Man of Sin
Encyclopedia
The Man of Sin or Man of Lawlessness is a figure referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, who is usually equated with the Antichrist
.
and Vaticanus
have the reading, "Man of Lawlessness
," and Metzger argues that this is the original reading. Codices such as Alexandrinus
, Boernerianus
and Claromontanus
have "Man of Sin".
This Man of Sin "will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God," and "set himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (verse 4). Something is said to be "holding him back" (verse 6), though that will be "taken out of the way" (verse 7). A "lawless one" will be revealed (verse 8), whom Jesus
will destroy "by the splendor of his coming."
The Man of Sin is also described in verse 3 as the Son of Perdition
(translated in the NIV
as "the man doomed to destruction"). This phrase is used of Judas Iscariot
in .
, Nero
, John of Giscala
and the end times Antichrist
. Some scholars believe that the passage contains no genuine prediction, but represents a speculation of the apostle's own, based on ; , and on contemporary ideas of Antichrist
.
by the armies of Titus
, so it would appear that the temple Paul refers to is the only temple of Jerusalem that was in existence at that time, i.e., the second temple of his own day. The fact that none of the epistles, including 2 Thessalonians, mentions the temple's destruction shows either a lack of knowledge of its destruction, or more likely, that the temple had not yet been destroyed. For if the temple were destroyed, surely Paul, who was constantly in the know of the major events of his community of Christians, Jews and Romans, would have mentioned such a monumental devastation at least once. But the fact that he, nor any of the other authors of the epistles, ever mention its destruction can only lead us to conclude that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians prior to AD 70. As such, the temple Paul refers to seems to be a still-standing second temple. In this case, the Man of Sin Paul speaks of must have had access to the temple in some form or another.
Although this could well be the held beliefs of many, specifically historians and other objective studiers of the biblical text, another interpretation can be and seems more frequent in modern Christian thinking—one that is supported more substantially by New Testament writing, specifically the epistles. This ideology stems from Paul's other writings, especially those written to the church in Corinth. According to the belief that communion with God is no longer performed by the high priest in the "holy of holies" (that is, the inner sanctum of the Temple where God was said to dwell), but through the death of Christ Jesus and the flow of his blood (taken primarily from the tearing of the curtain at Jesus' death ) and that Paul was a Jewish convert who appears to no longer hold the temple of Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God, it is unlikely for him to be referring to this temple in the 2 Thessalonians passage. Instead, it is more likely that Paul was referring to his current beliefs on the dwelling place of God. Paul suggests in 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 2 Corinthians 6:16, that we (the Body of Christ, and those who hold to the Christian faith) are the temple of God, the dwelling place of His spirit. In both these passages, Paul uses the imagery of the temple to describe the dwelling place of God as with his people, the church. Thus, it is more likely that when Paul says, "[the Man of Sin] sets himself up in God's temple" (2 Thess. 2:4, NIV), Paul intends the passage to be understood that the Man of Sin would set himself up in God's temple, the people of the Christian faith, not the physical building that was destroyed in AD 70 nor a possible Third Temple.
, when the katechon
, the one who restrains, will be taken out. Katechon is also interpreted as the Grand Monarch
or a new Orthodox Emperor, inaugurating a the rebirth of the Holy Roman Empire
.
commentators have linked the term and identity to the Roman Catholic Church
and the Pope
. The "temple of God" is here understood to be the church; the restraining power the Roman empire.
) who will succeed in making a peace treaty with Israel for 7 years (Daniel's 70th week) guaranteeing some sort of Middle East peace settlement with the Arab nations. This will occur after the rebuilding of the Third Temple in Jerusalem and the restoration of temple sacrifices. He will break his peace treaty with Israel 3 1/2 years into the plan, enter the "rebuilt Third Temple" and perform the Abomination of Desolation
by setting up an idol of himself in the Temple and declare himself God.
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
.
Second Thessalonians, Chapter Two
In , the "Man of Sin" is described as one who will be revealed before the Day of the Lord comes. The Codices SinaiticusCodex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
and Vaticanus
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...
have the reading, "Man of Lawlessness
Antinomianism
Antinomianism is defined as holding that, under the gospel dispensation of grace, moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation....
," and Metzger argues that this is the original reading. Codices such as Alexandrinus
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early history of Christianity...
, Boernerianus
Codex Boernerianus
Codex Boernerianus, designated by Gp or 012 , α 1028 , is a small New Testament codex, measuring 25 x 18 cm, written in one column per page, 20 lines per page. Dated paleographically to the 9th century. The name of the codex derives from Boerner, to whom it once belonged...
and Claromontanus
Codex Claromontanus
Codex Claromontanus, symbolized by Dp or 06 , δ 1026 , is a Greek-Latin diglot uncial manuscript of the New Testament, written in an uncial hand on vellum. The Greek and Latin text on facing pages...
have "Man of Sin".
