THE MAN OF SIN Although the topic of “the man of sin” is considered as one of the main prophecies in the New Testament, yet, the apostle Paul, by writing about him, did not mean to reveal future events, as much as intending to realize practical goals; Hence he ended this chapter by calling on them to “stand fast in the Lord”; to enter after that into the third division of the epistle concerning the practical commandments. 1- The Falling away (the rebellion) will come first 1 - 12 2- The abidance in the Lord 13 – 17 1- THE FALLING AWAY (THE REBELLION) WILL COME FIRST: “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being gathered together to Him, we beg you not to be quickly shaken in mind, or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here” (1, 2) The apostle Paul requests from the Thessalonians not to let their mind be like a boat in a violent storm, concerning the ultimate coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being gathered together in and with Him on that great day. He requests from them not to be alarmed by false prophesies, nor vain proclamations; by misinterpreting his words when he was preaching among them; nor by a letter as though coming from him. He exhorts the believers not to follow the violent allegations that claim that the day of the Lord has already come; saying: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (3, 4). 28 The topic of “the man of sin” has long preoccupied the writings of the fathers of the early church, in the middle ages, and even of some of the recent Theologians , who compared him to what came in the book of Daniel about the king who exalts himself above every god (Chapter 11); to what came in the book of Revelation about the false prophet, and about the land and sea beasts (Chapter 13); and to what St. John the beloved said in his epistles about the antichrist. St. Justin the martyr, in the second century, spoke about the “man of sin”, as being the man of apostasy who utters blasphemies against the Most High; and who dares to persecute the Christians1. And St. Erinaos says: [Although being a thief and a rebel, he would care to be worshipped as god; and although being a slave, he would set himself as a king; And bearing the power of the devil, he would come, not like a righteous king submitting to God, but as an opponent, in whom everything satanic would concentrate, claiming to be god] 2. In the first centuries A.D., it was believed that the antichrist would appear once the Roman empire collapses; Hence the scholar Tertullian says: [We, Christians are committed to pray for the sake of the emperors and for the complete stability of the Roman empire; which, we believe is the only obstacle against his appearance3; Let us then fervently pray to God to postpone the existence of such a fearful power!] 4. St. Hypoletus and St. Erinaos suggest that the antichrist will be a Jew, and of the tribe of Dan5 in particular6. A group of fathers believe that the appearance of some opponents of the truth, would be a symbol of the antichrist who is to appear at the end of time. As an example, St. Cyprian considers 1 Adv Haer 5: 25: 1. 2 De Resurr. 24. 3 Exhort. Ad Martyr. 11. 4 Ad, Anti Christo 14. 5 Adv. Haer. 5: 30: 2. 6 Exhort ad Martyr 11. 29 Antichus Epiphanius1; … While St. John Chrysostom considers Nero, who counted himself as a god, as one2; whom father Victorianus also believes, to be himself the beast that comes out of the sea. … St. Jerome, on the other hand, believing that many will be considered as symbols of antichrist, says:[As Solomon and other saints were symbols of the Savior, we believe that many will appear as symbols of the antichrist, like Antichus, the most evil of kings, the persecutor of the saints, and the defiler of the temple]3. In the middle ages, several of the western Theologians were interested in the topic of the antichrist. Those opponents among them of the authority of the church in Rome, considered the Papal chair in Rome as a symbol of the antichrist; Father Bernard says: [The ministers of Christ turned into ministers of the antichrist; and the beast of the Revelation resided on the chair of St. Peter]4. Yet, several of the Protestant Theologians rejected that view, confirming that the antichrist is not to be symbolized by a certain system, but by a certain man who is to appear at the end of time before the ultimate coming of Christ. The same way, Extremists among the Catholics accused the Protestant movement of being a symbol of the antichrist, a view rejected as well by other Catholic Theologians5. In the present time, in the West, there are four interpretations of the man of sin, which are: a- That what came in this chapter, is not meant to be a prophecy concerning the future. b- That what came in this chapter is a prophecy that has already been realized and done with. c- That it is a continuous event with time, has been realized in the past, still is at present, and will continue to be in the future. d- That it is a prophecy concerning the future, to be realized just before the ultimate coming of the Lord Christ. 1 In 2 Thess Hom 4. 2 On Dan 11: 35. 3 Bishop Hurd: On Prophecy, vol 2, 28, 29. 4 للاست ا زدة في هذا ا رجع: Pulpet Commentary, vol 21 (2 thess(, p 54. 5 Adv. Haer. 3: 6: 5. 