Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000025
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00:31 Shall we pray.
00:35 Oh mighty Father, we want to thank You first of all 00:40 and praise Your name because You have given us Your Word, 00:44 a sure guide, a certain compass, in uncertain times. 00:50 We thank You, Father, that we are able with freedom 00:53 to open that Word, to study it, and to practice it in our lives. 01:00 And Father, as we study this very important subject on 01:04 antichrist sitting in the temple of God, 01:07 we ask that You will soften hearts and that You will 01:11 open minds that we might receive the truth 01:14 as it is in Jesus. 01:17 Thank You, Father, for hearing and answering our prayer, 01:20 for we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 01:26 One of the churches that the apostle Paul established 01:30 was the church of Thessalonica, the church of the Thessalonians. 01:35 And in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verses 15 through 17, 01:42 the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians 01:45 about what would happen with those who died in Christ 01:50 and those who were alive when Jesus comes. 01:55 As we begin our study, I would like to read 01:58 from 1 Thessalonians 4 and verses 15 through 17. 02:03 Because in this passage, evidently the Thessalonians 02:07 got the impression that Jesus was coming in the days 02:10 of the apostle Paul, in their days. 02:14 Notice what we find in verse 15. 02:25 Notice he's including himself. 02:34 That is, those who are dead. 02:47 And now verse 17 repeats the same thought 02:50 that we found in verse 15. 02:59 That is, with those who died and resurrected. 03:09 Twice in this passage the apostle Paul 03:12 gives the impression that he and the Thessalonians 03:17 were going to be alive when Jesus comes. 03:21 In verse 15 he says that, "We who are alive and remain 03:25 until the coming of the Lord..." 03:27 And then in verse 17 he repeats, "Then we who are alive 03:31 and remain shall be caught up together." 03:34 So the Thessalonians got a wrong impression 03:38 of what the apostle Paul was really saying. 03:41 What the apostle Paul was saying is that if we are alive, 03:44 then we're going to be translated. 03:46 He's predicting that generation was going to be alive. 03:50 But they misunderstood him. 03:51 And so the apostle Paul felt it necessary to write 03:55 a second letter to the Thessalonians 03:58 where he explained a little bit better what needed to happen 04:02 before Jesus would come. 04:05 And so we want to study 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, 04:10 and basically the first 13 verses in our study today 04:15 and also in our next lecture. 04:18 So let's go to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verses 1 and 2. 04:24 Here the apostle Paul says, "Now, brethren, 04:27 concerning the coming..." 04:29 That's a word you need to remember. 04:31 That's the word, parousia. 04:34 That's a Greek word, very important word, parousia. 04:37 "Now, brethren, concerning the parousia," 04:39 or, "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ..." 04:45 Notice, it's not Him gathering to us. 04:48 It's us gathering together to Him. 04:50 Remember 1 Thessalonians 4 where it says 04:52 we'll be caught up to join Him. 04:55 Now which coming is this referring to? 04:58 It's referring to the second coming of Christ. 05:01 So he says, "Now, brethren, concerning the coming of 05:03 our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 05:07 we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, 05:13 either by spirit..." 05:15 That would probably mean, by a prophetic dream or vision. 05:19 "...or by word..." 05:21 That is, "Because somebody told you so." 05:24 "...or by letter..." 05:25 "A supposed letter that I have written." 05:28 "...as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come." 05:34 "So if somebody tells you they had a vision or a dream, 05:36 or if somebody tells you that, you know, they heard 05:41 somebody say that Jesus has come, or if you even 05:44 see a letter that appears to be signed by me, 05:47 don't believe it." 05:49 And so we find that the apostle Paul says, 05:51 "Don't believe the idea that Jesus has come yet. 05:54 Because certain things have to transpire before Jesus comes." 05:59 Let's go now to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 3, 06:02 and we're going to spend a lot of time in verses 3 and 4 and 5. 06:08 And then in our next lecture, we're going to study 06:10 verses 6 and following. 06:12 Now notice 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 3. 06:24 Which day would that be? 06:27 The day of the what? 06:28 Of the parousia. 06:30 The day of the coming of Christ is the context. 06:43 Now there's several things that we need to say about this. 06:46 First of all, "falling away," is preceded by the 06:50 definite article, "the." 06:54 This is not just a general falling away. 06:57 This is a specific falling away that the apostle Paul 07:03 had spoken to them about and which is predicted, 07:05 we're going to notice, in the Old Testament. 07:08 And so the apostle Paul is saying that "the" falling away 07:12 has to come first. 07:13 Not just a falling away, but the specific falling away. 07:18 Now I need to say something also about that 07:20 expression, "falling away." 07:22 It actually is a translation of one Greek word. 07:26 And that Greek word is, apostasia. 07:30 Now what word do we get in English from, "apostasia?" 07:34 We get the word, apostasy. 07:37 Now the question is, what is an apostasy? 07:40 Can you apostatize from the faith if you did not 07:43 belong to the faith to start out with? 07:46 Of course not. 07:47 Apostasy means that you embraced the truth at some point, 07:51 and then you forsook the truth or you fell away from the truth. 07:55 That's the reason why it's translated here 07:57 in the New Kings James, "the falling away." 08:01 But the word is, apostasy. 08:03 In other words, the apostle Paul is saying, 08:05 "Don't let anyone deceive you, the apostasy is going to come 08:10 before Jesus returns." 