Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Thessalonians 2:9

"[even he], whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders," — 2 Thessalonians 2:9 (ASV)

Even him, whose coming—The phrase "even him" is not in the original Greek. The word "whose" could also be translated as for his own, or perhaps "though his own." The purpose of the following verses is not merely to describe the Antichrist more fully, but to compare his coming, word for word, with the coming that will annihilate him. Once again, a unique word typically reserved for Christ is used for the Antichrist: "coming" (literally, presence). This is the same word used in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1, among other places. In spite of the deception being convincing, it will be exposed as a fraud.

Is ... with all power—Paul uses the present tense "is" because he sees the future as if it were already happening. The key phrase is not "after the working" but "in all power." The arrival of the Antichrist will be "in"—that is, surrounded and accompanied by—all kinds of miracles, "according to the working of Satan." This means the miracles are not only produced by Satan, but they represent the full extent of his capacity to perform them. The word "lying" (literally, "of falsehood") should be applied to all three terms that follow: it describes counterfeit "power and signs and wonders." These three words are used together to heighten the terror of the description. When analyzed closely, they signify a display of power to validate the Antichrist's doctrine, signs to serve as attestation, and wonders to hold people spellbound in admiration of him. The Antichrist, like Christ (1 Timothy 6:15), has a supporter—Satan instead of God. He, like Christ (Luke 21:25), will have his miracles—but they will be miracles of trickery, not of truth.