2 Thessalonians

2:1-12

2. Thanksgivings, warning and instruction, 1:3-2:17

ii] The Second Coming - the Man of Lawlessness

In Chapter 2 of Thessalonians, Paul speaks of the parousia. The point he seeks to make is that the day of Lord, the day of Christ's "coming / presence", the day when he executes judgment on a sinful word, has not yet occurred because the "man of lawlessness" has not been exposed and annihilated.

In the opening chapter, Paul thanks God for the Thessalonian church. He then speaks of the judgement of "everlasting destruction" which faces those "who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." He then prays for the Thessalonians. Paul now follows up with his exposition on the coming day of the Lord, 2:1-17.

It seems likely that the persecution which the Thessalonian believers were now experiencing was, for them, a sign that "the day of the Lord" was upon them. The revelation / coming of Jesus is a coming in judgment, and given their present tribulations, that coming day, with its punishment of the wicked, was surely at hand. Paul confronts this opinion by explaining that before the coming of the great day of the Lord there must be "the rebellion" and "the revelation of the Man of Lawlessness." The "Man" has not yet been exposed and annihilated so "the Day" is still in the future.

Paul tells us that the "man of lawlessness" / the man of sin / the man doomed to destruction / Mr. Loss, is already operating in human society and that for this reason the day of the Lord has not yet come.

There have been many attempts to identify the lawless one. He has been aligned with the Roman Emperor, even Rome itself. In the Preface of the Authorized Version of the Bible the Pope is called "that Man of Sin", a rather sad example of religious bigotry! Numerous political leaders, political parties, powers, philosophies, ideas (even a runaway computer!) have been identified as this "man". However he may manifest himself, and he has, and will, manifested himself in many ways, it is more than likely that he is the Antichrist.

Paul describes the lawless one as someone who "opposes" God, exalts himself over God, claims deity for himself, setting himself up in the temple. It seems likely that Paul is using descriptives common in Jewish apocalyptic traditions, particularly those reflecting the desecration of the temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, 175-164 BC. Antiochus entered the holy of holies, plundered the temple, set up an idol within the sanctuary and halted the religion of Israel. This is the way the lawless one behaves and will continue to do so until reaching a crescendo in the "abomination of desolation", at which time he will be exposed and annihilated. Luke actually links the "abomination" with the destruction of Jerusalem and the desecration of the Temple in 70AD, Lk.21:20. Obviously Rome's aggression against Israel bears the fingerprints of that "man of sin", and serves as a paradigm for that last great "rebellion", armageddon. His tendency to desecrate what belongs to God inevitably extends to the Christian church, 1Cor.3:16f. The lawless one brings desolation to the fellowship of believers, a desolation involving external persecution and internal apostasy.

Paul tells us that the lawless one is extremely powerful, wondrous even, and that the glory he possesses has the capacity to deceive. He is active now and so he "deceives" right now, bringing a "powerful delusion" upon many. He is around at this very moment practicing his final assault on all that belongs to God. As the Devil's friend, the Beast from the Bog, Daniel 7 and Revelation 13, he seeks to violate the will of God. Yet, in the end, he is "doomed to destruction", for in the day of judgment, "the day of the Lord", he will be destroyed with a word from the Lord - Jesus will overthrow him "with the breath of his mouth" and destroy him with "the splendor of his coming." The "lawless one" will be destroyed because he lives "in accordance with the work of Satan."

So, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that the lawless one is indeed active, as they well know, and because he is active the day of the Lord still lies in the future.

In passing, it should be noted that some commentators see the revealing of the man of lawlessness associated with the formation of the modern state of Israel and the rebuilding of the temple. Due to this association, many believers have turned a blind eye to Israel's annexation of Palestinian land, along with the subjugation of the Palestinian people, many of whom are Christians. Although a highly charged issue it needs to be stated firmly that Biblical support for such an interpretation is very thin.

The division of chapter two has prompted some debate. It seems clear that the first two verses identify Paul's concern, namely that the Thessalonians are being led astray on the issue of the day of the Lord. These opening verses establish the ground for Paul's argument, namely that the day of the Lord has not yet occurred and that the Thessalonian believers must therefore reject such a false premise. Paul then presents his central argument in v3-12, although Martin argues that the warnings in v11-12 are properly linked with the thanksgiving, v13-14, the exhortation, v15, and the prayer, v16-17.

Paul first introduces his subject, the issue of the "coming / presence of our Lord Jesus and our being gathered to him", v1, and then in v2 he outlines his central argument, namely that the day of the Lord still lies in the future, it has not "already come", v3-12.

de "-" - and. Here transitional, "now we beseech you, brethren, ....", AV.

uJper + gen. "concerning" - Here expressing reference/respect, "concerning / with reference to", // peri.

thV parousiaV (a) "the coming" - the coming, presence. "The coming of a hidden deity who makes his presence felt by a revelation of his power", BAGD. The article links "coming" (apokalypsiV "revelation", 1:7) with "being gathered" (ie. meeting with Jesus), indicating that they are closely related. The coming / presence / manifestation of Jesus is best viewed as a heavenward coming into the presence of the Ancient of Days for his enthronement. See "this will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed", 1:7. Paul is encouraging his readers not to misunderstand the teaching he gave them while he was with them concerning the "coming" of the Lord Jesus.

episunagwghV (h) "gathered" - gather together, assembling with. Interestingly, the writer to the Hebrews uses the same word to describe the gathering of believers for worship, Heb.10:25. Our gathering with Christ for worship reflects our gathering with him before the Ancient of Days.

erwtwmen (erwtaw) pres. "we ask [you]" - we ask, beg. The royal plural may be dropped if desired, "I ask you my friends", CEV, and obviously "ask" can be expressed with a bit more vigor, "I urge you strongly", TH.

Paul seems unsure where the wrong ideas have come from. False teachers may be the source. Like any preacher he would hope that he himself is not the source of the confusion (had they misunderstood Paul's words in 1Thess.5:5, 8?).

eiV to mh ... saleuqhnai (saleuw) aor. pas. inf. "not to become [easily] unsettled" - that you not be shaken. This construction, eiV + the articular infinitive, is used four times in this passage. It usually forms a final clause expressing the aim/purpose of the main verb," in order that", sometimes a consecutive clause, expressing the object/result of the action of the main verb, "so that / with the result that", and rarely forming a dependent statement, indirect speech or perception, expressing the content of the main verb, this when that verb is one of saying or thinking. This construction here is likely forming a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing what Paul urges/asks; "we beg you not to be (that you not be) rashly driven out of your sober judgment (apo tou nooV "from the mind"), or become unsettled (to ..... qroeisqai inf. "to be alarmed")", Cassirer. "Please do not be alarmed or shaken out of your wits", Bruce.

tacewV adv. "easily" - quickly. Best taken temporally, meaning that the Thessalonians had become unsettled in a very short time (quickly) since Paul's first letter, so Malherbe, rather than "with little reason", Alford, as NIV.

dia + gen. "by" - [neither] through, by means of. Instrumental.

pneumatoV (a atoV) "some prophecy" - spirit. "Spirit" = "prophetic spirit", 1Cor.2:10, 13. "By prophecy."

logou (oV) "word" - word. Some oral speech of some sort; "any statement", NJB, "report".

wJV "[letter] supposed to have come [from us]" - [epistle] as if, though [by means of us]. Possibly meaning "by an epistle/letter as though it were written by us (ie. Paul)", but grammatically the phrase can modify all three nouns, "spirit", "word" and "letter". It seems more than likely that there are those in the Thessalonian church who claim that they know the mind of Paul on this matter and are vigorously communicating it.

wJV oJti "saying that" - as if that. Here equivalent to oJti, "that", and so forming a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing the content of the "spirit", "word", or "letter", cf. MHT III, p137. "Alleging that ....", Barclay.

hJ hJmera tou kuriou "the day of the Lord" - This phrase is usually identified with a climactic moment of divine judgment, a divine coming in judgment. There have been many such days / comings, many such judgments, but all look toward the eschatological judgment associated with the Son of Man's coming into the presence of the Ancient of Days, that great day of the Lord.

enesthken (enisthmi) perf. "has already come" - has come. Rather than actually "come", the phrase may be translated "is close at hand", "is near", or "is as good as here", so Lightfoot. Yet, the perfect is expressing a past event with ongoing consequences, so "has arrived", not "is imminent". The Thessalonians are being falsely told that "the Lord has already come."

In establishing his proof that the day of the Lord has not yet arrived, v3-12, Paul initially sets out to show "that the necessary events preceding the appearance of Jesus have not yet occurred", Wanamaker, v3-4. Before that great day there will occur "the rebellion" and "the revealing / exposing of the man of lawlessness." This has not yet happened. It seems likely that the Thessalonians have, at least, a basic understanding about "the rebellion" and "the man of lawlessness." For this reason Paul leaves us somewhat short on information. Probably both allude to "the abomination that causes desolation", Matt.24:15, Mk.13:14 = The culmination of the Antichrist's conflict with God involving the breakdown in civil order along with the desecration of God's sanctuary / people.

mh ... exapathsh/ (exapataw) aor. subj. "don't let [anyone] deceive [you]" - let not be deceived. Subjunctive of prohibition. "Do not be duped by error."

oJti "for" - that. Here usually taken to express cause/reason, as NIV, "because".

ean mh + subj. "that day will not [come]" - unless, if not [comes]. It is usually accepted that we have an ellipsis (missing words) at this point. We have the protasis of a negated conditional sentence, 3rd. class, made up of two subjunctive verbal clauses, but we are missing the apodosis. Given that the apodosis is assumed, it obviously draws on the central idea that Paul is dealing with at this point, so "[because / for] if, as may be the case, the apostasy / rebellion does not come first and the man of lawlessness stands revealed, then [the day of the Lord will not come]." So, "don't be deceived because the day of the Lord will not arrive unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is exposed."

prwton "until" - first. Best taken with "the rebellion" and "the man of destruction", as NIV. Both together must come first before the realization of the day of the Lord.

hJ apostasia "the rebellion" - apostasy, rebellion. The word "rebellion" means "falling away", often in the sense of a falling away from / rebellion against God = apostasy. Both Lightfoot and Denney see this as referring to the church, cf. Matt.24:10-12. Others see it referring to the Jews, although this is unlikely. Others see it in general terms as a revolt against God, rather than a falling away of the church, although this would be part of the picture, cf. Neil. Certainly, the "falling away" would include the apostasy of the Christian church, cf. Matt.24:11-13, Acts 21:21, 1Tim.4:1, Heb.3:12, all of which draw on the Jewish eschatological expectation that before the end times there will be overt apostasy against God, eg. 4 Ezra 5:1-13. On the other hand a "general abandonment of the basis of civil order", Bruce, may be Paul's intended sense - "evils and terrors of cosmic proportions", Furnish. If this is the case than the Jewish rebellion against Rome in 70AD serves as a paradigm of "the rebellion". Josephus actually uses this word for the Jewish revolt against Rome. At any rate, "since the reference here is to a world-wide rebellion against divine authority at the end of the age, the ideas of political revolt and religious apostasy are combined", Bruce.

o anqrwpoV thV anomiaV "the man of lawlessness" - The genitive "of lawlessness" is adjectival, limiting "man", he is a man without the law, a corrupt man, a rebellious man, an immoral man. He is the lawless one. For his identity as the Antichrist, see notes above.

apokalufqh/ (apokaluptw) aor. pas. subj. "is revealed" - may be revealed. During the rebellion ("this great satanic event", Fee) there will be a public manifestation of the man of lawlessness, although even now he "is already at work", v6, taking on many a guise. At the rebellion he will be seen for who he is, the veil lifted, the mystery no more. The revealing of the lawless one is often explained in terms of his bursting out in the full horror of his person, but the passive is quite possibly theological, such that his revealing is actually a divine uncovering, a taking out of hiding. In the last day God will expose him for who he is.

oJ uiJoV thV apwleiaV "the man doomed to destruction" - the son of destruction. The phrase "the son of" is a Semitism indicating that which is characteristic of a person. What is characteristic of "the lawless one" is annihilation; he is doomed to destruction. The transitive sense, "causes destruction" is unlikely.

