Scripture references are from Modern King James (MKJV) unless noted otherwise.
AIM
I hope to show you from scripture, an alternative
way to interpret this famous passage; 2Th 2:4 “who opposes and exalts
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as
God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.”
REASON
The apostle Paul wrote that in about 50 AD, and it
gives us insight into what the antichrist will achieve during his reign. The
point being is, that was written long ago, and after nearly 2000 years one
would think this prophecy should have been fulfilled by now. Most people think
that the Temple at Jerusalem has to be rebuilt before the antichrist can, “sits
as God in the temple of God” BUT what if there is a different meaning to the
word temple?
References & Equipment
CONCEDER
Have you ever noticed that a lot of church congregations meet in a building that the church hires, such as a school hall or a council building etc? If you, in your little church meet in a hall or such, then why do you call it “church?” Example, “I’ll meet you at church on Sunday". It is not a registered church building, so why do you call it a church? It is because the term church is used in reference to the congregation of people, the assembly of the body, i.e. the ‘body of Christ'.
But you can also have an ancient deserted stone build, which is still referred to as a “church”. I saw dozens of them in 1980 when touring the UK and Europe. So why is it still called a church? No worship meetings have been held there for centuries! The reason is we identify a building for its specific purpose. For example, you could go to an old deserted town, a ‘ghost town’, and identifier the buildings as; railway-station, school, store, blacksmith, shearing shed and a church etc. It is the same with the Greek words for temple. There are basically two different words used as temple. Word Number G3485 and Word Number G2411.
There is one exception, (word number temple: G3624),
it is in Luke 11:51 “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who
perished between the altar and the templeG3624. Truly I say to you, It shall be
required of this generation.” It is normally translated to mean, ‘house’. But
in this particular verse, if yo do “compare” in e-Sword, (which shows you
that one verse from every version of the bible you have downloaded). You will
find that the various translations skip between, sanctuary, house or temple.
But that’s just the odd one that is used that way.
Example Of The Two Different Words
Try this for example; do a search in your bible using these three words. “Three, days, temple”. You should get a short list of seven verses. Six of them are “Matt 26:61, Matt 27:40, Mark 14:58, Mark 15:29, John 2:19, and John 2:20”. And I have given you the word number to compare them. Those six are referring to this occasion in, John 2:19 “Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this templeG3485 and in three days I will raise it up.” Then in Luke you will find this different word number? Luke 2:46 “And it happened that after three days they found Him in the temple,G2411 sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them and questioning them.”
So why the difference, it is the same building isn’t
it? In those six verses they are talking about the temple, “G3485 the central
sanctuary itself!” But we also know that Jesus was referring to Himself as the templeG3485, THE living body of the believers. Whereas in Luke chapter 2, Jesus was 12 and was sitting
with the teachers having a Q&A time with them. So I very much doughty that
He would have been in the “central sanctuary itself”, but perhaps in the outer
court, which would still be referred to as the, temple,G2411, as many other verses that I will show you would
verify.
What Word Does Paul Use?
If the apostle Paul was writing a memo to someone as in the example above, "meet you at church on Sunday" etc, he would most likely use the Greek word 'templeG3485', because he would be speaking of the spiritual body of the assembly of the saints. For example look at these verses that Paul wrote to the various churches, and I have reduced them to one line for you: -
1Co 3:17 “If anyone defiles the templeG3485 ..God shall destroy him. ..the templeG3485 of God is holy, which you are.”
1Co 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a templeG3485 of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God?.."
2Co 6:16 “what agreement does a templeG3485 of God have with idols? ..you are the templeG3485 of the living God.."
Eph 2:21 [KJV] “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy templeG3485 in the Lord:"
And this FAMOUS one: -
2Th 2:4 “who opposes and exalts himself ..so that he sits as God in the templeG3485 of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.”
But Paul also uses the word, ‘templeG2411’, but it is obvious he is only referring to the physical building. For example: -
Act 24:12 “..they neither found me in the temple,G2411 disputing ...nor making a gathering ..even in the synagogues,..”
Act 24:18 “...certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple,G2411, not with a crowd nor with tumult.”
Act 25:8 “..Paul said, Neither against the Law of the Jews, nor ..the temple,G2411, nor ..Caesar have I offended ..”
Act 26:21 “Because of these things, having caught me in the temple,G2411, The Jews tried to kill me.”
