Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5

"Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be,] except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?" — 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 (ASV)

1. Previously, the Apostle taught what will happen in the future regarding the punishments of the wicked and the rewards of the good. Here he announces what will happen concerning the dangers to the church that will arise during the time of the Antichrist.

First, he presents the truth about future dangers; second, he admonishes the Thessalonians to persevere in the truth, at therefore, brethren.

Concerning the first point, he does two things:

1. He refutes a falsehood.
2. He gives instruction regarding the truth, at for unless.

His refutation of falsehood has three parts:

1. He shows by what they should be persuaded.
2. He shows that to which they should be persuaded, at that you be not easily moved.
3. He forewarns against what could move them, at neither by spirit.

2. He persuades them by three means. First, by means of his own prayers, at we beseech you, and not by commanding them. Having complete confidence to command you in Christ Jesus to do what is required, for the sake of love I rather appeal to you (Philemon 1:8–9).

Second, by the coming of Christ, which is desirable to the good even though it is terrifying to the wicked. Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord (Amos 5:18); and not only to me, but also to those who love his coming (2 Timothy 4:8); Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).

Third, by the desire and love of the whole congregation of the saints, unto him, namely where Christ is, for where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered (Matthew 24:28). Or unto him, that is, in the same place, for all the saints will be in the same place and glory. Gather to him his saints (Psalms 50:5).

3. But of what is he trying to persuade them? That you be not easily moved from your conviction. It is one thing to be moved and another to be terrified. The one who is moved from his conviction loses what he had previously held firmly. The Apostle says, in effect, “Do not easily let go of my teaching.” One who easily believes is light of heart . But terror is a kind of anxiety mixed with fear of what opposes you. And so he says, nor be terrified. The sound of terror is always in his ears (Job 15:21). And if there is peace, they always suspect treachery. For since wickedness is always fearful, it gives testimony for its own condemnation .

4. Then when he says, neither by spirit, he forewarns against what could move them, first, in particular, and second, in general, at let no man.

5. Now, someone can be deceived by a false revelation. Therefore he says, neither by spirit; that is, if someone announces to you as a revelation by the Holy Spirit, or from the Holy Spirit, something contrary to my teaching, do not be terrified. Do not believe every spirit (1 John 4:1). Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and see nothing (Ezekiel 13:3). Sometimes even Satan transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14); I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets (1 Kings 22:22).

Second, someone can also be deceived by reasoning or a false exposition of Scripture, and so he says, nor by word. Their word spreads like gangrene (2 Timothy 2:17). Let no one deceive you with foolish words (Ephesians 5:6).

Third, someone can be deceived by an authority that is quoted but wrongly understood. As our most beloved brother Paul has written to you in accord with the wisdom given to him, speaking as in all his letters of things in which there are certain points difficult to understand, which the unlearned and unstable twist as they do the other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:15–16).

But what were they being deceived about? As if the day of the Lord were at hand.

And he says, nor by letter as if sent from us, because his first letter to the Thessalonians, if it is not understood correctly, seems to say that the Lord’s coming is near, as when it says, then we who are alive (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

6. Then when he says, let no man deceive you by any means, he says the same thing more generally. Beware that you are not deceived (Luke 21:8); do not be deceived (1 Corinthians 15:33).

The reason the Apostle forewarns against this error concerning the Lord’s coming is that no church leader should desire that any good be achieved through a lie. We are even found to be false witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:15). Also, the belief that the Lord’s day was near was dangerous. First, it could be the occasion of a greater deception, because after the time of the apostles, people would come who would claim to be Christ. Many will say: I am he (Luke 21:8). And so the Apostle did not want them to believe this error regarding the Lord’s coming. Similarly, demons frequently pretend to be Christ, as is clear in the case of Saint Martin. And so that they would not be deceived, he did not want them to believe this error.

Augustine gives another reason: it posed a danger to faith. One person might say, “The Lord will come late, and then I will prepare myself for him.” Another might say, “He will come quickly, and so I am preparing myself now.” Still another might say, “I do not know when he will come.” This person speaks best, because what he says agrees with Christ. But the one who says “quickly” makes a more serious error, because as time passed, people would despair and would think that the Scriptures spoke falsely.

7. Then when he says, for unless there come a revolt, he proceeds to the truth. First, he shows what will happen when the Antichrist comes. Two things will happen: one will precede the Antichrist’s coming, and the other is his coming itself.

8. First comes the revolt, which is explained in many different ways in the traditional commentary (the Gloss). First, it is explained as a revolt from the faith, because later the faith would be accepted by the whole world. And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world (Matthew 24:14). Therefore, this comes before what, according to Augustine, has not yet been fulfilled, and afterward many will depart from the faith, etc. In the last times some will depart from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1). The love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12).

