Summary:

“Deceived” means to mislead someone down the wrong path, Satan’s MO since the beginning (ITim.2:14). He deceived Eve when God told her one thing and Satan told her another (Gen.2:17; 3:4). He deceived the Thessalonians when God told them they wouldn’t go through the Day of the Lord, Daniel’s 70^th week, and Satan used false teachers to tell them another (IIThes.2:1,2).

After listing the means by which Satan had fooled them (2:2), Paul told them not to let him deceive them “by any means” (2:3). He revealed “a falling away” had to come before the Day of the Lord. Many good pastors say this is the Rapture, arguing the Greek word just means departure. But the Greek word is apostasia, from which we get apostasy, a departure from the truth. The only other place the Greek word is used bears this out (Acts 21:21). That’s the meaning here as well. “Falling away” in the Bible means to depart from the truth (Heb.6:4-6 cf. Jer. 37:13,14)

There is no need for Paul to introduce the Rapture at this point in his argument. He already begged them on the basis of the rapture not to let anyone deceive them, knowing it must come before the Day of the Lord. He’s already made that argument, now he is arguing that something else must come first, an apostasy. But there are two coming, one before the Rapture (ITim.4:1) and one after. Since this passage started by talking about the Rapture, this is speaking about an apostasy that will come after the Rapture

The Lord said at this apostasy “many” would be “deceived” (Mt.24:5), and when they do they will “fall away” (Lu.8: 13) at the “falling away”! This explains the warnings in the Tribulation epistles not to fall away (Heb.4:11; IIPe.3:17). Antichrist can’t be revealed until after the Rapture and this falling away. That means when you hear men say the president is the antichrist or the pope, this cannot be, for they are revealed before the Rapture.

When the man of sin confirms the covenant (Dan.9:26,27) with Israel, the only people made covenants with (Eph.2:12), it will reveal that he is the antichrist. The Abrahamic Covenant he’ll confirm will give them a much greater piece of land than apostate Israel has now, and a promise to protect Israel by cursing those that curse her (Gen.12:3).

Since Paul says he’ll be “revealed” then, some wonder if he’s already born, and maybe grown, and the stage is being set for the Tribulation. But there will be a gap of time after the Rapture, before the 70^th week, of up to a generation in length. Daniel was told there’d be 490 years till the kingdom (9:24), the first 483 till Messiah (2:25,26). Then he was told Messiah would be “cut off” from the living (Isa.53:8) “after” the 69^th week (Dan.9:26), before the 70^th week (9:27). He died in a gap in the 70 weeks prophecy.

This gap is also seen when Israel’s first four feasts, Pass-over, Unleavened Bread, First-fruits and Pentecost, came in the first two months of the year, but her last three feasts, Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles, came months later. The first four have been fulfilled in Christ the Holy Spirit, we’re living in the gap before the last three are fulfilled. This gap is not the mystery, that’s an unprophesied gap, this is a prophesied gap, but God put the unprophesied gap within the prophesied gap. God knew prophecy would be interrupted so put the gap in the 70 weeks prophecy.

But the Lord said His generation would see the Day of the Lord (Mt.24:34), a prophecy that was interrupted a year later (Lu.13:6-9). But that means after the rapture closes the unprophesied gap there is most of a generation left of prophesied gap before the 70^th week, plenty of time for Antichrist be born and all the stage setting needed.

“Man of sin” (IITh.2:3) is Antichrist in the first half of the 70^th week, but when he dies and rises (Rev.13:1-3) he becomes “the son of perdition.” He’ll be reanimated by Judas, the son of perdition (Jo.17:12) when he who was on the earth before that time, “was not” at that time, but who will rise out of the pit of hell (Rev.17:8). Hey, Elijah’s coming back (Mal.4:5), why not Judas? Psalm 55:12-14 describes Judas, 55:20:21 describes Antichrist, because he dies and rises in between (v.15).

