Notes on Daniel -- Part 9 -- Who is the Man of Sin?
2 Thess 2:4 -- "... who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."
This is supposedly a difficult chapter for postmillennialists and especially preterists who put the great tribulation in the first century.
Admittedly, 2 Thess. 2 seems at first glance to be difficult from a postmillennial perspective, but when compared to Rev. 20, it is very consistent with a postmillennial reading.
I would interpret the Man of Sin as a type of apostate man here, not the antichrist, although many interpreters have seen a single antichrist here.
If you doubt that the "Man of Sin ... who sits in the Temple of God" can be figurative here, compare the language with Isaiah 14:13,14:
"For thou hast sand in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
In 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Paul is alluding to Isaiah where the king of Babylon is compared to Lucifer. But the Man of Sin is not the king of Babylon nor Lucifer, but those controlled by the original sin of man. The end times apostasy will not be contained nor epitomized in one man, but in men in general who will grow cold.
The whole context of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, depicts the end times not as a time of wars, tumults, pestilence, plagues and famine (which were first century judgments on Judea) but a time of "peace and safety" (1 Thess. 5:3) when men will grow cold because they are not expecting the Lord to come.
[NOTE: Gentry, Chilton and others interpret this passage too as a first century event, the man of sin being the high priest. However, the Thessalonians epistles are eschatological teachings made to correct the Thessalonians who had been taught that the Second Coming had already occurred and that there is no future resurrection.]
According to Rev. 20, there is a great falling away at the end of the millennium (before Christ returns in the postmillennial view). In 2 Thess. 2, Paul writes that the Second Coming will not come unless there is a great falling away first -- this is the last apostasy also spoken of in Rev. 20. The man of sin of 2 Thess. 2 is the apostate man -- one who through ease and complacency has fallen away from the true faith -- he has exalted himself to be God. This is the original sin of Adam -- to be like God, to exalt oneself above God.
The man of sin is the man -- any man -- deluded by Satan when he is unleashed at the end of the millennium. The antichrist is a spirit -- any spirit -- that denies Jesus is the Christ.
There will be an antichrist spirit that will be revealed in the hearts of many people just prior to the Second Coming. This is consistent with Rev. 20; 1 John 2; and 2 Thess. 2.
Satan has been bound from deceiving the nations anymore (note that he is bound now) but he will be let loose for a time to deceive the nations once again and then will come the mystery of iniquity revealed in the hearts of men (Thess. 2:7).
I do not see anywhere in scripture a future antichrist figure in the person of one man who is a world ruler. The Beast of Revelation is not a future antichrist. Nowhere do Paul or John in their epistles explicitly say that the "antichrist" or the "man of sin" is anything more than a spirit or a man deluded by a spirit.
That sums up my position on 2 Thess. 2.
Back to document index
The Real Jesus: Who is the Real Jesus? Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archaeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the "historical Jesus" -- a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin. Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archaeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regretably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
|
This presentation explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views.
Presented in ten parts -- perfect for individual, family and classroom study -- viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history -- "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus. Speakers include: George Grant, Ted Baehr, Stephen Mansfield, Raymond Ortlund, Phil Kayser, David Lutzweiler, Jay Grimstead, J.P. Holding, and Eric Holmberg. Ten parts, over two hours of instruction! Running Time: 130 minutes
|
| The Beast of Revelation: IDENTIFIED
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation? Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry's insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation -- and even more importantly -- amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview! Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue -- but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today. Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study -- for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John's famous letter "... to the seven churches which are in Asia." (Revelation 1:4) |
(Available in DVD only) $17.95 ORDER NOW!
|
INCLUDES A FREE Sixteen Christian leaders and scholars answer some of the most common questions and misperceptions related to this volatile issue: Download the free |
Perfect for group instruction as well as personal
Bible study. Speakers include: George Grant, Howard Phillips,
R.C. Sproul Jr., Ken Gentry, Gary DeMar, Jay Grimstead, R.J. Rushdoony,
Steven Schlissel, Andrew Sandlin, Eric Holmberg, and more!
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction! Watch over 60 streaming videos from God's Law and Society at:
Price reduced! |
| Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism
Over four hours of instruction! Just what is “Calvinism?” Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology? This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer. |
$19.95 ORDER NOW!
|
|
The Forerunner Forum is the discussion group for this web site. The purpose of the group is to engage in discussion about the articles on-line. If you want to discuss any article or video on this web site, visit The Forerunner Forum. |
| VIDEOS | WORDS | BLOG | DISCUSSION | WHAT'S NEW | ABOUT US | FEEDBACK | SEARCH | DONATE | JAY'S BIO | HOME |
For more information, contact:
| The Forerunner jrogers@forerunner.com |
|
P.O. Box 362173 Melbourne, FL 32936-2173 |
