Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 2 Thessalonians
Chapter 2: That Man of Sin
Second Thessalonians 2 calms a church shaken by false teaching that 'the day of Christ is at hand,' as though it had already come. Paul tells them not to be 'soon shaken in mind, or be troubled,' for that day cannot come until 'there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,' who 'opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God... shewing himself that he is God.' A restraining power holds him back for now, and 'the mystery of iniquity doth already work,' but when he is revealed, 'the Lord shall consume' him 'with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.' His rise comes 'after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,' deceiving those who 'received not the love of the truth.' Against this dark backdrop Paul turns to comfort: God 'hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.' So, 'stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught,' resting in the Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who gives 'everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.' This chapter steadies the believer between the coming apostasy and the certain victory of the Lord.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Paul corrects a false alarm about the day of the Lord, describes the coming falling away and the man of sin whom Christ will destroy, and comforts believers chosen to salvation to stand fast in the truth. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Be Not Soon Shaken
The day of the Lord had not already come.
The Son of Perdition
He exalts himself, showing himself to be God.
The Brightness of His Coming
The Lord consumes him with the breath of His mouth.
Chosen to Salvation
Stand fast and hold the traditions taught you.
That Man of Sin Be Revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
Before the day of the Lord comes a great falling away and the man of sin, but the Lord will destroy him with the brightness of His coming.
Whom the Lord Shall Consume with the Spirit of His Mouth
"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 Christ is at hand. 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; 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. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 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: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Word Study
"a falling away," Greek apostasia (ἀποστασία). The word means a defection, a revolt, a standing away from a position once held; it is the source of our word "apostasy." "That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first." Paul says a great apostasia must precede the day of the Lord, a widespread abandoning of the truth, a revolt against God and His revealed word. It is not merely that unbelievers will remain unbelieving; it is a departure, a turning away from faith once professed, a rebellion that prepares the way for the man of sin. This sober word warns the church of every age not to presume that things will simply improve until Christ comes; Scripture foretells a season of falling away, of professing Christians turning from the faith and of open defiance of God. Yet the same word steadies the believer, for it means the apostasy is foretold, not a surprise, and it is bounded, for it leads directly to the moment when "the Lord shall consume" the lawless one "with the brightness of his coming." The apostasia is real and coming, but it is the prelude to Christ's victory, not the triumph of evil. So we are warned to hold the truth all the more tightly, and never to join the revolt, but to stand fast while others fall away.
Explanation
Paul corrects a panic: some thought "the day of Christ is at hand," already present. Not so, he says — first "there come a falling away" (a great apostasy) "and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition," who "exalteth himself... as God" in the temple. For now something "withholdeth" (a restrainer) holds him back, until he is unveiled and "the Lord shall consume" him "with the spirit of his mouth." His coming works "with all power and lying wonders," deceiving "them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth." God gives such "strong delusion" to those who prefer the lie. The end is fixed, and truth-lovers need not be shaken by the timeline.
Gospel Focus
The Thessalonians had been thrown into panic by a false report, perhaps a forged letter, "by letter as from us," claiming "that the day of Christ is at hand," as though it had already arrived and they had somehow missed the gathering to Christ. Paul writes to steady them: "be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled." He appeals to them "by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him", the very hope he taught them in the first letter. And he corrects the error plainly: that day cannot come until two things happen first, "a falling away," a great apostasy, "and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." This lawless figure is the very picture of proud rebellion: he "opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God," and goes so far as to sit "in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." He is the counterfeit, the creature claiming the worship due to God alone. For now a restraining power holds him back, "he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way", though "the mystery of iniquity doth already work," the same spirit of lawlessness is already at work in secret. But when the lawless one is at last revealed, his end is certain and swift: "the Lord shall consume" him "with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." Notice how easily Christ conquers him: not with a long war, but with the mere breath of His mouth and the blazing splendor of His appearing. The Lord Jesus, who is God our Saviour, needs only to appear, and the great deceiver is undone. That deceiver comes "after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders," and he sweeps away "them that perish," but note carefully why they fall: "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." Those who refuse to love the truth are given over to believe the lie; "God shall send them strong delusion," a righteous judgment on hearts that "had pleasure in unrighteousness." The warning is piercing: the safeguard against deception is not cleverness but a heart that loves the truth. Where the love of the truth is welcomed, no lie can finally deceive; where it is refused, delusion follows. So Christ will surely destroy the lawless one, but the call to us is to love the truth and hold it fast.
Stand Fast, and Hold the Traditions (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)
God chose His people to salvation through the Spirit and the truth, so they are to stand fast, held and comforted by the Lord Jesus and God our Father.
Now Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, Even Our Father
"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. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 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, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."
