Read or listen The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians 2 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

In this chapter, Paul deals with the main theme of the entire Second Thessalonians: Christ's second coming.

God's Timetable - 2 Thes. 2:1-12

A teaching that does not speak of and believe in the second coming of Jesus is not genuine apostolic Christianity. Verse 5 reveals that already during his brief first visit, Paul had taught about the second coming of Christ.

There have been times in the history of the church when the Book of Revelation has been a beloved, even the most beloved, book of the Bible. There have often been exaggerations - as seems to have happened in Thessalonica - but misuse must not deprive us of the correct teaching about the end times.

If the Second Thessalonians were written by someone other than Paul, the writer would be at war with himself in verse 2. It has been answered that this very sentence was intended to dispel suspicions about the letter. The sentence would therefore have been written in order to give the letter a stamp of authenticity. But would he have been believed?

Many heretics have appealed to their visions: "The Spirit said to me..." The spirits must be tested (1 John 4:1). Satan can - and often does - disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Often heresy is not the complete opposite of true doctrine, but the changes are actually quite small, but all the more significant.

The Thessalonian Christians, who claimed that Christ’s return would occur very soon, stopped their work. It is possible that some of them thought that Christ’s return had already occurred. Such a heresy is represented today by the Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which teaches that Christ returned invisibly on October 1, 1914.

Later, we know that forged writings attributed to the apostles began to circulate, including the Revelation of Peter. Is Paul referring in verse 2 to a forged letter or to the fact that his previous letter (especially 1 Thessalonians 5) had been misinterpreted?

Verse 3 is usually interpreted as Paul setting certain “preconditions” for Christ’s return. First, a widespread apostasy must occur and “the man of perdition” must come. But the verse is also related to the above: it is possible that the great apostasy will occur in the very manner described in verse 2. It may be that the enemy of God is using the very methods described in verse 2 to deceive people. Jesus also foretold that there would be a great apostasy in the last days (Matthew 24:10-31).

Is Paul talking about the Temple of Jerusalem in verse 4? The temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and there is no prophecy in the Bible that it would be rebuilt before Jesus returns. Apparently, Paul is talking about some other temple. It may be that the Antichrist will build himself a temple and there declare himself to be God.

Jewish history saw several desecrations or attempts to desecrate the Temple of Jerusalem. In 167 BC, the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes erected an image of himself in the Temple of Jerusalem and sacrificed a pig there. In 63 BC, the Roman army under Pompey invaded the Temple and desecrated it. Roman military standards were also taken to the Temple area. In 40 AD, the Emperor Caligula wanted to erect an image of himself in the Temple of Jerusalem, but the project was postponed until the Emperor was assassinated in 41 AD and the project was abandoned.

The basic nature of the Antichrist is revealed in verse 4: he will exalt himself above God and eventually make himself God. It is tempting to think that Paul was talking about the "divine" emperors of Rome. But it is unlikely that Paul was thinking of them alone: ​​Satan works in the same way at different times. Deceptions repeat themselves.

In verse 6, Paul speaks of a restraining, hindering thing that delays Christ’s return. What is it? The church father Augustine said, “I honestly do not know!” But, of course, different guesses have been made:

• The Church and the Holy Spirit of God
• Paul, who preached the gospel.
• The fact that the gospel had not yet been preached to all nations (Matthew 24:14, Mark 13:10)
• The Roman Empire, which maintained law and order.

In the end, we have to accept that there is something we do not know for sure. In any case, there is God’s timetable behind everything: at God’s chosen time, events begin to unfold (Revelation 9:15, 20:1-3)

Falsehood misleads many

In verse 8, Paul speaks of the " the lawless one", who is called "Antichrist" elsewhere in the New Testament (1 John 2:18,22, 4:3, 2 John 7, see also Rev. 13). It is worth noting that the Antichrist is not Satan in human form, for verse 9 clearly distinguishes the two.

The Antichrist does not necessarily fight against the true faith by denying everything in Christianity, but by changing it, falsifying it. The Antichrist is not necessarily "a denier of Christ" but can also be "a false Christ". The Antichrist can be recognized by one thing for sure: he denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world and God (1 John 2:22). By performing various miracles, the Enemy of God will deceive large crowds, even many Christians (verse 9, Matt. 24:24).

Verses 10-12 speak of truth and falsehood.
The truth is God's revelation: Jesus is the Savior. Only Jesus' own will be saved. The lie is: the Antichrist is God.
Jesus was full of truth (John 1:14), the Antichrist is full of lies.

Chosen for salvation – 2 Thes. 2:13-17

The doctrine of God's election is clearly presented in the Bible, in addition to this passage, among others. Eph 1:4, Col 3:12.

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide"
(John 15:16)

The entire Old Testament also speaks of God's election, after all it is the history of the Chosen People.

Our human reason does not accept the doctrine of God's election. That is why it is rarely discussed and taught. When talking about election, the "basic statement" is 1 Tim 2:3-4: "...of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Jesus has died for every person – for all the sins of all people. No one needs to go to hell.

But not everyone accepts the gospel. Why it is good for one and not for another is a mystery. Luther taught according to the Bible that no one is elected to perdition, but some are elected to salvation. We ourselves would never find God if God did not first find us. However, Paul warns against false certainty: The one who is chosen can still fall from grace. That is what verses 1-12 are really about. Apostasy is possible, so we must be vigilant (verse 15).

Satan tries to get us back into his own kingdom in three ways:
- Through persecution and tribulation
- Through false teaching (often appealing to human reason)
- By leading us into sin

We must remain in Christ and in his teaching, which the apostles have conveyed to us. The gospel is the mediator of salvation (verse 14). Hearing the gospel not only generates faith, but also grows and maintains it.