1Co 9:13 “..who minister ..holy things live of ..things of the temple,G2411?..those attending ...partakers with the altar.”
Scriptures
Using The Word TempleG3485 or TempleG2411
This is rather a boring section and I don’t expect
you to read through every verse. But I have put it all together for you, so
that if you have any particular verses you are interested in, you should be
able to find it at a glance in this listing. But don’t take my word for it; by
all means check it out for yourself with a concordance or via e-Sword.
Scriptures Using The Word TempleG3485
What I have dune for you is a search in e-Sword, using the ‘KJV+’ version, (i.e. with the Strong Numbers), looking for all the passages containing the word number “G3485”. Then copied the MKJV version of the verse, which is easer to read without all the ‘Strong numbers’ attached to every second word. Then where ever the word ‘templeG3485’ appeared I pasted in the expression, ‘templeG3485,’ into the MKJV. Bare in mind this word; ‘templeG3485’ is speaking of the holy and/or spiritual aspect of the temple. Try to see the significance.
Mat 23:17 “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the templeG3485 that sanctifies the gold?”
Mat 23:21 “And whoever shall swear by the templeG3485, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.”
Mat 23:35 “..the blood of ..Abel to the blood of Zechariah ...whom you killed between the templeG3485 and the altar.”
Mat 26:61 “..This one said, I am able to destroy the templeG3485 ..and to build it in three days."
Mat 27:5 “And he threw the pieces of silver down in the templeG3485 and departed. ...”
Mat 27:40 “and saying, You destroying the templeG3485 and building it in three days, save yourself...”
Mat 27:51 “..The veil of the templeG3485 was torn..from top to bottom...the earth quaked, and..rocks..sheared,”
Mar 14:58 “We heard Him say, I will destroy this templeG3485 ..and within three days I will build another..”
Mar 15:29 “..wagging their heads ..saying, ..You razing the templeG3485 and building it in three days,”
Mar 15:38 “And the veil of the templeG3485 was torn in two from top to bottom.
Luk 1:9 “according to the custom ..it was his lot to burn incense when he went into the templeG3485 ...
Luk 1:21 “And the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he stayed so long in the templeG3485.
Luk 1:22 “..they perceived that he had seen a vision in the templeG3485. ..he was making signs ...”
Luk 23:45 “And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the templeG3485 was torn in the middle.”
Joh 2:19 “Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this templeG3485 ..in three days I will raise it up.”
Joh 2:20 “..the Jews said, This templeG3485 was forty-six years building...will you rear it up in three days?”
Joh 2:21 “But He spoke of the templeG3485 of His body.”
1Co 3:16 “Do you not know that you are a templeG3485 of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"
1Co 3:17 “..anyone defiles the templeG3485 ..God shall destroy him. ..the templeG3485 of God is holy...”
1Co 6:19 “..do you not know ..your body is a templeG3485 of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? .."
2Co 6:16 “..what agreement does a templeG3485 of God have with idols? ..you are the templeG3485 of ..God..."
Eph 2:21 [KJV] “..all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy templeG3485 in the Lord:"
2Th 2:4 “who opposes and exalts himself ..so..he sits as God in the templeG3485 of God, setting himself forth, ...”
Rev 3:12 “Him who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the templeG3485 of My God, ...."
Rev 7:15 “..they are before the throne of God, and ..serve Him day and night in His templeG3485. ...”
Rev 11:1 “..a reed ..the angel..saying, Rise up and measure the templeG3485 of God, and the altar, ..."
Rev 11:2 “..leave..the court..outside the templeG3485..for it was given to the nations. ...42 months."
Rev 11:19 “..the templeG3485 of God was opened in Heaven, and .. seen in His templeG3485 the ark …"
Rev 14:15 “..another angel came out of the templeG3485, crying in a great voice to Him sitting on the cloud, ..”
Rev 14:17 “And another angel came out of the templeG3485 in Heaven, also having a sharp sickle."
Rev 15:5 “..I looked, and behold, the templeG3485 of the tabernacle of the testimony was opened in Heaven.”
Rev 15:6 “And the seven angels came out of the templeG3485, having the seven plagues, ..”
Rev 15:8 “..the templeG3485 was filled with smoke ..and .. no one was able to enter ..the templeG3485 .."
Rev 16:1 “And I heard a great voice out of the templeG3485 saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the vials ..”
Rev 16:17 “.. And a great voice came out of the templeG3485 of Heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done!”