Word Study
"traditions," Greek paradosis (παράδοσις). The word means something handed down or handed over, a teaching passed on from one to another. "Stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." In the Gospels Jesus rebuked "the tradition of men" that made void God's commandment (Mark 7:8), but here Paul uses the same word in a good sense, for the paradosis he means is not the invention of men but the apostolic teaching itself, the gospel handed down from Christ through His apostles. The distinction is vital: everything hangs on the source. Human traditions that add to or contradict God's word are to be rejected; but the God-given truth delivered by the apostles is to be held fast. And notice that this apostolic tradition came in two forms, both authoritative: "whether by word, or our epistle," that is, by their spoken preaching and by their written letters, the Scriptures. Amid the coming falling away and the lies of the man of sin, the believer's anchor is this handed-down truth. We are not to chase novelties or fear that we have missed some secret; we are to hold what was taught from the beginning. So paradosis here calls us to guard the deposit, to stand fast on the apostolic gospel once delivered, neither adding the traditions of men nor letting go of the truth of God.
Explanation
Against the dark backdrop of those who perish for rejecting the truth, Paul turns to the believers with thanksgiving: "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." The same gospel that some spurned, they embraced, "called" through it "to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." So he urges, "stand fast, and hold the traditions" they were taught. Then a prayer: that the God "which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation," would "comfort your hearts, and stablish you." Election and endurance meet — chosen by God, therefore called to hold fast.
Gospel Focus
After the dark warning about the man of sin, Paul turns to shining comfort. "We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord." Over against those who perish for refusing the truth stand these believers, secure in God's saving purpose: "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." Their salvation is no accident and no afterthought; it rests on God's own choice, worked out in time through the Spirit's sanctifying work and their believing the truth, the very truth the perishing rejected. God "called you by our gospel," and the goal is glorious: "the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." We are chosen, sanctified, and called, that we might share the glory of Jesus. From this security flows the command: "therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught." Because God has chosen and called them, they are to stand firm and cling to the apostolic truth, whether delivered by preaching or by letter. Then Paul closes the chapter in prayer, and the wording is precious to the Apostolic faith: "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, comfort your hearts." He names "our Lord Jesus Christ" and "God, even our Father" together, yet in the Greek the verbs that follow, "comfort" and "stablish," are singular, not plural, as if of one subject. This is the mystery the Oneness believer confesses: the Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father are not two Gods acting side by side, but the one God, revealed as our Father and manifest as our Lord Jesus, who loved us and comforts us. It is this one God who has given us "everlasting consolation and good hope through grace," and who will "comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work." So the chapter that began with a church shaken by fear ends with hearts comforted and established, not by speculation about the future, but by resting in the one Lord who chose us, called us, loves us, and holds us fast.
Chapter 2 in Review
Second Thessalonians 2 steadies a shaken church. Paul tells them not to be "soon shaken in mind, or be troubled" by the claim that "the day of Christ is at hand," for that day cannot come "except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition," who exalts himself "above all that is called God... shewing himself that he is God." A restraining power holds him back while "the mystery of iniquity doth already work," but at his revealing "the Lord shall consume" him "with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." Those who "received not the love of the truth" are given over to "strong delusion." Against this, Paul comforts the chosen: God "hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." So, "stand fast, and hold the traditions," resting in "our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter both warns and comforts. It warns that before Christ's coming there will be a great apostasy and the rise of a lawless deceiver who claims to be God, backed by Satan's counterfeit "power and signs and lying wonders." The safeguard is not cleverness but a heart that receives "the love of the truth"; those who refuse it are given over to believe a lie. Yet the outcome is never in doubt: the false christ, for all his pretended deity, is undone by the mere breath and brightness of the true Lord Jesus, who is God come in the flesh. And the chapter ends in Apostolic assurance, addressing "our Lord Jesus Christ" and "God, even our Father" as one, the one God who chose us, called us, loves us, and comforts us. So we love the truth, hold fast the apostolic gospel handed down to us, refuse every counterfeit, and rest our shaken hearts in the one Lord who will surely come in glory.
- Do not be "soon shaken" by false claims about the timing of the day of the Lord (2:1-2).
- That day follows "a falling away first, and that man of sin... the son of perdition" (2:3).
- The lawless one exalts himself as God, but the Lord destroys him "with the brightness of his coming" (2:4, 8).
- The deceived perish "because they received not the love of the truth" (2:10).
- God "chose you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2:13).
- "Our Lord Jesus Christ... and God, even our Father" comfort and establish us as one (2:16-17).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you easily "shaken in mind" by sensational teaching, or anchored in the apostolic truth?
- Do you truly love "the love of the truth," the surest guard against deception?
- What "traditions" (the handed-down gospel) are you holding fast, and are any merely of men?
- Does resting in the one God who chose and called you comfort your heart amid uncertain times?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The day of the Lord, the falling away, and the man of sin: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5; Matthew 24:10-15; 1 Timothy 4:1; Daniel 11:36. The restrainer, the lawless one, and his destruction: 2 Thessalonians 2:6-10; Revelation 19:20; Isaiah 11:4. Refusing the love of the truth; strong delusion: 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Romans 1:24-28; John 3:19-20. Chosen to salvation; stand fast; the one God who comforts: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17; Ephesians 1:4; John 10:30. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Be not shaken; the falling away and the man of sin: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5; 1 Timothy 4:1.
- The restrainer; the lawless one destroyed by the brightness of His coming: 2 Thessalonians 2:6-10; Revelation 19:20.
- Refusing the love of the truth; strong delusion: 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Romans 1:24-28.
- Chosen to salvation; stand fast; the one God comforts us: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17; Ephesians 1:4.