Seated in the Sanctuary

The Man of Lawlessness will be unveiled when he takes his seat in the House of God - 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

Jesus will not “arrive” to gather his “elect” until two events occur - The “Apostasy” and the “Revelation of the Man of Lawlessness.” They are inextricably linked. This man’s unveiling in the Assembly will signal the imminence of the “Day of the Lord.” Not only will he cause many to apostatize, but his real identity will be disclosed when he “sits down” in the “Sanctuary.”

Based on Paul's usage, his words do not describe the appearance of this deceiver in the Temple in Jerusalem, but his presence in the Church where he will perform “lying signs and wonders” to deceive anyone who refuses to embrace “the love of the truth.” Paul expressed no interest in the passage or the larger context in the City of Jerusalem or its Temple building.

[photo by Harry Miller on Unsplash]

False reports claimed the “Day of the Lord had commenced.” The Greek verb translated as “set in” or “commenced” points to a belief that the event was underway. Paul responded by reminding the Thessalonians of two things that must precede that Day.

• (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) - “That day will not set in, except, first, the apostasy comes, and there be revealed the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction, who opposes and exalts himself on high against everyone called God or any object of worship, so that he, within the Sanctuary of God, will take his seat, showing that he is divine.”

The Greek term translated as “revealed” represents the verb ‘apocalyptô’ (αποκαλυπτω), meaning “unveiled, disclosed, revealed,” the disclosure of something previously hidden. This man will not appear as who he truly is until the “Mystery of Lawlessness” has finished preparing for his arrival, “and then the Lawless One will be revealed” - (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

The clause translated as “he will take his seat in the Sanctuary” corresponds to the verb “revealed.” His act of “sitting” in the House of God will be the “revelation” when his identity is exposed, at least, for those with eyes to see - the men and women who “welcome the love of the truth.”

The sentence tells us the when and where of his exposure. This does not mean he will be an unknown figure before that moment, but his identification as the “Man of Lawlessness” will remain hidden until he places himself front and center in the “Sanctuary of God.”

The Greek phrase translated as “Sanctuary of God” occurs five times in Paul’s letters (‘ton naon tou theou’ – τον ναον του θεου). ‘Naos’ means “sanctuary.” In biblical Greek, it refers to the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle and the Temple building, the “Holy of Holies.”

The Apostle applied the term to the Body of Christ four times in his letters to the Corinthians, and once in Ephesians he used ‘naos’ by itself for the Assembly, the “holy sanctuary to the Lord”- (1 Corinthians 3:16, 3:17, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:19-22).

The scriptural source for the description of the “Man of Lawlessness” is the Book of Daniel and its malevolent king who persecuted the Jewish people, the “Little Horn with the mouth boasting of great things” that waged war on “the saints, and overcame them” – (Daniel 7:21-25, 8:9-13, 8:23-26, 9:26-27, 11:30-36).

This ancient ruler “exalted himself above every god and spoke marvelous things against the God of gods.” He caused many in Israel to abandon the faith. He desecrated the “Sanctuary” by erecting the “Abomination that Desolates,” and by banning the daily burnt offerings. All that made him the perfect model for Paul’s “Son of Destruction” who will work to destroy the Church from within through deception (“lying signs and wonders”).

DECEPTION AND APOSTASY

This “Man of Lawlessness” is linked to the coming “Apostasy.” This word translates the Greek term ‘apostasia’ (αποστσια) or “defection, apostasy, falling away, departure, abandonment.” Consistently in Scripture, it refers to the abandonment of the true religion.

This man will lead believers away from the faith of Jesus and his Apostles. Satan will energize him with “all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them who are perishing because they received not the love of the truth.”

Only men who “tremble” at God’s Word will perceive this grim reality, though they may find themselves cast out of the Assembly for their faithfulness – (“Hear the word of Yahweh, you that tremble at His word: Your brethren who hated you and expelled you for my name's sake…” - Isaiah 66:1-6).

These last words echo Christ’s warning about “false prophets” and “false anointed ones” who employ “great signs and wonders to deceive the elect.” They will cause “lawlessness,” and it, in turn, will cause the hearts of many believers to “grow cold” – (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, Matthew 24:24).

This “Man of Lawlessness” will “sit down in the Sanctuary.” This points to his imitation of Jesus. He will be a counterfeit messiah intent on replacing Jesus in the Church. “Sit down” translates the Greek verb ‘kathizô’. It is here in the active voice, meaning the subject initiates the action.

This character will seat himself in God’s House. Each time ‘kathizô’ is so used in the New Testament, it is part of a quotation from Psalm 110:1 where Yahweh said to his Messiah, “Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool” - (Matthew 22:44, Acts 2:34-36, 7:55).

That he seats himself demonstrates his presumptuousness. He will “sit” in God’s House, in His “Sanctuary,” because he will be a counterfeit messiah, a “false anointed one” who looks and sounds like the true Messiah.

In the ancient Tabernacle, only the High Priest entered the “Holy of Holies” once a year, and the High Priest never “sat down” in the Sanctuary. The only one ever said to have “sat down” in God’s presence was the Messiah following his Ascension – (Matthew 24:24, Hebrews 1:1-4, 8:1-2).

Paul’s image of this man “sitting down” in the Sanctuary is based on the “Little Horn” of Daniel that “magnified itself… and it took away from him the daily burnt-offerings and the habitation of his Sanctuary was cast down” – (Daniel 8:11).

Considering Paul’s usage elsewhere, the phrase “Sanctuary of God” refers to the Church, the “Body of Christ” (“For you are the Sanctuary of the living God, according as God said, I will dwell in them” – 2 Corinthians 6:16).

The passage in 2 Thessalonians thus warns us to watch for the appearance of this Master Deceiver in our midst. He will counterfeit the true Messiah and thereby lead many believers to destruction. He is the “Son of Destruction,” and apostasy follows him.

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SEE ALSO:

• The Apostasy - (Paul warned the Thessalonians of a future apostasy and linked it to the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction)

• Disinformation - (Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion in the Thessalonian congregation – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

• Two Pivotal Events - (Two events must occur before the Day of the Lord begins - The Apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness)

• Fils de Destruction - (De nombreux chrétiens apostasieront lorsque l'Homme de l'iniquité, le Fils de la Destruction, s'assiéra dans le Sanctuaire de Dieu)