08:13 And then he says, "And the man of sin is revealed, 08:17 the son of perdition." 08:19 So do you understand what we're dealing with when 08:21 we talk about "the" apostasy? 08:24 Did this mean that originally those who were going to 08:31 participate in this apostasy belonged to the Christian faith 08:35 and were genuine Christians? 08:36 Absolutely. 08:38 And this is a specific apostasy. 08:40 Not just apostasies are going to come, 08:42 or an apostasy is going to come. 08:44 This is "the" explicit and definite apostasy. 08:48 Now let's go to the next phrase. 08:50 Once again verse 3... 08:54 That is, the day of the coming of Christ. 08:59 That is, "the" apostasy comes first. 09:06 Now let's discuss the expression, "the man of sin." 09:11 Of course we need to ask the question, 09:13 what is sin, according to the biblical definition? 09:16 If this is the man of sin, this is a system that personifies sin 09:22 and enjoys sin. 09:24 So the question is, what is sin? 09:27 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4 has the biblical definition of sin. 09:32 It says there, "Whoever commits sin also commits 09:38 lawlessness..." 09:40 That's a very important word because it's use in 09:42 2 Thessalonians 2. 09:44 And so it says, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, 09:49 and sin is..." What? 09:51 "...sin is lawlessness." 09:54 Or as the King James Version says, "Sin is the 09:57 transgression of the law." 09:59 So the man of sin is going to teach people to do what? 10:02 To transgress or disobey God's law. 10:06 Now this brings to mind the little horn that we 10:09 studied about, remember. 10:11 The little horn that is mentioned in Daniel chapter 7 10:13 and verse 25 who spoke blasphemies against God 10:17 and persecuted the saints of the Most High. 10:20 And he ruled for a period of 1260 years. 10:25 And we're also told that the little horn thought that 10:28 he could change, what? 10:30 God's law. 10:31 You see, the man of sin and the little horn are the same power, 10:36 but with a different name. 10:37 Let's read Daniel chapter 7 and verse 25. 10:51 Is he going to attack God's law? 10:54 Absolutely. 11:01 And so this apostasy is going to involve the law of God. 11:05 The man of sin is a system or a power that has an onslaught 11:12 against the law of God. 11:13 Because sin is transgression of the law. 11:17 Now let's notice another expression that we find here. 11:21 Once again verse 3... 11:26 That is, the day of the coming of Christ. 11:30 Or "the" apostasy comes first. 11:33 "...and the man of sin..." 11:35 Which we've noticed is transgression of the law. 11:38 "...is revealed, the son of perdition." 11:42 I need to tell you something about that word, "revealed." 11:46 It's the word, apocalypse. 11:48 The same word that is translated, "revelation," 11:51 in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 1, 11:54 "The revelation of Jesus Christ." 11:57 What does this mean, "revealed?" 11:59 Well, it would help us to know what the 12:01 antonym of, "revealed," is. 12:03 What is the antonym or the opposite of, "revealed?" 12:07 It is, "concealed." 12:08 So the question is, was this power concealed even in the 12:12 days in which the apostle Paul wrote? 12:15 Absolutely. 12:16 In fact, the word, "revealed," means, "to unveil." 12:20 It means, to take away the veil. 12:23 In other words, in the days of the apostle Paul 12:27 this power was already wanting to manifest itself. 12:31 If you read, for example, the three epistles of John, 12:35 he deals a lot with the law and with the 12:38 commandments, doesn't he. 12:40 "If anyone says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep 12:43 His commandments, he is a..." What? 12:45 "...he is a liar." 12:46 And he says, "His commandments are not..." What? 12:49 "...are not burdensome." 12:50 Time and again in the epistles of John, John is saying 12:53 we need to keep what? 12:55 God's commandments. 12:57 So was there a problem already in the days of the apostles 13:01 with lawlessness wanting to show its ugly head? 13:05 Absolutely. 13:06 It wanted to manifest itself. 13:08 It wanted to unveil itself or reveal itself. 13:12 But at that time, it was under the surface. 13:14 It was concealed just waiting a certain moment to reveal itself. 13:19 And that we're going to talk about in the second lecture 13:21 of this two part series. 13:23 Now let's go once again to 2 Thessalonians 13:27 chapter 2 and verse 3, and take a look at another expression. 13:32 It says here once again, "Let no one deceive you by any means; 13:37 for that Day," the day of the coming of Christ, parousia, 13:41 "will not come unless the falling away," 13:43 that is the apostasy, "comes first, and the man of sin," 13:48 which is transgression of the law... 13:50 Somehow this system is going to teach people 13:51 to transgress the law. 13:53 "...is revealed," which means that he's already concealed, 13:56 according to the epistles of John. 13:58 And also Acts chapter 20 speaks about apostasy wanting 14:01 to show its head. 14:03 And then notice the name that is given to this system. 14:06 "...the son of..." What? 14:08 "...the son of perdition." 14:10 Now we need to dwell for a while on that one. 14:12 That's a very important expression. 14:15 A very important name. 14:16 Do you know there's only one other person 14:20 in all of the Bible that is called by that exact name, 14:24 "the son of perdition." 14:26 And that person was Judas Iscariot. 14:29 Go with me to John 17 and verse 12. 14:32 And we're going to take a look at this name 14:35 as it is given to this apostate disciple. 14:39 It says there in John chapter 17 and verse 12... 14:47 Here Jesus is praying to His Father. 15:01 So what is Judas called? 15:03 Judas is called, the son of perdition. 15:07 Now in Christendom there is a fundamental misconception 15:12 about the antichrist. 