OLBGrk; 2 THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 2 2 THESSALONIANS 2:1 Paul warneth the Thessalonians against the groundless surmise that the day of Christ was near at hand, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:3 showing that it would be preceded by a great apostacy, and that the man of sin would be first revealed, and by his wicked i... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; THAT YE BE NOT SOON SHAKEN IN MIND; saleuyhnai it is an allusion to the waves of the sea that are tossed with the winds, as false doctrines tend to unsettle the mind, as EPHESIANS 4:14 HEBREWS 13:9; and to be established in the truth is often commanded, 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13 PHILIPPIANS 4:1 CO... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU: here the apostle urgeth again his charge against this error, though in other words, and begins his arguments to refute it. He had adjured them not to be shaken, and here he cautions them against being deceived, for the one makes way for the other; so also not to be tr... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; A further description of this man of sin, by his opposition and exaltation. WHO OPPOSETH; or, o antikeimenov, the opposer; or rather, opposing, expressed in the participle of the present tense, denoting a continued act, or that which he bends himself strongly to. But against what? The same t... [ Continue Reading ]
The apostle tacitly upbraids them for their forgetfulness. To forget the things that have been taught us, is a great evil: Solomon often cautions against it, PROVERBS 3:1, PROVERBS 4:5; and it is often reproved, HEBREWS 12:5 JAMES 1:24; and the contrary required, Zechariah 4:4 1 Thessalonians 16:4 J... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; AND NOW YE KNOW WHAT WITHHOLDETH: the apostle it seems had told them, as of his coming, so of what at present withheld the revealing of him. And what this was is difficult to know now, though it seems these Thessalonians knew it: there are many conjectures about it. This I shall say in gene... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY DOTH ALREADY WORK; the way was prepared by degrees for the man of sin, before he came actually to be revealed, or constituted in his complete existence; and this was by the working of the mystery of iniquity. A mystery is something in general which is abstruse, intricate,... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; AND THEN SHALL THAT WICKED BE REVEALED: this revealing I think differs from that mentioned before, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:3; he is first revealed, as I said: _quoad existentiam, _ when he comes forth into being, and then _quoad apparentiam, _ when he comes to be discovered. And this I suppose is... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; The apostle still continues his discourse about this man of sin. He had declared whence he arose, and to what height of power, and the manner and place of his exercising it, and what opened him the way to it, and also his destruction, with the means of it. But he thought it needful to explai... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WITH ALL DECEIVABLENESS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; or, deceit of unrighteousness, unrighteous deceit, or deceitful unrighteousness. And it is universal, ALL. It is unrighteousness managed with great subtlety to deceive; and so the same with the mystery of iniquity, mentioned before, or the mystery of u... [ Continue Reading ]
AND FOR THIS CAUSE GOD SHALL SEND THEM STRONG DELUSION: we had account in the former verse of such as are deceived by the man of sin, of their sin, and here of their punishment. They were first deluded, which was their sin; and God sends them strong delusion, and that is their punishment. They did n... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; THAT THEY ALL MIGHT BE DAMNED, or condemned. The Greek is, judged, but often translated as in the text; the simple verb being taken for the compound: so 1 THESSALONIANS 3:17 1 CORINTHIANS 11:29 JUDGES 1:4. It is true a man may be judged and not condemned, but the judgment of the wicked is co... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; The apostle here exempts these Thessalonians out of the number of those reprobates that he had before spoken of, and speaks of them as such as should be preserved from apostacy in faith or practice, and obtain salvation. And this he mentions for comfort to them, and with thanksgivings to God... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; WHEREUNTO HE CALLED YOU BY OUR GOSPEL: before, the apostle mentioned their election, now their calling; which are often in Scripture put together, ROMANS 8:30 2 PETER 1:10; and are both applied to Christ himself, ISAIAH 42:1,6. They are those two sovereign acts of God, prerequisite to a stat... [ Continue Reading ]
The former verses contained consolation, this is an exhortation: the apostle had assured them of their being elected and called, yet exhorts them to their duty. Assurance of salvation doth not encourage negligence; the apostle takes his argument from thence to quicken them: THEREFORE, & c. And that... [ Continue Reading ]
The apostle here addeth prayer to his exhortation: the word and prayer are to go together, whether it be written or preached; as the twelve told the disciples, ACTS 6:4: We will give ourselves to the word and prayer. He had planted them a church, but he knew _God gave the increase,_ 1 CORINTHIANS 3:... [ Continue Reading ]
Next, we have the things prayed for: COMFORT YOUR HEARTS; though he said before, _who hath given us everlasting consolation._ The apostle means, either actual possession of what God had given title to, or a continued supply and increase of comfort already received. And he prays for this either in re... [ Continue Reading ]