On 2 Thess 2:3:
3. Let no man deceive you. That they may not
groundlessly promise themselves the arrival in so short a time of the joyful
day of redemption, he presents to them a melancholy prediction as to the future
scattering of the Church. This discourse entirely corresponds with that which
Christ held in the presence of his disciples, when they had asked him
respecting the end of the world. For he exhorts them to prepare themselves for
enduring hard conflicts, [1] (Mt 24:6), and after he has
discoursed of the most grievous and previously unheard of calamities, by which
the earth was to be reduced almost to a desert, he adds, that the end is not
yet, but that these things are the beginnings of sorrows. In
the same way, Paul declares that believers must exercise warfare for a long
period, before gaining a triumph.
We have here, however, a remarkable passage, and one that
is in the highest degree worthy of observation. This was a grievous and
dangerous temptation, which might shake even the most confirmed, and make them
lose their footing—to see the Church, which had by means of such labors been
raised up gradually and with difficulty to some considerable standing, fall
down suddenly, as if torn down by a tempest. Paul, accordingly, fortifies
beforehand the minds, not merely of the Thessalonians, but of all the pious,
that when the Church should come to be in a scattered condition, they might not
be alarmed, as though it were a thing that was new and unlooked for.
As, however, interpreters have twisted this passage in
various ways, we must first of all endeavor to ascertain Paul’s true meaning.
He says that the day of Christ will not come, until the world has fallen into
apostasy, and the reign of Antichrist has obtained a footing in the Church; for
as to the exposition that some have given of this passage, as referring to the
downfall of the Roman empire, it is too silly to require a lengthened
refutation. I am also surprised, that so many writers, in other respects
learned and acute, have fallen into a blunder in a matter that is so easy, were
it not that when one has committed a mistake, others follow in troops without
consideration. Paul, therefore, employs the term apostasy to mean—a
treacherous departure from God, and that not on the part of one or a few
individuals, but such as would spread itself far and wide among a large
multitude of persons. For when apostasy is made mention of without
anything being added, it cannot be restricted to a few. Now, none can be termed
apostates, but such as have previously made a profession of Christ and
the gospel. Paul, therefore, predicts a certain general revolt of the visible
Church. "The Church must be reduced to an unsightly and dreadful state of
ruin, before its full restoration be effected."
From this we may readily gather, how useful this
prediction of Paul is, for it might have seemed as though that could not be a
building of God, that was suddenly overthrown, and lay so long in ruins, had
not Paul long before intimated that it would be so. Nay more, many in the
present day, when they consider with themselves the long-continued dispersion
of the Church, begin to waver, as if this had not been regulated by the purpose
of God. The Romanists, also, with the view of justifying the tyranny of their
idol, make use of this pretext—that it was not possible that Christ would
forsake his spouse. The weak, however, have something here on which to rest,
when they learn that the unseemly state of matters which they behold in the
Church was long since foretold; while, on the other hand, the impudence of the
Romanists is openly exposed, inasmuch as Paul declares that a revolt will come,
when the world has been brought under Christ’s authority. Now, we shall see
presently, why it is that the Lord has permitted the Church, or at least what
appeared to be such, to fall off in so shameful a manner.
Has been revealed. It was no better than an old wife’s fable
that was contrived respecting Nero, that he was carried up from the world,
destined to return again to harass the Church [2] by his tyranny; and yet the minds of the
ancients were so bewitched, that they imagined that Nero would be Antichrist. [3] Paul, however, does not speak of one
individual, but of a kingdom, that was to be taken possession of by Satan, that
he might set up a seat of abomination in the midst of God’s temple—which we see
accomplished in Popery. The revolt, it is true, has spread more widely, for
Mahomet, as he was an apostate, turned away the Turks, his followers, from
Christ. All heretics have broken the unity of the Church by their sects, and
thus there have been a corresponding number of revolts from Christ.