15:14 Most Christians either believe that the antichrist 15:18 was a fellow that lived in the past named Antiochus Epiphanes, 15:22 but most conservative Christians believe that the antichrist 15:26 is a future nasty individual, perhaps an atheist, 15:30 or perhaps a blasphemer openly against God 15:34 that will sit in the Jerusalem temple, rebuilt by that time, 15:39 and he will curse God. 15:41 That's the view that most conservative Christians have 15:45 concerning the antichrist. 15:48 But when we examine the Bible carefully, 15:51 we notice that this is not an accurate description 15:55 of the antichrist. 15:57 Let me just share with you four reasons why the antichrist 16:01 is not an apostate blasphemer who curses Christianity 16:06 and is anti-Christian. 16:08 But rather, the antichrist is an insider who claims to 16:13 serve Jesus Christ, but actually betrays the 16:17 cause of Jesus Christ. 16:19 I'm going to give you four reasons. 16:21 Reason number one, all theologians are agreed 16:26 that the man of sin, the little horn, 16:30 and the beast represent the same power. 16:34 They represent the antichrist. 16:37 Now if the beast is the same as the little horn, 16:40 and the little horn is the same as the man of sin, 16:44 that must mean that the beast represents a system, 16:49 not a person. 16:50 You say, "Why is that?" 16:52 Because we've already studied that beasts in Bible prophecy 16:55 represent what? 16:57 They represent not individuals, they represent kingdoms. 17:03 So in other words, very clearly, because the beast is the same 17:07 as the man of sin, and a beast represents a kingdom, 17:10 the man of sin must represent a what? 17:13 Must represent a kingdom. 17:16 Secondly, we are told that the little horn and the beast 17:21 ruled for 1260 years. 17:27 We've already studied that prophecy. 17:29 They ruled for 1260 years. 17:31 Let me ask you, how could this be a literal individual? 17:34 Do you know anyone who has lived 1260 years in recent times? 17:39 Absolutely not. 17:40 And so it cannot be a literal individual in the future. 17:45 Number three, the Bible tells us that this man of sin 17:49 already was there in the days of the apostle Paul 17:53 just wanting to show his head, wanting to manifest himself. 17:57 In other words, he was already there, but he was what? 17:59 He was concealed, according to what we studied. 18:02 The mystery of lawlessness, it says, was already at work 18:06 in the days of the apostle Paul. 18:08 But you know what's interesting? 18:09 The Bible says that the man of sin will be destroyed by the 18:12 brightness of the coming of Christ. 18:15 So how is it possible that this could be an individual, 18:18 a person, if this was already trying to manifest itself 18:22 in the days of Paul and it's going to be destroyed 18:24 at the second coming of Christ? 18:26 That would mean you would have to have a person 18:27 that lived from the days of Paul to the time 18:29 of the coming of Christ. 18:32 It cannot be a literal individual. 18:34 Now number four, the argument that is used 18:38 to try and prove that this is an individual person 18:40 who will arise in the future is the fact that he is referred to 18:45 with the masculine personal pronoun, "he." 18:49 "The man of sin." 18:50 "He will manifest himself." 18:52 But that's not a good argument. 18:55 Because the fact that the personal pronoun, "he," 18:58 is use does not necessarily mean that this is 19:01 one individual person. 19:02 Let me give you some other biblical examples. 19:05 For example, in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 7, 19:07 which we're not going to read, the expression, 19:10 "the high priest," is used to describe the whole succession 19:15 of the priests in the Old Testament system. 19:18 It's not referring to a specific individual high priest. 19:20 It uses the generic term, "the high priest," 19:24 and applies to all of the priests of the Hebrew system. 19:27 Another example in 1 Samuel chapter 8 and verse 11. 19:31 It speaks about, "the king." 19:34 But if you look at this verse, it's not describing one 19:36 particular individual king. 19:38 The expression, "the king," is referring to all of the 19:42 succession of kings in the Hebrew theocracy. 19:45 Revelation chapter 12 uses the expression, "the woman." 19:49 This is not speaking about an individual woman. 19:52 It's talking about God's corporate church. 19:56 And in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 17, 20:00 it says that the Bible was given that "the man of God" 20:05 might be complete. 20:07 Now is that referring to one particular man 20:09 that's going to be complete by reading the Bible? 20:11 No, it's speaking about everyone who, what? 20:14 Everyone who reads and studies Scripture. 20:17 Are you with me? 20:18 Now, Scripture makes it very clear that this antichrist 20:24 is going to be like Judas. 20:28 He's going to be covetous, conniving, 20:33 politically ambitious, an insider who professes 20:39 loyalty to Jesus Christ while he is working in secret 20:43 behind the back of Jesus and undermining and betraying 20:48 His truth. 20:50 Now, an author that I have read several books from, 20:55 and I totally disagree with his futuristic methodology, 20:59 was right on target when he described what the antichrist 21:02 is going to be like. 21:04 The name of this author is Dave Hunt. 21:06 Some of you probably read something from him. 21:09 You know, there are several things that he says that 21:11 are right on target. 21:12 But of course, his view that the Jews are going to be restored 21:15 and the temple is going to be rebuilt, and you know, 21:18 the literal nations are coming against Jerusalem, 21:20 and the antichrist is a literal individual 21:23 who's going to sit in the temple; 21:24 well we don't agree with that methodology. 21:26 But notice how he described the antichrist. 21:28 I think he's right on target. 21:30 In his book, Global Peace, pages 7 and 8, he said this, 21:34 "While the Greek prefix, 'anti,' generally means, 'against,' 21:40 or, 'opposed to,' it can also mean, 'in place of,' 21:44 or, 'a substitute for.' 21:47 The antichrist will embody both meanings. 21:51 He will oppose Christ while pretending to be Christ. 21:56 Instead of a frontal assault against Christianity, 22:00 the evil one will pervert the church from within 22:05 by posing as its founder. 