2 Thessalonians 2:3-6
2:3 a Two events will precede that day of the Lord (2:2 b).• Both Jewish and Christian theology predicted a great rebellion against God before the end (Matt 24:11-14 c; 1 Tim 4:1 d).
• The man of lawlessness is without or against law; his character is defined by sin.
• the one who brings destruction (or the one destined for destruction): The emphasis is on the lawless man’s own destruction (2 Thes 2:8 e) rather than on the destruction he brings.
2:4 f exalt himself: Like other Roman cities, Thessalonica constructed temples for the worship of the emperor. This cult was the prototype of the worship described here.
• He will even sit in the temple of God: The profaning of the Temple in Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC (see Dan 9:27 g; 11:31 h; 12:11 i) may have prefigured the event predicted here (Matt 24:15 j; Mark 13:14 k). Or it may refer to the attempt of the emperor Caligula, called “the new god manifest,” to erect his own image in the Temple in AD 40. Alternatively, the temple may be an imperial temple (of God could be of the god) erected in honor of the lawless man and not necessarily a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.
• claiming that he himself is God (Ezek 28:2-10 l): The ascription of divine titles to the emperor was common in the first century.
2:6 m what is holding him back: This has been variously identified as God, the Holy Spirit, the church, the gospel, Paul, the emperor, the Roman Empire, or the government. Alternatively, the term may refer to something or someone who comes before the man of lawlessness, an agent of the lawlessness active at that time (2:7-8 n); in Greek literature, this expression could describe demonic possession. This figure would prepare the way for the man of lawlessness when his time comes (2:3 o, 8 p).
Copyright information for
TNotes