2 Thessalonians 2 - The Coming of That Day
by David Guzik of Enduring Word Media



A. Instruction regarding the coming of Jesus.



1. (1-2) Paul’s comfort to the troubled Thessalonians and their question.



Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.



a. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him: Paul is obviously addressing questions raised by his first letter, where he instructed the Thessalonians about the catching away of the church to be with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).



i. The challenge in understanding this chapter comes from the fact that it is a supplement to what Paul has already taught them in words, and we don’t know exactly what Paul said to the Thessalonians. Yet the ideas are clear enough if carefully pieced together.



b. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and also our gathering together to Him: Paul obviously wrote of the return of Jesus, but the wording here implies a difference between the coming and our gathering. This strongly suggests that there are essentially two comings of Jesus. One coming is for His church (as described clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18), and the other coming is with His church, to judge a rebellious world.



i. “They are two parts of one great event.” (Morris)



ii. Hiebert shows how the grammar of the ancient Greek in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 shows this: “The government of the two nouns under one article makes it clear that one event, viewed under two complimentary aspects, is thought of.”



iii. This is completely consistent with other passages of Scripture that indicate that there must be two aspects of Jesus’ second coming, and the aspects must be separated by some appreciable period of time.



· Different world conditions are described (Matthew 24:37-42, Matthew 24:21, Revelation 6:15-16).



· Different approaches of Christ to the earth are described (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 19:11, 14-15, 21).



· Different scenarios regarding the predictability of the date of Jesus’ return are established (Matthew 24:36, Daniel 12:11).



c. We ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled: Apparently, a misunderstanding of Paul’s teaching; or an incorrect application of it, had caused the Thessalonians to be shaken in mind and troubled. Here Paul uses a strong wording, speaking of both a sudden jolt (shaken in mind) and a continuing state of upset (troubled). Their fears centered on the idea that the day of Christ had [already] come.



i. “The word 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.” (Clarke)



ii. A preferred manuscript reading of 2 Thessalonians 2:2 has the day of the Lord rather than the day of Christ. The day of the Lord is a concept with a rich Old Testament background, and was mentioned in Paul’s previous letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:2). It is not a single day, but a period associated with God’s outpouring of judgment and the deliverance of God’s people. A significant aspect of the day of the Lord is the Great Tribulation described in Matthew 24:1-31.



d. As though the day of Christ had come: Some translations have that the day of Christ is at hand, such as the King James Version. But the translation in the New King James Version (and other modern translations) is preferred. The Thessalonians were not afraid that the day of Christ was coming, but that they were in it.



i. “The verb does not really mean to be at hand, but rather to be present.” (Morris) The notable Greek commentator Dean Alford translates the passage, “To the effect that the day of the Lord is present; not, ‘is at hand’: the verb here used occurs six times in the New Testament, and always in the sense of being present; in two of those places, Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 3:22, the things present are distinguished expressly from the things to come.”



ii. From this, it is obvious that the day of Christ had not been completed. Paul will go on to demonstrate that it also had not yet dawned, because the Thessalonians were afraid that they were in the Great Tribulation (the day of the Lord), and feared that they had missed the rapture. But Paul will demonstrate that they are not in the day of Christ; because if they were then certain signs would be present.



iii. It is important to notice that the Thessalonians would be shaken or troubled by the thought of being in the Great Tribulation only if they had been taught by Paul that they would escape that period through the rapture. Otherwise they would, in a sense, welcome the Great Tribulation as a necessary prelude to the Second Coming. But Paul had clearly taught them that they would escape God’s judgment on this earth during the period known as the day of the Lord or the day of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).



e. Either by spirit or by word or by letter: Perhaps the troubling word had come through a misguided prophecy (spirit or by word). Or perhaps some other leader wrote them a letter teaching that they were already in the day of Christ. Either way, they were upset at the idea that they had somehow missed the rapture.



i. “The teaching of the Apostles was, and of the Holy Spirit in all ages has been, that the day of the Lord is at hand. But these Thessalonians imagined it to be already come.” (Alford)



2. (3) Signs marking the coming day.



Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,



a. For that Day will not come: Paul will not describe events which must precede the rapture, but events that are concrete evidence of the Great Tribulation - the day of Christ. In this sense, one cannot be certain the day of Christ (the Great Tribulation) has come unless these signs are present.



i. This phrase is not in the original text, but is very appropriately added. Alford says of the phrase, for that day will not come: “So A.V. supplies, rightly. There does not seem to have been any intention on the part of the Apostle to fill up the ellipsis: it supplies itself in the reader’s mind.”



b. Unless the falling away comes first: The ancient Greek wording for falling away indicates a rebellion or a departure. Bible scholars debate if it refers to an apostasy among those who once followed God, or a general worldwide rebellion. In fact, Paul may have both in mind, because there is evidence of each in the end times (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 4:3-4). But Paul’s point is clear: “You are worried that we are in the Great Tribulation and that you missed the rapture. But you can know that we are not in the Great Tribulation, because we have not yet seen the falling away that comes first.”



i. The falling away: The article makes it even more significant. This is not a falling away, but the falling away, the great and final rebellion.



ii. Some have suggested that the idea behind falling away is really a departure, in the sense of the rapture of the church. But a departure implies that the one leaving does so of his own accord and initiative, and this is not the case with the catching away of the church. In addition, the ancient Greek word in the New Testament (Acts 21:21) or in the Septuagint, always speaks of something sinful and negative.



iii. The idea of a great end-times apostasy also does not contradict the idea of a great end-times revival. Some Christians doubt the idea of great revival in the last days, or even welcome apostasy believing it signals the end. But just as the Book of Revelation describes great rejection of Jesus during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 9:20-21 and 17:2-6) and great acceptance of Him (Revelation 7:9-14), the two can stand side-by-side.



c. And the man of sin is revealed: Before the Great Tribulation can be identified with certainty, a particular person, known as the man of sin, must be revealed. Paul’s point is clear: “You are worried that we are in the Great Tribulation and that you missed the rapture. But you can know that we are not in the Great Tribulation, because we have not yet seen the man of sin . . . revealed.”



i. The most traditional understanding of this man of sin is to say that he is not an individual, but a system or an office. Historically, Protestant interpreters have seen the man of sin to be the succession of popes. Calvin represents this way of thinking: “Paul, however, is not speaking of one individual, but of a kingdom that was to be seized by Satan for the purpose of setting up a seat of abomination in the midst of God’s temple. This we see accomplished in popery.”



ii. However, there is no good reason to see this man of sin to be other than what the plainest meaning is here – an individual who will come to great prominence in the very last days. This was how it was understood in the earliest days of Christianity. “The fathers understood the Antichrist to be intended, but of this person they seemed to have formed no specific idea.” (Clarke)



· Daniel described an individual person: The prince who is to come (Daniel 9:26), the king of fierce countenance (Daniel 8:23), the willful king (Daniel 11:36-45).

