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by Lane Rogers
II
Thessalonians Chapter 2:4ff
Man of Lawlessness
1Now we request you,
brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and
our gathering together to Him, 2that you not be quickly shaken
from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a
message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of
the Lord has come. 3Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will
not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of
lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and
exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so
that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as
being God. 5Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I
was telling you these things? 6And you know what restrains him
now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7For the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do
so until he is taken out of the way. 8Then that lawless one will
be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth
and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9that is, the
one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all
power and signs and false wonders, 10and with all the deception of
wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth so as to be saved. 11For this reason God will
send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what
is false, 12in order that they all may be judged who did not
believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
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First
we need to define a word or two. Is the correct translation the "Man
of sin" or "Man of lawlessness?" Notice the word
definitions below. I am convinced that either translation (sin or
lawlessness) is in fact appropriate.
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ἀνομία (anomia
458)
1. iniquity -ies
violation of law; non-observance or
transgression of the law, whether unknown or willfully violated;
lawlessness.
2. law (transgression of the)
lawlessness,
contempt of law.
3. unrighteousness
lawlessness,
contempt of law; hence, sin in relation to God's will and law.
In
phrases:
ἀνομία ποιέω (anomia 458 poieō 4160)
law (transgress the)
ἀνομία (anomia 458)
lawlessness.
ποιέω (poieō 4160) to do.
From the
Online Greek New Testament at
http://www.greekbiblestudy.org/gnt/main
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We
also need to see how this passage has been interpreted in the past.
Below is a short list of historical interpretations. However, the
idea that the Pope was/is the historical fulfillment of the 2nd
Thessalonians 4ff goes back at least as early as Martin Luther.
(here)
Never-the-less we list below some of the early interpretations as
summarized by Pastor D Badger.
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By
Pastor D Badger (reprinted by kind permission)
MATTHEW
HENRY, (1706) one of the most esteemed of Christian writers
commenting on 2 Thessalonians 2 v4 writes: 'To whom can this
better apply than to the Bishop of Rome'. On Revelation 17 he
says, 'This Beast is the Papacy'.
WILLIAM
BURKITT (1650-1703) writes on 2 Thessalonians 2, 'By the Man of
Sin understand not a particular and individual person, but a
society and succession of men. Such as is found in and among the
Papacy'. On Revelation 17 he writes: 'The present Papal Church of
Rome deserves this name, the great Whore having been guilty of the
greatest defection and apostasy from the true evangelical doctrine
and worship that ever was in the world'.
JOHN
TRAPP - (1601-1669) Spurgeon said of him, 'He who shall excel
Trapp had need rise very early in the morning'. Trapp applies the
whole of 2 Thessalonians 2 to the Papacy and on Revelation 17 he
comments thus: 'The Romish Whore condemned of God'.
ADAM
CLARKE -(1762-1832) Among Methodist scholars few could surpass
him. On 2 Thessalonians Clarke spends six pages on the evidence of
scholars and in his summary says, 'The most pointed part of the
evidence here adduced tends to fix the whole on the Romish Whore
and on no other'. On Revelation 17 he writes: 'This Woman is the
Latin Church she affects the style and title of our Holy Mother
Church; but she is, in truth, the Mother of Harlots and
Abominations of the Earth'.
BISHOPS
ELLICOTT - (1819-195) On Revelation 17 he writes : 'Is it then,
the question must be asked, Papal Rome? The answer is: In so far
as Papal Rome has wielded tyrant power, turned persecutor, stood
between the spirits of men and Christ, depraved men's consciences,
withheld the truth, connived at viciousness, sought
aggrandisement, and been a political engine rather than a witness
for the Righteous King, she has inherited the features of
Babylon'. Even Dante the Poet and Writer applies this passage to
Rome.
JOHN
WESLEY -(1703-1791) He applies these prophecies of Revelation to
the Roman Church in considerable detail.
DEAN
HENRY ALFORD - On Revelation 17 says, 'I do not hesitate therefore
to maintain that interpretation which regards Papal Rome as
pointed out by the Harlot of this vision'.
CHRISTOPHER
WORDSWORTH, CANON OF WESTMINSTER, BISHOP OF LINCOLN, DOCTOR OF
DIVINITY - 'Nearly eighteen centuries have passed since the Holy
Spirit prophesised by the mouth of John, that this mystery would
be revealed in that city which was then the Queen of the earth,
the city on seven hills, the city of Rome. Age after age rolled
away. Then the form of the mystery became more and more distinct.
