For centuries, the church has been looking for the Second Coming of Christ, which will mark the beginning of our eternal salvation. The Bible describes this glorious event in I Thessalonians 4:16, 17: “(v. 16) 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: (v. 17) 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.” The Thompson Chain Reference Bible refers to the above scripture and II Thessalonians 2:1 as the Second Coming of Christ.
Paul elaborates more on Christ’s Second Coming in II Thessalonians chapter 2. He gives the church some added signs to look for prior to the return of Christ. One of the signs is the man of sin, the Antichrist, will be revealed. However, many people are under the misconception that the church will be raptured, or caught up to meet the Lord in the air, prior to this event happening, but this is not the case. Pay close attention to the word “revealed” used on three different occasions in II Thess. 2:1-8:
(v. 1) Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (v. 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. (v. 3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (v. 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, shewing himself that he is God. (v. 5) Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? (v. 6) And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. (v. 7) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. (v. 8) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
This is where I stopped reading and said, “Now, wait a second, Lord. You said the church would not be gathering together unto you until the man of sin be revealed to them (see verse 3). However, here in verse 8 you are saying the Wicked is going to be “revealed” when you consume him at your coming. What do you mean here, for this sounds like a contradiction?” The Lord then helped me to understand the first “revealed” in verse 3 is to the brethren (note: vs. 1). The word “revealed” in verse 8 is to the world.
From verses 1 to 7, God was speaking to the church. He let us know before His Second Coming the “man of sin” must be revealed to us. Then in verse 8, He describes how the Wicked will be revealed unto the world when the Lord comes down and consumes him. Imagine that! People in this world will be bowing down worshiping what they believe to be God, when all of a sudden the Lord will come forth in all of His power and glory to destroy the Antichrist. In total shock, the world will then realize he was not God after all. Notice in the Word of God how Paul segregated the church and spoke to them in verses 1-7. He then also spoke of the world in verses 7-12. Hence, verses 7 and 8 concern the Antichrist; verse 9, the false prophet; and verses 10-12, the people in the world who associate with these two evil men.
To further prove the Antichrist will be revealed unto us, look at verse 5: “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” Paul was asking the church to recall the order of God’s given events. The Lord has a plan, and His plan has an order. Everything in verses 1-4 has mentioned an appointed time. Notice the “things” Paul mentioned: First he told the church not to be “soon” shaken. In other words, do not concern yourself church; it’s not going to happen in “your time.” He then gives the church their answer in verse 3, “. . . for that day shall not come, except . . . ”; again, there is an appointed time even for Christ’s coming. Now some will tell you God could come at any time, but this statement is contrary to His Word. The Word specifically says the day of Christ shall not come except these things precede His coming.
Watch how Paul puts these events in a sequential order according to time;
- “First,” there must be a falling away (a rebellion NIV).
- Also, the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.
- The Antichrist as God sitteth in the temple of God.
THE REVELL BIBLE DICTIONARY STATES, “. . . 2 TH. 2:3 PREDICTS A TIME OF APOSTASY OR REBELLION (‘FALLING AWAY’, KJV) WHEN THE ANTICHRIST IS REVEALED” (1). “Let no man deceive you by any means”; the SON OF PERDITION must be revealed at a time that will proceed Christ’s coming. As we will see in the story of Judas, the title “son of perdition” is the major clue that helps unlock the door to the identity of this mystery man. Verse 4 then details information about the Antichrist sitting in the temple of God, and this is yet another event in time that must transpire before the day of Christ. “These things,” referred to by Paul in verse 5, are the events which will precede the coming of Christ.
In Verse 6, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he [the man of sin, the son of perdition] might be revealed in his time.” Paul is saying, “now,” right now without saying another word, you should know what is keeping the son of perdition, who precedes Christ’s immanent return, from being revealed. What is withholding the son of perdition from being unveiled is an APPOINTED TIME, “his time,” mentioned in verse 6, given only by God. God is going to allow Satan to have his time during which Satan will plan his own sequence of events before the Lord’s return.
The word “revealed,” used in verses 3, 6, and 8 refers to the Antichrist, the son of perdition, being uncovered at a certain time. Remember in verses 1-7, he is being revealed to the church, and in verses 7-12, he is being revealed to the world. Verse 7 continues on with the thought of the Antichrist being revealed, and it confirms “he” in verse 6 refers to the son of perdition. Verse 7 reads, “FOR THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY DOTH ALREADY WORK.” Paul is saying here that the mystery of iniquity is nothing new. The son of perdition, spoken of from verses 3 on down, is nothing new. Satan’s plan has been in effect for a long time. The devil possessed Judas Iscariot to try to accomplish his goal, and he will do the same with this man.