Rev 21:22 “And I saw no templeG3485 in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its templeG3485, even the Lamb."
Scriptures
Using The Word TempleG2411
Remember this word is used to denote the physical temple building. I did the same as above, I searched in e-Sword, using the ‘KJV+’ version, (i.e. with the Strong Numbers), looking for all the passages containing the word number “G2411”. Then as above I copied the MKJV version of the verse, then pasted in the expression, ‘templeG2411,’ into the MKJV verse.
NB: You will note that 2Thessolonians 2:4 does not appear in this set!
Mat_12:5 “..the Law that on the sabbath ..the priests in the temple,G2411 profane the sabbath ..?”
Mat_12:6 “But I say to you that One greater than the temple,G2411 is in this place.”
Mat_21:12 “..Jesus went into the temple,G2411 ..and cast out all .. who sold and bought in the temple,G2411…”
Mat_21:14 “And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple,G2411, and He healed them.”
Mat_21:15 “..chief priests..saw..the children..in the temple,G2411, ..saying, Hosanna to the Son of David...”
Mat_21:23 “..He ..come into the temple,G2411, the chief priests ..said, By what authority do you do these things? ..”
Mat_24:1 “.Jesus...departed from the temple,G2411. ...His disciples came ..to show Him..the temple,G2411.”
Mat_26:55 “…I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple,G2411, and you did not lay hands on Me.”
Mar_11:11 “..Jesus entered into Jerusalem and ..the temple,G2411. ..when He had looked around on all things,..”
Mar_11:15 “...entering into the temple,G2411, Jesus ..cast out those who bought and sold in the temple,G2411…”
Mar_11:16 “And He would not allow any to carry a vessel through the temple,G2411. ”
Mar_11:27 “...He was walking in the temple,G2411, the chief priests ..scribes and the elders came to Him”
Mar_12:35 “..teaching in the temple,G2411, Jesus said, How do the scribes say that Christ is the Son of David?”
Mar_13:1 “..He went out of the temple,G2411, ..His disciples said ..Master, see! What stones and what buildings!”
Mar_13:3 “..He sat on the Mount of Olives, across from the temple,G2411, Peter..James..John and Andrew asked..”
Mar_14:49 “I was with you daily in the temple,G2411 teaching, and you did not seize Me. ...”
Luk_2:27 “And he came by the Spirit into the temple,G2411. And as the parents brought in the child Jesus,..”
Luk_2:37 “..she was a widow of 84 years, who did not depart from the temple,G2411, serving God …”
Luk_2:46 “..after three days they found Him in the temple,G2411, sitting in the midst of the teachers,..”
Luk_4:9 “..he brought Him to Jerusalem and sat Him on a pinnacle of the temple,G2411 and said to Him, ...”
Luk_18:10 “Two men went up into the temple,G2411 to pray; ..one a Pharisee, ..the other a tax-collector.”
Luk_19:45 “And entering into the temple,G2411, He began to cast out those selling and buying in it,”
Luk_19:47 “..He taught in the temple,G2411 daily. ..the chief priests ...scribes and ..the people sought to destroy Him.”
Luk_20:1 “And on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple,G2411 and proclaimed the gospel,..”
Luk_21:5 “And as some spoke of the temple,G2411, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts,..,”
Luk_21:37 “..in the days He was teaching in the temple,G2411…in the nights He ..lodged in ..the Mount of Olives.”
Luk_21:38 “And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the temple,G2411, in order to hear Him. ”
Luk_22:52 “..Jesus said to the chief priests ..of the temple,G2411..who had come to Him, ..”
Luk_22:53 “When I was with you in the temple,G2411 daily, you did not stretch out your hand on Me. ..”
Joh_2:14 “..He found in the temple,G2411 those who sold oxen ..sheep and doves, and the money-changers ...”
Joh_2:15 “..He drove them all out of the temple,G2411, also the sheep ..oxen. .. the money-changers' ..”
Joh_5:14 “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple,G2411 and said to him, Behold, you are made whole…”
Joh_7:14 “Now about the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple,G2411 and taught. ”
Joh_7:28 “Then Jesus cried in the temple,G2411 as He taught, saying, You ..know Me, and from where I come…”
Joh_8:2 “And early..He came again into the temple,G2411, and all the people came to Him. ..”
Joh_8:20 “Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as He taught in the temple,G2411. ...”
