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<\/a><\/p>\nPaul\u2019s Eschatology in 2 Thessalonians<\/strong><\/p>\n Jesus seems to have derived much of his concept about the kingdom of God from the apocalyptic book of Daniel.[1]<\/a> He says in his very prophetic Olivet Discourse concerning the temple at Jerusalem, \u201cwhen you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken through Daniel the prophet . . . let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. . . . For then will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now\u2014and never to be equaled again\u201d (Mt 24.15-16, 21 NIV). Daniel further says of that time that the Antichrist, symbolized as a little horn, \u201cwas waging war against the saints and defeating them, . . . The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time,\u201d which means three and a half years (Dan 7.21, 25 NIV; cf. v. 8).[2]<\/a> And an angel tells Daniel that after that, \u201cthe shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end\u201d (Dan 12.7). That is why Jesus also said in his Olivet Discourse, \u201cthe one who endures to the end will be saved\u201d (Mt 24.13). For, such great tribulation will cause some to abandon their pseudo-faith.<\/p>\n Thus, after Paul\u2019s salutation in his second letter to the Thessalonians, he mentions their \u201csteadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring\u201d (2 Thes 1.4). Then he reminds them of the future, \u201cwhen the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God . . . These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, . . . when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed\u201d (vv. 7-10). Jesus seems to have been a pacifist at his first coming; but due to the great persecution and martyrdom that his people will suffer in the end times, he will be a delivering warrior at his second coming.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n In saying that Jesus will return with his \u201cmighty angels in flaming fire,\u201d Paul seems to indicate it will be a most dramatic affair that no believer, at least, will fail to witness with awe. Likewise, the author of the book of Revelation combines two texts, Dan 7.13 and Zech 12.10, in saying of Jesus\u2019 return, \u201cLook! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail\u201d (Rev 1.7).<\/p>\n So, Jesus\u2019 second coming will not be a gradual, spiritual process in which the church will Christianize the world as many Christians have believed in the past. For, when Jesus ascended to heaven before his disciples on the Mount of Olives, two angels appeared to them and declared, \u201cMen of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven\u201d (Ac 1.11).<\/p>\n Jesus himself predicted literally regarding his return, \u201cImmediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man [Jesus] will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory\u201d (Mt 24.29-30). So, Jesus\u2019 return will be an instantaneous, cataclysmic event involving all of creation.<\/p>\n Paul then reminds these Thessalonians of what he had taught them and written in 1 Thes 4.13-17 about the future gathering of resurrected and living believers into the sky to meet Jesus at his return. Paul writes here, \u201cAs to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here\u201d (2 Thes 2.1-2). Paul seems to imply that another false teaching had been circulating among some Christian communities which asserted that Jesus had already returned.<\/p>\n About twelve years after this, Paul wrote 1 Timothy. Therein, he says, \u201cFight the good fight, having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme\u201d (1 Tim 1.18-20). Paul doesn\u2019t identify the error.<\/p>\n About three years after that, Paul wrote 2 Timothy wherein he mentions these false teachers again. He says, \u201cAmong them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting the faith of some\u201d (2 Tim 2.17-18). So, Paul may have had this error in mind when he wrote 2 Thes 2.1-2.<\/p>\n Paul continues in 2 Thessalonians, \u201cLet no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction\u201d (2 Thes 2.3). The last prepositional phrase in the Greek text means literally \u201cson of perdition\u201d (KJV). \u201cRebellion\u201d translates apostasia<\/em>, which means a \u201cfalling away\u201d (KJV) from faith and righteousness. \u201cLawless one,\u201d literally \u201cman of lawlessness,\u201d identifies the Antichrist.<\/p>\n Apparently, the term \u201cantichrist\u201d originated sometime after Paul wrote his two letters to the church at Thessalonica. For, \u201cantichrist\u201d appears only four times in the New Testament, all in the Johannine epistles (1 Jn 2.18, 22; 4.3; 2 Jn 1.7), which were written later.<\/p>\n By mentioning rebellion and lawless one, plus in that order, Paul alludes to Dan 8.23. It says, \u201cwhen the transgressions have reached their full measure, a king of bold countenance shall arise.\u201d So, this rebellion will prepare the way for this king to emerge who will be the Antichrist. But most scholars claim this refers only to Antiochus IV who plundered Israel in the second century BCE. That might have been correct if Israel would have repented in the first century CE and the end have come then. But since that didn\u2019t happen, Antiochus only partially fulfills this prediction of a bold king, being a forerunner of the Antichrist who will fulfill it completely.