Summary:

Someone forged a letter from Paul to convince the Thessalonians “the day of Christ” was at hand. That phrase is used of the Judgment Seat of Christ (Phil.2:14-16), but that can’t be what “troubled” the Thessalonians, for that’s a day of rejoicing (IICor.1:14). Since words and phrases have different meanings in different contexts, here it is the day of the Lord (Isa.13:6), the Tribulation, “the Lord’s day” (Rev.1: 10). It is called by both names, just as the Judgment Seat of Christ is called by both names (IICor.1:14; Phil.2:16).

“At hand” means something about to happen (Gen. 27:41), sometimes “immediately” (Mark 14:42,43). The Thessalonians were troubled because they thought the Tribulation was coming upon them immediately, so Paul begged them not to believe it! And when Paul begs us to do something, it is for our own good. He begs us to present our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1) because we won’t be happy till we do. Birds are created to fly and are not happy caged, and you are a new creature (IICor.5:17) that was created to do good works (Eph.2:10) and won’t be happy till you do. Paul also begged us to follow him (ICor. 4:16) because we won’t be happy following James 5:14,15 when our prayers don’t heal the sick. And he begs us not to think we’ll be here for the Tribulation or we’ll lose hope.

Even though the Tribulation was only found in Jewish Scriptures, the Thessalonians knew how bad it would be, for they hung around the synagogue even before they were saved (Acts 17:1-4). So they knew “perfectly” how bad it will be (IThes.5:1,2), knowing verses like Deuteronomy 28:65-67; Luke 21:26,etc. No wonder they were troubled!

Words and phrases have different meanings. The “coming” of the Lord (IIThes.2:1) can refer to the Rapture, as it does there, or to the Second Coming (Mt.24:27-29). Matthew 24 can’t be the rapture, for it speaks of the gathering of the “eagles” (v.28) for Armageddon (Rev.19:17-19). The “gathering” of Matthew 24:31 can’t be the “gathering” of our text for there the Lord sends angels to gather the elect in Israel, while “the Lord Himself” comes for us (ITh.4:16).

Paul didn’t always speak to them as “brethren” (2:1). He spoke as a father to a son (ITh.2:11,12) in regard to walking worthy of the Lord, for he’d led them to Christ and that’s what all spiritual fathers want for their sons. But when suffering persecution you want a brother like Paul who himself was suffering persecution but wasn’t moved by them (Acts 20:22-24). He wasn’t moved because God told him he’d suffer trouble (Acts 9:16). You listen when a brother like that tells you that you’ll suffer trouble too, and you follow his example not to be moved by it (IThes3:3,4).

And you listen when he tells you that you’re not heading for the “wrath” of the Tribulation (IThes.5:9). Notice that’s talking about obtaining the future “salvation” of the Rapture (Rom.13:11), salvation from the wrath of the Tribulation. You need to settle the truth of the pre-trib rapture now before things get bad in this country, just as you need to settle the truth that God loves you before you have any personal troubles. If you think God only loves you enough to keep you healthy if you are good (Deut.7:12-15), you’ll think He doesn’t love you if you get sick. And if you settle the doctrine of the pre-trib rapture in your mind before troubles start, you won’t doubt it later.

In those days there was a “spirit” (2:2) causing them to doubt the pre-trib rapture, so they had to “try” or test the spirits (IJo.4:1) of the prophets (ICor.14:32). False prophets had Satan’s spirit causing men to doubt. The spirits of prophets were to be tested to see if their words matched the Word (Deut.13:1-3).We are to test their words by the Word of God through Paul that the Rapture will come before the Tribulation (ITh.4:15—5:2). The “word” (2:1) of men who weren’t prophets was also causing them to doubt, such as the “word” that the rapture was past (IITim.2:17,18), a dispensational error (cf.2:15). You have to know where you stand in the program of God. Daniel knew where he stood from Jeremiah (Daniel 9:1,2), the Lord knew from Isaiah (Lu. 4:14-24), Peter knew from Joel (Acts 2:16), but you can only know where you stand in relation to the Tribulation from Paul. Since they also forged letters from Paul, the apostle signed every epistle with his own unique signature (IIThes.3:17).