The seven hills and the Woman sitting upon them became visible.
Her voice was heard, strange sounds of blasphemy were muttered by
her. Then they became louder and louder. The golden chalice in her
hand, her scarlet attire, her pearls and jewels, glittering in the
sun. Kings and nations were seen prostrate at her feet, and
drinking her cup. Saints were slain by her sword. Now the prophecy
became clear, clear as noonday; and we tremble at the sight,
whilst we read the inscription in large letters, 'MYSTERY BABYLON
THE GREAT' written by the hand of JOHN guided by the Spirit of
God, on the forehead of the Church of Rome'.
DR.
H. GRATTAN GUINNESS - One of the greatest scholars of the
historical school writes: 'Read this wonderful prophecy concerning
Babylon the Great in the clear and all revealing light of history.
I ask those of you who have read the history of the last eighteen
centuries did not Rome Christian become a Harlot? Did it not
glorify itself to be as a Queen, and call itself the mistress of
the world? Did it not ride upon the body of the Beast, or fourth
empire and govern its actions for centuries Did not Papal Rome
array itself in purple and scarlet, and deck itself with gold and
precious stones and pearls? Is not this its attire still? We
appeal to the facts. Go to the Churches and see. Look at the
priests; look at the Cardinals; look at the Popes; look at the
purple robes they wear; look at their scarlet; see the encrusted
jewels; look at the luxurious palaces in which they live; look at
the 11,000 halls and chambers in the Vatican; and the unbounded
wealth and glory gathered there; look at the gorgeous spectacles
in St Peters at Rome, casting even the magnificence of Royalty
into the shade. Go and see these things or read the testimony of
those who have seen them. Shamelessly Rome wears the very raiment,
the very hues and colors, portrayed on the pages of inspired
prophecy. You may know the Harlot by her attire,as certainly as by
the name upon her brow'.
JOHN
WYCLIF - He identified Romanism as the fulfillment of Daniel's
'Little Horn' Wyclif then said, 'Why is it necessary in unbelief
to look for another Antichrist'?
MARTIN
LUTHER - Luther said that the papacy is, 'Nothing else than the
kingdom of Babylon and of every Antichrist. For who is the man of
sin and the son of perdition but he who by his teaching and his
ordinances increases the sin and perdition of souls in the Church;
whilst he yet sits in the Church as if he were God'?
PHILIP
MELANCTHON wrote: 'It is most manifest and true without any doubt,
that the Roman Pontiff, with his whole order and kingdom, is very
Antichrist'.
JOHN
CALVIN says: 'Rome indeed was once the Mother of all Churches, but
since she began to be the seat of Antichrist she ceased to be what
she was'. He further says, 'The Roman Pontiff has impudently
transferred to himself the most peculiar properties of God and
Christ, there cannot be doubt that he is the leader and standard
bearer of an impious and abominable kingdom'.
JOHN
KNOX - He launched the Reformation in Scotland with an exposition
of Daniel 7. Of Rome he said, 'For your Roman Church as it is now
corrupted I no more doubt that it is the synagogue of Satan, and
the head thereof called the Pope, to be the man of sin, of whom
the Apostle speaketh, than I doubt that Jesus Christ suffered by
the procurement of the visible Church of Jerusalem'.
HUGH
LATIMER said, 'Yes, what fellowship hath Christ with Antichrist
therefore it is now lawful to bear the yoke with Papists'.
NICHOLAS
RIDLEY - 'The See of Rome is the Sea of Satan, and the Bishop of
the same, that maintaineth the abominations thereof, is Antichrist
himself indeed'.
THOMAS
CRANMER - 'Antichrist of Rome hath extolled himself above his
fellow bishops, as God's Vicar, yea, rather as God himself'. As
regards the exposition of Daniel 7 and Revelation he said,
'Whereof it followeth Rome to be the seat of Antichrist, and the
Pope to be very Antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many
other Scriptures, old writers and strong reasons'.
Now
these men were not simpletons but front rank scholars and
spiritual leaders in their day. In these days when faith is held
so lightly and error embraced so easily you would do well to give
attentive ear to their one voice.
THE
WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH, Chapter 25, Section 6 reads,
'There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ:
nor can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof; but is that
Antichrist, the man of sin, and the son of perdition, that
exalteth himself in the Church against Christ and all that is
called God'.
