The Man of Lawlessness

 

 

 

There are some moments in your life that you never forget. For me, it was one particular class, at Seminary, studying II Thessalonians 2, right out of the Greek New Testament. I was dumbfounded by the lack of insight and understanding in interpreting Paul’s writings about the man of lawlessness, the restrainer, and the great rebellion. I came to the conclusion that interpreting Scriptures from the Greek is not unambiguous, because the interpreter still brings with him all of his theological presumptions and biases. Baggage, you might call it —tried and true Baptist theology.

In this passage Paul wrote about the day of the Lord, the second coming of Jesus, when believers will be gathered to Him. The Thessalonian church must have been deceived by a false teaching that the Day of the Lord had already come and gone, passing them by. But Paul assures them that the return of Christ had not yet occurred, and that it would not happen until after the man of lawlessness is revealed, and after the great rebellion has occurred.

Paul’s writing to clear up the misunderstanding ends up being a very valuable discourse about the man of lawlessness. He wrote that the man of lawlessness “will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Paul also wrote that the revelation of the man of lawlessness will be restrained until the proper time. In the end, he will be overthrown and destroyed by the Lord Himself.

The professor quickly deduced that the man of lawlessness was the Antichrist. And I would agree with that, even to this day. But not the Antichrist that most Christians imagine. No mention was made to the fact that the term antichrist does not appear in all of Paul’s writings, nor anywhere in all of Revelation. It was presumed that the man of lawlessness was the same person being prophesied by the imagery of the Beast in Revelation 13. But that is not accurate. The beast in Revelation 13 is a prophecy of a nation, not a man, not the Antichrist. That leaves this passage written by Paul (2 Thes. 2) as the most significant description of the antichrist. He is not bigger than life, like many have been taught to believe. He is not a supernatural imitation of Christ, who can do incredible miracles, even rising from the dead. He’s not even a world leader, just an Arab-Islamic leader.

The rebellion at the end of the age, prior to the second coming of Jesus, was determined to be a great apostasy, linked to the statement of Jesus, “many will fall away.” But in reality, it is a godless and wicked rebellion, led by the man of lawlessness, the Islamic Mahdi. That “rebellion” aligns clearly with the ten-nation alliance that is revealed in Revelation 17. The man of lawlessness will lead a vast army against Israel and Jerusalem in a jihadi attempt to destroy and annihilate the Jews (Ezek. 38:14-23; Rev 9:13-16).

Furthermore, the class concluded that the man of lawlessness would set himself up in the temple in Jerusalem, in the middle of the Great Tribulation. That did not come from studying the Greek, I guarantee you. The temple is not ieron in the Greek, meaning the brick-and-mortar temple in Jerusalem, but it is naos in the Greek, meaning the holy dwelling place of God. The man of lawlessness will declare himself to be God, usurping the place of the one true God in his holy, heavenly temple.

The restrainer that holds back that great rebellion until the appointed time was suggested, in that class, to be either the Holy Spirit or the Church itself. The Church, and possibly the Holy Spirit as well, would be removed at the pre-tribulation rapture, thereby releasing the power and wickedness of the Antichrist. But that is more theological baggage that needs to be jettisoned, part of the whole tribulation hoax. The restraint is clearly identified in the visions of Revelation, in the sixth trumpet warning and the sixth bowl judgment. The angels who hold back the enormous army at the Euphrates River will be released, and the enemy of Israel will be led into the Valley of Decision, the battle of Armageddon (Rev 9:14-16; 16:12-14).

Yes indeed, that Greek class proved to be quite momentous for me. I am so glad, so thankful, that the Holy Spirit stirred my heart to keep re-examining prophecy.

I Am Against You, O Gog

 

“This is what the sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog [of the land of Magog], chief prince of Meshach and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along.  I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel” (Ezekiel 38:3-4; 39:1-2).

Who is this person named Gog, so eloquently prophesied by Ezekiel? He is a chief prince who leads a huge army against Israel at the end of the age just before Messiah comes back. He is the same person that Paul refers to as the man of lawlessness (II Thes 2). And he is the leader of the eighth-beast alliance of ten kings (Revelation 17). Some would equate him with the Antichrist, although that name conjures up a host of spurious notions about a seven-year world ruler.

Gog is a powerful, deceptive, war-mongering Arab leader arising at the end of the age. He is not truly a world leader, yet his influence and effect will be felt world-wide. He is from the land of Magog and he is the chief prince of Meshach and Tubal (38:2). These are the names of three of the sons of Japheth (Gen 10:2), probably referring to regions in western Asia Minor, what is today Turkey. Most interestingly, these three tribes are descendants of Japheth, not of Shem and Ham. And it was the Semites and Hamites who were the constant, historical enemy of Israel for 2000 years before Christ. But Turkey became part of the Arab bloc of nations after the birth of Islam, and in fact was the very heart of the Islam world during the Ottoman Empire.

Gog will lead an army that combines the forces of many nations, predominantly Arab nations (38:5-6, 9). This correlates to Revelation 17 where it is prophesied that ten kings will give their authority to the eighth beast (Rev 17:11-14). Gog’s army is described as “hordes”, and will advance “like a cloud” (38 :7, 9; cf. Rev 9:16). Gog will “have thoughts come into his mind, and he will devise a scheme” (38:10). This first scheme is to invade unwalled cities, peaceful and unsuspecting people, and plunder and loot their lands (38:11-13). This is probably referring to an initial campaign against other Arab countries, in an effort to bring them into submission to himself as the final Imam-Mahdi, and purify their beliefs and submission to Allah (cf. Dan 11:36-45). Eventually God will turn him around, drag him along, and send him against the mountains of Israel. (38:14; 39:1-20). This is the great battle of Armageddon, described repeatedly in Revelation. When Gog attacks Israel God’s great wrath will be aroused (38:18; cf. Rev 14:17-20, the winepress of God’s wrath). Jesus will defeat this great army, and give the flesh of the soldiers as a feast to the vultures (39:4, 17-20). It will take seven months to bury the dead and cleanse the land (39:12, 14-16). God’s wrath will culminate in the final judgment of earthquakes, crumbling cliffs, plague, bloodshed, rain, hailstones and burning sulfur (38:19-23; obviously correlating to the 6th seal, 7th trumpet, and 7th bowl of Revelation).

God is uniquely against this Arab leader, Gog, and will providentially draw him into these great battles. This is not just a madman that excites God’s wrath, but the culmination of a just anger and wrath against one particular enemy of Israel -- judgment that has been mounting for several millennia. The defeat of Gog by Messiah Jesus serves one great purpose. God will show his greatness and holiness, and “the nations will know that I am Lord” (38:23). Israel, as well, “will know that I am the Lord their God” (39:22). From ages past God planned the great battle of Armageddon, and unfolding history is now beginning to confirm that plan.