Summary:

The destruction at the Second Coming of Christ will come “from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (v.9). It is called “everlasting” destruction because after the flames destroy the Lord’s enemies they will ignite the lake of fire (Deut.32:22). Hell is in the center of the earth (Mt.12:40), and the Lord went to the comfort side when He died, known as paradise (Lu.16:19-31 cf. 23:43). But after the Lord paid for the sins of the people in paradise it was moved to heaven (IICor.12:4) and the torment side of hell is the only place left in the heart of the earth. The flames of the Second Coming will make it an open pit as the fire rises to the bottoms of the mountains (Deut.32:22).

We know Deuteronomy 32:22 is about the Second Coming because the previous verse predicts how God would use the foolish nation of the little flock to provoke Israel to jealous-y (v.21 cf. Mt.23:43 cf. Lu.12:32; IPe.2:9,10). It worked (Mt.27:17,18), but God hoped it would provoke them to re-pent and believe, not crucify the Lord. But God knew they wouldn’t, so He predicted the fire of the Second Coming would come next (Deut.32:22). The lake of fire was “prepared” for “the king” (Isa.30:33), i.e., the devil (Mt.25:41).

When the Lord comes in flaming fire God will advise the unsaved to hide “for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty” (Isa.2:10,19,21). Doesn’t that sound like Paul’s description of the destruction that will come “from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power”? The lost will see Him come “with power and great glory” (Mt.24:30).

The unsaved will be “afraid” but also “surprised” (Isa.33: 14), especially unsaved Jewish “brethren” who’ll think the Lord is “glorified” in them during the Tribulation (Isa.66:5) But the Lord will “come to be glorified in His saints” (IIThes.1:10). When He judges the lost and spares the saved He’ll be glorified in His saints “in Israel” (Isa.44:23).

But Paul says He’ll also be “admired in all them that believe” in that day because his testimony “was believed” (IITh.1:10). This is where we come in! When God spares us the fire of the Second Coming with the pre-trib Rapture the Lord will be glorified in us too. Remember how Paul worked us into Israel’s promise of vengeance (Isa.49:25 cf. IITh.1:5,6)? Here he works us into God’s promise to be glorified in His saints in Israel.

Paul prays God will count us worthy of being spared this wrath (IITh.1:11). In his first letter he begged the Thessalonians to walk worthy of this calling (2:11,12), which is what grace is all about. The Colossians had the Lord, Paul exhorted them to walk worthy of Him (Col.1:9,10), the Thessalonians had the hope of the pre-trib rapture, Paul prayed they’d walk worthy of it. But in his second epistle he prayed God would count them worthy of it by rapturing them before the Tribulation.

But if the pre-trib rapture was a sure thing, why’d Paul pray for it? He was praying according to the revealed will of God, as he did in IThessalonians 5:23,24. Hezekiah did too (IIKi.20:1-5), reminding God of His promise in IKings 2:4 that he couldn’t die childless since he’d been good. God hadn’t forgotten the promise, He wanted to see if Hezekiah would remember it and pray for it. He delights when we pray according to His will, and that’s what Paul is doing in praying God will count them worthy of the pre-trib rapture.

This will “fulfill all the good pleasure of His will” (IIThes. 1:11). His “good pleasure” for Israel concerned Jerusalem (Ps. 51:18) in the kingdom (Lu.12:32). The Lord taught the Jews to pray for this (Mt.6:10). His good pleasure for us is the pre-trib rapture, and Paul prayed for it. He also prayed God would fulfill “the work of faith with power, i.e., the work of His faithfulness(cf.Col.2:12) in rapturing us with power.

