Commentary on II Thessalonians CHAPTER I Outline of II Thessalonians 1 Theme: The Revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heavenhas a twofold purpose: (1). To be glorified in the saints, including those at Thessalonica, for whom, because of their increase in faith and love, and their continued endurance amid persecution, Paul feels impelled to thank God, and for whom he prays. (2). To render vengeance to the disobedient. 1:1–12 1 1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; 2 grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We are obliged to give thanks to God always for you, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing beyond measure, and the love of each single one of you for one another is constantly increasing, 4 so that we on our part boast of you in the churches of God, of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions under which you are holding up, 5 an evident indication of God's righteous judgment, in order that you may be deemed worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you, too, are suffering; righteousjudgment, we say if, indeed, (it is) righteous in God's estimation (as it certainly is) to repay with afflictions those who afflict you, 7 and (to grant) you who are being afflicted rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, 8 inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, even on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, such as will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes in order to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at in all who believe for our testimony to you was believed in that day. 11 With this in view we are also praying always for you, that our God may count you worthy of the call, and that he by his power may bring to fulfilment (your) every resolve prompted by goodness and (your every) work resulting from faith, 12 in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1:1, 2 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; 2 grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This superscription differs from that found in I Thess. 1:1in two respects only: (1) It has ourFather instead of theFather. Thus the fact that both writers and readers have one and the same Father is here definitely expressed, though it was also implied in I Thess. 1:1. (2) After the clause grace to you and peace it adds a phrase which makes explicit the sourceof grace and peace, showing that it comes fromGod the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In I Thess. 1:1this source was implied in the statement that the church was (founded and still existing) inGod the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. For the rest, see on I Thess. 1:1. 3. We are obliged to give thanks to God always for you, brothers, as is fitting. For the meaning of, We give thanks to God always, see on I Thess. 1:2. However, here in II Thess. 1:3the writers do not state, We give thanks to God always, but We are obliged ([Greek]) to do so. They feel impelled to express their gratitude to God. They cannot do otherwise. And this subjective necessity is in harmony with the objective necessity: as is fitting ([Greek]). The idea advanced by some commentators that the substitution of, We are obliged to give thanks, for We give thanks implies a degree of reluctance or hesitancy, and that this somewhat faltering manner of expression must be explained in the light of 2:2; 3:6, 10, 11 passages which indicate that the mental attitude and conduct of some had grown worse instead of better impresses us as an instance of reading too much into the text. Also open to serious question is the view according to which the replacement of for you (all I Thess. 1:2) by the simple for you (II Thess. 1:3) must be explained similarly. That Paul is not trying to omit any true brother is rather clear from what immediately follows: because your faith is growing beyond measure, and the love of each single one of you for one another is constantly increasing.Clearly in this entire passage whether it be read in the original or in the translation makes no difference the writers reveal themselves as men who are elated (see also on 2:13; 3:4) rather than reluctant, exuberant rather than hesitant. The presence in the congregation of a few members who were not living in accordance with the rules cannot be denied. In fact, it constituted a real problem, more so even than when the first epistle was written. But in the jubilant passage which we are now discussing the disorderly persons are kept in the background for the moment. What we have here is irrepressible joy, a joy which in the form of sincere and humble thanksgiving is directed to the Giver of all good things. The reason for the constant thanksgiving is that the faith of the Thessalonians (is growing beyond [Greek]) or very much,and that the love of each single brother is constantly [Greek]), which was exactly what Paul had wished and prayed for so earnestlyI Thess. 3:12; 4:1, 10). It is true that in the present passage faithand loveare mentioned, not hope. Contrast I Thess. 1:3, where all three are mentioned. But to infer from this omission (as some interpreters do) that in Paul's judgment the Thessalonians had lost their hope is unwarranted. Such a conclusion brings one into conflict with what is clearly stated in II Thess. 2:16: who gave us(both readers and writers) good hope. Besides, Paul immediately adds (verse 4) that he boasts of the endurancewhich the readers are showing; and is not enduranceinspired by hope? See on I Thess. 1:3. It is certainly true that the Thessalonians needed further instruction with respect to things to come (see 2:1–12), but their hope was by no means dim. On the contrary, it was buoyant, and it sustained them sothat they were able to endure persecution. Verse 3 must not be interpreted as if verse 4 did not exist! The only correct way to interpret a passage is to read on and on.If that is done, we shall not commit the error of saying that Paul praises the Thessalonians for their faith and love but not for their hope. 4.One of the results of the readers growth in faith and increase in love is now stated: sothat we on our part boast of you in the churches of God, of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions under which you are holding up. The perfectly natural and easy manner in which the term enduranceis here introduced seems to imply that it was already presupposed in verse 3. Faith full-grown implies hope, and hope produces endurance. Paul, Silas, and Timothy (are boastingspoke with pride ) about the Thessalonians. In connection with this boasting four facts are pointed out: (1) Its authors:we on our part ([Greek] ). Cf. Rom. 9:3; 15:14; II Cor. 12:13. The idea seems to be one of contrast, not one of resemblance. In other words, the meaning is not, we, like others who have heard about you (in which case we would have expected [Greek] ), nor is it we of our own accord, but we on our part over against you on your part. The missionaries must have heard from the Thessalonians since the first epistle was written. Naturally, the genuine believers in the recently established church were rather restrained in speaking about their own spiritual condition. They were humble, ready to admit that even the most devout among them were still far removed from the goal of spiritual perfection, and that some in the congregation conducted themselves in such a manner that the others felt ashamed. Over against this, Paul, by way of encouragement, says, We on our partboast of you. (2) Its personal object:you, i.e., the Thessalonians. (3) Its impersonal object:your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions under which you are holding up. This indicates (the qualitiesin the readers which had given rise to the boasting. The missionaries spoke with pride about the Thessalonians because they were holding up underI Thess. 1:3; 4:14) all their distresses, armed, as they were, by faith in God and in his promises. These distresses are here characterized as (persecutionsRom. 8:35; II Cor. 12:10; II Tim. 3:11), which is the more specific term, and afflictions,which is the more general term. The latter may also indicate the result of the persecutions. These afflictions are the tribulations caused by the pressure which the enemy exerts upon the children of God. See -2 _ftnref1 N.T.C.on John 16:33. Paul commends the Thessalonians for holding [Greek]) under these trials. The expression allyour persecutions seems to indicate that of late these hardships had increased rather than decreased. (4) (Its place or sphere:the churches of God. See on I Thess 1:7, 8; 2:14. That Paul was in rather close contact with these churches appears again and again. Anxiety for all the churches pressed upon him dailyII Cor. 11:28). Is he thinking here of other churches in Macedonia, of Corinth and other churches in Achaia (II Cor. 1:1), and of the churches in Asia Minor? We do not know. We do know that it was Paul's custom to boast of one church to another (II Cor. 8:1–6; 9 2; contrast Phil. 4:15). 5. an evident indication of God's righteous judgment, in order that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you, too, are suffering. Paul calls this unflinching attitude on the part of the Thessalonians (their endurance and faith amid all persecutions and afflictions) an [Greek]) or proof positive of God's righteous judgment. The very fact that God rewardshis children with fortitude indicates that he is a righteousGod, who, accordingly, will also manifest this righteousness in the final judgment, which judgment will have as its purpose to state openly that his loyal followers are worthy of entering his everlasting kingdom. For the sake of this kingdom not only Paul, Silas, Timothy and many others outsideof Thessalonica are suffering but so are also the believers atThessalonica. They gladly endure tribulation in order that one day they may enter into the kingdom of perfection, in which God will be all in all, and his sovereign rule will be joyfully recognized and [Greek] -2 _ftnref2 [Greek] Let not the Thessalonians doubt this benevolent purpose of God with respect to them, namely, to count them worthy of entering the kingdom. Let them have no fear (I Thess. 5:4, 5, 9). Let them bear in mind that God is not only Judge but righteousJudge, who rewards faith and obedience, and who ever keeps his promise. The righteous character of God's judgment is emphasized in the immediately following verses: 6, 7.righteousjudgment, we say if, indeed, (it is) righteous in God's estimation (as it certainly is) to repay with afflictions those who afflict you, and (to grant) you who are being afflicted rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven. Here Paul shows that God's kindly purpose with respect to the Thessalonians (to count them worthy of entering the kingdom) is in harmony with the basic principle of recompense, according to which those who persecute God's people will suffer punishment, and those who are persecuted because of their faith will receive a reward. The apostle is so thoroughly convinced of the absolutely indisputable character of this basic principle that he can afford to say, If &Note, however, that he does not merely say, If, but If, indeed! ([Greek]), and that the condition is assumed to be true (first class conditional sentence). Hence, clearly to convey the full force of the original, one should add to the words, If, indeed, (it is) righteous in God's sight something like as it certainly is. Even today we use suchif-clauses again and again. We use them when we are sure that the statement included in the if-clause is beyond dispute; for instance: If the sun rose yesterday, it will rise tomorrow. If I am poor, I am not dishonest. If the mail was delivered yesterday, it will be delivered today. In each case such an if means on the valid assumption that. Hence, the sense of verses 6 and 7 in relation to verse 5b is: On the valid assumption that it is a divine rule that the persecutor is punished and that the persecuted is rewarded, God will reward you on the coming judgment-day by counting you worthy to enter his glorious kingdom. God's righteousness is manifested in a twofold manner. On the one hand, it is (retributive:God repaysgives in return;see on I Thess. 3:9) with (afflictionsJohn 16:33) those who afflict believers. On the other hand, it is (remunerative:he grants those who are being afflicted restlet-up), gracious (reliefII Cor. 2:13; 7:5; 8:13) from all the hardships they have borne on account of their valiant battle for the truth. In a touching manner the passage is so worded that association with others in sufferingfor the cause of Christtoo,are suffering is balanced by association with others in enjoyment of restwith us, that is, with Paul, Silas, Timothy, and, of course, with all other believers . This rest freedom from every form of bondage, and everlasting peace in the presence of the God of love will be granted to believers at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven. Paul is fond of this word (revelationuncovering, the removal of the veil). Often he uses it in the sense of a disclosure of divine truth (Rom. 2:5; 16:25; I Cor. 14:6, 26; II Cor. 12:1, 7; Gal. 1:12; Eph. 3:3). In the present instance, however, the term has reference to the glorious manifestation of the Lord at his second coming. So also in (I Cor. 1:7. Then the veil which now hides him from our view will be taken away, for we shall see him in his majestic descent from heavenI Thess. 4:16). The expression at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven means when the Lord Jesus will be revealed, coming from heaven: [Greek] -2 _ftnref3 ([Greek] This is the ParousiaI Thess. 2:19; see also N.T.C. on John 21:1). With the angels of his power in flaming fireActs 7:30flame of fire . That the Lord at his coming will be accompanied by the angels (in whom his power is made manifest) had been proclaimed by Jesus himself (Matt. 13:41, 42; 25:31; cf. Jude 15; Rev. 14:19). Their function will be twofold: first, to gather the weeds, binding them in bundles to be burned, and also to gather the wheat into my (the Lord's) barn. The addition of the phrase in flaming fire indicates the Lord's holiness manifested in judgment (Ex. 3:2; 19:16–20; Is. 29:6; 66:15, 16; Ps. 50:3; 97:3). The passage which must have been vividly present to Paul's consciousness when he wrote this is Is. 66:15, 16: For behold, Jehovah will come with fire, and his chariots will be like the whirlwind; to render his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will Jehovah execute judgment.& The picture is very vivid. We can almost see the angelic host, the Lord himself in the center. Moreover, this is not merely a picture; it is reality! It is by no means established that the mass of fire with its flames shooting in all directions is a mere symbol of judgment. To be sure, not until these events become actual history shall we know how much of this description must be taken literally and how much figuratively, and it is useless to speculate. On the other hand it is also true that the seer on Patmos describes how at Christ's coming the earth and the heaven flee away (Rev. 20:11); and II Peter 3:7, 11, 12states that the universe will be purged completely by a great conflagration ( the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ). To explain the phrase in flaming fire as indicating that the descending host of angels will itself be a flaming fire does not satisfy. The in is that of investiture: the host with Christ leading in the center is invested in, surrounded by, fire. The three prepositional phrases are clearly parallel. The revelation of the Lord Jesus is: a. from heaven b. with the angels of his power c. in flaming fire. To speak about a mere symbol in such connections is never right. The reality which answers to the symbol is always far more terrible (or far more glorious) than the symbol itself. Human language is stretched almost to its breaking-point in order to convey the terrible character of the coming of the Lord in relation to the wicked: 8. inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, even on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. The Lord comes in order to inflict vengeance (Deut. 32:35; Is. 59:17; Ezek. 25:14). On whom? Two answers are possible, depending on what translation one adopts, whether, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, and on thosewho do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, or inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, even on thosewho do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. In the former case two classes are indicated: a. pagans who have never heard the gospel and b. Jews and pagans who have rejected the gospel. In the latter case the reference is to only one class, namely, those who, having heard the gospel, refuse to obey it. In view of the fact that in the entire context the blind heathen who have never come into contact with the message of salvation are never alluded to, and that those who in their wilful disobedience persecute God's children are definitely in the apostle's mind (see verses 4, 6, 9), we accept the latter alternative. Not ignorance of the gospel but disobedience was the sin of the persecutors. It is true that the wicked are here described as those who do not knowGod. They do not know him as their own God. They do not call on his name. They hate him; hence, they also hate his gospel(the gospel which proclaims him, and which he proclaims). Cf. Jer. 10:25; then N.T.C. on John 7:17; II Thess. 3:14; Rom. 10:16. 9.With reference to the persecutors Paul continues: such as will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might. The attention is once more focussed on the cruel individuals who, in their hatred of God and of the gospel, make life hard for sincere believers. They are (such people as will pay the penalty of everlastingJohn 3:16) (destruction. The very fact that this destructionI Thess. 5:3; I Cor. 5:5; I Tim. 6:9) is everlasting shows that it does not amount to annihilation or going out of existence. On the contrary it indicates an existence away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might. While everlasting life manifests itself in the blessed contemplation of the face of the Lord, sweet fellowship with him, closeness to him (Rev. 22:4; cf. Ps. 17:15; Matt. 5:8), a most wonderful together-ness (I Thess. 