If You Love Me . . .17

"His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." (Daniel 11:31)

"So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—" (Matthew 24:15)

The Lord Jesus warned the Jews to flee when the abomination that causes desolation stands in the Holy Place. We think that Antichrist will take his seat in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem proclaiming himself to be the only true and living god. This is the climax of lawlessness and will usher in every form of desolation and the great tribulation. Lawlessness, man-centeredness, always creates desolation, as we can observe in the major nations of our time.

Let us turn now to the Book of Second Thessalonians and begin our study of Antichrist, the Lawless One, the individual who refuses to keep the commandments of God and His Christ.

Second Thessalonians, Chapter Two. Evidently Paul's reference to the coming of the Kingdom of God and the saints rising to meet the Commander in Chief in the air caused some of the believers in Thessalonica to quit their jobs and spend their time going from house to house talking about religious matters.

Paul responded:

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 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. (II Thessalonians 2:1,2)

Notice we are speaking now of the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is the time when the Lord Jesus will appear with His saints and holy angels. It is the same day spoken of in I Thessalonians.

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. (I Thessalonians 4:16)

There is only one Day of the Lord, one appearing of the Lord, not two as taught in dispensationalism. The one Greek term parousia is used throughout First and Second Thessalonians whenever there is a reference to the coming of the Lord.

Now notice:

Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness revealed, the man doomed to destruction. (II Thessalonians 2:3)

The Day of the Lord will not come until there is a worldwide rebellion against authority and Antichrist, the Man of Lawlessness appears, the man who will be destroyed by the coming (parousia ) of the Lord.

Some Christian teachers hold that the coming of the Lord will occur prior to the rebellion and the revelation of the man of lawlessness. They are contradicting the Scripture.

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. (II Thessalonians 2:4)

To be continued. If You Love Me . . .18