Paul, however, when he has given warning that there would
be such a scattering, that the greater part would revolt from Christ, adds
something more serious—that there would be such a confusion, that the vicar of
Satan would hold supreme power in the Church, and would preside there in the
place of God. Now he describes that reign of abomination under the name of a
single person, because it is only one reign, though one succeeds another. My
readers now understand, that all the sects by which the Church has been
lessened from the beginning, have been so many streams of revolt which began to
draw away the water from the right course, but that the sect of Mahomet was
like a violent bursting forth of water, that took away about the half of the
Church by its violence. It remained, also, that Antichrist should infect the
remaining part with his poison. Thus, we see with our own eyes, that this
memorable prediction of Paul has been confirmed by the event.
In the exposition which I bring forward, there is nothing
forced. Believers in that age dreamed that they would be transported to heaven,
after having endured troubles during a short period. Paul, however, on the
other hand, foretells that, after they have had foreign enemies for some time
molesting them, they will have more evils to endure from enemies at home,
inasmuch as many of those that have made a profession of attachment to Christ
would be hurried away into base treachery, and inasmuch as the temple of God
itself would be polluted by sacrilegious tyranny, so that Christ’s greatest
enemy would exercise dominion there. The term revelation is taken here
to denote manifest possession of tyranny, as if Paul had said that the day of
Christ would not come until this tyrant had openly manifested himself, and had,
as it were, designedly overturned the whole order of the Church.
————Footnotes————
[1] "Merveilleux et durs combats;"
—"Singular and hard conflicts."
[2] "Pour tourmenter griefuement
l’Eglise;" —"To torment the Church grievously."
[3] The strange notion here referred to by
Calvin as to Nero, is accounted for by Cornelius a Lapide in his Commentary on
the Revelation, from the circumstance that Alcazar having explained the
expression which occurs in Re 13:3, "I saw one of the
heads as it were killed to death," as referring to Nero killed, and soon
afterwards raised up, as it were, and reviving in the person of Domitian
his successor, some of the ancients, understanding literally what was meant by
him figuratively, conceived the idea that Nero would be Antichrist, and
would be raised up, and appear again in the end of the world. —Ed.
On 2 Thess 2:4:
4. An adversary, and that exalteth himself. The two
epithets—man of sin, and son of perdition — intimate, in the
first place, how dreadful the confusion would be, that the unseemliness of it
might not discourage weak minds; and farther, they tend to stir up the pious to
a feeling of detestation, lest they should degenerate along with others. Paul,
however, now draws, as if in a picture, a striking likeness of Antichrist; for
it may be easily gathered from these words what is the nature of his kingdom,
and in what things it consists. For, when he calls him an adversary,
when he says that he will claim for himself those things which belong to God,
so that he is worshipped in the temple as God, he places his kingdom in direct
opposition to the kingdom of Christ. Hence, as the kingdom of Christ is
spiritual, so this tyranny must be upon souls, that it may rival the kingdom of
Christ. We shall also find him afterwards assigning to him the power of
deceiving, by means of wicked doctrines and pretended miracles. If,
accordingly, you would know Antichrist, you must view him as diametrically
opposed to Christ. [1]
Where I have rendered—everything that is called God,
the reading more generally received among the Greeks is, every one that is
called. It may, however, be conjectured, both from the old translation [2] and from some Greek commentaries, that
Paul’s words have been corrupted. The mistake, too, of a single letter was
readily fallen into, especially when the shape of the letter was much similar;
for, where there was written pan to, (everything,) some transcriber, or
too daring reader, turned it into panta, (every one.) This difference,
however, is not of so much importance as to the sense, for Paul undoubtedly
means that Antichrist would take to himself those things that belonged to God
alone, so that he would exalt himself above every divine claim, that all
religion and all worship of God might lie under his feet. This expression then,
everything that is reckoned to be God, is equivalent to everything
that is reckoned as Divinity, and sebasma, that is, in which the
veneration due to God consists.
