Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor

by word, nor by letter as

2 εις το μη ταχέως σαλευθηναι ύμας απο του νοος, μητε προεισθαι, μητε δια

from us, as that the day of πνεύματος, μητε δια λογού,

1

Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive

you by any means : for that day shall not come, except

μητε δι' επιςολης ὡς δι' ἡμων, ὡς ὅτι ενεςηκεν ἡ ἡμερα του Χριςου.

3 Μητις ύμας εξαπατη ση κατα μηδενα τρόπον· ὅτι

events which happened before Jerusalem was destroyed. But their interpretation is overturned by ver. 2. in which the apostle reprobates the opinion imputed to him, that he thought the day of Christ was at hand. For if the day of Christ was the day of the destruction of Jerúsalem, it was at hand, and happened while many, to whom this letter was written, were alive. Farther, when it is considered that, in his former letter, the apostle had written of Christ's descending from heaven, with the voice of an archangel, to raise the dead, and of the righteous being caught up in the air to join the Lord, and accompany him in his return to heaven; and that in this epistle he has spoken of Christ's being revealed from heaven in flaming fire, for the purpose of inflicting punishment, not only on them who obey not the gospel of Christ, but on them who know not God, that is, on idolaters; and that in neither epistle is there one word which can clearly be interpreted of Christ's coming to destroy Jerusalem; and especially, that this letter was written to correct the mistaken notion into which the Thessalonians had fallen, concerning the coming of Christ to judgment, described in the former letter: I say, considering all these circumstances, we can have no doubt that the coming of Christ, spoken of in this verse, is his coming, not to destroy Jerusalem, but to judge the world, and to carry the righteous, gathered round him in the air after the judgment, into heaven.

3 And our gathering together around him. Of this the apostle had written in his former epistle, iv. 17. We shall be caught up in clouds to join the Lord in the air; and so we shall be forever with the Lord. See note 3. on that

verse.

Ver. 2.-1. Soon shaken from your purpose. Zaneunval, is to be shaken, as ships are by the waves while lying at anchor. Joined with azo voos, it signifies to be shaken or moved from one's purpose or resolution. Chandler interprets it, shaken from the true meaning of my former letter.

2. Nor troubled. Oporodai, is to be agitated with the surprise and trouble which is occasioned by any unexpected rumour, or bad news, Matth. xxiv. 6.-Though the Thessalonians are said, 1 Epist. i. 10. to have waited for the Son of God from heaven, and no doubt considered it as a most joyful event, yet the frailty of many of them was such, that the thought of his immediate appearing had unhinged their mind, and led them to neglect their

2 That ye be not soon shaken1 (awo T8 voos) from rour purpose, nor troubled,2 neither by spirit, 3 nor by word, nor by letter, as (dia, 121.) from us, 4 (s, 322. 2.) intimating that the day of Christ is at hand.5

3 Let no inan deceive you by any method; FOR

THAT DAY SHALL NOT

2 That ye be not soon shaken from your purpose of following the business of the present life, nor put into confusion, neither by any revelation of the Spirit, which these deceivers may feign, nor by any verbal message, nor by letter, which they bring to you, as from us, importing, that the day of Christ's coming to raise the dead, and destroy the world, is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any of the methods I have mentioned; for that day shall not come, unless there

worldly affairs; whereby much confusion was occasioned, which the apostle endeavoured to remedy by this letter.

3. Neither by Spirit. As many of the disciples, in the first age, were endowed with the gift of inspiration on particular occasions, the false teachers began very early to give out, that their erroneous doctrines had been dic. tated to them by the Spirit of God; hoping, by that deceit, the more effectually to recommend their delusions. Of these false pretenders mention is made, 1 John iv. 1. 6. But to prevent the faithful from being misled by such crafty impostors, some of the brethren in every church were endowed with the gift of discerning spirits, whereby they were enabled to judge with certainty, concerning the nature of the inspiration, by which any teacher spake, 1 Cor. xiv. 29. It would appear, however, that the false teachers in the church of the Thessalonians, had not been thus judged; perhaps because they pretended that what had been revealed to them, was agreeable to the apostle's first letter, and to the message and letter from him which they had feigned. Or the Thessalonians had not paid sufficient attention to the judgment, which the discerners of spirits had passed upon these impostors ; on which account the apostle gave them this caution.

4. Nor by word, nor by letter, as from us. It seems some of the false teachers pretended to bring a message from the apostle to the Thessalo mians, importing that the day of Christ was at hand. Nay, they had forged a letter, as from him, to the same purpose. The practice of feigning messages from the apostles, in order to gain credit among the brethren in distant parts, began very early, Acts xv. 24. As did the practice likewise of feigning revelations of the Spirit, 2 Pet. ii. 1. 1 John iv. 1. Also that letters were forged in Paul's name, appears from 2 Thess. iii. 17.

5. Intimating that the day of Christ is at hand. Knatchbull thought this clause should be joined with the beginning of the next verse, in the following manner as that the day of Christ is at hand, let no man deceive you by

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

any method; it will not come, unless the apostasy first come. See note 1.

on ver. 3.

Ver. 3.-1. Unless there come the apostasy first. 'H añosaσa. The article here is emphatical, denoting both, that this was to be a great apostasy, the apostasy by way of eminence; and that the Thessalonians had been already apprized of its coming. See ver. 5. Chandler observes, that arsala signifies the rebellion of subjects against the supreme power of the country where they live; or the revolt of soldiers against their general; or the hostile separation of one part of the nation from another. But in scripture it commonly signifies a departure, either in whole or in part, from a religious faith and obedience formerly professed, Acts xxi. 21. Heb. iii. 12. Here it denotes the defection of the disciples of Christ from the true faith and worship of God, enjoined in the gospel. Accordingly, the apostle, foretelling this very defection, says, 1 Tim. iv. 1. Tives a@ocnσovrai, some shall apostatize from the faith. See note 3. on that verse; and mentions the principal errors which were to constitute that apostasy; namely, the doctrine of dæmons, the doctrine concerning the power and agency of angels and saints departed, in human affairs as mediators, and concerning the worship that is due to them on that account; the prohibition to marry; the command to abstain from certain kinds of meat; with a variety of superstitious bodily exercises, enjoined as the greatest perfection of piety. From this it appears, that the apostasy here foretold was not to consist in a total renunciation of the Christian faith; but in a great corruption of it, by erroneous doctrines, idolatrous worship, and other wicked practices, like the apostasy introduced into the Jewish church by Jeroboam, who obliged the ten tribes to worship the true God by images; and like that introduced by Ahab and Manasseh, who with the worship of the true God joined that of the heathen deities. See a confutation of Whitby's notion of the apostasy, ver. 4. note 3.

2. And there be revealed. What this means will be shewed, ver. 6. note 2. 3. That man of sin, that son of perdition. The article, joined to these appellations, is emphatical, as in the former clause, importing that the ancient prophets had spoken of these persons, though under different names; particularly the prophet Daniel, whose descriptions of the little born and blasphemous king, agree so exactly in meaning with Paul's descriptions of the man of sin, and son of perdition, and lawless one, that there can be little doubt of their being the same persons. But this will best appear by a com. parison of the passages.

2 Thess. ii. 3. And there be revealed, that man of sin, that son of perdition,

Dan. vii. 21. And the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

COME, unless there come the apostasy 1 first, and there be revealed that man of sin,3 that son of perdition.4 (See Rev. xvii. 8. 11.)

2 Thess. ii. 4. Who opposeth, and exalteth himself above every one who is called a God, or an object of worship, so that he in the temple of God as a god sitteth, openly shewing himself that he is a god.

2 Thess. ii. 7. Only till be who now restraineth be taken out of the way.

2 Thess. ii. 8. Then shall be revealed that lawless one.

1 Tim. iv. 1. Giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines concerning demons.

Ver. 3. Forbidding to marry.

