No one knows who the
antichrist (Man of Sin) will be as he will not be revealed until the restraining force of the Holy Spirit is removed when
the time of Christ In You is culminated (2 Thessalonians
2:6-8).
We first saw the Holy
Spirit descending on a human being and remaining there permanently in the man, Christ Jesus, after his baptism by John.
The Holy Spirit descended and remained again in the second chapter of Acts when he descended and made the bodies of
all believers his permanent dwelling place here on earth (John
1:33, Acts 2:1-4, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16).
When “he who
restrains” is taken out of the way, those who he indwells will be taken out of the way as well. Jesus said the Holy
Spirit would be with us forever. The Bible says he will never leave us or forsake us (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8, John 14:16).
At that time, the mystery
of iniquity that is already at work, even today, will be revealed in the Man of Sin. This evil man will be empowered and indwelled
by Satan himself (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9).
The Man of Sin is never
directly referred to as the antichrist, (however, he is alluded to as such in scripture). That the early church believed
the scriptures revealed such a person, is clear from the statement made in 1 John 2:18, by the Apostle John, “As ye have heard that antichrist shall come…”
John was speaking of a human being in this verse.
The fact that there
is indisputably a spirit of antichrist and many antichrists (1 John
4:3, 2:18), in no way negates the fact that a very specific evil person is revealed in scripture who will be in power
for at least 7 years, and whose power will come directly from Satan during the last 3 ½ years just prior to the physical return
of Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 13:2-5, Daniel 8:24).
This evil person is called
by many names in both the Old and New Testaments:
- The Man of Sin: 2 Thessalonians 2:3
- The Wicked (one): Isaiah 11:4, 2 Thessalonians
2:8
- The Son of Perdition: 2 Thessalonians 2:3
(he is the only person, besides Judas, ever to have that infamous title bestowed upon him)
- The Beast: Revelation 13:17-18, 19:19-20,
20:4,10 (the Beast is identified as a man in Revelation 13:18)
- The Assyrian: Isaiah 10:5,24, 14:25-26
- A King of fierce countenance: Daniel 8:23
- The king: Daniel 11:36
- The King of Babylon: Isaiah 14:4
- The man that made the earth to tremble: Isaiah 14:16-17
- The hand that is stretched out upon all nations: Isaiah 14:26
- The hammer of the whole earth: Jeremiah 50:23
- He/Him/His/Himself: Revelation
13:4-7, 14:11, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:4,6, Daniel 7:24-25, 8:11,24-25, 9:27, 11:36-45
His Capital City
Many debates continue to
take place concerning whether or not the prophecies concerning Babylon in the last days are literal or merely symbolic.
One of the most compelling
reasons to believe that Babylon must literally be re-built, is because not one of the prophecies concerning the sudden,
catastrophic destruction of Babylon, and the land area surrounding it becoming an utter wasteland, has been fulfilled yet.
It is prophesied that
Babylon will be destroyed suddenly. It is prophesied that, after that happens, Babylon will remain uninhabited—forever.
It is prophesied that the geographical location of Babylon and a very large area (thousands of square miles) surrounding it
will become fire, brimstone and a perpetual wasteland (Isaiah 13:19,
Jeremiah 50:40, Deuteronomy 29:23).
The Biblical prophets repeatedly
foretold the sudden, catastrophic and complete destruction of Babylon. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah said it would be as
(exactly like) the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Sodom and Gomorrah
were destroyed suddenly and catastrophically by fire and brimstone (Genesis
19:24-28).
Not only has the site
of ancient Babylon not been turned into fire and brimstone, it has also not remained uninhabited (1 Peter 5:13).
As recently as 1898 Babylon
(renamed "Hillah" at that time) contained about 10,000 inhabitants. But the prophets foretold that when God's final judgment
comes upon Babylon, not one single stone of it would survive to be used again.
We know that hasn’t
happened yet. Bricks from ancient Babylon have been used and reused over the centuries. They can be found in buildings all
over Iraq. In fact, for quite a few years, the city of Babylon itself has been under restorative construction. Festivals have
even been held there.
One of the most interesting
scripture passages relating the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist and to Babylon is found in Zechariah chapter 5. This passage
is quite symbolic, but taking the trouble to unlock the symbolism is well worth it.
In the first two verses of
Zechariah chapter 5, the prophet looks up and sees a flying scroll. He is told that the scroll represents a worldwide curse
(judgment).
There are
only three worldwide judgments spoken of in scripture. The first was the flood, in Genesis, which wiped out all but 8
people. The second will be the Great Tribulation, which will destroy approximately 75 to 80% of the world population. And
the third will be the fiery purge that will take place at the end of the first 1000 years of Christ's reign here on earth
(Zechariah 5:1-3 [1-5], Genesis 6:11-13
& 7:19, Matthew 24:21-22, Isaiah 24:1, 3-6, Revelation 20:9).
The worldwide judgment in
Zechariah chapter 5 is clearly referring to the time of The Great Tribulation (as there is no mention of either a flood or
of fire being used as the main instrument of judgment). In this passage, the prophet was shown how the antichrist will strategically
come to power and where his base of operations will be located.
