Matthew Henry: "God is just when he inflicts spiritual judgments here, and eternal punishments hereafter"

This Sunday offers churchgoers a third chance to study the parts of  the Epistle that get cut  out. This time 2 Thessalonians goes by unheard thanks to the Revised Common Lectionary. You know the routine. First, read what will be heard in most churches, Thessalonians 2:1-5,13-17 (a gap is left where the missing verses should have been read),

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?  

But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Next, read it again with the gaps filled in by verses 6-12 (highlighted),

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? 

And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned. 

 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Okay, I'll admit that the verses the lectionary struck out are challenging, but Paul was writing about challenging times to come and "the working of Satan". Remember that Satan must not be mentioned in today's progressive Church. Therefore, it gets cut out, as well as God's terrifying judgment which also must not be discussed on a pleasant fall Sunday morning.

What I find challenging in the deleted verses is that God does the following to those who are perishing because they have bought into Satan's deception,

"For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned. "

God sending delusions to unbelievers does not jive with the god of modern people. We have been raised to believe that God would never do something like that. Is this how God's justice works?

Matthew Henry in his Commentary from 1706 tackled the tough verses which helps me to get a grip on them,

"Their ruin is thus expressed: God shall send them strong delusions, to believe a lie. Thus he will punish men for their unbelief, and for their dislike of the truth and love to sin and wickedness; not that God is the author of sin, but in righteousness he sometimes withdraws his grace from such sinners as are here mentioned; he gives them over to Satan, or leaves them to be deluded by his instruments; he gives them up to their own hearts’ lusts, and leaves them to themselves, and then sin will follow of course, yea, the worst of wickedness, that shall end at last in eternal damnation. God is just when he inflicts spiritual judgments here, and eternal punishments hereafter, upon those who have no love to the truths of the gospel, who will not believe them, nor live suitably to them, but indulge false doctrines in their minds, and wicked practices in their lives and conversations."

God's justice may sound cruel to the modern pewsitter, raised on pablum and spoon fed the cream of the Gospel Sunday after Sunday.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but if we never talk about it, we are condemning ourselves to falling for the delusions of those who have been taken in by the lies of Satan.