Lesson 11

II Thessalonians 1:6–12

In the previous verses of this chapter the Apostle had spoken of the great progress these Thessalonians had made in the Christian life and how grateful he is that this work of God has proceeded so beautifully. These words were also an introduction to the main theme with which he will deal in this epistle. The readers have some mistaken notions concerning the return of Christ. He will now treat this matter in the rest of this chapter and in the following.

God Is Righteous

First of all it must be established that God is righteous when He rewards both good and evil. The manner in which he expresses himself concerning this matter is one which he uses time and again. When he uses the term “if,” he does not call into question whether God is righteous in doing these things. No, it is a form he uses to show that it certainly is proper for God to do so.

This fact is clearly learned from the Old Testament. Israel knew that God would indeed reward them and that He would also do battle against all those who opposed them. The same works are now ascribed to God and to the Lord Jesus Christ. Is this a little less than Christian? Some think so today. Christ has come to save! But, the New Testament makes it very clear that an important part of the salvation He brings is the judgment He pronounces on the wicked.

He will, therefore, afflict those who have brought affliction on His people. His judgment will be perfectly just. He will bring punishment according to the crime which was committed. At the same time He will give rest to those who have been afflicted here. Itis a rest which they will share with Paul and the others who have ministered to them. By this rest he means the freedom from the afflictions which they have suffered before and a freedom from all the tensions under which they often labored. It means a healthy peace of heart and of mind. This is the rest that remaineth to the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9)

The Judge Of All

This judgment will be made at the time of the “revelation” of the Lord Jesus from heaven. He uses the term which our word Apocalypse comes. This word means revelation. Although our Lord has been clearly revealed to us on the pages of Scripture, there are still aspects of His being which are veiled—they are still hidden. When He comes again this veil will be lifted and the Christ shall appear more glorious than anyone had seen Him before. He shall then come from heaven, naturally because He had ascended there, to show that He comes with the fullest authority. He does not usur p the place of Judge, but is fully commissioned to be the Judge of all men.

To reveal that glory which is His, the Apostle tells us that He will come with the angels of His power. Angels had at times been used to bring the message of His temporal judgments in the past and sometimes to carry out these judgments. God’s people are familiar with the work and might of the angels. Now, when He shall come again, He will come surrounded by these mighty angels! They are not called to do the judging because they are only in .attendance on One who is far greater than they. As He comes, He will be surrounded by flaming fire. How often this symbolism is used in the Scriptures to denote the glory and the mighty power of God! So He came down on Sinai. Fire is used as a symbol to show the presence of the Spirit of God as well as His coming at Pentecost. Truly, it will be a revelation when the Lord returns.

Vengeance On The Wicked

In the judgment which He brings He will render vengeance on the wicked. This term sounds harsh in the ear of modern man but also to the ear of a Christian. His people are warned more than once that they may not seek vengeance. Vengeance belongs to God alone. We must also note that this term does not imply vindictiveness. It is a term whereby he teaches us that righteousness will be upheld. The Judge of all the earth will do what is right! His people shall be declared innocent on the basis of the complete payment which Christ has made for their sins. Thus there is no condemnation for those who are in Him. Neither can anyone lay any charge against them. The right is perfectly satisfied.

So it is also true concerning the wicked. His sins are not covered. He is guilty and the righteous judge will not allow the guilty to go unpunished. Therefore He inflicts vengeance on them. They are the ones who know not God, i.e., who do not know Him as their God. They are also the ones who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus. They are disobedient. Some have thought that two different kinds of people are meant by the author but this is not true. Those who are disobedient to the gospel do not know God! These are the same ones who have afflicted the people of God. His people are called to bear affliction and not take vengeance, but when He comes again He will judge.

Punishment To Fit The Crime

What will be the punishment meted out to those who do not know God and have been disobedient to the gospel of Christ? It will not be a sentence which is too light or too severe. The punishment shall fit the crime. Justice shall prevail as it never has before because the perfect Judge will give sentence. There is something fearful about this but it too belongs to the gospel!

