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| 1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, |
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| 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. |
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| 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; |
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| 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. |
He as God sitteth in the temple of God – The Church (nominal, which for most of the Gospel Age contained also the True church.)
Shewing himself that he is God – Consider the following from the book "Letters in the Roman Catholic Controversy" by William Craig Brownlee (1834) – page 44
And hence the titles of the pope, on the pages of these writers, who advocate this doctrine. He is “Deus alter in terra,” “another god on earth;” “the lord our god the pope.” “Idem est dominium Dei ac Papa;” “The dominion of God and the pope are the same!” “The infallible one.” And pope Clement VII. and his cardinals, in their letter to king Charles VI., say, “as there is only one God in heaven, so there cannot, and there ought not, to be but one God on earth!” — meaning himself. See Troisard, tom. 3. p. 147. Mussus, bishop of Bitonto, called the pope, “him who is to us as our God;” and the bishop of Grenada styled him, “a god on earth, not subject to a council.” And in Bellarmine’s noted saying, we have this doctrine, (lib. iv. de Rom. pont. c. 5:) “But if the pope should err by enjoining vice, and forbidding virtues, the church, teneretur credere, &c., would be bound to believe vices to be good, and virtues to be wicked, unles she would be willing to sin against conscience!” Pope Leo X., in his Brief of Nov. 9th, 1512, declared that “as vicar of Christ on earth, he had power to forgive, by virtue of the keys, the guilt and punishment of actual sins, &c.” See Dupin. vol. iv. p. 17.
These sentiments seem so monstrous, that many of my good natured readers, I dare say, actually think that we exaggerate. Hence I shall give a few more quotations from their approved writers in order to exonerate myself. “Estiment papam,” &c. They esteem the pope to be God alone; unicum Deum esse, “who has all power in heaven and in earth.” Gerson and Carron, p. 34; Giannon, Hist. Nap. X. 12. St. Bernard, Oper. 1725, says, — “Prater Deum, &c. — None is like unto the pope in heaven or earth, except God!” Pope Innocent III. avowed “that the pope holds the place of the true God.” — Papa locum Dei tenet in terris. Papa vicem non puri hominis, sed veri Dei gerens in terra.” See Pithou 29; Gilbert vol. ii. p. 9. “Papa et Christus, &c.—The pope and Christ make one consistory: so that, sin excepted, the pope can almost do all things which God can do.” See Jacobatius, De Concilio, Venet, Edit. 1728, Edgar Var. p. 161. |
| 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? |
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| 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. |
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| 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. |
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| 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: |
Brightness – Ephiphania, bright-shining.
Coming – Parousia, presence.
Adjusting this for English sentence structure, this verse might better be rendered:
"And then shall be revealed the wicked one, whom the Lord will abolish by the spirit of his mouth and render him usless by the brightness of his presence."
Perhaps the most interesting difference between the KJV and the actual Greek is in the word "destroy" (G2673.) Some of the ways it is translated (in the KJV) include: "without effect;" "make void;" "made of none effect;" "bring to naught;" etc. These all carry the thought that this man of sin is to have his influence become useless, of no effect, etc. In other words he remains on the scene but his influence becomes less and less until, eventually, he is completely without influence. |
| 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, |
Coming – Parousia, presence. |
| 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. |
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| 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: |
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| 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. |
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| 13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: |
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| 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
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| 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. |
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| 16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, |
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| 17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. |
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