This Man of Sin "will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God," and "set himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (verse 4). Something is said to be "holding him back" (verse 6), though that will be "taken out of the way" (verse 7). A "lawless one" will be revealed (verse 8), whom Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
will destroy "by the splendor of his coming."
The Man of Sin is also described in verse 3 as the Son of Perdition
Son of Perdition
Son of perdition is a phrase that appears in the New Testament in the Gospel of John and in the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians . Many theologians and scholars also consider "the beast that goes into perdition" mentioned in Revelation and to be references to the "Son of Perdition."According...
(translated in the NIV
New International Version
The New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history.-History:...
as "the man doomed to destruction"). This phrase is used of Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
in .
Identity
Nearly all commentators, both ancient and modern, identify the Man of Sin in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 as the Antichrist, even though they vary greatly in who they view the Antichrist to be. The "man of sin" is variously identified with CaligulaCaligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, John of Giscala
John of Giscala
John of Giscala , was a leader of the Jewish revolt against the Romans in the First Jewish-Roman War, and played a part in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70....
and the end times Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
. Some scholars believe that the passage contains no genuine prediction, but represents a speculation of the apostle's own, based on ; , and on contemporary ideas of Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
.
The temple
The Man of Sin is able to access God's Temple (2:4). The epistles do not mention the second temple's destruction in AD 70Siege of Jerusalem (70)
The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD was the decisive event of the First Jewish-Roman War. The Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its Jewish defenders in...
by the armies of Titus
Titus
Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
, so it would appear that the temple Paul refers to is the only temple of Jerusalem that was in existence at that time, i.e., the second temple of his own day. The fact that none of the epistles, including 2 Thessalonians, mentions the temple's destruction shows either a lack of knowledge of its destruction, or more likely, that the temple had not yet been destroyed. For if the temple were destroyed, surely Paul, who was constantly in the know of the major events of his community of Christians, Jews and Romans, would have mentioned such a monumental devastation at least once. But the fact that he, nor any of the other authors of the epistles, ever mention its destruction can only lead us to conclude that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians prior to AD 70. As such, the temple Paul refers to seems to be a still-standing second temple. In this case, the Man of Sin Paul speaks of must have had access to the temple in some form or another.
Although this could well be the held beliefs of many, specifically historians and other objective studiers of the biblical text, another interpretation can be and seems more frequent in modern Christian thinking—one that is supported more substantially by New Testament writing, specifically the epistles. This ideology stems from Paul's other writings, especially those written to the church in Corinth. According to the belief that communion with God is no longer performed by the high priest in the "holy of holies" (that is, the inner sanctum of the Temple where God was said to dwell), but through the death of Christ Jesus and the flow of his blood (taken primarily from the tearing of the curtain at Jesus' death ) and that Paul was a Jewish convert who appears to no longer hold the temple of Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God, it is unlikely for him to be referring to this temple in the 2 Thessalonians passage. Instead, it is more likely that Paul was referring to his current beliefs on the dwelling place of God. Paul suggests in 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 2 Corinthians 6:16, that we (the Body of Christ, and those who hold to the Christian faith) are the temple of God, the dwelling place of His spirit. In both these passages, Paul uses the imagery of the temple to describe the dwelling place of God as with his people, the church. Thus, it is more likely that when Paul says, "[the Man of Sin] sets himself up in God's temple" (2 Thess. 2:4, NIV), Paul intends the passage to be understood that the Man of Sin would set himself up in God's temple, the people of the Christian faith, not the physical building that was destroyed in AD 70 nor a possible Third Temple.
Roman Catholic church and Orthodox churches
The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions consider the Man of Sin to come at the End of the WorldEnd times
The end time, end times, or end of days is a time period described in the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions...
, when the katechon
Katechon
The Katechon is a biblical concept which has subsequently developed into a notion of political philosophy....
, the one who restrains, will be taken out. Katechon is also interpreted as the Grand Monarch
Great Catholic Monarch
The Great Catholic Monarch, also referred to as the Great Monarch, is a concept that has or had a certain place in unofficial Roman Catholic eschatology, mainly as a French monarchist variant of the medieval theme of the Last Roman Emperor...
or a new Orthodox Emperor, inaugurating a the rebirth of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Other views
Various Protestant and anti-CatholicAnti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
commentators have linked the term and identity to the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. The "temple of God" is here understood to be the church; the restraining power the Roman empire.
Dispensationalist or Futurist view
Dispensationalists view this as a reference to a coming world ruler (AntichristAntichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
) who will succeed in making a peace treaty with Israel for 7 years (Daniel's 70th week) guaranteeing some sort of Middle East peace settlement with the Arab nations. This will occur after the rebuilding of the Third Temple in Jerusalem and the restoration of temple sacrifices. He will break his peace treaty with Israel 3 1/2 years into the plan, enter the "rebuilt Third Temple" and perform the Abomination of Desolation
Abomination of Desolation
The abomination of desolation is a term found in the Hebrew Bible, in the book of Daniel. It also occurs in the book of 1 Maccabees and in the New Testament gospels....
by setting up an idol of himself in the Temple and declare himself God.