Preface: Paul, in this chapter, clears up the timetable of the rapture, the Tribulation and the second advent; but this does not appear to be cleared up very well in the English (the Greek is clear, however). Mostly, this chapter is about the man of lawlessness and the power behind him. At the end of this chapter, Paul exhorts the believers in Thessalonica and prays for them.

Bible Summary: Do not be alarmed about the day of the Lord. First the lawless one will appear, whom Jesus will destroy. Hold fast to our traditions.

This should be the most extensive examination of 2Thessalonians 2 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview:

Outline of Chapter 2:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–12         The Man of Lawlessness in the End Times

         vv.    13–15         Paul Offers Thanks for the Believers in Thessalonica and Encourages Them

         vv.    16–17         Paul Prays for the Believers in Thessalonica

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of 2Thessalonians 2 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of 2Thessalonians 2 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About 2Thessalonians 2

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to 2Thessalonians 2

         Introduction         The Principals of 2Thessalonians 2

         Introduction         The Places of 2Thessalonians 2

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of 2Thessalonians 2

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of 2Thessalonians 2 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of 2Thessalonians 2 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (2Thessalonians –)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.       3     An Abomination in the Temple Antiochus Epiphanes

         v.       3     What is the abomination of desolation? (From Got Questions?)

         v.       3     Titles for the Man of Lawlessness (from R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why 2Thessalonians 2 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from 2Thessalonians 2

         Summary            Jesus Christ in 2Thessalonians 2

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 2Thessalonians 2

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught 2Thessalonians 2

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of 2Thessalonians 2

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of 2Thessalonians 2

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An Introduction to 2Thessalonians 2

I ntroduction: 2Thessalonians 2 clearly lays out the order of events for the last days, beginning with the rapture. A person who understands this chapter is not going to be watching world events and making predictions that the time of the rapture is near. The man of sin is revealed after the rapture, even though he must obviously be alive prior to the Tribulation. We are wasting our times trying to pick him out.

The biggest problem to be cleared up in this chapter is a single word (apostasy), which word has such an impact on the Christian world, that nearly no one takes the original Greek word and translates it correctly, making the order of events as presented in this chapter, obscure. I will use both logic and Greek to sort this out. Either approach stands on its own.

At the end of this chapter, Paul offers up a prayer for the Thessalonian believers, but using quite an interesting Greek construction, the likes of which I have not seen before (I am only beginning to exegete the Pauline epistles). For those of you who are Greek students, you may find that aspect of this chapter to be quite fascinating.

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The Man of Lawlessness in the End Times

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    Now we keep on asking you (all), brothers, regarding the advent of the Lord of us, Jesus Christ, and of us an assembling together to Him, to not quickly be moved you (all) from the mind; and not to be troubled; and not with the spirit; and not with a word; and not with an epistle as with us as that has been placed the day of the Lord [possibly, of the Christ].

Complete Apostles’ Bible      Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we beseech you,

not to be quickly shaken from your mind, nor be disturbed, neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ has come.

Revised Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and of our gathering together unto him:

That you be not easily moved from your sense nor be terrified, neither by spirit nor by word nor by epistle. as sent from us, as if the day of the Lord were at hand.

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Eastern Aramaic Mnscrpts     .

James Murdock’s Syriac NT But we entreat of you, my brethren, in regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, and in respect to our being congregated unto him,

that ye be not soon agitated in your mind, nor be troubled, neither by word, nor by spirit, nor by letter, as coming from us, that lo, the day of our Lord is at hand.

Original Aramaic NT              But we beg of you, my brethren, concerning the arrival of Our Lord Yeshua The Messiah and concerning our assembling unto him,

That you would not be soon shaken in your minds, neither be troubled, either from word, nor from a spirit, neither from an epistle that is as if from us, namely, that, "Behold, The Day of Our Lord has arrived."

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         .

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now as to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our meeting with him, it is our desire, my brothers, That you may not be moved in mind or troubled by a spirit, or by a word, or by a letter as from us, with the suggestion that the day of the Lord is even now come;...

Bible in Worldwide English     My brothers, we want to talk to you about the time when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again and we are taken to meet him. Do not let your minds be easily upset. Do not be troubled by a spirit, or a message, or a letter. Do not be troubled if you hear that the day of the Lord has already come. Some people will say it came from us.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Brothers and sisters, we have something to say about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We want to talk to you about that time when we will meet together with him. Don't let yourselves be easily upset or worried if you hear that the day of the Lord has already come. Someone might say that this idea came from us--in something the Spirit told us, or in something we said, or in a letter we wrote.

God’s Word™                         Brothers and sisters, we have this request to make of you about our Lord Jesus Christ's coming and our gathering to meet him. Don't get upset right away or alarmed when someone claims that we said through some spirit, conversation, or letter that the day of the Lord has already come.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him: I beg you, my friends, not to be so easily confused in your thinking or upset by the claim that the Day of the Lord has come. Perhaps it is thought that we said this while prophesying or preaching, or that we wrote it in a letter.

The Message                         .

NIRV                                      .

New Life Version                    .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       When our Lord Jesus returns, we will be gathered up to meet him. So I ask you, my friends, not to be easily upset or disturbed by people who claim that the Lord has already come. They may say that they heard this directly from the Holy Spirit, or from someone else, or even that they read it in one of our letters.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        Now, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we plead with you, beloved friends, not to be easily confused or disturbed in your minds by any kind of spirit, rumor, or letter allegedly from us, claiming that the day of the Lord has already come.

