the accuser · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
with
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
all
πάσῃpasē
G3956
all · adjective — dative singular feminine
power
δυνάμειdunamei
G1411
force (literally or figuratively) · noun — dative singular feminine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
signs
σημείοιςsēmeiois
G4592
an indication · noun — dative plural neuter
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
lying
ψεύδουςpseudous
G5579
a falsehood · noun — genitive singular neuter
wonders
τέρασινterasin
G5059
a prodigy or omen · noun — dative plural neuter
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they sh…
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the…
Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now w…
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that…
John 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
Deuteronomy 13:1-2 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12
In these words the apostle confutes the error against which he had cautioned them, and gives the reasons why they should not expect the coming of Christ as just at hand. There were several events previous to the second coming of Christ; in particular, he tells them there would be,
I. A general apostasy, there would come a falling away first, Th2 2:3. By this apostasy we are not to understand a defection in the state, or from civil government, but in spiritual or religious matters, from sound doctrine, instituted worship and church government, and a holy life. The apostle speaks of some very great apostasy, not only of some converted Jews or Gentiles, but such as should be very general, thoug…
whose coming--The same Greek as was used for the Lord's coming (Th2 2:8) or personal "presence."
is--in its essential character.
after--according to the working ("energy") of Satan, as opposed to the energy or working of the Holy Spirit in the Church (see on Eph 1:19). As Christ is related to God, so is Antichrist to Satan, his visible embodiment and manifestation: Satan works through him. Rev 13:2, "The dragon gave him (the beast) his power . . . seat . . . great authority."
lying wonders--literally, "wonders" or "prodigies of falsehood." His "power, signs, and wonders," all have falsehood for their base, essence, and aim (Joh 8:44), [ALFORD]. In Mat 24:24 Jesus implies that the mirac…
Whose coming is after the working of Satan - The operation of God's Spirit sends his messengers; the operation of Satan's spirit sends his emissaries. The one comes κατ' ενεργειαν του Θεου, after or according to the energy or inward powerful working of God; the other comes κατ' ενεργειαν του Σατανα, according to the energy or inward working of Satan.
With all power - Πασῃ δυναμει· All kinds of miracles, like the Egyptian magicians; and signs and lying wonders: the word lying may be applied to the whole of these; they were lying miracles, lying signs, and lying wonders; only appearances of what was real, and done to give credit to his presumption and imposture. Whereas God sent his messenger…
The Church Fathers
But whichsoever of the two it is, I want to know why he comes "in all power, and with lying signs and wonders? " "Because," he says, "they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved; for which cause God shall send them an instinct of delusion (to believe a lie), that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
"And his coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders." This means that Satan will use him as his personal instrument. Realizing that his own condemnation will be no longer deferred, he will no longer wage war through his ministers in his usual way, but now openly, in person. "With all signs and lying wonders," for the father of falsehood will display his lying works and cheating fantasies, to make the people think they see a dead man raised, when he is not raised, and the lame walking, and the blind receiving sight, when there have been no such cures.
Thus it is that what is obscure in the words of the apostle has given rise to various conjectures. Yet, of one thing there is no doubt, namely, that Paul meant Christ will not come to judge the living and the dead until after his adversary, Antichrist, has come to seduce the souls of the dead. And, of course, the fact that those souls are to be seduced is already a part of God's hidden judgment.… There seems to be some ambiguity in the expression "pretended signs and wonders." It may be that Satan is to deceive men's senses by means of phantasms, in which they imagine they see wonders which are nonexistent. Or perhaps true miracles will lead into deception those who ought to believe that miracles can be done only by God but who mistakenly ascribe them to the devil's power, particularly at a time when Satan is to be given unheard-of power.… What the devil does is done with his own wicked and malign purpose, but it is permitted by God's just judgment so "that all may be judged who have not believed the truth but have preferred wickedness." Thus it comes about that judgments both precede and follow the deception. Those who are deceived are antecedently judged by these judgments of God, covertly just and justly covert, by which he has never ceased to judge even since the first sin of his rational creature. Those are deceived and subsequently judged in a last and overt judgment by Christ Jesus, who is to be the great judge of all judges as he was the victim of the most unjust of all judgments.
Dictionary and topics
Antichrist — Against Christ, or an opposition Christ, a rival Christ. The word is used only by the apostle John. Referring to false teachers, he says (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7), “Even now are there many…
Man of sin — A designation of Antichrist given in 2 Thess. 2:3-10, usually regarded as descriptive of the Papal power; but “in whomsoever these distinctive features are found, whoever wields temporal and…
Miracle — An event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses, and designed to…
Antichrist · 13:6,21,22; — 13:6,21,22;
Contingencies · IN DIVINE GOVERNMENT OF MAN — IN DIVINE GOVERNMENT OF MAN
Devil, The · Works lying wonders — Works lying wonders
Lying · A characteristic of the Apostasy — A characteristic of the Apostasy
Miracles Through Evil Agents · Performed through the power of the devil — Performed through the power of the devil
Miraculous Gifts Of The Holy Spirit · Counterfeited by Antichrist — Counterfeited by Antichrist
Reprobacy · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Sorcery · Messages of, false — Messages of, false
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan,.... That is, as a deceiver, a liar, and a murderer; for such was the working of Satan with our first parents; he seduced Eve, not only by subtlety, but by lying; he abode not in the truth, is the father of lies, and a murderer from the beginning: and such is the working of antichrist his firstborn; he comes in a deceitful way, under a profession of Christ, and a pretension of faith in him, and love to him; but speaks lies in hypocrisy, for such are his doctrines and tenets; and is not only a murderer of the bodies of the saints, but of the souls of men; which are the wares the whore of Babylon deals in:
with all power; not omnipotence, fo…
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
9. Cuius adventus est secundum operationem (vel, efficaciam) Satanae, in omni potentia, et signis et prodigiis mendacibus,
10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
10. Et in omni deceptione iniustitiae, in iis qui pereunt: pro eo quod dilectionem veritatis non sunt amplexi, ut salvi fierent.
11. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
11. Propterea mittet illis Deus operationem (vel, efficaciam) imposturae, ut cred…
As Christ will appear in royal and divine power (his parousia; 2:1, 8; 1 Thes 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23), this figure similarly will come (parousia) with a royal entrance.