4:17), everlasting destruction which is the product of God's vengeance(see verse 8 above) is the very opposite. Just as the blessing (?) of Esau consisted in this, that his dwelling would be away fromthe fatness of the earth, and away fromthe dew of heavenGen. 27:39correctly translated , so the punishment which all the persecutors of God's people will suffer will be everlasting existence away [Greek]) Christ, banished forever from his favor. Cf. Rom. 9:3. The language employed here reminds one of the recurring refrain of Is. 2:10, 19, 21, or of the well-known stanza: To live apart from God is death, Tis good his face to seek; My refuge is the living God, His praise I long to speak. (Ps. 73:27.) This banishment from loving fellowship with Christ implies expulsion from the glory (radiant splendor) of his might as it is manifested in the salvation of the saints. 10.The terrible separation will become publicly evident when he comes in order to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at in all who believed for our testimony to you was believed in that day. The meaning of Christ's second coming for those who by sovereign grace have placed their trust in him is here set forth. In a sense this may be viewed as a continuation of the thought begun in verse 7. According to that verse, God's children will receive (restwhen the Lord Jesus is revealed. Here in verse 10 we are shown that this rest which they will enjoy means glory for him. He will be glorified inamong) them; that is, they will reflect his light, his attributes as, in principle, they do even now (II Cor. 3:18). Every vestige of sin will have been banished from their soul. They will mirror forth his image and walk in the light of his countenance (Ps. 89:15–17). In this (hewill rejoice. In this the angels, too, in seeing it, will rejoice. And in this each of the redeemed, seeing the reflection of Christ's image in all the other redeemed, will rejoice. Moreover, not only will Christ rejoice in the reflection of his own image in them, but he will also rejoice in their joy! Cf. Zeph. 3:17. And his rejoicing in theirjoy will reflect glory on him! Thus, take it in any sense, he will be glorified in his saints. Cf. Is. 49:3; see also N.T.C. on John 12:28. He will be marveled atpraised) in all who believed. On the one hand, the redeemed are here viewed as saints(set apart by God for his service); on the other, as believers,men who have placed their trust in the Lord. The first term emphasizes the fact that theirsalvation is basically God's work. The second sets forth that they,nevertheless, actively embracethe Christ. [Greek]) he comes means when he returns on that day which to us is indefinite. Yet to God it is well-known: it is that specific day(note emphatic position at the end of the sentence), namely, the day of Christ's return unto judgment. Cf. Is. 2:11, 17, 20; Matt. 24:36; II Tim. 1:12, 18; 4:8. The expression For our testimony (I Cor. 1:6; 2:1) to you was believed is clearly parenthetical. What Paul, Silas, and Timothy wish to say may be paraphrased as follows: The enemies of God who so bitterly persecute you will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction, away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes in order to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at in allwho believed; and please notice that we said, In allwho believed. That includes you,Thessalonians; yes, it includes both those of you who have already fallen asleep in Jesus and those (if any) who will remain alive until the return of the Lord. It includes allsincere believers without exception. Hence, it includes you, for our testimony to you was believed. This was a word of comfort for the congregation as a whole, but especially for those who wondered about the state of their salvation and about the lot of those believers who had departed from this life. See on 4:13 5:11. 11. With this in view we are also praying always for you, that our God may count you worthy of the call.That is, with a view to the realization of the expectations mentioned in verses 5 10 (namely, that on the day of judgment you may be counted worthy of entering the kingdom, that you may then receive rest, that he may at his coming be glorified in you, etc.) Paul, Silas, and Timothy are giving thanksnot only (see on verse 3 above) but are [Greek]) praying. They do not skip a single day note praying always,and see on I Thess. 1:2but are continually remembering the needs of the Thessalonians before the throne of grace. Now it stands to reason that if on the day of judgment the Thessalonians are to be counted worthy of inheriting the kingdom, they must here and nowconduct themselves in harmony with the [Greek] -2 _ftnref4 [Greek] which they have received. If our life is Christ, our future will be gain; otherwise not. Hence, the content(naturally also the purpose) of the prayer is that God may count you worthy (see on verse 5 above) of his gracious invitation extended to you by means of the preaching of the gospel, already in principle savingly applied to your hearts by the Holy Spirit; in other words, that in the estimation of God you may live and act as it becomes those who have received the call which you have received. Cf. Eph. 4:1. But since (in their own powermen are unable to live in such a manner that God can count them worthy of the call, it is immediately added, and that he by (his) power may bring to fulfilment (your) every resolve prompted by goodness and (your every) work resulting from faith.Note the combination: resolve and work. The first is incomplete without the second. DelightRom. 10:1; Eph. 1:5, 9; Phil. 1:15; 2:13, good pleasure) in doing something that is to God's honor, even to the point of (resolveor determinationto do it, is fine; but it must be translated into action;it must be brought to fulfilment. For the type of genitive employed in such expressions as resolve prompted by [Greek] admiration for the good) and work resulting from(and sustained by) [Greek]) see on I Thess. 1:3. It is hardly necessary to point out that Paul has in mind the believer's resolveRom. 10:1; Phil. 1:15) and (the believer s(not God's) work. If that is the meaning when the latter phrase is used in I Thess. 1:3(see on that passage), why not here? Moreover, since the two phrases form a pair, it follows that not only the latter but also the former refers to the Thessalonians, not to God;God sgood pleasure in Eph. 1:5, 9; Phil. 2:13; cf. Matt. 11:26; Luke 2:14; 10:21). In thought the word [Greek], feminine) must be connected both with [Greek], feminine) and with [Greek], neuter); every resolve and every work. The missionaries are constantly praying that in the case of the Thessalonians no resolution that springs from the good disposition which the Holy Spirit has created in their souls be left unfulfilled, and that no faith-inspired work be left unfinished. They are praying that God may accomplish this by (his) power ([Greek] ), the power of his grace working within them. Cf. Rom. 1:29; Col. 1:4; I Cor. 1:24; and see on I Thess. 1:5. It is foolish to ask, But if Paul already knew from the evidences faith, love, endurance (see verses 3, 4 above) that God on the day of judgment would count them worthy of entering the kingdom, then why does he with a view to this final verdict still pray for their further sanctification? The answer is not, Because, after all, he was afraid that they might still fall away from grace. In that case he could not have said what he did say in verse 5. The true answer is, Paul knew from the evidences that as a result of constant prayer(their own prayer-life and the prayers of others for them) the Thessalonians would live and act as it becomes those who have received the call, sothat on the day of judgment God would count them worthy of entering the kingdom. In the chain of salvation, which connects one eternity with another, constant prayer and daily sanctification are indispensable links. 12.Moreover, the missionaries are interested in something else besides the salvation of the Thessalonians. They desire that everyresolve prompted by goodness and everywork resulting from faith be brought to fulfilment and that the readers may finally be counted worthy of entering the state of ultimate perfection in order [Greek]) an even higher goal may be attained, as is expressed in verse 12: in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. What it means for our Lord Jesus to be glorified in his disciples (or saints) has been explained in connection with verse 10 above. Here in verse 12, however, it is the nameof the Lord that is glorified. Christ's name is Christ himself as he has revealed himself: for example, as God's Anointed One, the Savior and Lord of his own. Hence, when they share in his anointing, accept his salvation, and recognize his Lordship, then his nameis glorified in them. And this, in turn, reflects glory on them.in the nameis also possible, with very little difference in meaning. This he in you and you in him is probably based directly upon the teaching of Jesus. See N.T.C. on (John 17:10, 22; then also on John 15:4. It indicates the closeness of the fellowship between the Lord and those who are his own. His work in their hearts reflects glory on him. Their nearness to him means glory for them. Moreover, the glory which they receive is not given according to the standard of human merit, for then there would be none. It is given according to the standard of the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. That graceI Thess. 1:1) is derived from God our Father as the Fountain, and, being mediated through (the Lord Jesus ChristI Thess. 1:1), may be said to be derived also from him. The translation preferred by some, namely, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ, sothat the entire expression would refer to the second person of the Trinity, and sothat it would be another proof-text for the deity of Christ, has little in its favor. In the epistles to the Thessalonians (I Thess. 1:1, 2; II Thess. 1:2) grace is pictured as proceeding from a twofold source, namely, God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no solid reason to introduce a change here. It is definitely not true that grammar necessitates such a [Greek] -2 _ftnref5 [Greek] Synthesis of Chapter 1 See p. 152. The Revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven has a two-fold purpose: to be glorified in the saints and to render vengeance to the disobedient. After the usual introduction (verses 1 and 2) Paul writes that he feels impelled to express his gratitude to God for the readers growth in faith and love. He (and, of course, his partners with him) boasts of the Thessalonians whenever he contacts anyone from the other churches. He regards the readers endurance and continued faith amid persecution and affliction to be a reward for their loyalty, according to the usual manner in which God rewards holy endeavor with strength to increase in it. The fact that here and now God fulfills his promise causes the apostle to look forward with courage to the day of the final judgment, fully trusting that also then God's righteousness will become evident, and the readers will be deemed worthy of the kingdom in perfection. This action on the part of God is in harmony with the divinely established principle that a man reaps what he sows. Accordingly, God afflicts the afflictors, and grants rest to those who rest in his promises. Thus, for unbelievers the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire will have as its purpose the rendering of vengeance. This vengeance will be in the form of everlasting destruction away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might. But for believers its purpose will be that he may be glorified and marveled at in them, the splendor of his attributes being reflected in them. This will be the portion of allhis saints, including the Thessalonians, for they, as well as others, have accepted the missionaries testimony. With a view to the great assize and its glorious reward Paul never lets a day go by without praying for the readers, in order that the work in them begun may by God's grace be fully done: that pious resolutions may become actions, and that these actions may be completed. Thus the name of the Lord Jesus will be glorified. And this, too, will be glory for them,in accordance with the standard of the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. -2 _ftn1 N.T.C. (W. Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary) -2 _ftn2 114 The exegesis here given is based upon the following conclusions with respect to points of grammar. a. [Greek] is either accusative in apposition with verse 4b (Rom. 12:1) or else it is to be regarded as a predicate nominative (after E [Greek] understood). In either case it refers not to the persecutions and afflictions as such, as if Paul were saying that these tribulations which believers had to endure were an evidence of God's righteous judgment, but to the believers faith and endurance amid all their persecutions and afflictions. b. The [Greek] refers, indeed, to the (finaljudgment, and not to God's verdict here and now with respect to the genuine character of the endurance and faith of the Thessalonians.judgmentand the verb to judgesee N.T.C. on John 3:19, 17.) Proof: the following verses (6 10) clearly indicate that Paul is thinking of the judgment at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven. One should read on and on. c. [Greek], as often in Paul, is best taken in its telic sense; cf. the parallel thought expressed in verse 10. The judgment day arrives in order that the saints may be deemed worthy of the kingdom, and in order that Christ may be glorified in his saints. d. The verb [Greek] means not make but count worthy. For evidence see M.M., p. 330. e. As in (I Thess. 2:12(see on that verse) so also here the expression the kingdom of God indicates the redeemed society of the future which will gladly recognize and obey God's rule. This future sense is clear from the entire context (verses 6 10). Also elsewhere in Paul's epistles this kingdom is an inheritance which believers will receive by and by, and from which those who practice immorality, uncleanness, etc., will be excludedI Cor. 6:9, 19; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5). Flesh and blood cannot inherit it (I Cor. 15:50). Nevertheless, this future kingdom is fore-shadowed in the present, into which believers have been translated (Col. 1:13). Its citizens even now possess righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). It is not in word but in power (I Cor. 4:20). f. For the meaning of [Greek] see N.T.C. on (John 10:11. ) -2 _ftn3 115 It is clear that I take the genitive to be objective or perhaps objective-subjective; certainly not only subjectiveop. cit.,p. 409 as in (Gal. 1:12. The Lord JesusI Thess. 1:1) is represented here in II Thess. 1:7as being revealed. My reasons for accepting this position are as follows: (1) This is in harmony with the context. (2) It agrees with Christ's own manner of speaking (which must have been transmitted to Paul). Thus according to Luke 17:30Jesus spoke about the day when the Son of man is revealed. (3) The revelation of the Lord Jesus (I Peter 1:7, 13) is the revelation of his glory. It is true, of course, that the Lord reveals himself. Hence, it is a revelation of himself, by himself (objective-subjective), but the emphasis is on the idea that it is a revelation in which his glory is disclosed(objective). (4) Thus viewed we get an antithesis between the Christ and the Antichrist: Christ is revealed when he returns in glory, and then also the Antichrist will be revealed (II Thess. 2:3, 6, 8). -2 _ftn4 116 In the New Testament [Greek] always the divine call to salvation: Rom. 11:29; I Cor. 1:26; 7:20; Eph. 1:18; 4:1, 4; Phil. 3:14; II Tim. 1:9; Heb. 3:1; II Peter 1:10. In agreement with Lenskiop. cit.,p. 394 we see no need of interpreting the term as used here in II Thess. 1:11in any other way than as indicating the effective Gospel call. For a different interpretation see Van Leeuwen, op. cit.,p. 414. -2 _ftn5 117 Sharp's Rule is valuable, but on this one condition: that it be applied only to such cases to which it applies by right, not to proper names which may be definite even without the article. Thus A. T. Robertson, who wrote a delightful chapter on Sharp's RuleThe Minister and his Greek New Testament, New York, 1923, pp. 61–68; cf. Gram.N.T., pp. 785, 786 admits that the argument in favor of interpreting what follows the final [Greek] in II Thess. 1:12as referring to only one person is weakened by the fact that [Greek] is often employed as a proper name without the article. See also his Word Pictures, Vol. IV, p. 46. We disagree, therefore, with Lenski, op. cit.,pp. 398, 399, and we agree with most other interpreters. CHAPTER II Outline of II Thessalonians 2 Theme: The Revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven will be preceded by the falling away and by the revelation of the man of lawlessness: 2:1 3a The two events that will precede Christ's return: the falling away and the revelation of the lawless one. Groundless alarm condemned. 2:3b 12 The lawless one's: verse 3b perverse character verse 4 God-defying activity verses 6 8a present concealment and future revelation verse 8b decisive defeat verses 9, 10a relation to Satan and to Satan's power to deceive verses 10b 12 sin-hardened, hell-bound followers. 2:13–16 Contrast between the destiny of the lawless one and his followers, on the one hand, and that of the readers, on the other. 2:1–12 2 1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to (meet) him, 2 we request you, brothers, not to be easily shaken from your (normal state of) mind or disturbed, either by spirit or by word or by letter as from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has arrived. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for (that day will not arrive) unless there comes the apostasy first of all and there be revealed the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, 4 the one who opposes and exalts himself against everything (that is) called God or worshiped, so that he seats himself in the sanctuary of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that, while still with you, I used to tell you these things? 6 And what is now holding (him) back you know, in order that he may be revealed in his appropriate season. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, (as mystery) only until he who now holds (him) back, be taken out of the [Greek] -2 _ftnref1 [Greek] 8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth, and will utterly defeat by the manifestation of his coming; 9 (that one) whose coming is according to the energy of Satan, attended by all power and signs and wonders of falsehood 10 and by all deceit that originates in unrighteousness for those who are perishing because they did not accept the love for the truth that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God sends them a deluding energy that they should believe in the falsehood; 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness. 2:1, 2. Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to (meet) him, we request you, brothers, not to be easily shaken from your (normal state of) mind or disturbed. Paul had written about the sudden character of Christ's (second) (comingI Thess. 2:19) and about the necessity of being prepared for it (I Thess. 5:1–11). Apparently this message had been misinterpreted, as if sudden coming meant immediate coming. Paul had also made known to the Thessalonians what the Lord had revealed to him (regardingJohn 10:11) the gathering together to (meet) him (I Thess. 4:13–18). He had stressed the impartial character of this great future event: survivors would have no advantage over departed ones. (Togetherthe two groups (now united) would ascend to meet the Lord in the air to be with him forever. But though this teaching must have comforted the readers, the comfort had to some extent been offset by the excitement about the imminent coming. Believers were behaving like ships that have become the victim of waves and winds and are being blown hither and thither. It seems that in the case of some the Parousia had become the main subject of conversation, the one important and ever-recurring theme for discussion. People were losing their heads over it, sothat some decided to stop working altogether. They were perturbed because of it, terribly shaken up; yes, shakenLuke 21:25) from their (normal state of) mind. Hence, soothingly Paul addresses the readers as brothers (I Thess. 1:4), and (requeststhemI Thess. 4:1; 5:12) not (to be suddenly shaken(aor. infinitive) or, as a result, continually disturbedMatt. 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 24:37); specifically, not to be alarmed so easily,that is, either by spirit or by word or by letter as from [Greek] -2 _ftnref2 [Greek] It seems that after I Thessalonians had been read to the assembled congregation, there was no dearth of interpreters. One individual would be telling everybody about an inspired message or prophetic voice which he had received (or so he thought); another would draw attention to himself by asserting, Paul must mean this, for I heard the wordfrom his own lips while he was here with us, and a third would circulate the news that someone had received a letterfrom Paul, in which the latter expressed his views in such or such a manner. In view of 3:17 the idea that someone had even sent a forged letter (a letter purporting to be from Paul) though open to certain objections cannot be lightly dismissed. The substance of all these would-be interpretations (whether by spirit or by word or by letter as from us) is expressed in the words: to the effect that the day of the Lord has arrived.These excited people were convinced that the day of the Lordimmediatelyprecede that arrival was here already. A few more days, weeks, or months at the most, and Jesus himselfwould make his appearance upon the clouds of heaven. His day had arrived. 3a: (Says Paul, Let no one deceive you in any way.The cause of the agitation which menaced the hearts and minds of the Thessalonians was doctrinal error. They were being deceived, led astray, deludedRom. 7:11; 16:18; I Cor. 3:18; II Cor. 11:3; I Tim. 2:14, though the form without the strengthening prefix [Greek] occurs also in James 1:26). Hence, they are warned that they should not allow themselves to be misled in any way,whether by spirit, word, letter or anything else whatever. The reason why the readers should not allow themselves to be deceived and alarmed is stated in the words: for (that day will not arrive) unless there comes the apostasy first of all.The words included between parentheses are not found in the original, but can easily be derived from the preceding context. We have here another instance of abbreviated expression. The fact that the day of the Lord would be preceded by (theapostasy (falling away, rebellion) an apostasy about which the readers had received previous instruction (see on verse 5) had been clearly predicted by the Lord while he was still on earthMatt. 24:10–13). During the old dispensation the predicted final apostasy had been foreshadowed again and again by defection of Israel from the living God. A most striking instance of apostasy occurred during the reign of that cruel and wicked forerunner of the Antichrist, namely, Antiochus Epiphanes (who ruled from 175 164 b.c.). He was determined to wipe out the religion of Israel root and branch: In those days there came forth out of Israel transgressors of the law, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles that are round about us.& And they made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the Gentiles, and sold themselves to do evil.& And many of Israel consented to his worship, and sacrificed to the idols, and profaned the sabbath.& And the king's officers, that were enforcing the apostasy,came into the city of Modein to sacrifice (I Macc. 1:11, 15, 43; 2:15). Here at Modein, not far from Jerusalem, there lived at that time an aged priest, Mattathias. When the commissioner of Antiochus requested that he take the lead in offering a pagan sacrifice, he not only refused to do this but slew both the commissioner and an apostate Jew who was about to comply with the request. That deed of courage marked the beginning of the splendid era of Maccabean revolt. What the apostle Paul is now saying, here in II Thess. 2:3, amount to this: Just like the first coming of Christ was preceded by a period of apostasy, so also the second coming will not occur until a similar apostasy has taken place. In this case, however, the apostasy will be a falling away from (yes, and open rebellion against) the God who climaxed his love by a deed of infinite sacrifice in the interest of sinners, namely, the giving of his only-begotten Son. The passage with reference to the coming apostasy by no means teaches that those who are God's genuine children will fall away from grace. There is no such falling away. The Good Shepherd knows his own sheep, and no one shall ever snatch them out of his hands -2 _ftnref3 (N.T.C.on John 10:28; see also on I Thess. 1:4). But it does mean that the faith of the fathers a faith to which the children adhere for a while in a merely formal way will finally be abandoned altogether by many of the children. In that sense the apostasy will be very real, indeed. It will be a defection on the part of those who have been reached by the gospel (I Peter 4:17; Ezek. 9:6), and it will be on a large scale: (manyshall stumble &manyfalse prophets shall arise and shall lead manyastray &the love of manyshall wax coldMatt. 24:10 [Greek] -2 _ftnref4 [Greek] The use of the term apostasyhere in II Thess. 2:3without an accompanying adjectivepoints to the fact that, by and large, the visible Church will forsake the true faith. 3b, 4.& And there be revealed the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, the one who opposes and exalts himself against everything (that is) called God or worshiped, sothat he seats himself in the sanctuary of God, proclaiming himself to be God. The movement of apostasy will soon have a leader, namely, the man of lawlessness (A [Greek] ). This is probably the best reading, though there is also rather strong support for the reading the man of sin ([Greek] ). In view of the fact that sin is lawlessness (I John 3:4), this makes no essential difference. It is important to note, in this connection, that just like the apostasy will not be merely passive but active (not merely a falling away from but also a rebellion against God and his Christ), so also the man of lawlessness will be an active and aggressive transgressor. He is not called lawless because he never heard God's law, but because he openly defies it! A few misconceptions with reference to this man of sin must be removed first of all. 1. He is not to be identified with Satan The very fact that his coming is according to the energy of Satan (verse 9) shows that he is not himself Satan. To call him the devil incarnate is wrong. 2. He must not be identified with the beast out of the sea of Rev. 13and 17 There is, indeed, a close connection between these two: a. The man of lawlessness stands in close connection with Satan, and so does the beast out of the sea (II Thess. 2:9; cf. Rev. 13:4). b. The man of lawlessness opposes God and exalts himself, proclaiming himself to be God; similarly the beast out of the sea opens his mouth for blasphemies against God, and welcomes the honor of being worshiped by a sinful world (II Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:5–8). c. The man of lawlessness is a son of perdition and suffers total defeat when Christ appears upon the clouds of heaven; so also the beast out of the sea goes into perdition (II Thess. 2:8; cf. Rev. 17:8; 19:20). It is not surprising, therefore, that many authors simply identify the two. Yet this identification is wholly without foundation. [Greek] -2 _ftnref5 ([Greek] In Revelation the four beasts of Daniel's prophecyDan. 7) are combined into one composite beast. Now it should be evident that if even the separate beasts of Daniel's prophecy certainly indicate kingdoms,and not onlyindividualsentirelyabsent , the compositebeast of Revelation cannot refer to only one person. On the contrary it must refer to antichristian government whenever and wherever it manifests [Greek] -2 _ftnref6 [Greek] To get the complete picture we must therefore combine II Thess. 2and Rev. 13and 17. It then becomes clear that in all ages antichristian power manifests itself, and it is our duty to resist it with might and main. Again and again this dominion of antichrist suffers defeat. It will suffer its greatest defeat at the end of this present age when, symbolized under the beast out of the sea under its eighth head, it will be under the control of a terrible blasphemer, namely, the man of lawlessness, the personal antagonist mentioned and described in II Thess. 2. Revelation (chapters 13 and 17) and II Thess. (chapter 2) supplement each other. The one pictures a movement, the other its final leader. This brings us to the more general proposition: 3. He is not an abstract power or a collective concept, but definitely an eschatological person The principle of lawlessness, always present, will finally become embodied in the man of lawlessness. But this does not mean that the two the principle and the man are one and the same. It is true that the real and final man of lawlessness has his precursors; but what is pictured here in II Thess. 2is not a precursor but the man of sin himself. We base this view not so much on the terms manof sin or sonof perdition which expressions because of their Semitic character and meaning may not be conclusive for the thesis that the man of lawlessness here in II Thess. is a person,but on the fact that the entire description which is here given is of a personal character. The man of lawlessness opposes, exalts himself, seats himself in the temple of God, proclaims himself to be God, and will be slain. Also, there is every reason to believe that the man of lawlessness described by Paul is the same person as the antichrist mentioned by John. Now Christ is a person. Hence, in all probability, the antichrist is also a person. Therefore, the man of lawlessness, being the antichrist, is also very likely a person. Like Christ himself, the man of lawlessness performs signs and wonders, has his Parousia and his revelation. It would be strange, therefore, if the man of sin were not a person. But isthe man of lawlessness to be identified with the antichrist? Our reasons for identifying the two are as follows: a. The man of lawlessness will be revealed immediately before the coming of Christ. The antichrist (concerning whom the readers have received previous informationwill come at the last hourII Thess. 2:8; I John 2:18). b. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Even now there are many antichrists (II Thess. 2:7; I John 2:18). In both cases the thought is as follows: though believers are correct in expecting one definite individual at the end of the age, an individual in whom wicked opposition to Christ will become crystallized, they should rather fix their attention upon the many antichrists already present in their own day and age, upon the fact that the mystery of lawlessness is in operation even now. c. The coming of the man of lawlessness is according to Satan's energy, with great signs and miracles, all of them false. Similarly, antichrist is called the liar and deceiver (II Thess. 2:9; I John 2:22; II John 7). However, not only is the man of lawlessness a person; he is a person who belongs to the end-time; hence, he is an eschatologicalperson. This is clear from verses 3 and 8. To be sure, by speaking about a whole (lineof antichrists one is doing justice to a Scriptural ideaI John 2:18; cf. II Thess. 2:7). Moreover, this idea has a practical advantage over that of the one, finalantichrist. The line-idea antichrists in everyage against which the church must everbe on its guard, furnishes a very useful and proper theme for sermonizing. But a careful reading of II Thess. 2:3, 4, 8, and 9 should suffice to convince anyone that we are here dealing with a precise prediction of a certain, definite person who will receive his doom when Christ returns. Other explanations may be philosophical; they are not exegetical. This naturally leads to the next proposition: 4. He is not to be identified with the line of Roman emperors Here for once I cannot agree with Dr. B. B. Warfield, staunch defender of the faith, whose views on matters theological generally command the utmost respect. It was his opinion that the man of lawlessness is to be identified with the line of such Roman emperors as Caligula, Nero, Vespasian, Titus, and DomitianBiblical and Theological Studies, edited by S. C. Craig, Philadelphia, 1952, p. 472 . But, as has been indicated, the entire context here in II Thess. 2is eschatological. It has to do with the end of the present dispensation. The man of lawlessness is the one who will immediately precede Christ's second coming (verse 3), and will be slain by the breath of Christ's mouth when the Lord returns gloriously (verse 8). This fact is an insurmountable obstacle in the path of the Roman emperor theory. It also annihilates the theories discussed below, namely, that the man of lawlessness is Nero Redivivus, the pope, or some vague mythological figure. 5. He is not Nero Redivivus(Nero brought back to life) Neither the entire line of Roman emperors nor any one particular Roman emperor is meant here. Thus, for example, Antichrist is not Nero. It was KernT�binger Zeitschrift für Theologie, 2 [1839], p. 145 ff. who revived the oldtheory Augustine was acquainted with it!: the man of lawlessness is Nero Redivivus. He thought that the origin of the idea was the widespread and superstitious fear in the early church that the monster of cruelty was about to reappear upon the scene. The Nero Saga seems to have manifested itself in two forms. According to the first, the emperor did not really diein 68 a.d., but merely hidhimself; according to the second (which became prevalent especially after 88 a.d.), he was really dead, but would rise again. But in addition to the cogent argument already presented (see under (4) above), the most decisive answer is this, that the theory, according to which whoever wrote II Thess. 2actually meant to say that Nero would return and that he was being held in check temporarily by Vespasian and his son Titus, must be considered impossible of acceptance by anyone who believes in an infallible Bible, for Nero never returned! This is the answer which we give to Kern, Baur, Weiz�cker, Holtzmann, Schmiedel, and all their followers. But if the man of sin is not the Roman emperor,could he be the Roman pope? This introduces the next proposition: 6. He is not the pope The notion according to which the antichrist is the pope can be traced to &the pope himself! It was Gregory I ( the Great, 550 604) who said that whoever arrogates to himself the title of universal priest is a forerunner of antichrist. He made this statement in an epistle in which he denounced the claims of the contemporary patriarch of the East. The idea was kept alive throughout the middle ages, and was uttered in whispers here and there whenever any occupant of the papal See manifested his arrogance or lust for power. Wyclif even wrote a treatise Concerning Christ and his Adversary, Antichrist. He defended the proposition, The pope is the antichrist, giving twelve reasons. Naturally, the idea was eagerly seized upon by many of the leaders of the Reformation. Thus, on October 11, 1520, Luther wrote that he felt much more at ease since he had become thoroughly convinced that the pope is the antichrist. The marginal explanations of the Dutch authorized or official version (Staten-Bijbel) of 1637 are very interesting in this respect. (We happen to own one of these heavy, antique Bibles with covers of wood and hinges of brass; ours was published in 1643 at Amstersdam = Amsterdam.) At times the comments become almost amusing, so consistently is everything that pertains to the man of sin, the antichrist, the beast out of the sea, the beast out of the earth (Revelation, chapter 13) applied to the pope and his entire machinery. Thus, the fire which the beast causes to come down out of heaven is said to represent the pope's excommunication-edict. The miracles of which the Roman Catholic boasts, its sacraments, and especially (among these) the mass, are all read back into the pages of Holy Writ. And the number Rev. 13:18 () is interpreted to mean Lateinos, for the pope is the head of the Latin church! But if one should find this a bit amusing, it certainly is not any more so than is the statement in the Prefaceto our own -2 _ftnref7 A.V.in which the most high and mighty prince, James, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. is given credit for having by means of a tract dealt such a blow to that Man of Sin [meaning the pope] as will not be healed. The Westminster Confession speaks very positively, There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ: nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense be the head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the Church against Christ, and all that is called God (XXV. vi). But though the proposition the pope is the antichrist is still being defended, it finds no support on II Thess. 