Friday after the Second Sunday of End Time, 11/17/00

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. --NIV

In the name of the One Who tells us what will come so that we will not be deceived, amen.

Look carefully at our passage for today and ask yourself who this is talking about. Notice that the man of lawlessness sets himself up in the temple of God-the church, and exalts himself over everything that is called God. In the verses that follow, we see that his spirit existed already when St. Paul wrote this letter. We also see that he would be destroyed by Jesus when He returns. There is only one "person" that fits this description. Only one human institution that has existed for so long, and that is the Roman Papacy.

We do not understand that any one pope is the man of lawlessness. Nor do we assume that every pope is evil and damned. But the office of the papacy exists within the church, it speaks bold and arrogant things, places itself over all that is called God, existed in seed form in the days of Saint Paul, was held back until the fall of the Roman Empire, and was revealed for what it is at the time of the Reformation, yes even before that. Point for point of the man of lawlessness is fulfilled in the papacy except his destruction when Jesus returns. The signs are fulfilled; the day is very near. God keep you in the true faith unto the end, amen.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, all around us false christs try to deceive us. There are many within the church who speak a different gospel. Often that other gospel is very close to the real thing, but different enough to be damning and accompanied by signs and wonders to make us believe it. Protect us from such false gospels. Make us know Your Gospel so well that nothing can ever fool us. We ask this to the glory of Your holy name, amen.

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