2 Thessalonians 2:9–12, 1981 Study

Note: In the 1981 study, these four verses pertaining to the end of the age were treated in detail and only from the standpoint of the consecrated. The expanded explanation follows.

Some of this we have already considered, but nevertheless we can never be to settled as these things pertain to events shortly to take place and it is better to be overly prepared than under prepared. Once the trials and deceptions begin it’s going to be too late for further study and preparation.

Once again this study was based on the AV.

Verse 9 “Even him (our Lord Jesus), whose coming is after (or accompanied by) the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.”

This great energetic operation of delusion by Satan is to take place during the Lord’s Second Advent, not initially when Jesus first came but during his presence and yet future. This great deception will precede the destruction of the nominal systems and take place shortly before the epiphania stage of our Lord’s presence. Satan will control and manipulate the man of sin (the great Antichrist SYSTEM) so that it will be working very feverishly.

What is the difference between “power,” “signs,” and “lying wonders”?

1. POWER. Satan will use all the power he has ever had down through the ages. He is not being bound. In fact, he will get even more liberty and power during Jesus’ Second Presence. Stated another way, instead of being progressively bound, Satan is being loosed even more. He will work with all power to do what he wishes with only certain, hardly evident limitations. He will operate through the man of sin with all kinds of delusions and tremendous power.

That is to say, working through his great masterpiece, the Antichrist (system), both mother and daughters, the beast and the image of the beast he will deceive the entire professing church as well as for the most part all of the Great Company class (especially those “spiritual babes” still trapped within Babylon). One of his ploys (the first of many) may very well be to utilize his old tried an proven method of masquerading as an angel of light thoroughly convincing them that it is the Lord himself who is working in and through these systems, that it is he who is the one performing the various miracles, signs and wonders and as such they should heed the proclamations emanating from these systems (Compare Rev 16:13, 14). At least we believe this will be one of his deceptions. The Adversary has many arrows in his quiver with which to deceive.

Therefore, the future hour of great trial has to do with the power and deception of Satan. At the time of the Crucifixion, Jesus said, “The prince of this world [now] cometh, and hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). Like Jesus their head, the feet members (the last members of the body of Christ this side of the vail) will have a similar experience and die at the hand of Satan.

2. SIGNS. The Pharisees and Sadducees demanded a sign from Jesus: a “sign from heaven” (Matt. 16:1). They did not want a healing miracle but a sign from heaven. Here at the end of the age, if Satan is going to manipulate great power to produce “signs,” the account is suggesting that something visual could occur—not just a bleeding icon (or healing miracle), for example, which is a localized sign, but visible signs that will have a worldwide effect. It could even seem as if something is happening in regard to the God of nature—something clearly supernatural and in heaven.

3. LYING WONDERS. These will be deceptive, false phenomena that teach falsehoods. Sometimes an untruth is taught without words, as when Satan had the serpent eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. However, these future lying wonders will probably be audible as well as visual. In the past there were visions of the Virgin Mary as well as voices and messages giving false instruction. Many do not believe the visions actually occur because they generally take place in a localized area, but what if such a thing happened on a worldwide scale—or even to a whole city or country? In a recent case in England, all television airwaves were jammed simultaneously by an unexplained message (Most likely instituted by a hacker), but nevertheless such possibilities are also open to Satan and his fallen angels.

Suppose a “sign” were accompanied by a TV message. Suppose angels were seen flying over the Vatican, or a UFO landed with seemingly friendly superior beings giving advice. The point is that there will be large-scale deceptions (small ones worked all down through history). However with Satan utilizing ALL power this time, future deceptions will be more demonstrative and widespread than anything to date. They will give a lie to all that is good and true through a frenzy of delusion (Greek: energeia, an energetic operation with all power, that is, a frenzy to do certain things in order to deceive).

Two adjustments should be made with regards to the AV: The supplied words “Even him” should be omitted, and “whose coming” refers to Jesus’ presence. Volume 2, under the sub caption “Antichrist’s Final End,” pages 358 and 359, translates 2 Thess 2:8–12 as follows:

“Whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and annihilate with the bright shining of his presence. Whose presence is with [accompanied by or during] an energetic operation of Satan [Satanic energy and action] with all power, and signs, and lying delusions, and with every iniquitous deception for those perishing; because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be preserved. And for this reason God will send to them a deluding power, that they might believe the error: so that all not believing the truth, but taking pleasure in iniquity (in error, in falsehood), may be judged” unworthy to share the Millennial Kingdom as joint heirs with Christ.

As stated in one of our former post, most translations incorrectly slant the “whose coming” of Verse 9 to refer to the Antichrist. The word “Coming” (parousia) should be rendered “presence,” nor can it refer to the Adversary as some suggest because he has been present all along, that is, throughout the Gospel Age. The thought is that during the Second Presence of the Master, Satan will be very active employing a very energetic operation of delusion.

Verse 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.” (AV)

The epistle is addressed to the consecrated, and so is this verse. At the very end of the age, some of the consecrated will be perishing “because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” This is a stern message.

