Our Lord's Great Prophecy, Part 29

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2 Thessalonians Chapter 2

A word of Warning, continued

VERSE 9Whose presence [shall be] according to an in working of Satan, with all manner of mighty work and signs and wonders of falsehood.” (Rotherham Version)

The translators of this particular verse (below) have completely distorted the text giving it a completely different meaning then that which is intended.

Rather than referring to the coming (parousia: presence) of our Lord Jesus they make it to appear to be referring to the presence of the Lawless one instead.

Note some of the following translations.

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie.” (NIV)

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.” (ESV)

The Wicked One will come with the power of Satan and perform all kinds of false miracles and wonders.” (Good News Translation)

The man of sin will come with the power of Satan. He will use every kind of power, including miraculous and wonderful signs. But they will be lies.” (God’s Word Translation)

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.” (NKJV)

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” (AV)

The wordseven him,” supplied by the translators in the AV, should be deleted for Paul’s intended meaning to be clearer.

Verse 8 talks about Jesus’coming”: “whom the Lord [Jesus] ... shall destroy with the brightness of his coming [parousia, presence].”

Verse 9 continues with the same thought:whose [Jesus’] coming [presence] is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” Just as Satan, the god of this world, is present but invisible as a spirit being, so Jesus can be present but unseen at his Second Advent because he is an invisible spirit being.

The Greek word renderedaftercan be variously translated. The correct thought is that Jesus’ Second Presence is to beaccompanied by [or with] the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.”

Thus Verse 8 and 9 as taken from the original Greek text reads:

And then will be revealed the Lawless one whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and annihilate by the appearing of his presence. Whose parousia (presence) is with (or accompanied by) the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.”

Comment: The wordafteris important to consider here lest we think it means that Jesus’ Second Presence will occur afterwards, that is, after Satan’s power, signs, and lying wonders cease. Instead, Jesus’ presence is during the energetic working of the Adversary. Most likely, Satan will manifest even greater and stronger delusions with all power, signs, and lying wonders in the not to distance future.

Reply: When we consider Jesus’ presence to be a period of time, then sometime in or during the period of his presence, there will be a spectacular (in the evil sense) display of lying and deceitful wonders. In the Second Volume, “Man of Sin” Chapter, page 359, the Pastor gave a rendition of this verse that is slightly different from the King James.

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.”

Although not in the King James Version, the word “during” is appropriate because it expresses a period of time. Unfortunately, the usual concordances present the Greek kata, translated “after” in the King James, as signifying something with place or location when it is used with the accusative case, and they drop out the application of time, which is listed in Liddell and Scott (page 749, eighth edition, example VII) as one of the interpretations of the preposition.

Comment: The wordallinall power and signs and lying wondersis very significant in regard to the future testings that will befall the Church.

Reply: Yes, the Greek word is energeia, indicating great energy, an energetic operation.

Comment: The energetic operation corresponds to Rev 16:13, 14.

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

Reply: Let us start backwards. The 16th chapter of Revelation is talking about the great day of God Almighty and the battle of Armageddon. Deceptive influences are pictured by three symbols, namely, the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet.

Out of the mouth of these systems will come forth frog-like spirits, which symbolize great declarations and boastings. The systems will issue warnings to maintain the status quo, but Christ will found his Kingdom, his government, on the ruins of the present systems.

The account saysALL power,” and who is doing this? Satan—a POWERFUL being. He will use all manner of deception, signs, and lying wonders, and “all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish” (Verse 10). This somber matter involves many different strata of society, but the bottom line for us is how it affects the consecrated the Church.

However, professing Christians in the nominal systems, as well as civil authorities, will also be affected. In fact, when this time comes at the end of the age, ALL will be deceived except the Very Elect (Matt. 24:24).

We continue with Verse 9 in our next post.

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