2 Thessalonians 2

This is the second of the three chapters of 2 Thessalonians. Chapter 1 comforts persecuted believers and speaks of the judgment that will take place when the Lord comes. Chapter 2 addresses a misunderstanding about the timing of that Second Coming.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The subject is the coming of the Lord and the gathering of believers to Him. Paul urges the readers not to be quickly shaken or alarmed, even if they hear that "the day of the Lord" has come, whether by spirit, by word, or by a letter purporting to be from Paul.
• Verses 3–5 Before that day, the falling away (apostasy, or abandonment of the faith) must come first, and the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, must be revealed. He sits in the temple of God and proclaims himself to be God. Paul reminds the readers that he had already told them these things while he was with them.
• Verses 6–8 For now, something restrains him. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but when the one who restrains is taken out of the way, the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and destroy him by His coming.
• Verses 9–12 The wicked one comes according to the working of Satan, with signs, lying wonders, and every kind of deception. Those who did not receive the love of the truth are deceived and come under judgment.
• Verses 13–14 Paul gives thanks that God chose the Thessalonian believers from the beginning, saved them through sanctification by the Spirit and belief of the truth, and called them through the gospel to obtain the glory of Christ.
• Verses 15–17 Paul exhorts the readers to stand firm and hold to the traditions (the teaching handed down to them) that they received by word and by letter. He closes with a prayer that God would comfort and strengthen the believers' hearts.

Key Verses

• 2 Thessalonians 2:3: "except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed …" A key text on events that will take place before the Second Coming.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:13: "God hath from the beginning chosen you." Frequently cited in discussions of predestination.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:15: "hold the traditions which ye have been taught." Cited in debates over the authority of tradition.

People and Places

• Paul: The apostle who sent the letter. According to 1:1, he sent it together with Silvanus and Timothy.
• Thessalonica: The city in Macedonia where the church that received the letter was located.
• The man of lawlessness: A figure who, according to the text, will appear before the Second Coming and oppose God. The text does not identify who he is.

Interpretive Considerations

• The man of lawlessness (KJV "man of sin") is commonly identified with the Antichrist. However, the word "antichrist" does not appear in this chapter; it appears in passages such as 1 John 2.
• Interpretations of the identity of the man of lawlessness differ widely. Some see him as a single individual who will appear in the future, others as the anti-Christian forces present in every age, and still others as a particular institution in history. The original text of the Westminster Confession of Faith identified the Pope of Rome as the man of sin, but some Presbyterian churches later revised this wording.
• "The temple of God" is likewise read in several ways. Dispensationalism takes it to be a Jerusalem temple that will be rebuilt in the future. Other interpretations take it to refer to the church or understand it symbolically.
• The identity of "what restrains" and "the one who restrains" is also unclear. The view that these refer to the Roman Empire and the rule of law dates back to the early church fathers. Other interpretations identify them with the preaching of the gospel or with the Holy Spirit. Some dispensationalists understand the restrainer's removal as the removal of the Holy Spirit and the church, and use this as grounds for a pre-tribulation Rapture.
• "God shall send them strong delusion" in 2:11 and God's choosing in 2:13 are explained differently by Calvinism and Arminianism.
• Understandings of the "traditions" in verse 15 also differ. The Catholic Church cites this text in support of the authority of Sacred Tradition alongside Scripture. Protestants hold that the apostolic teaching is now transmitted through Scripture.
• This chapter is read together with Daniel 7:1–8, Matthew 24:15, and 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.

In the Korean Church

Verses 2 and 3 are frequently cited in warnings against date-setting eschatology, which fixes a date for the Second Coming. Shincheonji is known to derive a scheme of "apostasy, destruction, and salvation" from verse 3 and other passages and to teach it. Various denominations and cult-counseling organizations have criticized this interpretation.