The Mysterious Restrainer: Who Withholds the “Man of Sin?”

By Maria Merola אריאל 

© Copyright Double Portion Inheritance, August 2004

http://www.DoublePortionInheritance.com/

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A common misconception in the Christian Church about “The Rapture” or the “First Resurrection” (Revelation 20:5), is that in order for it to happen, the Ruwach ha’Qodesh (Holy Spirit) must be “taken out of the way” or taken away from earth. 

Is There Really Going to be Rapture or Catching Away of the Bride? 

Before I begin, it is important first to clear up any misunderstanding about the term “rapture.” The Greek word used to describe the “catching away of the bride of Messiah” is “harpazo,” and it means “to seize, to carry away, to snatch.” The Latin translation for the Greek “harpazo,” is “rapturo!”

1^st Tas’loniqiym (Thessalonians) 4:

16 For YHWH himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of Elohiym: and the dead in Mashiyach (Messiah) shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [harpazo] together with them in the clouds, to meet YHWH in the air: and so shall we ever be with YHWH.

So there is such a thing as a “rapture,” but the timing of it does not take place until “immediately after the tribulation” (Matthew 24:29), and not before the tribulation!

Do not let anyone convince you that there will not be a catching away of the bride of Messiah! 

To learn more, please see my blog entitled: Pre-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation Rapture?

Now, let us move on to the next issue. 

Can The Holy Spirit Be Taken Out of the Way?

Who is the Ruwach ha’Qodesh or the Holy Spirit?

In the King James Version, let us read Psalm 51 to find out:

Tehiliym (Psalm) 51:

10 Create in me a clean heart, O Elohiym (God); and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Whose spirit was David referring to when he said “Take not your Holy Spirit from me?” In the previous verse, he is addressing Elohiym, the Creator, and it is his spirit that he is asking not to be taken away. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Elohiym (God) himself. The Holy Spirit is not a separate entity!

The Hebrew translation says the following: “Take not thy Qodesh Ruwach from me.”

The word “qodesh” is #6944 in the Hebrew Concordance and it means “sacred thing, dedicated, consecrated.”

The word “ruwach” is #7307 in the Hebrew Concordance, and it means “wind, by resemblance, breath; exhalation; by resemblance, spirit, but only as a rational being.”

King David prayed in Psalm 51 to the Almighty, the Creator. His name is YaHuWaH. In another place, David tells us that there is no place where he can go in order to escape the presence of the Ruwach (Spirit) of Elohiym! 

This means that YaHuWaH Elohiym is “Omni-present,” which is a Greek term that means “everywhere at once!” 

Tehiliym (Psalm) 139:7-10 notes “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

Yahuwchanon (John) 4:24 Elohiym (God) is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Our Messiah tells us that Elohiym (God the Father) is a “Spirit!” The Ruwach (Spirit) is Elohiym himself! 

He is a spirit! 

The Spirit of Elohiym cannot be removed, because “The earth is his footstool” (Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:35; Acts 7:49). 

The word “footstool” (#7272 in the Hebrew Concordance) is “regel” meaning “possession.” 

If the earth is his possession, he cannot be taken away from it!

The Man of Sin Revealed After the Falling Away

Those who adhere to a Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory, ignore the words of the Apostle Paul in 2nd Thessalonians 2, when he says “....there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition... ”

Let’s find out who this mysterious character is by allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture.

2^nd Tas’loniqiym (Thessalonians) 2:

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Master Yahuwshuwa Mashiyach (Messiah), and by our gathering together unto him (the first resurrection or harpazo),

2 That you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Mashiyach (Messiah) is at hand.

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; 

*Explanation: the phrase “for that day shall not come, except” are in italics in the King James Version, indicating that they were added into the text by the English Translators. 

The verse should actually read as follows: 

“Let no man deceive you by any means: there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” 

Nevertheless, the addition of the words “for that day shall not come, except” does not change the meaning of the thought being conveyed. 

The Literal Man of Sin & the Corporate Man of Sin

In 2^nd Thessalonians 2:3, the Greek word for “son” is singular. The word “man” (anthropos #G444) is also a singular word. 

However, in Ephesians 2:15 the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) uses the same Greek singular word for “man” (anthropos #G444) when he says that both Jews & Gentiles will become “one new man” through Messiah. 

Yahuwshuwa our Messiah is that literal “one new man” or “the last adam” (1st Corinthians 15:45) who was resurrected, and was the “first born from among the dead” (Colossians 1:18). When he put off the old body of sins in the flesh, and he put on a “new body,” he became a “new man.”

