Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders,

“But whichsoever of the two it is, I want to know why he comes "in all power, and with lying signs and wonders? " "Because," he says, "they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved; for which cause God shall send them an instinct of delusion (to believe a lie), that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

“For in the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as corrupt the word; and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity the love of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray one another. And then shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of lies, [2 Thessalonians 2:3-12] whom the Lord Jesus "shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him. But they that endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" [Isaiah 11:4; Matthew 24:1-51] and afterwards shall be the voice of a trumpet by the archangel; and in that interval shall be the revival of those that were asleep. And then shall the Lord come, and all His saints with Him, with a great concussion above the clouds, with the angels of His power, [Matthew 16:27] in the throne of His kingdom, to condemn the devil, the deceiver of the world, and to render to every one according to his deeds. "Then shall the wicked go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall go into life eternal," [Matthew 25:46] to inherit those things "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, such things as God has prepared for them that love Him;" [1 Corinthians 2:9] and they shall rejoice in the kingdom of God, which is in Christ Jesus.”

“"And his coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders." This means that Satan will use him as his personal instrument. Realizing that his own condemnation will be no longer deferred, he will no longer wage war through his ministers in his usual way, but now openly, in person. "With all signs and lying wonders," for the father of falsehood will display his lying works and cheating fantasies, to make the people think they see a dead man raised, when he is not raised, and the lame walking, and the blind receiving sight, when there have been no such cures.”

“"And with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that are perishing." Why then, you say, did God permit this to be? and what dispensation is this? And what is the advantage of his coming, if it takes place for the ruin of our race? Fear not, beloved, but hear Him saying, "In them that are perishing," he hath strength, who, even if he had not come, would not have believed. What then is the advantage? That these very men who are perishing will be put to silence. How? Because both if he had come, and if he had not come, they would not have believed in Christ; He comes therefore to convict them. For that they may not have occasion to say, that since Christ said that He was God,-although He nowhere said this openly,-but since those who came after proclaimed it, we have not believed. Because we have heard that there is One God from whom are all things, therefore we have not believed. This their pretext then Antichrist will take away. For when he comes, and comes commanding nothing good, but all things unlawful, and is yet believed from false signs alone, he will stop their mouths. For if thou believest not in Christ, much more oughtest thou not to believe in Antichrist. For the former said that He was sent from the Father, but the latter the contrary. For this reason Christ said, "I am come in My Fathers name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." But we have seen signs, you say. But many and great signs were also wrought in the case of Christ; much more therefore ought ye to have believed in Him. And yet many things were predicted concerning this one, that he is the lawless one, that he is the son of perdition, that his coming is after the working of Satan. But the contrary concerning the other, that He is the Saviour, that He brings with Him unnumbered blessings.”

“Thus it is that what is obscure in the words of the apostle has given rise to various conjectures. Yet, of one thing there is no doubt, namely, that Paul meant Christ will not come to judge the living and the dead until after his adversary, Antichrist, has come to seduce the souls of the dead. And, of course, the fact that those souls are to be seduced is already a part of God's hidden judgment.… There seems to be some ambiguity in the expression "pretended signs and wonders." It may be that Satan is to deceive men's senses by means of phantasms, in which they imagine they see wonders which are nonexistent. Or perhaps true miracles will lead into deception those who ought to believe that miracles can be done only by God but who mistakenly ascribe them to the devil's power, particularly at a time when Satan is to be given unheard-of power.… What the devil does is done with his own wicked and malign purpose, but it is permitted by God's just judgment so "that all may be judged who have not believed the truth but have preferred wickedness." Thus it comes about that judgments both precede and follow the deception. Those who are deceived are antecedently judged by these judgments of God, covertly just and justly covert, by which he has never ceased to judge even since the first sin of his rational creature. Those are deceived and subsequently judged in a last and overt judgment by Christ Jesus, who is to be the great judge of all judges as he was the victim of the most unjust of all judgments.”

