My reader, the Antichrist being revealed in his true character is the definite sign of the second coming of our lord. Every other sign is indefinite – but there is only one definite sign of the lord’s coming- that is “the Antichrist being revealed”.
What do we mean by the phrase “the Antichrist being revealed”?
The 4th verse makes it clear – “the son of the perdition 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” (2 thess 2:4).
That is what the bible means when it says “the son of perdition must be revealed”.The Antichrist will first come into the world politics and becomes most powerful and dominating political leader. He will become the head of the one world – government.
Then, claiming himself to be god, he walks straight into the temple in Jerusalem and sits there demanding to be worshiped.
That is the final sign! That is the definite sign. Such an event had never occurred earlier, and it will never take place again. That’s why I assert that the Antichrist sitting as god in the temple at Jerusalem is the only definite sign. Unless this sign is fulfilled, the lord will not come, and the rapture cannot take place. The church will be rapture only after the Antichrist enters the temple in Jerusalem.
Here, the intelligent student will be constrained to raise a question- if that’s the truth, if ‘the Antichrist being revealed’ is the only definite sign, why is this not told in Mathew 24 chapter?
That is an intelligent question and the answer may come as a shock to the pre-tribulationist. The lord had told about this in his Mt.Olivet disclosure in Mathew 24th chapter.
The theologians have ignored it! There has been a serious mistake! That was a “DANGEROUS OVERSIGHT”.
During his Mt.Olivet disclosure, from the 5th verse to the 14th verse, the lord gave the indefinite signs. But in 15th verse the lord spoke about the only definite sign – Let us read it. “Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation’ spoken of by the Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand).
In what context is the lord speaking those words? He was answering the question in the 3rd verse “what will be the sign of your coming?”
While answering the question the lord gave many indefinite signs from the 5th verse to the 14th verse. But in the 15th verse he gave the one and only definite sign.
Many Antichrists, wars, famines etc., are indefinite signs of the coming of our lord. But the sign given in the 15th verse, “the abomination of desolation” standing in the temple of god, is the definite sign of lord’s coming.
Paul is teaching this precious lesson in the second Thessalonians epistle – when we frame our doctrine concerning the second coming of the lord, we have to base our calculations on the 15th verse of Mathew 24th chapter and not on verse 5 to 14.
What Paul is openly teaching in the 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is set out for a head-on collision with the Pre-tribulationist’s interpretation of the 7th verse!
I am not interpreting or explaining or twisting anything here – I am quoting the statement of Paul verbatim- “THAT DAY WILL NOT COME, UNLESS …..”! How about that Mr.Pre-tribulationist? What will you do with that verse? How will you accommodate that plain statement into your eschatology?
The pre-tribulationist will make a desperate attempt here, to identify the day of Christ in this portion of the scripture with the “Great day of the lord Jehovah!” But such an attempt ill further destroy the credibility of the pre-tribulationist.
Because it is very clear that Paul is referring not to the “Great day of god” here, but simply to the day when Christ comes to receive his people unto himself.
In the first epistle to the Thessalonian church too, Paul speaks of the Rapture in the 4th chapter, and then refers to it as "this day”, “the Day of the lord” in (5:4, 2). Without question Paul is talking about “the times and seasons”, of which he had earlier spoken of in the previous chapter – i.e., the rapture (see 4:16, 17 and 5:1).
So it is as clear as daylight that Paul calls the day of rapture. “The day of Christ”, or “the day of the lord!.”
Thus making his definition of the “day of the lord” clear to us, Paul affirms, ‘that day shall not come unless the man of sin is revealed first’.
Now in the light of this context, how do we understand the 6th and 7th verse? Definitely, Paul cannot contradict his own statement of the 3rd verse. So it goes without saying that the later verses must he interpreted in a way that does not contradict the earlier statement made in such plain language.
If we look at the verse carefully, that verse is not talking about the Holy Spirit being taken out of the world, but is simply speaks of the Holy Spirit being “taken out of the way”.
The very expression of someone being taken “out of the way” implies that he had been hitherto “blocking the way”.
This is exactly what Paul is telling us in the sixth verse. Paul is telling us that someone had been with-holding that evil one from being revealed. And Paul says that the Thessalonians knew who that “someone” was, presumably meaning the Holy Spirit.
Paul also gives us the reason for such with-holding. That man of sin was being withheld so that he might be revealed “in his time”.
In the 7th verse Paul tells us that the mystery of iniquity was already at work, right in the first century. Even while the apostles were still alive, that “Man of Sin” was already struggling hard to come upon the world political scene and take-over the world government.
But the lord knew that the appointed time had not yet come.
In the working of god, everything must take place in the “fullness of time”.
God sent his son, the true Christ, “When the fullness of time had come” – Not a single day before! God has been waiting for 4000 years for that fullness of time!
Even so the lord will allow the Antichrist to come into this world only when god’s appointed time comes.
As god has waited 4000 years to send his son, he has been waiting for at 2000 years to permit Satan to send his son, the son of perdition, to rule the world.
The book of revelation tells us why the Antichrist is coming to the world in the first place – “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them” (Rev 13:7).
That is the reason! That is the purpose for which the Antichrist is coming – TO MAKE WAR WITH THE SAINTS! That war is going to be a real challenge for the church of Christ.
THIS CALL IS GIVEN ONLY WITH A BURDEN TO ESTABLISH GOD’S PEOPLE IN THE TRUTH (JOHN 17:17)
BY
ADDANKI RANJITH OPHIR
AGAPE FULL GOSPEL MINISTRIES
www.ophirministries.org
