Signs of Christ's Presence  
Man of Sin

The Man of Sin Revealed before Christ's Return

II Thess. 2:2-8 Paul is telling the early church a great falling away from the original faith and the appearance of the "Man of Sin" must precede the coming of the Day of the Lord "whom the Lord shall kill with the spirit of his mouth and annihilate by the bright shining of his presence [parousia]."

While many Christians look for a literal "man" to fulfill this prophecy, Paul told the early church "the mystery of iniquity doth already work," in his day. Paul called it "That Wicked One," "The Man of Sin," "The Mystery of Iniquity," "The Anti-Christ," and "The Son of Perdition."

The Prophet Daniel called it "The Abomination that maketh desolate" Dan. 11:31; 12:11. Our Lord refers to the same character as "The Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" Matt. 24:15, and again as a "Beast" Rev. 13:1-8.

This same character was also prefigured by a "little horn" or power, out of a "terrible beast" that Daniel saw in his prophetic vision. The "little horn" had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and which prospered and made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. Dan. 7:8,21

John also saw and warned the Church against this character, saying, "Ye have heard that Anti-Christ shall come." He then advises how to escape Anti-Christ's influence. I John 2:18-27. The book of Revelation is in large part a detailed symbolic prophecy concerning this same Anti-Christ.

These various appellations and brief descriptions indicate a base, subtle, hypocritical, deceptive, tyrannical and cruel character, developed in the midst of the Christian Church.

At first creeping in and up very gradually, then rapidly ascending in power and influence until it reaches the very pinnacle of earthly power, wealth and glory, meanwhile exerting its influence against the truth and against the saints.

This "Man of Sin" is a system, not a single individual. As the Christ consists of the true Lord and the true Church, so Anti-Christ is a counterfeit system consisting of a false lord and an apostate church.

For a time this system is permitted to misrepresent the truth, to practice deceit and to counterfeit the authority and future reign of the true Lord and his Church, and to intoxicate the nations with false claims and assumptions.

The one and only system whose history fits these prophecies is Papacy, whose record, written by secular historians as well as by its own servants, agrees exactly with the prophetic delineations of Anti-Christ. Let no one misunderstand that every Roman Catholic is a man of sin or that priests or popes have been the Anti-Christ. No man is "The Anti-Christ," "the Man of Sin," described in prophecy.

The true Church is symbolized by a "chaste virgin," while the apostate church, which has fallen away from purity and fidelity to the Lord, is symbolically called "a harlot." The true "virgin" Church continues to be such to the end of the age, when she is to be united to her Lord and take his name, Christ.

So also, the apostate church was not the Anti-Christ, or Man of Sin, until she united with her lord and head, the pope, the claimed vice-gerent of Christ, and became a religious empire, falsely styled Christendom, which signifies Christ's Kingdom.

The name "Anti-Christ" has a twofold significance. The first is against (in opposition to) Christ. The second is instead (a counterfeit) of Christ. In the first sense the expression is a general one, which would apply to any enemy opposing Christ. The Scriptures use the name Anti-Christ in the second sense, as misrepresenting, counterfeit, taking the place of the true Christ.

This is what we should expect, and what we find in Papacy. Not an opposition to the name of Christ, but an enemy or opponent of Christ in that it falsely bears his name, counterfeits his kingdom and authority, and misrepresents his character, plans and doctrines before the world, a most baneful enemy and opponent indeed, far worse than an outspoken foe.

It is interesting to note that the Protestant Reformers, rulers, and hundreds of thousands of people had applied most of the prophecies of Anti-Christ to Papacy. It was the Catholic counter reformation through the Jesuit Francisco Ribera [1537-1591], that publicized the doctrine [in 1590 in a 500-page commentary on the Apocalypse] that the 'Man of Sin' would be a literal man in a future fulfillment. The counter reformation worked - most Protestants have accepted the Catholic diversion.

"The Man of Sin Anti-Christ"
"The Man of Sin Anti-Christ"

Revelation 13 (666) -- The Number of the Beast