The Man of Lawlessness in the 21st Century

[TrueTomHarley]

Yes, I know, I know. The application of the Man of Lawlessness is to the emergence of the clergy class in the early centuries. That point was repeated in the discussion of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians at the midweek meetings.

But is there anyone other than me that thinks a modern application would be more to the emergence of a modern-day atheist class, today’s apostasy, that turns upon the theocratic organization under the guise of “protecting people” from its “mind-control?”

2 Thessalonians 2:3. Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. 

4 He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god. 

5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things?

6 And now you know what is acting as a restraint, so that he will be revealed in his own due time. 

7 True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint is out of the way. 

8 Then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence. 

9 But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders 

10 and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. 

11 That is why God lets a deluding influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, 

12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.

Verse 4 fits an atheistic Man better than it does a clerical Man. Also verses 9 and 10–with the powerful works and wonders being the application of science, which enthralls them to the point that they forget all about God.

It certainly fits better with the line of Paul from the next chapter: 

Finally, brothers, carry on prayer for us, that the word of Jehovah may keep spreading rapidly and being glorified, just as it is with you,  and that we may be rescued from harmful and wicked men, for faith is not a possession of all people. 

It is not those with faith—even a skewed faith that might be ascribed to a clergy class—that most seek to further the “cult” meme today. It is those without faith.

it is all spot-on to identify the Man of Lawlessness with the emerging clergy class in the first century, with all the infusions of Babylonian and Greek philosophies that it embraced and spread. But today that Man is much weakened. He is casually respected as long as he stays in his place, but his place is much reduced. In the old days his place was anywhere he wanted it to be. He limps along trying to insist that he is relevant, and more and more people doubt that is the case.

The verses of 2nd Thessalonians remind me more today of an atheistic Man than of a religious Man.

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

They, the men of lawlessness,  have ALWAYS been atheists ... flying false flags, because people will salute these false flags, and pledge allegiance to these false flags, and slave for these false flags, and contribute money, real estate and assets of every description, and march to the cadence of the drummers of these false flags.

That is the nature of all people. 

Nothing new.

But basically, these men of lawlessness have ALWAYS been atheists.

They are men of lawlesness BECAUSE they put their  own warped "theology", policies, and practices before those of God's.

Consummate, skilled con men who know that to pick pockets, the marks have to be given something of value to sustain them, and keep the illusion of beneficence alive.

That is not how it starts .... but that is how it ALWAYS ends up.

The catalyst is lots of free money.

[Witness]

1 hour ago, TrueTomHarley said:

4 He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god. 

What is the "temple of God"?  

"sits" -  "to make, to sit down, to set, appoint, to confer a kingdom on one"

Something/someone is exalting itself over the temple of God.  If you know what the temple of God is, then you can determine the identity of the man of lawlessness.  

 

 

 

[TrueTomHarley]

31 minutes ago, Witness said:

What is the "temple of God"?  

I have never encountered a more one-note person in my entire life.

[JOHN BUTLER]

 He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god.

This has to be the GB of JW Org. They have exalted themselves above every other human on this earth. Above all of the true Anointed. Even to a point above Jesus Christ. 

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

46 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

I have never encountered a more one-note person in my entire life.

 

[Witness]

 

3 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

The application of the Man of Lawlessness is to the emergence of the clergy class in the early centuries.

 

17 minutes ago, JOHN BUTLER said:

This has to be the GB of JW Org.

Thank you John.  Even more so, it is the GB's personal "clergy", that replaces God's anointed priests.  Matt 24:48-51

19 minutes ago, JOHN BUTLER said:

Even to a point above Jesus Christ. 

 

[TrueTomHarley]

1 hour ago, Witness said:

[@john butler, actually] this has to be the GB of JW Org.

No. The apostates back then were the ones who brought in the immortal soul teaching, as well as the Trinity. The governing arrangement then, as now, stayed true to scripture.

Besides your statement the end is a long long ways off, have you now come to embrace the Trinity and hellfire for the miscreants?

Witness, too, cheered this statement. Is she also a Trinitarian and hellfire advocate?

[Witness]

25 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

No. The apostates back then were the ones who brought in the immortal soul teaching, as well as the Trinity. The governing arrangement then, as now, stayed true to scripture.

Besides your statement the end is a long long ways off, have you now come to embrace the Trinity and hellfire for the miscreants?

Witness, too, cheered this statement. Is she also a Trinitarian and hellfire advocate?

Does everyone who leaves the WT become Trinitarians and hellfire advocates?  Speaking of hellfire, JWs do not believe this, yet on the same footing,  believe God will destroy mankind (man, woman and child) with a descriptive, well-illustrated, "hellfire" at the culmination of Armageddon.  This appears to be an "apostate" teaching.  Jer 19:5  Apostate teachings are "lawlessness", as well as all discarded teachings of JWs which reflect lawlessness against Christ's teachings.  John 15:16

 

 

[Witness]

5 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

2 Thessalonians 2:3. Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. 

You began at verse 3.  Before this, the NWT says,

 However, brothers, concerning the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you ²  not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be alarmed either by an inspired statement or by a spoken message or by a letter appearing to be from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here.

Here, the translators took the liberty of changing the coming presence of “our Lord Jesus Christ” to the “day of Jehovah”. 

“Now we beg you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him,

² that ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as [if it were] by us, as that the day of the Lord is present. (Darby)

“This day began in 1914 when Jesus was installed as King of God’s Kingdom. And it will continue right through to the end of the Thousand Year Reign, when Christ will ‘hand over the kingdom to his God and Father.’ (1 Corinthians 15:24) Faithful Christians have looked forward to the Lord’s day for many centuries. Now, it is finally here!  Wt 88/10/15  pp. 10-15

….”either by an inspired statement or a spoken message or by a letter appearing to be from us”…

If the letter appeared to be from true anointed ones, but really is not, then it comes from the pen of false “christs” – fallen anointed leaders, who have “gathered together”, the anointed to hear and be stumbled by, their false claim.

Matt 24:24; Rev 13:11,14-18,7 

This is part of the sign of the "man of lawlessness".  Today, the anointed (TEMPLE ) submit to a "Gentile" rule - elder body - supplanted over them.  2 Thess 2:4; Rev 11:1,2  (1 Pet 2:5,9; 1 Cor 3:16,17; Eph 2:20-22)

 

 

 

 

[TrueTomHarley]

16 minutes ago, Witness said:

This is part of the sign of the "man of lawlessness".  Today, the anointed (TEMPLE ) submit to a "Gentile" rule - elder body - supplanted over them.  2 Thess 2:4; Rev 11:1,2  (1 Pet 2:5,9; 1 Cor 3:16,17; Eph 2:20-22)

Would you please give it a rest, lady?

The purpose of my thread was not so that you would adapt it, as you adapt so many threads here, to once again advance your pet peeve that you are the good anointed, they are the bad ones, and beat it into the ground.

The purpose was to see if the Man of Lawlessness can be associated with the new and very anti-Witness (and others) wave of atheism, in view of the verses that I highlighted: 2 Thess 2: 4, 9-10, as well as Paul’s observation of the next chapter that “faith is not a possession of all people.”

[JOHN BUTLER]

Quote TTH. Besides your statement the end is a long long ways off, have you now come to embrace the Trinity and hellfire for the miscreants?

Well this is sooo funny too. Someone on my FB Ex-JW page has today asked me the same questions ? 

Is this normal JW training then ? To try to insult people by asking such stupid questions.

Do you have nothing better to offer Tom ? How about TRUTH ? Oh of course the JW Org knows nothing about that does it ?