Again, Judas and this man of sin are called the son of perdition. The son of perdition is discussed in great detail on pages 51-52. The devil has traveled this road for a long time now, but “his time” of a final destination will arrive soon. Verse 7 states, “only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”
- The he in this verse is Satan.
- Letteth in the Greek means, keep (in memory), possess (2).
- Let in the Greek means, possess (3).
In other words, only Satan, who now keeps in memory his plan to possess will possess the son of perdition, until Satan is taken out of the way. The serpent incarnated in this man shall deceive the world, but only for a time.
SATAN’S WRATH (Revelation 12)
When Satan moves into his final position, this will be a time of great tribulation. The time of great tribulation the world will face is not God’s wrath; it is Satan’s wrath. The church is not appointed to God’s wrath; however, it is appointed to Satan’s wrath. Some of you may say, “Satan’s wrath? I have never heard of that.” Many people have not, but it is mentioned in Revelation chapter 12.
In this chapter, the Word speaks of a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The woman is Israel; the twelve stars are the twelve tribes of Israel. This becomes evident when looking at Genesis 37. In this chapter, the same terms are being used: sun, moon and stars. In Gen. 37:9-10, Joseph, Jacob’s son, represented one of the stars and the other eleven stars that were mentioned in this verse represented his eleven brothers. Thereby, you have the twelve stars or twelve tribes of Israel. The woman in Revelation 12:1 is Israel, and the man-child in 12:5 is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ “who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron . . . was caught up unto God, and to his throne,” (Psalms 2:7-9; Rev. 19:15-16; see also pgs. 120-121).
Revelation 12:7-9 states, “(v. 7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, (v. 8) And prevailed not; neither was their place found “any more” in heaven. (v. 9) 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.” Some people believe this war occurred before the creation of man. However, verses 10 and 11 discredit this idea: “(v. 10) . . . for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (v. 11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” How can the devil be cast down before the creation, when he was in heaven accusing the “brethren”? He accuses the brethren before God day and night, just as he did with Job (Job ch. 1:6-12). Once Satan is kicked out of heaven and confined to this earth, the Word then states the blood of the Lamb saves us. Meaning, Jesus was already crucified on earth before Satan was cast out of heaven. Therefore, there is no way the devil was cast out before the creation of man.
When the serpent is thrown to the earth, Rev. 12:12 warns, “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that “he hath” but a short time [his time II Thess. 2:6].” When Satan is cast to the earth, he will enter Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the man of sin, the son of perdition. It will be “his time,” Satan’s time of wrath.
During the reign of the Antichrist, natural and spiritual Israel will be under intense persecution. Concerning natural Israel Rev. 12:6 states, “And the woman [natural Israel] fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” There are two witnesses that will feed natural Israel for this same exact number of days. Rev. 11:3, 7, 8 helps us understand this:
(v. 3) And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (v. 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 over-come them, and kill them. (v. 8) And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified [natural Israel].
Truly, the woman in Rev. 12:6 is natural Israel because in Rev. 11 the two witnesses are feeding natural Israel for the same 1,260-day period. Moreover, these two witnesses are then killed in Israel’s streets.
Farther on in Rev. 12, spiritual Israel is also being persecuted. Rev. 12:13 states, “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman [spiritual Israel - the church] which brought forth the man child.” The man-child here is a body of believers that are formed in the image of Christ. Jesus Christ, the “man child” in Rev. 12:5, will rule the nations with a rod of iron, as will the church in Rev. 2:26, 27 because God made man in His own image. Romans 1:20 states, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (see also, I Cor. 11:7; James 3:9).
Continuing on, this woman who brought forth the man-child did so to bring forth a seed. Rev. 12:14, 17 states,
(v. 14) And to the woman [the church] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (v. 17) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed [the man child who will come out from the woman], which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
God, in these last days, is going to call out leaders from among the sheep to lead Israel just as He had done with David in II Samuel 7:8. Christ in Matthew ch. 17, called Peter, James and John up to a high mountain apart from the other apostles and church. Jesus gave these three men a vision of something the others could not see. Similarly, the believers, who know the times, who keep the commandments of God, and who have the testimony of Jesus Christ, shall instruct many. “[T]he testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” according to Rev. 19:10. Daniel 11:32-33 teaches that during this endtime persecution, “(v. 32) . . . the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. (v. 33) And they that understand among the people shall instruct many.”
Another notable difference between the woman in Rev. 12:6 and the woman in Rev. 12:14 is the feeding time. The woman in Rev. 12:6 is being fed for a shorter period of time because the two witnesses, who feed natural Israel, will prophesy for 1,260 days. Yet the woman, spiritual Israel, in Rev. 12:14 will be nourished for a time, times, and a dividing of times or 42 months (Rev. 13:5-7). There are 17 days of difference in their feeding time.