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  Now I want to write to you about the time when our Lord Jesus the Messiah will return and when God will gather us together with Jesus. My fellow believers, I urge you to think calmly about any message that may have come to you. It does not matter if it is a message that someone claims God's Spirit revealed to him, or if it comes from some person, or if it is a letter that someone claims that I wrote: I do not want you to believe that the Lord Jesus has already returned to earth.

Williams’ New Testament      As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our final muster before Him, we beg you, brothers, not to let your minds be easily unsettled or even be excited, whether by some message by the Spirit or by some saying or letter that is claimed as coming from me, saying that the day of the Lord is already here.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            We ask you, brothers, on behalf of the arrival of our Master Jesus, the Anointed King, and our coming together in one place to Him, for the "for you not to be quickly disturbed away from the way of thinking, nor to be alarmed" thing, not through a spirit, not through a message, not through a letter (as if through us), as that the Master's day has stood here.

Common English Bible           .

Len Gane Paraphrase           Now we plead with you, brothers, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him. Don't be quickly upset in your mind or troubled, not by spirit, spoken word, or letter, as if from us, that the Day of Christ is at hand.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles Now, we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together to him, that you be not suddenly shaken in mind, nor alarmed, neither by spirit, not by report, nor by letter, as from us, intimating that the day of the Lord is at hand.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

NT for Everyone                     .

20^th Century New Testament As to the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being gathered to meet him, we beg you, Brothers, Not lightly to let your minds become unsettled, nor yet to be disturbed by any revelation, or by any message, or by any letter, purporting to come from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord is come.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

An Understandable Version   .

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Evangelical Heritage V.          .

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                .

Free Bible Version                 Talking about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we’re brought together to him, brother and sisters—please don’t become upset or concerned by any spiritual revelation, or message, or letter supposedly from us that makes you think that the day of the Lord has already come.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

International Standard V        The Lawless One

Now we ask you, brothers, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, [Or Christ] and our gathering together to him, not to be so quickly upset [Lit. shaken in mind] or alarmed when someone claims that we said, [Lit. as though by us] either by some spirit, conversation, or letter that the Day of the Lord has already come.

Lexham Bible                         .

Montgomery NT                     Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to meet him, I entreat you, brothers, not to be "quickly shaken out of your wits" and not to be agitated either by a spirit or by a message, or by an epistle purporting to be from me, saying, "The Day of the Lord is at hand."

NIV, ©2011                             .

Riverside New Testament      WITH regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to meet him, I beg you, brethren, not to be quickly unsettled in mind nor excited by either a revelation or by a message or a letter supposed to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is close at hand.

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      And we beseech you, brothers, in respect to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being brought together to him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, nor terrified, neither by a spirit, nor by a discourse, nor by an epistle as from us, as though the day of the Lord was at hand.

The Spoken English NT         .

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    .

Urim-Thummim Version         Now about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him, we ask you, brothers, that you not be easily disturbed in your thinking or troubled, neither by a spirit, nor by a message, nor by a letter that seems to be coming from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come.

Weymouth New Testament    But with respect to the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to meet Him, we entreat you, brethren, not readily to become unsettled in mind or troubled--either by any pretended spiritual revelation or by any message or letter claiming to have been sent by us--through fancying that the day of the Lord is now here.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Worsley’s New Testament    But as to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him, we beseech you, brethren, that ye be not soon moved from your steadiness of mind, or troubled, neither by Spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, that the day of Christ is at hand.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     .

The Heritage Bible                 .

New American Bible (2002)   .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New English Bible–1970        .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

New RSV                               .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               And, brothers, we entreat you, by the coming of our Master Yahshua Messiah, and of our gathering together to Him, that you not let your mind be hastily excited or troubled, neither by word, nor by spirit, nor by prophecy of the spirit, nor by an epistle, supposedly coming from us, stating that the day of our Master is at hand.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming. And we will be gathered together with him. But, brothers, we beg you not to allow your minds to be alarmed or quickly upset. Perhaps some spirit, message, or letter said, "The Day of the Lord has already come!" We sent no such lette.

The Scriptures 2009              As to the coming of our Master יהושע Messiah and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as if the day of יהוה has come.

Tree of Life Version                Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, concerning the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and our gathering together to Him, not to get shaken out of your mind or disturbed—either by a spirit or a word or a letter as if through us—as though the Day of the Lord has come.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...[We] ask but you* Brothers for the coming [of] the lord [of] us jesus christ and us meeting to him to the+ not soon to be shaken you* from the mind neither {you*} to be frightened neither through spirit neither through word neither through letter as {if She is written} through us as for has come The Day [of] the lord...

Alpha & Omega Bible            NOW WE REQUEST YOU, BRETHREN, ABOUT THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AND OUR GATHERING TOGETHER TO HIM, †(Concerning any rapture, catching up or real coming of JESUS. Compare with Matt. 24:3. Same Greek word for "Coming.")

THAT YOU NOT BE QUICKLY SHAKEN FROM YOUR COMPOSURE OR BE DISTURBED EITHER BY A SPIRIT OR A MESSAGE OR A LETTER AS IF FROM US, TO THE EFFECT THAT THE DAY OF THE LORD HAS COME. †(or anyone saying that Jesus could come tonight or tomorrow, or that He has come)

Awful Scroll Bible                   Moreover, we request of yous of the same-womb, in behalf of the being-besides of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, and of our drawing-together-before to Him,

for yous not to be quickly shaken of mind, and-not to be wailing, even-not by breath and-not by word, and-not by arranged-upon letters as by us, as to the Day of the Anointed One has stood-from-among.

