Windfall Witness: Ancient Perspective 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

​For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.

Now just as it is said that the task of the Word is to judge with justice, so also the Word's task is to fight with justice, so also the Word's task is to fight with justice, that by thus fighting the soul's enemies with reason and justice, he may dwell in the soul, justifying it when the irrational elements and injustices are destroyed.  He casts out the hostile elements from that soul which, if I may speak in this way, has been taken captive by Christ for salvation.  The war that the Word wages is seen even more clearly when we compare it to the war waged by he who pretends to be the Word.  this one proclaims himself the truth when he is not the truth but a lie, declaring that he is the truth.  For then the Word, having fully armed himself against the lie, 'destroys it by the appearance of his presence.' - Origen 185 - 254 A.D.