Ephsiym (Ephesians) 4:24 And that you put on the new man, which after Elohiym is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Qolasiym (Colossians) 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

In Revelation 12:1-5, there is a literal “woman” (Miryam) who gave birth to a literal “man-child” (the Messiah). After he resurrected, he was “caught up to Elohiym” as he ascended back to the Father (Acts 1:11; Mark 16:19; Romans 8:34).

But Revelation 12:1-5 has another layer of fulfillment for the future also!

Prophecy often has more than one fulfillment!

In Revelation 12:1-5, there is also a “corporate woman” (Jerusalem), as Paul wrote in Galatians 4:26 “Jerusalem is the mother of us all.” Jerusalem is seen as a woman with a crown of twelve stars (for the twelve tribes). 

She is giving birth to a “corporate man-child” or the “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15). After the “great tribulation,” this corporate body of believers known as “one new man” are “caught up to Elohiym” (1^st Thessalonians 4:16-17). But seven days later, this “corporate one new man” will return with Messiah riding white horses, and clothed in fine linen white and clean! See Revelation 19:1-9. 

If there is a literal “one new man,” and also a “corporate one new man,” is it not reasonable to believe that there is also a literal “man of sin,” as well as a “corporate man of sin?” 

Will there Be a Third Fulfillment to the Abomination of Desolation?

Since most of Christianity teaches that the Towrah commandment against eating pork suddenly changed with Peter’s rooftop vision, it will be difficult for most Christians to be able to identify what the “Abomination of Desolation” really is.

We must learn from past fulfillments of Daniel’s prophecy if we want to know what it will look like again in the 3rd Jewish Temple.

In 167 B.C.E, the troops of the Greek Antiochus Epiphanes desolated the Temple (Luke 21:20) and did away with the daily sacrifice on Kislev 25, 167 B.C. (December 25^th). Antiochus then set up an image of Jupiter (Zeus) on a horn (wing) of the altar resembling himself (from where we get the false image of Jesus).

He then offered up a pig on the altar!

Daniel 9:27 says “upon the wing of the abomination shall come one who desolates.”

In the year 70 C.E. or A.D., the troops of the Roman General Titus desolated the Temple (Luke 21:20) and did away with the daily sacrifice on the 9th of Av, 70 C.E. They then set up their Roman Eagle standards as well as a graven image of Caesar who claimed that he was a reincarnation of Zeus (born December 25^th ). 

Our Messiah, Yahuwshuwa also prophesied in Matthew 24:28 “Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered.”

The word “eagles” is the literal translation of the Greek word “aetos.” Yet many Bible translators substitute “eagles” with “vultures” in Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37. This is based on the assumption that these verses describe the sight of birds eating dead flesh. The word “vultures” is chosen because they are known for eating dead flesh (although hungry eagles also eat dead animals). 

Birds eating the flesh of evil men is a common imagery in scripture (see Revelation 19:17-18).  However, these verses in Matthew and Luke are not necessarily describing birds eating flesh (although I do believe it is plausible). This may be because the “gathering of eagles” could also be a reference to the invasion of Jerusalem by the Romans.

Revelation 19:19 says “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”

When our Messiah said that the “eagles would be gathered where the dead bodies are,” could he have meant that the eagles are a metaphor for the armies of a foreign invasion?

Scripture uses the eagle as a symbol of powerful Gentile invaders. Hosea 8:1 says concerning the king of Assyria, “He shall come as an eagle against the house of YHWH, because they have transgressed my covenant.” 

The entire 17^th chapter of Ezekiel is an allegory of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Jerusalem, which compares Nebuchadnezzar to “a great eagle with great wings” (verse 3). Thus the “gathering of eagles” could refer to the siege of Jerusalem by powerful Gentile armies.

The Third Fulfillment of the Abomination is Yet to Come!

The Vatican and the United States of America to this day, still use the Eagle as their emblem. Could it be that the United States of America will betray the Modern State of Israel and join with the Vatican to take over Jerusalem? Pictured below is the bald eagle on the United States One Dollar Bill. You will also notice the Latin phrase above the eagle as “E pluribus unum” which means “out of many, one” which is the motto of the United States!

In other words, the New World Order! 

This brings me to my next point. 

The “man of sin” may very well have a corporate fulfillment as the Apostate Christian Church or the false “one new man!”

However, just as there is a literal and a corporate fulfillment of the genuine “one new man,” I believe the same thing applies with the counterfeit “one new man!”