Concordant Literal Version    .

exeGeses companion Bible   THE TORAH VIOLATOR

And we ask you, brothers,

by the parousia of our Adonay Yah Shua Messiah

and by our synagoguing together to him,

to not quickly shake the mind, or lament

- neither through spirit

nor through word

nor through epistle as though from us

- as that the day of the Messiah is present.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           We ask you, Achim b'Moshiach, concerning the Bias HaMoshiach (the Arrival,Coming of Moshiach) Yehoshua Adoneinu and our being gathered together to him [Moshiach],

that you not become too hastily disturbed from your spiritual composure nor frightened either by a ruach or by a dibur (saying, utterance) or by an iggeret (letter), as if from us, saying that the YOM HASHEM (Day of the L-rd, AMOS 5:18) has come.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

An Understandable Version   Now concerning the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being gathered to Him, brothers, we request that you people do not become shaken up in your mind, nor alarmed, either by a spirit [i.e., by some prophetic prediction], or by a report, or by a letter supposedly from us, that the day of the Lord [i.e., when Jesus returns] has already come.

The Expanded Bible              .

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Now we are asking (or: requesting) you, brothers (= believers), over [the subject of] the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ (or: concerning our Master, Jesus Christ, [being] present), and our being gathered together (or: being fully led together and assembling) upon Him:

in regard to this, you are not at any point to be quickly shaken (tossed, as by the sea, or caused to totter, like a reed) away from [your] mind (mental senses of perception; the ability to be aware and reason; wits; intelligent understanding), nor to be continuously alarmed (caused to cry aloud from nervousness or excitement), neither through a spirit (or: a breath-effect; an attitude), nor through a word (or: a thought; a message; a verbal communication), nor through a letter – as [if] by us – as though the Lord's Day (the Day of the Lord [= Yahweh or Christ]) has been set in place (placed in; made to stand in; has stood within so as to be here). [comment: the day of Yahweh was a term that figured a time of judging and hard times, in the Old Testament; e.g., cf Joel 1:15 and 2:1-2; Jer. 30:7; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:14-18]

Syndein/Thieme                     .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         The Man of Lawlessness Will Be Revealed

Now we ask you, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to him, that you not be easily shaken from your composure, nor be troubled either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter alleged to be from us [Literally “as if by us”], to the effect that the day of the Lord has arrived.

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Passion Translation        .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

The Spoken English NT         The Rebellion and the “Lawless One” Have to Come First
Now, let’s talk about our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming,^a and about our gathering to meet him.^b We ask you, brothers and sisters,

not to suddenly lose your head^c or panic over anything you hear. It may be something said through the Spirit, or a teaching, or a letter that‘s supposedly from us, that says something like “The Day of the Lord has arrived”

^a.Or “arrival”.

^b.See esp. 1Thess. 4:13-17, based on “the word of the Lord” (i.e. Jesus) in Matt. 24:30-31; Mark 13:26-27.

^c.Lit. “not to be shaken from your mind”.

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     The Day of Christ
Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him,¹ we urge you not to be quickly shaken from your conviction or disturbed, whether by a spirit or a word or a letter as from us, as though the day of Christ² has come.

(1) The reference is to the Rapture, presumably.

(2) Some 15% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘Lord’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.); the 85% that have ‘Christ’ (including the best line of transmission) are doubtless correct. I remember one day in a Greek exegesis class, the professor stated that one reason he preferred the ‘critical’ text (that reads ‘Lord’ here) is that it fit better with his view of eschatology—the ‘Day of Christ’ is usually associated with the Rapture and blessing of the saints, while the ‘Day of the Lord’ is usually associated with heavy judgment upon the world and unrepentant Israel, including the outpouring of wrath just before and after the Second Coming of Christ, when He returns in glory to establish His Millennial Reign. The perceived difficulty here would appear to be that while verses 1, 6 and 7 evidently relate to the Rapture, verses 3-4 and 8-10 evidently relate to the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming. What to do? Look carefully at the Text. In verse 2, why would the Thessalonian believers be “disturbed”? Someone was teaching that the Rapture had already happened and they had been left behind—I would be disturbed too! So ‘day of Christ’ is precisely correct with reference to the content of verses 1 and 2. The trouble comes in verse 3 because a clause is elided; as an aid to the reader translations usually supply a clause, preferably in italics to show that it is an addition, as in NKJV—“that Day will not come”. But that would put the Rapture after the revelation of the man of sin and the ‘abomination of desolation’—definitely not congenial to certain eschatological systems. An easy ‘solution’ would be to change ‘Christ’ to ‘Lord’ in verse 2, but that would put the Rapture within the ‘day of the Lord’—also not congenial. I submit that fine-tuning our view of eschatology is preferable to tampering with the Text.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

Analytical-Literal Translation  Now we request of you_p, brothers [and sisters], in regard to the Arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and of our gathering together to Him, for you_p not to be quickly shaken in mind nor to be disturbed, neither by spirit nor by word nor by letters as [written] by us, as [if] that Day of Christ has arrived.

Berean Literal Bible                .

Bond Slave Version               Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter presuming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come.

C. Thomson updated NT        .

Charles Thomson NT             Now, with respect to this coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the gathering of us together to him, we beseech you, brethren, not to be hastily shaken from your purpose; nor alarmed by any spirit, or by any word, or by any letter as from us, as if the day of the Christ was at hand.

