The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Thessalonians — Section 32

Vers. 3-8.-The rise of the apostasy and the revelation of the man of ain must precede the second advent. This fact would assure them that a period of time of at least indefinite extent would intervene before the day of the Lord. "Let no man deceive you by any means." I. THE COMmG OF THE APOSTASY, "Because the day will not set in nnless there come the apostasy first." I. The apostasy is so described because it was already familiar to their minds through his oral teaching. "Remember ye not, that, when I was with you, I was telling you of these things?" 2. lt points to a signal defection from the Christian faith. We imagine that the primitive Churches were signally free from error or fault of any sort. 'l'he apostle himself notes the signs of beginning apostasy even in his own day. (1) "The mystery of lawlessness d!)th already work." (2) There were for himself "pcrib from false brethren." (3) There were in the Chw·ch itself "enemies of the cross of Christ." (4) Later still "many deceivers had entere, 1 into the world." (5) The apostle foresaw that the evil "would increase unto more ungodliness." (6) '!'bis apostasy was to prec,·de the revelation of the man of sin, not to be regarded as identical with it. Yet the two movements were not to be regarded as independent of each other, except in the order or time of their development. (7) The signs of the apostasy in Christendom are to be seen principally in the Papacy, but likewise in the kindred errors and corruptions of the Greek Church as well as in the delusions of Mohammedanism. The elements of the apostasy were, however, to be gathered up and concentrated at last in a single person 118 their final embodiment. II. 'l'nE REVELATION OF TIIE MAN Oll' BIN, •• And that man of ·sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above every one called God, or an object of worship." His characteristics are here distinctly dcscri lied. I. He does not represent a system of error, like Romanism, or the papal hierarcl,y, or a succession of popes, but a single person. The man of sin has not yet appeared. Yet Homanism, or the papacy, comprehends much that is invoh·ed in the idea of this terrible person, who, however, goes beyond it in the appalling extent of his wickedness. The passage is not symbolic, but literal. It is a liternl person who is described. 2. He is Othe son of perdition." (1) Not because he brings ruin to others, but (2) because he is himself doomed to ruin-going liternlly to "his own place," like Judas, who may he regarded as a type of him. 3. His boundless and blasphemous assunq,tions. (1) Hi■ opposition to evory God, true and false. (2) His self-elevation above every Uod, true and false. His action recalls the prophecy of Daniel : "The king shall do according to his will ; and he shall exalt himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods" (Dan. xi, 36). This prophecy refers to a polytheistic king. The apostle refen to Uie man of sin 118 repudiating all worship, u ii he represented a higher divinity ,IMm anything worshipped <a earlh. (a) 'fto 7  SO THE SECOND EPISTLE TO 'l'HE 'l'HESSALONIANS. [oH. u. 1-17.