Tuesday Night Scripture Study November 25 2014 Elder Dennis Trudgen Question: “Is a temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem and the man of sin will set in that temple claiming he is god. Then the treaty will be broken and Jerusalem will be invaded. I read that there is supposed to be a 7 year pace treaty between the Arabs and Israel, to my knowledge nothing has been signed as yet. “’And He will suddenly come to His temple even the messenger of the covenant.’” Malachi 3 BOF MORMON 668 and 3rd Nephi 668 is sounds as if this time is when Israel is a pleasant people unto the Lord.” Today most religious apologists do in fact believe in an upcoming fulfillment of the above scenario. This is however a very new belief. Let us take a look at the 3 scriptures they use to support their view. Malachi 3 : 1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; Matthew 11 : 10 For this is he (John the Baptist- DLT), of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. III Nephi 11 : 4 And these are the words which he did tell unto them, saying, Thus saith the Father unto Malachi, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; When studying prophecy, we must always consider that part of a verse may be fulfilled at one time period while the rest of a verse referring to some distant future. (Luke 4:17-19, Isaiah 61:1) Referring to Mal 3:1, Jesus tells us that John the Baptist was the Messenger preparing the way for the Lord in their day. And, we know that Jesus did suddenly go to His temple in that day. Does it rule out a dual fulfillment for this verse? Nope, it could happen again. Does it rule out that the rest of the verse “shall suddenly come to His temple” applying to His second coming? Again, no. The same applies to the rest of the verse whom ye delight in applies to Malachi day as well as any other. They have/do always delighted in the prophecies of coming of the Messiah. So, this first scripture in Malachi may or may not be referring to a temple in the future. II Thess 2:2- That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. * Strongs G646 - apostasia a falling away, defection, apostasy Who had to be taken out of the way that would reveal the Antichrist? Tertullian (2nd-3rd Century) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now hinders must hinder, until he be taken out of the way. What obstacle is there but the Roman state, the falling away of which, by being scattered into ten kingdoms, shall introduce Antichrist upon (its own ruins)? And then shall be revealed the wicked one, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3 CHAP. XXXII. Tertullian (2nd-3rd Century) There is also another and a greater necessity for our offering prayer in behalf of the emperors, nay, for the complete stability of the empire, and for Roman interests in general. For we know that a mighty shock (43) impending over the whole earth--in fact, the very end of all things threatening dreadful woes---is only retarded by the continued existence of the Roman empire. We have no desire, then, to be overtaken by these dire events; and in praying that their coming may be delayed, we are lending our aid to Romes duration. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3 CHAP. XXXII. St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407 “until he be taken out of the way” (who was Paul referring to) but others the Roman empire, to whom I most of all accede.Wherefore? Because if he meant to say the Spirit, he would not have spoken obscurely, but plainly, …of the Antichrist “Only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way, that is, when the Roman empire is taken out of the way, then he shall come. St. Jerome (c. 340-420) We should therefore concur with the traditional interpretation of all the commentators of the Christian Church, that at the end of the world, when the Roman Empire is to be destroyed, there shall be ten kings who will partition the Roman world amongst themselves. Then an insignificant eleventh king will arise, who will overcome three of the ten kings, …He that letteth is taken out of the way, and yet we do not realize that Antichrist is near. .. For thirty years the barbarians burst the barrier of the Danube and fought in the heart of the Roman Empire. St. Augustine of Hippo (345 - 430) However, it is not absurd to believe that these words of the apostle, Only he who now holdeth, let him hold until he be taken out of the way, refer to the Roman empire.... [graphic inserted at this point shows quotes from Irenaeus of Lyons, Hippolytus, Lactantius Firminianous, and Cyril of Jerusalem also equating Rome to he who letteth msl] Who did Protestant founders believe was the “man of Sin”? The worshipping establishments now in operation... are not the Churches of Jesus Christ, but the legitimate daughters of that mother of harlots, the Church of Rome. Alexander Campbell (1788 – 1866) (see Rev. 17:5) - Uriah Smith, Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, pg 796. The apostasy... hath so far corrupted all, that there can be no recovery out of that apostasy until Christ shall send forth new apostles to plant churches anew. Roger Williams (First Baptist Church in America founder, I.E. Founder of the Baptist faith in America) (1603-1683) (Underhill, Edward, Struggles and Triumphs of Religious Liberty, cited in William F. Anderson, Apostasy or Succession, Which?, pp. 238-39) I cannot tell what to say of myself, perhaps I am Philip Melancthons forerunner. I am preparing the way for him like Elias in spirit and power.” Martin Luther …Luther perceived that the ancient and primitive church must, on the one hand, be restored in opposition to the papacy by which it had been so long oppressed. D,Aubignes History of the Reformation, vol. 2, p. Ill; vol. 3, p. 80. “We seldom hear of them [manifestations of the gifts] after that fatal period when the Emperor Constantine called himself a Christian .... From this time they almost totally ceased. .... The cause of this was not (as has been vulgarly supposed) because there was no more occasion for them, because all the world was become Christian. This is a miserable mistake; not a twentieth part of it was then nominally Christians. The real cause was, the love of man, ... was waxed cold. The Christians had no more of the Spirit of Christ, than the other heathens..... This was the real cause, why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found in the Christian church; because the Christians were turned heathens again, and had only a dead form left. (John Wesley (1703-1791) founded Methodist, (Wesleys Works, vol. 7, 89:26, 27)) Arnulf Bishop of Orleans (Roman Catholic) deplored the roman popes as monsters of guilt and declared in a council called by the King of France in 