Untitled - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary - WELS

a moral universe by those who close their eyes to the truth.” 102
In his commentary, Martin
expounds on this ἐνέργειαν πλάνης and names two suggestions as to how this “powerful
delusion” is to be understood:
It is most commonly taken as a new element in the passage, a revelation that God, in the
last days, will actively confuse the reasoning of the lost and guarantee their
condemnation. …It is also possible, however, to see the “powerful delusion” as a
103
reference to the coming of the lawless one.
Trying to define this “work of delusion” is not necessary. God simply confirms them in their
unbelief and their condemnation. This sense of God confirming people in their unbelief is
nothing new in Scripture. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart only after Pharaoh hardened it
himself. 104 Paul in his letter to the Romans makes a number of statements in this respect,
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him,
but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. …Therefore God
gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of
their bodies with one another.…Because of this, God gave them over to shameful
lusts.…Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of
God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done (Ro
1:21,24,26a,28).
Martin explains the clause here in this way: “God does not cause their unbelief, but he does set
the stage for them to demonstrate it and thus openly earn their own condemnation.” 105
The preposition εἰς here used with an articularized infinitive expresses purpose, “so that.”
The infinitive clause here is an infinitive with the accusative construction in which the accusative
pronoun αὐτοὺς becomes the subject of the infinitive verb πιστεῦσαι, “they believe in.” The verb
here takes the dative object τῷ ψεύδει, indicating that they believe what the lie says. Wanamaker
1982), 174.
102 F.F. Bruce, World Biblical Commentary. Vol. 45, 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Waco, TX: World Books,
103 D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians. Vol. 33, The New American Commentary (Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 1995), 248-249.
104 “When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials
hardened their hearts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said
through Moses.…But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.” (Ex 9:34-35;
10:20)
105 D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians. Vol. 33, The New American Commentary (Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 1995), 247.
48