<\/p>\n For Paul to say that the great rebellion and the appearance of the Antichrist must occur before<\/em> Jesus returns also indicates that his return was neither imminent then nor now, meaning it could not occur at any moment as pretribulationists assert of the rapture. And this also suggests that those scholars err who claim certain New Testament texts indicate an imminent parousia (\u201cpresence,\u201d referring to Jesus\u2019 return).<\/p>\n Paul continues in 2 Thessalonians concerning the Antichrist by saying, \u201cHe opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God\u201d (2 Thes 2.4). All English versions have this last word, here, as \u201cGod.\u201d In the Greek New Testament, the word for either \u201cgod\u201d or \u201cGod\u201d is theos<\/em>. When Bible documents were written, Hebrew and Greek did not have capitalization. So, when Bibles have a capitalized word that is not a proper name, that is an assessment that translators make often on the basis of context, but occasionally in comparing scripture with scripture.<\/p>\n 2 Thessalonians 2.4 has three occurrences of theos<\/em> in the Greek text. Translators well translate the first theos<\/em> as \u201cgod.\u201d And they rightly capitalize the second theos<\/em> as \u201cGod\u201d since Paul refers to the temple at Jerusalem. But it is incorrect to translate the third theos<\/em> as \u201cGod.\u201d<\/p>\n First, the second theos<\/em> in 2 Thes 2.4 has the article, whereas the first and third theos<\/em> are anarthrous, meaning without the article. Usually in the Greek New Testament, but not always, theos<\/em> with the article refers to \u201cGod,\u201d whereas theos<\/em> with no article is translated \u201cgod\u201d or \u201ca god.\u201d So, the last clause in 2 Thes 2.4 likely should say the Antichrist will declare himself to be \u201ca god.\u201d<\/p>\n Second, regarding the last theos<\/em> in 2 Thes 2.4, we have the benefit of comparing scripture with scripture. For, Paul alludes therein to the book of Daniel again, to Dan 11.36. It says of the Antichrist, \u201cThe king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods.\u201d So, the Antichrist will not claim to be God; rather, he will recognize God and speak blasphemy against him. Daniel has informed about this by saying of his first mention of the little horn, the Antichrist, \u201cHe shall speak words against the Most High\u201d (Dan 7.25), referring to God. And King Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel, \u201cTruly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings\u201d (Dan 2.47).<\/p>\n Third, the book of Revelation says of the Antichrist, who is depicted as a beast, \u201cIt opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling\u201d (Rev 13.6; cf. 16.9-11). So, the Antichrist will believe God exists and not claim to be God.<\/p>\n Paul then writes, \u201cDo you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?\u201d (2 Thes 2.5). Indeed, Paul likely taught them from the book of Daniel.<\/p>\n Paul writes next, \u201cyou know what is now restraining him,\u201d referring to the Antichrist, \u201cso that he may be revealed when his time comes\u201d (v. 6). The last clause indicates that God has appointed an exact time when the Antichrist will appear (cf. Dan 8.19; 11.27, 29, 35). Paul had taught them what the restraining was; but we are not so informed.<\/p>\n Paul then writes, \u201cFor the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed\u201d (2 Thes 2.7). To what does this restraining (Gr. katechon<\/em>) refer? Scholars generally have interpreted the restraining in v. 6 as an inanimate power and the restraining in v. 7 as a person since it has a pronoun whereas the first restraining does not.<\/p>\n Since Paul has taught them about the rebellion and the Antichrist by alluding to two texts in Daniel, it seems prudent that we search Daniel about this restraining as well, as if Paul alludes to it there. Indeed, some ante-Nicene church fathers did just that, and F. F. Bruce cites them.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n Irenaeus (c. 130-c. 202 CE) refers to the ten toes of the image in Daniel 2 and the ten horns of the fourth beast in Daniel 7 when he admonishes the church to \u201cwait, in the first place, the division of the kingdom into ten; then, in the next place, when these kings are reigning, . . . to acknowledge that he who shall come claiming the kingdom for himself,\u201d referring to Antichrist.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n Tertullian (c. 155-c. 220 CE) goes into greater detail. But he confuses matters by saying of 2 Thes 2.3, \u201c\u2018For that day shall not come<\/em>, unless there first come a falling away,\u2019 he means indeed of this present empire,\u201d namely, the Roman Empire. On the contrary, Paul means a falling away from righteousness. Tertullian then rightly says of 2 Thes 2.3, \u201c\u2018and that man of sin be revealed,\u2019 that is to say, Antichrist.\u201d Tertullian then quotes Paul about the restraining in v. 6 and says of it, \u201cWhat obstacle is there but the Roman state, the falling away of which, by being scattered into ten kingdoms, shall introduce Antichrist.