2. It stands to reason that if the man of sin is a definitely eschatological person, he cannot be the first pope, nor the second, nor the third, etc., neither can he be the collective concept the papacy. It is true, of course, that any man (be he a religious or a political dictator) who arrogates to himself attributes and prerogatives which pertain to deity possesses anti-christian traits. He may be called an antichrist, one among many of the final antichrist's precursors. In such a man the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But to call the pope theantichrist is contrary to all sound exegesis. Though we Protestants justly deplore whatever idolatry, Maryolatry, superstition, and worship of tradition is found in the Roman Catholic Church, evils against which we must warn with increasing vigor and earnestness, we have no right to condemn everythingthat is found in that church. We should strive to be fair and just, lest while condemning the evils of Rome we close our eyes to the many and very serious evils that are creeping into all sections of the Protestant Church. The proposition, The pope is theantichrist, while inexcusable though understandable! even during the days of intense struggle which marked the birth of Protestantism, is no less inexcusable today. And the verdict of some, namely, that those who are not ready to identify the man of sin of II Thess. 2with the pope have never experienced in their hearts and lives the truth of justification by faith impresses us as a rather unkind judgment. In liberal circles the tendency to interpret Biblical concepts in the light of uncanonical and even pagan origins has asserted itself also with respect to the term now under discussion. This brings us to the final proposition: 7. He is not the Chaos-dragon of the Babylonians nor is he to be identified with the apocryphal and pseudepigraphical perversion of the term Belial. To begin with the first, this refers to the Babylonian creation-epic with its story of the struggle between the Chaos-dragon, Tiamat, on the one hand, and the god of light, Marduk, on the other. It has been pointed out again and again, however, that the legendary elements which characterize this wholly mythical and impossible tale contrast most strongly with the sober description that is found in the Bible with reference to God's great opponents, Satan and antichrist. In this connection, moreover, one should ever distinguish between formand contents,between a termand the usewhich is made of it. To be sure, inspired authors make use at times of the terminology of ancient and current superstition. Thus, the author of the book of Revelation introduces a dragon. But this dragon is not Tiamat, whom Marduk cleaves asunder like a fish, after he has with a javelin cut her heart in pieces.Ps. 74:13; 89:10; Job 41:1, but each passage should be interpreted in the light of its own specific context and background. Moreover, of late the entire attempt to derive Biblical teachings from Babyloniansources, an attempt which was never very successful and has been refuted more than once, has received another jolt in the discovery of the Ras Shamratablets. These were found in 1929 at the ancient Phoenician city of Ugarit on the coast of Syria. These tablets present a wealth of information with respect to the Canaanitebackground of the Old Testament. They contain several variations on the theme of the slaying of a dragon. Hence, now the critics are beginning to revise their views once more, and are saying that, after all, the religion of Israel may have been influenced more directly by that of Canaan than by that of Babylon. One wonders what theory will be advanced next? There is also the closely related one which attempts to derive the man-of-sin concept from apocryphical and pseudepigraphical perversions of the Old Testament term Belial or Beliar (I Sam. 2:12; II Chron. 13:7; cf. II Cor. 6:15). After a thorough study G. Vos comments as follows: This recurrence upon the apocalyptic and pseudepigraphical literature to discover the antecedants of the antichrist figure does not carry much convincing force. Of course, it cannot a prioribe denied that an amount of superstitious folklore was current in Jewish circles before the Pauline epistles were written. Only that these current beliefs of such gross and rudimentary form were the source from which the N.T. antichrist doctrine was drawn and from which it can be satisfactorily explained is hard to believe.& No clearly traceable and safe road leads back into the past to discover the man-of-sin concept except that via the prophecy of Daniel. [Greek] -2 _ftnref8 [Greek] Having reviewed the various misconceptions regarding the nature of the man of sin and the origin of the idea, it can now be positively stated that the apostle's use of the concept is capable of being traced to a canonical book. It is, indeed, true, as conservatives have always maintained, that many of the features in Paul's description of the great and final prince of wickedness are derived from the book of Daniel: (1) The man of lawlessness, cf. Dan. 7:25; 8:25. (2) the son of perdition, cf. Dan. 8:26. (3) the one who opposes, cf. Dan. 7:25 (4) and exalts himself against everything (that is) called God or worshiped, cf. Dan. 7:8, 20, 25; 8:4, 10, 11. (5) sothat he seats himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God, cf. Dan. 8:9–14. This is not surprising, for the little horn ofDan. 7, the one which came up after the ten horns, is the antichrist, and the little horn ofDan. 8, the one which came up out of one of the four notable horns, is Antiochus Epiphanes, antichrist's most notorious forerunner, the one who desecrated Jerusalem's temple by erecting a pagan altar over the altar of burnt-offering, and by sacrificing upon it (which was an appalling horror in the estimation of every true believer). Moreover, in (Matt. 24:15Mark 13:14) the desolating abomination of which Jesus speaks is derived from Dan. 11:31; 12:11(probably not directly from 9:27). History, in a sense, repeats itself. Better: prophecy attains multiple fulfilment. The underlying thought is ever the same. God's city and sanctuary are desecrated, whether by Antiochus Epiphanes and his sacrilegious offeringsDan. 8:9–14; cf. Gog in Ezek. 38, 39 , by Roman armies with their idolatrous standards (Luke 21:20; Mark 13:14); or finally by the antichrist himself. Now with respect to the final antichrist as pictured by Paul, our present passage (II Thess. 2:3b, 4) states the following: He is the man of lawlessness (a Semitism), that is, the man in whom opposition to God's law will as it were be embodied, the very personification of rebellion against God's ordinances. He is also the son of perdition (another Semitism), the final Judas, see N.T.C. on John 17:12. Cf. David's remark to Nathan, The man who has done this is a son of death (i.e., must certainly die); and cf. also Matt. 23:15: a son of hell. The man of lawlessness is pictured here as the utterly lost one, designated unto perdition. Contrast sons of light in I Thess. 5:5. Furthermore, he is described as the one who opposes. This word ([Greek], here A [Greek]) is found eight times in the New Testament (Luke 13:17; 21:15; I Cor. 16:9; Gal. 5:17; Phil. 1:28; II Thess. 2:4; I Tim. 1:10; I Tim. 5:14). It is used both as a verb (finite) and as a participial substantive (so here). The man of sin is the adversaryof God, of God's law, of God's people, etc. As such he immediately reminds one of his master, Satan, who is the great adversary. In very close connection with this opposing activity stands the fact that this adversary who will appear in the end-time exalts himself against everything (that is) called God or worshiped. In his reckless audacity and ferocious insolence he upliftshimself ([Greek]) not only against the only true God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ and against all so-called gods, but also against all sacred objects, against whatever stands in connection with religious cults. The reference is probably to such objects as temples, places set aside for divine worship, altars, religious statues. He rages against them all. He recognizes only one godhewould spell it with a capital: God , namely, himself! Hence, he seats himself in the sanctuary(the term [Greek] in its primary sense, in distinction from [Greek], generally refers to the shrine itself rather than to the entire building-complex) of God, that is, in the churchI Cor. 3:16; 6:19; II Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21; and see N.T.C. on 2:19–22 , for the term [Greek] is here clearly used metaphorically. He arrogates to himself authority over God's true people. Of course, they will not recognize this violent usurper, and will refuse to render homage to him. The result will be great tribulation for them (Matt. 24:15, 21, 22, 29). Standing where he ought not he proclaimsor publicly declareshimself to be God. In the Greek of that day and age the verb ([Greek]) is used of proclaiming an appointment to public office. Thus we are told, The expectation and hope of the world, Nero!, has been [Greek]) Emperor -2 _ftnref9 M.M., p. 60 , a quotation which also illustrates emperor-worship. But even Antiochus Epiphanes, that is, Antiochus (the) Illustrious (God) or Antiochus (the) God who reveals himself, demanding divine homage but not altogether ignoring Zeus, was not as blasphemous as the final man of lawlessness will be, for the latter will recognize only (onedeity, namely, himself, will seat himselfnot merelydeposit his image) in God's shrine, and will demand divine adoration for himself alone. It is instructive to note that the explanation which I have given with respect to the man of sin passage is in line with that which was favored by the earliest ecclesiastical writers. These understood it as being a prophecy with reference to a definite person who would live on earth at the close of history and would be utterly discomfited by Christ at his return. The church should never have departed from this interpretation. Here are a few quotations: The Didache & As lawlessness increases they shall hate each other and shall persecute and betray, and then shall appear the deceiver of the world as a Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders.& And then shall appear the signs &first, the sign spread out in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead (XVI. iv vi). Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho What brainless men! For they have failed to understand what has been proved by all these passages, namely, that two advents of Christ have been announced, the first, in which he is shown as suffering, without glory, without honor, subject to crucifixion, and the second, in which he shall come from the heavens in glory, when the man of apostasy who utters arrogant things against the Most High, will boldly attempt to perpetrate unlawless deeds against us Christians (CX). Augustine, De Civitate Dei Commenting on II Thess. 2:1 11he says: There can be no doubt that what is here said refers to Antichrist and the day of judgment, or as Paul calls it, the day of the Lord.& (XX. xix). In the same chapter he points out that even in his day the interpretation which points away from the one, finalantichrist to a whole multitude of antichrists was beginning to become popular; also, that he regards the Nero Redivivus theory, in both forms, to be farfetched. Having now discussed the nature of the man of sin at some length, we may summarize the idea expressed in verses 3 and 4 as follows: The day of Christ's glorious coming will not arrive until the apostasy has become a fact and the man characterized by utter disrespect for law, the man who is most certainly doomed, is revealed, sothat both he himself and his program of activities are there for all to see, the veilwhich now hides him from view (for as yet he is only an idea in the mind of Satan) having been removed. 5.Hence, the Thessalonians must not be deceived into thinking that the day of the Lord is here. In fact, they have no excuse for so thinking. Says Paul, Do you not remember that, while still with you, I used to tell you these things? This is a kind of mild rebuke. It is as if Paul is saying, If you had only reflected more often and more earnestly on what I repeatedly told you while still with you, you would not have been so confused with reference to this point, and you would not have become so excited and unsettled. Note: I used to tell. Evidently the doctrine concerning such matters as the apostasy, the man of sin, the coming of Christ, and the rapture had received more than scant attention in the preaching of Paul at Thessalonica. The singular pronoun implied in the verbIused to tell and not Weused to tell shows that although Silas and Timothy are intimately associated with Paul in writing this letter, as they had also been in bringing the gospel to Thessalonica, it is nevertheless, Paul who in both of these activities is to be regarded as the leading spirit. 6, 7. (Paul continues: And what is now holding (him) back you know, in order that he may be revealed in his appropriate season. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work,mystery) only until he who now holds (him) back be taken out of the way. Grammatically it is also possible to translate: And now you know what is holding him back. So the question is, Does nowmodify the participle (holding back) or the verb (you know)? The logic of the entire passage (cf. verse 7 with verse 6) seems to point in the direction of connecting it with the participle. The contrast seems to be between the two concepts nowheld back or restrained and thenrevealed. That the mystery of lawlessness is already at work we understand readily. Even in Paul's day rebellion against God and his ordinances was present in the world. Yet, it was not evident that one day this spirit of lawlessness would become incarnate in the man of lawlessness. This was still a (mysteryRom. 11:25; I Cor. 15:51; Eph. 5:22); that is, a truth unknown apart from divine special revelation. In the wicked opposition to the gospel, shown by some of those who knew the way, Paul, as a result of divine special revelation and illumination, saw a clear sign of that sinister movement which one day would culminate in the reign of the antichrist. What the apostle writes may be compared with John's statement that the spirit of the antichrist is in the world already, and that even now there have arisen many antichrists (I John 4:3; 2:18). Far more difficult to answer is the question, What is meant by that whichor he whois now holding (him) back from becoming revealed as the man of lawlessness? In order to approach this question properly, it is necessary first of all to determine the right translation. In the works of commentators the verb in question ([Greek]) has been translated in three different ways: a. to hold backor restrain,b. to holdor hold fast,and c. to hold swayor rule. Beginning with the last, the meaning might then become: And what is now holding sway (namely, the mystery of lawlessness) you know, in order that he (Christ) may be revealed in his appropriate season. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, only until he who now holds sway (namely, Satan) be taken out of the way. We can dismiss this at once. Not only is it hard to fit this meaning into the present context, but also: although the verb is of rather frequent occurrence in the New Testament, not once (in any of the other New Testament passages) does it have this meaning (to hold sway). The second meaning (to hold fast) and the first (to hold back, to restrain) are closely related, and in the end probably yield the same resultant interpretation of the entire passage. With an appeal to such passages as Job 7:12(placing a guard over a sea-monster), Rev. 20:1 3(binding the dragon for a thousand years), and passages from the apocrypha, the view is defended that the man of lawlessness is here compared to a mythological being (a dragon or a sea-monster) which is being held fast for the time being. However, it should be borne in mind that the dragon in Rev. 20is a symbol, and represents not Satan's instrumentbut Satan himself. And even then the resultant meaning of the symbol is the restraintupon Satan, sothat he can deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are finished. Hence, an appeal to Rev. 20, iflegitimate, would seem to support the translation hold back, restrainas readily as hold, hold fast. Something similar can be said with reference to the Job 7:12passage; while the apocryphal passages yield little that is of any value in this connection. Besides, if the man of sin is being held fast,he is being held fast with a purpose, and in the present context (in view of what immediately follows in verses 8 and 9) that purpose is to restrainhim for the present from being revealed. In the New Testament the various meanings of the verb may be classified as follows (though with respect to a few there is some doubt): (1) to possess, have, hold:I Cor. 7:30; II Cor. 6:10. (2) to take possession of:Luke 14:9. (3) to hold fast or keep:Luke 8:15; Rom. 7:6(but some would classify this under the fourth heading); I Cor. 11:2; 15:2; I Thess. 