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    2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
    Lesson 398

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:

    Prelude to the Second Coming (2:3-12).
    Has Jesus already returned?
     
    The antichrist will bring suffering,
    but stand fast, final victory is assured.

    Study Tip:
     
    It helps to understand Scripture if we consult two Bibles. 
    If you encounter a difficult passage, scroll back and forth between "T    he King James Bible" and "The New Living Translation" below.  ​

    The Second Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Thessalonians

    The King James Bible    ​




    2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
    Christ's return

    1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
     
    2 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 Christ is at hand.
     
    3 Let 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;
     
    4 Who 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.
     
    5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
     
    6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
     
    7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
     
    8 And 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:
     
    9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
     
    10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
     
    11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
     
    12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
     
    13 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:
     
    14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
     
    15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
     
    16 Now 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,
     
    17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

    ​

    Margin notes:
     
    "We beseech you." (2:1) - "We beg you."
     
    "The coming of our Lord." (2:1) - This is the fifth reference in 1 and 2 Thessalonians to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Some members of the Thessalonian church falsely believed that Jesus had already returned or was about to. 
     
    "Our gathering together unto him." (2:1) - Believers (dead and alive) will be gathered together in heaven after Christ collects His church (Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27; John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
     
    "Be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter." (2:2) - "Don't be confused or troubled by false revelations, or by what you hear, or read in letters claiming to be from us."
     
    "The day of Christ is at hand." (2:2) - "The day of Christ has begun."  The era of Christ began in Bethlehem on the day Jesus was born.  It will end when Jesus returns.
     
    "Let no man deceive you by any means." (2:3) - Beware of anyone who claims to know when Jesus will return.  Don't be deceived.
     
    "A falling away first." (2:3) - "A rebellion (against God) first."  Before Jesus returns, there will be a wholesale rejection of God.
     
    "That man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." (2:3) - The "man of sin," and "the son of perdition" is the antichrist, sent by Satan.  Jesus warned the world about the antichrist in Matthew 24:15-24, and the apostle John foretold his reign in Revelation 13:2-8.
     
    "Who opposeth and exalteth himself." (2:4) - "Who will oppose (God) and exalt himself" (Isaiah 14:13).
     
    "Shewing himself that he is God." (2:4) - "Portraying himself as god."
     
    "Remember ye not." (2:5) - "Don't you remember."
     
    "I told you these things?" (2:5) - Paul told the Thessalonians about the antichrist in his first visit to Thessalonica.
     
    "Now ye know what withholdeth." (2:6) - "Now you know what is holding him back."
     
    "The mystery of iniquity doth already work." (2:7) - "The mysterious power of evil is already at work."
     
    "Only he who now letteth will let." (2:7) - Only the Holy Spirit keeps evil from ruling the earth.  But God will someday allow the antichrist to rule briefly.  His reign will show mankind their sins.  
     
    "That Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." (2:8) - Means the antichrist will be revealed and then destroyed by the breath of Jesus' lips, and the glory of His coming (Isaiah 11:4).
     
    "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan." (2:9) - The antichrist will receive his power from Satan (Revelation 13:4).
     
    "All power and signs and lying wonders." (2:9) - The antichrist, sent by Satan, will perform miracles and such wonders that people will believe he is God and worship him (Isaiah 44:18).  Some Christians will even be tricked (Matthew 24:24; 1 Timothy 4:1).
     
    "Deceivableness of unrighteousness." (2:10) - "Evil deception."
     
    "God shall send them strong delusion." (2:11) - "God will allow their willful rejection of truth to have its natural results of spiritual blindness."  ("The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York, page 380).
     
    "They all might be damned who believed not the truth," (2:12) - God will punish sinners.
     
    "We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you." (2:13) - Once we understand what God has done for us, we feel obligated to thank Him.  This is almost identical verbiage to the opening of 2 Thessalonians (1:3).
     
    "He called you by our gospel." (2:14) - God called to the Thessalonians through Paul's ministry.
     
    "Hold the traditions." (2:15) - "Hold the teachings, the doctrines."
     
    "Our epistle." (2:15) - "Our letter."
     
    "Hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace." (2:16) - "God has given us the hope of everlasting comfort though His grace."
     
    "Stablish you." (2:17) - "Strengthen you."
    To learn more about the last days and Jesus' Second Coming, read Matthew 24:1-51 (lessons 49 and 50); Mark 13:1-37 
    (lessons 91 and 92); Luke 21:5-36     (lessons 153 and 154); 1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:11 (lesson 395); 2 Peter 3:10-13 and Revelation 13:1-23.


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
    Events prior to the Lord's Second Coming
     
    1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.

    2 Don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don't believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.

    3 Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed-the one who brings destruction.

    4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
     
    5 Don't you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?

    6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.

    7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.

    8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
     
    9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.

    11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.

    12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
     
    Believers Should Stand Firm
     
    13 As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation-a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.

    14 He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
     
    15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
     
    16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope,

    ​17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.     

    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:
     
    1. What will happen just before Christ returns? (2:3-12)




    "The best way to know God's will is to say 'I will' to God."

    The Philippine Star       
    Answer: (Do you agree?)
     
    1. Paul tells us several things will happen before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  First, there will be a rebellion against God.  Then the antichrist will be revealed (2:3).  The antichrist will claim to be God (2:4) and appear to have extraordinary powers which will fool many into believing his lies (2:9).  After a short but horrible reign the antichrist will be defeated when Jesus returns to judge mankind (2:8).  Those who followed the antichrist will be judged harshly (2:12).




    Application thought for the day:
     
    The most important thing to remember about the Second Coming is to watch and prepare (Mark 13:32-37).
    If Christ returns today, are you ready?   
     
    The Second Coming may not happen in your lifetime. 
    But are you ready if Jesus comes for you personally tomorrow? ​   
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke.  Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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