50 Days to Understanding the End-Times More Accurately - Day 12 - The Revealing of the Antichrist
DAY 12 - The Revealing of the Antichrist
Since I made the claim yesterday that the Antichrist is not revealed by the confirming of the week long covenant, you may be wondering what event I believe does reveal his identity.
Verse 4 of 2 Thessalonians 2 is given for the specific reason of making us absolutely sure we know what event reveals the identity of the Antichrist.
“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4)
It is the “Abomination of Desolation” that reveals the Antichrist’s identity.
If the passage read “and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who shall confirm the covenant with many for one week”, we could (and should) conclude that the confirmation of the one week covenant reveals the identity of the Antichrist.
Howsoever, such is not the case.
The passage, by the inclusion of verse 4, clearly and undoubtedly points to the “Abomination of Desolation” as the identifying event. Interestingly, this is that same event that Jesus points to.
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:” (Matthew 24:15-16)
“But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee into the mountains:” (Mark 13:14)
In both of these passages, just as in 2 Thessalonians, the event pointed to is the “Abomination of Desolation”.
Once the testimony of Jesus is considered, a logical question arises. If the confirming of the covenant was what reveals the identity of the Antichrist, why does Jesus not give His audience a three and a half year head start?
Their successfulness in fleeing would be exponentially increased if they started three and a half years earlier.
Why then does Jesus point to the “Abomination of Desolation” and not the confirming of the covenant? Perhaps most of the world will be unaware of this covenant, and therefore have to wait for the “Abomination”.
As this revealing of the Antichrist’s identity relates to pretribulationism, the error of their view is further exposed.
Since he must be revealed prior to the rapture and the beginning of the “Day of Christ”, these two events cannot occur until at least some time within the second half of the “Seventieth Week of Daniel”.
To not have Jesus return until after the Antichrist arrives and persecutes the believers is not what we would prefer, but our preference does not negate Biblical truth.
In Matthew 10:22 we are told, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
This is certainly not what Christians throughout the history of Christianity preferred, but it is the Biblical reality.
Many will take a look at the “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21) and “affliction” (Mark 13:19) which begins after the “Abomination of Desolation” and desire to have no part in it.
When we are told that the Antichrist will “make war with the saints, and… overcome them” (Revelation 13:7), no one in their right mind desires to be overcome in a war with the Antichrist.
Yet, our feelings and desires cannot change what God reveals as truth.
Point #1: The Antichrist is revealed when he commits the “Abomination of Desolation”.
Point #2: This means that we may still be upon the earth for this event, and experience the persecution that follows it.
2+2=4
Thanks, @narrowminded
In case you missed them,
Introduction
Back Cover
1 : The Foundation
2 : The Tribulation
BONUS : A Biblical, New Testament Understanding of Tribulation
3 : The Seventieth Week of Daniel
4 : Not Appointed to Wrath
5 : Wrath vs. Tribulation
6 : The Day of the Lord
7 : The Lord Alone
8 : The Exaltation of the Antichrist
9 : Promises
10 : The Presupposition
11 : 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
You make a very good case for a Post-Trib (tribulation by the Antichrist) rapture.
When all 50 days are viewed in their entirety, it seems like the only real option. Thank you for joining in and following along, @gamgam.
Hey, just thought I'd let you know that I finally published this book. So far it is only available on amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1517698774 - but in another week or so, I'll be selling it for STEEM & SBD in our Homesteaders Co-op store. Figured I'd mention it since you commented here when I was first sharing it on steemit.
Thanks, and be blessed!
If I may make things slightly more complicated. As we know from Daniel 9:26-27, it is “the prince of the people who shall come” that confirms a covenant for 1 week (7 years). “The prince” in Hebrew is “nagiyd”. I believe this could be the “False Prophet”.
Elsewhere in the book of Daniel, the Anti-Christ figure is referred to as “king” which in Hebrew is “melek” such as in this verse;
Daniel 11:36 “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done”.
So I’d suggest Daniel could have used 2 different titles to differentiate between these 2 different figures that seem to function as a tag team of sorts from what we see in Revelation 13.
In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul states that the "son or perdition" AKA "man of sin" commits an act that appears to be the Abomination of Desolation. This is the same even that Matthew and Mark record Jesus as pointing to, and Jesus points to Daniel. It is therefore, in my mind, speaking of the same one who causes the temple sacrifices to cease and exalts himself. Though " the Anti-Christ" is not actually in the Bible, the one to whom it is referring is the one that Paul calls the "son or perdition", and it that individual which is revealed at the Abomination of Desolation, thus making the person synonymous with the one referred to in Daniel 9. The "willful King" is one whom I believe to be the same as well, though you are correct that there will be a "two man show" of the beast and the false prophet who will work together. I think there all of those titles in Daniel and 2 Thessalonians apply to the same individual, though I could be wrong. Does my reasoning here seem to be accurate to you? Thank you for your reply, @logos1.
It is difficult to know for sure but we know from Rev 19:20 both of them are around until the Second Coming and I imagine both of them will be very busy while they have the chance.
Rev 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
These scriptures seem to indicate to me that the beast who kills the 2 witnesses can't be around at the start of the 70th week to confirm a conevant as he only seems to show up just before the Mid-Point events when the bottomless pit is opened at the 5th trumpet/1st woe, taking the book of revelation chronologically.
Maybe it's possible this means a new level possession of the Anti-Christ figure takes place at this point as part of this revealing but it seems to be more literal than that to me?
Interesting thought to consider. I will look into that a bit more. Thank you, @logos1.