5:21(see on that passage); Heb. 3:6, 14; 10:23. It is possible that the sense of the word as used in Acts 27:40is not far removed from this. They held for the beach. (4) to hold back, restrain, detain:Luke 4:42would have held him back,to prevent him from leaving them ; Rom. 1:18hold backor suppressthe truth ; Philemon 13to detainOnesimus . In the present context this meaning makes excellent sense. It has abundant support in the papyri (see M.M., pp. 336, 337). Adopting meaning (4) as the most natural in the present context, we are face to face with the problem of identifying the restrainer. On this point, however, the Thessalonians were ahead of us in their knowledge of eschatology. Theyknew. Wedo not. Augustine in his day frankly confessed that even with the best efforts he was not able to discover what the apostle meantConcerning the City of God.XX. xix . Some interpretations are wrong even on the surface. God or the Holy Spirit are not taken out of the way (which, in spite of objections that have been advanced, is probably a good English equivalent of the Greek idiom [Greek] ); cf. also Col. 2:14. Of all the theories advanced so far the one which seems to have most in its favor is that according to which the restrainer is the power of well-ordered human rule, the principle of legality as opposed to that of lawlessnessCommentaryon this passage . According to this view Paul intends to say that as long as law and order still obtain, the man of lawlessness is unable to appear upon the scene of history with his program of unprecedented unrighteousness, blasphemy, and persecution. In favor of this view note the following: a. It has the context somewhat in its favor: the man of lawlessness is being held back by the reign of law. b. It explains how Paul can speak both of that whichrestrains and he whorestrains. Think of the empire and the emperor, of justice and the judge, of law and the one who enforces it. c. It (or something on this order) is the most frequently expressed view of the church fathers. Tertullian, commenting on this passage, states: What obstacle is there but the Roman state?On The Resurrection of the FleshXXIV . d. It receives support from the fact that Paul was proud of his Roman citizenship, which helped him again and again, also right here in Corinth where the letter was written (Acts 18:12 17). Moreover, in a well-known chapter of another epistle he speaks of the power of the Roman state as a minister of God to thee for good, and of the rulers as a terror not to good but to evil conduct (Rom. [Greek] -2 _ftnref10 [Greek] We may safely say, therefore, that the apostle viewed government and its administrators as a restraint upon evil. e. It is a reasonable theory also in view of the fact that in a sense Roman law and order did not die when Rome fell. In the civilized world of today it is still in force. However, when the basic structure of justice disappears, and when fake-trials and fake-confessions become the order of the day, the stage is set for the revelation of the man of lawlessness. The theory according to which [Greek] -2 _ftnref11 ([Greek] or some other angel binds, restrains, or holds back the antichristDan. 10:13and Rev. 20:1–3) does not explain how such an angel can be called both he who and that which restrains. Nevertheless, the two theories last mentioned namely, a. that the restrainer is law and order and those who enforce it, and b. that the restrainer is an angel may not be as far apart as they appear to be. Are not the dispositions of rulers influenced by angels? (Dan. 10:13, 20.) We repeat, however, that the view which we have characterized as being in our opinion the best which has been offered so far may not be the right one. Certainty on this point is not available. Accordingly, the sense of the entire passage (verses 6 and 7) seems to be this: Satan, while perfectly aware of the fact that he cannot himself become incarnate, nevertheless would like to imitate the second person of the Trinity also in this respect as far as possible. He yearns for a man over whom he will have complete control, and who will perform his will as thoroughly as Jesus performed the will of the Father. It will have to be a man of outstanding talents. But as yet the devil is being frustrated in his attempt to put this plan into operation. Someone and something is always holding back the deceiver's man of lawlessness. This, of course, happens under God's direction. Hence, for the time being, the worstSatan can do is to promote the spirit of lawlessness. But this does not satisfy him. It is as if he and his man of sin bide their time. At the divinely decreed moment when, as a punishment for man's willingness to cooperate with this spirit, the some one and something that now holds back is removed, Satan will begin to carry out his plans: 8. And then shall be revealed the lawless one.This then is in contrast with the now of verse 6: now the lawless one is being held back, but then he will be revealed. The lawless one is the same as the man of lawlessness introduced in verse 3, that is, the final antagonist, the one who openly defies all of God's ordinances, the antichrist. When the proper time arrives, Satan's scheme will become outwardly realized. The mysterywill be replaced by the man. The lawless one will appear on earth and will become revealed in his words and actions. In order to encourage believers, who might otherwise be filled with unjustifiable alarm, Paul immediately adds: whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth, and will utterly defeat by the manifestation of his coming. There will not be a long drawn-out conflict, with victory now apparently with the lawless one, then with the Christ, this round going to Satan, that to the Christ. The issue will be settled in a moment. The Lord Jesus (I Thess. 1:1) will very summarily and decisively put an end to antichrist and his program. The entire description is symbolical. The two clauses are parallel, though this does (notnecessarily mean that they are completely identicalin meaning. The first clause stresses what will happen to the lawless one himself: he will be slain (which in this connection has been interpreted to mean that he will be punished with everlasting death, but the idea that he will first be put to death physically must not be excluded). The Lord will merely blow upon him, so swift will be his destruction. The second clause also indicates what will happen to him, perhaps with the added idea: in relation to his program of activities. Also in this respect he will be abolished, utterly defeated, put out of commission, rendered useless, made inoperative or inactive ([Greek]; a verb very frequently used by Paul and almost confined to him in the New Testament; for the particular shade of meaning in the present connection see especially such passages as Rom. 3:31; 4:14; I Cor. 1:28; Gal. 3:17; Eph. 2:15; II Tim. 1:10). In parallel relationship to breath of his mouth stands manifestation of his coming. The very appearanceI Tim. 6:14; II Tim. 1:10; 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13) of Christ's coming (I Thess. 2:19), the first gleam of the advent, will suffice to abolish the lawless one, to put him out of commission. The thorough, swift,and suddencharacter of antichrist's defeat is here pictured in symbolic language. The decisive character of his downfall is the one, main thought. Merely by Christ's breath and appearancethe man of lawlessness will be discomfited. More should not be read into the passage. For example, one should not begin to embellish the interpretation by arguing that the breath of his (Christ's) mouth means the Word of God, that this Word is always effective, etc. If further commentary is needed, one should read Is. 11:4and Rev. [Greek] -2 _ftnref12 [Greek] 9, 10.Having comforted the readers with the thought of the decisive intervention of the Lord Jesus when he comes to judge, sothat the passage with reference to the final antagonist has been robbed of its terror for those who believe, Paul now gives a further description of the character of the lawless one and of his activity. One might say that the description already begun in verse 4 is here continued; however with this difference: while verse 4 pictured antichrist's relation to the realm divine, verses 8 and 9 set forth his relation to the kingdom of evil: (that one) whose coming is according to the energy of Satan, attended by all power and signs and wonders of falsehood and by all deceit that originates in unrighteousness for those who are perishing because they did not accept the love for the truth that they might be saved. The coming or parousia of the lawless one (I Thess. 2:19) (is(prophetic present: it will certainly be) in complete accordance with the powerful activity of Satan, his master. That energy of Satan will be its standard of comparison. Hence, this coming will be attended by (or: invested with) all power and signs and wonders; that is, there will be a mighty display of powerdynamite); there will be ([Greek]), supernatural feats which point away from themselves to the one who performs them, namely, the devil-controlled antichristJohn 2:11); and wondersor [Greek]), the same astonishing performances viewed now from the aspect of their unusual character and their effect upon those who behold them. But all of this display (power, signs, wonders) will spring from falsehood,from the desire to [Greek] -2 _ftnref13 [Greek] Hence, there follows, and by all deceitthat originates in unrighteousness. The noun deceitis also used by Paul in Col. 2:8( philosophy and vain deceit; and see the compound verb, derived from the same stem, in II Thess. 2:3). The deceit will be inspired by unrighteousness. This is not surprising, for the antichrist is energized by the devil himself. See also N.T.C. on John 8:44. Now this coming of the final antagonist, with his lying power, signs, and wonders, though observed by both believers and unbelievers, has the effect of deceiving those who are perishing(i.e., those who then will be perishing); cf. I Cor. 1:18; II Cor. 2:15; 4:3. The cause of their perishing lies not in God but in themselves. They are perishing [Greek] -2 _ftnref14 [Greek] they did not accept(past tense from the aspect of the days just before the final judgment) the love for the truth. But what is meant by the expression the love for the truth? We answer as follows: When the Gospel is proclaimed, the hearers are urged to accept Christ and all his benefits. These benefits are not only objective, such as heaven, the resurrection-body, etc., but also subjective, such as love and hope. Those hearers who perish do so because they have rejected what they have been urged to accept, in this case: the love for the truth (objective genitive) as it is in Christ (the Gospel-truth). The purpose of their accepting it would have been that they might be saved. It is true that in his own power no man can accept the love for the truth. That, however, is not the emphasis here. Here what is stressed is man's guilt. When man is lost, it is ever his own fault, never God's. 11. And for this reason God sends them a deluding energy, that they should believe the falsehood.That is, the men of the end-time, who will harden themselves against the earnest exhortation to repent and to receive the love for the truth, will suffer the penalty of being hardened. God sends (i.e., will certainly send) them an energy of (i.e., unto) delusion. It will be a power working mightily within them, leading them even farther astray, sothat they will believe antichrist's lie. See N.T.C. on John 12:36b 43. God is love. He is not a cruel monster who deliberately and with inward delight prepares people for everlasting damnation. On the contrary, he earnestly warns, proclaims the gospel, and states what will happen if people believe, also what will happen if they do not believe. He even urgesthem to accept the love for the truth. But when people, of their own accord and after repeated threats and promises, reject him and spurn his messages, then and not until then he hardens them in order that those who were not willing to repent may not be able to repent but may believe the falsehood that the man of lawlessness is God, the only God, and that everyone should obey him. When Pharaoh hardens his heart (Ex. 7:14; 8:15, 32; 9:7), God hardens Pharaoh's heart (Ex. 9:12). When the king of Israel hates God's true prophets, then the Lord permits him to be deceived by placing a lying spirit in the mouth of other prophets (II Chron. 18:22). When men practice impurity, God gives them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity (Rom. 1:24, 26). And when they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge God, he finally gives them up to a base mind and to unclean behavior (Rom. 1:28). 12.So it will also be in the end-time. God will send a deluding energy into the hearts of those who stubbornly refused to accept his redemptive truth; and this in order that they may be condemned: in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness. This refers to the final judgment. Then all the deluded ones (shall be judged,i.e., condemnedJohn 3:17). This sentence of condemnation will be just and fair, for those upon whom it is pronounced, far from consenting to the redemptive truth of God, (have placed their [Greek] see on 3:1) in its very opposite, namely, unrighteousness(see on verse 9 above). This very antithesis between truthand unrighteousnessRom. 1:18; 2:8; I Cor. 13:6) indicates that man's intellect cannot be separated from his will and his emotions. When a person really accepts God's truth, he will practice righteousness; when he does not but accepts the lie of antichrist (neutrality is impossible!), he will delight inunrighteousness. The true believer must never be afraid of belonging to the minority. It is the remnant that shall be saved. Allothers will be condemned. 2:13–16 13 But we are obliged to give thanks to God always for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth; 14 to which (salvation) he also called you through our gospel, with a view to obtaining the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and cling to the traditions which you have been taught by us, whether orally or by letter. 16 Now may he, our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and graciously gave (us) everlasting encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen (them) in every good work and word. 2:13, 14. But we are obliged to give thanks to God always for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth; to which (salvation) he also called you through our gospel, with a view to obtaining the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Over against (note [Greek]) the damnationwhich awaits Satan's followers stands the salvationwhich is in store for God's children. This thought is developed in the present passage, which is full of rich concepts. However, as all of these have been discussed before, and some at considerable length, a reference to the place where this material can be found should suffice: For we are obliged to give thanks to God always for you see on II Thess. 1:3. For brothers beloved by the Lord cf. on I Thess. 1:4. For because God chose you see on I Thess. 1:4. For salvation see on I Thess. 5:8, 9. For sanctification see on I Thess. 4:3, 7. For belief see on II Thess. 1:3, 4, 11; I Thess. 1:3. For truth see on II Thess. 2:10, 12. For calling see on I Thess. 1:5; 2:12; 4:7; 5:24. For with a view to obtaining see on I Thess. 5:9. For glory see on I Thess. 2:12. For our Lord Jesus Christ see on I Thess. 1:1. On the basis of the explanation of these various concepts and of the context here in II Thess. 2:13, 14, we can now paraphrase the thought of the present passage as follows: We Paul, Silas, and Timothy cannot do otherwise than ceaselessly thank God for you, brothers in the faith (who are the objects of God's special love), because in his sovereign, immutable election God from the beginning chose you to salvation which is negatively, rescue from the guilt, pollution, and punishment of sin; positively, the entrance into the inheritance reserved for God's children; a salvation which becomes your possession through the work of the Holy Spirit, that is, through sanctificationa process of causing you to become increasingly detached from the world and attached to Christ until his image is completely formed in you and through your active, vital consentto the body of redemptive truth revealed in Christ; to which final and complete salvation God also called you, having effectively applied to your hearts the gospel which we preached to you and which we urged you to accept in order that you might one day share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We accept the reading, God chose you from the beginning ([Greek] ) and not, God chose you as first-fruits ([Greek]). Both readings are well attested, and the conception of believers as first-fruits is entirely BiblicalJas. 1:18; Rev. [Greek] -2 _ftnref15 [Greek] and even Pauline (Rom. 8:23; 11:16; 16:5; I Cor. 15:20, 23; 16:15). However, Paul never uses it in connection with the idea of election or choosing. On the other hand, the idea that God chosehis owndecreedsomething before the ages (I Cor. 2:7), from the ages (Col. 1:26), before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4) is definitely Pauline. To this would correspond the rendering chose you from the beginning (i.e., from eternity) here in (II Thess. 2:14. Also, the thought here expressed, namely, that God calledmen to a salvation to which he had before chosenthem is both logical and PaulineRom. 8:30). 15.Paul is now summing up and drawing a conclusion. So then, brothers, stand firm and cling to the traditions which you have been taught by us, whether orally or by letter. In view of all that has been said, particularly with respect to dangers from the side of Satan and with respect to the blessed prospect of those who adhere to the faith, the Thessalonians are now urged to lay aside their doubts and fears and to (stand firmRom. 