· Jesus described an individual person: The one who comes in his own name (John 5:43).

· We are not surprised that Paul described this man of sin as an individual person, not as a system or an office.



iii. This man of sin is a prominent figure in the Bible, and the ultimate personification of the spirit of the Antichrist spoken of in 1 John 4:2-3. He will no doubt live many years before the Great Tribulation, but he will only be revealed as the man of sin during that period. The idea behind the title man of sin is that “Sin has such absolute domination over him that he seems to be the very embodiment of it.” (Hiebert)



d. Son of perdition: Perdition means destruction, the complete loss of well-being. It is really the opposite of salvation. To call him the son of perdition means his character is marked by this destruction. Moffatt says the phrase “son of perdition” essentially means the doomed one.



3. (4) What the man of sin does.



Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.



a. Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped: The man of sin demands worship for himself that belongs to God only (Luke 4:8). This demand for worship is also described in Revelation 13:1-6.



i. “He stands against and exalts himself above all Divine authority, and above every object of adoration, and every institution relative to Divine worship.” (Clarke)



ii. Understanding the strength and breadth of this statement shows us that saying that the Antichrist is the Pope is far too simplistic. He will sponsor a religion that does not tolerate the worship of anyone or anything except himself. The apostate Roman Catholic Church may be part of this end-times religion, but it will not encompass it.



iii. “Notice, that the meaning of these words cannot by any probability be fulfilled by any one who, as the Pope, creates objects of worship, and thus (by inference merely) makes himself greater than the objects which he creates: but it is required that this Antichrist should set himself up as an object of worship, above, and as superior to, ‘everyone that is called God or worshipped.’ ” (Alford)



b. So that he sits as God in the temple of God: The man of sin’s demand for worship will be so extreme, he will set himself up as God in the temple at Jerusalem, demanding this blasphemous worship from everyone (Revelation 13:14-15 and Matthew 24:15, 21, 29-31).



i. The temple of God: That this is a literal temple is clear from the text, and has been understood as such by even the earliest Christians. “But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom.” (Irenaeus, writing in the late second century)



ii. The literal understanding of Paul’s words is also supported by the fact that when he wrote this letter, something similar to this almost happened in the recent past. “The recent attempt of Caligula to erect a statue of himself in the Temple at Jerusalem may have furnished a trait for Paul’s delineation of the future Deceiver; the fearful impiety of this outburst had sent a profound shock through Judaism, which would be felt by Jewish Christians as well.” (Moffatt)



c. He sits as God in the temple: The specific ancient Greek word for temple indicates the most holy place of the not the temple as a whole. “It is not that he enters the temple precincts: he invades the most sacred place and there takes his seat. His action is itself a claim to deity.” (Morris) This is the ultimate blasphemy that results in certain judgment, the abomination of desolation spoken of by both Daniel and Jesus.



i. The prophet Daniel told us the Antichrist will break his covenant with the Jews and bring sacrifice and offerings to an end; that the Antichrist will defile the temple by setting something abominable there (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11).



ii. Jesus said to look for an abomination standing in the holy place, which would be the pivotal sign that the season of God’s wrath was upon the earth (Matthew 24:15-16 and 24:21).



iii. “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.” (Clarke)



d. Showing himself that he is God: The man of sin is truly an Anti-Christ. Satan has planned the career of the man of sin to mirror the ministry of Jesus.



· Both Jesus and the man of sin have a coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1 and 2:9).

· Both Jesus and the man of sin have a revealing (2 Thessalonians 1:7 and 2:3).

· Both Jesus and the man of sin have a gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).

· Both Jesus and the man of sin say that they alone should be worshipped (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

· Both Jesus and the man of sin have support their claims with miraculous works (2 Thessalonians 2:9).



i. Clearly, the man of sin is Satan’s parody of the true Messiah. Yet in the end, the man of sin can only show himself that he is God. The coming of Jesus and the judgment of God will make it clear that the man of sin is not God at all.



4. (5-8) What restrains the coming of this man of sin.



Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.



a. When I was still with you I told you these things: Paul was only with the Thessalonians a few weeks (Acts 17:1-10). But Paul thought it important to teach these brand new Christians about Biblical prophecy, and he taught them in some detail.



b. And now you know what is restraining: For now, Satan and the man of sin are being restrained. The principle of their working is now present (the mystery of lawlessness is already at work). But at the right time, the Holy Spirit (He who restrains) who restrains their full revelation will be taken out of the way.



c. Taken out of the way: We should not think that the Holy Spirit would leave the earth during the Great Tribulation. He will be present on the earth during the Great Tribulation because many are saved, sealed, and serve God during this period (Revelation 7:3-14 and 14:1-5), and this can’t happen without the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, not removed.



i. “The phrase is used of any person or thing which is taken out of the way, whether by death or other removal.” (Alford)



ii. Some see this as the end of a dispensation: “The special presence of the Spirit as the indweller of saints will terminate abruptly at the parousia as it began abruptly at Pentecost. Once the body of Christ has been caught away to heaven, the Spirit’s ministry will revert back to what he did for believers during the Old Testament period.” (Thomas)



d. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work: This great principle of evil is already present in the world. It will be ultimately unveiled in the man of sin, but he does not introduce a new wickedness into the world, only a intensity of prior wickedness.



i. Right now, this lawlessness is a mystery – that it is, it can only be seen and understood by revelation. Otherwise it is hidden. “It is not open sin and wickedness, but dissembled piety, specious errors, wickedness under a form of godliness cunningly managed, that is here meant.” (Poole)



e. And then the lawless one will be revealed: Paul states two certain facts about the man of sin, here called the lawless one. First, it is certain that the lawless one will be revealed when the Holy Spirit removes His restraint. Second, it is certain that the lawless one will be destroyed by the mere brightness of Jesus at His coming.



i. Paul probably has Isaiah 11:4 in mind: He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. The Isaiah passage refers to the Lord – to Yahweh – but Paul freely used it of Jesus, recognizing that Jesus is Yahweh.



ii. Whoever the man of sin is, he has not had his career yet. We know this because at the end of his career, the man of sin is destroyed by Jesus Christ Himself.



5. (9-12) The character and strategy of the man of sin.