Context Group Version          Now we urge you (pl), brothers, concerning the royal arrival {or presence; gr. Parousia} of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, and our meeting {Gk. Synagogueing} together to him; that you (pl) are not quickly shaken in your (pl) mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, as that the day of the Lord is here {or present}; let no man deceive you (pl) in any wise: for [it will not be,] unless the falling away comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is bowed down in deference; so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself out as God. Vv. 3–4 are included for context.

English Standard Version      .

Far Above All Translation       And we ask you, brothers concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering up to him, for you not to be quickly shaken from a sound mind nor to be troubled either through a spirit or a saying or an epistle supposedly from us, claiming that the day of Christ is immediately at hand.

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Literal New Testament           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  Now brethren, we request of you°, on behalf of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering-together upon {i.e. to, with} him, *that* you° might not be quickly shaken from the mind of yours°, nor be alarmed, (either through spirit, or through word, or through letter, as if it came through us), as that the day of the Christ is present.

Modern KJV                           .

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

NT (Variant Readings)           Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of °the Lord is just at hand;...

°Byz.-Christ

Niobi Study Bible                   Now we beseech you(p), brethren, by the (2nd) coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together (rapture) unto Him, that you(p) be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as if (it was) from us that the Day of Christ (Lord; tribulation) is at hand (present, here and now).

Revised Young's Lit. Trans.   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

Webster’s Translation           .

World English Bible                .

WEB: Messianic Edition         Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, and our gathering together to him, we ask you not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that the day of Messiah had come.

Worrell New Testament         .

Young’s Updated LT             .

The gist of this passage: 

Translation: Now we keep on asking you (all), brothers,...

Paul and the others have laid down some pretty strict explanations about the day of the Lord (or the day of Christ). As a result, Team Paul has been asking, desiring or entreating the Thessalonians to go back to what they have been taught on these subjects (which will be brought up in subsequent phrases).

Translation: ...regarding the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ;...

The doctrine in question is the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of the time when we find this phrasing, we are speaking of either the 1^st or 2^nd advent (appearance) of the Lord.

Translation: ...and [regarding] the assembling together of us to Him,...

I brought over the preposition from the previous phrase into this one. At this point, we are clearly speaking of the rapture. The rapture is when we will be caught up in the clouds and forever be together with the Lord.

2Thessalonians 2:1 Now we keep on asking you (all), brothers, regarding the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ; and [regarding] the assembling together of us to Him,... (Kukis nearly literal translation)

Translation: ...[for] you (all) not so quickly to be shaken of the mind;...

Paul has taught these things, but, apparently, the Thessalonians have been shaken in their minds; or agitated. So they have heard things which have them confused about where they are right now in the plan of God.

Translation: ...and not to be troubled—...

Paul is saying that they should not be troubled, and there are three possibly places where they might be troubled.

Translation: ...[specifically] not troubled by a spirit...

The Thessalonians are not to be troubled by a spirit. Now, despite this being the precanon period of the Church Age, I don’t think that Paul is referring to an angel or a demon teaching them—even by way of exaggeration—but by any spirit teaching them—that is, the spirit of a false teacher (who they might believe).

Translation: ...or by a word...

They are not to be troubled by a word, which could be a teaching, a message, a speech or even a revelation.

Translation: ...and [certainly] not by an epistle as [if from] us,...

They are not to be troubled by an epistles as if it came from Team Paul. Many a translator struggled with the particles hôs diá.

Translation: ...as though the day of Christ has been at hand.

What they are not to think is that, the day of the Lord (or the day of Christ) was now present or at hand. The perfect tense suggests that this has already happened, and they are now in the Tribulation.

Essentially Paul is going to tell them, this is impossible; that cannot have happened.

2Thessalonians 2:1–2 ...[for] you (all) not so quickly to be shaken of the mind; and not to be troubled—[specifically] not troubled by a spirit or by a word and [certainly] not by an epistle as [if from] us, as though the day of Christ has been at hand. (Kukis nearly literal translation)

2Thessalonians 2:1–2 Now we keep on asking you (all), brothers, regarding the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ; and [regarding] the assembling together of us to Him, [for] you (all) not so quickly to be shaken of the mind; and not to be troubled—[specifically] not troubled by a spirit or by a word and [certainly] not by an epistle as [if from] us, as though the day of Christ has been at hand. (Kukis nearly literal translation)

2Thessalonians 2:1–2 We have been asking you not to be shaken in your minds concerning the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ or about the assemblage of us to Him. Do not be troubled by a spirit or by a teaching or even by an epistle appearing to be send from us, as though the day of Christ is at hand. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    Not one to you (all) might deceive according to no manner that if not might come the departure first and is uncovered the man of the lawlessness [or, of sin], the son of the destruction; the one opposing and [the one] being exalted over all things being called god or [over any] object of worship. Accordingly to him in the Temple of the God to sit, confirming himself that he keeps on being God.

Complete Apostles Bible        Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is unveiled, the son of perdition,

who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or every object of worship, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Revised Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) Let no man deceive you by any means: for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition

Who opposeth and is lifted up above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself as if he were God.

V. Alexander’s Aramaic         .

Eastern Aramaic Manuscript  .

James Murdock’s Syriac NT Let no one deceive you in any way; because [that day will not come], unless there previously come a defection, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

who is an opposer, and exalteth himself above all that is called God and Worshipful; so that he also sitteth in the temple of God, as a God, and displayeth himself, as if he were God.