Or it is a revolt from the Roman Empire, to which the whole world was subject. Augustine says that this is represented in Daniel by the statues (Daniel 2:31), where four kingdoms are named, after which Christ comes. This was a fitting sign because the Roman Empire was strengthened for this very purpose: that under its power the faith should be preached throughout the whole world.

9. But how can this be, since the nations have already withdrawn from the Roman Empire and yet the Antichrist has still not come?

The answer is that this revolt is not over, but has changed from a temporal one into a spiritual one, as Pope Leo says in a sermon about the apostles. And so one should say that the revolt from the Roman Empire should be understood not only as a revolt from the temporal empire but also from the spiritual one—namely, from the catholic faith of the Roman Church. And it is fitting that, just as Christ came when the Roman Empire held sway over all, so conversely, a sign of the Antichrist is the revolt against it.

10. Second, he predicts the future concerning the Antichrist.

First, regarding his guilt and punishment; second, regarding his power, at him whose coming.

Again, first he touches generally and implicitly on his guilt and punishment; second, he explains both, at who opposes.

11. He says, therefore: The revolt will come first, and then he will be revealed. According to the Gloss, he is said to be the man of sin and the son of perdition because, as the fullness of virtue abounded in Christ, so a multitude of all sins will abound in the Antichrist. And as Christ is better than all the saints, so that man will be worse than all the wicked. He is called the man of sin because he will be completely given over to sin. But he is not called the man of sin in such a way that a worse man could not exist, because evil never corrupts the good entirely—although no man could be worse in the actual order of things. But there could be no man better than Christ.

He is also called the son of perdition, that is, destined for the utmost perdition. The wicked is reserved for the day of destruction; they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath (Job 21:30). Or son of perdition, that is, a son of the devil—not by nature, but by the consummation of his wickedness, which will be completed in him.

And he says he will be revealed because just as all the good deeds and virtues of the saints who came before Christ were figures of Christ, so in all the persecutions of the church the tyrants have been, so to speak, figures of the Antichrist, and the Antichrist was hidden in them. And so that whole wickedness, which was hidden in them, will be revealed at that time.

12. Then when he says, who opposes, he explains what he said before.

First, he shows how he will be the man of sin; second, how he will be the son of perdition, at and then that wicked one shall be revealed.

And first, he foretells his wrongdoing; second, he gives the cause for it, at and now.

And first, he describes the wrongdoing; second, he says that he is not announcing a new doctrine, at do you not remember.

And first, he sets out the wrongdoing; second, the sign of it, at so that.

13. His wrongdoing has two aspects. First, opposition to God; hence he says, who opposes all good spirits. He charged against God with an upraised neck, and with a fat neck, and he and his followers are armed (Job 15:26). Their tongues and their schemes are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his majesty (Isaiah 3:8).

Second, he puts himself above Christ; and so he says, and is lifted up.

The name “God” is used in three ways. First, according to nature: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). Second, according to popular opinion: all the gods of the nations are demons (Psalms 96:5). Third, by way of participation: I have said, you are gods (Psalms 82:6). And the Antichrist would put himself over all these: he will be lifted up and will magnify himself against every god, and against the God of gods he will speak great things (Daniel 11:36).

14. When he says, so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God, he gives the sign of this wrongdoing. For the Antichrist’s pride is greater than the pride of all who came before him. So as it is written of Gaius Caesar that he wanted to be worshiped while he was still alive and put statues of himself in every temple, and as Ezekiel says of the king of Tyre, I have said that I am God (Ezekiel 28:2), so it is quite believable that the Antichrist will act as they did, saying that he is both God and man. And as a sign of this, he will sit in the temple.

But in what temple? Was it not destroyed by the Romans? This is why some say that the Antichrist is from the tribe of Dan, whose tribe is not named among the tribes listed in Revelation (Revelation 7:5). Because of this, the Jews will accept him at first and will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and in this way the prophecy of Daniel will be fulfilled: an abomination and an idol will be in the temple (Daniel 9:27). But when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, let him who reads understand (Matthew 24:15).

But some say that neither Jerusalem nor the temple will ever be rebuilt, but that their desolation will last until the final consummation. And even some Jews believe this. So this text is explained to mean in the temple of God, that is, in the Church, since many from the Church will accept him. Or according to Augustine, he sits in the temple of God, that is, he rules and governs as though he himself with his messengers were the temple of God, just as Christ is the temple with His followers.

15. Then when he says, do you not remember, he shows that he is not writing anything new, as if to say: When I was with you long ago, I said this. I do not write a new command for you, but an old command, which you have had from the beginning (1 John 2:7); as we are in word by letters when absent, so also we will be in deed when present (2 Corinthians 10:11).