2 Thessalonians 2:12

That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. THEY ALL MIGHT BE DAMNED - Greek, 'that all,' etc.: the general proposition which applies specially to Antichrist's adherents. Not all in Rome, or other anti-Christian systems, shall be damned, but only all "who believed not the truth" when offered to them, "but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (; ). Love of unrighteousness is the great obstacle to believing the truth....

12_That all may be condemned_. That is, that they may receive the punishment due to their impiety. Thus, those that perish have no just ground to expostulate with God, inasmuch as they have obtained what they sought. For we must keep in view what is stated in Deuteronomy 13:3, that the hearts of men are subjected to trial, when false doctrines come abroad, inasmuch as they have no power except among those who do not love God with a sincere heart. Let those, then, who _take pleasure in unrighteousness_, reap the fruit of it. When he says _all_, he means that contempt of God finds no excuse in the great crowd and multitude of those who refuse to obey the gospel, for God is the Judge of the whole world, so that he will inflict punishment upon a hundred thousand, no less than upon one individual. The participle εὐδοκήσαντες (taking pl

5-12 Something hindered or withheld the man of sin. It is supposed to be the power of the Roman empire, which the apostle did not mention more plainly at that time. Corruption of doctrine and worship came in by degrees, and the usurping of power was gradual; thus the mystery of iniquity prevailed. Superstition and idolatry were advanced by pretended devotion, and bigotry and persecution were promoted by pretended zeal for God and his glory. This mystery of iniquity was even then begun; while the apostles were yet living, persons pretended zeal for Christ, but really opposed him. The fall or ruin of the antichristian state is declared. The pure word of God, with the Spirit of God, will discover this mystery of iniquity, and in due time it shall be destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming. Signs and wonders, visions and miracles, are pretended; but they are false signs to support fa...

Verse 12. _THAT THEY ALL MIGHT BE DAMNED_] Ἱνα κριθωσι· _So_ _that they may all be condemned who believed not the truth_ when it was proclaimed to them; _but took pleasure in unrighteousness_, preferring that to the way of holiness. Their condemnation was the effect of their refusal to believe the truth; and they refused to believe it because they loved their sins. For a farther and more pointed illustration of the preceding verses, see the conclusion of this chapter. _"_2 Thessalonians 2:17_"_ __...

THAT THEY ALL MIGHT BE DAMNED - The word “damned” we commonly apply now exclusively to future punishment, and it has a harsher signification than the original word; compare the notes, 1 Corinthians 11:29. The Greek word - κρίνω krinō - means to judge, determine, decide; and then to condemn; Romans 2:27; Romans 14:22; James 4:11; John 7:51; Luke 19:22;...

EXPOSITION CONTENTS.—The apostle now proceeds to the principal object which he had in view in writing this Epistle. The Thessalonians had adopted erroneous notions concerning the advent; they supposed that the day of the Lord was imminent, and, in consequence of this belief, they were thrown into a state of excitement and alarm. The apostle reminds them of his former instructions on this subject; how he bad told them that before the coming of the day of the Lord there should be a great apostasy, and the man of sin, whose nature and characteristics he had described to them, should be revealed; but that at present there was a restraining influence which prevented his appearance. When that restraining influence was removed, the man of sin would be revealed, accompanied with powers and signs and wonders of falsehood, and would succeed in deceiving those who were destitute of the love of the...

THAT THEY ALL MIGHT BE DAMNED,.... Or judged, discerned and distinguished from true Christians and real believers, or rather that they might be condemned and punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and have their portion in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; where the devil, the false prophet, and the beast, whose followers they are, will be cast; and it is but a righteous thing with God to give them up to such delusion, THAT THEY MAY BE DAMNED, since they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved; and the following character of them justifies the divine procedure: WHO BELIEVED NOT THE TRUTH; neither the word of truth, the Gospel of salvation, nor Christ, who is truth itself; and therefore were righteously given up to believe a lie; and whose damnation is just, according to the declaration of Christ, he that believeth not shall...

2 Thessalonians 2:1. _Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand._ In the Church of Christ, the teaching has always been that Christ is coming quickly, and that teaching must never be withdrawn, for he is coming quickly, as he said to John in the Revelation. At the same time, this teaching has given an opportunity to certain presumptuous people to prophesy that at such and such a time Christ will come. They know nothing about it, and their prophecies are not worth the breath they spend in uttering them, and we have today what the apostle wrote to the Thessalonians:...

II. WHAT PRECEDES THE MANIFESTATION OF THE LORD CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The gathering of the saints preceding that day (2 Thessalonians 2:1)_ 2. The apostasy and the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3) 3. The revelation of the man of sin and his fate (2 Thessalonians 2:5) 4. His deceptions and the fate of Christendom (2 Thessalonians 2:9) As this section of the Epistle is one of the most important of the New Testament, we give it first of all in a corrected translation. “Now we beg you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathe

THE MISCONCEPTION OF THE PAROUSIA. This section forms the heart of the epistle. The previous chapter is merely an introduction, and the following chapter merely a conclusion, to this paragraph. The Thessalonians seem to have misinterpreted Paul's teaching about the Parousia, with disastrous effect. The belief that Christ was immediately to reappear thoroughly disorganised their lives. In this paragraph Paul tries to remove the misconception, and definitely affirms that the Parousia cannot take place till certain conditions have been fulfilled. First of all must come the apostasy and the revelation of the Man of Sin. At present, however, there is a restraining power at work which makes this revelation impossible. When the restraining power is removed, the lawless one will appear, and will be followed by Christ, who will slay him with the breath of His mouth. The meaning of this section ha...