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| 1 But we request you, brethren,–in behalf of the Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him, |
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| 2 That ye be not quickly tossed from your mind, nor be put in alarm–either by spirit, or by discourse, or by letter as by us, as that the day of the Lord, hath set in: |
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| 3 That no one may cheat, you, in any one respect. Because [that day will not set in]–except the revolt come first, and there he revealed the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, |
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| 4 The one who opposeth and exalteth himself on high against every one called God, or an object of worship; so that he, within the sanctuary of God, shall take his seat, showeth himself forth, 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, while I was yet with you, these very things, I was telling you? |
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| 6 And, what now restraineth, ye know, to the end he may be revealed in his own fitting time; |
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| 7 For, the secret, of lawlessness, already, is inwardly working itself,–only, until, he that restraineth at present, shall be gone, out of the midst: |
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| 8 And, then, shall be revealed the lawless one,–whom, the Lord [Jesus], will slay with the Spirit of his mouth, and paralyse with the forthshining of his Presence:– |
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 Whose, presence, [shall be] according to an inworking of Satan, with all manner of mighty work and signs and wonders of falsehood, |
Coming – Parousia, presence. |
| 10 And with all manner of deceit of unrighteousness, in them who are destroying themselves, because, the love of the truth, they did not welcome, that they might be saved;– |
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| 11 And, for this cause, God sendeth them an inworking of error, to the end they should believe in the falsehood,–
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| 12 In order that should be judged who would not believe in the truth, but were well-pleased with the unrighteousness. |
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| 13 But, we, are bound to give thanks unto God continually concerning you, brethren beloved by the Lord, for that God chose you, from the beginning, unto salvation, in sanctification of spirit and belief of truth,– |
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| 14 Unto which he called you, through means of our glad-message, unto an acquiring of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
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| 15 Hence, then, brethren, stand firm, and hold fast the instructions which ye were taught–whether through discourse, or through our letter. |
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| 16 But may, our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father,–Who hath loved you, and given you age-abiding consolation and good hope by favour, |
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| 17 Console your hearts, and confirm you in every good work and word! |
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