30 Between the Lord Christ and the antichrist: (1) The apostle says: “The man of sin is revealed” (3). As the Lord Christ came, being the incarnate Word of God, in whom the perfection of the divine righteousness is embodied, he who acquire Him will acquire in himself the righteousness of God; … The man of sin. In whom sin will be embodied, will also come, will instigate the spirit of evil in his followers, and will oppose every true righteousness. (2) He is called “the son of perdition” (3). If Satan perished through forsaking God, the secret of the whole creation, and his perdition will be consummated on the great day of the Lord; His main task is to corrupt and destroy the creation of God, and to enforce his feature on his followers, who seek, in their turn, the perdition of others; will bear his image, and will be according to his example; … The same way, the believers in the true God bear His image, and walk according to His example. The traitor Judas, on whom Satan reigned, carried this title, “the son of perdition” (John 17: 21); And we, having God reign in and on us, saving us from perdition, carry the title, “the children of God”. (3) “The man of sin” will be a real man, clothed by the devil, and in whom he works with his whole energies; “so as to deceive, if possible even the elect” (John 24: 24)…. The Lord Christ, on the other hand, the Son of God, who became a real man by His incarnation, carried our nature to redeem it, and to bring back those who are lost, counting them as His little brothers, through the sacrifice of the cross, he offered on our behalf; He became one of us, in order to offer the ransom in our name, and to our account. (4) He is called the one “who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god, or that is worshipped” (4). Setting himself as a god,he opposes God, and provokes mankind against His kingdom. … As much as the man of sin appears proud, and refers to himself what is not his; The Lord Christ, although He is One with the Father, He submits in complete obedience to the Father, even to death on the cross. Emptying Himself, and taking 31 the form of a servant, he realized all obedience; to count us in Him the children of obedience, and to let us have back what we have lost through our pride and disobedience. St. Erinaos confirms that the antichrist, in his pride, is not able to exalt himself above the true God, but “above all that is called god”, although he is not truly as such. It is amazing how the Jews reject the Lord Christ who came talking about, and seeking the glory of the Father, although He is One with Him; And receive the antichrist, who will come to talk about himself, seek what is his, and not what is God’s. … And as said by St. Augustine: [Proclaiming Him who seeks his own glory, and not that of God (John 7: 18), the Lord Christ says to the Jews: “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; If another comes in his own name, him you will receive” (John 5: 43). He proclaimed to the Jews befor hand, that they are going to receive the antichrist who will haughtily seek his own glory, when he is truly “the son of perdition”. … The Lord Christ, on the other hand, showed Himself to us as a great role model of humility; For, although He is equal to the Father, yet He sought the glory of the Father, and not His own glory1. … The secret behind the recognition of the Jews of the antichrist is their materialistic way of thinking, and their literal interpretation of the prophecies. And as St. Augustine says: [They assume that the prophecy saying: “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles” (Psalm 106: 47). will be realized in the antichrist, and under his leadership, against their seen enemies, whom he is to captivate in a seen way, and to gain for himself the seen glory] 2. (5) The apostle Paul designates “the temple of the Lord” as the center of activity of the opponent, “where he sits as God, showing himself that he is God” (4). What does he mean by “the temple”? St. Erinaos and St. Cyril the Great, believe that the antichrist will renew the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, as the Center of his activity. Whereas St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and Father Theodoret, 1 In Joan. Hom 29: 8. 2 On Ps. 107: 33. 32 believe that he will have his throne in the temple of the Christian church; And St. John Chrysostom adds that he will not only sit in the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, but in every church1. Anyway, if the Lord Christ has come to this world to consecrate in every heart a temple for the Holy Trinity, and through this consecration, to restore to the divine temple its sanctification; … The antichrist, on the other hand, will come to destroy the hearts and to corrupt the temple set in them, to take them by force to his account, and to corrupt and persecute the churches of the Lord. (6) About the man of sin, the apostle says: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (8, 10). It is as though Satan declares his kingdom by enforcing his energies for deception and diversion from the truth, in order to bring humanity over to the kingdom of the vain darkness. … Whereas the Lord Christ, on the other hand, came to work with the power of His deity, to bring them over to Him, to enjoy the light of the truth. He came to present to them His