Pauline theology of the "MAN OF SIN".

 

SOLUSI UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES

 

TOPIC: Pauline Theology On “The Man Of Sin” Of 2 Thessalonians 2

A  RESEARCH PAPER PREPARED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE COURSE

RELB 372 ACTS AND EPISTLES 2.

WRITEN BY

LAMULANI B NGWENYA ID# 2 0 1 2 1 2 0 1 0 2

 

INSTRUCTOR Ps F Mhlophe

 

August BLOCK 2016

Paul’s theology of the anti Christ as is elucidated in the book of Acts deserves to be studied. The language and the use of the language warrants our study. The reformers had a different view of whom the anti Christ is. The counter reformers presented a casuistic and a philosophical view. The protestant-evangelical world of the embraced dispensetionalism theology. Hence it has been a topic of hot debate  among the theologians, what Paul really meant and what is the correct way of identifying the man of sin. Schaff writes that Thessoloniki “...was visited by Paul on his second missionary tour, a.d. 52 or 53, and in a few weeks he succeeded, amid much persecution, in founding a flourishing church composed chiefly of Gentiles”1.

 

In 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul starts by correcting an error that had been propagated among the Thessalonians with reference to the coming2 of the messiah3. Paul wrote this epistle in Corinth4. There was a misunderstanding about what the second advent entailed. The Thessalonians where confused by Gnostic theology which demotes the divinity of Jesus. Through their intermediary organizations they managed to sway the theology of the Thessalonians to such an extent that they thought that the resurrection had already occurred5. They themselves being novices in dealing with theological subjects6, they were soon shaken7.

 

The coming of Jesus was the hope for these Thessalonians. The idea that the resurrection had occurred and that they had missed it did not go well with them. Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians had instructed or rather had comforted them in relation to those that are dead. He stated that they were asleep.

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18 [KJV].

 

This hope of seeing their dead loved ones, was hinged on the second coming of Jesus Christ in clouds of heaven. By having a skewed theology of the dead and not being able to relate the theology of the second coming and the state of the dead they were heavily shaken and their faith weaned.

The Thessalonians had eagerly grasped the idea that Christ was coming to change the faithful who were alive, and to take them to Himself. They had carefully guarded the lives of their friends, lest they should die and lose the blessing which they looked forward to receiving at the coming of their Lord. But one after another their loved ones had been taken from them, and with anguish the Thessalonians had looked for the last time upon the faces of their dead, hardly daring to hope to meet them in a future life8.

 

They looked with deep earnestness for the resurrected Saviour to show himself in the clouds, hence the resurrection of the dead. But that was not to be quite as easy as they had hoped. The coming of our Lord was to be preceded by an event that would later shake the Christian world. Paul called this event a “falling way”(KJV). This falling away was to be a sign to Thessalonians that the second coming and the resurrection are soon to take place.

 

The reader of the book 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 3 (KJB) is warned against deception, because it seems like the second coming of Jesus will be preceded by a “falling away”. The NIV says “until the rebellion occurs9”. What is this “falling away”, Guinness states that,

“Here we have, not only a prediction that there would be an "apostasy," or falling away from the faith in the Christian Church, but a description of its origin and character10”.

The Christian church would be rocked by divisions. They would be caused by deception. And this falling away would give rise to the second coming of Jesus. This rebellion would reveal the ‘man of sin’. The forces of evil were waging war against the early church. Schaff calls this persona "the man of sin" or Antichrist11 .Gnosticism was lifting its head like an erect serpent against the first century church. The doctrines of Christ had been marginalized.

 

Preterist historians teach, concerning the man of sin, in the light of Paul’s contemporary current events

History records that the Jewish rebellion against Rome and apostasy from the faith was already underway in the early 60s, and reached its climax in the Jewish-Roman War of A.D. 66 - 70.  We propose that Paul's "man of sin" was, most likely, a specific person who set himself up in the Temple that was standing when Paul was writing. He could have been (take your pick) Nero, Titus, a Zealot leader; the corrupt chief high priest, or a Christian Zealot. All except Nero physically entered the Temple12.

 

How ever this is contradictory to what the reformers taught. The great thinkers of the reformation had a non preterits approach. They believed a different theology from the counter reformers.

"nothing else than the kingdom of Babylon and of very Antichrist. For who is the man of sin and the son of perdition, but he who by his teaching and his ordinances increases the sin and perdition of souls in the church; while he yet sits in the church as if he were God? All these conditions have now for many ages been fulfilled by the papal tyranny13."