Let’s continue with our study in 2^nd Thessalonians 2.

2^nd Tas’loniqiym (Thessalonians) 2:4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohiym, or that is worshipped; so that he as Elohiym sits in the temple of Elohiym, showing himself that he is Elohiym.

Sits in the Temple or Stands in the Temple?

Our Messiah told us what to look for just before the 3.5 years of great tribulation will begin:

Mattithyahuw (Matthew) 24:15-21 “When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place…. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Yahuwshuwa uses the phrase “stand in the holy place” and Paul uses the phrase “sits in the temple of Elohiym.” In both passages (Matthew 24:15 & 2^nd Thessalonians 2:4), the words for “stand and sit,” mean the same thing in Greek, which is “to dwell.”

The word for “stand” in Matthew 24:15 is defined in the Greek Concordance:

#2476. histemi his’-tay-mee a prolonged form of a primary stao (stah’o); of the same meaning, and used for it in certain tenses; to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively):--abide, appoint, bring, continue, covenant, establish, hold up, lay, present, set (up), stanch, stand (by, forth, still, up). Compare 5087.

The word for “sit” in 2^nd Thessalonians 2:4 is a different Greek word, but it has a similar definition:

#2523. kathizo kath-id'-zo another (active) form for 2516; to seat down, i.e. set (figuratively, appoint); intransitively, to sit (down); figuratively, to settle (hover, dwell):--continue, set, sit (down), tarry.

This means that the Anti-Messiah (Antichrist) will literally stand or sit in a place where he should not be! Both, Messiah and Paul tell us that this “man of sin” will sit, stand, dwell, or abide in the Temple!

The Greek word in 2^nd Thessalonians 2:4 for “temple” is defined in the Concordance as follows:

#3485. naos nah-os’ from a primary naio (to dwell); a fane, shrine, temple :--shrine, temple.

The Brown’s Driver Brigg’s Lexicon tells us something interesting about this word naos:

“Used of the temple at Jerusalem, but only of the sacred edifice (or sanctuary) itself, consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of Holies (in classical Greek it is used of the sanctuary or cell of the temple, where the image of the god was placed which is distinguished from the whole enclosure).”

This makes sense in light of what it says in Revelation 11:

1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of Elohiym, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

As you can see, the definition of  “naos,” can mean “The temple at Jerusalem, but only the sanctuary itself, consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of Holies.” 

There are three sections to the Tabernacle of Moses or the Temple:

1.) The Outer Court.

2.) The Holy Place.

3.) The Holy of Holies.

Revelation 11:1-2 tells us that “The outer court will be left out!”

The Three Chambers of The Temple of Moses & Solomon

Both the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon contained three distinct and clearly defined sections.

1.) The First Chamber is the “Outer Court” (Uwlam), also called “The porch” (Ezekiel 40:7-8).

2.) The Second Chamber is called the “Inner Court” or “Holy Place” (Heykal) as seen in Ezra 5:15 & Daniel 5:3.

3.) The Third Chamber is the “Holy of Holies” or “Most Holy Place” (Qadowsh Qadowshiym) also called the “Beyth Ha’Miqdash” which literally means “House of the Most Holy.”

This means that there will be a literal temple with at least two out of three of the sections built. There will be a specific time in the last days of history, a literal event and a literal man of sin who will set up an Abomination of Desolation a third time in history!

How do we know this? Daniel 12 provides us with the answer!

In the next verses we see that this event takes place during a time of great trouble or tribulation (verse 1). It also happens at the end of the world (verse 9), at which time many people who sleep in the dust shall awake to everlasting life (verse 2). 

Daniel 12:

1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

9 And he said, Go your way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

But before all of these events come to a close, Daniel asked the angel in verse 6 “how long shall it be to the end of these wonders?”

Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

What this means is that there is going to be a LITERAL FULFILLMENT OF THE THIRD ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION!

And this means that there will be a LITERAL MAN OF SIN WHO SITS OR STANDS IN A LITERAL TEMPLE!

2^nd Tas’loniqiym (Thessalonians) 2:

5 Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now you know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now let’s will let, until he be taken out of the way.

We see here that two things must happen before the set-apart ones are “gathered” together unto him in the resurrection:

1.) A falling away from the truth.

2.) That man of sin revealed.

The qadowshiym (saints) will not be resurrected until the Anti-Messiah is revealed!

What is the “Mystery of Iniquity?”

