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Commentary
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 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 Now Paul beseeches them for the sake of the doctrine of the second coming (v1) that the believers accept no teaching or pretended epistle (as from them, but a fake) that says that the Lord will return imminently.(v2) Paul tells them not to accept any teaching from any man teaching that thing - because it will not happen until there come a great falling away from the faith, and that the son of perdition is revealed (the man of sin). Now, sin had been done away with under the law of Moses for the believers. So where does this son of perdition or man of sin, come from? We can see how the true gospel of God is fulfilled by the transfer by teaching and correction of a principal element of an ultrafilter - but what does that entail for a falling away? Primarily it means that for a falling away people must not accept correction, even of the Holy Spirit. In fact deliberately grieving the Holy Spirit is blasphemy. - Refusing correction hands you over to a state of reprobacy, therefore the son of perdition would be the character that preaches or spreads the cause of this reprobacy with such deliberate blasphemy. The falling believers then would prefer a lie rather than the truth - because they have not received the love of the truth. So, by deliberately blaspheming the Holy Spirit, a man places Himself in the position of God showing himself to be as God with preaching a different gospel. (v4) That there come a vast falling away first, Paul has correctly interpreted the prophecy of Christ that "many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many" as well as the statement "When the son of man returns, will he find faith on the earth?" Deliberate lies to people who would rather not hear the truth is sin upon the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - the only commandment Jesus said the breaking of is unforgiveable was this blasphemy. Hence the presence of sin. When Paul was with them, he told them of these things. (v5) Paul reminds them that they know what it is that restrains this man of sin - the correct gospel preached by apostles within the fellowships that are filled with the Holy Spirit. (v6) Paul tells them that this mystery of iniquity already is at work, through false teaching - (as were the epistles mentioned as fake attempts to stir them up as above.) Only he who now restrains false gospels restrains the rise of the men of sin. That restrainer would be all those teaching the true gospel. So who is this restrainer? Well, there are several individuals that could be put in the place of this restrainer. Firstly, the apostles of Christ preaching the true gospel. The Holy spirit second, that witnesses the true gospel with signs and mighty works. Thirdly, the restraint put on the jews after the temple was destroyed. (The principal opponent of the early believers were the jews; that their centre was destroyed by Rome and their people scattered has restrained their opposition.) Now the nation of Israel has returned, so has much judaizing and false teaching in christianity as a whole. There is also the opportunity for the restrainer to be the Lord's ministering spirits (angels) that are possibly removed and then the gospel falls away. In each case there are several possibilities for the restrainer. We have seen how the mystery of God is ever increasing in perfection towards His people. It would make sense that the mystery of iniquity is a 'dynamic' work of satan. In any case, It is openly recognisable that certain doctrines are totally unbiblical. These false doctrines are taught and are big earners. (The rapture lie for instance.) This rapture doctrine fits the bill perfectly as the doctrine of the man of sin. (See the page "The Cure For The Mark Of The Beast" in the metaphysics area of the site.) Likewise also is the "purpose driven" cult that has exploded church growth. The falling away is of believers, being coupled to great growth and an influx of those "men of sin". If an individual necessarily has to be raptured or evacuated to avoid the mark of the beast, then by necessity that person is the very type that would receive the mark. The equivalence as of the present is to be not saved rather than having the mark, but that leaves you as not one of the elect and without the Holy Spirit. (Thus the restrainer is removed. And the believer falls away.) The Lord therefore destroys this doctrine with His truth of spoken mouth (as here) and will evidence it false with the real brightness of His coming. (v8) Likewise the purpose driven movement is also "marked" because the reward in Christ is given over to an empty reward of growth in tares by speaking in the same manner of the serpent tempting Eve. In order for the mystery of iniquity to come to the full, the believers must be convinced that it is the time of the end - the proposition warned of at the beginning of this chapter. In convincing modern day christianity of the imminent arrival of the end, the rapture doctrine has taken great effect - as "the cure" for the mark of the beast. Also, the arrival of a modern day state of Israel has quickened the effect of this due to the dispensationalist doctrine, that "God will convert the jews as promised." when He already arrived and performed it in the first coming of Christ. Dispensationalism is intricately woven in with the rapture lie. Thus when people consider the state of Israel as the indication of the fulfilment of