2 Thessalonians 2:4 (ASV)

Passage

he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 2:2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;

2 Thessalonians 2:3 let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be,] except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,

2 Thessalonians 2:4 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.

2 Thessalonians 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "opposeth", "exalteth", "himself", "against", "worshipped", "sitteth", and "temple". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "opposeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "let no man beguile you in any..." into verse 5's "Remember ye not that when I was...", so "called" and "opposeth" belong inside that flow. In 2 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "opposeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.