Paul's list of descriptives for the lawless one draws on Jewish apocalyptic traditions, and particularly the prophecy of Daniel, cf. 11:36. The lawless one aggregates to himself divine status, opposing and exalting himself over every so-called God and object of worship.

oJ antikeimenoV (antikeimai) pres. mid. part. "he will oppose" - the one opposing (mid. = setting himself against). The participle serves as a substantive. Paul is describing the lawless one as anti-God, // to anti-Christ in John's letters, = the Antichrist.

uJperairomenoV (uJperairw) pres. mid. part. "will exalt" - exalting (mid. = exalting himself). The participle serves as a substantive. He will "arrogantly exalt himself above the sacred objects of the various religions to demonstrate his own superiority", Wanamaker.

epi + acc. "over" - over. "Who in his pride exalts himself against every divinity acknowledged by men", Barclay.

legomenon (legw) pres. pas. part. "[everything] that is called" - being called. The participle is adjectival, limiting "everything", as NIV. Daniel has "every deity", but Paul reworks this to "every so-called deity", Fee.

wJste + inf. "so that" - so as [to sit]. This construction usually forms a consecutive clause expressing result, "with the result that ....." By setting himself up in the Temple he is claiming divine status.

apodeiknunta (apodeiknumi) pres. part. "proclaiming" - showing, exhibiting, demonstrating. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of his sitting in the temple; he sits proclaiming.

oJti "[to be God]" - that [he is God]. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing what he proclaims.

qeoV "God" - There is no article so most often rendered "God", although "a god" is possible, given that the lawless one is not necessarily a monotheist. Better, "proclaiming himself to be divine."

Continuing his proof that the day of the Lord has not yet come, Paul develops the second point of his argument, v5-8. The present activity of the lawless one, evidenced by the persecutions presently experienced by the Thessalonians, shows that the day of the Lord has not yet occurred, v5-7a, because when that day comes he will be "taken out of the way", "exposed and destroyed, "overthrown by the breath of his (Christ's) mouth", v7b-8. Only in that day will the suffering caused by the lawless one be no more.

ou mnhmoneuete (mnhmoneuw) pres. "don't you remember" - remember you not. This negation indicates that a positive answer to the question is expected, so expressed positively, "surely you remember", JB.

oJti "that" - Forming a dependent statement of perception expressing what they should have remembered, namely that Paul told them these things.

w]n (eimi) pres. part. "when I was" - being. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, as NIV. "While I was still with you in Thessalonica", TH.

proV "with [you]" - to, toward [you]. Here probably expressing association, "with, in the company with", as NIV.

uJmin dat. "[I used to tell] you [these things]" - [I was telling these things] to you. Dative of indirect object.

kai nun .... oidate (oida) perf. "you know" - and now .... you know. "You know what I told you then, about the lawless one, about the one who exercises rule and authority in the here and now (the restrainer)."

to katecon (katecw) pres. part. "what is holding him back" - the restrainer = the one holding sway, prevailing, ruling. The participle functions as a substantive. It is often argued that for the present, the antichrist is being held back, restrained, and that when the restraint is lifted he will burst out in pure horror. So, he is presently active, but with limitations. What or who is "that which restrains", or even "he that restrains"? There are numerous possibilities. The Jewish state, the Roman state, the moral order, even good angelic powers. Yet, it seems better to translate this term as "occupy a position", "be the top man", so Frame, Wanamaker, Best. The meaning then would be that the man of lawlessness presently exists and rules, and only in the last day will he be exposed ("revealed") and annihilated. The fact that he is presently active proves that the day of the Lord still lies in the future.

eiV to apokalufqhnai (apokaluptw) aor. pas. inf. "so that [he] may be revealed" - that [he] is to be revealed. For this construction, the preposition eiV with the articular infinitive, see v2. Here it forms a dependent statement of perception, expressing what they know. The Thessalonians know, and this because Paul has already explained this truth to them, that the lawless one will be exposed at his [proper] time, ie. a time of God's choosing in the future sometime.

en tw/ eJautou kairw/ "at the proper time" - in his time. "It is characteristic of apocalyptic schemes that persons and events have their proper times and seasons in God's plan", Malherbe. Even the lawless one has his time to face exposure and judgment, which for the lawless one still lies in the future.

