The Man of Sin identified

[face2face]

This Study will be a detailed look into the relatively new Church at Thessalonica and how in their infancy, many false teachings crept in unawares, until the Apostle corrected them with gentleness. Within his guidance he warned of an influence which was in existence then and would be until the Lords Second Coming. This study will not be considering the fanciful notions of fallen angels and evil supernatural beings, but with sound Bible reading and care, we will discern the true nature of this Man of Sin and hopefully dispel the deception many Christians are held under today along the way.

The "Man of Sin" as revealed by the Apostle is both a person and succession of persons within a false religious system.

The question is...can this be proved from what was written?

F2F

 

[face2face]

Lets look at this for a moment:

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it (the succession) will do so until he is out of the way. 2 Thess 2:7

So this type of secret lawlessness was already at work at the time the Apostle Paul. This religious system will be destroyed eventually by Christ at his coming!

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. (2 Thess. 2:8)

He cannot be only one man! The "Man of Sin" must be a line of evil workers of iniquity, the last of which is personally destroyed by Christ.

F2F

 

[face2face]

Further to this we are told not only is this an apostate evil religion has a person over it also.

Okay so the "Man of Sin" has a "seat in the temple of God" (2 Thess. 2:4) and is to be destroyed by the Spirit of Christ's mouth when he returns.

who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

The system and its representative must by its very definition be Christian in origin. One cannot sit in God's temple and pretend to be God Himself ,if he was Muslim, or any other religious discipline for that matter.

F2F

 

[Gottservant]

The anti-Christ has no need that anyone show him compassion, but those that keep compassion in mind for those under him: do well.

 

[face2face]

So how do we identify an apostasy which goes back to the first century called the "mystery of iniquity". What Christian body claims to have originated from an unbroken succession back to Jesus?

And what are the implications for Christianity today?

 

[Stumpmaster]

So how do we identify an apostasy which goes back to the first century called the "mystery of iniquity". What Christian body claims to have originated from an unbroken succession back to Jesus?

And what are the implications for Christianity today?

If the man of sin is revealed that means the Restrainer has exited.

 

[face2face]

If the man of sin is revealed that means the Restrainer has exited.

Doubtless God has been retraining it from it's inception and while the system and its leaders have been well known to many down through the ages, the final revelation of "the" Man of Sin will be done by Christ so that the whole earth will know his origins. I guess you are taking the title literally lol. But hey, wouldn't it be nice if he was...(revealed) it would mean the Lord has returned and the sword from his mouth would be cutting asunder!
F2F

 

[face2face]

Let's for the moment assume it is the Roman Catholic Church - lets apply a test. There are many denominations and non denominations believers in this forum.

Are there only two options in identifying this religious system?

What the Roman Church states is either true or false! Its either the true Church established by Christ, or it is the
apostasy.

You either align with its beliefs or you reject them wholeheartedly.

You would also expect that Church to claim its the genuine Church which God founded and built upon the Apostle/s. However, we know from the record that a strong delusion was given to it

So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Verse 11

and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. Verse 12

Notice "them" to imply a community of believers not just one man!

This by no means is a subject to take lightly! Deception and Condemnation can only lead to divine judgement.

F2F

 

[face2face]

No body would argue that the RCC has held and protected many an evil life within its walls, and even though some of its Popes have been found to be defiled, the Roman Church has survived. Many of its members would argue its survival is proof of its claim to be divine? However, that argument could be said of Judaism and sun worship which are even older still! It's age may well be more about God's purpose with the Mother rather than her having any virtue of herself.

 

[face2face]

The argument of "an unbroken line" back to the first century to the prudent should teach those in the RCC that it makes them a prime candidate for the apostasy since the word "apostasy" in itself describes a system which originally held truth, but apostasized with the passage of time ("falling away" of V.3 in Greek APOSTASIA).

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition

Back in 1949 John A Obrien drew this image to show the RCC is the original authentic Church.



The idea is to prove the RCC is God made and all others man-made.