The same word used in 2^nd Thessalonians 2:7 for “mystery” is the very same word used in Revelation 17:5 to describe a woman who commits ABOMINATIONS!

Chazown (Revelation) 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

The word “mystery” in both places is the following word in the Greek Concordance:

#3466. musterion moos-tay'-ree-on from a derivative of muo (to shut the mouth); a secret or “mystery” through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites.

And what does the word “iniquity” mean?

#458. anomia an-om-ee’-ah from 459; illegality, i.e. violation of law or (genitive case) wickedness:--iniquity, X transgression of the law, unrighteousness.

#459. anomos an’-om-os from 1 (as a negative particle) and 3551; lawless, i.e. (negatively) not subject to the Jewish law; (by implication, a Gentile), or (positively) wicked:--without law, lawless, transgressor, unlawful, wicked.

#460. anomos an-om’-oce adverb from 459; lawlessly, i.e. (specially) not amenable to (the Jewish) law:--without law.

Iniquity means WITHOUT THE MOSAIC LAW OR TOWRAH! 

The “woman” in Revelation 17: 4 has “a golden cup in her hand” and that cup is filled with two different things: “abominations & filthiness of her fornication.”

The Greek word for “abominations” is as follows:

#946. bdelugma bdel’-oog-mah from 948; a detestation, i.e. (specially) idolatry:--abomination.

The Greek word for “filthiness” is as follows:

#168. akathartes ak-ath-ar’-tace from 169; impurity (the state), morally:--filthiness.  

#169. akathartos ak-ath’-ar-tos from 1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of 2508 (meaning cleansed); impure (ceremonially, morally lewd) or specially, (demonic):--foul, unclean.

In Revelation 2:20, Yahuwshuwa describes her as “that woman, Jezebel,” and he says that she does two things specifically. She “teaches the servants of Yah to eat things sacrificed to idols” and she “commits fornication.”

Have you figured out what is the “MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS” that was “ALREADY AT WORK” in Paul’s day?

What empire was in power when Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians?

It was the ROMAN EMPIRE!

In Daniel 7:23, YaHuWaH showed Daniel that “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth.” Daniel saw in his vision, that this 4^th beast, (Rome), “shall think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25).

Daniel received his vision during the Babylonian Empire. The first two empires of history (Egypt & Assyria) had already fallen. Babylon was the third empire of history. Into Daniel’s future was yet to come the fourth empire (Medo-Persia); the fifth empire (Greece) and the sixth empire (Rome). Rome was the 4^th empire into Daniel’s future!

Also read my other blog entitled: Fourteen Identifiers of the Beast

Who Withholds The Revealing of the Anti-Messiah?

For many years I had heard teachers on this prophecy say that the “he” who now “letteth” is the Holy Spirit. However, I have already illustrated earlier in this study that the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Elohiym cannot be removed, because he is EVERYWHERE!

Back in the summer of 2004, I prayed and sought YaHuWaH to find the answer to who the “he” was that was withholding the revealing of the Anti-Messiah until the “he” be “taken out of the way.”

I found the answer when I discovered an article written by a man named Ken Raggio. The following explanation about “Who withholds the Antichrist” comes from his website: http://kenraggio.com/

We do know that Antichrist “will be revealed in his time” (2^nd Thessalonians 2:6). The word for “time” in this passage is defined in the Greek Concordance:

#2540. kairos kahee-ros’ of uncertain affinity; an occasion, i.e. set or proper time:--always, opportunity, convenient, due season, (due, short, while) time, a while. Compare 5550.

There is a “set time in history” when this “MAN OF SIN” will be revealed!

There have been six “world” empires that have ruled over the nation of Yisra’el in its history.

1. Egypt.

2. Assyria.

3. Babylon.

4. Medo-Persia.

5. Greece.

6. Rome.

The Prophet Daniel gave us the best insight into this mechanism that precipitated the rise and fall of these kings and kingdoms. In the tenth chapter of Daniel, he fasted and prayed for twenty-one days, at the end of which a messenger (angel or malak) of YaHuWaH came to him.

Daniel 10:12-14 Then said he unto me, “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand, and to chasten yourself before your Elohiym, your words were heard, and I am come for your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make you understand what shall befall your people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.”

Daniel 10:20-21 Then said he, “Know you wherefore I come unto you? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will show you that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that HOLDS with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”

Please stay with me for this explanation. MICHAEL and this angel were engaged in a heavenly WAR with demonic PRINCIPALITIES. We learn a fascinating truth about how kingdoms rise and fall.

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon learned it from his punishment from YaHuWaH, in Daniel 2:21, “And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.”