The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.



a. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan: The Antichrist will come with power, with signs and with lying wonders. But all of this is according to the working of Satan, as described in Revelation 13:13-17.



i. If someone has spiritual power, signs, or wonders, those are not enough to prove they are from God. Satan can perform his own powerful works, either through deception or through his own resources of power.



ii. “He is Satan’s messiah, an infernal caricature of the true messiah.” (Moffatt)



b. Among those who perish: However, the deception can only take root in those who do not receive the love of the truth. These people are ready for the deception of the Antichrist, because they want a lie, and God will send them a strong delusion.



i. God will send them: In the end, the Antichrist is only God’s messenger. God has judgment to bring, and He will send . . . a strong delusion through the Antichrist. God will not force this delusion on anyone, but those who do not receive the love of the truth will receive this strong delusion.



ii. Alford translates: God is sending to them the working of delusion in order that they should believe the falsehood.



iii. “They were first deluded, which was their sin; and God sends them strong delusion, and that is their punishment.” (Poole)



c. That they should believe the lie: Specifically, God sends them the lie. This isn’t just any lie, but the lie, the lie that has enthralled the human race since Adam. This is the lie that God is not God and we can be gods.



i. “His point is that the last pseudo-Messiah or anti-Christ will embody all that is profane and blasphemous, every conceivable element of impiety; and that, instead of being repudiated, he will be welcome by Jews as well as pagans.” (Moffatt)



d. That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness: As God gives rebellious man the lie he desires, it isn’t out of His generosity. Instead, it shows God’s judgment on those who reject the truth. As Romans 1 points out, this God giving man up to the depravity of his heart, his pleasure in unrighteousness.



i. “They think that they are acting in defiance of Him. But in the end they find that those very acts in which they expressed their defiance were the vehicle of their punishment.” (Morris)



B. Encouragement for last days believers.



1. (13-14) Paul gives thanks for God’s work in the Thessalonians



But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.



a. But we are bound to give thanks: Paul repeats his idea from 2 Thessalonians 1:3, that he was obligated to thank God for His work in the Thessalonians, in light of the greatness of that work.



b. Brethren beloved by the Lord: Paul is first thankful that they are beloved by the Lord. God’s love for us is the primary motivation for all His work in and through us.



c. Because God from the beginning chose you for salvation: Paul also praises the sovereign choice of God in bringing them to salvation. God’s choice was from the beginning. Before they chose God, He chose them, and He chose them for salvation through sanctification.



i. “From the beginning! Who shall compute the contents of the vast unknown abyss, which is comprehended in that phrase? The beginning of creation was preceded by the anticipation of Redemption, and the love of God to all who were one with Christ.” (Meyer)



ii. Salvation through sanctification: The two go together. Those who claim to be chosen but lack evidence of sanctification (separation from the world and unto God) are on shaky ground. We can’t see if a person is chosen, but we can see if they are sanctified.



iii. “Had it been possible for you to have had salvation without sanctification, it would have been a curse to you instead of a blessing. If such a thing were possible, I cannot conceive of a more lamentable condition than for a man to, have the happiness of salvation without the holiness of it; happily, it is not possible. If you could be saved from the consequences of sin, but not from the sin itself, and its power and pollution, it would be no blessing to you.” (Spurgeon)



d. By the Spirit and belief in the truth: God’s work of sanctification uses two great forces, the Spirit and the belief in he truth. The Spirit of God and the word of God are essential to our sanctification.



e. To which He called you by our gospel: The call for this salvation comes through the gospel, the gospel Paul preached (we preach Christ crucified, 1 Corinthians 1:23), and the gospel that will enable us to obtain the glory of Jesus.



f. For the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ: This is the same glory John wrote of in 1 John 3:2 - we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.



2. (15) An exhortation to stand fast.



Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.



a. Therefore, brethren, stand fast: Therefore means that Paul wants us to consider what he has written up to this point. In this letter, he has given compelling reasons why Christians must stand fast and not be moved.



· Stand fast because the current distress (the persecutions and tribulations described in 2 Thessalonians 1:4).

· Stand fast because of the coming judgment of this world (in flaming fire taking vengeance, 2 Thessalonians 1:8).

· Stand fast because of the strength of coming deception (all power, signs, and lying wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9).

· Stand fast because of our glorious destiny (the glory of our Lord Jesus, 2 Thessalonians 2:14).



b. Stand fast and hold the traditions: The command to stand fast implies a location, and this tells us what they must stand fast upon. They must keep standing on God’s word, delivered both by the authoritative word of the apostles (by word) and the letters of the apostles (our epistle).



i. Traditions: The Bible recognizes that traditions can be a dangerous feature of religious systems (Matthew 15:2-3) or the traditions of man (Colossians 2:8). But Paul has in mind the apostolic traditions preserved for us in the record of the New Testament.



ii. “The word paradoseis, which we render tradition, signifies anything 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 letters.” (Clarke)



iii. It is only this anchor of God’s word that can enable us to stand fast under the weight of our present tribulation, and the weight of our coming glory.



3. (16-17) A prayer for the Thessalonians.



Spurgeon preached five separate sermons on these wonderful verses.



Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.



a. Who has loved us: Before Paul asked God to do something specific for the Thessalonians, he remembered all God had done for them. God has loved them, and gave them everlasting consolation and good hope by grace.



i. In our intercession and petition, we do well to remember God’s past faithfulness and present blessing. His faithfulness in the past is a promise of His faithfulness for the future.



ii. “God has given us much, and all his past gifts are pleas for more gifts. Men do not plead so. The beggar in the street cannot say, ‘Give me a penny to-day because you gave me one yesterday,’ else we might reply, ‘That is the reason why I should not give you any more.’ But when dealing with God, this is a good plea.” (Spurgeon)



b. Comfort your hearts and establish you: Paul asked God to do two things in the Thessalonian Christians. First, he wanted God to comfort their hearts. Second, he asked God to establish them in every good word and work. This prayer for comfort and continued testimony and work for Jesus is fitting in light of the special needs of believers under pressure.



i. This is a prayer full of useful and important suggestions:



· Jesus is ours.

· God is our Father.

· God has loved us.

· God has given us much.

· We have everlasting consolation.

· It is all through grace.



ii. And establish you: “I believe in an established Church, not established by acts of Parliament but stablished by the purpose and by the presence of God in the midst of it.” (Spurgeon)



c. In every good word and work: There is some textual evidence that Paul originally put the order as every good work and word. Though this is a small difference, Charles Spurgeon saw in important distinction in the order.



i. “Some Christian people think that ‘word’ should be everything and work nothing, but the Scriptures are not of their mind. These professors speak a great deal about what they will do, talk a great deal about what other people ought to do, and a great deal more about what others fail to do; and so they go on with word, word, word, and nothing else but word. They do not get as far as ‘work,’ but the apostle put work first in this case.” (Spurgeon)

..................................................benny

QUOTE(benny balerio @ Jan 12 2007, 12:32 AM) [snapback]98656[/snapback]

2 Thessalonians 2 - The Coming of That Day
by David Guzik of Enduring Word Media



A. Instruction regarding the coming of Jesus.



1. (1-2) Paul’s comfort to the troubled Thessalonians and their question.



Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.



a. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him: Paul is obviously addressing questions raised by his first letter, where he instructed the Thessalonians about the catching away of the church to be with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).



i. The challenge in understanding this chapter comes from the fact that it is a supplement to what Paul has already taught them in words, and we don’t know exactly what Paul said to the Thessalonians. Yet the ideas are clear enough if carefully pieced together.



b. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and also our gathering together to Him: Paul obviously wrote of the return of Jesus, but the wording here implies a difference between the coming and our gathering. This strongly suggests that there are essentially two comings of Jesus. One coming is for His church (as described clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18), and the other coming is with His church, to judge a rebellious world.



i. “They are two parts of one great event.” (Morris)



ii. Hiebert shows how the grammar of the ancient Greek in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 shows this: “The government of the two nouns under one article makes it clear that one event, viewed under two complimentary aspects, is thought of.”



iii. This is completely consistent with other passages of Scripture that indicate that there must be two aspects of Jesus’ second coming, and the aspects must be separated by some appreciable period of time.



· Different world conditions are described (Matthew 24:37-42, Matthew 24:21, Revelation 6:15-16).



· Different approaches of Christ to the earth are described (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 19:11, 14-15, 21).



· Different scenarios regarding the predictability of the date of Jesus’ return are established (Matthew 24:36, Daniel 12:11).



c. We ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled: Apparently, a misunderstanding of Paul’s teaching; or an incorrect application of it, had caused the Thessalonians to be shaken in mind and troubled. Here Paul uses a strong wording, speaking of both a sudden jolt (shaken in mind) and a continuing state of upset (troubled). Their fears centered on the idea that the day of Christ had [already] come.



i. “The word 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.” (Clarke)



ii. A preferred manuscript reading of 2 Thessalonians 2:2 has the day of the Lord rather than the day of Christ. The day of the Lord is a concept with a rich Old Testament background, and was mentioned in Paul’s previous letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:2). It is not a single day, but a period associated with God’s outpouring of judgment and the deliverance of God’s people. A significant aspect of the day of the Lord is the Great Tribulation described in Matthew 24:1-31.



d. As though the day of Christ had come: Some translations have that the day of Christ is at hand, such as the King James Version. But the translation in the New King James Version (and other modern translations) is preferred. The Thessalonians were not afraid that the day of Christ was coming, but that they were in it.



i. “The verb does not really mean to be at hand, but rather to be present.” (Morris) The notable Greek commentator Dean Alford translates the passage, “To the effect that the day of the Lord is present; not, ‘is at hand’: the verb here used occurs six times in the New Testament, and always in the sense of being present; in two of those places, Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 3:22, the things present are distinguished expressly from the things to come.”



ii. From this, it is obvious that the day of Christ had not been completed. Paul will go on to demonstrate that it also had not yet dawned, because the Thessalonians were afraid that they were in the Great Tribulation (the day of the Lord), and feared that they had missed the rapture. But Paul will demonstrate that they are not in the day of Christ; because if they were then certain signs would be present.



iii. It is important to notice that the Thessalonians would be shaken or troubled by the thought of being in the Great Tribulation only if they had been taught by Paul that they would escape that period through the rapture. Otherwise they would, in a sense, welcome the Great Tribulation as a necessary prelude to the Second Coming. But Paul had clearly taught them that they would escape God’s judgment on this earth during the period known as the day of the Lord or the day of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).



e. Either by spirit or by word or by letter: Perhaps the troubling word had come through a misguided prophecy (spirit or by word). Or perhaps some other leader wrote them a letter teaching that they were already in the day of Christ. Either way, they were upset at the idea that they had somehow missed the rapture.



i. “The teaching of the Apostles was, and of the Holy Spirit in all ages has been, that the day of the Lord is at hand. But these Thessalonians imagined it to be already come.” (Alford)



2. (3) Signs marking the coming day.



Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,



a. For that Day will not come: Paul will not describe events which must precede the rapture, but events that are concrete evidence of the Great Tribulation - the day of Christ. In this sense, one cannot be certain the day of Christ (the Great Tribulation) has come unless these signs are present.



i. This phrase is not in the original text, but is very appropriately added. Alford says of the phrase, for that day will not come: “So A.V. supplies, rightly. There does not seem to have been any intention on the part of the Apostle to fill up the ellipsis: it supplies itself in the reader’s mind.”



b. Unless the falling away comes first: The ancient Greek wording for falling away indicates a rebellion or a departure. Bible scholars debate if it refers to an apostasy among those who once followed God, or a general worldwide rebellion. In fact, Paul may have both in mind, because there is evidence of each in the end times (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 4:3-4). But Paul’s point is clear: “You are worried that we are in the Great Tribulation and that you missed the rapture. But you can know that we are not in the Great Tribulation, because we have not yet seen the falling away that comes first.”



i. The falling away: The article makes it even more significant. This is not a falling away, but the falling away, the great and final rebellion.



ii. Some have suggested that the idea behind falling away is really a departure, in the sense of the rapture of the church. But a departure implies that the one leaving does so of his own accord and initiative, and this is not the case with the catching away of the church. In addition, the ancient Greek word in the New Testament (Acts 21:21) or in the Septuagint, always speaks of something sinful and negative.



iii. The idea of a great end-times apostasy also does not contradict the idea of a great end-times revival. Some Christians doubt the idea of great revival in the last days, or even welcome apostasy believing it signals the end. But just as the Book of Revelation describes great rejection of Jesus during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 9:20-21 and 17:2-6) and great acceptance of Him (Revelation 7:9-14), the two can stand side-by-side.



c. And the man of sin is revealed: Before the Great Tribulation can be identified with certainty, a particular person, known as the man of sin, must be revealed. Paul’s point is clear: “You are worried that we are in the Great Tribulation and that you missed the rapture. But you can know that we are not in the Great Tribulation, because we have not yet seen the man of sin . . . revealed.”



i. The most traditional understanding of this man of sin is to say that he is not an individual, but a system or an office. Historically, Protestant interpreters have seen the man of sin to be the succession of popes. Calvin represents this way of thinking: “Paul, however, is not speaking of one individual, but of a kingdom that was to be seized by Satan for the purpose of setting up a seat of abomination in the midst of God’s temple. This we see accomplished in popery.”



ii. However, there is no good reason to see this man of sin to be other than what the plainest meaning is here – an individual who will come to great prominence in the very last days. This was how it was understood in the earliest days of Christianity. “The fathers understood the Antichrist to be intended, but of this person they seemed to have formed no specific idea.” (Clarke)



· Daniel described an individual person: The prince who is to come (Daniel 9:26), the king of fierce countenance (Daniel 8:23), the willful king (Daniel 11:36-45).

· Jesus described an individual person: The one who comes in his own name (John 5:43).

· We are not surprised that Paul described this man of sin as an individual person, not as a system or an office.



iii. This man of sin is a prominent figure in the Bible, and the ultimate personification of the spirit of the Antichrist spoken of in 1 John 4:2-3. He will no doubt live many years before the Great Tribulation, but he will only be revealed as the man of sin during that period. The idea behind the title man of sin is that “Sin has such absolute domination over him that he seems to be the very embodiment of it.” (Hiebert)



d. Son of perdition: Perdition means destruction, the complete loss of well-being. It is really the opposite of salvation. To call him the son of perdition means his character is marked by this destruction. Moffatt says the phrase “son of perdition” essentially means the doomed one.



