I was reading 2 Thessalonians and I am confused on chapter 2 especially verse 8-9 “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: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” Is this two separate beings? “that wicked” is not Satan because he is “after the working of Satan” so who is he? and what does it mean “destroy with the brightness of His coming”? Thank you, David Peery
First century Christians supposed that Jesus Christ would execute his second coming within their lifetime. Various New Testament references attempt to disarm that first century erroneous conviction, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 where the apostle Paul assures the living saints that deceased saints are not disadvantaged because they died before the Second Coming. In the second epistle to the Thessalonians, the apostle again tries to alleviate the misconception that Jesus Christ must necessarily come immediately. It was then as even now, as far as mortals know, the case that Jesus Christ could return soon while we yet live or at any time in the future. We just don’t know when Jesus Christ is coming again and therefore must be prepared always (Matthew 24:36-44).
Second Thessalonians 2:1-2 identify the chapter’s topic to concern the misgivings the Thessalonians had regarding the imminent return of Christ, and even that some would falsely persuade them of the soon approaching return of Jesus Christ. Verse three apprises the Thessalonians that “a falling away” or apostasy would occur before the return of Christ, so they could at that time be assured the imminence of Christ’s return was not yet. Verses 4-12 give some details of the apostasy of which Paul spoke, plus the reassurance that Jesus Christ would be victorious over the apostates.
The King James Version rendering of verse eight is misleading as the translators capitalized “Wicked.” Other versions of the Bible do not use capitalization here. Perhaps someone in particular will characterize this great apostasy, such as a chief antichrist. Exactly which apostasy is here addressed, whether it has transpired yet and who in particular may be this great wicked or lawless one is not precisely known and is a matter of varying application depending on which commentator one consults. Figurative references are attributed to Jesus Christ in the final victory.