14:4; I Cor. 16:13; Phil. 1:27; 4:1) and clingthat is, to remain standing firm and to keep on clinging (note present imperatives which here as often are undoubtedly continuative) to the traditions,that is, to the authoritative teachings that have been handed downI Cor. 11:2; Gal. 1:14; Col. 2:8; and see on 3:6 , whether orally,that is, by word of mouth while Paul, Silas, and Timothy were working among them and afterward while Timothy visited them, or by letterus, hence, not by any letter purportingto come from Paul; see on verse 2 above . For the idea of standing firmsee the beautiful passage I Cor. 16:13; also on I Thess. 3:8. On the matter of transmitting traditions or teaching that has been received see also Rom. 6:17; 16:17; I Cor. 15:1–11; Phil. 4:9; Rev. 2:14, 15. 16, 17. Now may he, our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and graciously gave (us) everlasting encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen (them) in every good work and word. Now (now) the Thessalonians will not be able to stand firm and to cling to the traditions unless God in Christ encourages and strengthens their hearts. It is for that reason that the command is here followed by the expression of a solemn and effective wish. For the combination our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father with singular verb to stress the unity of essence and of purpose, see on I Thess. 3:11. However, here in II Thess. 2:16, 17, our Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned first, perhaps because of the reference to Christ in the almost immediately preceding context (verse 14). Although it is certainly true that the aorist participles comprehend all the blessings of redemption without exception beginning from eternity and never ending, nevertheless this does not mean that in the mind of Paul certain central facts did not stand out clearly; such as, he chose us, he gave his Son (himself) for us, he gave us the Holy Spirit, etc. The main idea, however, is that, as a result of these gifts, the-Lord-Jesus-Christ-and-God-our-Father, conceived as One, has given everlasting (that is, never-ending) (encouragementand good hopeto the readers. In view of their fears and doubtsI Thess. 4:13 5:11) this helpwas, indeed, needed. For the meaning of the word [Greek]) see on I Thess. 2:3; also N.T.C. on John 14:16. The encouragement is not only for the present life. It will also be imparted on the final day of judgment. In fact, although comfortor consolationamid sorrow will not be needed nor imparted in heaven the land of never-ending delight, nevertheless even there God in Christ will ever encourage the redeemed by giving them glory upon glory. The goodhope of which Paul speaks is a hope that is well-founded, namely, upon God's promises, Christ's redemptive work, etc., is full of joy, never ends in disappointment, and has its object in God Triune. When, by God's sovereign grace, the words of II Thessaloniansrest in store for God's children, the victory of Christ over Satan, the divine election and calling of the readers are taken to heart, the readers will experience everlasting encouragement and good hope. Objectively (to a certain extent) they have it even now. Subjectively it will thenbe applied to their hearts in full measure. Of course, such encouragement and good hope never ends in man. Here, too, the circle must be completed. Everlasting encouragement and good hope result in gratitude and a desire to please the Giver. Hence, Paul writes, Now may he &encourage your hearts (the central organ of your life) in every good work and word. Such works and words are those which redound to God's honor. Thus, the circle has again been completed. What came from God has, by way of thanksgiving, returned to him! Synthesis of Chapter 2 See p. 166 The Revelation of the Lord Jesus From Heaven will be preceded by the falling away and by the revelation of the man of lawlessness. The latter's destiny and that of his followers contrasted with that of the readers. Verses 1 3a The two events that will precede Christ's Return In this chapter the apostle warns the readers against acting as if the end of the world had arrived, and against believing that he himself had said or written anything that could have lent color to this notion. He declares that two events will occur first, namely, a. the apostasy that is, the worldwide falling away from (and rebellion against) God's ordinances and b. the arrival of the lawless one. Verses 3b 12 The lawless one a. His perverse character (verse 3b) He will be the hell-bound, personal embodiment of the spirit of antagonism to God's law. b. His God-defying activity (verse 4) He will strive to dethrone God and to enthrone himself. In his reckless audacity and ferocious insolence he will uplift himself not only against the true God and all so-called gods but also against all sacred objects. He will endeavor to wield dominion over God's people. He has his prototype in everyone who aspires to be God, for example, in the king of Babylon (Is. 14), the king of Tyre (Ezek. 28), and especially Antiochus Epiphanes. c. His present concealment and future revelation (verses 6 8a) At present he is being held back. Though present in the mind of Satan, something and someone (perhaps law and order and those who enforce it) is for the time being preventing the antichrist from appearing on the scene of history. However, the spirit of lawlessness, interpreted in the light of God's revelation which clears up this mystery, holds in its womb the lawless one. It cannot but issue in his revelation when the proper time arrives. As soon as the restrainer is taken out of the way, the predicted final antagonist will be seen. When law and order, founded on justice, are removed, then the man of lawlessness will be made manifest. d. His decisive defeat (verse 8b) The Lord Jesus, returning on the clouds, will intervene decisively in the interest of his people. Messiah's very breath (Is. 11:4), the first gleam of his advent, will suffice to destroy the lawless one and to cut short the realization of the latter's program. (This indicates that the lawless one belongs to the end-time.) e. His relation to Satan and to Satan's power to deceive (verses 9, 10a) The coming of the great opponent will be attended by astounding performances, aimed to delude the masses on their way to perdition. The energy of the devil will operate in and through the son of perdition. f. His sin-hardened, hell-bound followers (verses 10b 12) His followers will perish by their own fault, for they will have willfully rejected the love for the truth, and of their own accord will have taken delight in unrighteousness. God, accordingly, will punish them by sending them a deluding energy that they should believe antichrist's falsehood and should suffer everlasting damnation. This entry is longer than a Bible module can hold. The rest is at https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/hendriksen/ CHAPTER III Outline of II Thessalonians 3 Theme: The Revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven is a firmly anchored hope whose contemplation should result not in disorderliness but in calm assurance, stedfast endurance, and strength-imparting peace. 3:1 and 2 A request for intercession 3:3–5 Calm assurance and stedfast endurance required and promised 3:6–15 Disorderliness condemned 3:16–18 Conclusion: Now may he, the Lord of peace, give you this peace. Closing benediction. 3 1 For the rest, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run its race and be crowned with [Greek] -2 _ftnref1 [Greek], just as it did among you; 2 and that we may be rescued from those unrighteous and evil men, for (true) faith is not everyone's portion. 3 Yet, faithful is the Lord, who will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4 Moreover, we have confidence in the Lord about you, that what we command, you are doing and will continue to do. 5 And may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ. 6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you stay away from every brother who conducts himself in a disorderly manner and not in accordance with the tradition which you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we did not conduct ourselves in a disorderly manner (when we were) among you, 8 neither did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and hardship we were working for a living by night and by day, in order not to be a burden to any of you; 9 not because we have no right (to be supported by you) but in order that we might offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate. 10 For also when we were with you, thiswe used to command you, If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat. 11 For we hear that some among you are conducting themselves in a disorderly manner, not busy workers but busybodies. 12 Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ that by quietly working for a living they eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brothers, do not become weary in well-doing. 14 Now if anyone does not obey our word expressed in this letter, note that man, and do not get mixed up with him, in order that he may become ashamed. 15 And do not consider him an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 16 Now may he, the Lord of peace, give you this peace at all times and in all ways. The Lord (be) with you all. 17 The greeting by the hand of me, Paul, which is a token of genuineness in every epistle; so I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (be) with you all. 3:1, 2. For the rest, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run its race. The expression for the rest (I Thess. 4:1; then II Cor. 13:11; Phil. 4:8) is certainly very appropriate when a letter is drawing to a close; though it is not restricted to this use (I Cor. 1:16; 4:2; 7:29; Phil. 3:1). It is as if Paul, having finished chapters 1 and 2, read what he had written, and then decided that there were a few important matters which must not be left unmentioned. So, to the wish for divine encouragement and strengthening (2:16, 17) he now adds some closing admonitions. In Paul's writings the divine and the human, God's decree and man's responsibility, constantly occur side by side. Thus also here in chapter 3 one series of expressions, stressing the former Faithful is the Lord, who will strengthen you and guard you, May the Lord direct your hearts, May he, the Lord of peace, give you this peace, The Lord be with you all, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all is interwoven with another, stressing the latter Pray for us, Stay away from disorderly persons, We command that they eat their own bread, Do not become weary in well-doing, Note that man, Admonish him as a brother. We hasten to add, however, that in Paul's teaching as in that of Jesus the qualifying power which enables man to do what God commands is ever from God, of whom and through whom and unto whom are all things. Thus also in the present passage the word of the Lord runs its race in answer to prayer. It is ever God who provides the blessing. As has been noted previously, Paul sets much store by the intercession of fellow-believers for himself and his fellow-workers (I Thess. 5:25; cf. Rom. 15:30–32; II Cor. 1:11; Phil. 1:19; Col. 4:2; Philem. 22). It is not improbable that here the present tense has continuative force: Continue to pray for us, or Pray constantly for us. Note, however, that the prayer is not so much for personal blessings as it is for the progress of the gospel by means of the work of the missionaries, though the latter does not exclude the former. Paul prays that (the word of the Lord(called thus because it proceeds from him and refers to him, that is, to the Lord Jesus Christ) may runmay run its race) without hindrance and constant interference from the side of the enemy. That this is the meaning is shown by the immediate context. The apostle adds: (and be crowned with glory. The fact that he is here employing a figure is evident at once, for in the literal sense of the term the word of the Lord does not run. It is surely entirely in line with Pauline usage to suggest that, as in many other passages so also here, the apostle is borrowing a metaphor from the race-trackRom. 9:16; I Cor. 9:24–27; Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Phil. 2:16). The author of Hebrews makes use of the same figure (Heb. 12:1, 2). However, the verb and be glorified which can be somewhat freely translated and be crowned with glory also indicates that in his mind the reality emerges out from under the figure. The word of the Lord is glorified when it is accepted by true faith, sothat it begins to adorn the lives of believers. Now this word of the Lord had been successful in Thessalonica. Hence, Paul adds: just as it did among you(see the first chapter of both epistles). The first object-clause is elucidated by the second: and that we may be rescued from those unrighteous and evil men. Note the definite article: the or those unrighteous and evil men. Paul has a definite, concrete situation in mind, namely, the situation at Corinth. To say that the reference cannot be to the episode before Gallio, recorded in (Acts 18:12 17, because this took place a little later, misses the point. What is described in that paragraph is the final flare-up. But surely, the opposition from the side of the Jews did not beginthenActs 18:5, 6). In the light of (I Thess. 2:15, 16(see on that passage), it is immediately clear that Paul is referring to the Jews when he speaks of unrighteousout of place) and evilmen. The modifying clause, which accounts for the existence of these wicked men, is a characteristically Pauline litotes: for (true) faith is not everyone's portion(or simply: for not all have (true) faith ). The meaning is: Most people have and show in their conduct the very opposite of faith, namely, unbelief, vicious opposition to the truth. Lack of faith explains the hostile attitude to Christ, his gospel, his ambassadors. 3. (Now over against those who lack faithstands the faithfulLordfaith &faithful), ever ready to protect his people: Yet, faithful is the Lord, who will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. By a very natural transition Paul, having dwelt for a moment upon the theme of his own conflict at Corinth, returns to the very similar battle which the Thessalonians are waging. Inwardly the young, struggling church is in need of strengthening. Outwardly for Satan is surely an outsider! it needs to be guarded. Paul now assures the readers that what he had wished with respect to them (see on 2:16, 17) will also come to pass. They will be both encouraged and strengthened (2:16, 17) or, as the apostle now expresses it the Lord will both strengthen and guard them. This guardingwill prevent the Thessalonian believers from falling into the snares of the evil one, such as fanaticism, loafing, meddlesomeness, neglect of duty, defeatism (see verses 5 8). It is from the evil one that the readers will be guarded. Though the noun used here ([Greek] ) can also be translated evil, yet in all probability Paul has reference to the personal devil. That is in harmony with the entire trend of the epistle and of the one that precedes it (I Thess. 2:18; 3:5; II Thess. 2:9) and also with Eph. 6:16; Matt. 6:13; 13:19, 38 -2 _ftnref2 (N.T.C.on John 17:15). Between the (strengtheningand the guardingthere is a very close relationship. By being positively strengthened in faith, love, every good work and wordI Thess. 3:2, 12, 13; II Thess. 2:17) believers will be guarded against the sin of capitulating to Satan. In all this the Lord (Jesus Christ) will manifest his (faithfulnessI Thess. 5:24). His promise never fails. He ever completes that which he began (Phil. 1:6). But, as already indicated (see above on verse 1), in this process of spiritual strengthening believers are not passive. On the contrary, they become very active. It is exactly as is stated in the Canons of Dort: Moreover, when God accomplishes this his goodpleasure in the elect, or works in them true conversion, he not only provides that the gospel should be outwardly preached to them, and powerfully illumines their mind by the Holy Spirit, that they may rightly understand and discern what are the things of the Spirit of God, but he also, by the efficacy of the same regenerating Spirit, penetrates into the innermost recesses of man, opens the closed, softens the hardened, and circumcizes the uncircumsized heart, infuses new qualities into the will, and makes that will which had been dead alive, which was evil good, which had been unwilling willing, which had been refractory pliable; and actuates and strengthens it, that as a good tree it may be able to bring forth fruit of good works.& The will, being now renewed, is not only actuated and moved by God, but being actuated by God, itself also becomes active. Wherefore the man himself, through this grace received, is rightly said to believe and repent (Third and Fourth Heads of Doctrine, Articles XI and XII, my translation). 4.Hence, turning from the work of God to the action of the believer, which action is used by God as a means for the accomplishment of the divine design, the apostle continues: Moreover, we have confidence in the Lord about you, that what we command, you are doing and will continue to do. Apart from the Lord (I Thess. 1:1) confidence in the readers and in their future conduct would have lacked a firm basis. One never knows what mere men are going to do. But (by virtue of union with the Lord the confidence which Paul has is well-founded, for the Lord perfects that which he has begunGal. 5:10; Phil. 1:6). By means of obedience to the commandments (I Thess. 