3. (4) What the man of sin does.



Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.



a. Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped: The man of sin demands worship for himself that belongs to God only (Luke 4:8). This demand for worship is also described in Revelation 13:1-6.



i. “He stands against and exalts himself above all Divine authority, and above every object of adoration, and every institution relative to Divine worship.” (Clarke)



ii. Understanding the strength and breadth of this statement shows us that saying that the Antichrist is the Pope is far too simplistic. He will sponsor a religion that does not tolerate the worship of anyone or anything except himself. The apostate Roman Catholic Church may be part of this end-times religion, but it will not encompass it.



iii. “Notice, that the meaning of these words cannot by any probability be fulfilled by any one who, as the Pope, creates objects of worship, and thus (by inference merely) makes himself greater than the objects which he creates: but it is required that this Antichrist should set himself up as an object of worship, above, and as superior to, ‘everyone that is called God or worshipped.’ ” (Alford)



b. So that he sits as God in the temple of God: The man of sin’s demand for worship will be so extreme, he will set himself up as God in the temple at Jerusalem, demanding this blasphemous worship from everyone (Revelation 13:14-15 and Matthew 24:15, 21, 29-31).



i. The temple of God: That this is a literal temple is clear from the text, and has been understood as such by even the earliest Christians. “But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom.” (Irenaeus, writing in the late second century)



ii. The literal understanding of Paul’s words is also supported by the fact that when he wrote this letter, something similar to this almost happened in the recent past. “The recent attempt of Caligula to erect a statue of himself in the Temple at Jerusalem may have furnished a trait for Paul’s delineation of the future Deceiver; the fearful impiety of this outburst had sent a profound shock through Judaism, which would be felt by Jewish Christians as well.” (Moffatt)



c. He sits as God in the temple: The specific ancient Greek word for temple indicates the most holy place of the not the temple as a whole. “It is not that he enters the temple precincts: he invades the most sacred place and there takes his seat. His action is itself a claim to deity.” (Morris) This is the ultimate blasphemy that results in certain judgment, the abomination of desolation spoken of by both Daniel and Jesus.



i. The prophet Daniel told us the Antichrist will break his covenant with the Jews and bring sacrifice and offerings to an end; that the Antichrist will defile the temple by setting something abominable there (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11).



ii. Jesus said to look for an abomination standing in the holy place, which would be the pivotal sign that the season of God’s wrath was upon the earth (Matthew 24:15-16 and 24:21).



iii. “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.” (Clarke)



d. Showing himself that he is God: The man of sin is truly an Anti-Christ. Satan has planned the career of the man of sin to mirror the ministry of Jesus.



· Both Jesus and the man of sin have a coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1 and 2:9).

· Both Jesus and the man of sin have a revealing (2 Thessalonians 1:7 and 2:3).

· Both Jesus and the man of sin have a gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).

· Both Jesus and the man of sin say that they alone should be worshipped (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

· Both Jesus and the man of sin have support their claims with miraculous works (2 Thessalonians 2:9).



i. Clearly, the man of sin is Satan’s parody of the true Messiah. Yet in the end, the man of sin can only show himself that he is God. The coming of Jesus and the judgment of God will make it clear that the man of sin is not God at all.



4. (5-8) What restrains the coming of this man of sin.



Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.



a. When I was still with you I told you these things: Paul was only with the Thessalonians a few weeks (Acts 17:1-10). But Paul thought it important to teach these brand new Christians about Biblical prophecy, and he taught them in some detail.



b. And now you know what is restraining: For now, Satan and the man of sin are being restrained. The principle of their working is now present (the mystery of lawlessness is already at work). But at the right time, the Holy Spirit (He who restrains) who restrains their full revelation will be taken out of the way.



c. Taken out of the way: We should not think that the Holy Spirit would leave the earth during the Great Tribulation. He will be present on the earth during the Great Tribulation because many are saved, sealed, and serve God during this period (Revelation 7:3-14 and 14:1-5), and this can’t happen without the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, not removed.



i. “The phrase is used of any person or thing which is taken out of the way, whether by death or other removal.” (Alford)



ii. Some see this as the end of a dispensation: “The special presence of the Spirit as the indweller of saints will terminate abruptly at the parousia as it began abruptly at Pentecost. Once the body of Christ has been caught away to heaven, the Spirit’s ministry will revert back to what he did for believers during the Old Testament period.” (Thomas)



d. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work: This great principle of evil is already present in the world. It will be ultimately unveiled in the man of sin, but he does not introduce a new wickedness into the world, only a intensity of prior wickedness.



i. Right now, this lawlessness is a mystery – that it is, it can only be seen and understood by revelation. Otherwise it is hidden. “It is not open sin and wickedness, but dissembled piety, specious errors, wickedness under a form of godliness cunningly managed, that is here meant.” (Poole)



e. And then the lawless one will be revealed: Paul states two certain facts about the man of sin, here called the lawless one. First, it is certain that the lawless one will be revealed when the Holy Spirit removes His restraint. Second, it is certain that the lawless one will be destroyed by the mere brightness of Jesus at His coming.



i. Paul probably has Isaiah 11:4 in mind: He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. The Isaiah passage refers to the Lord – to Yahweh – but Paul freely used it of Jesus, recognizing that Jesus is Yahweh.



ii. Whoever the man of sin is, he has not had his career yet. We know this because at the end of his career, the man of sin is destroyed by Jesus Christ Himself.



5. (9-12) The character and strategy of the man of sin.



The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.



a. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan: The Antichrist will come with power, with signs and with lying wonders. But all of this is according to the working of Satan, as described in Revelation 13:13-17.



i. If someone has spiritual power, signs, or wonders, those are not enough to prove they are from God. Satan can perform his own powerful works, either through deception or through his own resources of power.



ii. “He is Satan’s messiah, an infernal caricature of the true messiah.” (Moffatt)



b. Among those who perish: However, the deception can only take root in those who do not receive the love of the truth. These people are ready for the deception of the Antichrist, because they want a lie, and God will send them a strong delusion.



i. God will send them: In the end, the Antichrist is only God’s messenger. God has judgment to bring, and He will send . . . a strong delusion through the Antichrist. God will not force this delusion on anyone, but those who do not receive the love of the truth will receive this strong delusion.



ii. Alford translates: God is sending to them the working of delusion in order that they should believe the falsehood.



iii. “They were first deluded, which was their sin; and God sends them strong delusion, and that is their punishment.” (Poole)



c. That they should believe the lie: Specifically, God sends them the lie. This isn’t just any lie, but the lie, the lie that has enthralled the human race since Adam. This is the lie that God is not God and we can be gods.