As Furnish notes, the fact that lawlessness is still operative (the Thessalonians are presently experiencing persecution) serves "to show that the day of the Lord cannot possibly have arrived, because the lawless one remains at work."

gar "for" - for. Expressing cause/reason. The divine time of judgment for the lawless one lies in the future and this is obviously so "because" the mystery of lawlessness / immorality / evil is at work even now; "the mystery of iniquity doth already work", AV.

to ... musthrion "the secret power" - the mystery. The word "mystery" is used of a hidden secret that will be revealed, rather than of something mysterious. The word is used of gospel truth, a hidden divine truth now revealed in Christ. What we have here is "a satanic counterpart", Bruce, "those evil forces exposed by and opposed to the power of the gospel", Martin, as NIV.

thV anomiaV (a) gen. "of lawlessness" - of lawlessness, corruption, immorality, rebellion. The genitive is adjectival, attributive, describing the "mystery".

hdh "[is] already [at work]" - [is working] now, already. "At work even now", Barclay.

monon "but" - only. Here serving as a qualification, probably giving a concessive sense rather than adversative; "the secret power of lawlessness is presently at work, although only until ......"

oJ katecwn (katecw) pres. part. "the one who [now] holds it back" - the one holding sway, prevailing, ruling. See above.

"will continue to do so" - This clause is not in the Gk. The Gk. reads "only until the one who is now prevailing is out of the way". The "will continue to do so" is prompted by the assumption that there is an ellipsis, ie. energeitai "is at work" is missing. This is prompted by translating oJ katecwn as "the one restraining" = "the one restraining is still at work", but an ellipsis is not evident when translated "the one prevailing / ruling". "The secret power of lawlessness is presently at work, although only until the one who is now prevailing/ruling (ie. the lawless one) is removed from the scene."

arti + subj. "till" - until. forming an indefinite temporal clause.

ek mesou genhtai "he is taken out of the way" - he becomes out of the midst. This is a rather strange expression, but Bruce argues from nonbiblical Gk. that it simply means "he is removed."

tote "then" - Forming a temporal clause; "then the lawless one will be exposed", exposed for who he is, Satan's agent, condemned and annihilated.

IhsouV "[the Lord] Jesus" - Variants exist without "Jesus", see Metzger. Given that Paul draws on Isaiah 11:4, it is possible that copyists dropped "Jesus" so as to emphasize the LXX quote.

anelei (aneirew) fut. "will overthrow" - will consume, destroy, do away with, kill. The lawless one may be active now, but will not prevail in the end. As noted above, the language of the clause "will overthrow with the breath of his mouth" draws on Isaiah 11:4, describing "the destruction wrought upon the Lawless One by the Lord Jesus", Malherbe.

tw/ pneumati (a atoV) "with the breath [of his mouth]" - with/by the spirit, breath [of the mouth of him]. The dative is probably instrumental. Most often used of "spirit", but here, following the LXX, "breath" is intended.

katarghsei (katargew) fut. "destroy" - make of no effect, render inactive = nullify, abolish, annihilate. In a parallel clause Paul restates the destruction of the lawless one by Christ.

th/ epifaneia/ (a) "by the splendor" - by/in the appearing, manifestation / splendor. "Appearing" = "a visible demonstration of the presence of a formerly unseen deity", Martin, along with a "demonstration of his power", Green. Christ's "appearing / glorious epiphany" obviously parallels his "eschatological coming", ie. his coming to / appearing before the Ancient of days for his enthronement and the exercise of his rule / judgment. It seems likely that the combination of "manifestation" and "coming", both of which refer to the same event, is here "a redundancy that lends emphasis to the phrase", Martin. Together, both words serve "to emphasize not just the fact of his coming, but especially its unmistakable and evidential character", Fee. So, "when the Lord Jesus comes, he will .......... destroy him with his dazzling presence", TEV.

thV parousiaV (a) "of [his] coming" - of the presence, coming [of him]. "The Lord parousia will be a compelling manifestation of divine power", Furnish.

