The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Thessalonians — Section 29

irresistible might of Cbnet at hie coming- truth. Not only did they not reoeive the that the mere breath of his mouth ie suffi- truth when it wu offered them, but, what cient to oonsume the wicked (oomp. 181\. xi. was worse, they ,vere destitute even of a love 4. "He shall emite the earth with the rod of the truth. By the truth here is mennt of hie mouth, and with the breath of his not Christ himself, ss some expositors t.hink'. lipe shall he shty the ,dcked "). And shall but primarily the Christian trnth, and deatroy (or, annihilate) with the brightness secondarily the truth generally. There (or, appearance) of his ooming. The two was in them a want of susceptibiiity for tho words, epipha11.y nnd parousia, which are trut.h, and thus not only wel'0 they prevented elsewhere used separately to denote the embracing the gospel, but they were led coming of Christ, are here employed. There astray by numerous ermrs and delusions. is no ground for the assertion that the first That they might be saved. The result is the subjective and the second the objec- which naturally would arise from the recep- tive aspect of Christ's coming (Olshausen). tion of the truth. The brightness of Christ's comin~ is not Ver. 11.-For this cause; on account of I ,.,re expressed; but the meaning is that the their being destitute of a love of the truth. mere appeamnoe of Christ's presence will God shall send them ; or rather, God, eends an•1ihilate the wioked. them; the present being chosen because the Ver. 9.-The apostle resumes his descrip- apostasy had already commenced, the tion of the man of sin. Even him ; not in mystery of lawlessness was already working. the original, but necessary for the eense. Strong delusion; or, a working of error Whose ooming. The use of the same term, (R. V.). These words are not to be weakened, parou.sia, employed t.o denote the coming of as if they mennt merely that in righteous Christ exhibits the counterpart of th<' man judgment God permitte<l strong delusion to of sin. Is after the working-accor<ling to be sent them ; the words e.re not a mere the energy~f Satan. Satan is the agent as.trertion of judicial permission, but of actual who works in the man of sin ; he being the retribution. It is the ordinance of God that nr?D or instrument of Satan. With all the wicked by their wicked actions fall into power and Bigus and lying wonden. The greater wickedness, and that thns sin is adjective "lying" ought to be rendered as punished by sin; e.nd what is e.n ordina11ce e. substantive, and applied to all three: of God is appointed by God himself. That " With all powers and signa e.nd wonders of they should believe a lie ; or rather, the lie, falsehood;" whose origin, nature, e.nd pur- namely the falsehood which the man of sin ~ is falsehood. Here, elso, the counter- disseminates by his deceit of unrighteous- part to Christ is manifest; for the same terms ness. Being destitute of the love of the _ .. powers," "signs," and'' wonders," are em- truth, they are necessarily led to believe a ployed to denote his miracles (Acts ii 22; lie-their minds are open to all manner of Heh. ii 4). The miraclt:s of Christ were falsehood and delusion. miracles of truth ; the miracles of the man Ver. 12.-That; in order that. The state- of sin would be miracles of falsehood. There ment of purpose depending. not upon "that clots not seem to be any essential difierence they should believe a lie," but upon u God iietween powers, signs, and wonders ; but sends them a strong delnsion "-denoting a the words are employed as a mere rhetorical still more remote purpose of God. God, as <'numeration. It is not to be supposed that tho moral Huler of the universe, will pro- the man of sin will be enabled to perform nounce sentence of condemnation against real miracles ; they e.re the wonders of them, this sentence being the necessary ralsehood; bnt still by them bis followers result of their receivin;; not the love of the will be deceived (comp. Matt. niv. 24). truth. Its reception woudd h11ve been the Ver. 10.-And with all deceivableness of canse of their salvation ; its rejection results unrighteousness ; or rather, with all deceit in their condemnation. They all might be nf unrighteou.11e88 (R.V.); either with all damned; or rather, judged (R.V.). The rleceit leading to unrighteousness or with verb employc,d does not here, or else- all deceit which is unrighteousness. The where, exprellll the idea. of condemnation, man of sin works by deceit and falsehood ; though this is implied by the context. Who and by mee.ne of impo~ture and wonders and believed not the truth; namely, the Chris- high pretensions IH, will succeed in imposing tian truth ; their unbelief of it was the con- on the world. TLe energetic power of the sequence of their want of love of the truth, rne.11 of tiin iti, however, Ly uo weans irre1:1iti- e.nd was the cause of their being judged, tihle; only tliey who peri.il, will 1uocumb But had pleasure in unrighteonsneas. Their lo it. In them. In the IJ!•st me.n usc1i ptd <lelight in unrigl,teousness was wholly in- the preposition "in" is we.r,tiug; tl,erefore compatible with tl,eir belief in the trutl,; the words are to be translated for them or to their want of faith arose, not from any dcfoot them. That perillh (comp. 2 Cor. ii. 15); in their understanding, but from the perver- beoaue they received not the love of the sion of their more.I nature. oe, o.1-17.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THEBSALONIANB. 27