Original Aramaic NT              Let no man deceive you by any means, to the effect that surely no revolt will first come and The Man of Sin, The Son of Destruction, be revealed,

He who opposes and exalts himself against everything that is called God and religion, just as he will sit in the Temple of God, as God, and will show concerning himself as if he is God..

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Give no belief to false words: because there will first be a falling away from the faith, and the revelation of the man of sin, the son of destruction, 

Who puts himself against all authority, lifting himself up over all which is named God or is given worship; so that he takes his seat in the Temple of God, putting himself forward as God.

Bible in Worldwide English     Do not let anyone fool you in any way. Before the day of the Lord comes, many people will stop believing God. The Man of Evil will be seen. He is the evil one who will be destroyed for ever.

He will put himself against God. He will put himself above everything to do with God, and above everything that people worship. He will sit in Gods holy place and tell people that he is God.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Don't be fooled by anything they might say. That day of the Lord will not come until the turning away from God happens. And that day will not come until the Man of Evil appears, the one who belongs to hell. He will stand against and put himself above everything that people worship or think is worthy of worship. He will even go into God's Temple and sit there, claiming that he is God.

God’s Word™                         Don't let anyone deceive you about this in any way. That day cannot come unless a revolt takes place first, and the man of sin, the man of destruction, is revealed.

He opposes every so-called god or anything that is worshiped and places himself above them, sitting in God's temple and claiming to be God.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For the Day will not come until the final Rebellion takes place and the Wicked One appears, who is destined to hell.

He will oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in God's Temple and claim to be God.

The Message                         .

NIRV                                      .

New Life Version                    .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       But don't be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear.

He will brag and oppose everything that is holy or sacred. He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. Before that day comes the rebellion must occur and the “outlaw”—the destructive son—will be revealed in his true light.  He is the opposing counterpart who exalts himself over everything that is called “God” or is worshiped and who sits enthroned in God’s temple and makes himself out to be a god.

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  Do not allow anyone to persuade you to believe such a message. The Lord will not come immediately. First, many people will rebel against God. They will accept and obey a certain man who will sin very greatly against God, the one whom God will destroy. He will be the supreme enemy of God. He will proudly work against everything that people consider to be God and everything that people worship. As a result, he will even enter God's temple and sit down there to rule! He will publicly proclaim that he himself is God!.

Williams’ New Testament      Do not let anybody at all deceive you about this, because that cannot take place until the great revolt occurs and the representative of lawlessness is uncovered, the one who is doomed to destruction, the one who keeps up his opposition and so far exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, that he actually takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            No one should completely fool you by any means because it will not happen unless the divorce comes first and the man of the crime, the son of the ruin, is uncovered, the one lying in opposition and being raised up over everything that is called a god or a worshipped object in such a way for him to be seated in God's temple showing himself off that he is God.

Common English Bible           .

Len Gane Paraphrase           Don't let anyone deceive you by any method, for [that day will not come] unless a falling away comes first and that man of sin, the son of perdition, is revealed. He opposes and exalts himself above everything that is called god or what is worshipped, so that he, as if God, sits in God's temple showing that he, himself, is god.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles Let no one lead you into a mistake by any means; because the apostasy must first appear, and the man of sin, the son of perdition, must be first revealed, who opposes and exalts himself against every one called a god, or an object of worship; so that he places himself in the temple of God, openly exhibiting himself, that he is a god.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

NT for Everyone                     .

20^th Century New Testament Do not let any one deceive you, whatever he may do. For it will not come until after the Great Apostasy, and the appearing of that Incarnation of Wickedness, that the Lost soul, Who so opposes himself to every one that is spoken of as a God or as an object of worship, and so exalts himself above them, that he seats himself in the Temple of God, and displays himself as God!

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

An Understandable Version   .

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Evangelical Heritage V.          .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

Free Bible Version                 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, because the Rebellion* must come first, and the lawless man be revealed, the one whose end is destruction.

He is the enemy of God, and proudly sets himself up over everything that is called God and is worshiped. He even installs himself in God’s temple, claiming to be God.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

Holman Christian Standard    .

International Standard V        Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for it will not come unless the rebellion [Or apostasy] takes place first and the man of sin, [Other mss. read man of lawlessness] who is destined for destruction, [Lit. the son of destruction] is revealed. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary [Or temple] of God and himself declares that he is God.

Lexham Bible                         .

Montgomery NT                      Let no one deceive you by any means. For it will not come until after the Great Apostasy, and the revealing of the Man of Sin, the son of perdition, the adversary, who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God, or is an object of worship; so that he takes his seat in the Temple of God, and vaunts himself as God.

NIV, ©2011                             .

Riverside New Testament      .

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      .

The Spoken English NT         .

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not come until after the falling away comes, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. [ Some older versions read, and the man of sin is revealed. ] This is he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped. As a result, he sits in the temple of God and exhibits himself as God.

Urim-Thummim Version         Let no one deceive you by any means that that Day will not come, except there come a falling away first and that man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim, or that is worshipped; so that he as "Elohim" sits in the Temple of Elohim, showing himself that he is "Elohim".

Weymouth New Testament    Let no one in any way deceive you, for that day cannot come without the coming of the apostasy first, and the appearing of the man of sin, the son of perdition, who sets himself against, and exalts himself above, every so-called 'god' or object of worship, and goes the length of taking his seat in the very temple of God, giving it out that he himself is God.

Wikipedia Bible Project          Let no man deceive you in any way; that day shall not come until there is first a written divorcement and that this wandering from righteousness is uncovered: this progeny of destruction that opposes and lifts itself up over all speaking of God or else is honored as if it were God, is appointed among the churches demonstrating itself as their God. [From the epistles to the Thessalonians, the WBP translates only 1Thessalonians 1:1–10 2:1–12 2Thessalonians 2:3–12.]

Worsley’s New Testament    .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  .

The Heritage Bible                 .

New American Bible (2002)   .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New English Bible–1970        .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

New RSV                               .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Hebraic Roots Bible               Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, because that Day will not come unless first there comes a great rebellion, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, the one opposing and exalting himself over everything being called Elohim, or object of reverence, so as for him "To sit in the sanctuary of Elohim" as an El, and sets himself forth, as if he is a Elohim. (Dan. 11:36; Eze. 28:2)

Holy New Covenant Trans.    Don’t let anyone fool you like that because "the falling away" must come first. The lawless man, the son of destruction, will be revealed then. He will be against everything that people worship or think is divine. He will lift himself above all of these things. He will even sit in God’s temple sanctuary, claiming that he is God.

The Scriptures 2009              Let no one deceive you in any way, because the falling away is to come first, and the man of lawlessness^a is to be revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim or that is worshipped, so that he sits as Elohim in the Dwelling Place of Elohim, showing himself that he is Elohim.

^aSee Dan. 11:36-39. 

Tree of Life Version                .

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...not Someone you* may deceive in no way for if not may come The Separation firstly and may be revealed The Man [of] the lawlessness The Son [of] the destruction The [Man] Opposing and Being Raised to all [things] [him] being said god or idol that him to the temple [of] the god to sit (down) proving himself for [He] is God...

Alpha & Omega Bible            LET NO ONE IN ANY WAY DECEIVE YOU. (It's) NOT UNTIL THE APOSTASY COMES FIRST, AND THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS IS REVEALED/MANIFESTED, THE SON OF PERDITION, †(Compare "Let no one in any way deceive you" with Matt. 24:4 to Matt. 24:5. Compare "apostasy comes first" with Matt. 24:10 "many will fall away." Compare "lawlessness" with Matt. 24:12 "lawlessness." The Greek word here for "Apostasy" refers to an extreme magnitude of falling away. It’s much more than people backsliding due to weakness. It’s outright choosing to reject Jesus & His Truth despite the fact that they had the opportunity to accept & abide in the truth in Jesus. It is choosing wickedness. In the context of this chapter & in Jehoshea/Joshua 22:23, it goes even further. It's falling away from JESUS so much that they embrace Assad as God instead of the true JESUS, thus breaking the First Commandment that thou SHALL have no other GOD. "Perdition" is Strong's G684 "apoleia" which means destruction. It’s a variant of "Abaddon" & "Apollo" in Rev. 9:11. "Revealed" is Greek 601 - apokalypto: "to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up, disclose, make bare, to make known, make MANIFEST, disclose what before was unknown." Antiochus Epiphanes had coins made with images of himself & the words "Theos Epiphanes" which means "GOD SEEN" or “GOD MANIFEST.” He claimed to be Apollo & the son of Apollo. He claimed to be God in the flesh. He was the king of Syria during the times of the Maccabees. He is the same fallen angel of the end time king of Rev. 17:11 & Rev. 9:11. He has already been seen for decades but in this context he deceivingly displays himself as being God.)

WHO OPPOSES AND EXALTS HIMSELF ABOVE EVERYONE CALLED GOD OR OBJECT OF WORSHIP, SO THAT [he will] SIT IN THE TEMPLE OF THEOS (The Alpha & Omega), EXHIBITING HIMSELF AS BEING THEOS (The Alpha & Omega). †("Displaying" is G584 - apodeiknymi: "show forth, to expose to view, exhibit, to show, to prove what kind of person anyone is, to prove by arguments, demonstrate." "Sit" can mean to sit down on a seat/throne but can also mean to claim/establish government rulership. In this context, the son of perdition attempts to do both. He could stand on the Temple Mount claiming to be God but that would not be very effective. But by showing/displaying himself in the sky, in the Seat of GOD in The Temple of GOD in Heaven, showing himself as king, that WOULD be VERY effective. He will pretend to be Theos. He exalts himself above all gods of all religions, even above Allah. Just before the Great Tribulation, In Rev. 12:7. Satan & the other fallen angels including Apollo/Assad/Antiochus wage war in Heaven in an attempt to overthrow Theos. Although they will be unsuccessful, Theos will cause Michael the good archangel to step aside, be taken out of the way, to allow Assad to momentarily sit in THE Seat of GOD in the Temple of GOD in Heaven, displaying himself to the world as GOD/Theos, then be cast down unto the Earth. Assad will descend from the sky in a fake coming of Jesus & land in Damascus. This is the Strong Delusion of verse 11.)

Awful Scroll Bible                   Let there not be anyone beguiling- yous -away along any turning, certainly-of-which if- there shall -not come the apostasy first, and he of the aspects-of-man of missing-the-mark, shall be brought-out-of-suppression, the son of destroying-away,

the one laying-against and being lifted- himself -over, upon everything being called God or is worshiped, so-as he as to God, is to accordingly-sit in the temple of God, exhibiting- himself -away certainly-of-who he is God.

Concordant Literal Version    No one should be deluding you by any method, for, should not the apostasy be coming first and the man of lawlessness be unveiled, the son of destruction,

who is opposing and lifting himself up over everyone termed a god or an object of veneration, so that he is seated in the temple of God, demonstrating that he himself is God?.

exeGeses companion Bible   Be not seduced by anyone in any manner:

- because unless *.