If other Scriptures did not tell us about the Great Company, Verse 10 would sound as if there were only two possibilities: (1) those who are not deceived will not perish (Little Flock), and (2) those who are deceived will perish (Second Death). It is true that any of the consecrated who have the spirit of error or the spirit of being deceived will be in danger of “perishing,” but certain Scriptures (such as Jude 23) show that some who will be in a measure deceived will yet be rescued.

See the last comment in Part 34 in regards to the true thought behind the word “perishing”.

In other words, at the very end of the age, all of the consecrated who remain after the feet members are taken off the scene will be in danger of perishing in Second Death unless there is a proper response and repentance. ALL of the consecrated except the feet members WILL BE deceived to a greater or lesser degree, at least momentarily.

Verse 10 is not directed specifically to the nominal Church, the tares, but to the consecrated, to those who have received the truth but not the love of it. This class responded to the truth but with ulterior motives. Even though we may initially receive the truth in the love of it and consecrate on that basis, then, depending on how we respond to trials and experiences— whether we compromise on principle, etc., and thus undergo a deterioration—we would no longer be pursuing the truth because of the love of it. And some have ulterior motives for consecration to begin with. Our love for the truth should be maintained.

Whether we end up in the Little Flock, the Great Company, or Second Death class will depend on how much of the spirit of the truth we have imbibed and been faithful to. A complete or full imbibing will result in the prize for which we were called and destiny as part of the Little Flock, a partial imbibing will result in our losing the prize for which they were called and finding ourselves a part of the Great Company class, and neglect brings Second Death. The Great Company does the Lord’s will but not joyfully and out of love for it; they act out of necessity and because of circumstances of life that bring them to their senses.

Verses 9–12 refer to the end of the age. During the Lord’s presence the Adversary will work with an energetic operation that will have the effect of delusion. Since both the world and the worldly church, the church nominal have been under Satan’s influence all along, throughout the Gospel Age, these verses refer specifically to something Satan will try to do to the consecrated before the Gospel Age fully ends. In other words, when Satan deceives all but the Very Elect, some in the truth will also be deceived and thus incur a more responsible judgment than the world. The world will be deceived too, but they will have a future opportunity.

In the Fourth Volume (of the Studies in the Scriptures series, entitled, “The Battle of Armageddon”), page 581, the Pastor said,

“Great delusions are just before us … [and] some of these … may come closest upon those possessing the largest degree of the light of present truth.” Thus the consecrated will be liable to these deceptions as well as the world. Matt 24:24 implies that all of the consecrated not of the Little Flock will in some manner be at least temporarily deceived.

Combining several Scriptures, we can conclude that the Great Company will be deceived, slumber in measure, and lose out on the oil for a time, but afterwards they will be restored, rescued, and saved so as by fire (1 Cor. 3:15). As the Apostle Peter stated, “The righteous [will] scarcely be saved” (1 Pet. 4:18).

If the whole world lies in the wicked one—and has been all along, ever since the Flood when Satan became the god of this world—then 2 Thess 2 is talking about an added deception aimed specifically at the consecrated. Put another way, Satan knows that a battle lies ahead between him and Christ, and that only one can win it.

In due time Satan will come to realize that his is the losing battle, but that time is future, for now Satan’s cause seems to be the winning one. And before this realization comes, he will get still more power than he currently has. Eventually Jesus will take a more active role as regards the dispossession of Satan. When Satan realizes the cridicalness of the hour, he will want to destroy with him as many as possible. In addition, he will try to destroy all of God’s plans, to frustrate them as much as possible. He will direct his attack at the consecrated wherever they may be, at the godly element who sincerely love God and want to serve Him—whether in or out of the nominal system, Babylon.

The progression of Satan’s attack will be (1) the feet members, (2) the rest of the consecrated (the Great Company class), and (3) the nation of Israel—against whatever pertains to God. The world is already blinded, deceived, and absorbed in anything other than the gospel: sports, sex, science, money, fame, etc. Therefore, Satan will concentrate his deception and attack on anyone God is dealing with, on those who have some measure of understanding and truth.

Rev 12:17 reveals that at the time of the French Revolution, Satan began to lay plans which would culminate at the very end of the age. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Specifically, Satan is determined to destroy the “remnant” (the feet members) of the woman’s “seed” (the true Church). Then the attack will focus on the Great Company both in and out of Babylon. When they have been disposed of and are off the scene, Satan will turn his attention to Israel through Gog and Magog.

The lying signs and wonders, the delusions and deceptions, will be slanted specifically against the truly consecrated. The plurality of the deceptions shows that they will be along several lines and methods and that Satan will try anything to discourage, undercut, and deceive those who love God. To get at those in Present-Truth circles (those acquainted with the Harvest  Message) will require a more refined deception— something that those not in the proper heart condition will be unprepared for. Such will be unaware of the nature of his attack.

Since the delusion will be a “lie,” it means that the deluded ones will consider the lie to be truth. The Book of Jude suggests this delusion will be along the lines of the flesh, along the lines of compassion and love. Hence it is a possibility that a false conception of love will be the real deluding power of the future. The reasoning will be based on the fact that “God is love” and the Bible expounds the principles of love. An example of such false reasoning even now is the belief of some brethren that Judas did not go into Second Death.

Continued with next post.