Help! 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

[JSDileo]

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
NIV at IBS International Bible Society NIV at Zondervan Zondervan

2 Thessalonians 2
The Man of Lawlessness
1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and 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

How does fit into the preterist view of eschatology? Just wondering.

[Hitch]

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
NIV at IBS International Bible Society NIV at Zondervan Zondervan

2 Thessalonians 2
The Man of Lawlessness
1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and 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

How does fit into the preterist view of eschatology? Just wondering.

The process in view is the final and complete seperation of the natural Nation (Israel) from the Kigdom of God. A common trouble with this passage is the term 'gathering'. This is ofent associated with the rapture but here it is more likely a reference to the official sanction of the church ,by God, as His sole heir and fellowship on earth. The Kingdom, as Christ prophecied is being taken from the jews. The removal of any semblence of godliness in Israel is demonstrated by the power and force exihibited by a pagan ruler taking over the city and Temple. This cannot be done outside of God's perfect control and it was accomplished through what Jesus called parabolically 'his armies' Mat 22;7. Paul is telling the Thessolonians that the final days of Israel are very near and the pagans will take over the city and even the Temple,then the church becomes the only focus.

Take care

H

[bar Jonah]

How does fit into the preterist view of eschatology? Just wondering.

It doesn't. There's nothing whatsoever in this context about Israel or the Jews. It is written to Gentile followers of Paul.

The "falling away" in verse 3 makes no reference to sin or what we today would call "apostasy." It simply means departure. In fact, the verb form of this word can be found in Luke 22:41, Acts 12:10, Acts 21:1, 1 Timothy 6:5 and 2 Timothy 2:19, referring to people departing. And in the last of those, it actually refers to a departure from iniquity! Additionally, this isn't simply "departure," but rather it has a definite article, thus referring to "the departure."

That day will not come until The Departure.

Not only that, but the grammar in that sentence is anaphoric, meaning it is referring to something previously mentioned by Paul. But he mentions nothing about any kind of departure (or some event of great iniquity) before that in 2 Thessalonians. And he makes no reference to some future event of great apostasy in 1 Thessalonians either.

He does however, make reference to a very notable departure at the end of 1 Thessalonians, chapters 4 and 5. Here, Paul talks about the future hope of believers.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The "caught up" here is the same word used to describe how Phillip was whisked away in Acts 8. It is also used twice to describe how Paul was taken up into heaven, in 2 Corinthians 12! Talk about a precedent. Other references indicate that this has a connotation of being "snatched up."

And we will meet the Lord in the air. This is not the Second Coming, in which Christ will come down to earth. We'll meet Him in the air, and then we'll spend eternity with Him.

Then, of course, Paul continues by explaining how this hope relates to the fact that we'll be spared the wrath to come, but the "they" will not. God did not appoint us to the wrath to come. Which I would suggest is the Tribulation, of course, but that's a whole other conversation.

Back in Thessalonians 2, Paul therefore speaks "concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him," and assures his readers that the day of the Lord is not now present. References to "the day of Christ" or "the day of the Lord" are references to the tribulation period promised to Israel. He explains "that day will not come unless The Departure comes first, and the man of perdition is revealed, who 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." And so on.

[John Reece]

[...]

The "falling away" in verse 3 makes no reference to sin or what we today would call "apostasy." It simply means departure. In fact, the verb form of this word can be found in Luke 22:41, Acts 12:10, Acts 21:1, 1 Timothy 6:5 and 2 Timothy 2:19, referring to people departing. And in the last of those, it actually refers to a departure from iniquity! Additionally, this isn't simply "departure," but rather it has a definite article, thus referring to "the departure."

That day will not come until The Departure.

[...]

The Greek word in question is [greek]apostasia[/greek] (apostasia).