i. “His point is that the last pseudo-Messiah or anti-Christ will embody all that is profane and blasphemous, every conceivable element of impiety; and that, instead of being repudiated, he will be welcome by Jews as well as pagans.” (Moffatt)



d. That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness: As God gives rebellious man the lie he desires, it isn’t out of His generosity. Instead, it shows God’s judgment on those who reject the truth. As Romans 1 points out, this God giving man up to the depravity of his heart, his pleasure in unrighteousness.



i. “They think that they are acting in defiance of Him. But in the end they find that those very acts in which they expressed their defiance were the vehicle of their punishment.” (Morris)



B. Encouragement for last days believers.



1. (13-14) Paul gives thanks for God’s work in the Thessalonians



But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.



a. But we are bound to give thanks: Paul repeats his idea from 2 Thessalonians 1:3, that he was obligated to thank God for His work in the Thessalonians, in light of the greatness of that work.



b. Brethren beloved by the Lord: Paul is first thankful that they are beloved by the Lord. God’s love for us is the primary motivation for all His work in and through us.



c. Because God from the beginning chose you for salvation: Paul also praises the sovereign choice of God in bringing them to salvation. God’s choice was from the beginning. Before they chose God, He chose them, and He chose them for salvation through sanctification.



i. “From the beginning! Who shall compute the contents of the vast unknown abyss, which is comprehended in that phrase? The beginning of creation was preceded by the anticipation of Redemption, and the love of God to all who were one with Christ.” (Meyer)



ii. Salvation through sanctification: The two go together. Those who claim to be chosen but lack evidence of sanctification (separation from the world and unto God) are on shaky ground. We can’t see if a person is chosen, but we can see if they are sanctified.



iii. “Had it been possible for you to have had salvation without sanctification, it would have been a curse to you instead of a blessing. If such a thing were possible, I cannot conceive of a more lamentable condition than for a man to, have the happiness of salvation without the holiness of it; happily, it is not possible. If you could be saved from the consequences of sin, but not from the sin itself, and its power and pollution, it would be no blessing to you.” (Spurgeon)



d. By the Spirit and belief in the truth: God’s work of sanctification uses two great forces, the Spirit and the belief in he truth. The Spirit of God and the word of God are essential to our sanctification.



e. To which He called you by our gospel: The call for this salvation comes through the gospel, the gospel Paul preached (we preach Christ crucified, 1 Corinthians 1:23), and the gospel that will enable us to obtain the glory of Jesus.



f. For the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ: This is the same glory John wrote of in 1 John 3:2 - we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.



2. (15) An exhortation to stand fast.



Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.



a. Therefore, brethren, stand fast: Therefore means that Paul wants us to consider what he has written up to this point. In this letter, he has given compelling reasons why Christians must stand fast and not be moved.



· Stand fast because the current distress (the persecutions and tribulations described in 2 Thessalonians 1:4).

· Stand fast because of the coming judgment of this world (in flaming fire taking vengeance, 2 Thessalonians 1:8).

· Stand fast because of the strength of coming deception (all power, signs, and lying wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9).

· Stand fast because of our glorious destiny (the glory of our Lord Jesus, 2 Thessalonians 2:14).



b. Stand fast and hold the traditions: The command to stand fast implies a location, and this tells us what they must stand fast upon. They must keep standing on God’s word, delivered both by the authoritative word of the apostles (by word) and the letters of the apostles (our epistle).



i. Traditions: The Bible recognizes that traditions can be a dangerous feature of religious systems (Matthew 15:2-3) or the traditions of man (Colossians 2:8). But Paul has in mind the apostolic traditions preserved for us in the record of the New Testament.



ii. “The word paradoseis, which we render tradition, signifies anything 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 letters.” (Clarke)



iii. It is only this anchor of God’s word that can enable us to stand fast under the weight of our present tribulation, and the weight of our coming glory.



3. (16-17) A prayer for the Thessalonians.



Spurgeon preached five separate sermons on these wonderful verses.



Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.



a. Who has loved us: Before Paul asked God to do something specific for the Thessalonians, he remembered all God had done for them. God has loved them, and gave them everlasting consolation and good hope by grace.



i. In our intercession and petition, we do well to remember God’s past faithfulness and present blessing. His faithfulness in the past is a promise of His faithfulness for the future.



ii. “God has given us much, and all his past gifts are pleas for more gifts. Men do not plead so. The beggar in the street cannot say, ‘Give me a penny to-day because you gave me one yesterday,’ else we might reply, ‘That is the reason why I should not give you any more.’ But when dealing with God, this is a good plea.” (Spurgeon)



b. Comfort your hearts and establish you: Paul asked God to do two things in the Thessalonian Christians. First, he wanted God to comfort their hearts. Second, he asked God to establish them in every good word and work. This prayer for comfort and continued testimony and work for Jesus is fitting in light of the special needs of believers under pressure.



i. This is a prayer full of useful and important suggestions:



· Jesus is ours.

· God is our Father.

· God has loved us.

· God has given us much.

· We have everlasting consolation.

· It is all through grace.



ii. And establish you: “I believe in an established Church, not established by acts of Parliament but stablished by the purpose and by the presence of God in the midst of it.” (Spurgeon)



c. In every good word and work: There is some textual evidence that Paul originally put the order as every good work and word. Though this is a small difference, Charles Spurgeon saw in important distinction in the order.



i. “Some Christian people think that ‘word’ should be everything and work nothing, but the Scriptures are not of their mind. These professors speak a great deal about what they will do, talk a great deal about what other people ought to do, and a great deal more about what others fail to do; and so they go on with word, word, word, and nothing else but word. They do not get as far as ‘work,’ but the apostle put work first in this case.” (Spurgeon)

..................................................benny

Benny, How about the fruit of your OWN labor? These longs post copied and pasted from other writers who have spent hours, weeks and maybe longer doing research and formulating their thoughts are impossible to respond to in a timely manner characteristic of these threads. What is your point? What are your thoughts based upon your sound and intense study of the Scriptures?

Preterist

[quote name='Preterist' date='Jan 12 2007, 11:15 PM' post='98813']
[b][quote name='benny balerio' post='98656' date='Jan 12 2007, 12:32 AM']
2 Thessalonians 2 - The Coming of That Day
by David Guzik of Enduring Word Media

2 Thessalonians 2 - The Coming of That Day by David Guzik of Enduring Word MediaA. Instruction regarding the coming of Jesus.1. (1-2) Paul’s comfort to the troubled Thessalonians and their question.
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
a. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him: Paul is obviously addressing questions raised by his first letter, where he instructed the Thessalonians about the catching away of the church to be with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
i. The challenge in understanding this chapter comes from the fact that it is a supplement to what Paul has already taught them in words, and we don’t know exactly what Paul said to the Thessalonians. Yet the ideas are clear enough if carefully pieced together.