He believed if a church was cut off from the Mother it would not receive its life giving graces and eventually die. He beleive the Mother church could provide divine portection against the present evils in the world. Even today the Pope speaks in protective tones of all the Christian religions in the earth and no doubt would love to see their reformist activites bring all the Mothers daughters back into the fold.


Notable is the decline in Catholicism in Europe though I expect this number would radically change when Christ returns.

Even though we are in a Post Christian world the RCC nunmbers continue to grow while many of those communities who have cut themselves off from her are dwindling in numbers.

Certainly the advent of Christ is setting a remarkable scene for the earth

F2F

 

[face2face]

Here is a list of the formulated teachings of the RCC

Immortality of the soul (approx.) 124
Pre-human existence of Christ 124
Substitutionary sacrifice 124
Sprinkling instead of immersion 150
Greek word "trias" used for the trinity 180
The term "priest" applied to church officials 200
Millennial reign of Christ regarded as an allegory 200
Platonic philosophy introduced by Origen 200
Perpetual virginity of Mary 250
Primacy of Peter 250
Apostolic succession 250
Infant baptism 250
Monasticism founded 270
Prayers for the dead (approx.) 300
Making the sign of the cross (approx.) 300
Emperor Constantine makes apostate Christianity the state religion— wholesale inclusion of Christianized pagans 312
Wax candles 320
Jesus a person within the Godhead (Council of Nicaea—from which came the Nicene Creed) 325
Veneration of dead "saints" and angels 375
Use of images 375
The "Holy Ghost" a person within the Godhead (Council of Constantinople) 381
Emperor Theodosius makes apostate Christianity compulsory 395
"Pontifex Maximus" (formerly title of Caesar and high priest of heathen religion) taken as title of Bishop of Rome 395

 

[face2face]

ROMAN EMPIRE DIVIDES—CONSTANTINOPLE THE CAPITAL IN THE EAST AND ROME IN THE WEST

Jerome's translation of the Bible—the Latin "Vulgate" 400
Innocent I calls himself "Ruler of the Church of God" 402
Doctrine of purgatory 430
Original sin 430
Holy Spirit the exclusive agent in regeneration 430
Exaltation of Mary — "the Mother of God" 431
Leo I takes the title of "pope" — the title is conferred on all previous bishops of Rome posthumously 451

 

[face2face]

ROME FALLS TO THE BARBARIANS 476

Indulgences for the dead 476
Priests begin to dress differently to laymen 500
Extreme Unction 526
Latin language used in prayer and worship established by Gregory I 600
Prayers directed to Mary, dead saints and angels 600
Decree of Phocas gives pope temporal power 610
Rival claimants to Papal throne — Honorius II and Leo II 682
Kissing of pope's foot begins with Constantine 709
Feat of the assumption of the virgin Mary 819
"Holy water" mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by a priest 850
Wearing of the papal crown—Nicolas I (approx.) 858
Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals—forged documents used by Nicolas I to establish his claims to temporal powers. . 859
Western and Eastern Churches (Rome and Constantinople) mutually excommunicate each other 869
Canonization of dead "saints" John XV 995 Celibacy of the priesthood decreed by Gregory VII , 1079
The Rosary, mechanical praying with beads, originated by Peter the Hermit 1090

 

[face2face]

Plenary indulgences granted to all who took part in the Crusades 1094
Payment for Masses introduced 1100
The Inquisition instituted by the Council of Verona 1184
Indulgences sold—money used to repair St. Peter's Basilica in Rome 1190
Reading of the Bible in the common vernacular condemned 1198
Extermination of the Albigenses ordered by Innocent III 1200
Auricular confession to a priest instead of to God instituted by Innocent III 1215
Adoration of the wafer (host) decreed by Honorius III 1220
Bible forbidden to laymen, and placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Council of Valencia 1229
Limbo originated for the dead unbaptized infants 1245
Thomas Aquinas published "Summa Theologica" 1250
The scapular (a shoulder strap connected by two strings) invented by Simon Stock 1251
The House of Mary was purportedly detached from its foundations in Nazareth and transported by angels first to Dalmatia and then to Loretto, Italy 1291
Plenary indulgences granted by Boniface VIII to all who visit Rome 1294 Priests refuse to pay taxes 1296
Treasury of merits—merits can be transferred 1342
Three rival claimants to papal chair—John XXIII, Gregory XII, Benedict XIII 1409
Huss the reformer promised safe passage to Rome and then betrayed and burned to death 1414
The cup forbidden to the people at communion 1414
Seven sacraments and purgatory made articles of faith 1439
Innocent VIII orders extermination of the Waldenses 1484
Indulgences sold for the living and the dead 1513
Luther's 95 theses 1517
Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuits 1534
Copernicus excommunicated for his heliocentric theory of the solar system 1534
Tradition given equal authority with the Scriptures 1546

 

[face2face]

Council of Trent affirms: —LATIN—language of the mass —use of Scripture without permission forbidden —only Roman Catholic translations allowed —absolute power of the pope over the whole earth 1546
Solemn mass celebrated for St. Bartholomew's Day massacre when 60,000 Huguenots exterminated 1572
Galileo condemned by Paul V and Urban VIII 1616
Bulls issued by Pius VI against Bible Societies 1775
Newman and Manning, leaders of the Oxford Movement, converted to Roman Catholicism 1845
Doctrine of Immaculate Conception proclaimed by Pius IX 1854
Virgin Mary supposedly appears to Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes in France 1858
Papal infallibility decreed by 1st VaticanCouncil 1870
Virgin Mary supposedly appears to three children in Fatima, Portugal 1917
Life of mother and fetus equally sacred, proclaimed by Pius XI 1922
Lateran accord—Mussolini restored Pope's temporal power in Vatican City 1929
Liguori (canonized saint) in "The Glories of Mary" declares Mary as a "mediatrix"—she obtains favours not granted by God and quicker than Jesus 1931
Papal Concordat signed with Nazi Germany 1933
Pope remains silent over Germany's extermination of 6,000,000 Jews 1943
Pius XII creates 32 new cardinals — robes of each cost $10,000 1946
Assumption of body of Mary to heaven made an article of faith 1950
Queenship of Mary proclaimed — "Queen of heaven" 1954
Ecumenical movement towards eastern Orthodox — Vatican II 1962
Ecumenical movement further attempted — pope addresses U.N. prays for peace with Protestants 1962
Pope addresses "World Council of Churches" and opened his arms to welcome Protestants home 1965
Pope maintains that Jerusalem should be an international city although diplomatic relations exist with many Arab countries, none with Israel 1973 Pope Paul re-affirms belief in the Devil 1973

 

[face2face]

The above serves as a good list to see the developement of the Apostacy and also good for you to check your beliefs against.

F2F

 

[quietthinker]

The above serves as a good list to see the developement of the Apostacy and also good for you to check your beliefs against.

F2F

what is your source for the lists above F2F?

 

[face2face]

what is your source for the lists above F2F?

As I recall from studies I did in my early years most of it came from John A. O'Brien who did many artworks to convince people of the churches authenticity . He wrote "The Faith of Millions: The Credentials of the Catholic Religion" and other works.

Happy for you to check the list but I believe its rather accurate.

F2F

 

[face2face]

@quietthinker I would say many could run their eyes over that list and find a few items that are confronting! Do you know many Christians don't know the origin of their beliefs? Many think it’s from the Word of God, but for the most, their beliefs were conjured up in the lower sanctum of the RCC by Jesuit Priests.

Any of interest to you?

F2F

 

[quietthinker]

As I recall from studies I did in my early years most of it came from John A. O'Brien who did many artworks to convince people of the churches authenticity . He wrote "The Faith of Millions: The Credentials of the Catholic Religion" and other works.

Happy for you to check the list but I believe its rather accurate.

F2F

thanks