4:11) those issued before and also those which Paul is about to issue (in verses 6 15) spiritual strengthening and protection is and will be attained. The readers are doing and are going to do what they are told to do. Verse 4 does not begin a new section. It is very closely related to the preceding verse, as we have shown. It also prepares for the things that immediately follow. It shows delicate, admirable tact. The commandment will not sound nearly as harsh when those who issue it (principally Paul, but also Silas and Timothy) are kind enough to preface it by saying, We have confidence &that what we command, you are doing and will continue to do. Verse 4 is therefore a window through which we can look into the wise, kind, and considerate soul of Paul. 5.But although the missionaries have full confidence in the readers, they realize, nevertheless, that it is only with the help of the Lord that men will be disposed to keep the commandments. Hence, the pendulum swings back once more (see on verse 1 above) from the human to the divine: And may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ. When the love which God has for the Thessalonians and which he is constantly showing to them becomes the motivating forcein their lives and when the endurance exercised by Christ in the midst of a hostile world becomes their example,then they will do and will continue to do whatever God through his servants demands of them. Both of God and of Christ are to be considered subjective genitives. Not their love for God but God's love for them is what is meant. That is regular Pauline usage (Rom. 5:5, 8; 8:39; II Cor. 13:14; cf. Eph. 2:4). This is the love of God which has been shed abroad in our hearts. It is his own love toward us. It is the love of God in Christ from which nothing shall be able to separate us. It is his great love with which he loved us. Thy love to me, O Christ, Thy love to me, Not mine to thee I plead, Not mine to thee. This is my comfort strong, This is my joyful song, Thy love to me. (Mrs. M. E. Gates, 1886) This love is strong, sovereign, unconditional (i.e., not dependent in its origin on foreseen love coming from us, but creating love in our hearts), never-ending, and above all human comprehension. See also N.T.C. on John 21:15 17. When human (heartsI Thess. 3:13; II Thess. 2:17) are (directedI Thess. 3:11) to this love, obedience results; for this love is not only a divine attribute, or that plus a favorable attitude toward believers, but also a divine, dynamic force within them, a principle of life in their innermost being. The endurance of Christ must not be interpreted as meaning the wonderful longsufferingwhich Jesus showed to his friends, for example, to Peter. [Greek]) is the grace to bear up under. It amounts to stedfastness,no matter what may be the cost. In nearly every case in which the apostle employs the term he also uses a word which indicates the hostility directed against Christ and his followers or the trials and hardships which they have to endure. Note the following examples: Rom. 5:3, 4: endurance in the midst of tribulation Rom. 15:4, 5: endurance in the midst of reproach (cf. verse 3) II Cor. 1:6: endurance in the midst of suffering II Cor. 6:4: endurance in the midst of affliction II Cor. 12:12: endurance in the midst of persecution, distress II Thess. 1:4: endurance in the midst of persecution I Tim. 6:11: endurance in the midst of the good fight of faith (see verse 12) II Tim. 3:10: endurance in the midst of persecution, suffering (see verse 11) See also on (I Thess. 1:3. Though the two kinds of patience, namely, [Greek]) and longsufferingslowness to wrath) are very closely related (Col. 1:11), they must not be confused. See on I Thess. 5:14. We endureamid adverse circumstances;we show longsufferingwith (or: we exercise patience toward) [Greek] -2 _ftnref3 [Greek] Enduranceis the bravery of perseverencein faith and in all good works even then when all things seem to be against us. In the present context this mention of (enduranceis very fitting. The meaning is this: just like Christ ran the race with endurance of stedfastness enduring the cross, despising shame, so we (in this case, the Thessalonians) in the midst of our afflictions should follow the same course. We should look unto Jesus, and follow his example.II Thess. 3:5immediately suggests Heb. 12:1–4.) Hence, there should be no forsaking of duty, no fanaticism or inexcusable excitement sothat one lays down his work, thinking, What's the use of working, if Christ's return is just around the corner? Jesuspersevered. Henever resorted to idleness, loafing. Headhered to his appointed task to the very end. So should we. Paul expresses the solemn wish that the Lord (I Thess. 1:1) may direct the hearts of the readers to this love of God and to this endurance or stedfastness of Christ. 6.By means of this expression of confidence (verse 4) and this solemn wish (verse 5) Paul has prepared the reader for what follows in verses 6 15: Now we command you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you stay away from every brother who conducts himself in a disorderly orderly manner and not in accordance with the tradition which you [Greek] -2 _ftnref4 [Greek] from us. The command which follows is given in the name of that is, on the basis of the authority of and in accordance with the teaching (revelation) of (the Lord Jesus ChristI Thess. 1:1). He alone is the Anointed Lord and Savior of the Church, and in that capacity has the right to issue commands. The command has to do with individual cases of disorderly conduct. The expression every brother would seem to indicate that the instances were rather isolated: here one and there one. The congregation as a whole was sound in faith and practice. The disorderly conduct probably consisted of such things as: a. loafing, in view of the conviction that Christ would return any day now; b. spreadingall manner of exciting gossipabout Christ's imminent return (cf. 2:2); c. asking to be supported by the churchtheir ownbread, which implies that this was what they did not want to do ; and d. meddlesomeness,perhaps interfering with the business that properly belonged to the officers. The fact that a rather lengthy paragraph (verses 6 15) is devoted to this sin would seem to indicate that the evil here signalized had grown worse since the first epistle was written (I Thess. 4:11, 12; 5:14; then also I Thess. 2:9). Such conduct was certainly far removed from the tradition (see on 2:15) which the Thessalonians had received from the missionaries. This tradition was the teaching which Paul, Silas, and Timothy, on the basis of the authority vested in them, had passed along to the congregation. It included such instructions as this one: If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat (verse 10). The Thessalonians had received it from the missionaries during their first visit (verse 10), and also subsequently by letter (I Thess. 2:9; 4:11; 5:14). No doubt Timothy, on his visit, had stressed the same thing. In the case of some individuals all this instruction had been in vain. Hence, somewhat stronger methods must now be used. When (admonitiondoes not succeed, segregationmust be resorted to, at least to a limited extent. Note that the severe measure mentioned in I Cor. 5:5is not yet contemplated here in II Thess. The brothersI Thess. 1:4) are told (to stay awayII Cor. 8:20) from such a brother (note that the disorderly persons are still referred to by this name!). Even this staying awayhowever, is qualified. It does not imply complete ostracism, for verse 15 states expressly that such a one must be admonished as a brother. It does mean, however, that the rest of the congregation should not get mixed up with him (verse 14), that is, should not associate with such a person on intimate terms, agreeing with him and following his example. 7, 8.Not only was the disorderly conduct contrary to the instructionswhich had been delivered to the Thessalonians, both orally and in writing; it was also in conflict with the examplewhich the missionaries had given them: For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we did not conduct ourselves in a disorderly manner (when we were) among you, neither did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and hardship we were working for a living by night and by day, in order not to be a burden to any of you. In the light of the immediately preceding context (verse 6), the present passage (verses 7 and 8), in which several thoughts have been compressed together in a few words, may be paraphrased as follows: Now we command you, brothers &that you stay away from every brother who conducts himself in a disorderly manner and not in accordance with the tradition which you have received from us. We have a right to remind you of the teaching which we transmitted to you, for you know, of course, what that was; also you know how you ought to (imitateHeb. 13:7; III John 11; cf. I Thess. 1:6; 2:14) the manner in which we practiced what we preached. We feel free to add this because we did not conduct ourselves in a disorderly manner when we were among you. Specifically, we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it(gratis or as a gift [Greek], adverbial accusative) but with toil and hardship we were working for a living by night and by day. We did this in order not to be a burden to any one of you. The clause With toil and hardship we were working for a living by night and by day, in order not to be a burden to any of you occurs also in I Thess. 2:9; see on that passage. Truly, what the disorderly persons were doing was the very opposite of what the missionaries had done. The latter had been preaching the gospel and working at a trade besides! The former did not do a stitch of real work in either direction. They were loafers and spongers! Instead of being a help they were a hindrance to the progress of the gospel. 9.Why did the missionaries work for a living by night and by day? One reason has already been given, namely, in order not to be a burden to any of you. Another reason, closely connected with the first, is now added: in order that we might offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate. The statement which contains this second purpose clause is as follows: not because we have no right (to be supported by you) but in order that we might offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate. Again and again Paul insists on his rights, but again and again, in the interest of the kingdom, he is willing to waive the use of these rights. This (in connection with his stand on the question of received remuneration) has been discussed in detail; see on I Thess. 2:9(the ten propositions). The desire of the missionaries was that the Thessalonians, each in his own way and with the opportunities given him, might (imitate(see on verse 7) the example of unselfish devotiongiven by those from whose lips they had heard the glorious message of salvation. Since the example of Christ had been imitated by Paul, he now in turn feels free to ask others to imitate his example (and that of his associates). For this thoughtto imitateor to become imitatorsand example) see on I Thess. 1:6, 7. Not only in welcoming the word with Spirit-imparted joy amid great tribulation but also in whole-hearted self-surrender, the example given by Paul and his fellow-workers must be imitated. That the great majority of the readers had done the former is the thought expressed in I Thess. 1:6, 7. That some refused to do the latter is implied here in II Thess. 3:9. 10.The Thessalonian irregulars could not excuse their conduct by saying, You never taught us any different. They knew the way, because the missionaries: a. had given them an exampleof unselfish devotion (verses 7, 8, 9) b. had also(note [Greek] at the beginning of verse 10) given them a definite precept,namely, If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat (verse 10). Hence, the conjunction forin verse 10 really refers back to verse 7, the thought being, You yourselves know &forwhen we were with you (in addition to teaching you by means of example) this we used to command you, etc. In a sense this forrefers all the way back to verse 6: the tradition which you received from us. For also when we were with you, thiswe used to command you, If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.No true parallel to this word of Paul has been found anywhere else. A maxim such as, If they do not work, they have nothing to eat, is no parallel. That is a mere truism, an axiom so obvious to all except the rich that its very expression seems a bit superfluous. But what Paul had been saying again and again while in Thessalonica, and what he reaffirms here, is something else. It concerns the pious (?) sluggard who does not want to work,and who proceeds from the idea: The church owes me a living. Substitute world or government for church and the passage would fit many people living today, both inside and outside the church! The command which Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was constantly issuing was this, Do not permit such a person to eat, that is, Do not supply his material needs. If he refuses to work, let him go hungry. That may teach him a lesson. Paul keeps perfect balance. While, on the one hand his heart goes out to those who are really in need, and he is the kind of a man who is even willing to undertake a missionary journey that will have as one of its purposes the energetic promotion of a collection for the needy saints in Judea (Rom. 15:26–29; Gal. 2:10), on the other hand he has no sympathy whatever with the attitude of people who refuse to do an honest day's work. It is necessary to grasp the deep root of this labor-philosophy. As we see it, the apostle is not (merely) borrowing a bit of good old workshop morality, a maxim applied no doubt hundreds of times by industrious workmen as they forbade a lazy apprentice to sit down for dinner, [Greek] -2 _ftnref5 [Greek] but is proceeding from the idea that, in imitation of Christ's example of self-sacrificing love for his own, those who were saved by grace should become so unselfish that they will loathe the very idea of unnecessarily becoming a burden to their brothers, and, on the other hand, that they will yearn for the opportunity to share what they have with those who are really in need. While it is certainly true that every man in whom any sense of justice is left will assent to the justice and wisdom of the maxim here expressed, it is nevertheless also true that for the believer this maxim has added force, for selfishness and the truly Christian life are direct opposites. 11.The apostle now states the reason for being under the necessity of saying these things: For we hear that some among you are conducting themselves in a disorderly manner, not busy workers but busybodies. Though it is hardly possible for us who are living in a day of fast transportation and air-mail and of telegraphic, telephonic, and televisic communication to imagine the difficulties connected with the very slow method of receiving and conveying messages which prevailed in the first century a.d., nevertheless we must not exaggerate this contrast. Messages did come through even in the days of Paul. The highways and sea-lanes were often crowded with travelers. Tidings kept reaching Paul and his associates. Hence, by this time he was well aware of one fact, namely, that some among the readers (let them take note of the preposition among, in the deepest sense not really of unless they repent) were conducting themselves in the manner outlined above, in connection with our discussion of verse 6; see on that passage. Paul says that these disorderly individuals were nothing working but working (i.e. gadding) about. In the original there is here a play upon words. We read [Greek]. In order to retain the flavor of the original, at least to some extent, we have translated this: not busy workers but busybodies. It is easy to picture these persons there were some,not many laying down their tools, running from one brother to another with fantastic stories about Christ's immediate Return the day had already arrived! making extravagant claims for the truthfulness of their thrilling tales, returning home without the day's wages to buy food, then attempting to sponge on others or even on the benevolence-fund of the church, meddling in the affairs of the authorities, etc. 12. Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ that by quietly working for a living they eat their own bread. For such irregular people Paul has a formal, objective (command,a messagesent alongor transmittedI Thess. 4:11) from the Head of the Church, who is the Chief Commander. This command, moreover, is at the same time a warm, personal (admonitionadmonish, urge,I Thess. 2:11; 4:1, 10; 5:14; cf. a slightly different sense in I Thess. 3:2, 7; 4:18; 5:11: encourage, comfort;and see N.T.C. on John 14:26). The missionaries do their commanding and urging in the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e., by virtue of union with him, his Spirit speaking through them. For the full title the Lord Jesus Christ see on I Thess. 1:1. The substance of the command and admonition is that by calmly working for a living these irregulars shall eat their own bread. Instead of gadding about feverishly, running in circles and agitating, spreading excitement and alarm on every side, these people must work calmly. This last expression immediately recalls I Thess. 4:11; see on that passage and also on I Tim. 2:2. If they will obey this commandment and heed this admonition, they will not only be doing themselvesa favor, and this both spiritually and materially, but also others. No longer will they be annoying other people. They will be eating their own bread, providing their own sustenance. 13. (Over against the irregular conduct of the few, Paul urges the many to persist in doing whatever is excellent: But as for you, brothers, do not become weary in well-doing.They must not begin to behave badlyor become wearyLuke 18:1; II Cor. 4:1, 16; Gal. 6:9; Eph. 3:13) in the matter of (well-doing. As a compound verb (here nominative plural, masc. present participle [Greek]) well-doing(one word) or well doing(two words) makes little, if any, difference. The two words (three if the article is counted when it occurs: [Greek] ) occur in II Cor. 13:7; Gal. 6:9; Rom. 7:21. The point to note is that in each of these passages the meaning is general; that is, it is not specifically giving to the poor that is meant, but performing what accords with God's will in every walk of life. Doing the excellent, honorable,or [Greek] ) thinggooddeed, cf. Mark 14:6) simply stands over against doing (the) evil. Note the following: II Cor. 13:7: Now we pray God that you may not do evil &that you may do the good. Gal. 6:9: And with respect to doing the good let us not grow weary. Rom. 7:21: I find then the law that to me who would do the good, the evil lies close at hand. It is probably not necessary to depart from this general meaning here in II Thess. 