Jesus warned of this same time of trouble in Matthew chapter 24. While sitting upon the Mount of Olives, Jesus with his disciples was looking down upon the second temple and discussing it. Our Lord stated in Matthew 24:2, “There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” The disciples inquired in verse 3, “. . . when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Jesus then went on to answer their questions, and in verse 15 He gives one “major sign” before his return: “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:).” While studying endtime prophecy, I discovered that: “When Jesus spoke of the Abomination of Desolation, he referred back to Daniel. However, Jesus included an additional piece of information not given in Daniel. He said the Abomination of Desolation would stand in the holy place” (4).
Remember that they were looking down upon the second temple, and in those days, the holy place was in the temple of God. Jesus was telling them the man of sin, the son of perdition, would stand in the holy place. We know this because Paul spoke of the same event in II Thessalonians 2:4. In this scripture, the son of perdition sits in the temple of God claiming to be God. In Matthew 24 and II Thessalonians, the last “major sign” occurring before the coming of Christ is this event. Once this event happens, Jesus states in Matthew 24:16, “Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains . . . (v. 21) FOR THEN SHALL BE GREAT TRIBULATION.” Jesus was saying, when you see the Abomination of Desolation stand in the holy place then flee because this is the time of great tribulation; the great tribulation will be Satan’s time, his wrath. Directly after the great tribulation, God’s judgment will occur:
Matthew 24:29 teaches us this, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heavens shall be shaken.” The sun being darkened, the moon being turned to blood, and the stars falling from heaven are all things that happen when the great day of God’s wrath comes (Revelation 6:12-17) (5).
The Antichrist will have his time to rule and reign from the temple of God for three and a half years. Study Daniel 9:27, which says, “And he [the Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [a seven-year period]: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate.” The Antichrist will confirm, or strengthen by being in agreement with an already existing treaty. His approval will trigger the final seven-year period that will usher in the return of our Messiah. It is said Daniel’s one week period is equal to seven years because:
A) 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.” We know this is a three and a half-year period because of the information provided in the next verse.
B) Revelation 13:5-7 tells us the Antichrist shall wear out the saints of the most High for 42 months, which equals three and a half years.
C) Revelation 12:14 states, “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
NOTE: How do we know that Revelation 12:12, speaking of Satan’s wrath, applies to Matthew 24 and our day?
Well, Revelation 12:12-14 speaks of Satan’s wrath being a three and a half-year period. This same theme of great tribulation with the same three and a half-year period occurs in all three texts: (Revelation 12:12-14, Da. 7:25, Matt. 24:15-16, 21). Even though Matthew did not specifically mention the three and a half-year period, Jesus referred us to Daniel who did mention it!
God will allow the Antichrist to have “his time” for several reasons. One of these is found in Daniel 12:9-10: “(v. 9) Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed to the time of the end. (v. 10) Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”
In an appointed time, God’s people are going to be tried and purged to make them spiritually ready to meet their Messiah. Jesus spoke of one of the reasons for this cleansing. John 13:10-11 states, “(v. 10) He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. (v. 11) For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.” When the multitude came with Judas to capture Jesus, the temple of God, the sheep were then scattered. I believe there will be a reoccurrence of this situation. Sheep will scatter when God’s people see this man desecrate the temple of God and claim to be the Messiah. However, out of all the apostles that followed Christ, only one was lost.
In these days, I am looking for a revival, a huge outpouring of the Holy Ghost. In Joel chapter 2:28, the Word informs us God is going to POUR out His Spirit. Nevertheless, you must keep a purpose in your heart not to bow down to the Antichrist or his image. In the days to come there will be a huge outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and there will also be an influx of demonic spirits. It will be a time of spiritual warfare. Satan with his angels will be kicked out of heaven, and evil spirits will also ascend from the bottomless pit. Folks, we need to be ready! Pastors, you have a huge responsibility to warn God’s people. This message will prepare the hearts of saints and reach the lost. When the man of sin desecrates the temple, Satan’s wrath is going to break loose, and we need to be ready for battle! This will be a time of great persecution, but through it, souls will be saved! Possibly your family member or the neighbor next door will not have to burn forever in the lake of fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Let us not worry about ourselves, but let us think about the souls that are going to meet God. We must keep the kingdom of God in mind. God has a plan, and the church is on a journey. The church needs to adhere to the Father’s will and follow the example of Jesus Christ, even if it means to our death. You might say, “Why would God do that to me?” Why did God allow it to happen to our Lord, to the apostles and to many other martyrs of the early church? Jesus said, “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Do not worry! The Lord will not put anything more on us than we can bear. He has promised that!
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