Introduction
Both Christ and the Apostles devoted large amounts of time warning against false teachers. For a few examples, see Matt. 23:1-36, Matt. 24:24-25, Acts 20:29-31, 1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 1 John 2:19-20, and 1 John 4:1-2.
God ordained that it should be so (Jude 1:4). The Apostle Paul tells us one reason why: “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (1 Cor. 11:19). “Heresy” is a Greek word that means “division.” Soul-destroying errors cause divisions, but so do unbiblical practices. In Corinth, the disorderly administration of the Lord’s Supper resulted in division. Therefore, all false teachers cause division. Those who detect and resist them show that they are approved or genuine believers.
No doubt we may focus too much time on refuting error, to the neglect of meditation, prayer, and walking in love. Some preachers may even denounce error faithfully and yet lose their souls. Too often, though, people fall into the trap of thinking that the best preaching mainly declares the truth, and rarely condemns error.
W.S. Plumer, in his work on false teachers, tells a story about John Newton. Mr. Newton was a godly minister, but he had one weakness – he thought it was unnecessary to warn his people against false teachers. “The best method of defeating heresy,” he claimed, “is by establishing the truth. One proposes to fill a [basket] with tares; now if I can fill it with wheat, I shall defeat his attempts.”
Plumer comments: “Surely the truth ought to be abundantly set forth. But this is not sufficient. The mind is not like a [basket]. It may learn much truth and go after folly. The effect of Mr. Newton’s practice was unhappy. He was hardly dead till many of his people went far astray.”
It is for this reason that yet another article must be published on the evils of the Papacy.
The Antichrist and the Man of Sin both apply to the Papacy
A previous article showed that the word “Antichrist” applies ultimately to every pope. This post will demonstrate that the titles, “Man of Sin” and “Son of Perdition” also apply to him.
1. Both the Antichrist and the Man of Sin were preceded by evils at work in the Apostles’ lifetime.
John states that in his lifetime, there were already many antichrists. These antichrists would eventually result in the rise of the ultimate Antichrist (1 Jn. 2:18). Similarly, Paul says that the “mystery of iniquity” was already at work in his own lifetime. This mystery of iniquity would be restrained for awhile, but eventually manifest itself in the Man of Sin.
2. Both the Antichrist and the Man of Sin would arise in the Church.
John says that many antichrists – and the Antichrist that was coming – “went out from us” (1 Jn. 2:18-19). That is, the antichrists of his day departed from the faithful Churches which the Apostles founded. The Antichrist would also arise within the visible Church, or at least call himself a Christian.
Similarly, Paul says that the man of sin would sit “in the temple of God.” In common with all prophecy, Paul uses Old Testament symbols to describe the future. In the Old Testament, God’s temple in Zion was His special dwellingplace (2 Chron. 6:41; 2 Chron 7:1). Both His Church and His people are therefore called His temple (Eph. 2:19-22, 2 Cor. 6:16). Therefore, the man of sin will arise within the visible Church and claim to be a Christian.
The Man of Sin and Son of Perdition can apply only to the Pope
In 1 Thess. 2:1-2, the Apostle Paul tells the Thessalonians not to think that Christ was about to return physically and judge the world. Two things had to happen before His second coming. First, a near universal apostasy would take place, and second, the man of sin would appear (2 Thess. 2:3). Paul then gives a detailed description of this arch-enemy of Christ (2 Thess. 2:3-12). His rise and characteristics as follows:
1. There had to “come a falling away first” (2 Thess. 2:3). The Greek literally says, “the apostasy”. That is, a widespread apostasy throughout the Church would occur before the man of sin would be revealed.
2. The “man of sin” would not be a single man, but a succession of men. For comparison, consider the title “man of God.” This title did not just apply to Timothy, but to all faithful prophets and ministers (1 Tim. 6:11 and 2 Tim. 3:16-17). In addition, Paul describes a very long process – too long to be fulfilled in the lifetime of one man. The gradual development of the mystery of iniquity, the astonishing power that the man of sin would acquire as head of it – followed by his gradual decline and final destruction – would take many generations to accomplish.
3. He is also called, “the son of perdition.” The only other person who received this title was Judas, who betrayed Christ (John 17:12). Therefore, the man of sin would resemble Judas in the following ways:
- He would arise within the visible Church
- He would profess to be a follower of Christ
- He would claim to hold a high office in the Church
- He would effectively claim the inspiration of an apostle
- He would pretend to have great reverence and affection for Christ, as Judas did (Matt. 26:49)
- He would ultimately betray Christ, by handing over the members of His mystical body to the civil authorities to be put to death (cf. Acts 9:4).
- He would suffer the same doom as Judas, “going to his own place” in eternal perdition (Acts 1:25).
4. Again, he would reveal himself in the temple of God, that is, in the visible Church. He would not be a pagan or atheist – outside the visible Church. He would claim to be a Christian within Christ’s Church.
5. He would oppose and exalt himself “above all that is called God, or that is worshipped”. That is, he would claim to be above all magistrates, who are called “gods” in Psalm 82. He would, in practice, act as if he is above God Himself, by claiming he may add to Scripture and infallibly interpret it.
6. He would sit in the temple of God. In other words, he will claim to rule over the Church, just as a king sits upon a throne when ruling over a kingdom.
7. He would effectively claim that he “is God.” That is, he would claim to do things that only God can do, such as forgive sins.
