"that man of sin"

[dudley]

if (and I say IF), if the drafters of the confession ARE correct

I ask the question this way because eventhough everyone on this forum is supposed to hold to the confession, my experience is that many who hold to the rest of the confession do not agree with the confession on this point.

So what do you think...

If the drafters of the confession are correct in saying that the Pope of Rome is "that man of sin" mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, do we contribute to the "strong delusion" mentioned in verse 11 when we tell people that the Pope of Rome is not "that man of sin?"

Philip, your original question was If the drafters of the confession are correct in saying that the Pope of Rome is "that man of sin" mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, do we contribute to the "strong delusion" mentioned in verse 11 when we tell people that the Pope of Rome is not "that man of sin?"
" I will answer with an affirmative yes.” Please read the following reputable sources as well as biblical proof which I believe it supports my case that there is biblical proof the papacy and all the popes are the antichrist.

'The same line of proof which establishes that Christ is the promised Messiah, conversely applied, establishes that the Roman system is the predicted Apostasy. In the life of Christ we behold the CONVERSE of what Antichrist must be; and in the prophecy of the Antichrist we are shown the CONVERSE of what Christ must be and was. And when we place the Papacy between the two, and compare it with each, we find on the one hand, that it is the perfect CONVERSE of Christ as seen in His life; and on the other, that it is the perfect image of the Antichrist, as shown in the prophecy of him. WE CONCLUDE, THEREFORE, THAT IF Jesus OF NAZARETH BE THE Christ, THE ROMAN PAPACY IS THE ANTICHRIST.'
— Dr. J. A. Wylie

But the definition of Antichrist is stated by John thus, 'He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.' I John 2:22.

Christ predicts the dynasty of the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Note carefully His language. He warns in Matthew chapter twenty-four against the deception of antichrist but never uses the singular in His references.

He speaks of the dynasty, of 'many' not 'one.' ‘For many shall come in My Name,’ Matt. 24:5. This does away with the Atheistical antichrist, the Communist antichrist, the Jewish antichrist, the purely political antichrist. The dynasty of antichrists will come in the name of our Lord, the true Christ of God. How this points its finger at the Pope and the Papacy. The Pope is the only person who fits the prediction

'Saying I am Christ,' Matt. 24:5. Notice how Christ changes from the plural 'many' to the singular 'I.' This is the personal claim of each individual Pope. Listen to their own words.
'I alone despite my unworthiness, am the successor of the Apostles, the Vicar of Jesus Christ: I alone have the mission to guide and direct the barque of Peter; I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.' - Pope Pius IX.

Dr. Ian R. K. Paisley says:

The narratives of Mark and Luke confirm these statements of our Lord in Matthew's Gospel.
‘And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.’ Mark 13:5-7.
‘And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.’ Mark 13:21-23.
‘And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.’ Luke 21:8-9.
‘And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.’ Luke 17:23.
Christ has told us that many false Christs will appear after His ascension to glory and before His return. When we open the Pages of history we see how our Lord's words have been so literally fulfilled. Many Christs who professed to come in His Holy Name have appeared exactly as He predicted - at least 265 of them - all phoney christs, self styled christs, false christs and all harboured by the Church of Rome. Of them all Christ said, ‘BELIEVE THEM NOT.’
How clearly Christ predicted the Papacy. How plainly Christ interpreted for us the prophecies of Daniel and John. We bow to His authority and rejoice that the Antichrist has not deceived us and we have not gone after him as the world has.

The Popes of Rome for centuries have, under the title of Vicar of Christ, been masquerading as christs.

Ever since the Bishop of Rome got a taste for power, early in the Christian era, he yelled, ‘I AM Christ,’ and right down to Pope John Paul II they have been yelling it, shouting it, trumpeting it and parroting it. The halls of Christendom have not been without this din for sixteen centuries. Reverberations and amplifications from the original cries and their echoes and re-echoes plus added new yells multiplied a million tunes by the Roman acoustics of the halls, plague us daily. I am Christ! I AM Christ! I AM Christ! THIS IS THE CONFESSION OF THE ANTICHRIST. THANK GOD WE RECOGNISE HIM.
If any man shall say unto you, lo here is Christ, or lo He is there, believe Him not.'

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

Just to clarify, my view does not of necessity entail the pope being the final antichrist or “that man of sin”.

 

[MW]

May I suggest, before dogmatising about the teaching of the Confession, that three points of grammatico-historical interpretation be observed.

1. Grammatically, the demonstrative "that" differs from the definite "the" in the statement "that man of sin."

2. Contextually, there is significance in the statement appearing in relation to a chapter on the church rather than in relation to the final two chapters of the Confession which deal with eschatology.

3. Historically, the divines themselves regarded historical fulfilment of Scripture as a point of application rather than interpretation, strictly speaking. Consider its chapter on assurance of faith in appropriating the promises.