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By Dr. Matthew A. Tsakanikas<\/em><\/p>\n Great Apostasy: Part I How Can the Man of Lawlessness Ascend God\u2019s Throne?<\/b><\/p>\n Saint Augustine gave multiple explanations for why a passage of scripture may be difficult to understand. Some of these included: due to a copyist\u2019s error; it could be due to a faulty translation; it could be that it simply exceeds the understanding of the exegetes; or, it could be because it was destined for future times to understand. Since Saint Paul is clear that the man of lawlessness will be revealed \u201cin his time\u201d (2 Thess 2:6), it would seem that this prophecy was for future times to understand and not Saint Paul\u2019s time. Additionally, Saint Peter is clear that \u201cno prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one\u2019s own interpretation\u201d since only the Spirit can reveal it (2 Pet 1:20-21). He further warns us that in Saint Paul\u2019s letters \u201cthere are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist\u2026\u201d (2 Peter 3:16).<\/span><\/p>\n Attempting to avoid ignorance and unstableness, this essay hopes to explore the context of Saint Paul\u2019s and the Church\u2019s mind concerning how a \u201cman of lawlessness\u201d can \u201ctake his seat in the temple of God\u201d and \u201cproclaim himself to be God\u201d (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). A primary rule of Catholic exegesis is \u201cfaith in Christ,\u201d that Sacred Scripture must be read first and foremost in the same Holy Spirit by which it was written (cf<\/span>. Verbum Domini<\/span><\/i> #25 & #34; <\/span>Dei Verbum<\/span><\/i> #12). This includes a proper grounding in the historical culture of the author, his theological context, and the known faith of the Church in her liturgies which preceded the sacred writings and followed them.<\/span><\/p>\n Explaining what would lead to the Second Coming, Saint Paul advised his listeners:<\/span><\/p>\n Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. [2 Thessalonians 2: 1-6]<\/span><\/p>\n The above passage follows by a few months Saint Paul\u2019s first ever extant letter to the Thessalonians (written about 51 A.D.). He is adding explanation to his comments from the First Letter to the Thessalonians; explaining not to expect the Second Coming until many things are in place. In his first letter, Paul gives clear teachings about what leads to the Lord\u2019s Second Coming: do not give in to immorality \u201cbecause the Lord is an avenger in all these things [violations of the moral law] as we solemnly warned you\u201d (1 Thess 4:6). He then speaks of the Second Coming (4:13-18) and reminds them: \u201cWhen people say, \u2018There is peace and security,\u2019 then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape\u201d (5:3).<\/span><\/p>\n The key to contextualizing this prophecy in Second Thessalonians about the \u201cman of lawlessness\u201d and his coming \u201cin his time\u201d requires understanding how one could take his seat in the temple of God as part of this future rebellion. To examine this question, this essay would like to demonstrate that Paul\u2019s prophecy was for the distant future, secondly, examine in Pauline and ecclesial faith what it means to take one\u2019s seat in God\u2019s temple or the throne of God, and finally, Part II will examine when taking a seat in God\u2019s temple is a sign of rebellion so serious that it necessitates Christ\u2019s return in glory.<\/span><\/p>\n Saint Paul points to a future time for \u201cthe rebellion\u201d that leads to the \u201cman of lawlessness\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n Since Paul is writing almost 20 years before the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and since Paul knows Jesus prophesied that the Second Temple would be destroyed in the lifetime of some of Jesus\u2019 original disciples (cf. Mark 13:2, 14, 30), Paul would have perceived already that the Second Coming could not happen until after the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed per Jesus\u2019 prophecy and promises. Per the prophecies of Daniel 2:35 [the kingdom of the Messiah] and 7:11 [Caesars\u2019 Rome as the 4<\/span>th<\/span> beast], Paul would not have believed the Second Coming was related to a man entering the Second Jewish Temple since that was no longer the true temple, it was going to be destroyed soon [70 A.D.], Rome had not yet been overcome by Christ\u2019s kingdom, and Jesus\u2019 glorified and risen body was the true Temple for Saint Paul.<\/span><\/p>\n In First Timothy, Paul is clear: \u201cNow the Spirit expressly says that <\/span>in later times<\/b> some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared\u2026\u201d (1 Timothy 4:1-2). In Second Timothy, Paul repeats the same need for bishops to always be correcting the faithful from selfish and immoral living \u201cin season and out of season\u201d: \u201cFor the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itchy ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths\u201d (cf. 2 Tim 4:2-4).<\/span><\/p>\n