2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NKJV)

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering
together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter,
as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling
away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so
that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will
do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the
breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power,
signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe
the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.

This section of scripture has a lot of spiritual nuggets and of course I can’t cover each and
every one – who could? Let’s take a look at just a few.

The mysterious unknown letter

Paul reassures his readers that any teaching that Christians are now in the Tribulation
period is clearly not from him. In verse 6, he reminds them that he had already covered
these subjects while he was there – would that we had that transcript!

2:1, 2 The Thessalonians had been taught by someone other than Paul that the
persecution they were experiencing was a part of the Tribulation judgment and that there
was no rapture for which they should hope. Paul denies this. A letter to the Thessalonians
from someone claiming to be Paul had been the occasion for some to decide that “the day
of Christ” had already arrived. This would have been a denial of the prophetic outline
Paul presented in the first epistle. Paul cautions that the Thessalonians are not to be
troubled by this inaccurate notion. The words “had come” (enestēgken, Gk.) could be
rendered “is present,” “is now present,” or “stands near.” The tense of the verb implies
that “the day of Christ” has drawn near and now stands near as an abiding result. For this
reason some expositors suggest that this phrase supports belief in the imminent return of
Christ.
Believer’s Study Bible

Don’t be troubled
Paul urges the Thessalonians not to be troubled – this is an interesting Greek word used
only here and two other places – all of which refer to a state of anxiety that has to do with
future things or being troubled that the Day of the Lord is upon them.

G2360 - troubled
Θροεω throeō
Thayer Definition:
1) to cry aloud, make a noise by outcry
1a) in the NT, to trouble, frighten
1b) to be troubled in mind, to be frightened, alarmed

(Mat 24:6 NASB+) "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are
not frightened2360, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

(Mar 13:7 NASB+) "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened2360;
those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.

(2Th 2:2 NASB+) that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be
disturbed2360 either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the
day of the Lord has come.

The gathering together vs. the Day of the Lord

It would wise to study Dr Perry Stone’s work on the harvest cycles of Israel – basically,
there were three – the first fruits, the main harvest and then the gleaning of the four
corners. This relates to the rapture, the Second Coming and the gathering from the four
corners of the earth.

The expression the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together
to Him seems to refer unmistakably to the Rapture. That is the time when we will be
gathered to meet Him in the air.
2:2 It should be clear that the Rapture is not the same as the Day of the Lord. The
Thessalonians were not worried that the Lord had come; they knew that He had not. But
they were worried that the Day of the Lord had begun. The intense persecution they were
enduring made them think they were in the Tribulation, the first phase of the Day of the
Lord.
Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments

The Apostasy
The Apostasy is generally understood to be a reference to a mutiny or separation of one
party from another. The root of the word is “divorce” or to be separate from each other.
It would be to say this refers to not only the spiritual distance between parties but to the
physical separation. I find it interesting that early translations of the English bible use the
word departing to translate apostasy.

2Th 2:3 Geneva

(3) Let no man deceiue you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there
come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of
perdition,

G646 - apostasy
αποστασια apostasia ap-os-tas-ee'-ah
Feminine of the same as G647; defection from truth (properly the state), (“apostasy”): - falling
away, forsake.
The word rendered “falling away” (αποστασια apostasia, apostasy), is of so general a
character, that it may be applied to any departure from the faith as it was received in the
time of the apostles. It occurs in the New Testament only here and in Act_21:21, where it
is rendered “to forsake” - “thou teachest all the Jews which are among us to forsake
Moses” - apostasy from Moses - αποστασιαν απο Μωυσεως apostasian apo
Mō useō s. The word means a departing from, or a defection; see the verb used in
1Ti_4:1, “Some shall depart from the faith” - αποστησονται apostē sontai; compare
the notes on that passage; see also Heb_3:12; Luk_8:13; Act_5:37. The reference here
is evidently to some general falling away, or to some great religious apostasy that was to
occur, and which would be under one head, leader, or dynasty, and which would involve
many in the same departure from the faith, and in the same destruction. The use of the
article here, “the apostasy” (Greek), Erasmus remarks, “signifies that great and before-
predicted apostasy.” It is evidently emphatic, showing that there had been a reference to
this before, or that they understood well that there was to be such an apostasy. Paul
says 2Th_2:5, that when he was with them, he had told them of these things. The writers
in the New Testament often speak of such a defection under the name of Antichrist; see
Rev_13:14; 1Jo_2:18, 1Jo_2:22; 1Jo_4:3; 2Jo_1:7. Barnes

The Restrainer
There are other theories of who or what the restrainer is but none of them make any sense
at all except that it is the Holy Spirit indwelling the church – a picture of this church age.

The Holy Spirit indwelling the church and the individual believer seems to fit the
description of the restrainer more completely and accurately than any of the others. Just
as the restrainer is spoken of as Something and Someone in this chapter, so the Spirit is
spoken of in John 14:26, 15:26, 16:8, 13, 14 as both neuter (the Holy Spirit) and
masculine (He). As early as Genesis 6:3, the Holy Spirit is spoken of in connection with
the restraint of evil. Then later He is seen in this same role in Isaiah 59:19b, John 16:7–
11, and 1 John 4:4. Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments

G2722 - restrains
Κατεχω katechō kat-ekh'-o
From G2596 and G2192; to hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively): -
have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, X make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take,
withhold.

Notice that whoever this Restrainer is – He was in their midst and then was removed.

G3319 – out of the way

Μεσος mesos mes'-os
From G3326; middle (as adjective or [neuter] noun): - among, X before them, between, + forth,
mid [-day, -night], midst, way.

But here an objection is raised. How can the Holy Spirit be removed from the world?
As one of the Persons of the Godhead, isn’t He omnipresent, that is, everywhere at all
times? How then can He leave the world?
Of course, the Holy Spirit is omnipresent. He is always in all places at one and the
same time. And yet there was a distinct sense in which He came to the earth on the Day
of Pentecost. Jesus had repeatedly promised that He and the Father would send the Spirit
(John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7. How then did the Spirit come? He came as the permanent
Indweller of the church and of every believer. Until Pentecost the Spirit had been with
believers, but since Pentecost He has dwelt in them (John 14:17). Until Pentecost the
Spirit was known to depart from believers—hence David’s prayer, “Do not take your
Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51:11b). After Pentecost the Spirit remains forever in believers
of the Church Age (John 14:16).
The Holy Spirit will, we believe, leave the world in the same sense in which He came
at Pentecost—that is, as the abiding Indweller of the church and of each believer. He will
still be in the world, convicting people of sin and leading them to saving faith in Christ.
His removal at the Rapture does not mean that no one will be saved during the
Tribulation. Of course they will. But these people will not be members of the church, but
rather the subjects of Christ’s glorious kingdom. Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and
New Testaments

The Antichrist
The man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, all are terms referring to the Antichrist. We
won’t cover all the details of who he might be or his origin here. Of note though is his
power of deception. The greek words are “plane energeia “

(2Th 2:11 NASB+) For this3778 reason1223 God2316 will send3992 upon them a deluding4106
influence1753b so1519 that they will believe4100 what5579 is false5579,

G4106 - deluding
πλανη
planē ; fem. of G4108; a wandering: - deceitful (1), deception (1), deluding (1), error (7).
G1753b - influence
ενεργεια
energeia; from G1756; operative power: - activity (1), exertion (1), influence (1), working (4).

To me, this indicates more than just our common idea of deception – but rather a force at work –
a special unleashing of demonic influence. With the Restrainer removed and such deception
unleashed on the world – it’s a wonder any would be saved. The world stage is set for the
unveiling of this man of sin – thank God we won’t be here to see it.