22:08 He will cunningly misrepresent Christ while pretending 22:12 to be Christ. 22:13 And right here is where the plot thickens. 22:16 If the antichrist will indeed pretend to be Christ, 22:21 then his followers must be Christians." 22:26 That's a very perceptive description of the antichrist. 22:31 I don't know why Dave Hunt can't see that this has been 22:33 fulfilled in the Middle Ages. 22:35 Probably because his futurism has blinded him from the 22:38 possibility of considering that the Roman Catholic Papacy 22:42 fulfills this picture or this portrayal of the antichrist. 22:47 Now if this system is going to be like Judas, 22:50 then we have to study the character of Judas. 22:53 And once we know what Judas was like, 22:56 then we're going to know what this system that 22:59 claims to follow Christ and claims to exalt Christ, 23:02 but really betrays Him, looks like. 23:05 The first thing that I would like us to notice about Judas 23:08 is that he was a high octane administrator. 23:13 We're told in the book, Desire Of Ages, page 294, 23:17 "He was of commanding appearance, 23:20 a man of keen discernment, and executive ability. 23:26 And they," that is the disciples, "commended him 23:30 to Jesus as one who would greatly assist in His work. 23:35 They were surprised that Jesus received him so coolly." 23:40 So here was a man who had great cunning 23:43 and great administrative and executive ability. 23:47 He was a natural born leader, in other words. 23:51 Now one of the great defects that Judas had is that 23:55 he coveted political power. 23:58 He wanted Jesus to occupy the literal throne. 24:02 He wanted Him to take over the kingdoms of this world. 24:05 You remember when Jesus fed the five thousand. 24:09 You remember that episode? 24:11 The story is told in John chapter 6. 24:14 And the Bible tells us in verse 15 that when He 24:16 fed the five thousand, the multitudes wanted to grab 24:20 Jesus and wanted to force Him to become king 24:23 of a literal kingdom. 24:24 Let's read that verse, John chapter 6 and verse 15. 24:40 Now if you go down to verse 71, we're going to come back there 24:44 in a few moments, you're going to see that the ringleader 24:47 in this movement was Judas Iscariot. 24:50 Because Judas always wanted Jesus to take 24:52 over political power and to rule the world. 24:56 Now notice what we find in Desire Of Ages, page 718, 25:01 on this particular point concerning the aspirations 25:04 of Judas when Jesus fed the five thousand. 25:07 It says there, "Not withstanding the Savior's own teaching, 25:11 Judas was continually advancing the idea that Christ 25:16 would reign as king in Jerusalem. 25:19 At the feeding of the five thousand, he tried 25:22 to bring this about." 25:25 So who was behind this idea of Jesus taking the throne 25:29 and exercising political power on earth? 25:32 It was Judas Iscariot. 25:33 He was the ringleader. 25:35 He was at the head of this movement. 25:38 So one of the great defects of Judas is that he wanted power. 25:42 He wanted political power. 25:45 Another defect that Judas had is that he was covetous. 25:49 He feigned a love for the poor. 25:52 But it wasn't love for the poor that moved him. 25:55 He was covetous and he loved money. 25:59 Notice John chapter 12 and verses 4 through 6. 26:02 This is when Mary washed the feet of Jesus. 26:06 And Judas sanctimoniously said, "Well, couldn't we have 26:10 spent this money on something better to help the poor?" 26:14 Let's read that passage, John chapter 12 26:16 and verses 4 through 6. 26:18 "But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot..." 26:44 And what did Judas betray Jesus for? 26:48 He betrayed Jesus for money. 26:50 Notice Luke chapter 22 and verses 3 through 6. 26:54 Luke 22 and verses 3 through 6. 27:25 So he wanted political power, 27:27 and he wanted to control the resources. 27:30 He had the purse. 27:31 He was covetous, he wanted money. 27:34 Money and power. 27:36 Now the Bible also makes it very clear that Judas 27:39 was Satan's representative. 27:42 You say, "Really?" 27:44 Absolutely. 27:45 After Jesus fed the five thousand and Judas tried 27:50 to make Jesus king, we find a very interesting declaration of 27:54 Jesus in John 6 and verses 70 and 71. 27:58 John 6 and verses 70 and 71. 28:02 "Jesus answered them..." 28:04 He's speaking to His disciples. 28:12 Wow, what a way to refer to Judas. 28:13 "One of you is a..." What? 28:15 "...is a devil." 28:25 In fact, it was Satan who prompted Judas to deliver Jesus. 28:30 Notice John chapter 13 and verse 2. 28:33 John 13 and verse 2. 28:34 And at this point, Judas has not crossed the line. 28:38 He can still change his mind and repent at this point. 28:41 It says there in John 13 and verse 2, 28:43 when Jesus is sitting with His disciples to have supper 28:46 before the last supper... 28:58 So who was it that put it into the heart of Judas 29:01 to betray Jesus Christ? 29:02 It was Satan. 29:03 So who's emissary or representative was Judas? 29:07 He was the visible representative of whom? 29:10 Of Satan. 29:12 Do you know where he actually crossed the line? 29:14 We're told in John 13 and verse 27. 29:18 When Jesus gave Judas the piece of bread. 29:20 He said, "Whoever I give this piece of bread to, 29:23 he's the one who's going to betray Me." 29:25 The Bible says in John 13 verse 27, 29:28 "Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him." 29:34 In other words, he was demon possessed. 29:37 Did he claim to be a follower of Jesus? Yes. 29:40 Was he a part of the inner circle? 29:42 Absolutely. 29:43 And yet, underhandedly he was trying to betray Jesus Christ. 29:48 Interesting, Desire Of Ages, page 295, Ellen White 29:52 explains, "Judas became a representative 29:56 of the enemy of Christ." 29:58 He was the representative, not of Christ, 30:00 but the representative of the enemy of Jesus Christ. 30:05 But do you know that he was a hypocrite. 30:07 And he had even the disciple fooled. 30:09 Even the inner circle was fooled 30:11 as to the identity of this antichrist. 