Here is an example of biblical usage of that word:

Joshua 22:21-29 (ESV) — bold and brackets added

21 Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, 22 "The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion [Hebrew: [hebrew]mRD[/hebrew] (mered); LXX: [greek]apostasia[/greek] (apostasia)] or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today 23 for building an altar to turn away from following the LORD. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance. 24 No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the LORD.' So your children might make our children cease to worship the LORD. 26 Therefore we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, 27 but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the LORD in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD."' 28 And we thought, If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, 'Behold, the copy of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.' 29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away this day from following the LORD by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle!"

The Greek word [greek]apostasia[/greek] (apostasia) is a rendering of the Hebrew word [hebrew]mRD[/hebrew] (mered) which means ‘rebellion’; the verb cognate means ‘revolt’, ‘rebel’. That meaning is confirmed by the usage in the context of Joshua 22.

Another example of biblical usage:

2 Chronicles 29:3-19 — bold and brackets added

Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple

[. . .]

12 Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; 13 and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They gathered their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. 16 The priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. 17 They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the LORD. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, "We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. 19 All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless [Hebrew: [hebrew]Bm(LW[/hebrew] (‘in his faithlessness’); LXX [greek]en th apostasia[/greek] (‘in his apostasia’)], we have made ready and consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the LORD."

In the context above, [greek]apostasia[/greek] (apostasia) is a rendering of the Hebrew word [hebrew]m(L[/hebrew] (ma‘al) meaning ‘unfaithfulness’ (always against God).

Another OT occurrence:

Jeremiah 2:1-4, 19 (ESV) — bold and brackets added

Israel Forsakes the LORD

1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,

"I remember the devotion of your youth,
your love as a bride,
how you followed me in the wilderness,
in a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the LORD,
the firstfruits of his harvest.
All who ate of it incurred guilt;
disaster came upon them,
declares the LORD."

4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:

[. . .]

19 Your evil will chastise you,
and your apostasy [Hebrew: [hebrew]m$WBH[/hebrew] (m^eshuva^h); LXX: [greek]apostasia[/greek] (apostasia)] will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and bitter
for you to forsake the LORD your God;
the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

The sense of the Hebrew word rendered [greek]apostasia[/greek] (apostasia) in verse 19 is an (act of) faithlessness, defection, apostasy.

Here is the only other-than-Thessalonians-2:3 occurrence in the NT:

Acts 21:17-26 — bold and brackets added

Paul Visits James

17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses [[greek]apostasia[/greek] ... [greek]apo MwüsewV[/greek]], telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality." 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.

A literal rendering of the Greek words in verse 21 is ‘[greek]apostasia[/greek] (apostasia) … from Moses. The sense is ‘a departure from the teaching of Moses’.

The sense of the word [greek]apostasia[/greek] (apostasia) in the Greek texts of the OT and NT is always and only as defined by BDAG:

[greek]apostasia[/greek] : defiance of established system or authority, rebellion, abandonment, breach of faith Acts 21:21; 1 Thessalonians 2:3

[kaine diatheke]

It doesn't. There's nothing whatsoever in this context about Israel or the Jews. It is written to Gentile followers of Paul.

The "falling away" in verse 3 makes no reference to sin or what we today would call "apostasy." It simply means departure. In fact, the verb form of this word can be found in Luke 22:41, Acts 12:10, Acts 21:1, 1 Timothy 6:5 and 2 Timothy 2:19, referring to people departing. And in the last of those, it actually refers to a departure from iniquity! Additionally, this isn't simply "departure," but rather it has a definite article, thus referring to "the departure."

That day will not come until The Departure.

Not only that, but the grammar in that sentence is anaphoric, meaning it is referring to something previously mentioned by Paul. But he mentions nothing about any kind of departure (or some event of great iniquity) before that in 2 Thessalonians. And he makes no reference to some future event of great apostasy in 1 Thessalonians either.

