2 Thessalonians 2:12-Those Who Do Not Believe the Truth But Delight in Unrighteousness Will Experience Eternal Condemnation

2 Thessalonians 2:11 Therefore, because of this, the one and only God will as a certainty to their detriment cause them to experience activity which produces deception so that they believe that which is characterized as the greatest lie 12 so that each and every one of them would be condemned as guilty. Namely, those who have not believed this truth but rather have delighted in that which is characterized by a distinguishable unrighteousness. (My translation)

2 Thessalonians 2:12 contains a hina result clause, which presents the result of the previous statements recorded in 2 Thessalonians 2:11, which we noted is composed of two infinitive result clauses.

This hina result clause is modified by two participial clauses with the second marking an emphatic contrast with the first and both of which are identifying the referent of the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “each and every one.”

The first participial clause identifies the referent as those who have not believed the truth about Jesus Christ which is communicated in the gospel and the second identifies the referent of this adjective as those who have delighted in that which is characterized by a distinguishable unrighteousness.

The articular construction of the pisteuō (πιστεύω), “who have believed” and the anarthrous construction of the eudokeō (εὐδοκέω), “have delighted in” indicates that both participles have the same referents.

Therefore, this hina result clause is asserting that each and every person who has not believed the truth about Jesus Christ as communicated in the gospel but rather have delighted in that which is characterized by a distinguishable unrighteousness will be condemned as guilty by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment (cf. Rev. 20:11-15).

Therefore, a comparison of 2 Thessalonians 2:12 and 11 would indicate that the result expressed by the hina clause in verse 12 is that those who refused to love the truth so as to be saved and instead believe the lie that the Antichrist is God in the flesh is eternal condemnation in the eternal lake of fire.

In other words, eternal condemnation in the eternal lake of fire is the direct result of rejecting the gospel and worshipping the Antichrist as God in the flesh.

Both participial clauses in 2 Thessalonians 2:12 are modifying the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), which means “each and every one” since the word not only denotes totality but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.

The referent of this verb is identified by the participial and adversative clauses, which follow it, namely hoi mē pisteusantes tē alētheia allʼ eudokēsantes tē adikia (οἱ μὴ πιστεύσαντες τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἀλλʼ εὐδοκήσαντες τῇ ἀδικίᾳ), “all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil.”

These same individuals are also described in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 since all three verses speak of people rejecting the gospel in exchange for the lie that the Antichrist is God in the flesh as a result of being deceived by him through the various miracles and wonders he will perform during the seventieth week of Daniel.

Therefore, the referent of this adjective is the unrepentant, unregenerate individuals living during the seventieth week of Daniel who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and instead will believe the Antichrist is God in the flesh because of the miracles and wonders he will perform during the seventieth week of Daniel.

The noun alētheia (ἀλήθεια) means “the truth” which was the case when the word appeared in 2 Thessalonians 2:10, its referent is the gospel about Jesus Christ.

This is indicated by the articular construction of this noun which is anaphoric which means that the word was used in the previous immediate preceding context, and specifically, in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 and is retaining the same meaning and referent here in 2 Thessalonians 2:12.

The noun alētheia is speaking of the gospel in relation to the unregenerate.

Therefore, as was the case in 2 Thessalonians 2:10, the noun alētheia here in 2 Thessalonians 2:12 refers to the truth communicated in the gospel about Jesus Christ.

The gospel proclaims that out of His love for sinners God provided for them deliverance from His wrath through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father and which deliverance is appropriated by faith in His Son.

Therefore, to summarize, the noun euangelion, “gospel” can refer to the good news to the unbeliever that Christ died and rose from the dead for them and that through faith in Him they could receive the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.

Secondly, it also refers to the communication of the good news to the Christian that they are identified with Christ in His death and resurrection and by appropriating this identification with Christ they can experience victory over sin and Satan.

Lastly, euangelion also refers to the good news that the church age believer will receive rewards from the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat for faithful service (cf. Col. 1:5, 23).

The verb pisteuō (πιστεύω) whose meaning is negated by the negative particle me (μή) are denying the idea of believing in the truth about Jesus Christ as communicated in the gospel to the extent of complete trust and reliance upon Him for eternal salvation.

In other words, they deny the idea of considering the Lord Jesus Christ as someone who is true and therefore worthy of one’s trust.

The second participial clause in 2 Thessalonians 2:12 presents an emphatic contrast with the previous one.

It asserts that these unrepentant, unregenerate individuals who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and instead worship the Antichrist as God in the flesh have delighted in the unrighteousness committed by the Antichrist.

Therefore, the emphatic contrast is between believing the truth about Jesus Christ as communicated in the gospel and delighting in the unrighteousness committed by the Antichrist.

The noun adikia (ἀδικία) retains the same meaning and referent as it had in 2 Thessalonians 2:10.

Therefore, the referent here in 2 Thessalonians 2:12 is also speaking of the deception in the form of miracles and wonders which will be performed by the Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel, which 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.

Now, the objective of these miracles and wonders is to deceive the human race into believing that the Antichrist is God in the flesh and as a result should be worshipped by them.

Therefore, the noun adikia speaks of the unrighteousness committed by the Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel in the form of various miracles and wonders so as to deceive people into believing that he is God in the flesh and should be the object of their worship.

The articular construction of this abstract noun adikia is distinguishing the unrighteousness the Antichrist will perform during the seventieth week of Daniel from the unrighteousness of the human race throughout human history since He will deify himself and demand people worship him above every god including the true and living God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, the hina result clause in 2 Thessalonians 2:12 is expressing the idea that these unrepentant, unregenerate individuals living during the seventieth week of Daniel, who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and instead believe the lie that the Antichrist is God in the flesh because of the miracles and wonders he will perform will be condemned to the eternal lake of fire by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment of all unrepentant, unregenerate human beings (cf. Rev. 20:11-15).

They will be condemned as guilty by the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of rejecting Him as Savior.

They are condemned to eternal condemnation because faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, is the only way for sinners to be reconciled to a holy God since Jesus Christ reconciled all of sinful humanity to a holy God by means of His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross.

In other words, He is the mediator between sinners and a holy God.

John 5:22 teaches that the Father has chosen His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to be the judge of all of humanity.

Therefore, God has delegated authority to His Son, Jesus Christ to conduct the Great White Throne Judgment of all unregenerate people throughout human history-past, present and future.

So therefore, we’ve come to the end of our study of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, which we noted many times in our study of these verses, attempts to correct and reassure the Thessalonians that the eschatological day of the Lord does not precede the rapture or resurrection of the church.

Paul teaches that the Spirit, who indwells each member of the church and prevents the appearance of Antichrist and thus the seventieth week of Daniel from beginning, must be removed from earth before the Antichrist can manifest himself.

Thus, the Spirit and the church must be removed before the seventieth week can take place since Daniel 9:27 teaches that the seventieth week begins with Antichrist establishing a treaty with the nation of Israel.