(Chapter 2)
Paul now undertakes to correct the misunderstanding that had arisen among the Thessalonians regarding “the day of the Lord.” They had been told that the persecutions they were suffering under were part of the judgments of the Day of the Lord which Christians must go through before the Lord comes. Many Christians today have similar ideas, and therefore, would do well to heed Paul’s instruction in this chapter.
Vss. 1-2—To meet this error Paul says, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of the Lord is present.” It may be asked, “Which aspect of the Lord’s coming is Paul referring to here—the Rapture or the Appearing?” Since it has to do with the saints being gathered together unto the Lord, it is therefore, unmistakably the Rapture. Hence, Paul besought them not to heed the error that was circulating among them based on what he had taught them in the first epistle concerning the Rapture, for it takes place before the day of the Lord (1 Thess. 5:1-31But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:1‑3)). How then could they be found on earth when its judgments take place? Since this couldn’t happen, there was no need for them to be troubled by this false doctrine.
We might wonder why Paul would bring in the Rapture here when the subject in discussion in chapters 1-2 is the Appearing of Christ. It’s true that Paul has been speaking of the saints needing to wait for the Appearing of Christ, when God will intervene to set this world right. However, knowing that judgment will be executed on evil doers at the Appearing of Christ hardly ministers comfort to the saints. Paul, therefore, brings in the Rapture as a means of comforting their troubled hearts and minds. If they could grasp the fact that they would be caught up to be with the Lord in heaven, and thus, would be delivered from the coming wrath (1 Thess. 1:1010And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)), their fears would vanish.
Even though those who were propounding this doctrine seemed to have verification for what they were teaching, the Thessalonians were to dismiss it completely because Paul had taught them otherwise. He mentions three main methods which the false teachers were using to convince the saints of their erroneous doctrine:
• “By spirit”—They professed to have gotten the teaching through a spiritual revelation from God. They may well have received it through a spirit (1 Tim. 4:1; 11Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1)
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; (1 Timothy 1:1) John 4:11When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (John 4:1)), but it was not the Holy Spirit, and therefore, Paul uses a small “s” in identifying this false source.
• “By word”—They professed to have gotten it from the oral ministry of brethren who were also teaching it, and thus, it was something that was commonly taught among the saints.
• “By letter as from us”—Apparently, they had even gone so far as to forge a letter which they said Paul had written stating these erroneous ideas.
As a practical word of caution, we need to realize that what had happened to the Thessalonians could also happen to us. That is, to imbibe bad teaching unawares. It shows us that Christians need to be careful of receiving things from unqualified sources, and especially so in this day of ruin in the Christian testimony when there are many teaching erroneous things (1 Tim. 4:11Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1)). There is a plethora of Christian ministry being presented today through various mediums: radio, television, video, literature, internet, etc. Gifted teachers in Christendom are vying for our attention through these mediums, but sadly, many of them are not clear as to the truth, and are, therefore, unreliable—even though they may claim to have gotten their teaching from the Lord. Where many Christians are deceived is in mistakenly thinking that since a man is gifted, he is, therefore, well-grounded in the truth. However, gift and knowledge of the truth are two different things. Paul said to the Thessalonians, “Let no man deceive you by any means.” They were not to allow themselves to be deceived by anyone, regardless of how gifted and persuasive that person might have been. This is a needed exhortation for us today.
The Church Will Not Go Through the Tribulation
These false teachers claimed “that the day of the Lord was present.” (The KJV says “the day of Christ,” but it is a faulty rendering.) The Thessalonians were not afraid that the Lord had come, but rather, that they were going to go through certain judgments of the Lord before He came. Apparently they had been taught that there were certain things that had to happen before the Rapture occurred. The truth is, while Scripture indicates that there are certain events that will take place before the Appearing of Christ, there are no signs or events that need to occur before the Rapture. The hymn writer put it rightly when he said,
“No sign to be looked for; the Star’s in the sky.”