Joh_8:59 “..they took up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus hid Himself and went forth out of the temple,G2411…”
Joh_10:23 “And Jesus walked in the temple,G2411 in Solomon's Porch.”
Joh_11:56 “..they..spoke with one another as they stood in the temple,G2411, ..He will not at all come to the feast?”
Joh_18:20 “Jesus answered..I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple,G2411,..”
Act_2:46 “And continuing with one accord in the temple,G2411, and breaking bread from house to house...”
Act_3:1 “..Peter and John went up into the temple,G2411 at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.”
Act_3:2 “..they laid him daily at that temple,G2411 gate ..ask alms from those who entered ..the temple,G2411.”
Act_3:3 “Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple,G2411, he asked to receive alms.”
Act_3:8 “And leaping up, he stood and walked and entered with them into the temple,G2411, ..praising God.”
Act_3:10 “..they recognized him, ..it was him who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,G2411..”
Act_4:1 “And as they spoke to the people, the priests, and the temple,G2411 commander, ..,”
Act_5:20 “Go! Stand and speak all the words of this Life to the people in the temple,G2411.”
Act_5:21 “And hearing, they went into the temple,G2411 about dawn, and taught….”
Act_5:24 “..when the high priest ..the temple,G2411 commander and the chief priests heard these things, ...”
Act_5:25 “…Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple,G2411 ..teaching the people.”
Act_5:42 “And every day in the temple,G2411, and from house to house, they did not cease ..preaching ...”
Act_19:27 “..our share coming into dispute, but also the temple,G2411 of the great goddess Artemis...”
Act_21:26 “..Paul went into the temple,G2411, declaring the fulfillment of the days of the purification,..”
Act_21:27 “..the Jews ..from Asia, having seen him in the temple,G2411, stirred up all the crowd ..,”
Act_21:28 “..And even he brought Greeks into the temple,G2411 and has polluted this holy place.”
Act_21:29 “(..they had seen Trophimus ..with him ..before, ..they supposed ..Paul had brought into the temple,G2411.)”
Act_21:30 “..And laying hands on Paul, they drew him outside of the temple,G2411. And ..the doors were shut.”
Act_22:17 “..I returning to Jerusalem and praying in the temple,G2411, I became in an ecstasy.”
Act_24:6 “who also attempted to profane the temple,G2411, whom we took and would have judged ...”
Act_24:12 “..they neither found me in the temple,G2411 disputing .. nor making a gathering ..even in the synagogues,..”
Act_24:18 “..certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple,G2411, not with a crowd nor with tumult.”
Act_25:8 “..Paul said, Neither against the Law...nor...the temple,G2411, nor against Caesar have I offended ..”
Act_26:21 “Because of these things, having caught me in the temple,G2411, The Jews tried to kill me.”
1Co 9:13 “..who minister about holy things live of ..things of the temple,G2411?..those attending the altar ...”
BIG Difference!!
Have you noticed the big difference? The word;
templeG2411 does not appear anywhere in the Revelation! Why? Because all the
references to the temple in the Revelation are speaking of the spiritual
aspect, and the holy aspect of the temple in heaven. It is not just bricks and
mortar in heaven, it is absolute holiness, and hence it is described by the
word, templeG3485! From Thayer
Definition
above “metaphorically the spiritual temple consisting of the
saints of all ages joined together by and in Christ”. As I said above nor does
Paul use the word; templeG2411, in any way when he is describing the church,
(the body of Christ), as a ‘spiritual’ entity.
Sits As God In The TempleG3485 Of God
Unpack The Verses
Now there is a lot that we can unpack from this passage. One key bit is the ‘Time-Mark’ and it’s in the first verse; “the comingG3952 of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Why is it a time-mark? Well the word comingG3952 is the word Parousia. [From STRONG; Parousia; par-oo-see'-ah; “From the present participle of G3918; a being near, that is, advent (often, return; specifically of Christ to punish Jerusalem, or finally the wicked); (by implication) physical aspect: - coming, presence.”]. Paul uses this same word in these verses, 1Co 16:17, 2Co 7:6, 2Co 7:7, 2Co 10:10, Php 1:26 and Php 2:12. And he is speaking of himself coming to meet people, or the coming of or the physical presence of Stephanas, Fortunatus, Achaicus and Titus on different occasions.