Reply: “carefully pieced together” They say that they don’t know what Paul said, but they are able to piece together his unspoken words. What that really means is that they need to dream up something to support their doctrine. The bible has all the pieces necessary to put together a clear understanding of prophecy. If these men can dream up what unspoken words mean then we all can be prophets.

Quote: b. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and also our gathering together to Him: Paul obviously wrote of the return of Jesus, but the wording here implies a difference between the coming and our gathering. This strongly suggests that there are essentially two comings of Jesus. One coming is for His church (as described clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18), and the other coming is with His church, to judge a rebellious world.

REPLY: The above is one hundred percent false doctrine. Paul said exactly what he meant and it is obvious that he is speaking about Christ coming for his church. I am sick of trying to open pretribbers minds when the truth is as clear as the sun and they don’t get it. There is nothing in what Paul said to lead one to believe he was speaking of two separate comings. The rapture is the beginning of the second coming and his coming with His saints is simply two events in His one coming, He comes in the air and then He comes down to earth and both are the second coming.
He comes and gets his church and returns to heaven. The trumpets begin sounding and the angels begin pouring out the wrath of God. When the seventieth trumpet sounds Christ returns to earth and goes to Petra to lead the remnant, hiding there, back to Jerusalem. The bowls will be poured out on the nations of the world and the antichrist and the false prophet will be thrown into hell.

Quote: There is only one second coming and it is not an invisible coming.“They are two parts of one great event.” (Morris) ii. Hiebert shows how the grammar of the ancient Greek in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 shows this: “The government of the two nouns under one article makes it clear that one event, viewed under two complimentary aspects, is thought of.”
iii. This is completely consistent with other passages of Scripture that indicate that there must be two aspects of Jesus’ second coming, and the aspects must be separated by some appreciable period of time.
· Different world conditions are described (Matthew 24:37-42, Matthew 24:21, Revelation 6:15-16).
· Different approaches of Christ to the earth are described (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 19:11, 14-15, 21).
· Different scenarios regarding the predictability of the date of Jesus’ return are established (Matthew 24:36, Daniel 12:11).

REPLY: What the above is doing it taking the two parts of the second coming and ignoring the coming in the clouds for his church. Mt. 24:27-31 is the rapture that the pretrib has to shove to the end of the seventieth week in order to make it fit their false doctrine.
MATTHEW 24;27-31 IS THE RAPTURE AND IF YOU DISAGREE THEN YOU NEED TO STICK YOUR FACE INTO THE BIBLE AND WAKE UP! AND IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE SHIFTED TO THE END OF THE SEVENTIETH WEEK.

QUOTE: c. We ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled: Apparently, a misunderstanding of Paul’s teaching; or an incorrect application of it, had caused the Thessalonians to be shaken in mind and troubled. Here Paul uses a strong wording, speaking of both a sudden jolt (shaken in mind) and a continuing state of upset (troubled). Their fears centered on the idea that the day of Christ had [already] come.
i. “The word 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.” (Clarke)
ii. A preferred manuscript reading of 2 Thessalonians 2:2 has the day of the Lord rather than the day of Christ. The day of the Lord is a concept with a rich Old Testament background, and was mentioned in Paul’s previous letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:2). It is not a single day, but a period associated with God’s outpouring of judgment and the deliverance of God’s people. A significant aspect of the day of the Lord is the Great Tribulation described in Matthew 24:1-31.

REPLY: Here is where he departs from scripture again and adds in his own interpretation; ignoring what the bible states. The day of the Lord is not the great tribulation. In fact the day of the Lord begins with the cutting off of the great tribulation, and you do not need a scholar to read that.

Quote: d. As though the day of Christ had come: Some translations have that the day of Christ is at hand, such as the King James Version. But the translation in the New King James Version (and other modern translations) is preferred. The Thessalonians were not afraid that the day of Christ was coming, but that they were in it.
i. “The verb does not really mean to be at hand, but rather to be present.” (Morris) The notable Greek commentator Dean Alford translates the passage, “To the effect that the day of the Lord is present; not, ‘is at hand’: the verb here used occurs six times in the New Testament, and always in the sense of being present; in two of those places, Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 3:22, the things present are distinguished expressly from the things to come.”
ii. From this, it is obvious that the day of Christ had not been completed. Paul will go on to demonstrate that it also had not yet dawned, because the Thessalonians were afraid that they were in the Great Tribulation (the day of the Lord), and feared that they had missed the rapture. But Paul will demonstrate that they are not in the day of Christ; because if they were then certain signs would be present.

REPLY: Here again he makes a false statement. The day of the Lord has nothing to do with the great tribulation, but the day of the Lord begins when He cuts the great tribulation off.

Quote: iii. It is important to notice that the Thessalonians would be shaken or troubled by the thought of being in the Great Tribulation only if they had been taught by Paul that they would escape that period through the rapture. Otherwise they would, in a sense, welcome the Great Tribulation as a necessary prelude to the Second Coming. But Paul had clearly taught them that they would escape God’s judgment on this earth during the period known as the day of the Lord or the day of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).

REPLY: All the above is simply brain washing to hold on to those who believe in the pretrib doctrine. If the man that wrote the above had a brain he would know that he was mistaken. I thank he knows better but since he has a lot to loose if he tells the truth he sticks to the big lie.

Quote: e. Either by spirit or by word or by letter: Perhaps the troubling word had come through a misguided prophecy (spirit or by word). Or perhaps some other leader wrote them a letter teaching that they were already in the day of Christ. Either way, they were upset at the idea that they had somehow missed the rapture.

Reply: Sounds like false doctrine got an early start and today it has branched out into a dozen false doctrines. One of them is working overtime on this web sight trying to hoodwink any body that is gullible enough to believe him.

Quote: i. “The teaching of the Apostles was, and of the Holy Spirit in all ages has been, that the day of the Lord is at hand. But these Thessalonians imagined it to be already come.” (Alford) 2. (3) Signs marking the coming day. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

REPLY: NOTICE THAT HE CONVIENTIENTLY LEFT OFF THE FIRST TWO VERSES, BECAUSE THEY RUIN HIS FALSE INTERPRETATION. HERE IS THE FIRST TWO VERSES.
2th 2:1-2Now 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.
This is the rapture that they are trying to hide. The rapture occurs on the same day that the day of the Lord begins. It is the rapture that triggers the day of the Lord.

Quote: a. For that Day will not come: Paul will not describe events which must precede the rapture, but events that are concrete evidence of the Great Tribulation - the day of Christ. In this sense, one cannot be certain the day of Christ (the Great Tribulation) has come unless these signs are present.

REPLY: This guy makes me sick with his total disregard for scriptures that contradict his false teaching. I want to see his proof that the day of the Lord is also the great tribulation. Like all pretrib proofs this one does not exist.