When the Lord keeps His promise to rapture us before the Tribulation, He will be glorified in us (IITh.1:12). God is always glorified when he keeps His promises! He will be glorified in Israel when He keeps His promises to her, but He’ll also be glorified in us when He keeps His promises to us.

Summary:

When the Lord comes “in flaming fire” (v.8) He will take vengeance “on them that know not God” (v.9). Plenty of people know about God but don’t know Him. Eli’s sons didn’t know the Lord (ISam.2:12), even though the sons of a priest surely knew about Him. What’s that mean?

Well, the generation that came after Joshua surely knew about the Lord and what He’d done for Israel, so how can God say they didn’t know Him or His works (Judges 2:8-10)? They’d heard about the Red Sea crossing and the fall of Jericho’s walls but didn’t believe them, and so didn’t believe in the God who performed those great works. If the generation after the Holocaust can doubt it happened, the generation after the Red Sea crossing can doubt it too. “The priests…that handle the Law” surely knew about the Lord (Jer.2:8), but God says they “knew Me not.” The only conclusion we can make is that when the Lord comes to take vengeance “on them that know not God” it means on them who are not saved because they didn’t obey the gospel.

People that don’t know God tend to persecute those who do (Ps.79:6,7), and now that we’re part of His people, the Lord will one day avenge us too, as well as answer this prayer.

No matter what dispensation you are in, the gospel has to be obeyed. Under the kingdom program for the Jews the gospel was faith plus works, and even some priests were “obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7), the faith of Acts 2:38, the work being baptism. But that was the faith that had to be obeyed in the nation Israel. God then raised up Paul “for obedience to the faith among all nations” (Ro.1:5), with a message of faith without works that had to be obeyed “from the heart” (Ro.6:17). When told to bring a sacrifice Abel obeyed from his hands, and when told to go to the promised land Abram obeyed from his feet. But when the message is faith without works, “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness” (Ro.10:10) and are saved without works.

After the flaming fire of the Second Coming ends the lives of the unsaved the “everlasting destruction” begins (1:9). Since Paul never mentions “hell” some grace believers are Universalists, but he mentions eternal punishment here. If you reject the sacrifice of Christ for your sins you must become a “sacrifice” to pay for your sins (Mark 9:47-49). It starts when God sacrifices men at the Second Coming (Zeph.1:7,8) for His guests, the birds (Rev.19:17-19).

Besides Universalists who say all will be saved, some say the unsaved will be punished in Hell but just for a while and then released. But if “everlasting” doesn’t mean ever lasting then God is not everlasting (Gen.21:33; Rom.16:26), and neither is your everlasting life (Jo.5:24).

Annihilationists say men will be punished by being snuffed out of existence. But the Bible doesn’t say the effects of the destruction are everlasting, it says that the destruction is everlasting. The destruction is hell (Pr.27: 20).When an un-saved man dies at the Second Coming (or any time for that matter) he goes to Hell (Lu.16:22,23) until Hell is emptied into the Lake of Fire (Rev.20:14). We know they aren’t annihilated by this fire because a thousand years after the beast and false prophet are thrown in they “are” still there (Rev.19:20;20:7-10). Annihilationists say the beast doesn’t burn up because he is not a mere mortal, but God calls him a “man” (IIThes.2:3; Ezek.28:2), and if we say False Prophet is more than a man because he will work miracles, we have to say the apostles were also more than men

The lost must stay in hell eternally because they can never finish paying for a sin against an eternal God (Mt.5:22,26; 18:34,35), so their smoke must go up “forever”(Rev.14: 11) Annihilationists argue the smoke is the memorial of when they were snuffed out, but it says “the smoke of their torment ascendedeth up forever.” An annihilated man can’t be said to have “no rest,” that only makes sense if they have no rest from their torment. How can an annihilated man suffer everlasting contempt (Dan.12:2)? If all the lost cease to exist equally, how can there be degrees of punishment (Mt.11:24; Lu.12:47)? If suffering in captivity is worst than being snuffed out (Lam.4:6), why would God give the unsaved the lesser punishment for committing the greatest sin, sin against their Creator?

