world by sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. So everywhere, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
This is the good pleasure of our Father’s will. Why then should the children disagree about the liberal legacies it contains? The gates of Zion are always open; there is room in her courts. Why should our commentaries be full of gloomy doctrines, nowhere known to the primitive church? They all contend that we err in making faith and holiness foreseen the cause of our election, and the calling of God. Certainly, this is playing an unfair game. Who denies that grace is the cause of grace? By grace we are saved through faith; not of works, nor of any mixture of human merit, lest any man should boast. The inestimable love of God, in the redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ, is the sole fountain of grace. When we say, that believers should be to the praise of his grace which hath made us accepted in the beloved, a sentiment which the apostles always associate with the like passages, we never dream of substituting the effect for the cause. This we call an unfair mode of reasoning, because it evades the grand question to prove a point which no wise man would deny. That point or touchstone, the total exclusion of a reprobate world from salvation by Jesus. This is nowhere done by St. Paul. — See the three Lambeth articles of faith, as quoted on Romans 8:38.
Daniel Whedon
16. Now—The heart of our apostle now ascends in prayer to God, for the completion of the hopes and exhortations he has uttered. His prayer ascends through the Mediator, Christ, to the primal fountain of all salvation, God. Hath loved—For do not imagine that the Father is all justice, and Christ alone all love. Christ is the offspring of the Father’s love to us. Consolation—Of which, as truly forlorn beings and condemned sinners, we stand in great need. This consolation must be also everlasting, for if it terminate we shall be as forlorn and lost as ever. Good hope—By the divine assurance which sustains our consolation, given us through grace received by the mediation of Christ.
Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Adam Clarke
Verse 17. Comfort your hearts] Keep your souls ever under the influence of his Holy Spirit: and stablish you-confirm and strengthen you in your belief of every good word or doctrine, which we have delivered unto you; and in the practice of every good work, recommended and enjoined by the doctrines of the Gospel.
It is not enough that we believe the truth; we must love the truth. Antinomianism says: “Believe the doctrines, and ye are safe.” The testimony borne by the Gospel is: Believe, love, obey: none of these can subsist without the other. The faith of a devil may exist without loving obedience; but the faith of a true believer worketh by love; and this faith and love have not respect to some one commandment, but to all; for God writes his whole law on the heart of every genuine Christian, and gives him that love which is the fulfilling of the law.
THE reader will have observed that, in going through this chapter, while examining the import of every leading word, I have avoided fixing any specific meaning to terms: the apostasy or falling away; the man of sin; son of perdition; him who letteth or withholdeth, &c. The reason is, I have found it extremely difficult to fix any sense to my own satisfaction; and it was natural for me to think that, if I could not satisfy myself, it was not likely I could satisfy my readers. But, as something should be said relative to the persons and things intended by the apostle, I choose to give rather what others have said, than attempt any new mode of interpretation. The great variety of explanations given by wise and learned men only prove the difficulty of the place.
1. The general run of Protestant writers understand the whole as referring to the popes and Church of Rome, or the whole system of the papacy. 2. Others think that the defection of the Jewish nation, from their allegiance to the Roman emperor, is what is to be understood by the apostasy or falling off; and that all the other terms refer to the destruction of Jerusalem. 3. The fathers understood the Antichrist to be intended, but of this person they seem to have formed no specific idea. 4. Dr. Hammond refers the apostasy to the defection of the primitive Christians to the Gnostic heresy; and supposes that, by the man of sin and son of perdition, Simon Magus is meant. 5. Grotius applies the whole to Caius Cæsar. 6. Wetstein applies the apostasy to the rebellion and slaughter of the three princes that were proclaimed by the Roman armies, previously to the reign of Vespasian; and supposes Titus and the Flavian family to be intended by the man of sin and son of perdition. 7. Schoettgen contends strongly that the whole refers to the case of the Jews, incited to rebellion by the scribes and Pharisees, and to the utter and final destruction of the rabbinic and Pharisaic system; and thinks he finds something in their spirit and conduct, and in what has happened to them, to illustrate every word in this prophecy. Dr. Whitby is nearly of the same sentiments. 8. Calmet follows, in the main, the interpretation given by the ancient fathers; and wonders at the want of candour in the Protestant writers, who have gleaned up every abusive tale against the bishops and Church of Rome; and asks them, would they be willing that the Catholics should credit all the aspersions cast on Protestantism by its enemies? 9. Bishop Newton has examined the whole prophecy with his usual skill and judgment. The sum of what he says, as abridged by Dr. Dodd, I think it right to subjoin. The principal part of modern commentators follow his steps. He applies the whole to the Romish Church: the apostasy, its defection from the pure doctrines of Christianity; and the man of sin, &c. the general succession of the popes of Rome. But we must hear him for himself, as he takes up the subject in the order of the verses.
Joseph Benson
Verses 15-17. Therefore, brethren, stand fast — In your adherence to the truth and possession of the grace of the gospel; and hold — Without adding to or diminishing from them; the traditions which ye have been taught — The instructions which have been delivered to you; whether by word — When we were present with you; or our former epistle — He preached to them before he wrote, and he had written concerning the things which he wished them to hold fast in his former epistle. The name traditions is here given by the apostle “to the doctrines and precepts of the gospel, on a double account; first, because they were delivered by Christ and by the Spirit to the apostles, merely on the authority of revelation; and, secondly, because the apostles delivered them to the world on the same authority, without attempting to prove them by any other argument. And this precept, hold the traditions, applies to no instructions or directions but those which the apostles and other inspired teachers delivered to the world as revelations from God. And though the inspired teachers, to whom these doctrines were revealed, communicated them to the world first of all by word of mouth, they cannot now be known to be theirs, but by their holding a place in those writings which are allowed to be the genuine productions of these inspired teachers. The traditions, therefore, on which the Church of Rome lays so great a stress, are of no manner of value.” Now our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father — Here again, as in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, prayer is addressed by the apostle to Christ as well as to the Father, and in the same words; who hath loved us — As a father loves his children; and hath given us everlasting consolation — Hath opened to us the sources thereof in his gospel, or furnished us with the means of it; and of good hope — That is, a well-grounded hope, namely, of the glorification of both our bodies and souls; through grace — 1st, Justifying us, and entitling us to that felicity; 2d, Sanctifying us, and preparing us for it; and, 3d, Strengthening us, and enabling us to withstand our spiritual enemies, and do and suffer the will of God to the end, and thereby bringing us to it. Comfort your hearts — Under all the afflictions you endure for the gospel; and establish you in every good word and work — That is, in every good doctrine and practice, in opposition to all the efforts of your enemies to seduce you, whether visible or invisible.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 13-17. We are bound to give thanks — because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. In these verses are contained the sweet cup of consolation which Paul administered to revive the spirit of the fainting church, from the awful aspects of the antichristian empire. He declares two things. First, that God had chosen them in the purposes of his paternal love, and by the good pleasure of his will, as declared to Adam, that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that the Messiah, Abraham’s heir, should bless all the families, or gentile nations, of the earth. He declares, secondly, that this grace had already distinguished them from the antichristian world by sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. So everywhere, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
This is the good pleasure of our Father’s will. Why then should the children disagree about the liberal legacies it contains? The gates of Zion are always open; there is room in her courts. Why should our commentaries be full of gloomy doctrines, nowhere known to the primitive church? They all contend that we err in making faith and holiness foreseen the cause of our election, and the calling of God. Certainly, this is playing an unfair game. Who denies that grace is the cause of grace? By grace we are saved through faith; not of works, nor of any mixture of human merit, lest any man should boast. The inestimable love of God, in the redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ, is the sole fountain of grace. When we say, that believers should be to the praise of his grace which hath made us accepted in the beloved, a sentiment which the apostles always associate with the like passages, we never dream of substituting the effect for the cause. This we call an unfair mode of reasoning, because it evades the grand question to prove a point which no wise man would deny. That point or touchstone, the total exclusion of a reprobate world from salvation by Jesus. This is nowhere done by St. Paul. — See the three Lambeth articles of faith, as quoted on Romans 8:38.
Daniel Whedon
17. Comfort your hearts—By the present immediate application of that everlasting consolation. Stablish you—By the rich inspiration of that good hope. In the performance of every good word we can utter and every good work we can perform.
John Wesley
V. 1. Our gathering together to him-In the clouds.
Adam Clarke
Verse 1. We beseech you-by the coming of our Lord] It is evident that the Thessalonians, incited by deceived or false teachers, had taken a wrong meaning out of the words of the first epistle, 1 Thessalonians 4:15, &c., concerning the day of judgment; and were led then to conclude that that day was at hand; and this had produced great confusion in the Church: to correct this mistake, the apostle sent them this second letter, in which he shows that this day must be necessarily distant, because a great work is to be done previously to its appearing.