He does however, make reference to a very notable departure at the end of 1 Thessalonians, chapters 4 and 5. Here, Paul talks about the future hope of believers.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The "caught up" here is the same word used to describe how Phillip was whisked away in Acts 8. It is also used twice to describe how Paul was taken up into heaven, in 2 Corinthians 12! Talk about a precedent. Other references indicate that this has a connotation of being "snatched up."

And we will meet the Lord in the air. This is not the Second Coming, in which Christ will come down to earth. We'll meet Him in the air, and then we'll spend eternity with Him.

Then, of course, Paul continues by explaining how this hope relates to the fact that we'll be spared the wrath to come, but the "they" will not. God did not appoint us to the wrath to come. Which I would suggest is the Tribulation, of course, but that's a whole other conversation.

Back in Thessalonians 2, Paul therefore speaks "concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him," and assures his readers that the day of the Lord is not now present. References to "the day of Christ" or "the day of the Lord" are references to the tribulation period promised to Israel. He explains "that day will not come unless The Departure comes first, and the man of perdition is revealed, who 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." And so on.

Hello bar jonah. I would like to respond to your previous post if you don't mind. I'm not being belligerent, just presenting an alternative view. Consider the context of 2 Thess. 2:

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among those who have believed. 2 Thess. 1:6-10

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him.

It appears that our gathering to the Lord will occur on the same day that the unbelieving are punished. Also, on the same day the man of sin/lawlessness is destroyed:

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming 2 Thess. 2:8

All three events it appears: our gathering to the Lord (the rapture if you will), the destruction of the wicked, and the destruction of the man of sin/lawlessness occur at the same time, the time of His coming according to Paul in 2 Thessalonians. In other words, I don't believe one can separate the rapture from the revelation.

Kaine Diatheke

[John Reece]

Here is a problem for a futuristic interpretation of the text in the 21^st century:

The text says that “the man of lawlessness” … “takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”

The temple referred to in the text was destroyed circa AD 70.

Many fantasize that the text must now refer to a temple to be built by Jews in the modern city of Jerusalem.

However, the text does not refer to such a fantasy; it refers to the temple that was standing when the text was written.

[eschaton]

Here is a problem for a futuristic interpretation of the text in the 21^st century:

The text says that “the man of lawlessness” … “takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”

The temple referred to in the text was destroyed circa AD 70.

Many fantasize that the text must now refer to a temple to be built by Jews in the modern city of Jerusalem.

However, the text does not refer to such a fantasy; it refers to the temple that was standing when the text was written.

I would like to remind how the early Christians understood these things. In the Epistle of Barnabas, written in the late first or early second century:

...Let us inquire, then, if there still is a temple of God. There is-where He himself declared He would make and finish it. For it is written, "And it shall come to pass, when the week is completed, the temple of God shall be built in glory in the name of the Lord."235 I find, therefore, that a temple does exist. Learn, then, how it shall be built in the name of the Lord. Before we believed in God, the habitation of our heart was corrupt and weak, as being indeed like a temple made with hands. For it was full of idolatry, and was a habitation of demons, through our doing such things as were opposed to [the will of] God. But it shall be built, observe ye, in the name of the Lord, in order that the temple of the Lord may be built in glory. How? Learn [as follows]. Having received the forgiveness of sins, and placed our trust in the name of the Lord, we have become new creatures, formed again from the beginning. Wherefore in our habitation God truly dwells in us. How? His word of faith; His calling236 of promise; the wisdom of the statutes; the commands of the doctrine; He himself prophesying in us; He himself dwelling in us; opening to us who were enslaved by death the doors of the temple, that is, the mouth; and by giving us repentance introduced us into the incorruptible temple.237 He then, who wishes to be saved, looks not to man,238 but to Him who dwelleth in him, and speaketh in him, amazed at never having either heard him utter such words with his mouth, nor himself having ever desired to hear them.239 This is the spiritual temple built for the Lord.

Augustine later wrote in the City of God book XX:

I see that I must omit many of the statements of the gospels and epistles about this last judgment, that this volume may not become unduly long; but I can on no account omit what the Apostle Paul says, in writing to the Thessalonians, "We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," etc.
No one can doubt that he wrote this of Antichrist and of the day of judgment, which he here calls the day of the Lord, nor that he declared that this day should not come unless he first came who is called the apostate -apostate, to wit, from the Lord God. And if this may justly be said of all the ungodly, how much more of him? But it is uncertain in what temple he shall sit, whether in that ruin of the temple which was built by Solomon, or in the Church; for the apostle would not call the temple of any idol or demon the temple of God. And on this account some think that in this passage Antichrist means not the prince himself alone, but his whole body, that is, the mass of men who adhere to him, along with him their prince; and they also think that we should render the Greek more exactly were we to read, not "in the temple of God," but "for" or "as the temple of God," as if he himself were the temple of God, the Church...

[Hitch]

Here is a problem for a futuristic interpretation of the text in the 21^st century:

The text says that “the man of lawlessness” … “takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”

The temple referred to in the text was destroyed circa AD 70.

Many fantasize that the text must now refer to a temple to be built by Jews in the modern city of Jerusalem.

However, the text does not refer to such a fantasy; it refers to the temple that was standing when the text was written.

Perf!

H

[David_A_Reed]

Interestingly, Luther referred to the papacy and Islam as the two "legs" of the Antichrist, and Calvin referred to them as the two "horns" of Antichrist. The pope "sat down" in the spiritual Temple, the Church, while Islam sat down in God's place on Temple Mount.

David

[A Cup of No]

Here is a problem for a futuristic interpretation of the text in the 21^st century:

The text says that “the man of lawlessness” … “takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”

The temple referred to in the text was destroyed circa AD 70.

Many fantasize that the text must now refer to a temple to be built by Jews in the modern city of Jerusalem.

However, the text does not refer to such a fantasy; it refers to the temple that was standing when the text was written.

I definitely agree with you, but could you propose a first-century candidate that filled this spot?

[John Reece]

I definitely agree with you, but could you propose a first-century candidate that filled this spot?

No.

After repeatedly re-reading the Greek text of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 — from time to time over a period of nearly two decades — I came to the conclusion that there is not enough evidence presented in the text to identify ‘a first-century candidate that filled this spot’.

However, I know my limitations as a mere reader of the Bible, so I always seek out the best scholars to see what they say about difficult passages.

D. A. Carson is a premillennialist who (in the 1980’s) put me onto the preterist perspective expounded by R. T. France in Jesus and the Old Testament.

Ever since then I have depended on Carson for Greek New Testament commentary recommendations.

In the fifth edition (2001) of his New Testament Commentary Survey Carson wrote this: “The best all-around commentary on the Greek text of 1 and 2 Thessalonians is now that of Charles A. Wanamaker (NIGTC).”

With regard to 2 Thess. 2:3f, here is an excerpt from Wanamaker’s commentary:

In order to maintain the continuing validity of the passage, some deny the obvious reference to the historical temple in Jerusalem, as does Marshall (191f.; he mentions others who do so for less plausible reasons than his own).

A more straightforward way of treating the problem is to admit that the passage meant something very different to Paul and his original readers than it can mean for us today.

Wanamaker’s statement that in 2 Thess 2:4 we have an “obvious reference to the historical temple in Jerusalem” is supported by the fact that BDAG (the preeminent lexicon for NT Greek exegesis) slots the occurrence of the word rendered ‘temple’ in 2 Thess 2:4 as a reference to the historical temple in Jerusalem.