3:13. It is true that something can be said for the idea favored by several leading commentators, that what Paul meant in the present context was this: Do not become so exasperated by the troublesome conduct of a few loafers that you will begin to tire of exercising charity with respect to those who are deserving. But nothing in the context forbids us from interpreting the meaning to be: Do not be misled. Do not let a few people who neglect theirduty keep youfrom doing yours. Never grow tired of doing what is right, honorable, excellent. Since this interpretation, in addition to fitting into the present concrete situation and context, is also the one demanded in the other passages (as has been shown), we accept it to be the right one. For the concept brotherssee on I Thess. 1:4. 14, 15.Doing the good and honorable thing means obeying the will of God as revealed by his servants. Some, however, refuse to obey. Hence, Paul continues: Now if anyone does not obey our word expressed in this letter, note that man for yourselves, do not get mixed up with him, in order that he may become ashamed. Paul and his associates provide for the possibility that there will be those who refuse to obey our word expressed in this letter. The writers are probably thinking especially of those members who were making themselves guilty of disorderly conduct: laying down their tools, rushing away to spread Parousia-gossip, and sponging on (as well as meddling in the affairs of) other people. These members had been repeatedly warned with respect to these matters: first, during the personal presence of the missionaries when the gospel was brought to Thessalonica (II Thess. 3:10). No doubt Timothy, on his mission, had reiterated the warning. Then, by means of the first letter (I Thess. 2:9; 5:14, and directly, I Thess. 4:11, 12) and now in this second letter they had been admonished again, in clear and forceful language (II Thess. 3:6–12). They had been called busybodies, not busy workers (3:11). One might expect that Paul would long ago have lost his patience with them, and would now advise their excommunication. However, we find nothing of the kind. The apostle still regards them as brothers (see verse 15), though erringbrothers. To be sure, Paul and his fellow-workers are conscious of their authority, and they believe in discipline, personal, mutual, and church (discipline). But they do not believe in harsh intolerance, rash action, precipitate decision which cannot tolerate the light. They believe in honesty and integrity, and in the exercise of genuine love and patience! Hence, what they desire and they are speaking by inspiration! is this, that if all previous admonitions fail to effect their purpose, sterner measures must be resorted to. But even these measures are reformatory in character. They aim to reclaim, to lead to repentance, to save; not to destroy: The person who persists in his disobedience must now be markedor noted. Note that man for yourselves (second person plural, present imperative middle), he says. This is addressed to allthe faithful brothers at Thessalonica, not only to the consistory of the church. Or shall we assume that though the pronoun youin verse 13 and again in verse 16 refer to all,yet the similar you(implied in the verb) in the intervening verses (14 and 15) does not apply to the congregation but only to the consistory? The idea of some, namely, that what the writers have in mind is this: Let the consistory display this disobedient person's name on a blackboard or bulletin-board is simply read intothe text. One cannot find it there, not even when reference is made to certain papyri where the verb does occur, but in connections that shed little or no light on its use here in II Thess. What is actually meant is probably this: The congregation, having listened carefully to the public reading of II Thessalonians, a letter in which the character and conduct of the disorderly members are clearly indicated, must take definite notice of the persons described. In the future these individuals must not be treated as if nothing had happened. On the contrary, to a certain extent the obedient membersmust withdraw themselves from such disobedient ones. That the writers have this in mind is clear from the fact that it is exactly what they have already said in verse 6 (see on that verse). Writers should be allowed to explain their own words! Here in verse 14 the command is, Let there be no intimate association with him (i.e., with such a recalcitrant member) or Do not get mixed up with him. [Greek] -2 _ftnref6 [Greek] The disobedient members must not associate with such an individual on intimate terms. They should not welcome him into the company of close friends,agreeing with him, approving of his conduct, etc. The purpose of this limited segregation or ostracism is in order that he may become ashamed (I Cor. 4:14; see on Titus 2:8). Clearly this purpose is reformatory. It springs from love, from the desire to heal, not from the desire to get rid of an individual whom one does not happen to favor. The (shamewill probably result when the individual in question begins to reflect on the patient and loving manner in which, in spite of his own grievous error which is pointed out to him (see verse 15), this discipline is being exercised. This man is not being excommunicated, at least not yet and probably never. That will depend on his ownsubsequent behavior. The writers approach to the subjectII Thess. 3:14, 15) is not that (the personin question should be barred or banished,but that the obedient membersshould withdraw themselves from him! It is exegetically unjustifiable to superimpose I Cor. 5:13 or I Cor. 5:11 upon II Thess. 3:14, 15. The present case is different. To be sure, it may developinto something analogous to the stern disciplinary measure demanded in the fifth chapter of I Corinthians, but that stage has not been reached here. And even with respect to the Corinthian passages one should bear in mind that, according to what many regard as the most probable interpretation, the stern disciplinary measure there imposed had its wholesome effect, sothat Paul was happy to follow up his earlier commands by saying, Forgive him, comfort him &confirm your love toward himII Cor. 2:5–11). That the shunning of the disobedient person was not intended to be absolute is shown by the words: (And do not consider himas [Greek] is pleonastic, perhaps a Hebraism; cf. Job 19:11) an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. This beautiful exhortation which affords an insight into the fatherly heart of Paul and into the Father-heart of God! immediately reminds one of Rom. 12:20enemyis hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him to drink , and via Paul leads the mind back to Christ in (Matt. 5:44or Luke 6:27enemies ). In all these cases the same word is used, namely, (enemyan outsider, stranger;then, a person with a hostile disposition toward one: an enemy;cf. the Latin hostis, a stranger, foreigner,and finally enemy). But though (Rom. 12:20, Matt. 5:44and Luke 6:27have as their starting-point the actual existence of an enemy, II Thess. 3:15warns against positing an enemy where there should be none. The person in question, though heedless with respect to all previous admonitions and even with respect to the earnest counsel given in II Thessalonians, must notbe placed on the list of enemies &no, not yetat least! It is as if we hear the vine-dresser say, Lord, let him alone this year alsoLuke 13:8). And do not consider him an enemy, but ([Greek]) him as a brother. See on I Thess. 5 12, where the verb to admonishhas been discussed. For brothersee on I Thess. 1:4. That this work of admonishingmust be performed by the entire congregationis clear from I Thess. 5:14Rom. 15:14; Col. 3:16). That the elderstake the lead is clear from I Thess. 5:12, 13. The question is asked, But what happens when the person whose conduct is here criticized persists in his refusal to give heed to loving counsel and admonition? No doubt, such a one would finally have to be excommunicated, for he would be revealed in his true character as a factious person (Titus 3:10). Christian tolerance has its limits (Matt. 18:17; Rev. 2:14–16; 2:20–23), yet, until it is absolutely necessary it is well for the congregation not even to think of this possibility. Hence, Paul here in Thess. 3:15 says nothingabout it! The erring one must be looked upon and treated not as a possible reprobatebut as an erring brother! 16.Thoroughly convinced that in their own strength the readers cannot fulfil the precepts contained in the preceding verses, the writers add: Now may he, the Lord of peace, give you this peace at all times in all ways.The Lord of peace is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is he who established peace through his cross. It is he who not only pronounces it but actually impartsit. Hence Paul writes, Now may he &give ([Greek], 3rd. per. sing., aor. optative active). This peaceor spiritual prosperitywill prevail when the disorderly persons begin to live calmly, attending to their duties both earthly and heavenly (that is the immediate context here), when the faint-hearted go to the depths of God's promise, no longer worrying about their departed friends and about their own spiritual condition, and when the weak gain strength through sanctification. It is needed at all times, in all ways, that is, in every circumstance of life. The peace here indicated is of a very special character. Note the article in the originalthepeace . Objectively, it is the condition of being reconciled, God's wrath having been removed. But here the subjective must not be dissociated from the objective. It is the reflection of God's smile in the heart of the believer who, by sovereign grace, has received the blessed assurance of this state of reconciliation. This, truly, is prosperity! Note also the similar expression toward the close of the first epistle (I Thess. 5:23; also on I Thess. 1:1, for the meaning of peace;and see N.T.C. on John 14:27). Implied in the peaceis the fellowship,which, however, because of its superlative worth, merits special mention. Hence, there follows The Lord(i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ) with you all(with the verb be understood). Note: you all,not even the disorderly ones are excluded! Did not the writers proceed from the idea that the censored persons were, after all, brothers?Cf. I Cor. 16:24; II Cor. 13:13. 17.An autographic conclusion follows, as a token of the fact that the letter is an authentic product of the mind and heart of the great apostle: The greeting by the hand of me, Paul, which is a token of genuineness in every epistle; so I write.It was customary in those days that the man who dictated a letter as Paul, no doubt, dictated this one would add a few words of greeting, etc., with his own hand, as a sign of [Greek] -2 _ftnref7 [Greek] That this was also Paul's habit is clear from the present passage and from I Cor. 16:21; Col. 4:18. Cf. also Philem. 19. The apostle never failed to do this. It was, indeed a token of [Greek]) in everyepistle. This, of course, does not mean that Paul always called attentionto it! Often he did not. But that does not change the fact. Thus, we may assume that the benediction at the close of II Corinthians was written by Paul's own hand, even though he does not there expressly state this. The words, which is a token of genuineness in every epistle are not difficult to understand if one bears in mind the following facts: a. Paul had already written I Thessalonians and probably also Galatians. b. He no doubt intended to write many more letters. Moreover, in God's wise providence, not all the letters written by Paul have come down to us (I Cor. 5:9). Perhaps, the apostle had even now written more letters. Why did the apostle, here in II Thess. 3:17, call special attention to this mark of genuineness? The following reasons have been suggested and may well point in the right direction: a. To prevent the disorderly persons from being able to say, We admit that the letter which was read to us during the service (II Thessalonians) contained some rather uncomplimentary things with respect to us, but we do not believe that it actually represents the thought of Paul. We deny that he either wrote or dictated it. b. To discourage the spread of spurious epistles and/or the claim that someone had in his possession (or had seen) a letter from Paul stating that the day of the Lord had already arrived; see on 2:2. 18.The closing benediction The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (be) with you allis exactly the same as in I Thess. 5:28(see on that passage), with the sole exception that here, at the end of the second epistle, the word allis added. Was this word added in order to make sure that the individuals who had received a rebuke would feel that, in Paul's great and loving heart, there was room even for them? Synthesis of Chapter 3 See p. 192. The Revelation of the Lord Jesus From Heaven is a firmly anchored hope whose contemplation should result not in disorderliness but in calm assurance, stedfast endurance, and strength-imparting peace. Verses 1 and 2. Request for intercession Being a firm believer in the power of intercessory prayer, Paul requests that the Thessalonian brothers will remember in their devotions the men who had brought them the glorious gospel of salvation. He makes this request in order that not only in Thessalonica but also at Corinth, where Paul, Silas, and Timothy are staying while this letter is being written, the word of the Lord may run its race and be crowned with glory, and God's servants may be rescued from those unrighteous and evil men, which expression probably has reference to the Jewish opponents. Verses 3 5. Calm assurance and stedfast endurance required Over against faith-lessmen stands the ever faith-fulLord, who will inwardly strengthen and thus (as well as in other ways) guard the readers from the evil one. Paul expresses his complete confidence in the obedience of the group which he is addressing. He expresses the hope that the Lord may direct the hearts of the readers to the love which issues from the heart of God, and to the endurance which was shown by Christ in the midst of his own bitter suffering. When this love becomes the motivating force in the lives of the Thessalonians and when that endurance becomes their example, spiritual victory is assured. Verses 6 15. Directives with respect to every brother who conducts himself in a disorderly manner (Disorderliness condemned) Reminding the readers of his own example (and that of Silas and Timothy) while at Thessalonica, an example of bustling activity and industry, and of the order which he had repeatedly issued at that time, Paul rebukes the busybodies who refuse to work. He commands and urges them in the Lord Jesus Christ that by calmly working for a living they eat their own bread. He counsels the congregation not to copy their evil example, that is, not to fall behind in doing whatever is noble and honorable. If disorderly individuals disobey the word expressed in the present letter, they must be shunned, but not entirely. The other members must contact them for the purpose of admonishing them. However, as long as the idlers continue in their sinful course, the rest of the membership should refuse to associate with them on intimate terms. The purpose of admonishing them and of the refusal on the part of the others to get mixed up with them and their deeds is that the erring ones may become ashamed and thus brought back to a healthy outlook upon life. Verses 16 18. Conclusion The apostle expresses the ardent wish that upon the struggling church at Thessalonica, oppressed by persecution from without and plagued by fanaticism from within, the peace established by Christ may rest, that peace which alone is able to impart strength and courage. He continues, The Lord be with you all, that is, not only with those who are not in need of special instruction or admonition but also with mourners, with those who are on the way to become martyrs, with the weak, yes even with fanatics, busybodies, and loafers, who repent of their sins. In order to add weight to the contents of the divinely inspired letter, to prevent the spread of false rumors, and to pronounce upon the readers, assembled for worship, the most precious of all gifts, there follows, The greeting by the hand of me, Paul, which is a token of genuineness in every letter: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. -2 _ftn1 130 (Or simply: be glorified. ) -2 _ftn2 N.T.C. (W. Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary) -2 _ftn3 131 Hence, I cannot agree with the interpretation given by Lenski, op. cit.,p. 452. -2 _ftn4 132 Whether the text as originally written had youreceived or theyreceived makes little essential difference. If youreceived it, then they(the disorderly ones) also received it. -2 _ftn5 133 Thus A. Deissmann, op. cit.,p. 314. -2 _ftn6 134 Whether one adopts the imperative or the somewhat better attested infinitive makes little difference. It cannot be denied that, from Homer down, Greek at times carried on an imperative by means of an infinitive with imperative meaning. See Gram.N.T., pp. 943, 944. Here in II Thess. [Greek]) we probably have an instance of such an infinitive in which the imperative sense of the preceding verb ([Greek]) is carried on. That would seem to be the simplest explanation. Basically nothing changes when the weaker reading ([Greek]) is adopted, for this is an imperative. But even if one should agree with some interpreters who favor the infinitive but who regard it as an infinitive of purposein order notto have intimate fellowship with him or of resultso as notto have intimate fellowship with him , the basic idea namely, that either directly or by implication, the readers are here ordered not to have intimate fellowship with such a disobedient person remains the same. -2 _ftn7 135 See A. Deissmann, op. cit.,pp. 171, 172.