30:14 Matthew chapter 26 and verse 25 when Jesus said, 30:18 "One of you is going to betray Me," 30:19 each disciple asked Him, "Is it I?" 30:21 Notice what Judas said. 30:23 Matthew 26:25, "Then Judas, who was betraying Him, 30:28 answered and said, 'Rabbi, is it I?'" 30:33 The disciples did not have the foggiest idea that 30:36 this was the antichrist. 30:38 He had them deceived to the very end. 30:41 In fact, notice John 13 verses 26 through 29. 30:44 This is an interesting passage. 30:45 It shows that the very followers of Jesus 30:47 themselves were oblivious as to the identity of antichrist. 30:51 Is that true of the religious world today? 30:54 Absolutely. 30:56 Notice what we find in John 13:26. 31:09 So it's so obvious, isn't it? 31:11 He says, "To whoever I give the bread, that's the antichrist." 31:14 But now notice... 31:23 How did the disciples understand that? 31:24 Listen... 31:44 Were the very followers of Jesus oblivious to what was going on 31:47 in terms of the fulfillment of prophecy? 31:49 Till the very end. 31:50 Fortunately, they woke up at the end. 31:53 Now how did Judas betray Jesus Christ? 31:56 Notice Luke 22 and verses 47 through 48 31:59 when the mob comes to arrest Jesus Christ 32:02 in the garden of Gethsemane. 32:04 Notice how Judas betrayed Christ. 32:06 Luke 22 verses 47 and 48. 32:09 It says there... 32:31 How did Judas betray Christ? 32:33 With a what? 32:34 With a kiss. 32:36 The epidomy of being a traitor, according to Scripture. 32:40 Now the antichrist is called, the son of perdition. 32:44 Why is he called, the son of perdition? 32:45 The word, "perdition," in Greek mean, 32:48 destruction or annihilation. 32:51 He is the son of annihilation, he is the son of destruction. 32:55 Have you ever read in the Bible about the end of Judas 32:58 as a result of betraying Jesus Christ? 33:01 Matthew 27 and verses 3 through 5 33:04 speak about the perdition of Judas, or his destruction 33:07 or annihilation, which is what perdition means. 33:10 Notice, "Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that he had 33:14 been condemned, was remorseful..." 33:17 This was crocodile tears. 33:19 It was not repentance, it was an admission. 33:22 "...and brought back the thirty pieces of silver 33:25 to the chief priests and elders, saying, 'I have sinned 33:28 by betraying innocent blood...'" 33:40 Do you know what the real intention of Judas was? 33:42 It was not the intention of Judas to deliver Jesus to death. 33:46 It was the intention of Judas to force the hand of Jesus 33:51 so that Jesus would escape, once they arrested Him, 33:54 to proclaim Himself king. 33:56 In other words, if it had been Judas' purpose to betray Jesus 34:01 to death, why would he commit suicide? 34:04 Why would he throw the money there in the 34:06 presence of the priests? 34:07 The fact is, that it was his purpose that when Jesus 34:10 would find Himself between a rock and a hard place, 34:13 when He was arrested and perhaps mistreated, 34:15 that Jesus would arise and He would take care of them 34:19 and He would establish His kingdom. 34:21 But his plan backfired. 34:24 And when he saw that Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested 34:27 and beaten, and as he saw Him going to Pilates court 34:32 and suffering, there is when he says, 34:35 "I betrayed innocent blood. 34:37 This Guy is not going to be the king." 34:39 And the Bible says that he went and hung himself. 34:43 So are you catching the picture of what kind of 34:45 antichrist we're talking here? 34:47 It is an antichrist, an insider, not a blasphemous outsider 34:52 who is an atheist and curses God. 34:55 Now let's go to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 4. 34:59 There's an interesting expression here. 35:00 We're going to study now expression by expression 35:03 in verse 4. 35:04 Speaking about this antichrist, it says... 35:14 So it says that he opposes God. 35:16 You say, "But you just said that Judas, you know, 35:19 is an insider." 35:20 Did Judas really oppose God? 35:22 Did he oppose Jesus Christ? 35:24 Of course he did. 35:25 But he didn't do it openly. 35:27 He did it how? 35:28 Underhandedly. 35:30 In fact, this is a fundamental misunderstanding 35:33 of the Christian world. 35:34 They say, "See, the antichrist is going to oppose Christ." 35:36 And so they say he's going to openly oppose Christ 35:39 and he's going to curse Him to His face. 35:40 No, that's not what Scripture says. 35:42 What does it mean to oppose God? 35:44 Notice John chapter 16 and verse 2. 35:47 John chapter 16 and verse 2. 35:50 Here, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, and He says... 36:04 Are you catching the picture? 36:06 Those who were going to kill the disciples, they were 36:08 thinking that they were going to do God, what? 36:10 A favor. 36:11 Were they really opposing God while they claimed to serve God? 36:15 Absolutely, according to Scripture. 36:17 Incidentally, did the enemies of Jesus who led Him to His 36:21 crucifixion claim to serve God? 36:24 Yes, but by crucifying Jesus Christ they were really what? 36:28 They were really opposing God. 36:30 How about Saul of Tarsus? 36:31 Did he claim to be serving God? 36:34 Of course he claimed to be serving God. 36:36 But was he really opposing God? 36:38 Most certainly so. 36:40 Now notice Acts chapter 5 verses 38 and 39. 36:43 Acts chapter 5 verses 38 and 39. 36:46 Here, it's speaking about what it means to oppose God 36:50 even when you say that you're serving God 36:52 and that you're following God. 36:54 It says there, "And now I say to you..." 36:57 This is Gamaliel speaking. 36:59 He's recommending something to the Sanhedrin, 37:02 to the Hebrew Sanhedrin, telling them, 37:04 "Don't deliver Peter and John to death. 37:07 Don't make any drastic decisions." 37:10 "And now I say to you, keep away from these men 37:13 and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, 37:18 it will come to nothing. 37:19 But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it; 37:24 lest you even be found to fight against God." 37:28 Is it possible for people who claim to serve God 37:31 to be fighting or opposing God, according to Scripture? 