(L.F. #168)
The idea that the Church must go through a time of judgment on earth before the Lord comes (the Rapture) is prevalent in Christendom today. Many teach that “the day of the Lord” is the time immediately following the Rapture—i.e. the Tribulation period. However, 1 Thessalonians 5:22For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2) and 2 Peter 3:1010But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10), clearly state that it begins when the Lord comes “as a Thief in the night,” which is at His Appearing. This confusion has largely resulted from not distinguishing the two phases of the Lord’s coming––the Rapture and the Appearing. For example, if a person thought that “the coming of the Son of Man” was referring to the Rapture (as many do), he would naturally conclude from Matthew 24:29-3029Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:29‑30) and Mark 13:24-2624But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. (Mark 13:24‑26), that the Rapture would occur “after the Tribulation.” As a result, many believe that the Church will go through that terrible time. However, the coming of the Son of Man is a term always used in reference to the Appearing of Christ (Matt. 4:27, 30, 37, 39, 44, etc.).
By Paul mentioning “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him (the Rapture) before going on to speak of “the day of the Lord,” it is clear that he understood that the Church would be caught up to heaven before that day of judgment.
There are eight main passages in Scripture that directly speak of the Tribulation period (Matthew 24:3-293And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: 17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25Behold, I have told you before. 26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Matthew 24:3‑29); Mark 13:4-244Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? 5And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 7And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. 8For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. 9But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 10And the gospel must first be published among all nations. 11But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. 12Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains: 15And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 16And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 17But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 18And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 20And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 21And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: 22For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. 24But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, (Mark 13:4‑24); Revelation 3:10; 7:14-1710Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:14‑17); Deuteronomy 4:30-3130When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. (Deuteronomy 4:30‑31); Jeremiah 14:8; 30:4-78O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? (Jeremiah 14:8)
4And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. 5For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. 6Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? 7Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. (Jeremiah 30:4‑7); Daniel 12:11And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)). We would think that if the Church is to go through the Tribulation, at least one of these passages would speak of it, but there is not one reference to the Church going through that terrible time! This fact alone should be enough to convince any willing mind that the Church will not be in, or go through, the Tribulation period.
By having a simple outline of the book of Revelation, we learn that the Church will not be on earth when the Tribulation judgments are poured out. There are three divisions to the book of Revelation given in chapter 1:19:
"The things which thou hast seen"—referring to what the Apostle John saw in chapter 1.
"The things which are"—referring to chapters 2 and 3, which contain the Lord's addresses to the seven churches, and are a moral history of the professing Church on earth from just after the apostles' time to its last days.
"The things which shall be hereafter"—referring to chapters 4 to 22, wherein the Tribulation woes are described. This third division is called "hereafter" (Rev. 4:11After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)) because it deals with things which will take place after the Church has finished its history on earth.
It is instructive to see that after chapters 2 and 3, a door in heaven opens and John is called "up hither" (Rev. 4:11After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)). This is a little picture of the Church being called away to heaven after it has finished its course on earth, by the coming of the Lord (the Rapture). Then, from chapter 4 to the end of the book, wherein the Tribulation judgments are described, the Church is not seen on earth again. This shows that the Church will not go through the Tribulation.
When false doctrines are worked out practically, they often don’t make sense. This very point concerning the Church and the Tribulation is an example. If all the saints are taken by the Lord to heaven after the Tribulation (as many teach), then who will be left to populate the millennial earth? With the wicked sent away into everlasting punishment, the earth would be left unpopulated! (The saints caught up to be with the Lord in the air will not come back to live on earth; they will reign over it with Christ in "the high places" – Dan. 7:18, 22, 2718But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. (Daniel 7:18)
22Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:22)
27And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (Daniel 7:27); 2 Cor. 5:11For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)).
