The notion of the Son of Perdition or the Man of Sin or The Wicked One can be found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and John 17:12 and is a name commonly associated with the Antichrist (1 John 2:18 and 2 John 2:7), the Lawless One (Dan. 7 and 8), and the Beast of Revelation (Rev 13).
| “ | Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. | ” |
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.[1] The "man of sin" is variously identified with Caligula[2], Nero[3][4], John of Giscala[5], Papacy, and the end times Antichrist. Some scholars believe that the passage contains no genuine prediction (Paul "could not know" the future), but represents a speculation of the apostle's own, based on Dan 8:23 ff; 11:36 ff, and on current ideas of Antichrist(at the time)[6][2]. Some scholars today believe that 2 Thessalonians was not written by Paul.[7]
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Identifying features
- The lawlessness was already working in the 1st Century. (2Thessalonians 2:7)
- Exalted above God. (2Thessalonians 2:4)
- 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 70 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.
- First century disciples had been told about the Man of Sin (2Thessalonians 2:5) - The Thessalonians themselves know what is presently restraining the Man of Lawlessness; in fact the Man of Lawlessness is alive and waiting to be ‘revealed.’[8]
- Something is presently (ca. AD 52) restraining him - you know what is restraining [katechon; present participle], that he may be revealed in his own time (2Thessalonians 2.6) The similarity of qui claudit(Latin rendering of katechon) and Claudius has led many to conclude that Paul cryptically referred to Claudius Caesar by this allusion. The restraining power of Claudius was taken out of the way when he was poisoned by Nero’s mother, Agrippina. Nero then came to the throne and was revealed as the “man of sin”.[9]
Views
Roman Catholic church and Orthodox churches
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The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions considers him to come at the time of the End of the World, when the katechon, the one who restrains, will be taken out. Some understand katechon as the Grand Monarch or a new Orthodox Emperor, some as the rebirth of the Holy Roman Empire.
Historicist view
Some 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.
Dispensationalist or Futurist view
Dispensationalists view this as a reference to a coming world ruler(Antichrist) 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.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Son of Perdition is also a phrase used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as Mormons) to describe a person who will not take part in the glory of God in the afterlife.
This is in contrast to the vast majority of people, who will receive a "kingdom of glory" after the Final Judgment, and enter into one of three degrees of glory or intelligence after the resurrection; Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial Kingdoms.
Most Latter-day Saints believe that the Sons of Perdition will be cast into outer darkness; the scriptures do not use this exact phrase in connection with the Sons of Perdition, but state that they "shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels."[10]
Mormons believe that free will is one of the greatest gifts of God, and that there could be some who will completely reject Jesus Christ and salvation. God will not force someone, including Satan, to be saved if they do not desire to be saved. Therefore, Sons of Perdition are allowed to remove themselves from the presence of God and live in whatever degree of darkness they desire.
In an LDS context, the name Perdition refers to either Lucifer[11] or Cain[12] both of whom are symbols of ultimate evil.
According to LDS theology, there are two classes of persons who will become sons of perdition:
- The pre-mortal spirit followers of Satan. It is taught that, in the pre-mortal life, they chose to follow a plan proposed by Satan, rather than that presented by God the Father and Jesus. Thus ensued the War in Heaven, which resulted in Satan and his followers being cast out of heaven and denied the opportunity of receiving a physical body.
- Those in mortal life who "deny the Holy Ghost," which is generally interpreted as rejecting and denying Christ after receiving a personal witness of him from the Holy Ghost. It is frequently—though not universally—added that a son of perdition must have a "perfect knowledge" of Jesus and that mere faith or belief in him is not enough. Joseph Smith, Jr. taught:
- All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it.[13]
In the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 88:24, sons of perdition are described as inhabiting "a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory." The most comprehensive exposition of the phrase can be found in Section 76 in the Doctrine and Covenants.[14]
A few Mormon Church leaders have speculated whether or not there would be daughters of perdition, as well as sons of perdition. In 1860 Brigham Young stated, "I doubt whether it can be found, from the revelations that are given and the facts as they exist, that there is a female in all the regions of hell."[15] The next year he was even more emphatic, "Woman must atone for sins committed by the volition of her own choice, but she will never become an angel to the devil, and sin so far as to place herself beyond the reach of mercy." [16] In the same discourse he explained his reasoning, "She is not accountable for the sins that are in the world. God requires obedience from man, he is lord of creation, and at his hands the sins of the world will be required."[17] In 1903 another Church President, Joseph F. Smith, also affirmed "that there would be no daughters of perdition."[18] However, such views are far from universal. In a 1893 meeting Church President, Wilford Woodruff, and a group of LDS Apostles concluded, "That there will also be daughters of Perdition there is no doubt in the minds of the brethren"[19] Such posturing indicates that this subject has not been settled by a consensus of the Church leadership, nor by a revelation to one of the Church Presidents.
See also
- Antichrist
- Katechon
- Book of Daniel
- Beast of Revelation
- Daniel's Vision of Chapter 8
- Daniel Chapter 11
- Prophecy of Seventy Weeks
- Abomination of Desolation
- New World Order (conspiracy)
- Whore of Babylon
References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007) |
- ^ Schink, W.F. "The Scriptural Doctrine of the Antichrist." Our Great Heritage: Vol. 3 Ed. Lange, Lyle and Albrecht, Jerome G. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing house, 1991. p. 572.
- ^ a b Net Bible: Man of sin
- ^ St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on II Thess., Nicene-Post Nicene Fathers
- ^ Man of Sin, Kurt Simmons
- ^ What about Paul's "Man of Sin"?, John Noē
- ^ (compare Bousset, Der Antichrist, 93 ff, etc.)
- ^ Second Epistle to the Thessalonians#Authorship
- ^ Kenneth L. Gentry Jr, Perilous Times (1999, CMP), p. 104-106
- ^ F.W. Farrar, The Life and Work of St. Paul, Excursus XIX, (1879, Cassell and Co. ed), p. 727; Darkness and Dawn (1891), pp 73, 74; .Kenneth L. Gentry Jr, Perilous Times (1999, CMP), p. 104-106.
- ^ Doctrine and Covenants, Covenant 76:36
- ^ Doctrine and Covenants Section 76:26
- ^ Book of Moses 5:24
- ^ Joseph Smith, Jr., 1844-04-07, reprinted as “The King Follett Sermon,” Ensign, May 1971, 13.
- ^ Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76.
- ^ Journal of Discourses, 8:222
- ^ Discourse deliver October 8, 1861, p. 6, LDS Church Archives
- ^ Ibid, pp. 6-7
- ^ Stan Larsen, ed., A Ministry of Meetings: The Diaries of Rudger Clawson, (Salt Lake City: Smith Associates and Signature Books, 1993], p. 560
- ^ Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1997), p. 795
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
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