37:34 Absolutely so. 37:36 And so the antichrist will be opposing God 37:39 at the same time that he claims to be what? 37:41 That he claims to be supporting the cause of God. 37:44 In the book, Education, page 92, Ellen White said this, 37:49 that, "Judas manifested a continuous secret and subtle 37:56 antagonism against Christ." 38:00 Notice the word she uses, "continuous secret 38:03 and subtle antagonism to Christ." 38:07 Now let's notice another expression. 38:09 So it says, "The antichrist opposes and exalts himself 38:12 above all that is called God or that is worshiped, 38:14 so that he sits as God in the temple of God..." 38:18 Now what does that mean, "he sits in the temple?" 38:21 That word, "sits," is the Greek word, "kathizo." 38:26 It's a very important word. 38:28 He sits, he kathizos, if you please, in the temple of God. 38:33 Now that is the verb. 38:35 The noun that is equivalent to that verb is the word, kathedra. 38:42 So kathizo means, to sit. It's the verb. 38:45 Kathedra means the seat itself. 38:48 It's the noun. 38:49 Now I want you to notice that there's a very interesting 38:52 nuance here when it says that "he sits as God 38:55 in the temple of God." 38:56 What did Jesus do when He sat in the temple? 38:59 He what? 39:02 You can read it in the gospels, He taught God's Word 39:06 when He sat in the temple. 39:08 Now go with me to Matthew chapter 23 and verse 2. 39:13 And this is a very interesting verse. 39:16 Matthew chapter 23 and verse 2. 39:19 It says, "Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes 39:21 and to His disciples saying, 'The scribes and the Pharisees 39:26 sit in Moses'..." What? "...seat." 39:29 Now the word, "sit," there is, kathizo. 39:32 That's the verb. 39:33 They sit in the what? 39:35 In the kathedra. 39:37 That's the seat. That's the noun. 39:39 So in this verse you have the verb and you have the noun. 39:44 So what does this mean that the religious leaders, 39:47 the scribes and the Pharisees, sat in Moses' seat? 39:51 Let me read you a couple of statements 39:53 from Bible commentators. 39:54 One is Adam Clark and the other is the Gerome Bible Commentary, 39:59 a Roman Catholic Bible commentary. 40:01 So I'm reading from a Protestant and from a Roman Catholic. 40:04 Notice what Adam Clark had to say. 40:06 "By, 'the seat of Moses,' we are to understand 40:10 authority to..." What? 40:12 "...to teach the law. 40:14 Moses was the great teacher of the Jewish people. 40:19 And the scribes, etc, are here represented as his..." What? 40:25 Interesting word, "...as his successors." 40:28 So what gave the scribes and the Pharisees 40:30 the authority to teach? 40:32 They claim to be the successors of whom? 40:35 Of Moses. 40:36 In fact, the Jews believed in an unbroken succession 40:39 of religious leaders from Moses to the days of Christ. 40:43 And they said that Moses spoke many things 40:46 that were not written. 40:47 And they said that they were authorized to bring these 40:49 oral traditions to light that were never written. 40:52 But they said, "We have preserved the deposit 40:55 of truth that has been handed down or has been passed on." 40:58 And so they claimed to have the authority of Moses to teach. 41:02 And they actually believed that their teachings were infallible. 41:07 Now what does this have to do with the antichrist? 41:09 The antichrist sits in the temple of God 41:12 to teach just like Jesus sat in the temple to teach. 41:17 What does that mean? 41:19 If you look at Roman Catholic theology, you're going to find 41:23 that they substitute Peter for Moses. 41:27 And they say that Peter and the apostles, not only wrote 41:32 what we have in the New Testament, but they spoke 41:34 many oral things that were never committed to writing. 41:39 And they say that through an unbroken line of successors, 41:42 bishop laying hands upon bishop, from generation to 41:45 generation, these oral traditions were preserved 41:49 till this day. 41:50 And when the church teaches things that are not in the 41:53 Bible, like the assumption of Mary, or the immaculate 41:55 conception, or the baptism of infants, or things like that, 41:59 they say, "The Bible doesn't say that we're suppose to do this, 42:02 but the apostles did say it. 42:04 They passed it on by oral tradition, 42:06 and that has been preserved through a succession 42:09 of leaders in the church. 42:10 And we're just bringing that to light now." 42:14 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 42:17 Now the word that is used here for, "Moses' seat," 42:19 is, kathedra. 42:22 Interesting. 42:23 So they sit on Moses' kathedra, and they speak in the 42:27 name of whom? 42:29 Of Moses. 42:30 Have you ever heard that the Pope, when he speaks 42:36 from his throne, which is when he speaks ex cathedra, 42:44 what he says is infallible? 42:48 Because it's part of the deposit of tradition that 42:50 has been passed on from the apostles till his day. 42:54 Interesting that you would have the word, "kathedra," 42:57 as applied to the religious leaders of Christ's day 43:00 who claimed to be successors of Moses 43:02 and claimed to teach infallibly, and in the Roman Catholic Church 43:06 you have one who sits in the church and he claims to speak 43:12 ex cathedra what was given supposedly to the disciples. 43:19 Now notice the second statement. 43:20 This is from the Roman Catholic Gerome Bible Commentary. 43:24 "The phrase, 'sit in Moses seat,' is most probably 43:29 a metaphor for the authority of the scribes to teach. 43:34 In rabbinical tradition, the interpretation of the law 43:38 was carried on," listen carefully, "in a scribal 43:41 tradition that theoretically went back through an unbroken 43:46 chain of scribes to Moses." 43:50 And then this Roman Catholic commentary says, 43:53 "This view is, of course, entirely unhistorical." 43:58 But it's also unhistorical as it applies to Peter, 44:03 and apostolic succession, as it's called in the 44:06 Roman Catholic Church. 44:07 Are you understanding this picture? 