 

John Knox, the most famous Scottish Reformer14, also had the same ideology. He wrote that,

“Yea, to speak it in plain words; lest that we submit ourselves to Satan, thinking that we submit ourselves to Jesus Christ, for, as for your Roman kirk, as it is now corrupted, and the authority thereof, whereon stands the hope of your victory, I no more doubt but that it is the synagogue of Satan, and the head thereof, called the pope, to be that man of sin, of whom the apostle speaks15."  

 

Not to be left undone Thomas Cranmer the archbishop of the Anglican church. He without any shadow of doubt makes very emphatically clear whom he sees as the man of sin,

"Whereof it followeth Rome to be the seat of Antichrist, and the pope to be very Antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many other scriptures, old writers, and strong reasons16."

 

The reformers were all in agreement on who the Antichrist is. Some of a less known ilk also condescended to this theology. Take for example Gorg Nigrinus, the author states that

"The Jesuits claim to be sorely offended and have taken my declarations as an insult and blasphemy in branding the Papacy as the Antichrist of which Daniel, Paul, Peter, John and even Christ prophesied. But this is as true as it is that Jesus is the Messiah, and I am prepared to show it even by their own definition of the word 'Antichrist'17."

 

Roger Williams also gives similar sentiments. His precision in studying the prophetic literature, showed that the anti Christ power existed in his days. This is in direct contradiction to the Jesuit preterite's  ideology. The same thoughts are presented in the time of writing this paper, though changed they give a similar ideology.

“Pastor Williams spoke of the Pope as "the pretended Vicar of Christ on earth, who sits as God over the Temple of God, exalting himself not only above all that is called God, but over the souls and consciences of all his vassals, yea over the Spirit of Christ, over the Holy Spirit, yea, and God himself...speaking against the God of heaven, thinking to change times and laws; but he is the son of perdition18."

 

In the nineteenth century there was a movement that was preaching the coming of Jesus Christ. They offered the world an opportunity to peep into the eternal world. The world was stirred by the preaching of William Miller and his comrades, though their message was later rejected by the majority of the Christian world, there were others that remained believing what the Millerite movement taught. These were known as the Seventh Day Adventist. Paul’s reference to the Antichrist as the man of Sin is also reiterated by one of the co-founders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Ellen White. She states that,

"This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of "the man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan's power - a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will."

In the nineteenth century there arose a movement that was heavily involved in preaching the second coming of Jesus. They went around the cities preaching that Jesus will come as is writen in the bible. The event did not happen as they had expected. Many left the Millerite confession, but there was a small group of believers who still retained the Millerite theology. They were later known as Seventh Day Adventist. On of the co-founders of the Advent movement is one called Ellen G White. She writes

"This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of "the man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan's power - a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will19."

 

It is very clear that the interpretation of Paul as is seen from the protestant side it points to the man of sin as the Papal monarchy. The Bishop of Rome was fingered by the reformers as the anti Christ power. The reformers were very united on the doctrine of the anti Christ. They gave the world a gimpse into the prophetic insights, hidden from the prying eye by the Jesuit counter reformation. Contemporaneously the Seventh Day Adventist are the only ones who still hold to that theology. Just as the reformers had.

1Schaff P, History of Christianity vol 1, 1888

2    The Apostle Paul wrote that the coming (parousia) of the Lord would not take place until the

      rebellion occurs and the "man of sin" (KJV) or "man of lawlessness" (NIV) was revealed.

      http://www.preteristarchive.com/Modern/2002_noe_man-of-sin.html

3Barnes, New Testament notes, Public domain, 1889

4Schaff P, History of Christianity vol 1, 1888

52 Thessalonians 2: 1

6Acts 17: 11

72 Thessalonians 2:2

8White E G, The Acts of the Apostles. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911.

9    2Th 2:3 NIV

10Guinness H. G, Romanism and the Reformation, pp22 (pdf)

11Schaff P, History of Christianity vol 1, 1888

12http://www.preteristarchive.com/Modern/2002_noe_man-of-sin.html

13  Luther M, First Principles, pp. 196-197, (1483 - 1546)

14  http://www.reformationhistory.org/johnknox.html

15 Knox J, The History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland, p.65

16  Works by Cranmer, vol.1, pp.6-7

17 Nigrinus, Antichrists Grundliche Offenbarung fol. 6v. Translated.

18  The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers by Froom, Vol. 3, pg. 52

19  White E.G., The Great Controversy, pp.49-51.