Three Things That Must Happen Before the Day of the Lord
Vss. 3-12—Having identified the sources of the false notions concerning “the day of the Lord,” Paul proceeds to correct the Thessalonians’ misunderstandings. He shows that that day could not be “present” because certain things must take place before it comes—and those things clearly hadn’t happened. He touches on three things in particular—but not in their chronological order:
“The Falling Away [Apostasy]”
Firstly, there must be “the falling away [apostasy]” of Christendom. This refers to the false church (the faithless professors who will be left behind on earth at the time of the Rapture) abandoning the Christian faith and turning to worship the Beast and its image—“the abomination of desolation” (Rev. 13:11-1811And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:11‑18); Matt. 24:1515When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15)). This will occur in the middle of the seventieth week of Daniel (Dan. 9:27; 12:1127And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)
11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Daniel 12:11)). The apostasy has already begun in the Christian profession (1 Tim. 4:11Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1) – “apostatize from the faith”), but in that coming day, it will reach its culmination in the widespread worship of the Beast.
“The Man of Sin” Revealed
Secondly, “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition” (the “Antichrist” – 1 John 2:1818Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2:18)) must be revealed. Most Christians think that this man is the Roman “Beast” who will rule over the revived Roman Empire (Rev. 13:1-81And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:1‑8))—also known as “the little horn” (Dan. 7:8, 20-21, 24-258I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7:8)
20And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. 21I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; (Daniel 7:20‑21)
24And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 25And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. (Daniel 7:24‑25)) and “the prince” (Dan. 9:26-2726And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:26‑27)). However, these are two different men: the Roman Beast is a Gentile man, whereas the Antichrist is a Jew (Dan. 11:3737Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. (Daniel 11:37)). The Antichrist is the second “beast” in Revelation 13:11-21 who will rise up in the land of Israel and be received by them as their messiah (John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43)). This beast is said to have “two horns” denoting his two offices: as the Jews’ “king” (Isa. 8:21; 30:33, 57:921And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. (Isaiah 8:21); Dan. 11:3636And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. (Daniel 11:36)) and as the Jews’ spiritual leader, “the false prophet” (Rev. 16:13; 19:20; 20:1013And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (Revelation 16:13)
20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)
10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)). The Antichrist will be a direct representative of Satan on earth and will be used by Satan to bring the apostasy to a head in the worship of the Beast. In fact, He will enforce the worship of the Beast and its image (Rev. 13:1515And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (Revelation 13:15)).
Vs. 5—Paul then asks the Thessalonians to “remember” that he had taught them these things when he was there with them. Since he was only there three Sabbath days, they definitely were still babes in Christ at that time, yet he did not consider prophecy to be too deep a subject for them. Some have the idea that prophetic subjects shouldn’t be taken up by new converts, but it is clear that Paul didn’t feel that way.
“Lawlessness”
Vss. 6-7—A third thing that he mentions that will occur before “the day of the Lord” is the removal of the restraints against “lawlessness”—particularly in the kingdom of the Beast. This restraint is being exercised today on earth through two restrainers:
“That which restrains” (vs. 6).
“He who restrains” (vs. 7).
“That which restrains” refers to the principle of law and order in human government which God put into man’s hand to exercise after the flood to restrain evil (Gen. 9:5-65And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. (Genesis 9:5‑6); Eccl. 5:88If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. (Ecclesiastes 5:8); Rom. 13:1-71Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1‑7)). J. N. Darby said, “‘That which hinders,’ therefore, is the power of God acting in government here below as authorized by Him. The grossest abuse of power still bears this last character. Christ could say to Pilate, ‘Thou couldest have no power against Me, except it were given thee from above.’ Wicked as he might be, his power is owned as coming from God” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, on 2 Thessalonians 2). Mr. Darby also said, “‘That which restrains,’ in the Greek, means a thing. What is it? God has not told us what it is, and this, doubtless, because the thing which restrained then is not that which restrains now. Then it was, in one sense, the Roman Empire, as the fathers thought, who saw in the power of the Roman Empire a hindrance to the revelation of the man of sin, and thus prayed for the prosperity of that empire. At present the hindrance is the existence of the governments established by God in the world.” (Collected Writings, vol. 27, pp. 302-303)
“He who restrains,” refers to the Holy Spirit residing on earth in the Church and acting to restrain evil in various spheres. The Apostle Paul says that the Spirit will engage in this work “until He be taken out of the way [be gone].” Thus, there is a time coming when the Holy Spirit will no longer reside on earth. Since the Spirit will dwell in the Church “forever” (John 14:1616And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (John 14:16)), when the Church is called away from the earth by the Lord at the Rapture, the Spirit will go from the earth at that time as well. E. Dennett said, “What Paul teaches in 2 Thessalonians 2, is that the thing which restrains the manifestation of this monster of iniquity at the present moment is the presence of the Holy Ghost on earth in the Church” (Christ as the Morning Star and the Sun of Righteousness, p. 46). The Spirit being “gone” from the earth does not mean that the Spirit will cease to work on earth. He will continue to work here, but it will be from heaven, as He did in Old Testament times.