Zechariah is told by
the angel to look and see what is going forth—that is good advice for us today. When Christ came the first
time, those who were alert and knew the scriptures, knew they were living in the time of his coming and were actively looking
for his arrival (Zechariah 5:5, Luke 2:25-26).
Jesus himself said the signs
of the times could be observed and understood. And he had nothing but harsh rebukes for those who ignored the obvious—simply
because the truth did not suit them.
There is a massive
falling away predicted to occur just prior to the rapture of the church (which must take place before the identity of the
Man of Sin can be revealed). Many people will be deceived into believing the lie. They will be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ and go whoring after another Jesus, another gospel and will receive another spirit. The Bible says they
will defect from the true faith (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8, 2 Corinthians
11:3-4).
The Bible says God
will allow a great delusion to overcome all who love not the truth. This is a specific reference to an end-time
apostasy—that defection is taking place, in alarming numbers, even now (Luke 12:54-56, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 10-11).
It is a very dangerous
thing, particularly in these last days, when the great falling away is predicted, to reject the truth (which is contained
in its entirety within the pages of God’s Written Word—the Bible). Any so-called truth, which
does not line up with what has already been written, is no truth at all, but rather a lie. And the Written Word of
God warns that those who love the lie will be given over to it (Isaiah
8:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:11).
Not only will these
individuals miss the rapture, they will be given no opportunity to repent afterwards when they do. Hebrews 6:4-6 is clear that once a person falls away, renewal into repentance
is an impossibility.
There are those who
claim the falling away, spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,
took place during the 2nd or 3rd centuries. They maintain that “truth” was lost to the church
very shortly after the apostles died.
The scriptures do not
bear that out. That interpretation of scripture is in direct contradiction to Psalm 100:5, which assures us that not one single generation will ever fall away because they have been deprived
of God’s truth.
“His Truth endures
to every generation.”
The falling away predicted
in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,7-8,10-12 is a direct reference to an
end-time apostasy (it will happen shortly before the Man of Sin is revealed). And it will be a deliberate defection
from known, revealed, truth due to rebellion against the truth—not because truth has been lost.
**This is worth repeating: The defection will be so overtly rebellious and contrary to the
written Word of God that the Lord will give the defectors over to the lie they are whoring after. They will not only miss
the rapture of the church, but they will get no chance to repent during the great tribulation. They will lose all chance
of eternal life.
This is not a time to blind
following after those who claim their unbiblical message is being validated by signs and wonders.
This is not a time to blindly
follow those who encourage the use of subjective spiritual experiences to replace the Written Word of God in
discerning the true from the false. These false teachers imperil souls.
Below are quotes from the
sort of teaching and teachers that should be avoided:
- God is a lot bigger than doctrine
- The church is so hung up on Bible study they don’t know Jesus!
Doctrine
is derived from Bible study and we are admonished in the scriptures to pay attention to doctrine
(2 Timothy 4:2).
The leaders of the end-time
apostasy will be the false prophets Jesus warned us about in Matthew chapter seven. They will stand before him at the
Judgment of the Nations woefully crying, “Lord, Lord! Didn’t we do many miraculous works in your name?”
Do not allow miracles,
signs and wonders to be a basis for deciding whether or not something is or isn’t from God. The Bible clearly warns
that those who are given over to believing the lie will be deceived by means of lying wonders.
The Bible says just
before Christ returns spirits of devils working miracles will be very prevalent, and by means of miracles will deceive the
people of the earth (2 Thessalonians 2:9, Revelation 13:14, 16:14).
In Zechariah 5:2-3 the angel calls the prophet’s attention to a strange sight.
Zechariah was told to look and see what was going forth. Something was happening. The winds of change were blowing.
Something was moving forward. And the thing he was told to be looking at was an ephah (a basket).
Remember that this
entire prophecy will be taking place during a time of worldwide judgment, which, by process of elimination must be referring
to the time of The Great Tribulation. So we know this prophecy must be for those who will be living during that time
or very close to it (Zechariah 5:6, Matthew 24:21).
Jesus said the time of the
Great Tribulation would be so horrendous, that this world has never seen anything like it before nor ever would again. Considering
the horrors this world has already seen—that’s pretty bad. The Revelation reveals that up to 75 to 80% of the
world’s human population will die during that time. No wonder God said to tremble at the very thought of it—to
be horribly afraid….
Look, see, pay close attention
to what is happening—right now. This prophecy is for the very near future and gives important details as to how
the Man of Sin will come to power and where he will be operating from after he comes to power.
But what possible significance
could an ephah (not just any measuring basket—but specifically an ephah) have concerning a judgment that will
go forth over the whole earth?
Notice the order of
events: first we see a curse (a judgment) moving forward. Then we see an ephah moving forward (Zechariah 5:3,6).
An ephah was a basket.
It was the largest measure in use among the Jewish people of Zechariah’s time, and was used as a symbol of commerce
(much like the “basket” is used today in connection to the **Euro).
** Euro: The name for the composite monetary unit that has replaced national currencies in
several European countries. The Euro was introduced on January 1st, 1999 and went into general circulation on January
1st, 2002 (the specific amounts of euro in the valuation basket…).
