According to Paul, those who rejected the Gospel would perish (2Thessalonians 2:10), but what does he mean by saying they would perish? Does he mean these folks would be eternally judged and perish forever? Notice that Paul switches from using singular pronouns (his and him) that describe the man of sin or the wicked one in 2Thessalonians 2:8-9 to using plural pronouns (them and they) in 2Thessalonians 2:10-12. It seems that Paul switches in 2Thessalonians 2:10 from speaking of the wicked one to speaking of those who had believed him. The wicked one rejected the Gospel, so this group of people also rejected the Gospel. The man of sin persecuted believers, and, likewise, this group of people persecuted believers or cooperated in some manner with the persecution. Who are they, and what is or was their punishment?
Notice that the text says God would send this group of people strong delusion (G4106), in order that they would believe a lie. What does that mean? Does God lie to folks? Does he compel certain people to reject the Gospel? Of course not, and because the text seems to say this, because of how we have normally understood Paul’s letter, we need to reconsider what we think Paul is telling the believers at Thessalonica. We cannot allow the text to contradict the truth (John 10:35). If we think the text contradicts truth, then it is our understanding of the truth that needs to be reconsidered and changed accordingly, not that the word of God needs to be changed or bent to agree with our sense of the truth. The Greek word for delusion (G4106) is used ten times in the New Covenant Scriptures.[1] According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon the word means: “a wandering, a straying about; one led astray from the right way; …mental straying; error, …that which leads into error, deceit or fraud.” In other words, the Greek word doesn’t seem to be speaking of sin per se. Rather, it seems to be speaking of an argument presented against the Gospel. It is something that leads one to disbelieve and reject the Gospel.
According to Paul, then, those people who follow the wicked one and reject the Gospel (2Thessalonians 2:8-10), even going so far as approving of or participating in the persecution of the elect, those people would perish (G622). God would send them strong delusion (G4106). Therefore, the delusion sent them by the Lord couldn’t be to get them to reject the Gospel, because they’ve already rejected it and were willing to approve and / or participate in the persecution of the elect. The lie that the Lord causes them to believe, therefore, must be something other than rejecting the Gospel, which they’ve already done by believing and following the wicked one.
What Paul is saying is that a line would be crossed beyond which there is no turning back as far as reaping the rewards of one’s actions is concerned. Some call it “the unpardonable sin” but there is no such thing.[2] What the Scriptures speak of is a sin that cannot go unpunished. The Lord can and does forgive any and all our sins, but this doesn’t mean we get off scot-free. If a line has been crossed, just punishment must be endured. For example, I could abuse drugs or alcohol and become addicted to one or both. I may sincerely repent, but I’ve crossed the line, and barring a miracle I must go through a painful rehabilitation. Likewise, the folks in the first century AD, who followed the man of sin and approved of the persecution of the elect, crossed the line, and they had to be punished and they perished (G622) in the war of the Jews with Rome in 66-70 AD. Josephus, the first century AD Jewish historian, describes a terrible time in which millions of Jews died through famine, disease and the sword. Many of those who survived were brought to Rome and sold as slaves. It was a terrible punishment, but this doesn’t mean God hated them or didn’t forgive them (cp. Luke 23:34; John 11:41-42). It only means God punished their behavior, because they had to understand it was their error that was the cause of their destruction. The lie or delusion God sent them was what they already accepted as true. The Lord simply doubled down on it, preventing them from considering otherwise and see the end of their ways, and those ways included taking pleasure in persecuting the innocent (2Thessalonians 2:11-12). It wasn’t a matter of whether or not one repented, but, rather, whether or not the deed that was done demanded justice.
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[1] See: Matthew 27:64; Romans 1:27; Ephesians 4:14; 1Thessalonians 2:3; 2Thessalonians 2:11; James 5:20; 2Peter 2:18; 3:17; 1John 4:6; Jude 1:11.
[2] See my earlier study: What About the Unforgivable Sin.
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