8. He would therefore be the ruler of a “mystery of iniquity.” In Scripture, a mystery is something hidden until God is pleased to reveal it. The mystery of godliness – “God manifest in the flesh…” – was a wonderful, unprecedented manifestation of the grace and glory of God in this world. Thus, the mystery of iniquity was an unprecedented manifestation of evil – the revealing of a system of iniquity, led by the Man of Sin.
9. He would not be revealed until something that “withholdeth” or “letteth” was taken out of the way. That is, something was holding back the rise of the Man of Sin in Paul’s day. Both the Reformers and the early Church fathers agreed that the Roman Empire held back the rise of the Antichrist. For example, Tertullian (AD c. 155-220) wrote: “Only let him hold fast who now rules, until he is out of the way, who can only be the Roman State, whose breaking apart and dispersal among ten kings will produce the Antichrist, and then will the evil one be revealed.”
10. He would rise to a position of tremendous power mainly by deceit, not by brute force: “Whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess 2:9).
The Man of Sin and the System of Iniquity Will be Destroyed
The inspired Apostle goes on to predict the destruction of the Man of Sin, along with the system of iniquity he rules. The Lord Jesus, Paul says, “shall consume [him] with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thess. 2:8).
The destruction predicted appears to have two phases: (1) a gradual burning up of the whole system, through the faithful preaching of His Word (“the spirit of His mouth”), (2) followed by total destruction.
The destruction of the papacy also means the destruction of the Roman Catholic Church. One of its fundamental dogmas is that the pope is supposedly the rock on which Christ will build His Church. The current Roman Catholic Catechism states: “The Pope…is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.” Therefore, if the papacy disappears, the Church falls apart.
Roman Catholic interpretations of the Man of Sin
1. Preterism
Protestants once unanimously agreed that the pope was both the Antichrist and the Man of Sin. Roman Catholic writers therefore developed their own view. Luis de Alcazar (1554-1613) argued that most of the prophecies in the New Testament were fulfilled by 70 AD, when the Jewish temple was destroyed (known today as preterism). He claimed that since Paul mentions “the temple of God”, the man of sin must have arisen before 70 AD. The emperor Nero, a bloody persecutor of the early Church, ruled the Roman Empire from 54 AD. Like many emperors, Nero expected to be treated as a god. Thus de Alcazar argued that Nero must have been the man of sin.
But Nero never “sat in the temple of God” literally or figuratively. That is, he never embraced the Jewish or Christian faith. He remained a wicked pagan to the end of his life. Moreover, during Nero’s reign, the Jewish temple was no longer “the temple of God.” Christ told the Jews before His death, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matt. 23:37).
Sadly, some Reformed ministers today have embraced this error, and therefore reject the teaching of the Westminster Confession of Faith on the Papacy.
2. Futurism
Another Roman Catholic scholar, Francisco Ribera (1537-1591), promoted the view that most prophecies of the New Testament had not been fulfilled. Therefore, the Antichrist and Man of Sin had not yet arisen. One form of futurism teaches that the temple will be rebuilt and that an atheistic world dictator will arise to crush the Church, and claim to be God.
This view again makes the error of interpreting prophetic symbols literally. Even if a temple was rebuilt, it would not be the temple of God. The temple of the Old Testament pointed to Christ, and when Christ became man, died, and rose again, the temple was no longer needed.
Tragically, much of the Protestantism has embraced futurism. They think that secularism, atheism, and communism comprise the Church’s greatest dangers. They therefore seek alliances with the Pope in hopes of defeating these evil forces.
Practical Lessons
All Scripture is profitable (2 Tim 3:16), including what it teaches about the Antichrist and the Man of Sin. For example:
1. The unconverted learn how much they should fear and dread Romanism, and avoid all churches that adopt any of its doctrines and forms of worship. Understanding that the pope is the Antichrist will not save them, of course. But it is one means of keeping them from falling into the snare of popery.
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) grew up in the Church of England, became an Anglican priest, and then joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1845. Later, he wrote that one of the main reasons he delayed joining the Church of Rome was the teaching that the Pope is the Antichrist. Sadly, US Vice President J.D. Vance received no such teaching in the church of his youth. After becoming concerned about his soul as an adult, he joined the Roman Catholic Church.
2. Churches and governments should shun all alliances with the Church of Rome. All who are allied with Rome will share in her certain destruction. “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).
3. All should be wary of any Protestant organisation that seeks help from Rome in various causes. In an age of widespread secularism, Protestants are tempted to seek the help of politically powerful Roman Catholics. But they should remember Jehoshaphat’s disastrous mistake to join forces with Ahab, the king of Israel, to fight the Syrians (2 Chron. 18). He could have justified his action by telling himself that the Lord’s people were in Israel, and that he and Ahab were fighting against a common enemy. But on returning from the battle, having barely escaped with his life, he was told, “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD” (2 Chron. 19:2).
4. All must seek nothing less than union with Christ to be preserved from Romanism – “the masterpiece of Satan.” The secret of Rome’s power, despite its scandals and idolatry, is that it is a false Christianity that promises heaven while allowing us to enjoy the pleasures of sin.
5. Christians must pray continuously for the destruction of the papacy, out of compassion for precious souls. Millions are held captive by its delusions. Many Jews and Muslims are prejudiced against the gospel, because their impressions of Christianity are shaped by the pope and the church which he rules.