In
the light of today's ecumenical/charismatic climate it is surely
significant to read of propositions that this passage be removed
from the confessions of faith.
DR
WALTER CRISWELL, Pastor of the great first Baptist Church Dallas
Texas expounded Revelation 17 in these words, 'The worship of
Mother and Child throughout the whole world, from Babylon to
Assyria, to Phoenicia, to Pergamos, and finally to Rome itself.
There the Roman Emperor was elected Pontifex Maximus and when the
Roman Emperor passed away, that title of the rites and mysteries
of the cult Mother and Child, the Babylon Mystery of Idolatry was
assumed by the Bishop of Rome'.
Why
then all these quotes? To show you that the application of these
prophetic passages to the Church of Rome is no new thing. It is
the persistent interpretation of the Protestant Evangelical faith
for nearly 1800 years. To maintain this stand is to be unpopular
with ecumenicals, charismatics and so called evangelical
Christians many of whom believe that Rome is a Christian Church;
nothing could be further from the truth.
To
speak of the Papacy in terms of uncompromising condemnation is not
an easy thing. However, it would be dishonoring to God if we
failed to expound the Scriptures. Silence is a shame on the
believer. All that is needed for the triumph of evil is that good
men remain silent.
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While
I agree with the above comments that in a manner of speaking the
"Pope" is the man of sin spoken of in 2nd Thessalonians I
disagree that it is the Papacy being spoken about in Revelation 17
which is another subject that we will address later.
The
point is we see that assigning the "man of sin" as being
the Pope is not a new interpretation but if we use those exact words
we have a exegetical problem.
Recently
while listening to a popular television show I was reminded of this
exegetical problem when the host of that show who is as known Roman
Catholic made the statement as to "how silly those Protestants
were and all of those who followed the Martin Luther interpretation
since the text of 2nd Thessalonians plainly says that
whoever/whatever Paul was speaking of was alive and working at the
time Paul wrote his letter." "For the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work"(2:7). The Catholic response then
is this: "It is impossible for the texts to be speaking of the
Pope, when there was no Pope when Paul wrote his letter." Once
again, if we use the term the Pope is the "man of sin" as a
way of stating our argument then we are exegetically incorrect.
The
first question we must ask ourselves when we interpret that section
of text is this: What was at work when Paul was writing the letter of
Thessalonians? Further more there is another limitation on our
interpretation found in V.8 of this same text. Whatever Paul was
speaking of will be with us until Jesus returns and it is then that
Jesus will expose and destroy this evil. So there we have the
parameters of our interpretation. The man of sin was at work when
Paul wrote the letter of 2nd Thessalonians and will be will us until
the end of the world (VV. 7,8). To grasp this phenomena we must go
back in history to the ancient Greek writer "Homer" and
explore Homer's idea of the human soul as a starting point.
The
best current evidence seems to be that Homer lived and wrote
somewhere around 850 B.C. (Here)
and we know him best for his Iliad
(the story of the Trojan war), and his Odyssesy,
the story of some of those Trojan war heroes on their return from
that war. This age is known as the Heroic
age,
These stories were probably songs or ballads written to sing and
praise the Trojan war heroes.
In
Homer the gods were anthropomorphic and sometimes (if not most of the
time) the line between humans and gods was not all that clear. The
gods however were divine and eternal. They lived on Mt. Olympus and
it is from that divine city they regulated human affairs. It is in
Homer that we first have a look at the Greek idea of the human soul
or life after death. What seems to be common was that the dead
continue and engage in the same activities they were involved with
while alive.
In
Homer, the important people of this life continue to be important in
the next life. Homer's heroes had a great desire to be remembered.
Arete (later called virtue) was the excellence of a man,and
time (honor) was the reward for excellence. To be remembered
was to attain a kind of immortality on the dead heroes.
"The
Illiad opens with a reference to "souls" [pshchai]
hurled down to hades For Homer, the soul was not one's personality or
real self, nor was it the organ of will, intelligence, and desires.
Rather it had some association with the breath making one inactive
when it leaves; it is what is left apart from the physical shell.
For Homer, the dead person became a shadow of the living and often
times that shadow reflected earthly activities.
Nearly
all persons go to Hades__a somewhat dreary place. All that makes life
worth living is gone. In Hades they just exist. There is not rewards
or punishment as near as can be told.