44:09 Now, where does the antichrist sit? 44:13 Well, let's go back to verse 4. 44:30 Where does this antichrist sit? 44:32 In the temple. 44:33 Do you know what most Christians say? 44:34 That's got to be the rebuilt Jerusalem temple 44:37 after the rapture of the church. 44:39 It can't be. 44:40 Let me explain why. 44:43 Matthew chapter 21 verses 12 and 13 44:46 speaks about the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. 44:49 After the triumphal entry, He entered into the temple. 44:52 And I want you to notice how the temple is called 44:55 when Jesus went into it. 44:57 Verses 12 and 13. 45:04 Is this still the temple of God at this point? 45:06 Absolutely. 45:17 And how does He refer to this temple? 45:20 "My house..." 45:21 Is this still His house? Absolutely. 45:28 And then you know what's interesting? 45:30 In the rest of chapter 21 and chapter 22 and chapter 23, 45:34 Jesus gives all sorts of teachings and parables 45:37 about the rejection of the Messiah by the Jewish nation. 45:41 You have the fig tree, you have vineyard workers, 45:44 you have the son who said that he was going to go 45:46 and then he didn't go. 45:47 All parables that have to do with the apostasy 45:50 of the Jewish nation. 45:53 And while He's teaching in the temple, His words go over 45:57 like a lead balloon. 45:58 People don't, they don't want to listen. 46:00 The religious leaders reject Him. 46:02 So He pronounces His woes upon the scribes and Pharisees, 46:05 and He ends, in Matthew 23 and verse 38, 46:10 with some very significant words. 46:11 When He entered the temple it's called the temple of God, 46:14 and He says, "This is My house." 46:16 But at the end, after His teaching in the temple 46:19 concerning the apostasy of the Jewish nation, 46:22 He says in verse 38... 46:30 And then He walks out of the temple. 46:32 The Shekinah has forsaken the temple. 46:35 Are you with me or not? 46:37 Was the temple God's temple at that point anymore? 46:40 It wasn't God's temple anymore. 46:44 So the question is, what is the temple 46:46 where the antichrist sits? 46:49 Well, do you think it might be a good idea to let 46:51 Paul explain Paul? 46:54 I think it would be a good idea. 46:56 Paul must know what he's talking about, 46:58 by comparing another verse. 47:00 Go with me to Ephesians chapter 2 47:02 and verses 19 through 22. 47:03 You see, the temple that the apostle Paul is talking about 47:06 is not a literal temple of stones. 47:08 It is a spiritual temple which takes the place 47:11 of the literal temple. 47:13 Notice Ephesians chapter 2 and verses 19 through 22. 47:17 Here the apostle Paul, the same one who wrote 47:20 2 Thessalonians 2, says this, "Now, therefore, you are 47:24 no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens 47:27 with the saints and members of the household of God..." 47:31 Now notice, he's talking to the church. 47:34 "...having been built on the..." What? 47:39 Are these stone foundations or are these foundations people? 47:43 It's a spiritual temple. 47:49 So the cornerstone is a Person. 47:51 The foundations are persons. 47:53 They're the founders of the Christian church. 47:56 And then what are the blocks that are being built 47:58 as the wall of the temple? 48:00 Notice verse 21. 48:17 So what is the temple of God, according to the apostle Paul? 48:21 The temple of God is what? 48:23 Is the Christian church. 48:25 Built upon the writings of the apostles and prophets, 48:28 Jesus Christ the chief cornerstone, 48:30 each member is a stone that is built up. 48:33 And the One who dwells, the Shekinah who dwells 48:36 in the temple is whom? 48:38 Is Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit. 48:41 So when it says that the antichrist is going to sit 48:43 in the temple of God, where is he going to sit? 48:45 In a rebuilt Jewish temple in the Middle East? 48:48 No, he's going to sit where? 48:50 He's going to place his throne in the very church. 48:54 I'm going to say something very reverently, 48:56 but it's the truth. 48:58 Benedict XVI, when he celebrated the week of Christian unity, 49:08 he had a special service in Saint Paul Outside The Walls 49:13 of Vatican City. 49:14 It's a large cathedral. 49:16 And there's this picture that shows him sitting 49:22 on a giant white throne. 49:25 And on each side of the throne is a cherubim. 49:30 Now is that pretty telling? 49:33 It's amazing. It's blasphemous. 49:36 If I must say so myself. 49:38 Because the Bible says that God sits between the cherubim. 49:43 And it's God who sits on a white throne. 49:46 But most people are oblivious to what the Bible teaches, 49:49 and it just goes over their heads. 49:51 They don't understand the symbolism behind this. 49:54 Do you remember when we studied about the little horn, 49:57 how the little horn was going to meddle with 49:58 the Sanctuary of God? 50:01 You see, in Daniel chapter 8 verses 11 and 12, 50:04 and we'll read this quickly, speaking about the 50:07 little horn it says, "He even exalted himself 50:09 as high as the Prince of the host; and by him..." 50:12 That is, by the little horn. 50:13 "...the daily was taken away..." 50:15 That has to do with the functions of Jesus in the 50:17 court and in the Holy Place. 50:19 "Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn 50:22 to oppose the daily..." 50:23 The army is the state, the power of the political state. 50:27 "...and he cast truth down to the ground. 50:29 And he did this and prospered." 50:32 Revelation 13:5-6 describes the same thing; 50:35 how he meddled with the Sanctuary because he sits 50:37 in the temple of God. 50:38 He can't take Christ's place in the heavenly Sanctuary. 50:41 So he sets up his headquarters in the shadow on earth. 50:45 He sets up his headquarters in the church on earth. 50:47 Notice Revelation 13:5-6. 50:49 "And he was given a mouth speaking great things 50:52 and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue 50:56 for forty-two months. 50:57 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God," 51:00 now notice this, "to blaspheme His name, His..." What? 51:04 "...His tabernacle, and those who dwell..." Where? 