Continuing his proof that the day of the Lord has not yet come, Paul sets out the third point of his argument, v9-12. By describing the present state of affairs ("the mystery of lawlessness" = the wondrous deception perpetrated by the lawless one under the direction of Satan, promoting a general rejection of the gospel) Paul strengthens his case that the lawless one is still active and thus the day of the Lord still lies in the future.

ou| pro. "-" - whose. Obviously referring to the lawless one. The NIV makes this clear by adding "the lawless one".

hJ parousia (a) "the coming" - [whose] coming [is]. The coming of Jesus and his glorious epiphany prompts Paul to mention the coming of the lawless one. He too comes with power and glory, ie. he also reigns, although it is earthly, not heavenly. The controlling verb to-be, estin, takes the present tense, not future as often translated, eg. "the wicked one will come", TEV. The present tense expresses durative / ongoing action such that the "coming / presence" of the lawless one is a present ongoing reality, with signs and wonders calculated to deceive. NT eschatology does promote a climactic parousia of the antichrist, a time of great tribulation, a final emerging of Daniel's beast from the bog to destroy and devour, but it does seem likely that Paul is pointing to the lawless coming /presence of the lawless one in the here and now. Part of our confusion lies with the English word "coming" in that we understand it to mean a future visitation, but there have been many comings of the Lord, many times when he has made his presence felt through a revelation of his power, and this is true also of Satan's right-hand man. The Thessalonians were, at this very moment, experiencing a "coming / presence" of the lawless one in their persecutions.

kat (kata) "[will be] in accordance with" - [is] according to. It seems likely that the first prepositional clause, "according to working of Satan", goes with "whose coming is", rather than the second "with/in all power and signs ....."

energeian (a) "the work [of Satan]" - working, action, activity [of Satan]. The genitive "of Satan" is adjectival, probably possessive, "Satan's working", or possibly attributive, "satanic activity." The coming of the lawless one is "accomplished in obedience to Satan's way of operation", Cassirer.

en "in [all]" - in, by, with. Accompaniment is probably the intended sense, "with"; "he will come equipped with", Barclay. This prepositional clause, and the one following, v10a, forms a doublet: "with every kind of (en pash/, "with all") power, both signs and wonders of falsehood, and with every kind of deception of wickedness", Fee.

yeudouV (oV) "counterfeit" - lie. The NIV applies this genitive adjectival qualifier to all three nouns, so eg. Green, Bruce, Martin, but it probably serves only to limit the last noun, "wonders / marvels", so Fee, "wonders of falsehood", "lying wonders", AV. Either way, the "lie" is not a "counterfeit", the miracles, signs and wonders are real enough, the problem lies with their source, namely Satan. The exact form of the miracles, signs and wonders is unclear, but they probably represent all the corrupting wonders of life, wonders which divert our attention from the Creator to the creation, wonders natural and man-made. "Delusive marvels - for so Satan works", Weymouth.

adikiaV (a) gen. "of evil [that deceives]" - [deception] of unrighteousness, evil, wickedness, corruption. The phrase "deceit of wickedness", as Wanamaker notes, is rather awkward. The genitive is probably adjectival, limiting "deception"; "with every kind of evil deception". Satan's purpose, in the "coming / presence" of the lawless one, is to deceive, confound, mesmerize with "corrupt deception", those who are caught up in this dying world ("those who are perishing"). Satan, through the lawless one, employs an "evil slight of hand that plays to the gallery of those who hate the truth that could save them", Peterson.

toiV apollumenoiV (apollumi) dat. pres. mid. part. "those who are perishing" - to those experiencing ruin. The participle functions as a substantive, formed as a dative of interest. Obviously "eternal ruin / destruction", although the sense is too general to argue for either "eternal annihilation", or "eternal punishment." "Those involved in this dying world", Phillips.

anq w|n "they perish because" - for. A causal sense seems likely for this phrase, although more classical than NT Gk. The phrase is usually translated "wherefore" in Luke / Acts. An underlying sense of substitution, exchange, "instead of which", is still sometimes present, even correspondence, "in return for their unwillingness to exercise the love of the truth." Their deceived state of loss in a dying world is because they "have not accepted a love of the truth" = they are "the ones having not believed the truth", v12, that which results in salvation.

thV alhqeiaV (a) gen. "[they refused to love] the truth" - [they did not accept the love] of the truth. We have here another awkward phrase. The genitive is usually treated as verbal, objective, "the love that has as its object the Christian gospel", Wanamaker, with "truth" here being understood as a synonym of "the gospel." None-the-less, the genitive may simply be adjectival, limiting "love". What they did not accept was a truth type of love, the true love, the divine love expressed for broken humanity in the life, death and resurrection of Christ / the gospel, the consequence of which is salvation to those who accept/believe, cf. Bruce.

