admire us, because we have rendered ourselves worthy. And all these things are done by the grace of God. Chap. ii. 1, 2. “Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus 386 Christ, and our gathering together unto Him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind.” When the Resurrection will be, he has not said, but that it will not be now, he has said. “And our gathering together unto Him.” This also is no little matter. See how the exhortation also is again accompanied with commendation and encouragement, in that He and all the Saints will certainly appear with us. Here he is discoursing concerning the resurrection and our gathering together. For these things will happen at the same time. He raises up their minds. “That ye be not quickly shaken,” he says, “nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is now present.” Here he seems to me to intimate that certain persons went about having forged an Epistle, as if from Paul, and showing this, said that the Day of the Lord is at hand, that thence they might lead many into error. Therefore that they might not be deceived, Paul gives se- curity by the things he writes, and says, “be not troubled, either by spirit or by word”: and this is the meaning of what he says: Though any one having the spirit of prophecy should say this, believe it not. For when I was with you I told you these things, so that you ought not to change your persuasion from the things which you were taught. Or thus, “by spirit”: so he calls the false prophet, speaking what they spoke by an unclean spirit. For these men, willing the more to be believed, not only endeavored to deceive by persuasive words, (for this he shows, saying, “or by word,”) but they also showed a forged letter, as from Paul, de- claring the same thing. Wherefore pointing out this also, he has added, “or by letter as from us.” Having therefore secured them on every side, he thus sets forth his own doctrine, and says:1068 Ver. 3, 4. “Let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.” Here he discourses concerning the Antichrist, and reveals great mysteries. What is “the falling away?”1069 He calls him Apostasy, as being about to destroy many, and make them fall away. So that if it were possible, He says, the very Elect should be offended. (From Matt. xxiv. 24.) And he calls him “the man of sin.” For he shall do numberless mischiefs, and shall cause others to do them. But he calls him “the son of perdition,” because he is also to be 1068 [The paragraph that here ends is wanting in a group of documents which for this epistle is very generally correct. The contents of this paragraph give no decisive indication as to genuineness.—J.A.B.] 1069 [The Greek word translated “falling away” is that which we borrow as apostasy.—J.A.B.] 677 2 Thessalonians 1:9,10