Holy Spirit who leads to the whole truth, and sets forth with the believers to the heavenly secrets. The “man of sin” or “the lawless one” will attempt to liken the Lord Christ, by “working with all power, signs, and wonders” (9); But they are all “lying”, being the work of the deceptive Satan, who is called “the liar” and “the father of liars”. … The Lord Christ, on the other hand performed them with the spirit of truth through His love for mankind and His compassion toward them; … The former, in pride, shows off his illusionary and temporary power, while the Lord Christ worked with the spirit of humility, to carry us over to His kingdom of light. The use by the man of sin of powers and wonders, as well as their practice by the wicked, does not make them a goal sought by the believer, nor a measure of man’s goodness and virtuous behavior, as the Christian faith is not set on signs and wonders. The Lord Christ has performed limitless and unprecedented wonders 1 In 2 Thess. Hom 3. 33 and powers as mere sign of love and compassion toward men; And presented Himself as a sign, and as the secret of life and the power of resurrection. … When He was asked to perform a sign, He proclaimed that He presents His death, burial, and resurrection -- which were all symbolically proclaimed in the prophet Jonah -- as a sign to mankind. His salvation work is the sign which should preoccupy every mind, and absorb all feelings and emotions! In the second century, the scholar Origen talked about the satanic powers. Although not denying their existence, yet he says that they are deceptive, and unable to change our corrupt nature into a holy one; nor to grant growth for the virtuous life; And even those who practice them do not walk in purity. … The book, ‘The garden of Monks’ contains many warnings by the saintly fathers against performing signs through the deceptions of Satan1, that would lead our minds astray, away from caring for our eternity, and from their preoccupation with the Lord Christ2. St. John Chrysostom often talks about caring for the virtuous life in the Lord, and not for performing signs; on account of the fact that God will not judge us on doing or not doing signs, but on our faithfulness or slothfulness in our spiritual life3. Between the man of sin and the persecuting King: To demonstrate the portrait of the man of sin, as presented by the apostle Paul, we compare it here with what came in the book of Daniel about the persecuting king: (1) The work of the man of sin is to stir up the movement of falling away from faith; provoking men, not only to forsake faith, but to oppose the truth, and to stand against God Himself. … And the persecuting king, as presented by the prophet Daniel, is a breaker of the holy covenant; “He will lose heart, then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant”” (Daniel 11:30). 1 J. Wendland: Miracles and Christianity, 1911, p 53f. 2 بستان الروح. 3 34 (2) The man of sin sits in the temple of God as a god; … And the persecuting king will send his armed forces to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice” (Daniel 11: 31). (3) The man of sin will oppose anything that is called god (4); … And the persecuting king shall stand against God, or as said by the prophet Daniel: “He shall do according to his own will; he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods” (Daniel 11: 36). Therefore, what came in the book of Daniel (Chapter 11) about the persecuting king, applies to the man of sin about whom the apostle Paul talks in a more clear way. The man of sin as proclaimed by the apostle: The portrait of the man of sin is probably now clearer; in that he is a real man who will appear just before the ultimate coming of the Lord Christ, to set himself as a god, and to oppose the Christian church, as a desperate final stroke by Satan before he breathes his last, through the proclamation of the everlasting kingdom of God. Now, let us explain the phrases said by the apostle, other than those we have already dealt with. The apostle demanded from them not to be deceived by any means, for that day will not come unless the “falling away”, “the man of sin”; “the son of perdition” (3, 4), “the opponent, who exalts himself …”and “the lawless one” (8),will come first. St. John Chrysostom says: [It is called the “falling away”, as he will cause many to fall away, and “will deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24: 24). He is called “the man of sin”, as he will do wickedness of no limits, and will provoke others to do them as well. He is called “the son of perdition”, as he, himself is destined to perish1. And he is called “the opponent”, as he will stand against God; and “exalts himself”, as he makes himself a god; and he is called “the lawless one”, as in him, the lawlessness that Satan provokes along the ages, will be publicly revealed. 1 In 2 Thess. Hom 3. 