eiV to swqhnai (swzw) aor. pas. inf. "and so be saved" - that [them] to be saved. For this construction, eiV + the articular infinitive, see v2. It does seem likely that the construction here forms a consecutive clause, as NIV. The consequence of that true love, divine love, is salvation. The deception undertaken by the lawless one, at the behest of Satan, achieves its intended end of locking many people into this dying world, and this because they do not receive the divine love in Christ which could have saved them. Yet, given the first two uses of this construction in the passage, it is possible that it forms a dependent statement of perception, expressing what they "did not accept"; they did not accept that [which] could save them, namely the gospel / "true love" / the divine love expressed for broken humanity in Christ. Either way, the point is clear enough.

"As a result of having rejected the truth of the gospel, God begins to execute his judgment on the unbelievers", Green, v11-12. Judgment, in the form of "a powerful delusion", has a long tradition in the scriptures. For example, God put a lying spirit in the mouths of the false prophets because of the evil of Israel, 1Kings.22:23, cf. Ezek.14:9. Paul makes a similar point when he addresses the Corinthians concerning speaking in tongues, 1Cor.14:21-23. An unclear word from the Lord is a sign of judgement rather than blessing. When God blesses he gives a clear word. Jesus uses the kingdom parables in a similar judgmental way, Matt.13:10-17. So, by refusing "to love the truth" = the love of God in Christ = the gospel, v10, the unbeliever receives the punishment for their unbelief, namely "delusion" and ultimate condemnation.

dia touto "because of this" - This preposition + acc. forms a causal clause. Because they reject the gospel God sends upon them a powerful delusion.

pempei (pempw) pres. "[God] sends" - Marshall thinks the variant future tense should be read, making the delusion a divine act of judgment in the last day, but the stronger reading takes a present tense. Just as the powerful falsehood promoted by the lawless one is a present experience, so is the judgment of delusion.

energeian planhV "a powerful delusion" - a deluding influence. God's judgment on those who reject a clear word from him is often enacted by withdrawing that word and replacing it with riddles - a powerful delusion for those who refuse to believe.

eiV to pisteusai (pistew) "so that [they] will believe" - for [them] to believe. For this construction, the preposition eiV with the articular infinitive, see v2. Given that the main verb, "sends", is not a verb of saying or thinking, it is likely that the construction here expresses either purpose, "in order that", or result / intended result, "with the result that / so that"; "they refuse to accept the truth and so they find themselves delivered over to the lie", Bruce. None-the-less, content is not far from Paul's mind, even though the syntax is not strictly expressing content. Because of their rejection of the gospel, God sends them a powerful delusion, a lie which they believe, the result of which (iJna + subj., v12) is their condemnation.

tw/ yeudei (oV) dat. "the lie" - Dative of direct object after the verb "to believe" = "believe in the lie". The presence of the article probably indicates the particular lie of the antichrist, "the ultimate falsehood generated by the Evil One", Fee. This falsehood, the claim to divinity by the lawless one, a falsehood authenticated by signs and wonders, is blindly accepted by those who have rejected Christ, and this because of God's judgment upon them in the form of a "powerful delusion".

iJna + subj. "and so that [all]" - that [all]. Forming either a purpose clause, "in order that", or a more likely a consecutive clause, "so that / with the result that", as NIV. The verse is likely connected with "the lie which they believed", and as a result has led to their condemnation.

kriqwsin (krinw) aor. pas. subj. "will be condemned" - may be condemned. "That they all might be damned", AV, the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed, Rom.2:5.

oiJ mh pisteusanteV (pisteuw) aor. part. "who have not believed" - the ones not having believed. The participle is adjectival, limiting "all". Those who are condemned are all those who do not believe, damned by delusion and ultimately damnation.

th/ alhqeia/ (a) dat. "the truth" - Dative direct object after the verb "believe". "The truth" = "the gospel."

alla "but" - but. Strong adversative.

eudokhsanteV (eudokew) aor. part. "have delighted in" - enjoy, take pleasure in. The participle is again adjectival, limiting "all"; "all who enjoy unrighteousness"; "who deliberately chose sin", Barclay.

th/ adikia/ (a) "wickedness" - unrighteousness. Dative direct object after the verb "enjoy". "Who have made evil their play-fellow", Phillips.

2 Thessalonians Introduction

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