The Coming Antichrist and the Rapture of the church. Chapter 3, the last in this series. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10.

Still looking at 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  (KJV)

“and that man of sin be revealed,”

Sin (as the KJV states) is the Greek hamartia and also means offense. However, the NASB uses the word lawlessness, and it is another Greek word altogether, anomia, and means illegality, that is, violation of law. ( - ah, but whose law?)

Revealed is the Greek word apokalupto and means to take the cover off or disclose.

If I stopped here I don't think I would be any the wiser, but, I have learned that because of the political emphasis going on in the early 1500s, the Catholic Church pushed to have the wording changed to reflect their disgust with people leaving the "mother" church and going to the newly formed Protestant churches. In many early English manuscripts, 2 Thessalonians 2:3 was less confusing and read similar to this:

“...for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition, ...” (2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva)

There is something absent from the sentence above, in my opinion, and therefore, makes the sentence misleading. Having listened to Pastor JD Farag reread this passage from the Geneva Bible, it is obvious to me that he did what I did, and Americanized the passage. I don't really see a problem with that, but I still have difficulty with this fuzzy transition that verse three gives. As it reads, although we gained an understanding about how apostasia means a departure, yet, we still have an issue as it appears that the son of perdition must appear before the catching away of the church. This hesitation about the man of lawlessness might then put us into the category of mid-tribulation saints, and that would make those that stand against a pre-tribulation rapture, ecstatic. Sorry to disappoint, but not really, because Pastor JD Farag did the same thing that I did, as he too changed one of those "that's" to a "then", and that made the sentence flow.

Can we or should we do that? Legitimately, no, but, if you read ahead to verses seven and eight, where the story is basically retold from another angle, we see verse seven end with "until he is taken out of the way," while verse eight begins with, "then that lawless one will be revealed." "He" is the church filled with the Holy Spirit, and has been, in every way, shape, and form, standing against the lawless one, and those who represent him. Because it is the same story, then by the usage of "then" we have a precedent established and can legitimately use the word "then" to convey a timing, that is otherwise not given.

In continuing to define the man of sin, we move on to verse 4. 

(2 Thessalonians 2:4 NASB) who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Daniel tells us this: In emphasizing an attempt at changing God’s Law and the sacred seasons, it confirms that the majority of the thrust is toward the Jewish people in the nation of Israel.

Daniel 7:25 CEV “This king will speak evil of God Most High, and he will be cruel to God’s chosen ones. He will try to change God’s Law and the sacred seasons. And he will be able to do this for a time, two times, and half a time.

The scriptures use words like deceitful, crafty, policy, trickery, and cunning. Doesn’t this sound like almost every politician? But this guy takes these two steps to the extreme.

Daniel 8:25 CEV His deceitful lies will make him so successful, that he will think he is really great. Suddenly he will kill many people, and he will even attack God, the Supreme Ruler. But God will crush him!

This person, whether he is a king or not, is not essential; what is critical is that he gains immediate control. Now, considering where the real focus is – Israel, then it would be logical to assume that this man is associated with the Middle East, and he is quite probably a Muslim, controlling Islamic armies. Islam is anticipating a powerful Muslim man, the reincarnation of the 12 Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi, to do this very thing.

Daniel 11:36 NASB “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.

Consider for a moment this portion of the passage above, as he, "exalts and magnifies himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods." Did you catch that? He exalts himself above all other gods. I know what that says to me, he is attempting to set himself above Yahweh. There are thousands of gods that people worship. Why wouldn't a large variety of people suddenly rise up against this guy? Perhaps they will, but since he may total control, our cries against his actions will probably be quickly squelched. 

If there were ever a revealing collection of verses, it would be these we see in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10, for they tell us plainly, that something MUST be removed, and then the lawless one will be revealed. That something is the Holy Spirit-filled church, which has been praying and voicing their displeasure at this drive for a one-world government. 

2 Thessalonians 2:7-10 NASB (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (8) Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; (9) that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, (10) and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

Since the passage defines who this lawless one is, we can now recognize the timing and method of his departure. Although Daniel makes it look like the beast is vaporized, the spirit remains alive and is dealt with.

Daniel 7:11 NET. “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into the flaming fire.

Revelation 19 also tells us the story of the lawless one, or beast, being destroyed and put away.