2 Thess. ii. 8. Whom the Lord will consume by the breath of his mouth, and render inef. fectual by the brightness of his coming.

come the apostasy first; that great defection from the true faith and worship, of which I formerly spake to you, (see ver. 5.); and there be revealed in the church, that man of sin, that wicked tyranny, which, because it will destroy the saints, and is itself devoted to destruction, I call that son of perdition;

Ver. 25. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High.

Dan. xi. 36. And the King shall do according to his will, and he shall exalt and magnify himself above every God, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods.

Dan. viii. 25. He shall also stand up against the Prince of princes.

Dan. vii. 8. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the

roots.

Dan. vii. 25. And he shall think to change times, and laws: and they shall be given into his hand. See Dan. viii. 24.

Dan. xi. 38. In his state, he shall bonour the God of forces: (Mahuzzin), gods who are protectors, that is, tutelary angels and

saints.

Dan. xi. 37. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of wo

men.

Dan. vii. 11. I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake, I beheld, even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

Ver. 26. And they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it to the end.

Dan. viii. 25. He shall be broken without hand.

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, shewing himself that he is God.

4 ὁ αντικείμενος και υπε ραιρόμενος επι παντα λεγομε νον Θεον ή η σέβασμα, ὡςε αυτόν εις τον ναον του Θεον ὡς θεον καθισαι, αποδεικνυντα ἑαυτον ότι εςι θεος.

Now, as in the prophecies of Daniel, empires governed by a succession of kings are denoted by a single emblem; such as, by a part of an image, a single beast, a horn, &c. of a beast, so in Paul's prophecy, the man of sin, and son of perdition, and the lawless one, may denote an impious tyranny, exercised by a succession of men, who cause great misery and ruin to others, and who at length shall be destroyed themselves. It is true, the Papists contend that one person only is meant by these appellations; because they are in the singular number, and have the Greek article' prefixed to them. But in scripture we find other words in the singular number, with the article, used to denote a multitude of persons: for example, Rom. i. 17. ; Sınai☞, the just one by faith shall live; that is, all just persons whatever.— Tit. i. 7. xox☞, the bishop must be blameless; that is, all bishops must be so.—2 John, ver. 7. i πxav☞, the deceiver, signifies many deceivers; as is plain from the preceding clause, where many deceivers are said to have gone out. In like manner, the false teachers, who deceived Christ's servants to commit fornication and idolatry, are called, that woman Jezebel, Rev. ii. 20. and the whore of Babylon, Rev. xvii. 5.—And in this prophecy, ver. 7. the Roman emperors, and magistrates under them, are called, i xaTEXOV, be who restraineth. Farther, a succession of persons arising one after another, are denoted by appellations in the singular number, with the article. For example, the succession of the Jewish high priests is thus denoted, in the laws concerning them, Lev. xxi. 10.—15, Numb. xxxv. 25. 28. as also the succession of the Jewish kings, Deut. xvii. 14. 1 Sam. viii. 11. From these examples, therefore, it is plain that the names, Man of sin, Son of perdition, Lawless one, although in the singular number, and with the article prefixed, may, according to the scripture idiom, denote a multitude; and even a succession of persons, arising one after another.

4. That son of perdition. This appellation being given to Judas, John xvii. 12. Dr. Newton thinks the application of it to the man of sin, signifies, that, like Judas, the man of sin was to be a false apostle, and would betray Christ, and be utterly destroyed.

Ver. 4-1. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above every one who is called a god. Some think this an allusion to Ezekiel's description of the power and pride of the king of Tyre (xxviii. 2.) Thou hast said, I am God, and sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the sea. But, as the coming of the man of sin is said, ver. 10. to be with all power, and signs, and miracles of falsehood, and by all the deceit of unrighteousness, among them who perish, because

« PreviousContinue »