2 Thessalonians 2

PAL, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto 7 And to you who are troubled “rest with us, when the Lord Jesus i shall be revealed the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting was believed) in that day.

Chap. II. Ver. 1—17. The apostle guards the Thessalonians against any mistake as to the near approach of the end of the world, and warns them of the grand apostacy.—* There is reason to believe, from this and many tee passages of the New Testament, (says the late And. Fuller,) that the sacred writers considered themselves as having passed the meridian of time; and, as it were, entered into the afternoon of the world.” (See (1 Corinthians 10:11). (Hebrews 1:2); ix. 20. (James 5:8). (Revelation 22:20).).: Aix “‘ Every thing, with respect to degrees, is what it is by comparison. Taking into consideration the whole of time, the coming of Christ was ‘at hand.’ ((Philippians 4:5).) But taking into consideration only a single generation, the day of Christ was not ‘at hand.’ The Thessalonians, though a very amiable people, were by some means led into a mistake on this subject,

Notes on the verses

Chap. II. Ver. 1. By the coming, &c.—Bp. Newton, Cradock, Doddridge, Macknight, &c. render it, ‘‘Concerning the coming,” which is far preferable.—And by our gathering together.—See (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Jude 14. Ver. 3. Let no man deceive you.—This is supposed to refer to the impositions practised in the first age of Christianity by false prophets, forged epistles, &c. as well as by a misconstruction of Paul’s former Epistle. See Macknight.—A falling away.—Doddridge, ‘‘an apostacy.” Macknight, “The apostacy.”——The son of perdition.—See (John 17:12). For a full exposition of this passage, see Bp. Newton, vol. ii. Dissert. 22; and Benson on the Epistles, Diss. 2.: bad. Ver. 4, Above all that is called God.—Macknight, “a God;” the omission of the Greek article, he thinks, requires the insertion of the indefinite article in English. But the man of sin personated the true God, and not an idol. We, therefore, with Doddridge, prefer the common translation. Ver. 7. He who now letteth.—Doddridge, “Only there is one that hindereth till he be taken out of the way.” Dr. Chandler translates the verse thus + — For the mystery of iniquity already worketh, only till he who restrains it be taken out of the way.” To the same purpose, Macknight. The obsolete word lett, in the sense of ‘hinder.” N Ver. 8. That wicked.—Macknight, “lawless one.” (Gr. anoma.) — Whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit—(Doddridge, “breath”)—of his mouth.— Which (says Doddridge) shall kindle around him a consuming flame.”

See note on chap. i. 9. Some parts of Daniel’s prophecy are very similar to several verses in this chapter. 1323