The Man of Sin
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1
in Great Controversy 1888 p680
“In the twelfth chapter of revelation we have as a symbol a great red
dragon. in the ninth verse of that chapter this symbol is explained as
follows: "and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the
devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." undoubtedly the
dragon primarily represents Satan. But Satan does not appear upon the
earth in person; he works through agents. It was in the person of wicked
men that he sought to destroy Jesus as soon as he was born. Wherever
Satan has been able to control a government so fully that it would carry
out his designs, that nation became, for the time, Satan’s representative.
This was the case with all the great heathen nations. For instance, see
Ezekiel 28, where Satan is represented as actual king of tyre. This was
because he fully controlled that government. in the first centuries of the
Christian era, Rome, of all the pagan nations, was Satan’s chief agent in
opposing the gospel, and was therefore represented by the dragon.”
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming (Parousia)
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together
unto him, (Verse 1)
Mat 24:3
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives,
the disciples came unto him privately,
saying, Tell us, when shall these things
be? and what shall be the sign of thy
coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:27
For as the lightning cometh out of the
east, and shineth even unto the west;
so shall also the coming of the Son of
man be.
Verse 2: That ye 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 Christ is
at hand.
Verse 3: Let no man deceive
you by any means: for that day
shall not come, except there
come a falling away (Apostasia)
first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition;
Daniel 7:25; And he shall speak
great words against the most
High, and shall wear out the
saints of the most High, and
think to change times and laws:
and they shall be given into his
hand until a time and times and
the dividing of time
Is Paul Speaking about one Man?
Verse 3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not
come, except there come a falling away (Apostasia) first, and that man of
sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
• Hebrews 9:7: But into the second went the high priest
alone once every year, not without blood, which he
offered for himself, and for the errors of the people
• Timothy 3:16-17: All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man
of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all
good works.
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 is
determined shall be done."
"This compromise
between paganism and
Christianity resulted in the
development of 'the man
of sin' foretold in
prophecy as opposing
and exalting himself
above God. That gigantic
system of false religion is
a masterpiece of Satan's
power-a monument of his
efforts to seat himself
upon the throne to rule the
earth according to his
will." The Great Controversy, p50.
Son of Perdition
“Jesus answered them,
“Have not I chosen you
twelve, and of you is a devil?
He spake of Judus Iscariot
the son of Simon: for he it
was that should betray him,
being one of the twelve.”
John 6:70-71
“But
there came a time when paganism in the Roman Empire fell
before the advancing form of Christianity. Then, as is stated on
page 54, "paganism had given place to the papacy. The
dragon had given to the beast 'his power, and his seat, and
great authority.'" that is, Satan then began to work through
the papacy, just as he had formerly worked through
paganism. But the papacy is not represented by the dragon,
because it is necessary to introduce another symbol in order
to show the change in the form of the opposition to God.
Previous to the rise of the papacy, all opposition to the law of god
had been in the form of paganism,--god had been openly defied;
but from that time the opposition was carried on under the guise of
professed allegiance to him. The papacy, however, was no less
the instrument of Satan than was pagan Rome; for all the power,
the seat, and the great authority of the papacy, were given it by
the dragon. And so, although the pope professes to be the
vicegerent of Christ, he is, in reality, the vicegerent of Satan--he is
antichrist”. {Great Controversy 1888 p680.1}
verse 4:
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, showing himself that he is God.
Ephesians 2:20-22
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the
building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the
Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of
God through the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath
Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an
infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?
for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will
dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people.
Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I
dwell in the high and holy place, with him
also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite
ones.
Deut 6:7-8
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon
thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets
between thine eyes
And he causeth
all, both small
and great, rich
and poor, free
and bond to
receive a Mark in
their right hand
or in their
foreheads.
Rev 13:16
verse 5:
“Remember ye Not
that when I was yet
with you, I told you
these things?”
Verse 6-7:
“And now ye know what withholdeth
that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only he who now
letteth will let until he be taken out of
the way.”
“I read on, and could find no other case in
which it [the daily] was found but in Daniel. I
then [by the aid of an concordance] took
those word which stood in connection with
it, ‘take away;’ he shall take away the daily;
‘from the time that the daily shall be taken
away’ I read on and thought I would find no
light on the text. Finally I came to
2Thessalonians 2:7-8, ‘For the mystery of
iniquity does already work; only he who now
letteth will let, until he be taken out of the
way, and then shall that wicked be
revealed.’ And when I had come to that text,
O how clear and glorious the truth
appeared. There it is! That is the daily! Well,
now, what does Paul mean by ‘he who now
letteth’ or hindereth? By ‘the man of sin,’
and ‘the wicked,’ Popery is meant. Well
what is it that hinders Popery from being
revealed? Why it is Paganism. Well, then,
‘the daily’ must mean paganism.” Review and
Herald, January, 1858.
Verse 8: “And then shall the wicked one be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the
spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the
brightness of his coming (Parousia)
Verse 9: Even him, whose coming (Parousia) is
after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders
In Paul's second epistle to the
Thessalonians, he exhorts to be on
guard, and not depart from the faith. He
speaks of Christ's coming as an event to
immediately follow the work of Satan in
spiritualism in these words: "Even him,
whose coming is after the working of
Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved. And for
this cause God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie;
that they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness."
{ST, April 12, 1883 par. 19}
The beast which is a symbol of the papacy
is introduced in revelation 13; and
following it, in the same line of prophecy,
"another beast" is seen "coming up," [rev.
