2 Thessalonians — Chapter 2

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1Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers,

2not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come.

3Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed.

4He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

5Do you not remember that I told you these things while I was still with you?

6And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.

7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way.

8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.

9The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,

10and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.

11For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,

12in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.

13But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.

14To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15Therefore, brothers, stand firm and cling to the traditions we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.

16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope,

17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good word and deed.

1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2That 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 Christ is at hand.

3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

13But 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:

14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

1Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;

2to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;

3let 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,

4he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.

5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.

7For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only [there is] one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.

8And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;

9[even he], whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:

12that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

13But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

14whereunto he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.

16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,

17comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

1Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,

2not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.

3Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

4He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.

5Surely you recall that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you.

6And so you know what holds him back, so that he will be revealed in his own time.

7For the hidden power of lawlessness is already at work. However, the one who holds him back will do so until he is taken out of the way,

8and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.

9The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders,

10and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.

11Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.

12And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.

13But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

14He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions that we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.

16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,

17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

1Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to him, we ask you

2not to be quickly shaken in your mind, and not be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come.

3Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,

4he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.

5Don’t you remember that, when I was still with you, I told you these things?

6Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.

7For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.

8Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming;

9even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie;

12that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

13But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth;

14to which he called you through our Good News, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15So then, brothers, stand firm, and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word, or by letter.

16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,

17comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Paul urges the Thessalonians not to be quickly shaken or alarmed by any claim, even one supposedly from him, that the Day of the Lord has already come (vv. 1-2). He explains that day cannot come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, who exalts himself above every so-called god and sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God (vv. 3-4). Paul notes that a restraining force currently holds this figure back, but once removed, the lawless one will be revealed, empowered by Satan with counterfeit signs and wonders that deceive those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth (vv. 5-10). Because of this, God will send a powerful delusion so they believe the lie and are condemned (vv. 11-12). Paul thanks God for choosing the Thessalonians for salvation and urges them to stand firm in the teaching they were given (vv. 13-17).

Authorship & Background

Author: Paul the Apostle (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 2 addresses the primary reason Paul wrote this letter: someone had told the Thessalonians (falsely claiming Paul's authority) that "the day of Christ is at hand" — that it had already come (v.2). This caused panic and confusion. Paul corrects this by explaining that two things must happen first: (1) the great apostasy/falling away, and (2) the revelation of the "man of sin" (Antichrist). This is one of the most important and debated eschatological passages in the NT.
Classification: Epistle — Pauline
Key Themes: A forged letter or claimed prophecy spreading panic that the Day had already come, a falling away and a man of sin required before it can arrive, something currently restraining what is not yet revealed, a strong delusion sent on those who refused to love the truth, and a people called and chosen set against those who perish
Don't Be Shaken (vv.1-2): Paul urges them not to be disturbed by false claims — whether by "spirit" (prophecy), "word" (teaching), or "letter" (forged correspondence) — that the Day of the Lord has already arrived.
The Man of Sin (vv.3-12): Before that Day comes, there must be: (1) "a falling away" (apostasia — the great apostasy, v.3), and (2) the revelation of "the man of sin, the son of perdition" (v.3) — who exalts himself above God and sits in God's temple claiming to be God (v.4). Something/someone currently "restrains" him (vv.6-7). When the restrainer is removed, the lawless one will be revealed — and Christ will destroy him at His coming (v.8).
God's Chosen (vv.13-17): In contrast to those who perish, the Thessalonians are "chosen to salvation" (v.13). Paul urges them to "stand fast" and hold to the traditions they were taught (v.15).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik provides detailed analysis of the Day of the Lord, the man of sin, the restrainer, and the contrast between the deceived and the chosen.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

2 Thessalonians 1-2 | When Will Jesus Come Back? | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Encouragement for the Last Days - 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
David Guzik

2 Thessalonians 2 - How To Know If You Are In The Great Tribulation
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 2 Thessalonians -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Not Easily Shaken by False Claims (v.2) — Paul urges the Thessalonians not to be quickly unsettled by reports, even ones claiming his own authority, that the Day of the Lord had already come. How do you respond to sensational claims about prophecy or current events — do you test them against Scripture, or get swept along?
  • Lawlessness Already at Work (v.7) — Paul says the mystery of lawlessness is already active in the world, though currently restrained. Do you see evidence of this active but restrained evil around you, and does knowing there's a restraint on it give you confidence rather than fear?
  • Loving the Truth, Not Just Knowing It (v.10) — Those who perish are described as never having received a love for the truth. Is truth something you embrace affectionately, or merely acknowledge in your head without letting it change you?
  • Chosen for Salvation From the Beginning (v.13) — In the middle of a passage about deception and judgment, Paul reminds the Thessalonians of their election. How does the reality of God's sovereign choice steady you when the world around you feels chaotic?
  • Standing Firm in What You Were Taught (v.15) — Paul calls them to stand fast and hold to the traditions passed down to them. In a world full of shifting opinions and novel teaching, what is the truth you're actually anchored to?