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2 Sol.2:1. We pray to you, brothers, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and for our gathering to Him. 2 Sol.2:2. do not rush to waver in mind and be confused either by the spirit, or by the word, or by the message, as if sent by us, as if the day of Christ is already coming. “We pray, brethren, about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our meeting about Him, that you will not soon strive out of your mind, nor be horrified in spirit, nor in word, nor in a message (sent) from us, as if the day of Christ has already arrived.” The Apostle always uses the word “we pray” (έρωτώμευ) instead of “we beseech” (παρακαλούμεν). And this: about “our meeting about Him,” was expressed more clearly in the First Epistle; for he said: “We will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). The Lord said this in the Holy Gospel: “His angels will come... and His elect will be gathered from the four winds, from the end of the heavens to the end of them” (Matthew 24:31). Therefore, the divine Apostle commands not to believe those who claim that the time of death has come and the Lord will come immediately - not to believe them if they pretend to be soothsayers and prophets (the Apostle expressed this by saying: “low in spirit” or if they falsely show the message as if written by the Apostle, or say that without writing, he said it). Then the Apostle repeats the same thing briefly. 2 Sol.2:3. Let no one deceive you in any way: for that day will not come, until a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction. 2 Sol.2:4. He who opposes and exalts himself above everything that is called God or that is holy, so that he sits in the church of God as God, showing himself to be God. “Yes, no one will deceive you in any way.” The Apostle rejected all types of deception, but reveals to them, and through them to all of us, the greatest sign of the coming of the Lord. “As if the apostasy does not come first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, the enemy, and exalt himself more than any spoken god or worshipper, as if he should sit in the church of God like a god, showing himself that there is a God.” The Apostle called the Antichrist himself “apostasy,” giving him this name because of his deeds; because he will try to bring everyone to apostasy from the truth. He called him “a man of lawlessness” because by nature he is a man who has accepted into himself all the effectiveness of the devil, and “a son of perdition” because he himself will perish, and for others he will serve as a cause of destruction, for the destroyer of men imitates the incarnation of God and our Savior; and just as the Lord, having assumed human nature, accomplished our salvation, so he, having chosen a person capable of absorbing all his effectiveness, will attempt to deceive all people with him, calling himself Christ and God, exposing the falsity of the so-called gods, whom he himself supported in the past centuries. The Apostle calls the “Church” “of God” the church in which the Antichrist will seize the presidency for himself, attempting to pass himself off as God. This was also foretold by the divine Daniel, for he said: “And about... the gods of his fathers he does not understand... and he will glorify the god Maozim in his place” (Dan. 11, 37-38), that is, he calls himself the mighty God. Then the Apostle, letting them know that he was not offering them a new teaching, added: 2 Sol.2:5. Don’t you remember that while I was still with you, I told you this? “Do you not remember that he was still alive among you, saying these things to you?” He will tell you why the Antichrist will still be there and will not appear soon. 2 Sol.2:6. And now you know what prevents you from revealing yourself to him in due time. “And now the restraining knowledge will appear to him in his own time.” By “holding back” some meant the Roman kingdom, and others meant the grace of the Spirit, that is, the Antichrist will not come as long as the grace of the Spirit remains. But it is impossible to completely stop the grace of the Spirit, for those deprived of spiritual help can they overcome its tricks? And the Roman kingdom will not be succeeded by another kingdom, because by the fourth beast the divine Daniel meant the Roman kingdom, in which the little horn was created, creating “an army with the saints” (Dan. 7:21), and this is the same one about whom the divine Apostle spoke what was said before. And the divine Apostle, as I think, speaks not about the Roman kingdom and not about the grace of the Spirit; on the contrary, I recognize as true what others say. It is pleasing to God that the Antichrist should appear at the time of the end. Therefore, God’s decree does not allow him to appear now. But I believe that this saying also contains another meaning. since the divine Apostle knew what the Lord said, that the Gospel should be preached to all nations, “and then... the end” (Matt. 24:14), but he also saw that service to idols still predominated, then, following the Master’s teaching, he said that first the power of superstition would be crushed and the saving sermon would shine everywhere, and then the opponent of the truth would appear. 2 Sol.2:7. For the mystery of iniquity is already in action, only it will not be completed until the one who now restrains is taken out of the way. “The mystery of lawlessness is already happening.” Others argued that the Apostle called Nero “the mystery of iniquity” and a doer of evil. But I think that the Apostle meant by this the heresies that were taking place, because with them the devil leads many to deviate from the truth. He called them “the secret of lawlessness,” because the network of lawlessness is hidden in them, and the devil himself clearly leads people to apostasy. That is why the Apostle called his coming a “revelation.” For what he has always prepared in secret, he will then proclaim openly and clearly. “Keep it exactly the same now, until Wednesday.” But the seduction of superstition must cease and the Gospel must be preached. 