35 The apostle says: “Do you remember when I was still with you, I told you these things” (5); which reveals that he already talked to them about the man of sin when he preached to them, although his visit was only for a short time, probably few weeks, or few months. … It also shows that talking about the coming of the man of sin is an integral part of the word of preaching. For, at the same time the preacher proclaims the blessings of salvation, in the worthiness of the holy blood; he enflames the longing of his listeners to the coming of the Savior, and the enjoyment of the fellowship of uniting, to and in Him. Yet this gift is not without labor and sufferings, as there will always be the deceptive devil along the ages, who will concentrate his energies during the last days, to corrupt the souls of believers. … Therefore the talk about the man of sin is closely connected to the preaching of the holy gospel; and is spoken about even by the Lord Christ Himself, saying: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look here is Christ’, or ‘there’, do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” (Matthew 23-25). We also saw St. John the Evangelist talk in his epistles about the antichrist; And in the book of Revelation we read about the two beasts, the terrestrial and the marine (Chapter 13); and about the false prophet (Revelation 16: 19, 20). The apostle goes on to say: “And now you know what is restraining him, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; but only until what is restraining it is removed, then the lawless one will be revealed” (6, 7). He is as though telling them, as he did when he preached them in person: that revealing him is now restrained; namely, is deferred until the proper time. … Now the lawlessness works in a mysterious way, But when the time comes for the man of sin to appear, the restraining will be removed, and Satan will show up publicly with all his energies to oppose the truth…. With the appearance of the man of sin, and the stirring up of the war against the truth, all previous opposition, however ferocious it has been, will be considered as “hidden’ or mysterious! The horror of what 36 Satan is going to do publicly against Christ, will turn what he has already done into naught! The ferocity of the attack by the man of sin, leads some to consider that he is no one but Satan himself; to which St. John Chrysostom say: [Is he the devil? … No; … But he is a man in whom the devil inserts all his evil] 1. Those words said by the apostle (verses 6 and 7) would probably make us ask the following questions: What is this restrainer that holds back the man of sin from being revealed? Why is the apostle writing in such a vague way? How could this restrainer be removed? St. John Chrysostom2 responds to these questions by saying that in the apostle’s era, two views prevailed: (1) The first view is that the restrainer is the Holy Spirit, who holds back the man of sin from being revealed until the proper time; a view rejected by St. John Chrysostom. (2) The second view is that the restrainer is the Roman State that represents the greatest obstacle holding him back from being revealed. This view is accepted by St. John Chrysostom, who, in the light of the prophecy of the prophet Daniel, interprets it in the following way: The Babylonian State was set on the ruins of the Mades; … The Persian on the ruins of the Babylonian State; … The Macedonian (the Greek State) on its ruins; … The Roman State on the ruins of the Greek State; … And finally, the antichrist will come to reign on the world in the place of the Roman State. … That will be just before the ultimate coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, to reign forever over His church forever in heaven. According to St. John Chrysostom, the apostle concealed the identity of this Restrainer to avoid stirring up the Roman Emperor against the church, prophesying the end of the Roman State on the hand of the antichrist. 1 Ibid. 2 Ibid 4. 37 If we adopt the spiritual interpretation and not the literal one, we can say that the man of sin is restrained now by a divine decree; as the devil is chained, while the Lord Christ reins over the hearts of His believers1. He will stay restrained until the church of the Lord Christ grows stronger. Then, just before the ultimate coming of the Lord Christ, the devil will be released of his chains, to pour all the live coals of his wrath on the believers, through the appearance of the man of sin, the false prophet, or the antichrist; who will use the forces of certain nations to his account, set himself god in Jerusalem, and publicly fights the church, whose members will flee because the ferocity of the tribulation, even the elect among them (Matthew 24: 24). … At the end of this war, which will last for a duration of three and a half years, God will send His two prophets Enoch and Elijah to be martyred, then be raised up from the dead to oppose the man of sin, destroy his kingdom, and cause many to be saved… Then the Lord Christ will ultimately come on the clouds, and His church will be raised up to everlasting glories. It will be the final battle, for a predestined time, allowed by God for the devil against His church, to deprive him of any chance to protest; and in which He support His church by Enoch and Elijah; … And Through the defeat of the man of sin, the kingdom of the devil is utterly destroyed. The temporary restrainer is therefore the divine decree, that predestinate the times; which we may liken to what happens in nature, when a lion catches a live deer and brings it over to his little cubs. If the lion let the deer, it may kill the cubs; but it stands on guard to restrain it from harming the little ones; But once they grow up and learn how to fend for themselves, it may let them deal with deer on their own. … So God cares for His church and keeps her; yet He lets the lawlessness work in a hidden way; But in the proper time, when God is sure of the spiritual growth of His believers, the restrainer is removed, and the man of sin appears clearly on the ring To apply that practically to the life of the regular believer, we may say: The Christian at the beginning of his repentance – 1 Of the Holy Spirit 3: 7. 