Matthew Poole and continuators on 2 Thessalonians 2:8

8 And then shall that † wicked be revealed ; whom the Lord shall consume with * the spirit of his mouth , and hath destroy with the brightness of his coming .

This revealing I think differs from that mentioned before verse 3. he is first revealed as I said, quoad existentiam, when he comes forth into Being, and then quoad apparentiam, when he comes to be discovered. And this I suppose is meant here, because his destruction is mentioned as following upon it. For the discovering of him is the first step to his ruine, and here is called by another name. At his first rising he is a man of sin; but after he hath violated the Laws of God, and the Laws of Christ by setting up his own, he is well called [non-Latin text not transcribed], that Lawless One, and now he that pretended so highly for Christ is discovered to be Antichrist. The mystery of iniquity that before lay hid comes to be revealed, God enlightning the eyes of many learned Ministers and Princes, yea and of multitudes of people herein; the Scriptures before shut up in an unknown tongue being now translated to the understanding of the common people, those that were made drunk with the wine of her fornication, Rev. 17.2. now put away their wine from them, as Eli said to Hannah. And the Kings and Kingdoms that gave their power to the beast now come to hate the whore, &c. the time being come for the fulfilling the words of God herein, Rev. 17.17. And this Revelation is signified and [illegible: 1 letter]oretold when the Angel said to Iohn, I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and the beast that carrieth her, Rev. 17.7. There is need of a divine Revelation to know the mystery of iniquity, as well as the mystery of godliness. And the Woman is the same with the man of sin mentioned before, once the spouse of Christ, but now by her Idolatry becomes a whore, and divorced from him Said to be also that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth, verse last; by the understanding these things this wicked one comes to be revealed.

Which is not done all at once; his consumption goes before his destruction. As Iezabel the Prophetess who seduced the servants of God to commit Fornication, is said to be cast into a bed of languishing, Rev. 2.22. as he rose up by degrees so shall he be consumed gradually. His power declines by degrees both Civil and Ecclesiastical, and the authority he had got both in, and over the Consciences of men. The seven Vials are the seven last plagues which do gradually consume him; and this is said to be done by the Lord himself, which is the Lord Jesus. He that made war with the Lamb is overcome by the Lamb, Rev. 17.14. Though many instruments may be imployed herein; for he is said to have those with him who are called chosen and faithful, ibi[illegible: 1 letter] ▪ and it belongs to him, as all power of Heaven and Earth is given to him, to save his people, and to destroy his adversaries; as its said of him, Psal. 97.3. a fire goeth be[illegible: 1 letter]ore him, and burneth up his enemies round about. As he is a refreshing, directing light to his people, so a consuming fire to his adversaries. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands, Dan. 2.34. smites the image in the time of the fourth Monarchy when Christ came into the World, and in the latter end of it under the Antichristian state it is broken in pieces.

As was prophesied of him, Isai. 11.4. with the breath of his mouth he shall slay the wicked, even this wicked one here in the Text, Rev. 18.8. and 19.15. And this as some interpret he shall do with ease as by a word speaking. Or by a word of command, saying, let it be done, and it shall be done. Or as we may read it, with the Spirit of his lips, because of the power or spirit that goes along with his word. But this breath of Christs mouth Ca[illegible: 1 letter]etane and others understand of the word of the Gospel, which is the breath of Christs mouth in the mouths of his Ministers, called the everlasting Gospel, Rev. 14.6. which an Angel flying through the midst of Heaven is said to have, to Preach to them that dwell upon the Earth; and then followed by another Angel, saying, Babylon is faln, is faln, verse 8. the mystery of iniquity will be unvailed by the clear preaching of the word; and the primitive pure institutions of Christ, and Doctrines of the Gospel will be vindicated from the Antichristian corruptions and innovations. And the spirit of Christ going forth with the Gospel will make it effectual hereunto. These are the rod of his strength whereby he rules in the midst of his Enemies, Psal. 110.2. And whereby he shall consume this man of sin. Nations and People will fall off from him as they come to understand the truth by the word Preached.

After his consuming follows his destruction, [non-Latin text not transcribed] ▪ the word destroy here signifies to abolish, enervate, to make of no force, and so used often in the New Testament. Sometimes applyed to the Law, Rom. 3.31. somtimes to the body of sin, Rom. 6.6. sometimes to persons to whom Christ will not be effectual, Gal. 5.4. here to the man of sin, so that what ever remains there may be of him in the World, they shall be without any efficacy or power. His jurisdiction shall be abolish[illegible: 1 letter], his keys shall not be able to open or shut, the edge of both his Swords shall be quite blunted, his triple crown shall fall off his head, his purgatory fire shall be put out, his Images shall lose their veneration. The spell of the cross shall be detected, the intercession of Saints shall be found to be a fiction, infallibility shall be found to be a decei[illegible: 1 letter]. Supremacy of the Church shall fall to the ground. The rivers of his large Revenues shall be dryed up, &c. and the beast that was and is not, and yet is, shall now utterly cease to be.

The breath of his mouth wasted him, and the brightness of his coming destro[illegible: 1 letter]es him. Some interpret this of Christs personal coming to judgment, which will be great brightness, as Matth. 24.27. As the lightning coming out of the East, and shineth to the West, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. Coming in the glory of Heaven, and every eye shall see him; and of this coming he spake 1 Thess. 4. and in this chapter also, as that which was not so near at hand as some imagined. And without question this coming will destroy him if not destroyed before, as well as the rest of the wicked, Chap. 1.9. but whether judgment may not first proceed against the Antichristian state, and those that have sin'd under the Gospel is a question. It is sometimes mentioned particularly with respect to them. As in the parable of the Tares and Wheat, Matth. 13. of the ten Virgins Matth. 25. and the Talents. And the Beast and false Prophet, are cast into the Lake of fire, Rev. 19.20. before the General Judgment mentioned, Rev. 20.12. so that at Christ's personal coming, his Judgment will as some conceive, begin here, and then proceed to the rest of the World; whereupon many assign some great length of time to Christs stay upon Earth, and judging the World. Others take the brightness of this coming in a spiritual sence, for a clearer manifestation of Christ in the World. As the Kingdom of Antichrist, or of this man of sin is founded in darkness, so the brightness of this coming will dispel and destroy it with respect to his Eternal Generation. Christ is said to be the brightness of his Fathers Glory, Heb. 1.2. but this is a brightness with respect to men. And though he hath come in his Spirit to enlighten his Church from the beginning of the World, and more eminently after his Ascension, yet this will exceed all the former, and peculiarly stiled the brightness of his coming: and so they expect this destruction of this man of sin before Christs coming to Judgment, for if it be the same with the fall of Babylon, mentioned in the Revelation; many things are to be done here upon Earth after that, before Christs last coming, and they mention the calling of the Jews, the destruction of those Enemies called Gog and Magog, the coming down of the new Ierusalem from Heaven, which is some glorious State of the Church here upon Earth. However the Apostle here mentions nothing of a destruction by the Material Sword; what Princes may do of different Religions upon a Civil account, I do not know, but as this man of sin rose out of the Apostasie of the Church, so he will not be consumed, and destroyed, but by a return from it, which is done by the breath of Christs mouth, and the brightness of his coming. But yet by some Instruments or other, God will avenge the blood of his Servants upon this man of sin in the time and way appointed of him.