2 Sol.2:8. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the spirit of His mouth and destroy with the revelation of His coming. “And then the wicked one will appear, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the Spirit of His mouth, and will bring to nothing by the manifestation of His coming.” The Apostle, as much as possible, showed the greatness of the Master's power. For, having come from heaven, he says, he will only say - and betray the destroyer to his final death. The prophet Isaiah also foretold this; for, having said: “a rod will come out of the root of Jesse,” and having described what kind of rod it is, he added: “and with the Spirit of the lips he will kill the wicked” (Is. 11: 1-4). The divine Apostle explains by whose action the Antichrist will accomplish all this in him. 2 Sol.2:9. Him whose coming, according to the work of Satan, will be with all power and signs and lying wonders, 2 Sol.2:10. And with all unrighteous deception of those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth for their salvation. 2 Sol.2:11. And for this reason God will send them delusion, so that they will believe lies. 2 Sol.2:12. May all those who did not believe the truth but love unrighteousness be condemned. “This is his coming according to the work of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all the deceit of unrighteousness among those who are perishing.” For he will not prevail over all, but those worthy of destruction, those who, without his coming, would have deprived themselves of salvation. The Apostle says this in subsequent words. He informs that the miracles will not be true; and such miracles are also performed by those who deceive with the dexterity of their hands, because they show for gold that it is not gold at all, and do something else, which is soon exposed. “For love of the truth they did not accept, in order to be saved. And for this reason, God will send them the power of flattery, so that they believe a lie, so that all those who did not believe the truth, but were pleased with untruth, will receive judgment.” The Apostle called the Lord “the love of truth” as the one who truly and sincerely loved us. The Master Himself said this to the Jews: “I came in the name of My Father, and you do not receive Me: ... another will come in his name, and him you receive” (John 5:43). Therefore, the Jews especially are left with no excuse for an apology, because, not wanting to believe the Lord, recognizing Him as ungodly, they will believe the Antichrist. Although the Lord did not openly call Himself God, but said that He was sent by the Father, received the commandment from Him and does what is pleasing to God and the Father, the Antichrist, on the contrary, will call himself the God of all; however, the Jews are waiting for him and will believe him when he comes. This: “God will follow the action of flattery upon them,” the Apostle said instead: he will allow flattery to appear, so that those who love wickedness will turn out to be. For God will not send this flattery, but will destroy it with the word of His mouth. 2 Sol.2:13. We must always thank God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, that God from the beginning, through the sanctification of the Spirit and faith in the truth, chose you to salvation. 2 Sol.2:14. To which I have called you by our gospel, to achieve the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. “We must always thank God for you, beloved brethren of the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation in the holiness of the Spirit and the true faith, having called you with our gospel to receive the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Therefore this will happen at the proper time; and we will glorify the Giver of good things, because He has made us worthy of salvation and given us the Holy Spirit, so that everyone glorifies Him for us. 2 Sol.2:15. Therefore, brethren, stand steadfast and adhere to the traditions which you have been taught either by our word or by our epistle. “Then, brothers, stand and keep the traditions that you have learned either by word or by our message.” Recognize as a rule of doctrine what we taught you, what we preached to you when we were with you, and what we wrote when we left you. Then the Apostle again confirms the teaching with prayer. 2 Sol.2:16. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our God and Father, who loved us and gave us eternal consolation and good hope in grace. 2 Sol.2:17. May he comfort your hearts and may he strengthen you in every good word and deed. “Let our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who loved us and gave us eternal consolation and good hope in grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every deed and word of brilliance.” May He who loved those who hated, who called those who were enemies, and gave the hope of future blessings, strengthen you in faith, so that you may shine both with good words and with deeds similar to the word. This also denounces the blasphemy of Ariev and Eunomius and makes it clear that the order of names does not mean a difference in merit. For here the Apostle named the Son before the Father, not teaching that the Son is greater than the Father, but by changing the order showing equality. You might be interested in: