Twin Pillars Reformation Part 3.

Romanism and the Reformation Books:

   " HIS SEAT: Observe the position of the man of sin, Notice the word ... , "Sitteth," and connect with it...., a seat, a word which occurs three times in  the New Testament. It is used twice with reference to the seats in the temple of those who sold doves, who turned the House of God into their house of merchandise and a den of thieves: and once in the sentence, "the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat."
    From the Greek word Ka8iz,w ( kathizo`--kath-id'-zo] comes our word "Cathedral"  or the Bishop's seat, meaning the seat of the "Overseer" . Plus also the expression EX Cathedra, meaning "from His Seat" thus speaking officially! There in that exalted cathedral position, and claiming to represent God, the man of sin was to act and abide as the pretended vicar, but real antagonist, of Christ, undermining His authority, abolishing His laws and oppressing His people."

   From: Romanism and the Reformation.
  
   " The feature of FALSE Profession reappears in the corresponding prophecy in 2nd. Timothy concerning the "Last days", in which the abettors and adherents of the apostasy are describes as men "having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" ..."

 2 Timothy 3:5  "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

IBID:  "These men were not then to be open opponents of godliness, but, on the contrary, they would be great professors"  {note (J.B.) yes they would profess their Godliness to the public, but yet they deny God's power]

  They put forth two theories, of doctrines: Futurism and Preterism, Yes there is antichrist, yet far into the future, thus Futurism. The other is "Well he was Antiochus the Greek who violated the Temple, but he's long gone into the past-- Preterism! sadly some 96% of Christians have swallowed one or the other, yet neither is found a fit in the Word of God!

    MAN OF SIN   VS. THE MAN OF GOD.

   "The man of sin,", like" the man of God", had a broad, extended meaning. When we read, "That the man of God may be perfect----
2 Timothy 3:17  "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
    "We do not suppose it means any one individual man, although it has a definite article. It indicates a whole calls of men of a certain character, succession of similar individuals. A man of sin could only be one man, just a a king of England could only mean an individual. The KING, on the other hand, may include a whole dynasty. When, in speaking of the Jewish Tabernacle, in Hebrews, Paul says that into the Holiest of all, "went the high priest alone once ever year," he includes the entire succession of High Priests of Israel. That a singular expression in prophecy may find its fulfillment in a plurality of individuals is perfectly clear from John's words, 1 John 2:18 " Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."
   Grammatically it may seem either and individual or a succession of similar individuals. The context determines that it actually does mean the latter" .2 Thessalonians 2:7  "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." In which we see this man of sin  [= iniquity= lawlessness] was latent, was already working in Paul's day [He died in A.D. 94+/-].
    "So, 'the pope of Rome', may intimate one single bishop or the long line succession-- a perpetual person. So "the man of sin."     from:  "Romanisn and the Reformation."

   The Vatican;'s counter argument was, "The man of sin, is singular but we have had many popes, thus this is wrong." However the reformers followed the Word of God very carefully and came the the above conclusion that it means both the singular and all the successors down through time, until the time of the end!

    No duration at all is mentioned in this prophecy by Paul, only the two limits!
IBID:  "ALREADY". the apostasy was developing, and it would not be destroyed till the advent, Christ's return. Paul's features of antichrist chronology reveal when it would arise {after the fall of Roman Empire] and that it would exist up to the second coming {Compare Daniel 7:26 " But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end."]

   Thus the two limits set by both Daniel and Paul, are identical, but the problem they have, is that both of their dogma's, Preterism and Futurism BOTH fall OUTSIDE both of these limits!  So who is correct, all the Reformers or today's theologians?  {(J.B.) I do not attempt to persuade, but do show the facts of truth, so each of Y O U must decide to buy truth or reject God's truth and accept man;'s truth!]

   Many people, especially those born from the 1960's on, think of Christianity, as  crutch! No it's NOT a Crutch, it's a Cross, because it's tough to be a Christ following Christ man or woman. As we are treated as outcasts, who believe in fairy tales.  c
    However look:"The Cosmos came to be because nothing came together, and exploded,:from
Evolution, AND LIFE BEGAN, ALL BE ITSELF.
   From Creation:"Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
SO, WHICH IS THE REAL FAIRY TALE?

     He sits in the temple of God: The face of the man of sin is the face of the false apostle, the dark face of Judas. Written upon the wall of the temple, "son of perdition." The man of sin is as Judas- a secret enemy while a seeming friend--- a :familiar friend", yet a fatal foe who betrays with a kiss and a "Hail Master".
      Observe the place occupied by the man of sin-- the "temple", or house of God. This is not, and cannot be, any Jewish Temple.
   Do Y O U know this title "Son of Perdition," is used but twice, once for Judas, and once for the antichrist line of succession?

