2Th 2:4 | TNotes | STEP | 2:4 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 ; 11:31 ; 12:11 ) may have prefigured the event predicted here (Matt 24:15 ; Mark 13:14 ). 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 ): The ascription of divine titles to the emperor was common in the first century.

bDan 9:27►

eMatt 24:15►

fMark 13:14►

gEzek 28:2-10►

‏ 2 Thessalonians 2:4

2:4 ^a 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 ^b; 11:31 ^c; 12:11 ^d) may have prefigured the event predicted here (Matt 24:15 ^e; Mark 13:14 ^f). 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 ^g): The ascription of divine titles to the emperor was common in the first century.