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phrase διʼ ἐπιστολῆς (“by letter”) Paul refutes anything written that contradicted his own
teaching. No evidence is given as to whether a letter was written that forged Paul’s name or
whether the Thessalonians misunderstood a letter written by Paul or one of his coworkers. Any
theory of a lost letter bears no evidence or proof. It is not known what the source of the false
teaching was, and Paul’s words here imply that even he himself did not know. Paul is simply
indicating any means by which such a teaching would have come to them. Whatever or whoever
it was, it gave the impression that the message came from Paul. Paul quickly eradicates any
belief that such contradictory teachings came from him.
The verb ἐνέστηκεν is the perfect active indicative form of ἐνίστημι, meaning “it has
come.” This verb tense captures the essence of the worry that overwhelmed the Thessalonians.
They believed that the day of the Lord had already come and that they had somehow missed it.
The perfect tense implies an action already taken place with the present sense, not merely
approaching but already having arrived with continuing effects. Robertson in his grammar
categorizes this verb as a durative perfect. 31 To contrast their worried beliefs Paul proceeds to
tell them why the day of the Lord had not come yet, and he describes what must precede that
final day. F.F. Bruce observes,
Paul and his colleagues, who knew more about their converts’ problem than the exegete
of today can know, judged that it would help them to be told something about the
sequence of events leading up to the Day of the Lord. They had been taught about the
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actual events, but they needed to have them set in their chronological relationship.
Events to precede Christ’s return
3 Μή τις ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατήσῃ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον. ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθῃ ἡ ἀποστασία πρῶτον καὶ
ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας,
3) Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For [that day will not come] unless the apostasy
comes first and the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, is revealed,
The apostle continues to urge stalwart faith in God’s truth. Paul continues with his
encouragement, taking a more direct approach. He uses a prohibitory subjunctive ἐξαπατήσῃ.
The verb means “to cause someone to accept false ideas about something”, “to deceive / cheat.”
31 A.T. Robertson, M.A., D.D., LL.D., LITT.D., A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of
Historical Research (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1934), 895.
166.
32 F.F. Bruce, World Biblical Commentary. Vol. 45, 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Waco, TX: World Books, 1982),
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