For some of the works dealing with the sanctuary motif in the book of Hebrews, see William G. The Sanctuary as a Heuristic Device in the Interpretation of the Christology to the Hebrews” (MTh thesis, South African Theological Seminary, Johannesburg, South Africa Brenda B. The apocalypse of 2 Thess 2:1-12 offers an unequivocal apology of the heavenly sanctuary motif in the Pauline corpus.6.
This last claim is crucial to understanding the ubiquity of the heavenly sanctuary motif in Scripture. Thus his awareness of the sanctuary and its importance would have been coherent with contemporary literature. 12 Andrea Spatafora, From "God's Temple" to God as Temple: A Biblical Study of the Temple in Revelation (Rome, Italy: Gregorian University Press.
15 Leonhard Goppelt, Typos: The Typological Interpretation of the Old Testament in the New (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Although some have suggested that the term 'God's temple' in 2 Thess 2:4 refers to God's temple in heaven ,33 is often the purview of Beale, The Temple and the Church's Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.
It seems logical to conclude that the use of the prosw,pou tou/kuri,ou refers to an explicit allusion to the heavenly sanctuary and its functions considered relevant to the governance of the cosmos.
Syntactical Analysis
According to 2 Thess 2:4-9, the following are the characteristics of a man of lawlessness: he is blasphemous because he seeks to usurp divine rights in the temple of God (2:4), he is kept under control (2:6,7), he will be destroyed at the coming of Jesus (2:8), his work is encouraged by Satan (2:9), and he misleads and leads others away from the truth, resulting in their ultimate destruction (2:10-12). 54 The use of the construction article + noun + avnom, ay is found only once in NT—2 Thess 2:3. Another word used to denote the idea of the temple is i`ero.n - used 67 times in the NT to denote the general area of the temple, excluding the inner sanctuary.
These refer primarily to the physical structure of the earthly temple, in some cases the sphere within the temple where God's presence is manifested. Used in Eph 19:24 to refer to replicas of the temples of Artemis at Ephesus. It is used by Diodorus Siculus and Herodutus to mean a shrine where images of the goddess stood.
It thus testifies to the synonymy of the context and persons of 2 Thess 2, Dan 7 and 8 and Rev 13. In the second structure of 2 Thess 2:1-12, it takes up again the action of the lawless in the temple of God. the focal point. All other elements of the pericope revolve around the action of the man of lawlessness.
The purpose of the lawless act is further explained by the phrase kaqi,sai avpodeiknu,nta "to sit and show off". In other words, a man of lawlessness who sits in the temple of God and presents himself as God. Thus, the apostle may have wanted to emphasize the behavioral trends of the "man of iniquity."
Others understand it as passive, indicating the removal of the restraint of the man from lawlessness.98. This is significant for understanding this phrase with reference to the removal of the retainer. Finally, Revelation 22:2 speaks of the river flowing from the throne of God through the New Jerusalem.
Therefore, the act of God sending a delusion is an idiomatic expression of His approval of the coming of the lawless one and the declaration of the deceitfulness of His works. The action of God as restrainer in the heavenly sanctuary determines the fate not only of the lawless one and of Satan, but also of the inhabitants of the earth.
Aspects of the Sanctuary in 2 Thess 2:1-12
The actions described in 2 Thess 2:9-12 constitute events that will precede the Parousia, which serves as the confirmation of the cessation of the restrictive work of God, and of the full revelation of the man of lawlessness. The phrase pe,mpei auvtoi/j o` qeo.j evne,rgeian pla,nhj thus refers back to the limiting motif of 2 Thess 2:6, 7, and especially clarifies the expression e[wj evk me,sou ge,nhtai Dat that is, the act of God's sending can be equated with the removal of the restrainer, also the termination of His function in the sanctuary. The lawless one's resistance to worship, and subsequent attempt to enter God's temple and become like God, demonstrate that these actions are aimed at God's character, sovereignty, and divine prerogatives.
Considering that the action of the lawless one at 2 Thess 2:3, 4 mirrors that of the king of Tire (Ezek and the sea beast of Revelation 13:6, 7, in both cases the heavenly sanctuary is mentioned, and what happens therein becomes the inevitable) While the horizontal trajectory of the lawless one is sufficient to demonstrate the reprehensibility of his actions, the vertical reach of his actions testifies to their blasphemous nature. All this shows how closely the heavenly sanctuary is connected to the earthly one and serves as a paradigm. of the interconnectedness between heaven and earth.
Therefore, the action of the lawless is not directed at the sanctuary as a physical structure in itself. Considering the horizontal trajectory of the lawless one, his work is manifested in part within the construction of the redefined earthly temple – the community of believers. The placement of the sanctuary motif in 2 Thess 2:4 not only emphasizes the outcome or purpose of the man of lawlessness and his activities, it also presents the sanctuary as a place where the conflict over divine rights arises and the right to sovereignty is challenged.
Thus the attack on the sanctuary brings to light the motive of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. As a result of a man of lawlessness sitting in the temple of God and declaring himself to be God, he essentially usurps the prerogative of the One who owns or occupies the sanctuary, thus competing for ownership of the temple. Jesus' claim to have the divine authority to forgive sin as a blasphemer, in the same way the man of lawlessness assuming divine prerogatives and functions within the construction of the sanctuary - he also commits blasphemy against the heavenly sanctuary.
The fact that the revelation of the lawless one coincides with the Parousia and the final judgment of God testifies to God's sovereignty over the unfolding of the final events in earth's history. This act of removal is itself a form of judgment because it makes possible the true nature and work of the man of lawlessness, Satan, and his followers. Since the next event following the removal of the restrainer is that of the Parousia, this implies that the Parousia and the work of restraint, although different, are two closely related events placed within the context of the heavenly sanctuary .
Conclusion and Application
Similarly, in Daniel and Revelation, the blasphemous power of the little horn and the beast were given a limited time in which to do their work before judgment was pronounced (Dan Rev 13:5). Although the time factor in Daniel and Revelation differs from 2 Thess 2 in their apocalyptic scope, they nevertheless demonstrate the basic underlying principle of God's sovereign control over time and the unfolding of events. Therefore, in 2 Thess 2:6,7 the sanctuary is the place where human history is mediated and guided by providence.
Second, it turns out that the sanctuary is the place from which judgment follows Satan, the man of lawlessness, and their followers. The manifestation of lawlessness in all its strength is determined by kate,cwn and his removal from the function of restraint. Of course, by implication, if the lost is revealed by God's judgment, it logically means that God's followers will be justified and thus revealed.
The judgment pronounced upon Satan, the lawless, and their followers in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 emanates from the heavenly sanctuary.