Paul said that the “mystery of iniquity [lawlessness] doth already work.” It is called a “mystery” because it has to do with the secret working of the spirit of disobedience in the world opposing the will of God in all things, divine and secular, through the influence of the devil. As an opened secret, we know now that there will be an end to the working of lawlessness in the judgments of the Lord executed at His Appearing (vs. 8). The restraint of lawlessness by the governments of the nations in the West has been eroding since the apostles’ day. This is why he said that it “doth already work.” As a result, lawlessness is increasing, and will continue to do so until the coming day when law and order will completely break down when “he” (the Antichrist) is “revealed in his time.” Likewise, the second Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is not restraining evil as He once did, because He is becoming more and more grieved with those in the house of God where He dwells (2 Tim. 3:1313But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13)). But when the Holy Spirit is “taken out of the way” at the Rapture, evil will flood in at an accelerated pace.
The Attack of the Assyrian
There is actually a fourth thing that will happen just before “the day of the Lord” which Paul does not mention. It is the attack of the Assyrian, the King of the North (Dan. 11:40-4340And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 41He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. (Daniel 11:40‑43)). When his armies enter into and devastate the land of Israel, it will be a signal that the Day of the Lord is “nigh at hand”—that is, about to happen (Joel 1:15; 2:115Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. (Joel 1:15)
1Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; (Joel 2:1)). The Lord will appear out of heaven in judgment some 18 days after the attack. This is calculated from the close of the 1260 days (Rev. 11:3; 12:63And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)
6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Revelation 12:6)), which is the period of the Great Tribulation, to the 1278 days, which is a reference to the end of the last 3½ years of Daniel’s seventieth week—when the Lord appears out of heaven (Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)).
Since none of these things have happened, it is clear that the Church in that day couldn’t have been going through the judgments connected with “the day of the Lord.”
The 9th verse tells us that the energy of Satan will propel this wicked man on in his work of deceiving the masses in the West with his “signs and lying wonders.” He will be the personification of Satanic evil.
Vss. 10-12—A special class of sinners will be taken by his deceptions—those who “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” Paul has already identified them as “those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (chap. 1:8). These people know the gospel of God’s grace, but have no use for it. Being an enlightened people makes them very responsible, for God holds men accountable in relation to the degree of light that they have been given (Luke 12:47-4847And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:47‑48)). With these people, “It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” (2 Peter 2:2121For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Peter 2:21)).
As a divine retribution for rejecting “the love of the truth” presented in the gospel, these people who “believe not” will be given over to believe the Antichrist’s “lie.” This is to turn away from the Christian faith and to worship the Beast and its image—which is apostasy. God had sent these people the gospel, but they would not have it. So in retribution, He will “send” them “a strong delusion” through the work of the Antichrist, and they will accept his “lie.” Revelation 9:1-111And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:1‑11), speaks of the Antichrist’s evil work in the land of Israel, deceiving the unsealed mass of Jews and causing them to abandon Judaism for the worship of the Beast. Here in this passage, his evil work is in connection with deceiving the apostate masses in Christendom.