13:11-14.] which exercises "all the power
of the first beast before him," that is, in
his sight. this other beast must therefore
be a persecuting power also; and this is
shown in that "it spake as a dragon." the
papacy received all its power from Satan,
and the two-horned beast exercises the
same power; it also becomes the direct
agent of Satan. And its satanic character
is further shown in that it enforces the
worship of the image of the beast, by
means of false miracles. "He doeth great
wonders, so that he maketh fire come
down from heaven on the earth in the
sight of men, and deceiveth them that
dwell on the earth by the means of those
miracles which he had power to do {Great
Controversy 1888 680.2}
All heaven watched with the deepest interest the reception of the first angel's
message. But many who professed to love Jesus, and who shed tears as they read
the story of the cross, derided the good news of His coming. Instead of receiving
the message with gladness, they declared it to be a delusion. They hated those
who loved His appearing and shut them out of the churches. Those who
rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second; neither were they
benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by
faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. And by rejecting the two
former messages, they have so darkened their understanding that they can see no
light in the third angel's message, which shows the way into the most holy place. I
saw that as the Jews crucified Jesus, so the nominal churches had crucified
these messages, and therefore they have no knowledge of the way into the
most holy, and they cannot be benefited by the intercession of Jesus there.
Like the Jews, who offered their useless sacrifices, they offer up their useless
prayers to the apartment which Jesus has left; and Satan, pleased with the
deception, assumes a religious character, and leads the minds of these professed
Christians to himself, working with his power, his signs and lying wonders, to
fasten them in his snare. {Early Writings p261.1}
The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last
days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great
rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will
soon come to pass. Consider the circumstances of the Jewish nation
when the prophecies of Daniel were given. Let us give more time to the
study of the Bible. We do not understand the word as we should. The book of
Revelation opens with an injunction to us to understand the instruction that it
contains. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this
prophecy," God declares, "and keep those things which are written therein: for
the time is at hand." When we as a people understand what this book
means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival. We do not
understand fully the lessons that it teaches, notwithstanding the injunction given
us to search and study it. {Testimonies to Ministers 113.}
The book that was sealed was not the book of Revelation, but that
portion of the prophecy of Daniel which related to the last days.
The Scripture says, 'But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and
seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and
fro, and knowledge shall be increased.' Daniel 12:4. When the
book was opened, the proclamation was made, 'Time shall be no
longer.' See Revelation 10:6. The book of Daniel is now unsealed,
and the revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all the
inhabitants of the earth.
By the increase of knowledge a people is to be prepared to
stand in the latter days." Selected Messages, book 2, 105.
"In the first angel's
message men are called
upon to worship God, our
Creator, who made the
world and all things that
are therein. They have paid
homage to an institution of
the Papacy, making of no
effect the Law of Jehovah,
but there is to be an
increase of knowledge
on this subject."
{2Selected Messages
106.1}.
"The scenes connected with the working of the man of sin are the last features plainly
revealed in this earth's history." The people now have a special message to give to the
world, the third angel's message. Those who, in their experience, have passed over the
ground, and acted a part in the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels'
messages, are not so liable to be led into false paths as are those who have not had an
experimental knowledge of the people of God. . . {2Selected Messages 102.1}
Matthew 7:21-23
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and
in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew
you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Meaning of Antichrist to Be Understood
Those who become confused in their understanding of the Word, who
fail to see the meaning of antichrist, will surely place themselves on
the side of antichrist. There is no time now for us to assimilate with the
world. Daniel is standing in his lot and in his place. The prophecies of
Daniel and of John are to be understood. They interpret each other.
They give to the world truths which every one should understand.
These prophecies are to be witnesses in the world. By their fulfillment
in these last days they will explain themselves. The Lord is about to
punish the world for its iniquity. He is about to punish religious bodies
for their rejection of the light and truth which has been given them. The
great message, combining the first, second, and third angels'
messages, is to be given to the world. This is to be the burden of our
work. Those who truly believe in Christ will openly conform to the law
of Jehovah. The Sabbath is the sign between God and His people; and
we are to make visible our conformity to the law of God by observing
the Sabbath. It is to be the mark of distinction between God's chosen
people and the world (MS 10, 1900). {7BC 949}
Verse 10-12
And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not
the love of the truth, that they
might be saved. And for this cause
God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe
a lie: That they all might be
damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
Luke 14:11
For Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted.
Luke 9:48
He that is least among you all, the same shall be great
Matthew 19:30
But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The Great Controversy, 579-581
The influence of Rome in the countries that once acknowledged
her dominion is still far from being destroyed. And prophecy
foretells a restoration of her power. 'I saw one of his heads as it
were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all
the world wondered after the beast.' Verse 3. The infliction of the
deadly wound points to the downfall of the Papacy in 1798. . . .
Paul states plainly that the 'man of sin' will continue until the
second advent. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. To the very close of
time he will carry forward the work of deception. . . ."And let it
be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes.
The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles
of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she
would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past
centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they
propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday
exaltation.
While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is
aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the
principle once be established in the United States that the church may
employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be
enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is
to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is
assured. God's Word has given warning of the impending danger; let this
be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of
Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently
growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative
halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty
and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former
persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is
strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come
for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is
already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the
purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the
Word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution." The Great
Controversy, 579-581