2:6-8 Who is the "he" Paul refers to here?
2:6-8 Who is the "he" Paul refers to here?
Many Christians believe that the he Paul refers to here is the Holy Spirit.
But that is not correct because the Holy Spirit will remain on earth during the reign of Antichrist to convict the multitudes of their sins who get saved during the Great Tribulation (CP Rev 7:9, 13-14; 20:4).
Nobody can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit (CP Jn 16:7-11 with 1 Cor 12:3).
The he of 2 Th 2:7 is the church, which is what we learned in our study on 2Th 2:1-3 (CP 2Th 2:1-3).
The main theme of both 1 and 2 Thessalonians is the coming again of Christ to take all the saints of God, both living and dead, back to heaven with Him.
This is called the first resurrection, of which the rapture of the church forms part (CP 2Th 2:1-8 and 1Th 4:13-18 with 1Cor 15:51-58). See also comments on Lu 21:36; Jn 5:28-29, 14:1-3; 1Cor 15:51-58; Php 3:20-21; 1Th 4:13-18, 5:1-11; 2Th 2:1-3, 2:6-8; 2Ti 2:18; Rev 1:19, 3:7-13.
The majority of Christians cannot reconcile the church with the he of 2Th 2:7 because they have always thought of the church as a woman - the bride of Christ. Yet nowhere in scripture is the church ever called a woman or referred to by a feminine pronoun.
It is called a man though (CP Eph 2:15; 4:13).
Furthermore, the bride of Christ is clearly identified in scripture as the holy city, New Jerusalem, "the mother of us all" (CP Ga 4:26 with Rev 19:7-9; 21:2, 9-10). See also comments on 2Cor 11:2, Ga 4:21-31, Eph 2:15-16(B), 4:13, 5:25-32, 1Th 4:13-18, 2Th 2:1-3, Rev 19:7-9, 21:2.