His Thanksgiving
Vss. 13-14—Paul turns to give thanks to God that the Thessalonian saints were not of that class of rejecters of the gospel, and thus, they would not be overtaken by the deceptions of Antichrist and the ensuing judgments of the Day of the Lord. He says, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In giving thanks to God for this, it is clear that Paul desired that they would see their salvation from the side of God’s sovereignty. In eternity past, He had “chosen” them unto “salvation.” Thus, it was a sure and completed thing, as far as God’s purpose is concerned, even before He laid the foundation of the world! This, Paul says, had been effected through a special operation of the Holy Spirit called the “sanctification of the Spirit.” This has to do with the Spirit’s initial work in a person of imparting divine life to him, whereby he is set apart positionally from the mass of mankind as being one of God’s children (1 Peter 1:22Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2); Eph. 2:55Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:5); Col. 2:1313And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (Colossians 2:13)). The result of this sovereign action of the Spirit will be seen in the person’s “belief of the truth” of the gospel, whereby he is saved. (The “sanctification of the Spirit” does not refer to the progressive work of the Spirit in believers’ lives whereby they perfect holiness in their walk and ways.)
But this is not all, for Paul goes on to speak of the hope of the gospel which they had believed, which is “the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This has to do with the final aspect of our salvation which we do not have yet, but it is as sure as the salvation of our souls. It refers to our being glorified as Christ is glorified. This will happen when He comes at the Rapture (Rom. 5:9; 13:119Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:9)
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11); Phil. 3:20-2120For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20‑21); Heb. 9:2828So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28); 1 Peter 1:55Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5)).
We see in this that God had “begun a good work” in the Thessalonians, and He would “complete” it in that coming day with their glorification (Phil. 1:66Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)). Thus, the possibility of them ever coming under the judgments of “the day of the Lord” is never in question when it is viewed from God’s side. Seeing it from God’s perspective was sure to comfort the Thessalonians and give them peace about coming judgments.
His Exhortation
Vs. 15—Based on the above mentioned things, Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonians was twofold:
• To “stand fast.”
• To “hold fast.”
Standing fast seems to be more connected with doctrinal truth which they had been taught as touching the foundations of Christianity. They were to be careful not to give up one point of it (Prov. 23:2323Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23)). The ever-present danger for the Christian is the surrender of the truth that God has given him. The Philadelphians were exhorted, “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:1111Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Revelation 3:11)). Similarly, Timothy was exhorted, “Keep, by the Holy Spirit which dwells in us, the good deposit entrusted” (2 Tim. 1:1414That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. (2 Timothy 1:14)). Yet, sad to say, this is exactly what has happened throughout Church history. We are, therefore, especially thankful for the recovery of the truth in the 1800s.
Holding fast had more to do with continuing in the practical “instructions [directions]” concerning their walk and ways: These instructions had come to them through oral ministry (“by word”) and through a letter written by the Apostle (“our epistle”—a reference to the first epistle). Since there are no apostles on earth today to teach us these things in person, we have to get them solely through Paul’s epistles which have been preserved to us by the mercy of God.
The Thessalonians, in general, were going on well; they just needed to continue on in those things, and not turn back. The word “retreat” was not in the Apostle’s vocabulary. Turning back was not viewed as an option and he wanted to instill that mindset in the Thessalonians.
His Prayer
Vss. 16-17—Paul then reiterates the contents of his prayers for them. Essentially, it was this: since God had given them love, consolation, hope, and grace in starting them out on the Christian path, Paul prayed that they would have the strength from God to carry on in that path and become established Christians. This would involve not only knowing the truth and being able to teach it to others in “word,” but also to have it demonstrated in their lives in “work.” The KJV translates it, “word and work,” but it should be translated, “work and word.” This shows that people are to see the evidence of the truth in our lives before we speak of it with our mouths. We can condemn ourselves in the eyes of others when they see inconsistency in our lives in connection with the truth we teach.