38 according to St. John Chrysostom – is like a little infant being trained to walk his first steps. He would need the support of the hands of his mother; but after a little while, she will have to withdraw her hands from him and let him walk on his own, even for a few seconds; while keeping her eyes and heart on him, and her hands would be ready to give him support in case he needs it. … Such is the way God deals with us at the beginning of our spiritual strife, giving us many comforts, and protecting us against temptations; But once our spiritual arm gets stronger, He would allow for tribulations and spiritual wars to come our way, as though He lifts up the restrainer, to let us grow stronger, and become justified by the work of His hidden grace in us. We can also interpret the man of sin here, as the heretic thoughts and the philosophies opposing the truth; which are allowed by God to prevail on the world, to enter into a war against the evangelic truth, to occupy the heart of the believer -- “the temple of God”, and to sit in it in place of faith. This is the feature of the present modern era, in which these kinds of thoughts haughtily sit like a god in the hearts of men. Few years ago, while I was ministering in Australia, a highly educa6ted Egyptian lady came to tell me about an Indian young man who claimed divinity. She used to attend his meetings as a matter of curiosity, and to ridicule their idea of worshipping of him. But, according to her, after several meetings, and listening to his talk about the inner power shining in the heart and working in it, she came to be among those worshipping him. Feeling that a ray of light has filled her heart, she found herself kneeling before his portrait, and proclaiming: [You are my Lord!];. … After some discussions with her, I asked her to kneel before the true God, and to beseech Him to proclaim the truth to her, which she did. And after long and fervent prayers, she was inspired to open the gospel, and to read chapter 2 of the epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians…. She came back to tell me in true remorse: [I know now, that it is the man of sin who came to sit in my heart “the temple of God”, and to set himself a god in my depths]. … In true 39 repentance, she returned to her Christ, to let Him reign anew in His temple. Therefore, we can say that the ‘man of sin’ appears in more than one form to take the holy temple of God; hence the confirmation by the Lord Christ that many false christs will appear (Matthew 24). Finally we find it befitting to present one of the theological views that considers the “restrainer” who holds back the ‘man of sin’, to be the church of the Gentiles. According to those who embrace it, the removal of this ‘restrainer’ will be realized when the church of the Gentiles will be (caught up) by her Groom, before “the falling away”, and the proclamation of the man of sin. Then the Jews will receive faith in the end of days, according to the words of the apostle Paul: “The hardening in part has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11: 25, 26). Their belief that the church of the Gentiles will be (caught up) before “the falling away”, is based on the words said by the Lord Christ Himself: “Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken and the other left” (Matthew 24: 41). Yet this view is rejected by several theologians for the following reasons: a- Saying that the church of the Gentiles will be (caught up) before the ultimate coming of the Lord Christ, and even before the appearance of the “man of sin”, would imply that the coming of the Lord will happen three times: the first when He incarnate to consummate the salvation on the cross; The second, before the appearance of the “man of sin” to (catch up) the church of the Gentiles; and the third time for the final judgment. Some have so cared for this view, to call themselves ‘The Adventists’, namely (those of the coming). It is ridiculous to set such a major doctrine upon some personal interpretation of one or two texts of the Holy Book; While the Holy Book, keeps on speaking of the second coming of the Lord Christ, as the ultimate coming, and the final general judgment. 