\u201d[6]<\/a> Despite Tertullian\u2019s error in identifying the falling away, I think these two church fathers are on to something about the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) was too. He says of the identity of the restrainer in 2 Thes 2.6-7, \u201cSome indeed say, the grace of the Spirit, but others the Roman empire.\u201d He argues convincingly that the restrainer is not<\/em> the Holy Spirit because Paul could have easily said so. Chrysostom claims Paul writes this \u201cobscurely\u201d to avoid upsetting Roman authorities. But I think he does so because it is a complexity that cannot be stated in short compass. Then Chrysostom quotes v. 7 and says, \u201c\u2018Only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way,\u2019 that is, the Roman empire is taken out of the way, then he [the Antichrist] shall come.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n It does not make good sense that either the Holy Spirit or the Roman Empire will be \u201ctaken out of the way\u201d (KJV, NASB, NIV) or \u201cremoved\u201d (NRSV) in order for the Antichrist to appear. The Holy Spirit surely will continue to minister in the end times. And according to Daniel 7, the fourth beast, which symbolizes the Roman Empire, will exist to the end.<\/p>\n I believe there is a four-fold intertextuality in 2 Thes 2.3-8 that Bible translators and interpreters miss. We have seen that in v. 3 Paul alludes to Dan 8.23, and in v. 4 he alludes to Dan 11.36. I think Paul alludes to the book of Daniel again about this restraining. Therefore, heos ek mesou genetai<\/em> in the Greek text of 2 Thes 2.7, which is usually translated \u201cuntil he\/it is taken out of the way\u201d or \u201cremoved,\u201d should be translated \u201cuntil it comes out of the midst.\u201d[8]<\/a><\/p>\n This translation of the last clause in 2 Thes 2.7 indicates that Paul alludes to Dan 7.8a. It says in the NRSV, \u201cI was considering the horns, when another horn appeared, a little one, coming up among them.\u201d This reads in the LXX (Old Greek) version, \u201cPoosenooun tois kepasin autou, kai idou kepas heteron mikron anebe en meso auton<\/em>. Benton\u2019s translation of the LXX renders it, \u201cI noticed his horns, and, behold, another little horn came up in the midst of them.\u201d[9]<\/a> Notice that the LXX has the word mesos<\/em>\u2014meaning \u201cmidst,\u201d \u201cmiddle,\u201d or \u201camong\u201d\u2014just as Paul has in 2 Thes 2.7. This use of the same word in both texts further indicates that Paul refers to the little horn rising out of the midst of the ten horns. Thus, the Roman Empire and the necessity of the ten kings is what restrains this lawless one, the Antichrist, from coming into existence. And both Greek verbs, anabaino<\/em> in Dan 7.8a and ginomai<\/em> in 2 Thes 2.7, mean \u201carise\u201d or \u201ccome up.\u201d It is due to this complexity that Paul reminded them of this so briefly.<\/p>\n So, from our viewpoint in the 21st<\/sup> century, there must be a future revival of the Roman Empire. I believe it will be located in all of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.[10]<\/a> It will be governed by ten kings who will rule ten kingdoms. Apostasy will have been increasing, perhaps over a lengthy period of time. Then the Antichrist will arise to become the emperor of the whole empire. The book of Revelation says of him and a ten-horned beast that symbolizes the Roman Empire, \u201cthe ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour together with the beast. These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast; they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings\u201d (Rev 17.12-14).<\/p>\n Similarly, Paul\u2019s fourth allusion in 2 Thes 2.3-8 to an Old Testament text is Isa 11.4, to which all Bible students agree. He writes to the Thessalonians, \u201cAnd then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming\u201d (2 Thes 2.8). Isaiah says of Messiah, \u201che shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked [one]\u201d (Isa 11.4).<\/p>\n To sum, Paul\u2019s corpus reflects the constant New Testament portrayal that at the end of the age Jesus will return, raise the dead, vanquish his enemies including the Antichrist, conduct the judgment, and establish his worldwide kingdom of peace, justice, and righteousness forever.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> The concept of the kingdom of God appears 14x in Daniel and rarely in the rest of the Old Testament.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> This 3.5 years is stated variously in Dan 7.25; 12.7; Rev 12.6, 14; 13.5; cf. 11.3.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> See still here Book 2: Warrior from Heaven<\/em>.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> F. F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians<\/em>, WBC45 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 171, 184-86.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Irenaeus, Against Heresies<\/em>, 5.30.2. Italics his.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Tertullian, \u201cOn the Resurrection of the Flesh, ANF, vol. 3, 24. [get this ref. right]<\/strong><\/p>\n [7]<\/a> John Chrysostom, \u201cHomily IV on 2 Thessalonians,\u201d in NPNF, vol. 13.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> This is how it is translated in Alfred Marshall\u2019s The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament<\/em>.<\/p>\n