*this sentence is incomplete in the mss

First comes an apostatizing

and the unveiling of the human of sin

- the son of destruction

- the adversary who superciliously exalts himself

above all that is worded Elohim, or that is venerated

- so that he, as Elohim, sits in the nave of Elohim,

shewing himself to be Elohim.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Let no one in any way lead you astray, because, unless the Merid (Rebellion, Revolt, the [Anti-Moshiach] Shmad Betrayal Defection of Apostasy, the Azivah Abandonment) Desertion comes rishonah (first), and the Apocalypse of the Ish HaMufkarut (Man of Lawlessness), the Ish HaChatta'ah Ben HaAvaddon (Man of Sin, Son of Destruction Anti-Moshiach) is unveiled.

I'm referring to the one setting himself against and exalting himself AL KOL EL (above every G-d, DANIEL 11:36), above all that is given the appellation "G-d" or object of worship, with the result that in the Beis Hamikdash Heikhal he sits down on the MOSHAV ELOHIM (throne of G-d, YECHEZKEL 28:2), proclaiming that he himself is Elohim.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

An Understandable Version   Do not allow anyone to deceive you in any way, for it will not occur until the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness becomes evident. [Note: This “rebellion” refers to a significant falling away from the teaching and practice of true Christianity (See I Tim. 4:1), characterized by the rise of an authoritarian religious leader]. This man is doomed to be destroyed [for] he opposes [the true Gospel message] and exalts himself against everything that is called “God” or that which is worshiped. So, he sits in God’s temple [i.e., the church (?)] displaying himself as [though he were] God.

The Expanded Bible              .

Jonathan Mitchell NT             May no one at any point beguile or seduce you folks from a deception – not even down from one turn (or: not according to one method; not in the sphere of a manner or disposition) – because should not the standing away from (the departure; the setting away; or: the rebellion; the revolt) come first, and thus the human from the lawlessness – the person of failure (some MSS: the Man who missed the mark – sinned; the human being with the qualities and character of error and mistake; [other MSS: the person owned by lawlessness or associated with illegal acts]) – be uncovered (unveiled; revealed; disclosed): the son of the loss (= the person having the qualities of, or the character resulting from, the destruction),

the one continuously occupying an opposite position (or: constantly lying as the opposing counterpart) and repeatedly lifting (or: raising) himself up over all (or: upon everything) being normally called God or an effect of worship (or: reverent awe), so as to cause him to be seated – down into the midst of the temple of God (or: God's dwelling place) – continuously displaying himself, that this/it is God (or: continuously pointing out that he himself is a god)?

P. Kretzmann Commentary    .

Syndein/Thieme                     .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         .

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Passion Translation        .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

The Spoken English NT         Don’t let anybody trick you in any way. Because the rebellion has to come first, and the Lawless One^d is going to be revealed. He’s the one who’s destined for destruction.^e

He is against, and he puts himself above, everything that’s called “God”^f or is worshiped. He finally sits in God’s temple, publicly presenting himself as being God.^g

^d.Some mss have “the Sinful One”.

^e.Lit. “the son of destruction”; see John 17:12, which uses the same expression of Judas Iscariot, and “Bible Words” under “children of”.

^f.Or “everything that’s regarded as divine”.

^g.See Dan. 11:36; Ezek. 28:2.

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     The man of sin
Don’t let anyone deceive you by any means; because that day cannot come unless the rebellion³ comes first and the man of sin⁴ is revealed, the son of ruin,⁵ who opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called a god or an object of worship, to the point of taking his seat as God in God’s sanctuary, proclaiming himself to be God.

(3) There has been no end of rebellion down through the centuries, but this one will be worse.

(4) Some 5% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘lawlessness’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.), but the 95% (including the best line of transmission) are doubtless correct. Yes, ‘the’ man of sin—there have been no end of evil men down through the centuries, but this one will be really bad.

(5) He is characterized by ruin; he ruins everything he touches (like Midas).

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

Analytical-Literal Translation  Let no one deceive you_p by any means, because [that Day will not come] unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction [or, the one destined to be lost], the one being in opposition [or, being hostile] and puffing himself up with pride over every [thing] being called god or [every] object of worship, with the result that he sits down in the sanctuary of God as God, displaying himself that he is God.

Berean Literal Bible                .

Bond Slave Version               .

C. Thomson updated NT        .

Charles Thomson NT             Let no one by any means deceive you that it is, until the apostacy hath first come, and the man of sin hath been revealed: that son of perdition

who setteth himself against, and exalteth himself above, all that is called God, or an object of worship; so as to seat himself as God in the temple of God, pointing himself out that he is God.

Context Group Version          .

English Standard Version      .

Far Above All Translation       .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Literal New Testament           .

Literal Standard Version        And we ask you, brothers, in regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of our gathering together to Him,

that you are not quickly shaken in mind, nor be troubled, neither through spirit, neither through word, neither through letters as through us, as that the Day of the LORD has arrived;

do not let anyone deceive you in any way, because if the departure may not come first, the man of lawlessness may [not] be revealed—the son of destruction,

who is opposing and is raising himself up above all called god or worshiped, so as for him to have sat down in the temple of God, proclaiming that he is God. Vv. 1–2 are included for context. [Note the word departure in the LSV. So far, I have found that translation in the WEB–Messianic edition (Hebrew Names version); and that translation is noted in the Niobi Study Bible (below)]

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  Do not let anyone deceive you° in any manner, because that day will not come, if the apostasy does not come first and the man of sin, the son of destruction, should be revealed.