Jesus' prophecy that "this generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled." they misinterpret the time of the coming of God's kingdom and translation of Israel as indication of the faulty rapture lie's imminent fulfilment. The removal of the restrainer is linked also in the state of Israel's return, but is further evidence of the mystery of iniquity coming to the full. It would be more accurate to link the restrainer to be upon the "synagogue of satan" alluded to by Jesus in the letters of revelation (as the source of leaven in doctrine) - (and not the nation of Israel, for it is the false doctrine in christianity that is at fault) mixing within the churches of today. The Israeli state is spiritually cold to Christ, and Christ's elect is hot - the synagogue of satan are those actively promoting the middle position that have picked up on the removal of spiritual restraint to spread the mystery of iniquity, and they are lying to the leavened lukewarm. The "man of sin" places himself in opposition to and above all that is called God and is worshipped; by teaching his blasphemy as the truth of the "one God" he warrants that it is immutable truth, (though only falsely) and for the sake of the satisfaction of that supposed immutable truth, he makes false teaching that is in opposition to God, as well as over God's true self by making mere teaching appear logically "necessary", instead of the reconciliatory gospel of the close person and sovereignty of the necessarily existent true God and His Christ in whom we live and move and have our being. This doctrine is after the working of satan and is going to be taught right up until the very end. (v9) It is the major delusion facing christians today. The doctrine is taught with only money in mind, it is the biggest earner in the church, and is totally of the world. (v10) The christians that are not saved - the believers in this rapture lie or the purpose driven movement are deluded, (v11) and have therefore not received the love of the truth, and the removal of the grace of God from them has left them to fall away. (v12) The removal of the Holy Spirit, the absence of true apostolic teaching, false signs of the end (the return of Israel claimed as heralding the end), with lying wonders (such as the rapture) are a clear indication of the falling away within the church of our day. Truly the blaspheming of the gospel's truth in the form of the son(s) of perdition also reveal a startling reality. God has handed over the christian church to faulty doctrine - He has sent them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. This strong delusion is the mark of the beast itself. The coherency of the persistence of the mark was examined in the "Redeeming The Time" section of the metaphysics area of the site - there can be no physical mark, since it would not be possible to refuse a mark forcibly put upon a believer. The mark must be spiritual, and we see in revelation that the mark is upon those who are decieved. The mark of the beast is simple. It is the indication that an individual has not received the love of the truth over "escape" or "growth". The mark is in the right hand or the forehead - and is forced by the false prophet of revelation; but it is the right hand of contract and fellowship and the false doctrine that is the mark; contracted in "membership" of false church structures as defining the identity of the believer, not the sabbath rest in the truth of Christ's people. In this way God has called His people away from such fellowship; they do not "buy or sell" their doctrine under government approved institutions and their corporate status. God's people get their savour from God directly - not from teachers and false prophets. We see again the parable of the ten virgins here. (There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.) The church buys and sells their doctrine with false spiritual gifts; not in the edification of the Holy Spirit when the truth is manifested, but in exchange for donations (but only by members) and employment (as of pastors). Those are the only matters over which God is in any agreement with their doctrine - after a fashion it shows promise, but is driven by money. However the removal of true apostolic faith and teaching has removed the restraint upon satan's attacks on what once was the simplicity of the gospel's rudimentary fellowship of divine charity, and the mustard herb has grown into a great tree, bloated by falsity. This has allowed true apostles to seek God elsewhere - not within the church, and it conversely opened the floodgates for men of sin to pervert God's purpose for His people. But Paul gives thanks to God always for those believers with the Holy Spirit, because from the very beginning of the ministry of the gospel God has chosen these believers whom would stand fast in the truth, to be sanctified in the holiness of Christ's body. (v13) In whom God called them to attain the glory of Jesus Christ with Him at His coming (v14) Then believers make Paul thankful, for their gospel received is true and they are not ready to fall away, and have made the cut for the election of grace; though certainty of salvation for the individual is still unknowable except as for the Father, but sure in Christ with our hope.(v15) Therefore Paul comforts them with the knowledge that by the ministration of the same Holy Spirit (that manifests their received eternal life) through grace, (v16) God keeps them within the gospel in every good teaching and good work. (v17) |
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