ECU: (European Currency Unit). A composite monetary unit consisting of a basket
of European Community currencies that served as the predecessor to the Euro.
The ephah (basket) Zechariah
saw moving forward symbolized commerce—both in his time and now, again, in ours as well.
The angel elaborated further
and said the ephah was disguising something. The resemblance (the outward appearance) of it looked good. It looked
like commerce was getting a well-needed boost and was moving forward.
The angel said the
resemblance (the outward appearance of a commercial boost) would deceive the whole earth. It is crucial, at this point,
to have a King James Bible. Many other versions corrupt verse 6, and obscure the entire purpose of this passage, which
is to expose the game plan of the enemy (Zechariah 5:6).
This particular ephah
had a lid that was made of 100 lbs of lead. This effectively hid its contents. But what exactly was being hidden (Zechariah 5:7)?
The scriptures tell
us a woman is hidden in the container. The angel introduced the woman by saying, “This is Wickedness.” A more
literal rendering of the angel’s words are, “her name is Wickedness” (Zechariah 5:7-8).
Why would a female
be used to represent wickedness? Is it because women are inherently more wicked than men? As far as the commonly accepted
perceptions of mankind go, history would validate that idea. Both men and women have participated in, and perpetuated, discrimination
against females. But the answer is, “No,” all mankind is inherently
wicked, not just females (Jeremiah 17:9). Could it be that
a female is used to represent this wickedness because it will quickly multiply and infect the whole earth?
The lid was lifted,
and obviously the woman stood up (or, more likely, was lifted up by the angel). She was momentarily exposed, but the angel
immediately cast her back into the container and replaced the lid in order to keep her hidden (Zechariah 5:8).
**It is important
to note here, that it is God who is allowing the wickedness to remain hidden (although it will be temporarily exposed
to those who are alert). It is always God who is in control of the times and the seasons—even the horrendous
season of The Great Tribulation.
God knows those
who are alert, and love the truth, will not be motivated by ungodly lusts to deviate from the simplicity that is found in
Jesus Christ. But those who love not the truth, who are greedy for personal power and gain, and who seek after signs and wonders,
will be deceived and will ultimately be destroyed by their own lusts (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11, 1 Timothy 6:9, 2 Timothy 4:3).
Zechariah looked again
and saw two women with wings. They had wings like a stork, and he saw that the wind was in their wings. The two women
with wings picked up the wickedness disguised as commerce (Zechariah
5:9).
The women wings
are spiritual beings. They have wings like a stork, which according to scripture,
is an unclean bird. Thus they are identified as being unclean spiritual beings. The wind is in their wings which
means thy can fly very fast. When they pick up the wickedness (disguised as commercial prosperity), they will get it to its
destination with amazing speed.
**Note - Women with wings are not angels. Images of women with wings do not represent angels.
Although wings are used as a symbol of God’s covering (protection) in scripture, the women with wings in Zechariah Chapter
five, have the wings of an unclean bird, which clearly reveals that any covering they represent is an unclean spiritual
covering—i.e., an unclean false religious covering (Psalm 91:4, Revelation 12:14, Zechariah 5:9, Isaiah 30:1).
I believe these women with
wings are connected with the false religion described in Revelation 17—called the Whore of Babylon.
The false religion,
represented by the Whore of Babylon, is filthy rich, causes worldwide spiritual adultery (because there are—and always
have been—some saved but deceived believers among her adherents) and has shed so much blood of true saints, the
Bible says she is drunk with it (Revelation 17:1-2,4,6,15, 18:1).
Do not be fooled by
the imagery of a woman representing wickedness (in Zechariah 5) and dismiss this passage as not referring to the Man of Sin.
The woman is referring to the fertile, reproductive power of the wickedness and deceit the Man of Sin will be using
in his rise to power—not to the man himself (Daniel
8:25).
Zechariah was told
precisely where the unclean spiritual beings will be carrying the wickedness. They will be headed for the land of Shinar.
And the purpose of transporting the wickedness to Shinar will be to build it a house there. It will become its “own
base” (a military term meaning home base or base of operations—Zechariah 5:11).
It is also important to note
that Zechariah 5:11 specifically says the land of Shinar, so this rules out the possibility that this verse
is referring to any vague, spiritual location. This wickedness is heading for a very specific physical geographical
location.
The land of Shinar
in verse 11 is referring to the physical locale of ancient Babylonia (the name is also used in scripture to describe the physical
location of ancient Babylon).
Babylon will
be completely rebuilt. It will become the personal capital of the Man of Sin, and it will also become the capital city
of the entire world during his reign.
**Zechariah’s vision reveals a time when most of the world will be deceived (by the
Man of Sin) and the entire world will experience the judgment and wrath of Almighty God. The Antichrist will be assisted in
a meteoric rise to power by a false religion and commercial prosperity (at least for some). All of this will have its home
base in the rebuilt city of Babylon—referred to in The Revelation as…Babylon The Great
(Revelation 13:3-4,14, 18:10-13,15-19, 20:10).