A “gospel” which preaches peace and safety to those who do not know Him and obey not the gospel, is no gospel but an utter falsehood! It is not only the Apostle who has spoken of these things (although that would be enough) but our Lord Himself emphasized this truth again and again. This truth gives an urgency to the gospel. It calls men to flee from the wrath to come. The gospel should disturb the unbeliever and give him no rest until he believes! Much of present day preaching only teaches him to be a “nicer man.”

Total Annihilation?

Many believe that the end of man is total annihilation. Does not the fact that man is to return to the dust seem to point in this direction? Besides, the Apostle here teaches that the punishment of the wicked shall be “eternal destruction.” Is he here teaching us the annihilation of the godless? We must bear in mind that the Bible speaks of destruction in more than one way. Sodom and Gomorrah were completely destroyed, which meant that there was nothing left of these cities. When Paul and Jesus speak of the destruction of the wicked it does not mean annihilation. The destruction of which they speak means that there is nothing worthwhile left, that it is utter ruin.

Many unbelievers will even comfort themselves with the hope of complete annihilation, but this is not the teaching of Scripture. It will be a destruction which removes them from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might. It is, therefore, a separation. The Lord whom they have hated and refused to obey will banish them from His presence—and that is destruction! Physical death is the separation of body and soul; eternal death is the separation of the person from God. The future of God:S people is called “eternal life”; and the future of the wicked is characterized as “eternal death.” But, this is a death in the conscious state!

Blessings For The Believer

Having given a broad outline of the punishment which awaits the unbeliever, Paul now speaks of the things which shall happen to the believer in the day in which He returns. The Scriptures have often emphasized the fact that the believers are not to dread that day but should look forward to it. This now becomes clear when he speaks of the blessings of that day for the believer.

When Christ returns He will be glorified in His saints. The image of God had lost much of its luster when man fell into sin. Christ had come to restore that image to its original beauty. This has not been fully accomplished as long as man is still in this present state. But, when He comes again, His glory will be reflected in His saints! The dead shall put on the incorruptible and those who are still alive shall be changed. Then shall they reflect the glory of the God in whose image they were made. “We shall be like him for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2).

Not only is it a glory which is reflected in these saints, but they therein glorify the Christ who is coming. The glory of which He had emptied Himself will be restored on that day. He will also be marvelled at in all them that believed. All creatures will marvel at His recreative work as it comes to expression in all believers. To this he adds a parenthetical note to assure them that they are among those believers of whom he has spoken because they have believed his testimony to them. He is not simply dealing with facts, but with such things as have real personal value.

Paul As The Pastor

No matter what the subject matter may be, Paul always remains the pastor of the people to whom he writes. Here too he reminds the people that he prays for them constantly. What is the content of his prayer? That God may count them worthy of the call wherewith He has called them. This call refers to the rest of which they are to partake with all the saints. But, is he now calling into question that which he had affirmed concerning them in the parenthetical statement at the close of the previous verse? No, he does not doubt their faith nor their justification. He is here addressing himself to their sanctification. Are they going to live a life which has the approval of their God? This indeed demands the constant prayer of the Apostle. It is not enough to have come to the faith—this faith must be lived.

Paul therefore counsels the readers to fulfill every resolve of goodness which they have made. It was their desire to live an unblameable life before their God. May that purpose be realized—that’s what he prays for. Also that their every work which springs from faith may be fulfilled. He is here emphasizing the things which they themselves must do because they are not without responsibilities in the area of their sanctification. These people, together with all those who follow, must learn that faith without works is dead. However, they are not standing alone in their sanctification. God is the One who will give the power to achieve their goal. The human responsibility is real but it is never divorced from the power of the Spirit of God. Only in this light are we able to achieve a certain harmony between the works of God, which are sovereign, and the responsibility to which He calls every believer.