991ad that the pontiff, clad in purple and gold, was, Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God, and showing himself as God -Phillip Schaff, History of the Christian church, 8 vols., reprint of the 3d (1910)ed. (Grand Rapids Mich.: Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.) Eberhard II, archbishop of Salzburg (Roman Catholic) stated at a synod of bishops held at Regensburg in 1240 (some scholars say 1241) that the people of his day were accustomed to calling the pope antichrist. -LeRoy Edwin Froom, The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers, 4 vols. (Wash DC: Review and Herald publishing assc, 1950-1954) John Wycliffe When the western church was divided for about 40 years between two rival popes, one in Rome and the other in Avigon, France, each pope called the other pope antichrist - and John Wycliffe is reputed to have regarded them as both being right: two halves of Antichrist, making up the perfect Man of Sin between them. -Ibid Martin Luther (Lutheran) We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist...personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist. (Aug. 18, 1520) Taken from The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Vol. 2., pg. 121 by Froom. (In response to a papal bull [official decree]): I despise and attack it, as impious, false... It is Christ Himself who is condemned therein... I rejoice in having to bear such ills for the best of causes. Already I feel greater liberty in my heart; for at last I know that the pope is antichrist,and that his throne is that of Satan himself. --DAubigné, b.6, ch. 9. Cotton Mather (Congregational Theologian) The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness upon them. Taken from The Fall of Babylon by Cotton Mather in Frooms book, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Vol. 3, pg. 113. John Wesley (Methodist) Speaking of the Papacy he said, He is in an emphatical sense, the Man of Sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled the Son of Perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers... He it is...that exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped...claiming the highest power, and highest honour...claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone. Taken from Antichrist and His Ten Kingdoms by John Wesley, pg. 110. Ellen G. White: Seven Day Adventists This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of the man of sin foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satans power--a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will. Thomas Cranmer (Anglican) Whereof it followeth Rome to be the seat of antichrist, and the pope to be very antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many other scriptures, old writers, and strong reasons. (Referring to prophecies in Revelation and Daniel.) Taken from Works by Cranmer, Vol. 1, pp. 6-7. Roger Williams (First Baptist Pastor in America) He spoke of the Pope as the pretended Vicar of Christ on earth, who sits as God over the Temple of God, exalting himself not only above all that is called God, but over the souls and consciences of all his vassals, yea over the Spirit of Christ, over the Holy Spirit, yea, and God himself...speaking against the God of heaven, thinking to change times and laws; but he is the son of perdition (II Thess. 2). Taken from The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers by Froom, Vol. 3, pg. 52. 1689 London Baptist Confession Chapter 26: Of the Church. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner; neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. ( Colossians 1:18; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11, 12; 2 Thessalonians 2:2-9 ) John Knox (Scotch Presbyterian) Knox wrote to abolish that tyranny which the pope himself has for so many ages exercised over the church and that the pope should be recognized as the very antichrist, and son of perdition, of whom Paul speaks. Taken from The Zurich Letters, pg. 199 by John Knox. John Calvin (Presbyterian) Some persons think us too severe and censorious when we call the Roman pontiff Antichrist. But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of presumption against Paul himself, after whom we speak and whose language we adopt... I shall briefly show that (Pauls words in II Thess. 2) are not capable of any other interpretation than that which applies them to the Papacy. Taken from Institutes by John Calvin. Throughout the centuries, there was a universal understanding that 2 Thessalonians 2 referred to the rise of and the false teaching of the Catholic Church. In large part to the Catholic Church unity and outreach programs, they’ve been able to divert this belief to others in the future. Daniel 9 : 24 seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary “for the overspreading of abominations”….the Roman desolator, Titus, being a type of Antichrist, the final desolator of Jerusalem. While a temple could be constructed prior to His coming, I do not see any verses in the scriptures that require it before he returns. The description of the millennial temple in Jerusalem is given in chapters 40 – 44 of Ezekiel. It details a very large structure which would require a massive effort even under the best of conditions. It would also mean that the Muslims would have to be totally defeated prior to this undertaking because their present mosque is location on the temple mount. While it is very possible that the Muslims wars and Gog referred to in Ez 38&39, Joel 2&3 and Dan 11 are in fact destroyed prior to the Tribulation and the rise of the Antichrist reign. However, given the extremely short time he is to rule, I think it unlikely that the Jerusalem temple is completed prior to Christ coming. Regarding a future 7 year peace covenant, while this could happen but again, it is not required prior to Christ second coming. Because of space considerations, I did not list the universal view prior to mid-1850 that interprets Dan 9: 26-27 as being fulfilled by either Titus Roman General in 70 AD, when he destroyed Jerusalem and sacrificed animals on in the temple to Roman gods. Or, being fulfilled during the 3 ½ years after Christ’s death by the Roman Government. Although the Rise of the Pope and the Catholic Church is a certainty in these last days, we’ll have to see if “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” long believed to refer to Christ has any modern day fulfillment of the Antichrist and any peace covenant. Appendix Before the Reformation, this is what most Preachers taught regarding Antichrist Appendix: chart found at remnantofgod.org/4fathers.htm
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 01:10:43 +0000
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