UTN uW Translation Notes:

2 Thessalonians 2 Chapter Introduction

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Man of lawlessness

This person is also called “the son of destruction” and “the lawless one” in this chapter. He is not Satan, but he is empowered by Satan and is the leader of those who do Satan’s evil work in the world in the last days. He is certainly one of the “antichrists” mentioned by John ([1 John 2:18](../../1jn/02/18.md)) and may be the final one, described as a beast in [Revelation 13](../../rev/13/01.md). (See: antichrist)

Sits in the temple of God

Paul could be referring to the Jerusalem temple that the Romans destroyed several years after he wrote this letter. Or he could be referring to a future physical temple, or to the church as the spiritual temple of God. (See: figs-explicit)