[maudman]

I would like to remind how the early Christians understood these things. In the Epistle of Barnabas, written in the late first or early second century:

...Let us inquire, then, if there still is a temple of God. There is-where He himself declared He would make and finish it. For it is written, "And it shall come to pass, when the week is completed, the temple of God shall be built in glory in the name of the Lord."235 I find, therefore, that a temple does exist. Learn, then, how it shall be built in the name of the Lord. Before we believed in God, the habitation of our heart was corrupt and weak, as being indeed like a temple made with hands. For it was full of idolatry, and was a habitation of demons, through our doing such things as were opposed to [the will of] God. But it shall be built, observe ye, in the name of the Lord, in order that the temple of the Lord may be built in glory. How? Learn [as follows]. Having received the forgiveness of sins, and placed our trust in the name of the Lord, we have become new creatures, formed again from the beginning. Wherefore in our habitation God truly dwells in us. How? His word of faith; His calling236 of promise; the wisdom of the statutes; the commands of the doctrine; He himself prophesying in us; He himself dwelling in us; opening to us who were enslaved by death the doors of the temple, that is, the mouth; and by giving us repentance introduced us into the incorruptible temple.237 He then, who wishes to be saved, looks not to man,238 but to Him who dwelleth in him, and speaketh in him, amazed at never having either heard him utter such words with his mouth, nor himself having ever desired to hear them.239 This is the spiritual temple built for the Lord.

Augustine later wrote in the City of God book XX:

I see that I must omit many of the statements of the gospels and epistles about this last judgment, that this volume may not become unduly long; but I can on no account omit what the Apostle Paul says, in writing to the Thessalonians, "We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," etc.
No one can doubt that he wrote this of Antichrist and of the day of judgment, which he here calls the day of the Lord, nor that he declared that this day should not come unless he first came who is called the apostate -apostate, to wit, from the Lord God. And if this may justly be said of all the ungodly, how much more of him? But it is uncertain in what temple he shall sit, whether in that ruin of the temple which was built by Solomon, or in the Church; for the apostle would not call the temple of any idol or demon the temple of God. And on this account some think that in this passage Antichrist means not the prince himself alone, but his whole body, that is, the mass of men who adhere to him, along with him their prince; and they also think that we should render the Greek more exactly were we to read, not "in the temple of God," but "for" or "as the temple of God," as if he himself were the temple of God, the Church...

Hello Eschaton:

This is an excellent post.

This is exactly what has happened and is happening as we speak. False Christians and deceived Christians thinking they can build a temple of God. False Christians (counterfeits) thinking they can build a world power for God. Yes this they do. They took the Ideologies and brainchild of men and built a Temple that exercises empirical power over the world. Yes, they preach a Gospel “Jesus is the Christ and deceive the many”. They resurrect a beast that had been splayed with a sword and breath into it life. And they say who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it? And then they exercise all its power and say to the world “be like us”. They command its worship (Patriotism). They work techno miracles. Yes this they do. They make Fire Come down out of the sky in the sight of Men with their techno miracle wars. They cause all nations both rich and poor free and bond to make an image like unto it and they do it all in the name of the Lord. And their Princes and Prince rain over them as we speak. Christian were never commanded to build a temple of God, Christians are building the temple of the LORD. They’re not one and the same.

But a trap has been laid. Yes there is a trap in ZION! and they who are responsible are fixing to fall. All of them and when it is sprung there shall be great tribulation in the Free World. A time of darkness none shall escape. So dark that mentioning the name of Christ will bring swift reprisals (When you are hated by all nations for my names sake). All because of these counterfeit pieces of trash. Even true Christians will suffer. But we are told to remain faithful. And by the way nobody is gong anywhere.

When God springs the trap they shall wonder whose names are not written in the lamb’s book of life when they behold the beast that was and is not and yet does live. Yes in Zion God is going to reveal the Evil. Oh how terribly cleaver is God. Yes Swords will be sharpened and the blood shall flow.

Peace to you all.

[eschaton]

Thanks for the kind words maudman. That's an interesting interpretation you give.

[maudman]

Thanks for the kind words maudman. That's an interesting interpretation you give.

Your welcome!

[JSDileo]

Thanks for all your answers, folks.