51:08 "...in heaven." 51:09 Do you remember that we defined blasphemy? 51:11 What is blasphemy, according to Scripture? 51:14 It's when a mere man claims to be whom? 51:17 Claims to be God and claims to have the power to forgive sins. 51:21 Allow me to read you some statements by popes of Rome. 51:25 And this is only a little sampling of 51:27 many that I could read. 51:30 This is from a famous Bible encyclopedia, 51:33 Prompta Bibliotheca. 51:35 Notice what the definition is of the pope. 51:39 "The pope can modify divine law since his power is not of man 51:44 but of God, and he acts in the place of God upon earth 51:49 with the fullest power of binding and loosing his sheep." 51:53 Notice what Pope Nicholas I said. 51:56 By the way, he ruled from 858 to 867 AD. 51:59 Notice what he had to say. 52:00 And you have the references, the books, where I 52:02 found these quotations. 52:04 He said this, "It is evident that the popes can neither be 52:07 bound nor unbound by any earthly power. 52:11 Nor even by that of the apostle Peter 52:14 if he should return upon the earth, 52:16 since Constantine the Great has recognized that the 52:19 pontiffs held the place of God upon earth. 52:23 Divinity," listen, "divinity not being able to be 52:27 judged by any living man." 52:30 He's claiming to be divine. 52:32 "We are then infallible. 52:34 And whatever may be our acts, we are accountable for them 52:39 but to ourselves." 52:41 Wow. 52:43 More recently, Pope Leo XIII, in an encyclical letter 52:46 which was written January 10, 1890, said this, 52:50 "But the supreme teacher in the church is the Roman Pontiff." 52:54 That means the pope, by the way. 52:56 "Union of minds therefore requires, together 52:59 with a perfect accord in the one faith, 53:02 complete submission and obedience of the will 53:06 to the church and to the Roman Pontiff as to God Himself." 53:12 And Leo XIII also said on June 20, 1894, 53:15 and you have the source there, "We hold upon this earth 53:20 the place of God Almighty." 53:25 And this is only a sampling of statements. 53:29 Now there are those who are going to be watching this 53:31 that are going to say, "Wow, you know, you're 53:33 attacking Roman Catholics." 53:34 No, I'm not attacking Roman Catholics. 53:36 When we speak about this, we're talking about the system. 53:40 There are many sincere loving Christians in the system. 53:43 They don't know these things. 53:45 They just basically do what their priest tells them to do. 53:48 They don't know. 53:50 But when they hear these things, they start asking questions 53:53 and they start searching for answers. 53:56 And many of them are willing to step out and embrace the truth 53:59 as it is in Jesus. 54:00 This is no reflection on individuals within 54:03 the Roman Catholic Church. 54:04 We're speaking about the system, the hierarchy. 54:06 You say, "How can you separate the system from the 54:08 people in the system?" 54:10 Well let me ask you, did Jesus rebuke the scribes and the 54:13 Pharisees and the Sanhedrin? 54:15 Most certainly. 54:16 Was he rebuking all of the sincere people in Judaism? 54:19 Absolutely not. 54:20 In fact, if you read in Acts chapter 6 and verse 7, 54:23 it says that multitudes embraced the Christian faith. 54:26 And even a multitude of priests accepted Christianity. 54:30 In other words, they forsook the apostate system 54:33 and they joined God's true system. 54:37 Now repeatedly, Roman Catholic sources 54:39 refer to the popes as vicars of Christ. 54:41 That means representatives of Christ. 54:43 Vice regents of Christ; representatives of Christ. 54:46 And also they called themselves, vicar of the Son of God; 54:49 Vicarius Filii Dei. 54:51 The Roman Catholic Church claims that not only the pope 54:55 but also the priests have the power to forgive sins. 54:59 Is that true? 55:00 It most certainly is true. 55:02 The Roman Catholic Church has claimed that they have a 55:04 right to set up kings and to remove kings. 55:08 Who is the one in the Bible who has the right to 55:10 set up kings and remove kings? 55:13 Just read the references here in the material. 55:15 Daniel 2:21 says that God sets up kings and removes kings. 55:20 Does the pope accept people bowing down to him? 55:23 Absolutely. 55:24 Even in Revelation chapter 19 and 20, 55:27 the angel did not allow John to bow before him. 55:31 And yet this man insists that people bow down before him. 55:34 And in certain stages in the history of the church, 55:37 he even demanded that they kiss his feet. 55:40 He allows himself to be called, Holy Father. 55:43 Even though Jesus explicitly said in Matthew 23 verse 9 55:47 that should call no one on earth our father. 55:49 And He's not talking about our physical father. 55:51 He's talking about calling someone our father 55:54 spiritually speaking. 55:56 During the Middle Ages, the pope claimed to have the right 55:58 to execute the death penalty against dissenters. 56:03 The papacy claims to have had the right to change God's law, 56:07 to change the Sabbath to Sunday. 56:09 The Roman Catholic Church claims that the pope 56:12 is the supreme judge in earth, heaven, and even hell. 56:20 And furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church 56:22 claims, since the dogma of infallibility was proclaimed, 56:26 that when the pope speaks ex cathedra 56:30 his declarations cannot be questioned or reformed 56:34 because he has spoken infallibly. 56:38 Scripture tells us there is only One who is infallible. 56:42 And that One who is infallible is God. 56:44 So what the pope is claiming is to exercise all of the 56:49 prerogatives that belong to whom? 56:51 That belong to God. 56:52 Where are we to look for the antichrist then? 56:55 Has the antichrist already appeared. 56:59 Oh yes. 57:00 He ruled 1260 years in the past. 57:03 And the Bible says that his deadly wound, which he 57:06 received in 1798, will be healed. 57:10 And once again he will wield world power. 57:15 And the Bible says that the whole world 57:17 will marvel and wonder after the beast. 57:21 So don't miss part two, the next exciting episode. |
Revised 2014-12-17