“Above, the Apostle, foretelling, narrated the coming and the guilt of the Antichrist; here he shows the cause of the delay. And first he shows that they have the cause of this knowledge; second he sets forth that cause obscurely, at the words for the mystery. He says therefore: I say that the man of sin must be revealed. And what now restrains — that is, what is the cause that delays it — you know, because I have told you, so that thus at present it is restrained, that in its own time — that is, at the fitting time — it may be revealed. Ecclesiastes 8:6: for every matter there is a time and an opportunity. And in the same place, 3:11: God has made everything good in its time, et cetera. Then, when he says for the mystery, etc., he sets forth its cause. And this text is expounded in many ways, because this word mystery can be in the nominative case, or the accusative. If in the first way, the sense is: I say that in its own time, because even now the mystery — that is, figuratively hidden — is at work in pretenders, who seem good, and yet are evil. And these perform the office of the Antichrist. 2 Timothy 3:5: having a form of godliness, but denying its power. But in the second way, the sense is: for the Devil, in whose power the Antichrist will come, already begins to work his iniquity secretly, through tyrants and seducers, because the persecutions of the Church of this time are figures of that last persecution against all the good, and are, as it were, imperfect in comparison to it. Only that he who now restrains, et cetera. This is expounded in many ways. In one way, according to the Gloss and Augustine, who say that certain persons supposed that Nero, who first persecuted the Christians, was the Antichrist, and that he had not been slain, but withdrawn, and would at some time be restored. Whence the Apostle, dispelling this, says only that he who now restrains — the Roman empire — should hold, until he be taken out of the way — that is, until he dies. But this way is not fitting, because it is many years since Nero died, namely in that year in which the Apostle. But it is better that it be referred to Nero, insofar as he is a public person of the Roman empire, until he be taken out of the way — that is, until the Roman empire be removed from this world. Isaiah 23:9: the Lord of hosts has purposed this, to bring down the pride of all glory, and unto ignominy, et cetera. Or otherwise: only that he who now restrains — that is, who now holds back the coming of the Antichrist — should hold, lest he come; as though it were necessary that still some should come to the faith, and some fall away. As if he were to say: that the departure and approach, which now holds until he come, should hold until that foul one be taken away. Or thus: only let him who now holds the faith, hold it — that is, let him be firm in it. Apocalypse 2: hold fast what you have, that no one take your crown — until he be taken out of the way — that is, until the mingled congregation of the wicked be separated, and become distinct, which will be in the persecution of the Antichrist. Or only, etc. — that is, that the mystery of iniquity, that is, the mystical iniquity, which restrains, may restrain until it be taken out of the midst — that is, until the iniquity be brought into the open, and become, as it were, something existing openly out of the midst. For many now sin in secret, but nevertheless at some time it will be done openly; for God bears with sinners as long as they are hidden, until they sin publicly, and then he will not bear with them, as is clear concerning the Sodomites in Genesis 19:24. But nevertheless Augustine confesses that he does not know what the Apostle is saying to them, who already knew. Whence he says, what now restrains, you know. And besides, this was not very necessary to know. Then, when he says and then, etc., the coming of the wicked one is set forth, and his punishment. First the manifestation; second his punishment. As to the first, he says that wicked one — in the singular — shall be revealed, because his guilt will be manifest, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the spirit of his mouth. Isaiah 11: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this — that is, the zeal of justice, which is love. For the spirit of Christ is the love of Christ, and this zeal belongs to the Holy Spirit, which he has toward the Church. Or by the spirit of his mouth, that is, by his command; because Michael is to slay him on the Mount of Olives, from where Christ ascended; thus also Julian was extinguished by the divine hand. And this is the present punishment, although he will also be punished eternally in the future, because he will destroy by the brightness, etc. — that is, by his coming, illuminating all things. 