    What does "modern" theology dictate? In both the future (Futurism) and the Preterism (already in the Past) "Look to Jerusalem, and the REBUILDING of the Jewish Temple right? They already have begun a building fund, for this! Then when it's built, Antichrist will come and sit in it, right? This preached across the christian world by most, but thank God not all!

Romanism and the Reformation.
    "Paul, who uses this expression in his prophetic portrait of Romanism, employs it both in Corinthians and Ephesians with reference to the Christian Church. 2 Corinthians 6:16 "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." In Ephesians he calls the Church-- Ephesians 2:22 :In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." 
  " To Paul emphatically the temple of God was the Church of Christ. This is the temple in which his prophetic eye saw the man of sin seated. It is no person in a temple of stone, but a power in the Christian Church"

Question: "is this not sound, both Biblically and exegesis"?

IBID: His Character:
   
   " As Christ acts for God, so does"the man of sin," acts for Satan."  Revelation 13:2 "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."

Note: Who is this dragon? Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
   "Christ and he are antagonistic powers: the Power of Light, and the Power of darkness; the majesty of Heaven, and the might of Hell. And as the Son of god humbled Himself, so the "man of sin" exalts himself. There is infinite self-abasement in the One, the Divine nature stooping to humanity;j and the infinite self- exaltation in the other, the human and the satanic assuming to be Divine. "He as God......
2 Thessalonians 2:4 "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." ... or is Divine, or a Divine being. The expression indicates that the man of sin would show himself by acts and professions to be possessed of superhuman and Divine dignity, authority and power."Romanism and the Reformation."

   When we read what these reformers put on paper, their thinking Biblical was deep and profoundly thorough.

IBID:   HIS SEAT: 

     "Observe the position of the man of sin, look at the word..."sitteth." and connect it with it.... a seat, a word which occurs three times in the New Testament. It is used twice with reference to the seats in the Temple of those who sold doves, who turned the house of God into a house of merchandise and den of thieves; and once in the sentence "The Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. {John2:15+, and Matthew 23:2  Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: Moses being the Law Giver, indicating that Rome makes laws and or changes God's laws Daniel 7:25} This word "SEAT" comes from Kathizo-- kath-id'- zo, from which we have "Cathedral" or the Bishop's {Overseer) and also the expression- "ex cathedra" , or "from his seat", officially. There, in that exalted cathedral position, and claiming to represent God, the man of sin was to act and abide as the pretended vicar, but real antagonist, of Christ, undermining His authority, abolishing His laws, and oppressing His people.

COMPARISON BETWEEN DANIEL AND PAUL.
  Eyes= overseer, mouth = teacher ecclesiastical.

Both are Roman."The self-exalting horn or head represented by Daniel is roman; it belongs to the fourth or the Roman empire. So, also, does Paul's man of sin, for the imperial  government seated at Rome needed to be removed in order to make way for its rise and dominion. It was to be the successor of the Caesars at Rome. The both have the same geographical seat."
Note: (J.B.) They both even share the same title Pontifix Maximus. statues and both have the letters P.M. engraved!
      " They have the same chronological point of origin: Both arise on the fall of the old undivided empire of Rome. They have the chronological termination: Daniel's little horn perishes at the coming of the son of man (Christ) in glory, and Paul's man of sin is destroyed at the epiphany."

Both exalt themselves against God: Daniel mentions the proud words of the blasphemous little horn, and Paul the audacious deeds of the man of sin, showing himself as Divine.
Both begin as small: inconspicuous powers, and develop gradually to a very great and influential ones.
Both claim to be teachers of men:  Daniel's little horn was to ha ve eyes, as a bishop, or overseer [ the meaning of the word bishop]; and that he was to have a mouth, that is that he was to be a teacher; while Paul assigns to the man of sin ecclesiastical eminence. A proud position in the temple of God, or Christian Church.
Both are persecutors: Daniel describes the little horn as a persecutor wearing out the saints, and Paul speaks of the man of sin as :opposing," and calls him , "The Lawless One"  Romanism and the Reformation.

Does not all this point to the then and the now, not to something deep in past, Preterism, nor fat into future, Futurism?

To sum up:" The two have the same place---Rome; the same period, from the sixth century (500's) to the second Coming of Christ in glory: the same wicked character, the same lawlessness, the same self-exalting defiance of God, the same gradual growth from weakness to dominion, the same persecuting character, the same two-fold doom."
    "These resemblances are so important, so numerous, so comprehensive, and so exact, as to prove beyond all question that the self-exalting, persecuting power predicted by Daniel and this man of sin foretold by Paul are one and the same power. Even Romanists admit this to be the case, and call the power thus doubly predicted the Antichrist." Romanism and the Reformation
112:35.

To be cont. Part 4.

Thanking Y O U for your time:  Comments?  Questions? www.servant@frontier.com   John

Want to learn more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM. You just may find that Jesus can fill that void in your heart.

Other sites: wwwblbn.org www.amazingdiscoveriesa. org and find Reformation Rekindled Two Pillars of the Reformation. from which this is taken.