New Testament

2 Thessalonians 2

The Lawless One and the Call to Stand Firm

6 passages

Overview

Paul corrects the false claim that the Day of the Lord has already arrived by foretelling a great apostasy and the rise of the "man of lawlessness," who will be defeated by Christ at his coming, and calls the Thessalonians to hold fast to apostolic tradition, grounded in God's eternal election and his gift of comfort and steadfastness.

Passages

1–2Stand Firm: Do Not Be Shaken 3–5The Shadow Before the Light: Apostasy and the Man of Lawlessness Foretold 6–8The Restrainer and the Revelation of the Lawless One 9–12The Deception of the Lawless One and the Judgment of the Unbelieving 13–15Stand Fast: The Elect, the Spirit, and the Living Tradition 16–17Established in Grace: The Divine Source of Comfort and Steadfastness

Study Resources

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2 Thessalonians 2

¹Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you ²not to be quickly shaken in your mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come. ³Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction. ⁴He opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. ⁵Don’t you remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? ⁶Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. ⁷For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way. ⁸Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the manifestation of his coming; ⁹even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion, that they should believe a lie, ¹²that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

¹³But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth, ¹⁴to which he called you through our Good News, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵So then, brothers, stand firm and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word or by letter.

¹⁶Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.

2 Thessalonians 1 2 Thessalonians 3