Thoughts on 2 Thessalonians 2:3, part two.

So much for introductions. The verse once again.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 AMPC  Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition),

Let's try to break this verse down before we move on to the others that give us the context.

• "Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come," Paul wrote this because someone had deceived many of them into believing that they had missed the return of Jesus for His church. This is a logical assumption on my part, (2 Timothy 3:13-15) but to be on the safe side we will attempt to define which day Paul is talking about. Since there are truly only two "days" which concern us, let's define what they are.

1. "That day" opens the non-stop torrent of activities we find within the time of wrath, with the catching away of the church. This pattern for the removal of the church is demonstrated in stories that involve Lot, Sodom and Gomorrha, and the flood epoch with Noah, just to name a few. With Lot, the angels effectively said, we are prevented from unleashing God's judgment until you are removed from here and safe. With Noah, God put them in the ark where they were now safe and shut the door himself. In both of these stories, the righteous were spared from the wrath.
2. The alternative view on "that day" would be the day that Jesus returns, at the end of the seven-years to make war with all those that choose to fight against Him, and finally restore peace on this earth for the thousand year reign.

• "for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first " The Amplified Bible defines the apostasy for us as: "the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians." I think there is so much more to this, such as a mass turning of our backs on God. In case you had not noticed, we are neck deep in apostasy.
• "and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition)," Here is where the trouble begins for those who will not pursue the origins and meanings of the words. The word revealed is the Greek word apokalúptō and literally means, to remove a veil or covering exposing to open view what was before hidden. To make manifest or reveal a thing previously secret or unknown.

I have literally removed or uncovered a piece of information for you by telling you about the Islamic Caliphates, something few of us understood prior to 1979. For me, much of this uncovering came through an author, Joel Richardson, who in his book, The Islamic Antichrist, which is interspersed with appropriate and corresponding scripture, points out what we are looking for.

The man of lawlessness – Is the Greek word anomia and means illegality, that is, violation of law or (generally) wickedness: - iniquity, the transgression of the law, unrighteousness.

[While he may be illegal, or in violation of the law, you have to ask yourself a question; whose law? The Muslim's believe Islamic supersedes all other law.]

The son of – Is the Greek word uihos. A primary word; a “son” (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figurative kinship: - child, foal, son.

It is true that most Muslims trace their ancestry back to Abraham; Ishmael to be precise. Is that a problem? Yes, in that Ishmael was not the son of promise/faith, Issac was; and they do not, nor cannot trace themselves to Issac. Esau is the other name Muslims refer to. Can they say they are a "son of" Abraham? Yes, but he is not who this verse is referring to; it is referring to Satan. Is that so difficult for us to understand? It should not be, for Jesus turned to Peter at one point and said, get behind me Satan. Obviously, Jesus was calling out the motivator behind Peter's word and actions.
This is no different.

Perdition – Is the Greek word apōleia From a presumed derivative of G622; ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal): - damnable (-nation), destruction, die, perdition, X perish, pernicious ways, waste.

Son of perdition is the same phrase used to describe Judas Iscariot in John 17:12.

Daniel 7:24-26 NASB 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. (25) 'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. (26) 'But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.

When Jesus comes back, there are only two people who are sent to the eternal fires of hell, the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

So we just have two choices as to whom Daniel 7:26 is talking about when it says “his dominion will be taken away.”

• If it is the false prophet, then there is a good chance he has already been revealed, naturally not as the false prophet. Unlike Judas Iscariot whom Satan entered when he took the bread from Jesus, Satan, as far as we know, has not yet entered him and given him his power and motivation.

We could potentially be looking at the future false prophet when we look at this Rabbi.

Rabbi Baruch Kahane

Breaking Israeli News dated August 29, 2016, says this:
A significant step was recently taken towards reinstating the Temple service when the nascent Sanhedrin selected Rabbi Baruch Kahane as the next Kohen Gadol (high priest). The selection was made as a precaution for Yom Kippur. If the political conditions should change, allowing the Jews access to the Temple Mount, they will be required by Torah law to bring the sacrifices. Rabbi Kahane is confident that if that should happen, Temple service could begin in less than one week.

The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury; in attempting to define the son of Perdition, directs us to a multitude of passages. One of them is Daniel 8:24.

Daniel 8:24-25 NASB "His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree And prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people. (25) "And through his shrewdness, He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without human agency.

This passage in Daniel 8:24-25 is describing no one other than the false prophet.

• Now, if we are talking about the Antichrist, then the Prophet Micah has something to say about that.

Micah 5:5 ESV  And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men;

The implication is clear, this man who fulfills the role of Antichrist will be a leader with ties to the ancient Assyrians. (The short answer is that he will be a Muslim.)

In the map I included, almost everything within the circle, in blue, was an Assyrian territory; this includes present-day Turkey and the Southern regions of Russia, as well as all the Middle East.

The Assyrian Empire around 750 to 625 BC

 

Revelation 13:4-7 NASB they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" (5) There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. (6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. (7) It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation were given to him.

The beast, in this instance, is the Antichrist. However, the Antichrist has a mouthpiece we call the False Prophet, and you see that in Revelation 13:5. He is the Muslim Jesus.

Revelation 13:11-17 NASB (11) Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. (12) He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. (13) He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. (14) And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. (15) And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (16) And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, (17) and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

I do not believe that even the author Joel Richardson would attempt to declare who the Antichrist is, though he speaks convincingly about the qualifications of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, as being a front-runner for the role.

If you are having difficulty understanding some passage, then I suggest you put these techniques into practice. When you read, try to read with understanding; if that means you have to pursue definitions of the simplest of words, then so be it. Know that 99.9 percent of the time, scripture, answers, helps to translate, and defines scripture. If necessary, use commentaries; I do, but sparingly. And, trust the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Look at what the Apostle John had to say about the effect of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and have a little faith and confidence.

1 John 2:20-21 NASB But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. (21) I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.