2 Thessalonians 2:1-7

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.  Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?  And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

 

Perhaps one of the most impressive things about this passage is that in the three weeks that Paul was in Thessalonica, he taught them about the rapture of the church, the coming Tribulation, and the Antichrist.  Eschatology, the study of future events, is normally considered to be an advanced area of theology only to be discussed by those mature in the faith.  Apparently, Paul is writing this section in response to questions that the church sent to him.  We don’t know what the questions were exactly, but we can deduce that it was something like this: Paul, why are you teaching that we are already in the day of the Lord?  If we are in the day of the Lord; did we all miss the rapture of the Church?  What are we misunderstanding?  Again, we don’t know what the questions were, but these seem somewhat logical based on the content of the passage.  Paul’s answer helps us understand some important truths about the day of the Lord.  It is interesting that this passage is used as a proof text by both those who believe that the rapture will be before the Tribulation and those who believe the rapture will be during or after the Tribulation.  I believe that a pre-Tribulation rapture of the Church fits best with my understanding of this passage.  However, I can see the merit in different views, so I don’t think it is wise to be dogmatic or divisive on these issues.

       

THE DAY OF THE LORD HAS NOT YET COME: The most important phrase to define to understand this text is: day of the Lord.  Many interpret it to be synonymous with the phrases “coming of our Lord” and “our being gathered together to him.”  In other words, they would argue that “day of the Lord” is referring to the rapture of the Church.  If this is the correct understanding of the phrase, then the passage seems to be teaching that the rapture will take place sometime after the beginning of the Tribulation and the reign of Antichrist.  However, I do not believe that this is the best way to define the phrase.  In the final chapter of First Thessalonians Paul used this same expression referring to a time of destruction, judgment, and wrath (1 Ts. 5:1-11).  I believe that the phrase is used in this passage as being synonymous with the Tribulation and reign of Antichrist.  It seems the church was confused thinking that Paul had been teaching that the Tribulation (day of the Lord) was already happening in their time.  Paul is assuring them that he is not teaching this.  It seems that they are concerned that somehow, they missed the rapture and were in the Tribulation which would contradict what Paul had taught them previously.  Even in 1 Ts. 5:9 Paul states the believers were not destined to wrath.  Certainly, that could be understood as referring to hell, but the context is speaking of a time of judgment and destruction on Earth.  No matter how the term is defined, Paul’s intent is to assure them that the “day of the Lord” has not yet come.

 

THE DAY OF THE LORD AWIATS ANTICHRIST: The key figure of the Tribulation is the Antichrist who will deceive the nations, persecute Israel, and demand the worship of all who remain on the Earth.  He is not called Antichrist in this passage but the terms “man of lawlessness” and “son of destruction” that opposes all gods or objects of worship and presents himself as God; can only be referring to Antichrist.  The Tribulation (day of the Lord) cannot start until this person has been identified.  The book of Daniel 9:24-27 predicts that there will be a seven-year reign of Antichrist that starts with the signing of a pact with the nation of Israel.  Paul’s argument in this text is that the day of the Lord could not have started because this terrible person who declares himself to be God and takes a place in the temple as if he were God has not yet appeared.

 

THE DAY OF THE LORD AWAITS REMOVAL OF RESTRAINTS: Even though there is much that is against Christ in every generation, and the spirit of Antichrist that promotes idolatry is a constant companion throughout history; “the” Antichrist has not yet arrived.  There is something or someone who is restraining his coming.  In other words, there is much evil in the world today and there always has been.  But, there is a restraint that quells the power of evil in the world and this prevents the full revelation of Antichrist and the coming of the Tribulation.  As evil as the world is and has been throughout history, there is still restraint.  At some point in history that restraint will be removed which will open the door for Antichrist to come.  It seems best to understand this restraint to be the work of the Holy Spirit.  He indwells the heart of every believer and is working in and through us to accomplish the mission of God to make disciples in all nations.  It seems logical that the rapture of the Church will remove His work through the Church since we will be with the Lord in heaven.  That does not mean the Holy Spirit will stop working on Earth during the Tribulation.  In fact, Revelation speaks of a time of great spiritual harvest in all nations during the Tribulation.  This removal of restraint could be something else, but this seems to be the most likely from my perspective.

 

APPLICATION: Don’t be deceived into thinking that the day of the Lord is already happening.  Prepare for the reality that persecution and suffering for believers on Earth will continue to increase.  Allow the Spirit to use us to restrain the advancement of evil and idolatry on the Earth.  Fulfill the mission of Christ in the power of the Spirit.  Take comfort in knowing that God is ultimately in control and that all believers will be saved from His wrath because of the work of Christ on the cross.