Elohiym installs kings and kingdoms and he also removes kings and kingdoms. The “WAY” in which he  installs and removes kings is by his messengers (malak or angels). The angels do spiritual warfare in the heavens with the demonic princes (or principalities).

How did Elohiym remove Nebuchadnezzar from his throne? 

A “watcher” a “holy one came down from heaven” saying “hew him down” (Daniel 4:13, 23). An angel (malak) of YaHuWaH controlled the throne of Babylon. Later, the angel told Daniel that he and Michael (the archangel) were at war with the Prince of Persia. As long as YaHuWaH allowed the Prince of Persia to prevail, the angel and Michael were unable to defeat him. But “AT THE APPOINTED TIME,” the archangel Michael defeated the Prince of Persia. At THAT time, the Persian Empire fell.

The angel instructed Daniel that he ALREADY KNEW that the Prince of Grecia would be the next adversary, even before the fact. Do you remember Alexander the Great? He was one of history’s most prolific conquerors, and he did it all in his twenties. He was probably demon possessed, because the Prince of Grecia empowered him to lead the Grecian Empire. Only when the angels of Elohiym came to defeat the demonic Prince of Grecia did Alexander’s empire fall.

So you see, there is a corresponding “ground prince” to every demonic heavenly prince. When the demon prince is allowed to prevail (“LET” to prevail, using the vernacular of 2^nd Thessalonians), the ground prince prevails. When the demon prince is HELD (WITHHOLDEN), the ground prince is HELD, WITHHOLDEN – defeated!

After the Prince of Grecia was defeated, history shows the rise of the Prince of Rome. We know this by Daniel 9:26 “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”

The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D., fulfilling this prophecy, and exposing the new Prince of Rome.

Here we have seen an angel controlling the throne of Babylon. We have seen angels controlling the throne of Persia. We have seen angels controlling the throne of Grecia (Greece). We have seen angels controlling the throne of Rome. And it is ANGELS that control the throne of ANTICHRIST. When HE, the angel, is taken out of the way, the Antichrist will be revealed. This is the meaning of Paul’s teaching in 2nd Thessalonians 2.

WHO WITHHOLDS ANTICHRIST?

WHO LETTETH UNTIL HE IS TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY?

It is the angels of Elohiym including the angel Michael who stands for the nation of Yisra’el!

Consequently, we can be sure that it is NOT the resurrection of the Bride, nor is it the removing of the Holy Spirit from the earth that precipitates the revealing of the Antichrist.

The Papacy is the Corporate “Man of Sin.”

Wayne Jackson of the Christian Courier wrote in his article “Who is Paul’s Man of Sin?”

“The Roman Catholic system, with its autocratic papal dynasty, did not suddenly appear in a given year of history. Rather, it was a result of a gradual apostasy from the primitive faith.”

Paul declared: “The Spirit speaks expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith …” (1^st Timothy 4:1). He details some of the traits of this movement, e.g., “forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from meats... ” etc. (1-4).

*Note inserted by Maria Merola: Roman Catholicism forbids priests and nuns to marry, and meat is forbidden on certain Catholic holidays such as “Good Friday.”

Wayne Jackson continues:

The many corruptions of the divine economy, changes in the plan of redemption (e.g., sprinkling, infant baptism, etc.), alteration of worship (e.g., the mass, the veneration of Mary, etc.) were progressively implemented.

Catholicism evolved as a defection from the original faith. This history has been graphically detailed in John F. Rowe’s, The History of Apostasies (1958, Rosemead, CA: Old Paths Publishing Co.).

Not Revealed in the First Century

The apostasy was just a budding phenomenon in the apostolic age. Consequently it was not fully “revealed” until centuries later.

The Romish movement has exhibited a disposition of lawlessness throughout its history. Could any citation more clearly illustrate the spirit of lawlessness than this declaration regarding the papacy?

“The pope doeth whatsoever he listeth [wills], even things unlawful, and is more than God” (quoted by Newton, p. 456).

Attwater, a Catholic writer, has shown that, according to Roman Catholicism, “Tradition,” i.e., the voice of the church, is superior to the Scriptures (pp. 41-42).

Ecclesiastical Usurper of Divine Status 

The papal rulers, as it were, “Sit in the temple of God,” i.e., the church. It is an ecclesiastical force. In the above photo, Pope Francis is enthroned between two cherubim. This is a message to the world declaring that he is the “The Most Holy” as described in Daniel 9:24.