So Paul is saying to the
Thessalonians; ‘with regard to the coming' or the physical presence or “The Second Advent” of our Lord Jesus Christ and
our gathering together to Him’. So he is not talking about some pre-tribulation
event, as most people miss interpret it! Paul is talking about the real deal,
when Christ physically returns and sets foot on the Mount of Olives!
Then Paul continues; For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a
falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, etc. So there is your Time Mark, and everything MUST happen BEFOR Christ returns!
Ill get back to verses 4,5 and 6. Lets continue from verse 7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. :8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming”. So Paul is telling us that in his day the antichrist was “already working” in the background of church activity. John tells us much the same in, 1Jn 2:18 “Little children, it is the last time. And just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which we know that it is the last hour.” Then also in, 2Jn 1:7 “For many deceivers have entered into the world, who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the anti-christ.”
So if the antichrist, the lawless one, was already up to mischief in the time of the apostles; what was holding him back? And don’t jump to the silly conclusion, “Oh that has to be the Holy Spirit!” If Paul did mean the Holy Spirit was holding the antichrist back, then don’t you think Paul would have said that quite plainly? Example, a revamp of verse 7 above, Paul should have said in verse 7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only the Holy Spirit is now holding him back until the Holy Spirit comes out of the midst.” But Paul didn’t speak that way; he used what is called, “veiled speech”! Which hides the true meaning of his message. He was referring to the Roman Imperial Power that was “holding back” the antichrist. Once Rome fell in 476 AD, there was a power vacuum in Rome and the Pope very quickly filled it in 538 AD. For example you can go to the, “History of The Christian Church” and do a word search for “antichrist”. You will find dozens of references to the antichrist as being identified as the Pope!
Now lets go back to verses 4,5 and 6.
4 “who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the templeG3485 of God, setting himself forth, that he is God. :5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? :6 And now you know what holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time.” In verse 5 “Do you not remember…” Paul reminds them that he had told them something secretly while he was last with them! Which must have been that when the Power of Rome is gone then the antichrist will rise up and do all these dastardly things! Which brings us to the key phrase, “that he sits as God in the templeG3485 of God, setting himself forth, that he is God!” Paul is using the key word "templeG3485”, meaning the 'body of Christ, the believers! And saying that the antichrist will rise up from within the body of Christ itself! Which is exactly what the Pope did! Refer to my talks listed below; He Shall Speak Words Against The Most High or CHURCH HISTORY Part 1 -:- [From Christ to The Pope]
Summing Up
Therefore in 2 Thess 2:4, if the word templeG3485 is NOT referring to a physical temple made of bricks and mortar, then there is no need for a physical temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem or anywhere else! So the idea that some future antichrist will sit in some future temple is really a fantasy and has been quit misleading for centuries. The antichrist is already here and has been for centuries, and the true church, the body of Christ, has fallen away, been lead away from the truth with idolatry and false doctrine. 2 Thess 2:3 3 "Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day, (the coming of the Lord at his second advent), shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition.” This verse was and has been fulfilled hundreds of years ago. It follows that if the antichrist has been here for centuries, then there is no need for a rapture to get us off the planet and away from the antichrist! So where did the idea of a future seven year tribulation come from? May I suggest you look at some of my talks listed below, in particular, When Did Jesus Become The Messiah. It will shed some light on the idea that the Seventieth Week of Daniel chapter 9 is supposedly still off in the future!
Conclusion
Paul couldn’t dear put in writing something to the effect, “When Rome falls the antichrist will rise!” It would be a death sentence to any Christian with that letter found in their possession! So he would have to speak using veiled speech. Also by using the word templeG3485 Paul is also hiding some of the meaning of his letter. Imagine you’re a Roman officer, doing a spot inspection of locales as they come and go through your checkpoint. You find a copy of this letter written by Paul to the Thessalonians. You quickly read through it, and you wouldn’t pick up on anything that seams subversive, and someone sitting in a temple calling himself God? Well that’s nothing unusual, so you would let them pass.
I hope that has given you some food for thought, and
I hope you enjoyed it. Here are some of my other talks, listed below that you
might find interesting: -
Yours Adrian Deacon
He Shall Speak Words Against The Most High
CHURCH HISTORY Part 1 -:- [From Christ to The Pope]
Rebuilding The Temple Of Jerusalem
The Book Of Revelation Started 2000 Years Ago
REVELATION - What Might God DO Next
When Did Jesus Become The Messiah
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