The blessings which await the believer at there turn of Christ are indeed great. They will be distinguished from unbelievers as never before. However, are believers to live a certain kind of life in order to receive rewards? Is this not too crass? Their reward will be great, but the Apostle bas an even higher goal in mind for them. They are to walk in such a way so that God will count them worthy of their calling and that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in them. That is the ultimate purpose of their faith and their manner of life. It is the name which has been published abroad in the gospel. It is the . name which is above every name. When that name is glorified He is glorified. Let others see their faith and its product, and, if it is the genuine article, they will glorify the name of Christ. His glory shall shine upon them when He comes again, but there is also a glory which He receives in the present.

If they conduct themselves in such a way so that the name of the Lord is glorified, then are they also glorified in Him. Their relationship to Jesus Christ is so close that the glory of the One is also the glory of the other. Their faith and walk of life is not only for Another—they derive great profit from it themselves! What He calls them to do is for their own good. Their only glory is the Lord Jesus!

This is the kind of command which the unbeliever fails to understand. The believer finds his own welfare when he glorifies the Christ! This is wholly of grace. No one has come to this conclusion by himself. It is grace which gives an entirely different outlook on life. The believer is indebted to God and the Lord Jesus Christ for this grace which he has received. It is from both. Paul uses the term grace more than almost any other word. It is grace that revealed Him to us; that gave us faith; and that caused us to live as He requires. It is grace from beginning to end.

Paul’s treatment of the day when Christ comes to judge is not coldly factual but is given in the framework of the glory of Christ and the benefits for the believer. This is gospel –this is the word of life.

Questions for Discussion

1. People sometimes speak of “fire and brimstone” preachers of the past. What do they mean by this? Would you say that Paul was such a preacher? 2. What will our Lord’s coming be like? Do we have sufficient answers to this question in verse 7? 3. The word translated “vengeance” is derived from the word meaning “righteous.” Does this give any light on the nature of the vengeance the Lord renders? 4. Why are unbelievers resurrected? Do we really understand what eternal life and eternal punishment mean? 5. What do you understand by the image of God? 6. How is sanctification related to justification? How do they differ? 7. What is really our goal in life?    

THE MAN OF SIN

Lesson 12

II Thessalonians 2:1–5

The events which will take place toward the end of our age or those which will accompany the return of our Lord have always been of the greatest interest to men throughout the ages. There have been many false notions concerning t hese matters. We are to study the Scriptures carefully to come to the proper understanding of those things which will certainly happen and even the t ime in which these various things take place.

In the second epistle which he is addressing to this church, Paul deals with the subject of Christ’s return even more than he did in the first. It is a very important subject. Immediately in the first verse of this chapter he places all that he has to say to them in the framework of the “coming” of Christ and our gathering together unto Him. In other words, none of the things he will have to say about events preceding the return of Christ may ever be separated from His return. Nor is His return simply one event (historical) among others. His return will also mean our union with Him.

Correction Needed

In Thessalonica there are all kinds of views regarding the second com!ng. He cautions them not to lose their spiritual and mental balance concerning this matter. They are indeed in danger of losing their mental equilibrium. They are “shaken,” i.e., they are like waves of the sea regarding this subject. They are deeply troubled and disturbed. These people had believed the gospel and had made amazing progress, but they were disturbed about many things concerning the return of the Lord.

Why is this? Of course, we are not told all the things the Apostle had taught them while he was with them. However, they are now troubled by “spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us.” It seems as though there were those in this church w‘ho claimed that they had received special knowledge about the matter by the “spirit.” The “word” which led them astray may have come from various sources. But, when he speaks of the source of their misinformation as though it has come from an epistle which he himself had written, it is high time that the record be set straight. Quite likely he refers to the epistle which we know as his first letter to this church. Therein he had indeed spoken of the return of the Lord as being “sudden.” This they had interpreted to mean “soon.” This was the wrong interpretation, but we cannot blame them so much for this view because there are still many scholars who believe that Paul looked for the return of Christ during his lifetime. These Thessalonians believed that the day of His return bad dawned. No, of course, Christ had not yet appeared, but the process had begun and He could now appear any minute!

