2 Thessalonians Chapter 2

A word of Warning, continued

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…

VERSE 4 “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

This verse sounds so appalling that we would think anyone who is reading the epistle would notice it and want deeper understanding. However, to interpret the man of sin as a literal individual prevents further understanding because the verse appears to be self-explanatory.

The various declarations and boastful claims made by the various popes throughout the age leave little doubt as to whom the “Man of Sin”, the Antichrist is.

“The pope holds the place of the true God,” declared Pope Innocent III (A.D. 1198-1216). The Lateran Council (A.D. 1123) acclaimed the Pope as “Prince of the Universe.” St. Bernard (A.D. 1090-1153) wrote that “none except God is like the Pope, either in heaven or on earth.” And Pope Nicholas (A.D. 858-867) boasted, “What can you make me but God?” Ferrar’s (Roman Catholic) Ecclesiastical Dictionary states, “The Pope is, as it were, God on Earth…”

Some of these quotes show past popes as claiming to have all knowledge—even in heaven. Those who are aware of these pompous quotes should know immediately when they read Verse 4 that Satan is working through the Roman Catholic Church. Not necessarily through individual Catholics themselves (although he does have his servants in every quarter of great Babylon), but more importantly through the system itself.

Try to grasps this thought clearly in mind, the “Man of Sin”, the (Antichrist) is a SYSTEM, and NOT a single individual, as many of our futurist friends seem to believe; that as THE Christ consists of the true Lord and the true Church, so too THE Antichrist is a COUNTERFEIT system consisting of a false lord and an apostate church, which for a time is permitted to misrepresent the truth, to practice deceit and to COUNTERFEIT the authority and future reign of the true Lord and his Church, and to intoxicate the nations with false claims and assumptions. (Rev 17:2)

The pope opposed and exalted himself “above all that is called God” by claiming to rule as vicegerent in Christ’s stead.

In the Diaglott the following distinction is made for the word “God”: The pope exalts himself above all that is called “a god,” or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple (the church) of “the God,” showing him-self to be “a god.” The absence of the Greek article allows the English translation to be rendered “a god.” The Apostle Paul said of the true Church, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God” (1 Cor. 3:16). Accordingly, the Roman Catholic Church claims to be the temple of God with the pope as head. (The pope is also the head of the Papacy, a separate function.) Thus the Adversary has skewed Scripture to seemingly justify the Antichrist system he has set up.

Comment: Familiarity with Scripture would show that Verse 4 cannot be referring to a literal wicked individual who will sit in the temple of God because:

 (1) The Third Temple will not be defiled (“there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts”—Zech. 14:20, 21), and

 (2) The Temple will contain no throne or chair.

Considering itself to be above the apostles, Papacy has presumed to “change times and seasons,” thus annulling what was previously said and taught by both the apostles and Jesus (Dan. 7:25). The man of sin could be identified because it “forbids marrying” and advocated abstaining from meats (1 Tim. 4:3).

Daniel 7:8 predicted that a “little horn” would arise having “eyes like the eyes of man” and “a mouth speaking great things.” It would exalt itself above its fellows (Dan. 7:20). The institution of the mass is the “abomination which makes desolate” (Dan. 11:31; 12:11; Matt. 24:15).

Rev 6:1–8 describes four horses.

First, a man on a white horse was given a crown, and he went forth conquering (in pursuit of worldly power). Then came a red horse followed by a black horse and, still later, a pale horse. The rider of the black horse had a pair of scales in his hand, portraying conditions during the Dark Ages.

At that time there was a famine for the Word of God. One measure of wheat and three measures of barley each sold for a penny; that is, barley, the food of the harlot, was more plentiful than wheat. Stated another way, three times as much barley could be purchased for the same amount of money as one measure of wheat.

 Papacy made its own doctrines attractive and plentiful and made the Word of God scarce.

The “temple” is the church. Ostensibly, the church is where God communicates with His people. The church (or ecclesia) is a group of the Lord’s people, but Papacy turned the people into the building. Instead of “Christians” continuing to meet in private homes as their numbers grew, larger and larger buildings were erected.

As time went on, the priesthood (the clergy) became the church instead of the people. The pope sits in the midst of his hierarchy or clergy. The gradual change was from “two or three” being gathered together to hundreds, to the building, to the Roman curia (bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and the pope).

We will continue with Verse 5 in our next post.