Summary:

“Eye for eye” (Ex.21:24) is criticized by the world as too harsh and merciless, and that God was unrighteous to implement that kind of law, but God says that tribulation for tribulation is “a righteous thing” (1:6).

“Recompense” means repay (Romans 12:19 cf. Heb.10: 30). Men complain about this brand of justice, but what could be more fair than recompensing tribulation to those that trouble God’s people (Rev.13:10)?

Paul wasn’t talking about just any tribulation, but the Great Tribulation. We know this because the Second Coming will follow the Tribulation, and that’s what Paul talks about next in this passage (1:7,8).

God knows that in the Tribulation, more than ever before, men will say God’s judgments aren’t fair, that they don’t deserve them, so the Book of Revelation, that describes the Tribulation, insists that they are (16:3-6; 19:2).

What does this say about the doctrine of eternal punishment? If God’s judgments have always been fair through-out history, do you think He’ll abandon that principle when it is time to punish the unsaved?

There is a dispensational aspect to Verse 6. It sounds a lot like Isaiah 49:25, which is spoken to the Jews, the seed of Abraham, fulfilling Genesis 12:3. So why is Paul saying things like that to us, i.e., that God will recompense tribulation to those that trouble the Body of Christ?

Paul says a lot of things like that. He applies Hosea 13:14, which is about Israel’s resurrection (13:9-14), to us (ICor. 15:51-55). That’s one of the ways he uses the Old Testament, he applies the principles. There is no sting in death for the believer no matter what dispensation you are in, and if you mess with God’s people you mess with Him, no matter what dispensation you are in. Although now that the dispensation of grace has fully set in He will delay recompensing tribulation to persecutors till after the Rapture.

Verse 7 is an exhortation as well as a prediction. We will be resting when the Lord comes in flaming fire (v.8), but we can rest in that prediction now. Paul was already resting in the midst of his tribulations (IICor.11:23-33 cf. 4:8), and he is telling the Thessalonians to rest with him (1:7).

How troubled will the persecutors be? The Lord will come “with His mighty angels” (1:7), one of which wiped out 185,000 men in one night (IIKi.19:35). The “angel of the Lord” is sometimes a theophany, but not here (IIChron. 32:21). Notice it doesn’t say He’ll come with “some” of His mighty angels, indicating He’ll come with all of them, “an innumerable company” (Heb.12:22).

And we don’t have to guess what their mission will be, they will gather out of God’s kingdom all that “offend” (Mt.13:41). Hey, that’s what the persecutors were doing to the Thessalonians, that’s what “offend” means (cf.Mt.18:6).

In addition to His mighty angels, the Lord will come “in flaming fire” (1:8), fire that is His, not the angels’ (Ps. 21:8,9; Mt.3:11). The flaming fire will come from the Lord’s mouth (Isa.30:33). If you can breathe warm air on your hands to warm them, imagine what He can do! If you can’t imagine, see Revelation 11:3-5. He’ll slay the wicked “with the breath of His lips” (Isa.11:4).

Of course, Revelation 19:11-15 says He’ll smite the nations with a sword that will come out of His mouth, not fire. A two-edged sword (Rev.1:16), the Word of God (Heb.4:12). But remember, God’s Word is “like a fire” (Jer.23:29).

Men won’t be able to say God didn’t warn them, for He made His Word a fire in the mouths of the prophets (Jer.5:14). If they didn’t receive Jeremiah’s words, they got burned up, and if men don’t receive the Word today they may have to face His fire (Mal.4:1).

When He comes He’ll be taking “vengeance” (1:8 cf. Deut.32:35,41) for the blood of His servants (Deut.32:43), as here in IIThessalonians 1:6. I’m sure He is in a hurry to avenge them, but so are they! (Rev.6:9,10).