40 b- Saying that the Jews will receive faith in the Lord Christ once the fullness of the gentiles has come in; This does not mean their separation as an independent church or congregation; But they will be integrated as members in the one body of the church. We cannot, as well, call the present day church as the church of the Gentiles; As, although many of the Jews have rejected the faith, Yet there are many who have received it, and even preached it. Christians, whether of Jewish or of Gentile origin, have all melded together, according to the words of the apostle: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew or Greek, there is neither slave or free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3: 26-28). c- If the church of the Gentiles will be caught up before the appearance of the “man of sin”; Who will then oppose him? Will it be the Jews? … How will they receive faith while the church have been already (caught up)? The book of revelation tells us about the bitter war through which the church will go in the days of the antichrist; which was also told by the prophet Ezekiel (Chapter 38). d- If the church of the Gentiles will be (caught up) before the day of judgment; Will she come back again on that day to be judged? The Holy Book tells us, that on the day of judgment, there will be only two categories of men: those who have departed in the Lord, who will be raised up; and the congregation of the living, who will be caught up together with them at that time (see 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18). … Then, to which of these two categories does the church of the Gentiles belong? … They are, no doubt, not departed, having been (caught up) alive; And they are as well not living, as the only survivors would be the Jews who receive faith after the church of the Gentiles is (caught up)?!... Therefore, if their interpretation is correct, there would be three categories: Those departed in the Lord; Those (caught up), namely the church of the Gentiles; and those alive of the church of the Jews; Which does not conform to the evangelic thought. 41 e- If those embracing this view based it on the saying of the Lord that “one will be taken, and the other is left” (Matthew 24: 40, 41). That talk was only symbolic, to reveal the enjoyment of the spiritual man of setting forth to the Lord Christ in His glory, to be together with Him in inheritance; while the other one, will remain where he is, namely, would be deprived of the enjoyment of the everlasting glory. That is the way the Lord will encounter humanity; when He would say to the wicked: “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7: 22); and confirming this in more than one location (see Luke 12: 25, 27; Matthew 25: 12). … Does this imply that those wicked people will disappear from the knowledge of God: … No way! But He will not know them as His children, His beloved, and the heirs of His glory! … Moreover, by saying that one will be taken, while the other will be left, the Lord intends to confirm the element of surprise in judgment, when one will enjoy inheritance, while the other will be denied, without any other chance to regain what he has already lost! … In the same way, the Lord introduced the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins; in which there is no real door to be closed, nor lamps or material oil; but they all are symbols to instigate in us the life of preparedness for His encounter; That is why, after talking about taking one and leaving the other, He added: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24: 42). It is obvious that the whole talk of the Lord in this concern, is about the ultimate day and judgment, and not about (catching up) somebody, preceding the coming of the antichrist; For his talk about the antichrist came preceding that about taking one and leaving the other (See Matthew 24: 23; 24: 40). The apostle’s conclusive talk about the man of sin: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all powers, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those 42 who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (8-12). In these conclusive words said by the apostle about the man of sin, it is to be noticed: (1) Saying: “And then the lawless one will be revealed”. Implies that the man of sin, called here “the lawless one”, being the provoker of men to practice lawlessness, and to provoke others as well to practice it; will be revealed; Namely, he was already there in the mind of Satan, who did every effort to have him revealed; Yet he is not until God allows, once the restrainer is taken away. We can say that Satan got to know what was hidden from him: that the incarnation of the Word, the baptism, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord; all represent an integral divine work, that have been in the (mind) of God from eternity for the salvation of mankind; … And that God has prepared mankind to receive that salvation work through the fathers, and the prophets; through the law, the rites, the events, and the symbols. So that men would be capable of receiving the salvation by Christ Jesus at the fullness of time.. … Coming to know all that, Satan prepared in his turn, a counter plan, whose leading character will be the antichrist; whom he has prepared since the beginning of the preaching of the gospel, through the heresies, the atheist philosophies, the material thoughts, and all kinds of doubts, setting the stage ready for the appearance of the antichrist; which God did not, and will not allow, before the proper time; as a final chance for the devil. … He remains protecting the church against his appearance, until just before His ultimate coming; when Satan would consummate his cup; and the church, tasting all the bitterness from him, get to be crowned (2) Although the appearance of the antichrist represents for the church a great horror, and