‘Even he whose coming is according to the work of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for those who are perishing, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.'
In his own sphere the man of sin will reveal the power of his master. Satanic power through him will enable him to produce false miracles of some kind. They will be seen as revealing his ‘power', to many they will be ‘signs' of his status, and they will be ‘wonders', filling men with awe. His followers will be deceived. If it were possible even the elect, the people of God, might at first be deceived (Matthew 24:24). But in the end their spiritual insight will see through him.
‘And with all deceit of unrighteousness for those who are perishing, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.' The ‘deceit of unrighteousness' may refer to the fact of the source of the deceit, it comes from an unrighteous source. Or it may refer to the fact that men are deceived by him because they are unrighteous. Or indeed it may signify both, the unrighteous deceiving the unrighteous. But we should note that men are not deceived because they are duped and could not have known, but because they are unrighteous (compare Romans 1:18).
‘For those who are perishing.' As the man of sin perishes because he is ‘the son of perdition (destruction)' (2 Thessalonians 2:3) so they too are proving themselves sons of destruction. Because they are unrighteous and as a result themselves deceived, they ‘are perishing'. And why are they deceived and perishing? Because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. They were faced with truth and deception, and because they were unrighteous they chose deception. See John 3:17-21 and John 7:17. But if they do turn to that truth they will be saved.
‘They did not receive the love of the truth.' The truth was offered to them but their hearts were not open to His Spirit, thus He could not work within them love of the truth. The truth here is not general truth, but the truth of the Gospel, for that is central to all truth.