There may have been threads like this already but I think it may be helpful for us to post - in list form - the prophecies in scripture that support who the "man of sin" was/is/will be (depending on your position whether preterist, historicist, futurist) while providing the identity of that man (or your best guess as to what type of man it'll be or where he'll come from).
I don't expect this thread to be too large seeing as there are probably only three points of view matching the three positions, but I think it'll help to see where certain members are coming from in other threads.
I was a futurist during my childhood and then became a historicist as an adult, and I've never been a preterist, so if others could provide the preterist and futurist lists (respectively) I'd appreciate it.
My intent for this thread is to provide passages to study and consider for each position.
Greetings!
I'm sorry to hear that you moved away from the truth from futurist to historicist regarding this issue.
Without going through all of the scriptures that you provided, I will provide the following:
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As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome.
32The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze,
33its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay.
34As you watched, a Rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.
35Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away,
and not a trace of them could be found. But the Rock that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 31-35)
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Head of Gold = Babylon
Chest and Arms of Silver = Medo/Persia
Belly and Thighs of Bronze = Greece
Legs of Iron = Rome
Feet of Part Iron and Clay = The Future Ten Toed Kingdom
The Stone cut out of the Mountain = The Lord Jesus
The Great Mountain that fills the whole earth = The Lord Jesus
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The statues represents all of the all human government, with the ten toed kingdom being that last kingdom who will rule with the beast as described in Revelation 17:12-13.
"The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive authority in one hour as kings, along with the beast. These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast."
The Rock cut out of the Mountain without human hands, is symbolically representing the Lord Jesus who will fall on the feet of the statue smashing it to pieces so that no trace of it will be found, i.e. the end of all human government. The reference to the Mountain falling on the feet of the statue will be carried out through God's wrath via the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments, with the outcome as follows:
"The great city was split into three parts, and
the cities of the nations collapsed."
The above verse takes place after the 7th bowl judgment, which is the last plague of wrath and the complete destruction of the nations takes place via that world-wide earthquake which will cause the cities of the nations to collapse.
This dismantling of all the nations is to make way for the Rock who will become a huge mountain filling the whole earth, which is in reference to the Lord's millennial kingdom on this present earth.
Just based on the scriptural information above, the Historical view is not supported by scripture in part for the following reasons:
The antichrist/beast has not yet been revealed and will be destroyed when the Lord returns to the earth to end the age:
"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming." (2 Thess.2:8)
"But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur." (Rev.19:20)
Neither the beast nor the false prophet have yet been revealed
In addition, that last ten-toed kingdom has not yet come into existence in order for the Rock to be able to fall on it smashing it to pieces, which is accomplished through the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments which is the wrath of God and which also has not yet taken place.
And before all of those things can take place, the Lord will come to gather His church to in order to keep us out of the hour of the trial which about to come upon the whole inhabited world, to try those dwelling upon the earth. Needless to say, the event of the Lord gathering His church has also not yet taken place, but must happen before any of the plagues of wrath can take place.
- He is restrained until "another power" is taken out of his way
Below is the correct rendering:
"He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way.
8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
The man of lawlessness is currently being restrained so that he can be revealed at his proper time. The One who is restraining the full impact of lawlessness and the man of lawlessness can only be referring to the Holy Spirit as that restraining power
- Will receive a deadly wound but will be healed
- All the world will marvel at him
- Will be in power for 42 months (1260 days)
- Another king will take his power
No other earthly king will take his power. He and his power will come to an end when the Lord returns to the earth to end the age, where both the beast and the false prophet will be thrown alive into the lake of fire. Immediately following that, Satan will be seized and thrown into the Abyss for a thousand years.
As a historicist, I believe this "man of sin" was and is the office of The Papacy, as it:
The man of sin is the antichrist and the beast which comes up out of the Abyss will be the power behind him.
One of the future popes is going to play the part of the false prophet.
The first beast is the antichrist who will be a man and who will be empowered by that angel of the Abyss, also called the beast who once was, now is not and yet will come up out of the Abyss. The second beast is the false prophet who as I believe, will be played by one of the future popes.
The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) with the office of the pope is the woman who will ride the beast. The antichrist/beast will afford her the power that she desires, which is to have every human being under the authority of the pope and the RCC.
- Ruled from 538 AD to 1798 AD (1260 years) until exiled by the French.
The number 1260 is in reference to literal days, not years. The book of Revelation refers to that seven year period as 1260 days, 42 months and a time, times and half a time, all referring to the two 3 1/2 year periods.
In Daniel 9:24, Israel and Jerusalem are given a decree of seventy 'sevens' or seventy seven-year periods (490 years). Sixty nine (483 years) were fulfilled when the Anointed One was cut off, i.e. Christ crucified. At that time God paused the last seven years to be fulfilled at the end of the age and began building His church. Once the church has been completed, the Lord will appear and catch up his church. Once the church has been gathered, then God will pick up right where He left off with Israel in fulfillment of that last seven years. Regarding this, Israel is already to go. For she has all of the furniture and items of the temple prepared. The Sanhedrin has been reconvened and have been studying the requirements for temple worship and sacrifice. This can be verified by going to
https://templeinstitute.org/
That last seven years is divided into two 3 1/2 year periods, which is initiated by that ruler/antichrist, establishing his covenant with many for One seven. In the middle of the seven years, he causes the sacrifices and offerings to cease and sets up that abomination that causes the desolation of Jerusalem and Judea. This event begins the second 3 1/2 years of that seven year period. Jesus returns at the end of that seven year period where He has the beast and the false prophet captured and Satan cast into the Abyss. It is at this time that the millennial kingdom will be established.
All of these events are still future. And I pray that God will give you understanding and turn you back to the truth.
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