2nd Thessalonians chapter 2:1-12

My brief verse by verse study of 2Thessalonians 2:1-12 (KJV)

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.

Verse 1, it as at the second advent of Jehoshua that His saints will be gathered unto Him.

Verse 2, certain things were to precede the second advent of our King. The 1st century believers had not yet seen the two main signs that would preced the coming of Messiah.

Verse 3, Paul then says that prior to the Lord's return, there will be a falling away from the true faith of the visible Church and then the man of sin i.e. the anti-Messiah will be revealed. While futurists see this as happnening before a seven year peace treaty is signed by the man of sin and the Geo- political nation of Israel, history shows us that this great falling away already took place as early as the 2nd century.

The writings of the so called early Church fathers show that the Church had already fallen away from the apostolic faith in a number of areas namely the keeping of God's commandments. The following verses show that the apostasy and revealing of the man of sin were to happen shortly after Paul writing this.

Verse 4, the man of sin would oppose God and exalt himself as God in the temple. We must remember that the physical temple in Jerusalem had ceased being Jehovah's legitimate temple and was now Ichabod i.e. the glory of God had left it once Messiah was crucified. The Church is the new covenant temple (Eph 2) and the man of sin was to arise out of the Messianic Church and proclaim himself to be God. The man of sin was to be a professed believer.

Verses 5 and 6, Paul states that there was something that was withholding the revealing of the man of sin. Some in the early Church believed this to be the Roman emperor that withheld the future man of sin from being revealed since the future man of sin would eventually replace the Roman emperor in terms of ultimate leadership in the world. Some say the restrainer is Michael the archangel or the Holy Spirit. It could be the apostles themselves as the restrainer as Paul warns of savage wolves would not spare the flock after he was gone. For Paul, the seeds of apostasy were already in the Church and would get significantly worse once he was gone. This proved true historically as the 2nd century Church apostasized.

Verse 7, Paul identifies a key characteristic of the man of sin i.e. the anti-Messiah and that is he will be a worker of lawlessness. The anti-Messiah is called the man of sin because he promotes a lawless doctrine within the Church as sin is the transgession of the law (1 John 3:4). The Nicene Church fathers did exactly that, promote lawless doctrines withon the Church such as doing away with the Sabbath and instituting Sunday as the Lord's day. Also, the changing of the shema of Israel i.e. the 1st commandment from one person who is God to two and then three i.e. the trinity doctrine.

One of the early Roman Popes Anicetus tried changing the passover and firstfruits holy days to good friday and Easter Sunday (mid 100's). Roman Pope Victor followed him in the 190's by pronouncing anathema's on the asian churches for following the tradition of the apostles (passover and firstfruits) and not the tradition of the Roman Church (easter Sunday).  This could be said to be the National Easter Sunday law. Pope Victor's thundering of excommunications over a group of churches and instituting a national religious law was the first time a Bishop of the Church did such a thing.

Remember the book of Daniel says that the little horn anti-Messiah shall think to change the times and the law (Daniel 7:25).

Verse 8, the Son of God Jehoshua will slay the anti-Messiah with the breath of His mouth and the brightness of His coming echoing Daniel 7:11 where it says the body of the little horn will be given to the burning flame.

Verse 9, the establishment and rise to power of the Roman Papacy is a work of Satan and it is accompanied by lying signs and wonders. The Roman Catholic Church is known for its claim of miracles and visions most notably having to do with the virgin Mary. Also, the rise of the the Catholic charismatics attests to the mystical nature of the Church that the Pope has headship over.

Verse 10, this is a staggering verse that is a rebuke to the mainstream Church system as they have been deceived with all unrighteousness that God's 10 commandments are done away with notably the 1st and the 4th as the trinity and Sunday observance has replaced the Father as the one true God and the Sabbath as the holy day. Those who are decieved are the ones perishing spiritually. The devil has thrown everything including the kitchen sink at professed Christians into believing that God's law is done away with. This includes the various Church councils, writings of the Church fathers, seminarys and denominations. All of these have been used by Satan to decieve professed Christians that God's law has been done away with or that some of the 10 commandments have been changed.

Why are these professed Christians perishing? Because they received not the love of the truth that they might have salvation. What is the truth? It is the very opposite of what describes the man of sin i.e. lawlessness. Therefore the truth is the law of Jehovah summed up in the 10 commandments. Modern Christians reject and refuse to acknowledge the continuance of God's commandments and infact label those that teach them as heretics. Again, the man of sin is characterized by lawlessness and is said in the book of Daniel to think to change the times and the law. Obviously the law of God is in veiw as civil/secular law changes all the time. Those who reject the truth are decieved by all decieveableness of unrighteousness by the man of sin who teaches a lawlesss doctrine. Most denominations are products of the Papal Roman Catholic Church. Even so called Independent churches believe in many of the same doctrines as the Papal church and these doctrines are usually ones that compromise the law of Jehovah.

Sunday, Xmas, Easter, trinity and immortal soul doctrine are all examples of doctrines that even so called Independent anti-Catholic Churches hold to showing that they too have been decieved by the Papal man of sin.

Verse 11, it is for the cause of the rejection of God's commandments by the mainstream Christian Church that He (Jehovah) sends them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.  The strong delusion is that they (Orthodoxy =Catholic-Protestant-Evangelical, Eastern Orthodox) are the true Church and the keepers of the truth and the lie that God makes them believe is that His commandments are done away with or changed most notably the 1st and the 4th.

Verse 12, all who believe not the truth that God's 10 commandments still apply will be damned because they had pleasure in the unrighteousness of worshipping a trinity god and keeping Sunday as the holy day instead of the Sabbath.

Revelation 22:14-15 (KJV)

14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Maketh a lie that God is a trinity and that the Sabbath is done away with for Sunday.