From
the works of Homer we next move to Hesiod. As far as writings, Hesiod
works are extremely different than the Homeric poems. Hesiod lived
and wrote some where around 700 B.C. Hesiod writes his poetry in his
own name and where morality was a by-product for Homer, in Hesiod
morality is the point. According to Ferguson (p. 158), Hesiod had two
favorite themes that occupied his works. Justice and work
are important issues to Hesiod.
We
could say a great deal about Hesiod but for the moment that is off
the subject. I will simply leave a note with links as to where more
in general can be read about him and his ideas.i
ii
What is important for our study is the "Cult of Heroes." It
is during the time of Hesiod that this concept first appears in
writings. Heroes was a title given to a person after death who
remained powerful enough to protect those on earth. The idea of the
"Cult of Heroes" changed over time. It was originally a
cult that belong to all the people but as time passed the cult became
family centered. The similarity between the cult of heroes and
spirits in ancient Greece and Rome and the cult of saints in later
Christianity is staggering. When Christianity replaced paganism, the
old cults hung on. The pagan cults were Christianized and are still
with us today.
Alexander
the Great
Alexander
the Great was a religious man and was an important person in the
development of the Hellenistic ruler cult.
When Alexander the Great arrived and conquered Egypt he was welcomed
as one who delivered the Egyptians from Persian oppression. Alexander
was proclaimed as "pharaoh" and there is no doubt that he
(Alexander) accepted this title gladly. The "pharaoh" in
Egypt was seen as having certain divine character. His official title
was the "son of Amon." Since "Amon" in Egypt was
accepted by the Greeks as "Zeus" it was not a problem
for Alexander to see himself as a "son of a god." The
ancient legend that his mother, Olympias, slept with a serpent god
the night before she married Phillip II seemed like it had more
meaning in light of Alexander's new position as a god. After
Alexander's death, divine honors bestowed on kings was the fashion.
After Alexander's death his titles were attributed to the Ptolemies
and Seleucids. They were treated as gods. Now we arrive at a cross
roads. We have the ancient ideas of Homer and his "souls of the
dead heroes" improved later and identified as Hesiod's "cult
of the heroes" and finally the idea of divinity of the king is
interjected into this thought pattern with the crowning of Alexander
the Great as Pharaoh. Now it should be noted as we speak of the Roman
Empire that the same idea's and ethos that made Alexander the Great
divine was behind the deification of Caesar Augustus. The cult of the
Roman Emperors developed under the Roman empire.
Rome
and Beyond
We
have already noted that Homer around 800 B.C. had the idea that
dead Heroes continued to engage in activities mirroring
their former life. The way these deceased heroes achieved immortality
was for their name to live on. By the time we reach Hesiod there is a
"cult of heroes" being worshiped. The ideas and concepts
found in Homer and Hesiod are then combined with the deification of
Alexander the Great giving us rulers who are heros and deity. The
Greek idea of immortality being attached to a name continued in the
heroes. These heroes as first stated originally belong to public but
by the time of the Roman Empire the idea was identified with a
family. The pater familias was the head of the household and
had duties that no one else had. He had sacra privata.
Pompeii offers some concrete evidence about the local family cult.
Near the entrance to the home was a small niche that served as a
place for the family lares.
These were small idols who represented the "spirits" of the
family dead. The lararium
(household shrine) was where these small deities were stored. Often
these were painted with a lar
dancing and others drinking a libation in celebration of the genius
(genealogy) of the family. We also see this concept moved into later
Christianity. The martyrs and the saints received the homage once
given to the lares
and the genius
of the hero family because all important (the name of the family)
since the deities (the lares)were
attached to the family name. Even today we notice that very often
when the Catholic church has a new Pope, there is a name change. But
there is much more going on this just a name change.
As
mentioned above, Augustus was seen as a god. Temples were built and
dedicated to Augustus. Julius Caesar provided the model for the "cult
of Augustus." The Roman Senate declared Julius "divus
Julius," after his death. The Roman Emperors as gods was the
common practice. From Augustus on, the idea of the priceps,
seeing the Emperor as a compromise between divine and human was
combined with the idea of the genius, (the life spirit of the
family). Therefore the First five Emperors of the early empire were
forced to adopt the name "Caesar" as a way to have the
genius of those who had gone before. This pattern continued in
the Roman Empire and was even adopted much later when the Empire
became Christianized.
