2 Thessalonians 2:8 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

'The lawless one;' the embodiment of all the 'lawlessness' working in "mystery" for ages (2 Thessalonians 2:7): the "man of sin" (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Whom the Lord. So B. But 'Aleph (') A Delta G f g, Vulgate read 'the Jesus,' How awful that He whose name means God-Saviour should be the Destroyer! But the Church's salvation requires her foe's destruction. As Israel's reign in Canaan was ushered in by judgments on the nations for apostasy (for the Canaanites originally worshipped the true God: thus Melchizedek, king of Salem was "priest of the most high God" Genesis 14:18, Ammon and Moab came from righteous Lot), so the Son of David's reign in Zion and over the earth shall be preceded by judgments on apostate Christendom.

Consume ... and shall destroy. So Daniel 7:26; Daniel 11:45. He shall "consume" [analoi, 'Aleph ('); anelei (G337) B Delta] him by His mere breath (Isaiah 11:4; Isaiah 30:33) - the sentence of judgment betel the sharp sword out of His mouth (Revelation 19:15; Revelation 19:21). Antichrist's manifestation and destruction are declared together: at his height he is nearest his fall, like Herod, his type (Isaiah 1:24-27; Acts 12:20-23). The mere 'manifestation of Christ's coming' [epiphaneia tees parousias] is enough to "consume" him. He is "cast alive into a lake of fire" (Revelation 19:20). So the world-kingdom of the beast gives place to that of the Son of man and His saints. х Katargesei (G2673)] 'Destroy,' 'ABOLISH' (the same Greek, 2 Timothy 1:10), means, render powerless, cause every vestige of him to disappear. Compare as to Gog attacking Israel, and utterly destroyed by Yahweh, Ezekiel 38:1-23; Ezekiel 39:1-29. The first outburst or gleam of His presence is enough to abolish or render utterly powerless Antichrist, as darkness disappears before dawning day. This is for the Church's consolation. Next, his adherents are "slain with the sword out of His mouth." Bengel's distinction between 'the appearance of His coming' and the "coming" itself is not justified by 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:13, where the same [epiphaneia] appearing ("brightness") refers to the coming itself. "Manifestation of His presence" is in awful contrast to the revelation of the wicked one.

2 Thessalonians 2:8

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: