Antichrist the Man?

[Guest Jipsah]

Who was the anti-Christ the proclaimed to be God in the temple?

That happened much earlier, when Antiochus Epiphanes (i.e., "God made manifest") had control of Jerusalem. In 170 he issued a decree requiring all citizens in Jerusalem to present themselves four times a year to pay formal homage to him as the senior god of the Seleucids.

[Guest Jipsah]

Is this the only thing in the book of Revelation that is to be taken literally? Do you take the other verses literally?

Some I take literally, and some are obviously symbolic.

[Guest Jipsah]

The Anti-christ can not be revealed until the Holy Spirit leaves the earth.

Scripture on that, por favor.

[Lanakila]

2 Thessalonians 2

1.  Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,

2.  not 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.

3.  Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness  is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

4.  He 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.

5.  Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?

6.  And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.

7.  For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

8.  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.

9.  The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,

10.  and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

11.  For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

Verse 7 the Holy Spirit is the one holding back everything that is going to happen. This passage of scripture is describing the Antichrist and what is going to happen during the tribulation. Has any of these things already happened? No and when you combine it with 1 Thes description of the rapture, its clear these things are future.

1 Thes 4: 13.  Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

14.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

15.  According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  

17.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

18.  Therefore encourage each other with these words.

The amil position (that these things have already happened) is mistaken, unless you spiritualize many scriptures.

[JohnS]

No, I think the problem here is that y'all have bought the dispensational interpretation of Revelations, and now you're stuck with making what it says fit your doctrine.

OK, let's take them one at a time and see who is stuck.

Rev 6:8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

How was this fulfilled in the 1st century?

 

Revelation 6:12-15

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,

And then this one. Let's take them one at a time through the whole book. After all, this is a pretty important subject and you should be sure.

[JohnS]

From 'Questioning Amillenialism'

http://members.truepath.com/endtimequestions/index-8.html

Here

[Guest C.D. Light]

Pastor--Yes, of course the antichrist, the man, is alive right now, and I believe he is about to be revealed to do his own thing. I also believe that as we can know his description, we can also have a pretty fair idea of who he might be, beforehand, as individual believers.

Rapture first, then the revealing of him.

Even you have some idea of who he is  

[RCruise]

I notice Pastor Jerry hasn't returned as yet after asking this question.

I say also that this man of sin, son of perdition is alive today and will only be revealed for who he really is when the "abomination that maketh desolate" is set in the Holy of Holies, God's seat in the last temple yet to be built.

However, I challenge you pre-tribbers to prove that it is the Holy Spirit who is "he who now letteth" in 2 Thess. 2:7.

Since when is it the Holy Spirit's duty to "restrain"(let) satan??

God, who does give His nature and perfect order even to responsibilities from His triune persons to the Angels down the rung to man, has assigned certain ones to "restrain" satan.  Who is this assignment given to?

God Bless.

[Guest Xan]

Rapture first, then the revealing of him.

II Thessalonians 2:1-4 "...With the regards to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, ... Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostacy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called go or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being god."

[Guest Warrior FC]

Ozzy Osbourne isn't the anti-christ!

Is it David Blain? He is doing some pretty strange magic!