Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
2 THESSALONIANS 2
The Man of Lawlessness
1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
Stand Firm
13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Application Notes
2:1-17 Paul describes the end of the world and Christ's second coming. He says that great suffering and trouble lie ahead, but evil will not prevail because Christ will return to judge all people. Although Paul presents a few signs of the end times, his emphasis, like Jesus' (Mark 13), is the need for each person to prepare for Christ's return by living daily in relationship with him. If we are ready, we won't have to be concerned about the preceding events or the timing of Christ's return. God controls all events. (For Paul's earlier teaching on this subject, see 1 Thessalonians 4-5.)
2:1-2 In the Bible, the phrase "the day of the lord" is used in two ways: (1) It can mean the end times (beginning with Christ's birth and continuing until he return ), and (2) it can mean the final Judgment Day, after he return, when he will set all things right. Because some false teachers were saying that Judgment Day had already come, many believers were waiting expectantly for their vindication and for relief from suffering. Paul, Silas, and Timothy were clarifying that Judgment Day had not yet come; other events would have to happen first.
2:2 "By a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter" could mean that false teaching had come from (1) someone claiming to have had a divine revelation or vision, (2) someone passing on a teaching as though it were from Paul, or (3) someone distributing a letter supposedly written by Paul.
2:3-12 When Paul first wrote to the Thessalonians, they were in danger of losing hope in the Second Coming. Then they shifted to the opposite extreme--some of them thought that Jesus would be coming at any minute, so they stopped being productive for God. Paul tried to restore the balance by describing certain events that would happen before Christ's return.
2:3 Throughout history there have been individuals who epitomised evil and who were hostile to everything Christ stands for (see 1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 John 1:7). These people, sometimes referred to as antichrists, have lived in every generation and will continue to work their evil. Then just before Christ's second coming, "the man of lawlessness ... the man doomed to destruction," a completely evil man, will arise. He will be Satan's tool, equipped with satanic power (2 Thessalonians 2:9). This lawless man will be the Antichrist.
It is dangerous, however, to label any person as the Antichrist and to try to predict Christ's coming based on that assumption. Paul mentions a man of lawlessness (the Antichrist) not so we might attempt to identify him but so we might be ready for anything that threatens our faith. If our faith is strong, we don't need to be afraid of what lies ahead, because we know that this lawless man has already been defeated by God, no matter how powerful he becomes or how terrible our situation seems. God is in control, and he will be victorious. Our task is to be prepared for Christ's return and to spread the gospel so that even more people will also be prepared.
2:6-7 What or who holds back the lawless one? We do not know for certain. Three possibilities have been suggested: (1) government and law, which help to curb evil; (2) the ministry and activity of the church and the effects of the _gospel; or (3) God himself. The Bible does not clearly identify this restrainer, only that the restraint will not last forever. But we should not fear this time when the restraint is removed--God is far stronger than the man of lawlessness, and God will save his people.
2:7 "The secret power of lawlessness is already at work" means that the work that the Antichrist will do is already going on. The word secret here refers to something no one can discover but that God will reveal. Lawlessness is the hidden, subtle, underlying force from which all sin springs. Civilisation still has a veneer of decency through law enforcement, education, science, and reason. Although we are horrified by criminal acts, we have yet to see the real horror of complete lawlessness. This will happen when "the one who now holds it back ... is taken out of the way." Why will God allow this to happen? To show people and nations their own sinfulness, and to show them by bitter experience the true alternative to the lordship of Christ. Lawlessness, to a certain extent, is already going on, but the man of lawlessness has not yet been revealed.
2:9 This lawless one will use "displays of power through signs and wonders" to deceive and draw a following. Miracles from God can help strengthen our faith and lead people to Christ but all miracles are not necessarily from God. Christ's miracles were significant not just because of their power, but because of their purpose-to help, to heal, and to point us to God. The man of lawlessness will have the power to do amazing things, but his power will be from Satan. He will use this power to destroy and to lead people away from God and toward himself. If any so-called religious personality draws attention only to himself or herself, his or her work is not from God.
2:10-12 The Bible reveals that God hates all evil and will one day eliminate it completely and forever (Revelation 20:10-15). God does not entice anyone to become evil. Those committed to evil, however, may be used by God to sin even more in order to hasten their deserved judgment (see Exodus 11:10). We don't need to understand every detail of how God works in order to have perfect confidence in his absolute power over evil and his total goodness toward those who accept his grace and offer of salvation.
2:11 Does God cause some people to be deceived? This verse is pointing out that God has chosen to allow people to step away from him, and this normally happens in a series of steps. First, they choose to follow the deceptiveness of the Antichrist. Then, as part of their punishment, God confirms their delusion and allows their hearts to be hardened. The more you rebel against God and separate yourself from him, the harder it is to return to him (see 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 17:17). To understand God's allowing this to happen, we must first understand certain things about his nature: (1) God himself is good (Psalm 11:7). (2) God created a good world that fell because of humanity's sin (Romans 5:12). (3) Someday God will re-create the world and it will be good again (Revelation 21:1). (4) God is stronger than evil (Matthew 13:41-43; Revelation 19:11-21). (5) God allows evil and thus has control over it. God did not create evil, and he offers help to those who wish to overcome it (Matthew 11:28-30). (6) God uses everything--both good and evil--for his good purposes (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28).
2:13 Paul consistently taught that salvation begins and ends with God. We can do nothing to be saved on our own merit--we must accept God's gift of salvation (see the note on Ephesians 1:4). There is no other way to receive forgiveness from sin. Paul was encouraging the Thessalonian believers by reminding them that they had been chosen by God from the beginning. Sanctification is the process of Christian growth through which the Holy Spirit makes us like Christ (Romans 8:29). (For more on this, see the note on 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.)
2:14 God worked through Paul and his companions to share the gospel so that the people could share in Christ's glory. It may seem strange that God works through us--fallible, unfaithful, untrustworthy human creatures. But he has given us the fantastic privilege of being part of accomplishing his great mission--telling the world how to find salvation.
2:15 Paul knew that the Thessalonians would face pressure from persecutions, false teachings, worldliness, and apathy, causing them to waver from the truth and to leave the faith. So he urged them to "stand firm" and hold on to the truth they had been taught both through his letters and in person. We also may face persecution, false teachings, worldliness, and apathy. We should hold on to the truth of Christ's teachings because our lives depend on it. Study the Bible and stand firm, rooted in God's truth as you encounter trials of various kinds.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)