He who lays in opposition to us and promotes himself against everyone being called* a god or worshiped object; so-as to sit in the temple of God as a god, showing himself that he is a god.

Modern KJV                           .

New American Standard        .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

NT (Variant Readings)           ...let no man beguile you by any means: for [it will not be], except the falling away come first, and the man of *lawlessness be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called god or that is worshiped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God|as God|, setting himself forth as God.

*Byz.-sin

Niobi Study Bible                   Let no man deceive you(p) by any means, for that Day shall not come (don't be worried as if the day is present), except (unless) there come a falling away (departure or rapture) first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself to be God.

Revised Young's Lit. Trans.   .

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Translation           .

World English Bible                .

Worrell New Testament         .

Young’s Updated LT             .

The gist of this passage: 

3-4

Translation: Let no one deceive you (all) in any way...

Here, we have the prohibitive subjunctive, which is a negative command, forbidding some action. This most typically involves a verb in the aorist tense and the negative mê, which is exactly what we have here. Therefore, the translation let no one deceive you in any way is accurate.

How are they being deceived? They have been told that the Day of the Lord has come (v. 2).

Translation: ...that unless the departure comes first...

Now, filling in what they are being deceived about, we have ...that (day will not come) unless the departure comes first...

The word departure is apostasia (ἀποστασία) [pronounced ahp-os-tahs-EE-ah], and it means, a falling away, defection, departure, forsaking, abandonment; and transliterated apostasy. Strong’s #646. The short explanation is this: if there is an object (actually, a genitive/ablative), like the word faith, then this word would be translated a defection from the faith, a departure from doctrine, a forsaking of doctrine. We have given meaning to this word by transliterating it into the English, but the transliteration apostasy does not mean that this word actually means apostasy. It would mean apostasy if we are talking about a departure from the faith, a departure from Bible doctrine, a defection from Christ, etc.

Let’s look at a parallel example taken right from v. 3c. We are going to find out that in v. 3c, we have the word apokaluptô (ἀποκαλύπτω) [pronounced ap-ok-al-OOP-toe], which is the basis for our word apocalypse. We all have an idea about what the apocalypse is, but this word does not actually mean apocalypse. So, translators who translate apostasia as apostasy do not remain consistent and translate apokaluptô as apocalypse. In fact, no translator transliterates apokaluptô.

But there is no genitive affixed to apostasia, so it stands by itself. By itself, it simply means, departure. In Acts 21:21, the only other place in the Bible where this word occurs, we have the phrase, ...you keep on teaching a departure (defection) from Moses... (this is an accusation made against Paul).

Let’s consider this phrase in context with a bit of logic: the Thessalonians ought to know that, the day of the Lord cannot come unless the departure come first. Remember that, at the time of writing, the gentile believers were just beginning. They were starting out in this city, and then that city; and then in another city. They may start out as a group of 10 people, which then grows to 20, then to 50. You have, no doubt, heard of mega-churches, where there might be 5,000 or 10,000 or even more people attending the same church. We do not have a mega-church in Thessalonica. Now, Jesus did have such numbers who, on occasion, gathered to Him; but these new gentile believers are coming on board, but this is not a massive response.

Given that, exactly how would they understand or define a falling away from the faith?

Now, setting that aside, how would you define a defection from the faith? Would you definition be the same as mine? Would we both see the same event and in unison exclaim, “Now, that is a falling away from the faith!” Europe was, for a time, the center of Christianity. England in particular was the center of Christianity. Since then, there has been a falling away from the faith. Some churches have become mosques in Europe. Does that mean that the apostasy has come?

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that, this thing—the departure—must come first before the man of sin is revealed. We cannot clearly identify in any quantifiable way exactly what the apostasy would be, if that is what Paul is describing, even though he presents it as a sign or a benchmark which must happen first.

Now the correct understanding of apostasia fixes all of this and is easily recognizable, where you and I could see this same event (actually, we potentially are participants in this event), and we would have no problem agreeing that it has taken place: the rapture, the departure of believers from the earth. Once that happens, then the son of perdition is revealed. Not until then. So, we are wasting out time considering various world leaders and saying, “There, that man is the man of sin!” He is not revealed until after the departure; until after the rapture.

The problem with so many Christians and this passage is, they are sloppy. They are sloppy thinkers; they are not applying their entire brain to the process. So, I know you have probably heard messages on this passage before, and they talk about the great falling away; but that is pure-dee nonsense. In any given generation, we see a great falling away here; but over there, an adding of believers to the church. And I have heard programs where the hosts actually try to identify various world leaders as the players of the Tribulation. But we do not know. And, more importantly, we cannot make any predictions about this or that time table (the Tribulation is near!) because we are unable to identify anyone until after the departure takes place.

Translation: ...and the man of sin is revealed,...

The departure comes first; and this is followed by the revealing of the man of sin. Now, revealing is in the subjunctive, which means that not everyone is going to know who this guy is.

Translation: ...the son of (eternal) damnation.

The man of sin (or of lawlessness) is also known as the son of eternal damnation.

2Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive you (all) in any way that unless the departure comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of (eternal) damnation. (Kukis nearly literal translation)

Translation: [He is] the one opposing...

I have inserted the words he is, in order to begin a new sentence.

This would be a man in opposition to Jesus Christ.

There are two participles and two objects, you might say. Should the opposition be against the first direct object?