2 Thessalonians 2:10-The Unregenerate Will Exchange the Truth of the Gospel for the Antichrist’s Lies
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday September 9, 2021
Second Thessalonians: 2 Thessalonians 2:10-The Unregenerate Will Exchange the Truth of the Gospel for the Antichrist’s Lies
Lesson # 36
2 Thessalonians 2:6 So now each and every one of you possess an accurate comprehensive knowledge of that which is preventing this in order that he himself has been revealed during his own distinct period of time. 7 For the mystery which is characterized by a distinguishable lawlessness for its own benefit is already at work only until the one who now prevents it from being revealed causes Himself to depart from the midst of the world. 8 Consequently, then the one who is characterized by a distinguishable lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord will execute as a criminal with the breath from His mouth. Specifically, whom He will cause to come to an end by the unique manifestation produced by His arrival. 9 The one whose appearance will as a certainty be in accordance with activity produced by Satan with the manifestation of all types of supernatural power, specifically with all types of miracles, yes with all types of wonders, which are a lie. 10 Specifically, with every type of deception, which produces unrighteousness to the detriment of those who choose for themselves to perish. In exchange for which things, they choose for themselves to refuse to love the truth so as to be saved. (My translation)
2 Thessalonians 2:10 continues a section which began in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 and ends in 2 Thessalonians 2:17, which addresses the relationship between the church as well as the rapture and the eschatological day of the Lord, i.e., the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:10 contains two prepositional phrases with the second connected to a declarative statement which is then followed by an infinitive of result clause.
This verse continues Paul’s thought from 2 Thessalonians 2:9 since it begins with the prepositional phrase en pasē apatē adikias (ἐν πάσῃ ἀπάτῃ ἀδικίας), “with every kind of evil deception,” which explains what Paul means by his use of the genitive neuter singular form of the noun pseudos (ψεῦδος), “which produce a lie,” which ends 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
In this prepositional phrase, the noun apatē (ἀπάτη) means “deception” since the word pertains to causing someone to have misleading or erroneous views concerning the truth.
The word refers to acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives another person or persons.
However, the noun pseudos is describing these miracles and wonders mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 as deviating from or perverting the truth.
So, notice that apatē (ἀπάτη) pertains to “causing” someone to have misleading or erroneous views concerning the truth.
It is also modified by the noun adikia (ἀδικία), which pertains to an act of unrighteousness directed against another human being and thus speaks of something that is morally evil, thus it can be translated “wickedness” or “evil.”
So therefore, this prepositional phrase en pasē apatē adikias (ἐν πάσῃ ἀπάτῃ ἀδικίας), “with every kind of evil deception,” is explaining what Paul means by his use of the noun pseudos (ψεῦδος), “which produce a lie” in that the former is defining what he means by the latter.
Thus, when Paul describes these miracles and wonders in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 as producing a lie, he means that they are unrighteous acts which cause people to turn away from the truth in the gospel.
Thus, these acts turn them away from worshipping Jesus Christ and instead cause them to worship the Antichrist and ultimately the devil who is the power behind the former.
The noun apatē (ἀπάτη) is modified by the noun adikia (ἀδικία), which pertains to an act of unrighteous directed against another human being and thus speaks of something that is morally evil, thus it can be translated “wickedness” or “evil.”
Unrighteousness is not fulfilling your obligation to God to love Him with your entire being and strength and not fulfilling your obligation to your fellow human being to love them as you would yourself.
The noun adikia functions as a genitive of product which would indicate that this deception in the form of miracles and wonders performed by the Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel, which produce a lie, also “produce” unrighteousness since they do not fulfill one’s obligation to love God with one’s entire being and strength and neighbor as you would yourself.
They are unrighteous because they deceive members of the human race to worship the Antichrist and thus Satan rather than Jesus Christ, which is course not treating your fellow human being as you would yourself and it is not loving God with your entire being and strength.
The noun apatē is the object of the preposition en, which is a marker of means indicating the means by which the Antichrist’s arrival or appearance on the pages of world history as a public figure possesses the characteristic of conforming with activity produced by Satan.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates that the Antichrist’s arrival or appearance on the pages of world history as a public figure will certainly possess the characteristic of conforming to activity produced by Satan “with every type of deception, which produces unrighteousness.”
