Frameworks:
2 Thessalonians 2
For
Preliminaries see chapter 1
[Chapter
Synopsis: about
the enemy activity that must precede Christ's eventual return,
encouragement to go going well and remain strong and be encouraged
v.1-12
The man of lawlessness
v.13-17
Stand firm
v.1-12
The man of lawlessness
[Passage
Synopsis: Christ
has not yet returned and indeed the representative of the enemy
who will exhibit rebellion and lawlessness must come first, only
to be overthrown by Jesus when he does return]
v.1,2
(be reassured
that the rumours that Christ has come, are false) Concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to
him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 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.
v.3
(he won't come
until after a period of lawlessness) 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.
v.4
(where the enemy
will oppose God and set himself up in opposition in the temple)
He will oppose and will exalt himself
over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he
sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
v.5
(remember I
have already warned you about this) Don't
you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these
things?
v.6
(he is being
held back until God decides) And
now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed
at the proper time.
v.7
(but lawlessness
is in the world now but restrained) 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.
v.8
(but he will
eventually be revealed but overcome by Jesus when he returns)
And then the lawless one will be
revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of
his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming.
v.9,10
(in the meantime
he will deceive and lead many astray even by signs and wonders)
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,
and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.
They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
v.11,12
(he will add
to the hardness of heart that stops so many believing) For
this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will
believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not
believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
v.13-17
Stand firm
[Passage
Synopsis: we
are blessed by the way you are doing, so keep on and be strengthened
and encouraged]
v.13
(but we can
thank God for you and the way you are working out your faith)
But we ought always to thank God
for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose
you as first-fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of
the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
v.14
(you were called
to share in Christ's glory) He
called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
v.15
(so stand firm
holding fast to our teaching) 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.
v.16,17
(may the Lord
encourage and strengthen you even more) May
our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us
and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,
encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and
word.
(CONTINUE
to CHAPTER 3)