Of the day of general judgment he had spoken before, and said that it should come as a thief in the night, i.e. when not expected; but he did not attempt to fix the time, nor did he insinuate that it was either near at hand, or far off. Now, however, he shows that it must necessarily be far off, because of the great transactions which must take place before it can come.
Joseph Benson
Verses 1, 2. We beseech you, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ — As you look for Christ’s second coming, and expect comfort from it; or rather concerning his coming, as the preposition uper is understood to signify in other places of Scripture, and in other authors. For he does not beseech by the coming of Christ, but his coming is the subject of which he is treating; and it is in relation to this subject that he desires them not to be disturbed. And by — Concerning; our gathering together to him — Namely, in the clouds. The phrases, the coming of Christ, and the day of Christ, may be understood either figuratively of his coming in judgment upon the Jews, or literally of his coming in glory to judge the world; the latter is the proper signification in this place, as the context will evince beyond contradiction. St. Paul himself had planted the church in Thessalonica, and it consisted principally of converts from among the Gentile idolaters, who had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 1 Thessalonians 1:9. What occasion was there, therefore, to admonish them particularly of the destruction of Jerusalem? or why should they be under any agitations or terrors of mind upon that account? What connection had Macedonia with Judea, or Thessalonica with Jerusalem? What share were the Christian converts to have in the calamities of the rebellious and unbelieving Jews, and why should they not rather have been comforted than troubled at the punishment of their inveterate enemies? Besides, how could the apostle deny that the destruction of the Jews was at hand, when it really was at hand, as he himself says, (1 Thessalonians 2:16,) and the wrath of God was already beginning to come upon them? He knew, and doubtless they knew, (our Lord having declared it,) that the destruction of Jerusalem would come to pass in that generation. The phrase, therefore, must necessarily be taken in a more general acceptation, of his coming to judge the world, as it is constantly used in the former epistle. That ye be not soon shaken in mind — Apo tou noov, from the mind, or judgment, you have formerly held: or from the true meaning of my former letter, as Chandler interprets the clause. Or be troubled — Perplexed, or put into confusion. The original word, qroeisqai, signifies to be agitated with the surprise and trouble which is occasioned by any unexpected rumour or bad news, Matthew 24:6. Neither by spirit — By pretence of some revelation from the Spirit of God; nor by words — Some declaration pretended to have been uttered by me; nor by letter — Some counterfeit writing, or some passage in the former epistle; as from us — As written by me, or by my appointment; as that the day of Christ — That is, the coming of Christ to judge mankind; is at hand — It was a point of great importance for the Thessalonians not to be mistaken concerning the time of Christ’s second coming; for if they had inferred from the apostle’s doctrine that it was at hand, and it had not taken place according to their expectation, they would probably have been staggered in their faith, and finding part of their creed to be false, they might have been brought hastily to conclude that the whole was so.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Verse 1, 2. We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord, the only hope of the saints, and by our gathering together to him. By the coming of our Lord reference must be had to the promise made to the disciples. After he had said that the gospel must first be preached to all nations, before the stones of the temple should be thrown down, and that the then surviving generation should see that event, he made a climax, and spake of the Son of man’s coming in the clouds of heaven. Matthew 24:30. Now, as the first coming corresponded with prophecy, we rest on the certainty of the second coming of Christ at the end of time. St. Paul therefore beseeches the church not to be shaken in mind, as though the coming of the Lord were delayed, by any such visionary teachers as attend not to the distinction of the sacred text, between the first and the second coming of our Lord. No, nor to be moved, though mistaken zealots should declare that they spake by the Holy Spirit, or though they should affirm that Paul himself spake such words, or even that they had read such an idea in some letter pretended to be his. Thus it was that this illustrious man rebutted the hurtful errors of some in the open face of the church, and with a plenitude of luminous predictions, which before he had imparted but to few.
Daniel Whedon
1. Now—Rather, but. Paul has just vividly pictured the awful yet glorious advent; but their imagination must not bring that event into the present time. By—A preposition of adjuration. It is so rendered by the Vulgate and many eminent critics, as in our translation. It may, then, mean, I pray you by that so stupendous event that you do not be discomposed by expectation of its immediateness. The ordinary meaning, however, of the Greek uper, is, in behalf of. The true sense, then, is neither by nor exactly concerning; but in behalf of that event, that it may not be covered with misrepresentations and false alarms. Our gathering—Described in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.