a serious danger, even, if possible, on the elect; that we clearly saw in our interpretation of the book of Revelation; yet the apostle says: “… whom the Lord consumes with 43 the breath of His mouth, and destroys by the brightness of His coming”; And St. Ambrose says that the Lord Christ consumes the antichrist by His Holy Spirit. What does he mean by the “the breath of God’s mouth” that will consume the antichrist? On which the prophet Isaiah also says: “The Lord shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11: 4)? There is no doubt that, by the breath of the Lord’s mouth, the apostle means the “Holy Spirit”; who is not granted to Him as grace or gift; for together with Him, they are One in essence, an indivisible unity; As it is impossible to find Christ without the Spirit, nor the Spirit without Christ1…. This divine Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, and the breath of His mouth, capable of scattering the darkness, and all the works of Satan, and of destroying the power of the man of sin, … the Lord Christ breathed on His disciples, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sin of any, they are retained” (John 20: 22, 23). The Holy Spirit, the Forgiver and the Destroyer of sin, is then granted to the church through her ministers, that the believer can say with all his strength: “O death, where is your sting?; O Hades, where is your victory… The sting of death is sin” (1 Corinthians 15: 55, 56). If our Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the death and destroyed the sin, He has granted us His Holy Spirit who brings us over into the circle of the cross, and establishes us in Christ Jesus the Savior, granting us the forgiveness of sin, that Satan, the enemy, with all his energies cannot stand before us. The main task of the Holy Spirit in our life is to bring us over into the fellowship of the Father in His Son; hiding and establishing us in His only-begotten Son as members in the Holy Body; to be found conquerors and to conquer by Christ who “went out conquering and to conquer” (Revelation 6: 2). (3) The apostle says: “…destroy him by the brightness of His coming” (8). The scholar Origen believes that “the man of sin”, carrying the works of Satan with all its ferocity and 1 See Comm.on John 2: 4. 44 deceptions, represents the lying that would have no existence with the proclamation of the coming of Christ; namely, with the appearance of the Truth. The appearance of Christ Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, at the end of time, will utterly destroy the darkness of the devil, and will cast it into the everlasting torment; As the proclamation of the truth destroys the lying. We can say that what will happen at the end of times, is an extension of what is daily realized in the life of the church. As, the more the heavenly Groom is transfigured and His splendor proclaimed in her life, the more difficult it would be for the devil or the sin to find a place in her. It is as though the work of the church as a congregation and members, is to hide in the Christ, the Truth; And once He is transfigured in her, the darkness would be scattered, and the ignorance would come to an end. That is the secret of our conquest and victory; hence the apostle says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4: 13).; And the Lord Himself says: “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15: 5). (4) To introduce a cause for the appearance of the man of sin before the ultimate coming of the Lord, the apostle says: “… and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (10-12). The Truth has come incarnate, and man had no more excuse for his ignorance; Yet, some people did not believe, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Those people have so delivered themselves to ignorance and darkness, that God would send them the delusion, to expose their wicked works, and to consummate their cup of evil. And as the apostle Paul says: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind” (Romans 1: 28). The coming of the man of sin will not destroy the coming of the truth, but will increase its 45 justification and splendor. He will destroy those who have destroyed themselves by themselves by rejecting the truth and their pleasure in unrighteousness; to realize the saying of the Lord: “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away” (Matthew 25: 29). 2- THEIR ABIDANCE IN THE LORD: “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (13). For fear that his listeners might get terrified when they hear about the man of sin, and what he carries of Satanic works and deceptions, the apostle intended to provide them with the spirit of hope, proclaiming his commitment to offer an incessant sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for the sake of His eternal plan toward us; having loved, chosen, and sanctified us by His Holy Spirit, and the belief in the truth. That is the role of the good shepherd, to provide his flock with the spirit of hope, to keep them from being terrified by the wars of Satan, the attacks of sin, and the cruel tribulations; and to let them have their sight truly on God who loved them and chose them to be given salvation, to be sanctified by His Holy Spirit, and to believe the truth in them. It is as though the