Here, however, the subject treated of is not the name of
God himself, but his majesty and worship, and, in general, everything that he
claims for himself. "True religion is that by which the true God alone is
worshipped; that , the son of perdition will transfer to
himself." Now, every one that has learned from Scripture what are the
things that more especially belong to God, and will, on the other hand, observe
what the Pope claims for himself— though he were but a boy of ten years of
age—will have no great difficulty in recognizing Antichrist. Scripture declares
that God is the alone Lawgiver (Jas 4:12) who is
able to save and to destroy; the alone King, whose office it is to
govern souls by his word. It represents him as the author of all sacred rites; [3] it teaches that righteousness and salvation
are to be sought from Christ alone; and it assigns, at the same time, the
manner and means. There is not one of these things that the Pope does not
affirm to be under his authority. He boasts that it is his to bind consciences
with such laws as seem good to him, and subject them to everlasting punishment.
As to sacraments, he either institutes new ones, according to his own
inclination, [4] or he corrupts and deforms those which had been
instituted by Christ—nay, sets them aside altogether, that he may substitute in
their place the sacrileges [5] which he has invented. He contrives
means of attaining salvation that are altogether at variance with the doctrine
of the Gospel; and, in fine, he does not hesitate to change the whole of
religion at his own pleasure. What is it, I pray you, for one to lift up
himself above everything that is reckoned God, if the Pope does not do so? When
he thus robs God of his honor, he leaves him nothing remaining but an empty
title of Deity, [6] while he transfers to himself the whole of
his power. And this is what Paul adds shortly afterwards, that the son of
perdition would shew himself as God. For, as has been said,
he does not insist upon the simple term God, but intimates, that the
pride [7] of Antichrist would be such, that, raising
himself above the number and rank of servants, and mounting the judgment-seat
of God, [8] would reign, not with a human, but with a
divine authority. For we know that whatever is raised up into the place of God
is an idol, though it should not bear the name of God.
In the temple of God. By this one term there is a sufficient
refutation of the error, nay more, the stupidity of those who reckon the Pope
to be Vicar of Christ, on the ground that he has his seat in the Church, in
whatever manner he may conduct himself; for Paul places Antichrist nowhere else
than in the very sanctuary of God. For this is not a foreign, but a domestic
enemy, who opposes Christ under the very name of Christ. But it is asked, how
the Church is represented as the den of so many superstitions, while it was
destined to be the pillar of the truth? (1Ti 3:15). I
answer, that it is thus represented, not on the ground of its retaining all the
qualities of the Church, but because it has something of it remaining. I
accordingly acknowledge, that that is the temple of God in which the
Pope bears rule, but at the same time profaned by innumerable sacrileges.
————Footnotes————
[1] "The name of the Man of Sin is not Antitheos,
but anticristov —not one that directly invadeth the properties of the supreme
God, but of God incarnate, or Christ as Mediator. ... he usurpeth the
authority due to Christ." —Dr. Manton’s Sermons on 2 Thessalonians.
—Ed.
[2] The rendering of the Vulgate is as follows,
—"Supra omne quod dicitur Deus aut quod colitur;" —"Above
everything that is called God, or that is worshipped." Wyclif
(1380) renders thus: "Ouer alle thing that is seid God, or that is
worschipid." —Ed.
[3] "Que c’est a luy seul d’establir
seruice diuin, et ceremonies qui en dependent;" —"That it belongs to
him alone to establish divine worship, and the rites that are connected with
it."
[4] "Selon son plaisir et fantasie;"
—"According to his own pleasure and fancy."
[5] "Sacrileges abominables;"
—"Abominable sacrileges."
[6] "Le titre de Dieu par
imagination;" —"The title of God by imagination."
[7] "L’orgueil et arrogance;"
—"The pride and arrogance."
[8] "Auec vne fierete intolerable;"
—"With an intolerable presumption."
