In my study of the Scriptures, I have come to the following
conclusions:
1. God's Word is Truth.
2. I see the Truth in a glass darkly.
The problem:
1. Interpretations are shaped by biases.
2. Biases are shaped by opinions.
3. Opinions are shaped by beliefs.
4. Beliefs and convictions are shaped by other's ....
5. REPEAT UNTIL OTHERS = 0.
That is my soapbox. Now I have found that I am safe if
I just stick with the Word. That doesn't mean that I don't read anything
else, but what that does mean is that I don't believe it unless I can see it in
scripture. If you have had a vision from the Lord and the Lord said thus
and such, I don't believe it unless I can find it in the Word, nor will I
preach someone else’s vision. In my younger years I used to believe
every "vision" someone had that although was not in the bible, I
couldn't find any contradiction in the bible. That was a wrong approach,
because it shaped my belief system.
So without further delay, I will break down the
scriptures. I will try and give the scriptures the most honest and
natural interpretation:
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you,
brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our
gathering together unto him,
Paul is talking about:
1. The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Our gathering together unto Him.
2Th 2:2 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.
3. The Day of Christ, (e. The Coming of the Lord, and
our gathering together unto Him) has the following conditions before it takes
place.
2Th 2:3 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;
3A. The falling away must come first. (ie.
the Apostasy) BEFORE the day of Christ
3B. The man of sin is revealed BEFORE the day of
Christ.
2Th 2:4 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.
3Ba. the man of sin will sit in the temple of God and
show himself that he is God.
Conclusions: There will be a temple for the man
of sin to sit in.
Assumptions: The temple is a building made by
people as opposed to the possibility that the temple is his own body. He shows
the “world” that he is God. Notice the text says that he
shows “himself”, which could possibly be interpreted as a man
proves to himself that he is God. He has no one to judge his actions but
himself. Perhaps it is because of the antichrist has a body of “unbelievers”
in the truth, that are ultimately just like himself. He is able to ride
on the wings of their abomination.
(These are assumptions that other scriptures can clarify,
but cannot be proven by this text alone.)
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that,
when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
4. Paul had been there and told them these things
before.
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what
withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
5. There is something that is restraining,
withholding, or preventing his revealing in his time.
6. The Thessalonians who were before soon shaken in
mind about the misguidings about the Day of the Lord now know
what is preventing the man of sin from being revealed. What did Paul say
must happen first?
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of
iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth
[will let], until he be taken out of the way.
7. The mystery of iniquity is already working, but the
revelation or exposure of iniquity has not occurred yet.
Here is the Greek for verse 7:
monon = only
o = the (masc.)
katechwn = hindering,
restraining, withholding, preventing
arti = now
ews = until
ek = out
mesou = midst, middle
genhtai = become, come to
pass
I am not a Greek scholar, so I won't try to hard to mold it
into a belief. I think that Paul may be rephrasing what he had said before for
clarity and somehow in the process of translation gets muddled.
There are whole doctrines hinging on this obscure at best
passage. It goes to show you how bias can make a passage render the way
you believe.
What we know:
1. There is a hindering or restraining or prevention
of an event, (ie. the revelation of the wicked)
2. it is happening now. (ie. restraining).
3. Until (it has a time limit.)
4. the "out of the middle" comes to pass.
Compare this to:
Deu 13:13 [Certain] men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn
the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye
have not known;
Eze 20:38 And I will purge out
from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I
will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not
enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.
1Jo 2:19 They went out from us,
but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have
continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that
they were not all of us.
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the
harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind
them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the
children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one];
Mat 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the
harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Mat 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in
the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that
offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in
the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Interesting huh?
Conclusions: Paul is probably referring to the
apostasy. In fact I believe Paul was saying that the apostasy is already
working, but is not yet exposed by the light.
2Th 2:8 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:
8. When that happens, that Wicked will be revealed and
exposed.
9. that Wicked will be consumed by the spirit of the
Lord's mouth.
10. The brightness of the Lord's coming will destroy
that Wicked.
Compare to:
1Cr 3:13 Every man's work shall
be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Cr 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light
the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the
hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
This is just a question: How can our work be tried
by fire if we are in Heaven seven years before the Lord comes? The
command to judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, seems out of place.
Think about it. If we are raptured and the rest of the world does not see
the Lord bring to light the hidden things of darkness until the Second coming,
how does this all fit together?
2Th 2:9 [Even him], whose coming
is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
11. The wicked comes from or after the working of
Satan.
2Th 2:10 And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
12. Everyone who would not love the truth would also
perish.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
13. They believe lies are truth, and the truth lies
because they did not love the truth.
2Th 2:12 That they all might be
damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
14. All are condemned who did not receive the truth.
----------------------------------------------------
I conclude that only visible evidence of what is
restraining, or keeping the lawless one from being revealed we have yet to see
the angels to gather together the tares. Then it will be obvious.
Compare to:
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in
the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather
ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them:
but gather the wheat into my barn.
In Christ,
Wade Balzer
wbalzer@newjerusalem.org