Revelation 19:19-20 NET. (19) Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. (20) Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf -- signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.

What is it that I have now settled in my mind?

• That we are neck-deep in apostasy; although, I have learned that the word apostasy was inserted thanks to the Roman Catholic church and is a rabbit trail because the best and previous terminology was “the gathering.”
• The gathering is imperative and something that we, the church, have been looking for since the church came into being.
• Since the word apostasia, transliterated into apostasy, can also indicate a defection, I have to ask the question, has the church, in the majority, turned their backs on God? The answer is yes.
• Another thing that I have established or settled is that there are no prophecies left to fulfill prior to the return of Jesus Christ to gather His church; and is, therefore, imminent.
• And, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10, the Antichrist will NOT come into view until after the removal of the church.

One other thing before I move on.

I have had many discussions about the war of Ezekiel 38,39. In this war, God jumps in and sends a firestorm upon Gog and his armies, while they are on the hillsides within Israel. Why is that significant? Because, the Antichrist calls out for peace, and, comes to a seven-year agreement with many. That word many does NOT have to include Israel and very well may not.

If what we know from the Word of God is true, then, there are only seven more years after the church is taken away. Where then do we fit all these events that happen during “the day of the Lord?” If the Antichrist is a Muslim, speaking to the Muslim nations, then there are a multitude of reasons to call for peace, one of which is that the Islamic nations in the Middle East would have taken a tremendous beating from this firestorm and need to regroup and resupply, possibly even get themselves a new leader, since Gog is now gone.

How about this? God, sends two witnesses, who stand in the streets of Jerusalem and prophesy for forty-two months. The word "prophesy" is a wide spectrum term. See Revelation 11:3-14. When does this take place? During what appears to be the first 42 months of God's wrath.

Sadly, not everyone who calls themselves a Christian will go up in the catching away of the church.

How do I know that?

Because Matthew 25:1-13, tells us of ten virgins who were all invited to the same wedding. They all got an invitation, but not all made it in, Why? The story is told in terms that were relevant to the Jewish audience that used oil lamps, and therefore may not strike us as significantly; because of that, we simply change the oil to flashlight batteries that fit in a digital flashlight. A digital flashlight does not warn you that it is going to quit by dimming, as an older style might. If you pick it up, push the button and it works, you have NO idea if it will work the next time you push the button, not to mention continuing through the night.

Might I equate the oil to fresh batteries and the impact they could have on my life and my ability to see clearly?

That's great, you have fresh batteries on the shelf. In this scenario, did you check? I always have a few backups, because I have a couple of flashlights that I go to consistently to deal with bangs in the house (we have cats inside during the night,) and peculiar noises outside. It is very annoying to grab a flashlight and not have it work. And, in the case of this wedding that we were invited to, they may not have checked to see if the flashlight was even working, as it was light when they left the house. Let's just say I get to the meeting point, as these all did, and night falls; when the call comes to go, and my light did not work. Those in the story had already been demanding that the others share what little bit of extra oil they had, with them. Well, that's no way to ask, and the obvious thing, for a time and place such as Nazareth, would be that the town shut down completely in the dark hours. There was no place to go and find more. But since they were all invited to the same wedding, surely they all knew each other.

Why then wouldn't you simply follow along with those who had light?

I have run that through my mind many times. I would have done that. And, even if you did not want me near you, I would have followed. I may have stayed out of swinging distance, but I would have come. Considering the nature of this crowd, I can't imagine such hostility, nor someone trying to keep you away from the wedding, but as I was writing these words, haven't we, as the church, done that? I don't try to focus on church history but wasn't there something called the inquisition. Yeah, I thought so.

Some have told us that oil is representative of the Holy Spirit-filled life. Since having the Holy Spirit is thought by many to be an aspect of our salvation, you would think that we should be permanently filled. If that were the case we would not be having so many ugly moments where we act like angry cave dwellers. So my answer to this is to pursue a constant, daily infusion of and from the Holy Spirit. NO, I don't ask, much like some who struggle with negativity, for God to save me, once again. But I consciously put my life into the hands of the Holy Spirit daily. I want Him to possess me, and fill me. Keep pouring your life in me until you and I are one. You did that for Enoch, do it with me.

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.