apostle has drawn their inner insight away from the bitterness of the spiritual war, to the knowledge of the plan of the Holy Trinity toward the believers; confirming the following: That they are beloved by the Lord Jesus Christ who provided them with salvation. That they are chosen by the Father from the beginning for this salvation. That their spirits are sanctified by the Holy Spirit to receive the truth in them. I do not intend to enter into theological details; but wish to confirm that any work by one Person of the Holy Trinity, is not 46 separated nor isolated from that of the other two Persons. And to clarify this point I say: (1) If the Lord Jesus Christ loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2: 20); The Father as well “loved us and sent His Son to be propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4: 10). … The exalted love of God the Father made Him deliver His Son for our sake; and with the same love the Son delivered Himself in obedience to the Father (Hebrew 5: 5), and to realize His will, which is one with His own will. (2) The Father chose us, having found us children to Him through our union with Him in His only-begotten Son; and having seen us sanctified by being hidden in Him, and blameless before Him. And as said by the apostle: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1: 4). … If the Father by His love has chosen us in His Son, The Son as well, by the same divine love, has chosen us children for His Father; according to the words of the Lord Himself: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15: 16). Here He talks about the choice of His disciples and apostles for the preaching work; but this also applies to the choice of the believers for the sonhood to God, and the enjoyment of His free salvation. (3) In the previous epistle we spoke about the sanctification of the spirit, being something concerning the Person of the Holy Spirit; yet without separation from the other two Persons of the Holy trinity. And as said by St. Ambrose: [The father sanctifies (1 Thessalonians 5: 23; John 17: 17); The Son also sanctifies (1 Corinthians 1: 20); And the Holy Spirit sanctifies as well; But it is one sanctification, as the grace of the secret of baptism is one1. The apostle consummates his talk about the work of the holy Trinity in the life of the believers, being chosen for salvation, and to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit, saying: “… to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (14). He provided us with the way as well as the goal; As there is no other way to realize this divine goal in us as 1 Of the Holy Spirit 3. 47 the holy elect of the Lord, except by the gospel; namely, the preaching of salvation through the cross. The apostle calls it “our gospel”, although he did not write any of the four gospels; He considers the word of preaching which he utters and lives in his life, as his living gospel which he enjoys. As to the goal, it is the acquirement of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the down payment of which we enjoy through our spiritual strife, to enter into His perfection on His ultimate coming. As God has kept nothing from us: having loved us, chosen us, granted us the sanctification of the spirit, provided us with the “Truth” – Himself -- dwelling in us, and gave us the gospel of salvation, as a way to enjoy of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ; …. All that would surely make us strive to hold fast to the living traditions provided to us through the apostles; according to the words of the apostle Paul: “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (15). Commenting on this text, St. John Chrysostom says: [I wish we see the tradition of the church as something worthy of appreciation; and think of nothing else1. I wish we hold fast to the oral and written traditions delivered to the apostle, which he, in turn, delivered to you, to live the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as a practical life of faith, translated through worship and preaching. The tradition delivered to us is not something of the past, but is a ‘talent’ or a ‘treasure’ of the living faith, proclaimed through the union with God the Father in His Son Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit. This faith is practically translated through the church laws, the rites of spiritual worship, in the inner behavior of the believer, the depths of his soul, the thoughts of his mind, and his dealing with others2. The apostle ends his commandment to them to hold fast in the Lord and in the church’s tradition, by a short prayer, which he raises for their sake to support them, saying: “May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us, and 1 In 2 Thess. Hom 4. . 2 المؤلف: التقلید والأرثوذكسیة، ص 6 48 given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace; comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work” (16, 17). He lifts up our hearts to our Father, and to our Lord Jesus Christ, who works in the heart, in the mouth, and in the behavior, in order to live as is befitting of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we enjoy through the tradition, sanctified in the thought, the feelings, as well as in the words and work.
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