Quote: i. This phrase is not in the original text, but is very appropriately added. Alford says of the phrase, for that day will not come: “So A.V. supplies, rightly. There does not seem to have been any intention on the part of the Apostle to fill up the ellipsis: it supplies itself in the reader’s mind.”
b. Unless the falling away comes first: The ancient Greek wording for falling away indicates a rebellion or a departure. Bible scholars debate if it refers to an apostasy among those who once followed God, or a general worldwide rebellion. In fact, Paul may have both in mind, because there is evidence of each in the end times (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 4:3-4). But Paul’s point is clear: “You are worried that we are in the Great Tribulation and that you missed the rapture. But you can know that we are not in the Great Tribulation, because we have not yet seen the falling away that comes first.”

REPLY: Pure nonsense, and you can tell the author that I said that he is full of it and that I would like to debate him on his web site!

Quote: i. The falling away: The article makes it even more significant. This is not a falling away, but the falling away, the great and final rebellion.
ii. Some have suggested that the idea behind falling away is really a departure, in the sense of the rapture of the church. But a departure implies that the one leaving does so of his own accord and initiative, and this is not the case with the catching away of the church. In addition, the ancient Greek word in the New Testament (Acts 21:21) or in the Septuagint, always speaks of something sinful and negative.

REPLY: The falling away is the ruling Jews that sign a covenant with the antichrist just like they did in the past. The Jews apostatize and turn from the law and Moses. The bible is written from a Jewish perspective and not from some so called scholars view point.

Quote: iii. The idea of a great end-times apostasy also does not contradict the idea of a great end-times revival. Some Christians doubt the idea of great revival in the last days, or even welcome apostasy believing it signals the end. But just as the Book of Revelation describes great rejection of Jesus during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 9:20-21 and 17:2-6) and great acceptance of Him (Revelation 7:9-14), the two can stand side-by-side.

Reply: The great acceptance he claims that will take place during the great tribulation, is actually the raptured saints of all time.

Thanks, Benny.

1 corinthians 15;51 amplified bible
we shall not ALL fall asleep, but we shall ***ALL*** be changed (transformed)........in a moment, in the twinkling of a eye.........

i'm thinking that this means that ALL, ALL christians will be raptured TOGETHER , at one time



some have believed in a Partial Rapture...........Only the "annointed" christians , spirit filled and gifted christians will be raptured ..........and the "sorry" christians will remain on earth til later on, and they will suffer thru the Trib

The Truth is :
ALL christians are "Gifted". 1 cor 12;28-31
some are apostles
some (not all) are prophets
some are teachers
some (not all) are wonder-workers
some have the gift of "love"
some have the gifts of discernment, helps, administration, etc

All Christians are in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit of Jesus. and All have Gifts of the Spirit.

some Gifts are more "presentable" than others (verses 23,24)

i don't believe in a Partial Rapture.
where is the Bride split into 2 brides? nowhere

You are right about there being no partial rapture, but you assumed that the church will be raptured before the so called trib. There is no seven year tribulation period and there is no three and a half great tribulation. The Great Tribulation begins at the mid-point of the seventieth week and is cut short by the coming of Christ in the clouds for his church.
There are two wraths one is Satan's wrath and the other one is God's wrath. The great tribulation is Satan's wrath against the Jews first and then the Church. God's wrath begins when he cuts off Satan's wrath, at the sixth seal. The seventieth seal begins the day of the Lord which is the wrath of God. The wrath of God is all supernatural and carried out by angels, and Christ and the church will be in heaven.
I have debated the best pretrib teachers in the country and they know that they are wrong but they don't think it is necessary to change their false doctrine. What part of this is over your heads?

God bless both of you brothers and I pray that you will study the seals, trumpets, and bowls just the way they are written. God has a program for Israel and one for the church, and they both ran together for fourty years after the cross and they will run together during the seventieth week up to the rapture which will take place at some unknown point in the second half of the week.

It may not be limited to just the angels:

Psalm 149:6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Daniel 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom...26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27 And 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, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Daniel 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. 32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

May the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in his people forever.

In Him,

Mike

I'm certain it is not just angels but judgement is executed directly by Jesus Christ and his Saints who are very much hands on, on the earth, and not floating sublimely in heaven.

Good scriptures by the way. Here's some more.

Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LordS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

Notice it is the Lord's wrath. He will personally lead the hosts of angels and saints to execute judgement on all the earth. It is with his own sword with which he smites the wicked, and the wedding supper of the Lamb and the bride of Christ feasts upon the flesh of men.

The saints will share the rule with Christ and will also rule the nations with a rod of iron.
Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star.

Zech 14:3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; [1] for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.


1 Cor 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

1 Chron 16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. 32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. 33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.

Psalm 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Psalm 96:12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Psalm 98:8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together 9 Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Isaiah 11:And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove [1] with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Zeph 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; 2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. 3 Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.

Greetings brother in Christ:
None of the passages above states that the church will battle anybody. Now I am not saying that the church will not be fighting demons at the battle of Armegaddon, but I doubt it. The word saint means holy one and could mean angel?
I am not dogmatic on this subject, and don't even know if I am correct or not, but if I am wrong I want the scriptures that says that we will fight humans with Christ. I believe the Jews and Christians that are alive when Christ comes back at the end of the seventieth week will fight with him during the outpouring of the bowls. Their battle will take place in the middle east on the land that God gave to israel, including Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, etc...

Which passage below allows for the saints to be on earth and fighting with Christ, and where does it mention that Christ is on earth fighting? He is in heaven with his church until the seventieth trumpet sounds.

Re 8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Re 8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

Re 8:9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Re 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

Re 8:11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
Re 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

Re 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Re 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

Re 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

Re 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Re 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Re 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

Re 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Re 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

Re 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

Re 9:9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

Re 9:10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

Re 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Re 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

Re 9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

Re 9:14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

Re 9:15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

Re 9:16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

Re 9:17 "And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. "

Re 9:18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

Re 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Re 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Re 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Re 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Re 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Re 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Re 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea.

Re 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

Re 16:8-9 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Re 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

Re 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

Re 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Re 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

Re 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Re 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

God Bless

You are quite right to point out that angels are the main instruments of God's wrath prior to Christs return namely with the seven trumpets. And also in the period immediately following his return which is namely the 7 vials of God's great wrath. However it is the period following these last plagues commencing with the battle of Armageddon (the marriage supper) that Christ and the saints are very much hands on in executing judgement upon the nations which are still in rebellion. I gave plenty of scriptures to indicate this.

You are right the abomination of desolation or rebellion has to occur.

I read your link in detail and it is more nonsense.
The abomination that causes desolation is set up after the Lords two prophets take away Gods daily sacrifice to man.
The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water which makes the evil ones of the earth resort to eating each others flesh and drinking each others blood.
Those who live by faith will be able to make the water and oil and flour last 42 months and the faithful stewards will be bringing manna down from heaven and water out of the face of the rock to feed and water the the Lord's sheep.
The original text says "for where the carcass is there the eagles will be gathered together". This means that they will be killing people for food and drink since an eagle kills their food and does not eat already dead things.