2 Thessalonians 2.4-The Actions of the Antichrist During the Seventieth Week of Daniel
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday August 19, 2021
Second Thessalonians: 2 Thessalonians 2:4-The Actions of the Antichrist During the Seventieth Week of Daniel
Lesson # 27
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Do not let anyone deceive any one of you in any way. For, if the rebellion does not take place first, namely the unique person characterized by a distinguishable lawlessness has been revealed, that is, the unique son characterized by a distinguishable destruction, then the Lord’s day is absolutely not taking place. 4 The one who for his own benefit opposes, yes even, for his own benefit exalts himself against each and every so-called god or object of worship. Consequently, he himself sits down inside the one and only God’s temple in order to present himself as God. (My translation)
2 Thessalonians 2:4 is composed of a participial clause and a result clause which describe the actions of the Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel.
This participial clause is followed by a result clause which presents the result of the former, which asserts that for his own benefit, the Antichrist opposes, yes even exalts himself against each and every so-called god or object of worship.
The result clause emphatically asserts that the Antichrist will sit down inside the one and only God’s temple in order to present himself as God.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 describes the character of the person of the Antichrist while 2 Thessalonians 2:4 describes his actions during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel.
Paul’s description of this person in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 corresponds with the description of the little horn in Daniel 7:8, 11, 24-25 and 9:27, the first beast in Revelation chapter thirteen.
In 1 John 2:18, the apostle John calls this person “the Antichrist.”
John uses this term in 1 John 2:22, 4:3 and 2 John 7 to describe those who reject the human nature of Jesus Christ and are involved in Docetic Gnosticism.
So therefore, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 are describing a person who John calls “the Antichrist.”
The noun naos (ναός), “temple” refers to the temple which will be built in Jerusalem during the seventieth week of Daniel and will be the place where the God of Israel will be worshipped by the Jews and specifically, it speaks of the holy of holies in the temple.
Some expositors have trouble with Paul’s statements about the temple here in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 since he clearly says it will be standing when the Antichrist sits down in the temple displaying himself to the world as possessing the attributes of God since the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.
However, the patristic commentors solved the problem by asserting that it will be rebuilt again and I along with many others believe this as well.
If Zerubbabel’s temple was rebuilt on the site of Solomon’s which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., then, it stands that the Jews could build another temple on the site of Herod’s temple.
Further support that the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem is that Jesus taught that the temple would be standing when Antichrist rebels against Him (cf. Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14).
Therefore, Paul is teaching here in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 that there will once again be a literal temple in Jerusalem, however, this has not stopped some expositors have contended that the apostle is speaking here in figurative terms and not literal.
Now, as we noted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 contains a reference to the rebellion led by the Antichrist against Jesus Christ during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.
The contents of 2 Thessalonians 2:4 describe this rebellion in detail and in fact, it defines for the reader what Paul means by this rebellion.
First, the rebellion of unregenerate unrepentant humanity led by Antichrist against Jesus Christ will have the Antichrist opposing, yes even exalting himself against each and every so-called god or place of worship.
Thus, he will oppose and exalt himself against the God of Israel, who the New Testament identifies as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
He will also oppose and exalt himself against the place in which they will be worshipped during the seventieth week, namely the temple in Jerusalem which will be rebuilt during that period or prior to this period after the rapture of the church.
Undoubtedly, the Jews who build this temple will not be believers in Jesus Christ.
However, they will be building a temple for the God of Israel, which the New Testament again identifies as being the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, thus, these Jews will build this temple ignorant of this fact.
However, this does not change that God considers this temple to be His since Paul asserts here in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 that this temple is the possession of the one and only God.
Secondly, the rebellion of unregenerate unrepentant humanity led by Antichrist against Jesus Christ will have the Antichrist sitting down in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem during the midway point of the seventieth week of Daniel while displaying himself to the public as possessing the attributes of God.
This action on the part of the Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel is not only prophesied about in Daniel 9:27 but also Daniel 11:36.
Daniel 9:27 “Then, he will establish a firm covenant with the leaders, which will be one unit of seven years. However, he will cause the sacrificial offering to stop in the middle of this unit of seven years while between the wings which results in abominations, he will cause desecration. Indeed, until a decreed complete destruction is poured out against the desecrater.” (My translation)
Daniel 11:36 “Then, a unique king will do according to his desire. Consequently, he will exalt himself so that he will magnify himself above every deity. He will also issue extraordinary statements against the true God. However, despite this, he will succeed until the righteous indignation related to the end is completed because that which has been decreed must take place.” (My translation)
I am of the conviction that what will cause the Antichrist to display himself to the world as possessing the attributes of God is that he will die as a result of being assassinated but will recover, thus causing the world and the Antichrist to believe that he is indeed God, which is indicated by Revelation chapter thirteen.
Revelation 13:3 asserts that one of the beast’s heads had been slain and his fatal would healed and the whole earth worshipped this beast but is this Rome or a person?
Revelation 13:12 indicates that this is a person since it asserts that the false prophet who is the second beast in this passage makes the citizens of earth worship the first beast whose fatal would was healed.
Then, Revelation 13:14 asserts that the second beast, i.e. the false prophet who promotes the worship of the first beast tells the world to make an image to this first beast whose fatal wound of the sword but has come to life.
Revelation 13:12 and 14 indicate that this beast whose fatal wound had been healed and had come to life after being dead is a person rather than the Roman Empire.
This person of course would be the Antichrist.
Now, as we noted 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9 teach that the church will be delivered from the Lord exercising His righteous indignation against the unrepentant, unregenerate inhabitants of planet earth during the seventieth week of Daniel and His Second Advent.
However, the contents of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 reveals that the rapture or resurrection of the church will be what causes the church to be delivered from the wrath of the Lamb during the seventieth week and His Second Advent.
The purpose of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 is to identify the person who must be revealed publicly to the world in order for the day of the Lord to take place.
In other words, these verses identify the person who must be publicly revealed to the world as evidence that the day of the Lord is underway.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 not only not only identifies the Antichrist as the person who must be revealed publicly to the world in order for the day of the Lord to take place but also these verses describe him in detail.
Therefore, they don’t teach what events which must take place for the day of the Lord to be present but rather they simply identify the person who must be revealed publicly to the world for this period to take place.
Everything else in these two verses are simply describing this person who we know as the Antichrist.
However, in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, Paul presents another piece of evidence which must take place in addition to the public manifestation of the Antichrist in order for the day of the Lord to take place.
Namely, the Holy Spirit, who restrains evil through the church and indwells each member of the church, must be removed.
This will take place at the rapture, which removes the church from the earth and the localized presence of the Holy Spirit.