Constantine
called himself "Pontifex Maximus" once a title used by the
pagan High Priest. These were the bridge builders between god an man.
Constantine saw himself as the "head bishop" in charge of
the earthly oversight of the church. (Here)
Constantine's family continued the ancient practice of the "cult
of Heroes" and the idea of the family genius
as evidenced by the names, Constantia, Constantine II etc. We now
know what Paul was speaking of in II Thess. Chapter 2. What was alive
and working when Paul wrote the letter to Thessalonica was the "cult
of the Roman Emperors." That "cult" is still with us
today in the form of the Papacy and the Roman Catholic Church.
II
Thessalonians Chapter Two
When
the "man of sin" or "man of lawlessness" is
spoken of, often times it is connected with the "Antichrist"
of 1st John 2:18, but the Bible does not make that connection. John
said that the "Antichrist" was among them while he was
writing the letter (2:18). Further, the Antichrist that John speaks
of were Gnostic groups and
part of the congregation John was addressing. (2:19, "they went
out from among us").
As
noted above, there is a long history of associating the Papacy with
the "man of sin," but it is more correct to say "the
cult of the Roman Emperors." At this juncture, we will not
address the Pre-millenarian point of view since it is basically a
preconceived view of history that is incorrect. For the modern mind
it is enough to say that view is Christianity adopted to Marxist
Philosophy. I use the term Marxist because people recognize it as
opposed the Hegelian Philosophy. Now we deal with the Historical
point of view.
I.
A look at the Text
1.
The "falling away" that must happen first is
reference to the apostasy or corruption of the apostles teachings.
This took place in the elder ship of the church (Acts 20:28ff) and is
realized in its most obvious form in the writings of Ignatius of
Antioch (113 A.D). It was at the time of Ignatius that the New
Testament idea of a plurality of elders in every congregation turned
into a "head elder" or "Bishop." That was the
falling away. This was the most important step in the formation of
the Papacy several centuries later.
2.
"The man of sin" in its historical context was in
fact the Roman Emperor of the 1st Century but also the Roman Emperor
of this century, known to us as the Pope (V.3).
3.
"That which hinders" the appearance of the man of
sin (II Thes. 2:6-7) was the then Roman Empire. The Papacy could not
develop until the secular form of the Roman government as originally
founded by Augustus was removed which happened under Constantine and
a Christianized form of the Ancient Roman cult was instituted.
4.
The cult of the Roman Emperors is still with us today in the form of
the Papacy and Jesus will destroy them on his return (vv. 7-8).
In
Short, II Thessalonians 2 is a reference to the old Roman cult of
Emperors that morphed into the New Roman Cult of Emperors known as
the Papacy.
Here
is a short list of the Roman deeds of lawlessness or iniquities.
1.
Bishops take authority over elders (Presbyters, 2nd century).
2.
Infant "baptism" as solidified by Augustine's doctrine of
total depravity.
3.
Heathen rituals introduced into Christianity, i.e. candles, robes and
idolatry.
4.
Human Creeds (Nicene) 325 A.D.
5.
Christianity made the state religion (394 A.D).
6.
Mary called "the mother of God" 431 A.D.
7.
Confession of sin to a human priest, 457 A.D. made the law in 1215
A.D.
8.
Lord's upper turned into the Mass or a sacrifice around the 6th
century A.D.
9.
The Pope gains universal authority in 606 A.D.
10.
Doctrine of Transubstantiation, 1215 A.D.
11.
Indulgences, 1164 A.D.
12.
Adoration of images and idol worship legalized, around 800 A.D.
13.
Tradition made equal to Scriptures about 1545 A.D.
14.
Apocryphal books in the Bible__1546.
15.
Purgatory, stared in the 10th century and made official in 1438.
16.
People deprived of the communion__About 1414.
17.
Celibacy promoted (404 A.D.) and authorized (1123 A.D.)
18.
Sprinkling for baptism authorized in 1311.
19.
Immaculate conception of Mary __1854.
20.
Infallibility of the Pope___1870.
21.
Assumption of Mary into heaven__1950.
So
there we have it. The fulfillment of 2nd Thessalonians 2 is found in
what today is called the Papacy, the modern version of the cult of
the Roman Emperors. From here, we move on to other aspects of Roman
Catholic Doctrine.
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