1 Corinthians 4:5: he will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, et cetera. And he will destroy, I say, eternally, namely by damnation. Psalm 27:5: he shall destroy them, et cetera. And he says, by the brightness, because he himself was seen to darken the Church, and darkness is driven away by brightness, because whatever the Antichrist shall show, it shall be shown to have been a lie. Then, when he says whose coming is, he foretells the power of the Antichrist. And concerning this he does two things: first he sets forth his power to seduce; second, the cause of this from the justice of the Lord, at the words because the love. Again the first is divided into three, because first he sets forth the author of this power; second, the manner of seducing; third he shows those who are to be seduced. The author of this power is the Devil, and therefore Christ will destroy him. 1 John 3:8: for this the Son of God appeared, that he might dissolve the works of the Devil. And therefore he says that the coming of the Antichrist will be according to the working of Satan — that is, from his instigation. Apocalypse 20:7: Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out, and will seduce the nations, et cetera. For something works according to the working of Satan, as in the possessed, in whom he not only instigates the will, but also impedes the use of reason; which, however, is not imputed to his fault, because he does not have the use of free will. But the Antichrist is not so; rather he will have the use of free will, in which the Devil is suggesting, as is said of Judas, John chapter 3: Satan entered into him — namely, by instigating. But he will deceive in this manner: first through secular power; second through the power of miracles. As to the first, he says in all power — namely, secular power. Daniel 11:43: he shall have dominion over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt. Or power, namely feigned. But as to the second he says in signs, et cetera. Signs are certain wonders, even small ones. But prodigies are great, which show something prodigious, as it were far from the finger. Revelation 13:13: he did great signs, so that he even made fire come down from heaven, et cetera. Matthew 24:24: they shall give great signs and wonders, so that, if it were possible, even the elect would be led into error. And he says lying. A miracle is called lying, either because it lacks the true nature of the deed, or the true nature of a miracle, or the due end of a miracle. The first happens in illusions, when through demons the sight is deceived, so that something appears other than it is: as Simon Magus made a ram be beheaded, and afterward it was shown alive; and a man was beheaded, and afterward the man, who was believed to have been beheaded, was shown alive, and was believed to have been raised. And this men do by changing phantasms and deceiving. In the second way, those things are called miracles improperly which are full of wonder, when the effect is seen and the cause is unknown. Therefore, those things which have a cause hidden to someone, and not absolutely, are indeed called wonders, and not miracles absolutely. But those which have a cause absolutely hidden are properly miracles, whose cause is God himself, the glorious one, because they transcend the whole order of created nature. But sometimes certain wonders happen, not beyond the order of nature, but having hidden causes; and these the demons do much more, who know the powers of nature, and who have determined efficacies for special effects, and these the Antichrist will do; but not those which have the true nature of a miracle, because they cannot do those things which are above nature. In the third way, they are called miracles insofar as they are ordered to bearing witness to the truth of the faith, to bringing back the faithful to God. Mark, last chapter: the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs that followed. But if the glory of miracles is present to someone, and he does not use them for this end, the miracles are indeed true as to the nature of the deed done, and as to the nature of a miracle, but they are false as to the due end, and the intention of God. But nevertheless this will not be in the Antichrist, because no one against the faith does true miracles, because God is not a witness of falsehood. Whence someone preaching false doctrine cannot do miracles, although someone having an evil life could. Then he shows those who are to be seduced, when he says to those who perish — that is, among those foreknown unto perdition. John 17:12: none of them perished, but the son of perdition. And this for this reason, because John 10:27: my sheep hear my voice.”

“Whose coming is after the working of Satan - The operation of God's Spirit sends his messengers; the operation of Satan's spirit sends his emissaries. The one comes κατ' ενεργειαν του Θεου, after or according to the energy or inward powerful working of God; the other comes κατ' ενεργειαν του Σατανα, according to the energy or inward working of Satan. With all power - Πασῃ δυναμει· All kinds of miracles, like the Egyptian magicians; and signs and lying wonders: the word lying may be applied to the whole of these; they were lying miracles, lying signs, and lying wonders; only appearances of what was real, and done to give credit to his presumption and imposture. Whereas God sent his messengers with real miracles, real signs, and real wonders; such Satan cannot produce.”