2 Thessalonians 2:7

7. The mystery of iniquity As antithetical to “the mystery of godliness,” 1 Timothy 3:16, which is the incarnation, including its kindred truths, the mystery of iniquity is Satanic possession, (see note on 2 Thessalonians 2:9,) with its kindred errors and lies, as described in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.

Now Literally, already. Surprisingly early. This word hints at an unknown distance of development of existing seeds of guilty error.

Work In-work, operating secretly and lurkingly in the minds of men. Same word as rendered working in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, where see note.

The seed doctrine here alluded to was the radical principle of Simon Magus, and the vital germ of Gnosticism, the inherence of all evil in matter alone. See note, Acts 8:9. This doctrine (note, Acts 6:5) had two sides to it. First, it could be said by one class of GNOSTICS, that the material body could be consigned over to all licentiousness, while the soul remained pure and holy; or, Second, it could be said by others that the body should be abhorred, scourged, starved, and ascetically crucified. Of the former of these two classes Conybeare and Howson say:

“Their immorality is the subject of constant animadversion in the writings of the Fathers, who tell us that the calumnies which were cast upon the Christians by the heathen were caused by the vices of the Gnostics. Irenaeus asserts that they said, ‘as gold deposited in the mud does not lose its beauty, so they themselves, whatever may be their outward immortality, cannot be injured by it, nor lose their spiritual substance.’ Iren., 6. 2, quoted by Burton. And so Justin Martyr speaks of heretics, who said ‘that though they lived sinful lives, yet, if they know God, the Lord will not impute to them sin.’ Tryph., 141. And Epiphanius gives horrible details of the enormities which they practised. Again, their addiction to magical arts was notorious. And their leaders, Basilides and Valentinus, are accused of eating idol-sacrifices (like the Nicolaitans of the Apocalypse) to avoid persecution.” Vol, i, p. 453. Note on 1 Timothy 6:20.

Against the holders of this former view St. John affirms that any such denial of sin is untrue, 1 John 1:6-10; that the truly regenerate does not practice sin, 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9; that all transgression of law is sin, 2 Thessalonians 3:4; and he denounces these licentious hypocrites in Revelation 2:14, etc. The latter view led in the Corinthian Church to the denial of the resurrection of the body, (1 Corinthians 15:12-19;) in the Colossian Church to ascetic fastings, celibacies, and mysticisms, (Colossians 2:18;) and in Asia Minor generally to Docetism, or the denial of the unity of the Logos with a body of real flesh, condemned by 1 John 4:3, and expressly identified by him with antichrist, “whereof ye have heard that it should come.”

St. John’s allusions to antichrist are, indeed, here very instructive. They are three: 1 John 2:18-22; 1Jn 4:3 ; 2 John 1:7. In the last two antichrist is expressly identified with the last of these two classes of views. In the first we have three points: 1. That the coming of the antichrist was generally known to be predicted as taking place at the last time; 2. That there are many (without the article) elemental antichrists now; and, 3. From this it is inferred that it is a (without the definite article) last time. This is not asserting, as Alford ineffectually maintains, that the real antichrist, or the real advent, is approaching; but that some terminus is approaching analogous to the final catastrophe, (see note, 1 Timothy 4:1,) since there are some antichrists existing analogous to the final antichrist.

The above described asceticism, based on the inherent evil of matter, was wrought at a later period into the system of Gnosticism. Thence it was embraced in the Popish system in the form of clerical celibacy, abstaining from meats, bodily flagellations, and monasticism. The forbidding to marry, consummated by Pope Hildebrand, completed the absoluteness of the papacy, by cutting the clergy from all human ties and compacting them into a devoted hierarchy, profoundly servile to the pope. And the enactment of the dogma of the “immaculate conception” of the blessed mother by Pope Pius Ninth, in our own day, is the last articulate expression of the ascetic Gnosticism which was already working in Paul’s day.