Daniel 9:24 says “To anoint the most Holy.” In Hebrew it says “Mashach qodesh, qodesh.” The Hebrew word “mashach,” is #4886, which means “To anoint or rub with oil.” 

It is from this root word that we derive the word “Mashiyach,” which is #4899, meaning “An anointed or consecrated person, specifically, the Messiah.”

This means that the man of sin will declaring himself to be “The most holy Messiah!”

The pope claims that whereas Christ is the head of the church in heaven, the papacy is the head of the church on earth.

Yet Messiah affirmed that he possessed “All authority … in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). Paul stated that Messiah is “the head [singular] of the body, the assembly” (Colossians 1:18).

Usurps the Throne of Elohiym

The papacy usurps the place of the Creator by making claims that belong only to deity — “Our Lord God the pope; another God upon the earth, king of kings, and lord of lords” (Newton, p. 456).

Accepting adoration not proper for a man. Men bow before the papal dignitary, kiss his feet, ring, etc. Contrast the disposition of Peter when Cornelius bowed before him (Acts 10:25, 26).

Presuming to act for “God” in matters pertaining exclusively to deity, e.g., offering forgiveness of sins. For example, in Catholic doctrine, Absolution is a “judicial act whereby a priest remits the sins of a penitent who has contrition, has made confession and promises satisfaction” (Attwater, p. 3). The papal system arrogantly attempts to lawlessly act for the Almighty.

Claims of Miracles

The whole history of Catholicism is checkered with the claims of “miracles.” Conway, a Catholic apologist, states that God “has allowed His saints to work miracles to prove their divine commission to speak in His name, and to give the world a clear proof of their eminent sanctity. The Church always requires four, or in some instances six, miracles before she proceeds to beatify or canonize a saint” (p. 44).

Early Stages at Work in Paul’s Day

Newton says: “The seeds of popery were sown in the apostle’s time” (p. 457). Idolatry had invaded the church (1st Corinthians 10:14), even in the worship of angels (Colossians 2:18).

Handling the word of YaHuWaH deceitfully (2nd Corinthians 4:2) had begun; strife and division were affecting the assembly (1st Corinthians 3:3).

Gospel truth was sacrificed for the sake of money (cf. 1st Timothy 6:5; Titus 1:11) — compare the practice of “simony” in Catholicism, i.e., the purchase of church offices. Distinctions were made regarding meats (1st Corinthians 8:8), and human traditions were creeping into the assembly (Colossians 2:23).

Certain men were beginning to exert preeminence and to flex their ecclesiastical muscles (3rd John 9 & 10). Out of these attitudes and actions, the papacy finally was born.

In the 11^th Chapter of Daniel, the final demise of the “man of sin” or the Anti-Messiah is foretold. The next chapter in Daniel 12 begins with “And at that time.”

At what time?

It is the same time that our Messiah described in Matthew 24:15-21, when he said the following:

“When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place… For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

The same event is being described in Daniel 12:1:

“ And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”

The Hebrew word for “stand up” in Daniel 12:1 is as follows:

#5975 `amad aw-mad’ a primitive root; to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive):--abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, + serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, make to be at a, with-)stand (by, fast, firm, still, up), (be at a) stay (up), tarry.

The Hebrew word “amad,” to stand, or dwell has the same definition as the Greek “histemi” which means also means “to stand, appoint, dwell, abide,” etc.

#2476. histemi his’-tay-mee a prolonged form of a primary stao stah’-o (of the same meaning, and used for it in certain tenses); to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively):--abide, appoint, bring, continue, covenant, establish, hold up, lay, present, set (up), stanch, stand (by, forth, still, up). Compare 5087.

The final conclusion of our study in 2^nd Thessalonians 2 is that the man of sin will be a literal man, and a singular individual. However, he will come from a corporate man of sin which is the Roman Catholic Papacy. A broader interpretation of this prophecy can also apply to the Apostate Christian Church, a counterfeit “one new man,” who reject the Towrah (Mosaic Law). 

The “Mystery of Lawlessness” which was already at work in the days of the Apostles is about to reach it’s culmination when he will finally sit in the third Jewish Temple. This will once again cause Jerusalem to become desolate just as it has in the past during the days of Antiochus and Nero Caesar (Daniel 9:27; 12:11).

Thus, the man of sin being revealed necessitates that the angel Michael must stop “withholding” the current principalities. Daniel 12:1 details the event that will give way to the installment of the final Eighth World Empire, “The Eighth King” of Revelation 17:11!