This is a doctrinal matter and the Apostle is afraid that the people of this church will be, or have already been, beguiled. This would have all manner of evil consequences. They would be deceived because the immediate return of Christ is a delusion. It is, therefore, not an “innocent” error of their thinking. Their expectation of the early return could lead them to all the evils he spoke of in the first epistle. They would cease to be obedient to their calling a nd simply wait for his coming. He is also confident t hat he has not led them astray in his teaching while among them nor in the epistle which he had sent them. Others are leading them from the truth.

The Great Apostasy

Paul now tells them why Jesus will not return soon. That is the import of all that follows in this section. There are certain things which must happen before He returns and it is not a high plane of spirituality which speaks as though He could come any moment, but it is an ignoring of the clear Scriptural teaching of the things which will precede His coming. He will not come until the great apostasy has come. In a certain sense he is skipping an even earlier happening which is to take place. Christ had taught that the gospel was to be proclaimed to all nations before He would return.

The apostasy of which Paul speaks is the falling away after the gospel has come. It will, therefore, be a falling away from the gospel! There had been instances of falling away from the faith throughout Israel’s history. Those pointed to the great apostasy at the end of time. But, this one is far worse and will be final. Jesus had also spoken of the same thing in Matthew 24. It will be widespread. Our Lord speaks of the fact that “many” shall stumble; that there will be “many” false prophets; and that the love of “many” shall wax cold. There have been defections from the faith throughout the ages but the “falling away” preceding the return of Christ will be much broader. This falling away hasn’t happened yet, on the contrary, the church is growing, and therefore, says the Apostle, the return of Christ is not imminent.

The Antichrist – A Person

Something else will also occur before Jesus returns. The man of sin will be revealed. This is the one whom we usually call the “Antichrist.” It is to be noted that Paul never uses the term “Antichrist” only the Apostle John does. This has led to some confusion in the history of the Christian church because John does not use this name for the “eschatological Antichrist,” i.e., the Antichrist at the end of time. John speaks of “Antichrists” during his time and means those who deny the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ. These are the “precursors” of the Antichrist who is to come at the end of the ages, but are not this person himself. The “man of sin,” of whom Paul speaks, is the man of lawlessness. He is the “son of perdition.” Christ had also spoken of Judas as “the son of perdition” but a type of the great “son of perdition” who would be revealed at the last time. The sin of man reaches its lowest point in the revelation of the man of sin.

Often during the history of the church has someone been thought to be the Antichrist. It began already in Apostolic times when some were quite sure that Paul was referring to the emperor Nero. Later various other individuals were thought to be the Antichrist because of their persecution of believers. All of these attempts to identify him were proven false. There are those who identify him with satan. This too is untrue because he is Satan’s tool. Many have thought that the term “Antichrist” refers to an institution or movement. However, it is clear from Paul’s description of him in this chapter that we are to think of a person. There was all manner of speculation among the Thessalonians about these matters, and believers of later date ought not to fall into the same errors again. Great harm has been done when men gave themselves over to speculation rather than to listen carefully to the Word of God.

An Opponent

The one of whom the Apostle is speaking has been spoken of in the book of Daniel. The prophecies of Daniel must be seen in the light of this chapter. Daniel too has been misunderstood throughout the ages.

This “man of sin” or “Antichrist” will stand in op· position to everything the Christ of God has taught. He will be “anti.” Never in the history of the world has anyone been so filled with hate against everything that God has revealed. He will make use of the great apostasy which has occurred. He will drive it to its bitter conclusion. There will be no room for neutrality. He actively hates and opposes everything on which the name of God rests. He will seek to overthrow all the works of God.

