King James Version · Under Rome
2 Thessalonians 2
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Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our , and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in , or be troubled, neither by , nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of be , the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called , or that is ; so that he as sitteth in of , shewing himself that he is . Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be in his time. For of doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of . And then shall that be , whom shall consume with of his , and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of with all and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that ; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be . And for this cause shall send them strong delusion, that they should a lie: That they all might be damned who not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to for you, brethren beloved of , because hath chosen you to through sanctification of and of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our , to the obtaining of the of our . Therefore, brethren, stand , and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our himself, and , even , which hath loved us, and hath given us consolation and good through , Comfort your , and stablish you in every good word and work.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- Where does the church's authority come from? · 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.