The verb apollumai speaks of causing someone to experience eternal condemnation in the eternal lake of fire since it pertains to an unregenerate person not possessing an eternal relationship with the Trinity as a result of not exercising faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and thus not experiencing fellowship with them.
Therefore, it speaks of a person being ruined spiritually in the sense that they do not fulfill the purpose for which God created them in His image and sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to the cross suffer His wrath in their place, which is namely, to experience an eternal relationship and fellowship with Him and to serve Him.
The middle voice of this verb functions as a direct middle, which emphasizes the volitional responsibility who are deceived by the miracles and wonders performed by the Antichrist since it indicates that they “cause themselves” or “choose for themselves” to exist in the sense of perishing because they refuse to trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
In other words, they emphatically do not want to be saved from God’s wrath.
They want to live their lives on their own terms.
In other words, they want to live like their father, the devil, namely independently of God.
Therefore, the unregenerate suffers God’s wrath in the lake of fire forever because that is what they have chosen for themselves.
Ironically, that is not what God wanted for them since He desires all people to be saved (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4; 1 John 2:2; 1 Tim. 4:10; 2 Pet. 3:9).
The prepositional phrase anthʼ hōn (ἀνθʼ ὧν), “in exchange for which things” indicates that those who are perishing, i.e., the unregenerate refuse to love the truth communicated in the gospel so as to be saved “in exchange for” the various types of deception, which the Antichrist will perform during the seventieth week of Daniel, which will be in the form of miracles and wonders which produce a lie.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:10, the articular form of the noun alētheia means “the truth” and its referent is the gospel about Jesus Christ.
Now, here in 2 Thessalonians 2:10, the noun agapē, “love” pertains to obedience to the gospel about Jesus Christ, which manifests itself in honoring and taking pleasure in the gospel and holding it in high esteem because this obedience delivered them from eternal condemnation in the eternal lake of fire.
They also honor and take pleasure in the gospel and hold in high esteem because it provided for them the forgiveness of sins and an eternal relationship and fellowship with the Trinity.
The verb dechomai and the emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ) are expressing the idea of the unregenerate living during the seventieth week of Daniel as “refusing” to love the truth, which is communicated in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The English word “refuse” conveys the meaning of these two words since they express the idea of expressing oneself as unwilling to accept something.
The unregenerate living during the seventieth week of Daniel will express themselves as unwilling to accept the truth about Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father, which is communicated in the gospel.
The middle voice of this verb is a direct middle, which emphasizes the volitional responsibility of the unregenerate living during the seventieth week of Daniel since it indicates that they “cause themselves” or “choose for themselves” to not receive or accept by faith the love for the truth, which is the gospel about Jesus Christ.
When Paul uses the word agapē here in 2 Thessalonians 2:10, he is using it in the same way that the apostle John did in 1 John.
If you recall, John asserted throughout this epistle that the Christian community he was writing to in the Roman province of Asia was obligated to love one another (cf. 1 John 3:11, 17-18).
He also teaches that failure to do so constitutes hating one’s fellow believer (cf. 1 John 2:9; 3:15; 4:20) or in other words, he is teaching that the absence of love is hate.
If you are not practicing the command to love one another when interacting with your fellow Christian, then you are in effect hating them.
Therefore, in the same way, the apostle Paul is teaching in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 that if you do not love the truth, i.e. the gospel and thus love Jesus Christ who is the subject of the gospel, then you are in effect hating the gospel and as a result Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:10 ends with the prepositional phrase eis to sōthēnai autous (εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι αὐτούς), “so as to be saved” which presents the result of loving the truth about Jesus Christ communicated in the gospel.
The love of the truth results in being saved.
The verb sozo, “to be saved” is used of the act of the Father delivering a sinner from personal sins, the sin nature, Satan, his cosmic system, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation.
He delivers the sinner through faith in His Son Jesus Christ whose voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross as well as His resurrection delivered the human race from these things.