The blind hatred of men for the living God and all that He commands has been experienced time and again in the history of men but never to the extent shown by the man of sin. Israel had suffered greatly during the reigns of their own godless kings and during the time of their captivity. Especially in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes had they seen how great the hatred of men for religious things can become. Yet, these were but precursors of the man of sin! The Christian church has suffered greatly during the days of the Roman emperors and, in late years, during the reigns of Hitler and Stalin, but it is not to be compared to the evils which will come upon the church during the days of the man of sin! Anyone who has identified one of the previous persecutors of the church as Antichrist has, therefore, made a huge mistake and consequently does not realize how important the return of Jesus Christ on the clouds of heaven will be!

A Usurper

Not only does the preposition “anti” mean that he opposes all that the Christ stands for, but it also means that he places himself “instead of” the Christ. He does not only seek to undermine and overthrow everything Christian, but usurps the place of Christ and of God. He is the false christ and the false god. Hereby is his arrogance fully displayed. He rejects the Christ and all His claims and also rejects the God who has made all things and who upholds them. He proclaims himself to be both Christ and God!

Herein we see that the sin of man has become more grievous than we could ever have imagined. The sin of man has finally given birth to the man of sin! The warnings of the Scriptures against the deadly character of sin is finally made unmistakably clear. He sits in the temple of God—in the most holy place—and there sets himself forth as God.

Can Christ Come At Any Time?

When Christ spoke of the tribulation of the last days the people of His day could not have imagined all that this involved. Difficult times have come many times. But, the days of the man of sin will be far worse than any which have been experienced before. Christ warned the church, and believers in every age ought to give due heed to the words He spoke.

These are the things, says Paul, which must come before the Lord Jesus Christ returns. The severity of the time under the rule of the man of sin is such that they do not have to wonder whether or not those times are here or have already been. Jesus had spoken of those times that “if it were possible they would even lead the elect astray.” Thank God: that is not possible! However, no one will have to wonder if that time is here when it indeed comes. As no one will have to inform a person of the fact that Christ has returned because His return will be as the lightning which shines from one end of the heaven to the other, so also the coming of the man of sin will be clear to everybody.

The clear teaching of these verses is that the Christ cannot come at any time! There are several things which must happen before this great event occurs. These things still have not all happened! It sounds very pious when one says that Jesus can come any moment, but the Word is then neglected! But, it is true that He can come for any individual at any moment! The end of all things and the individual believer’s home-going must, however, be clearly distinguished.

A Mild Rebuke

In verse five he administers a mild rebuke to them. He is indeed very thankful for the progress which they have made in their faith and that they also live the faith which they profess. But, regarding the time of the second coming they are in error . There was no need of t his. He had told them about these things while he was with them. From the words he uses it becomes evident that he had instructed them in this matter more than once. How could they then have arrived at these erroneous conclusions? They should have listened better. Neither can they claim that he has misled them in his former epistle. There is a difference between His sudden coming and His immediate coming. Yet, it is a mild rebuke. He asks them whether they remember t he teaching he gave them during the short time he was with them.

Though it is a mild rebuke (they were believers for such a short time) it is nevertheless a rebuke. Questions concerning the time of Christ’s return may not seem to be as important as those about election, the deity of Christ or the personality of the Holy Spirit, but the Apostle sees the dangers of this wrong view and hastens to correct it. We are the richer now that he has given us this revelation on this important topic. No deviation from the truth of God is without danger. Sincere and obedient study of His word is required of all believers in order that the man of God may be complete.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why has there always been so much disagreement about the second coming of Christ? Isn’t the revelation clear enough? 2. How can an overemphasis on the last things lead to a being “shaken from your mind”? 3. Has the gospel already been proclaimed to all nations? Give reasons for your answer. Is the apostasy already upon us? Men have always thought that certain happenings were a sure sign of the end-time. What do you think of this? 4. If we read and study the Word of God correctly are we able to tell how late it is on the clock of God? Could men do this before His first coming? 5. Some think that the Heidelberg Catechism is too severe in its description of the sin of man. What is your view also in the light of this section? 6. Could you blame people for thinking that Nero or Hitler (or others) were indeed antichrist? 7. Doctrinal purity is not held in high esteem today. How does Paul view this matter?