# 4: 2-6-09

2 Thessalonians 2:4-5, Part 1

Paul was writing to the believers in Thessalonica with the intent of clearing up an error that had infiltrated
the assembly there. It appears that they had succumbed to false teaching concerning end-time events, and
had begun to think that the Day of the Lord that Day of judgment that will come upon the whole earth
would precede the Rapture the catching up of the church.
It is likely that the intense persecution that this assembly was suffering contributed to this mistaken
impression. Paul recognized that it was imperative for these believers to understand the correct order of
events, lest they begin to believe that their God was unfair or unloving; or that Jesus did not effect their
complete salvation. These would be grave deceptions.
The first thing Paul did to clear up their misconceptions was to point out that the tribulations they were
experiencing in Thessalonica were trials of faith, and that these would result in their purification, which
would fit them for the kingdom of God. These trials were a far cry from the Tribulation that would be
experienced by the wicked, which would be punitive in nature, and ultimately would result in everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord (2 Th 1:9).
Next, Paul began to make his argument to demonstrate to the Thessalonians that they could not possibly be
in the Day of the Lord. Paul did this by reminding the Thessalonians that the rapture would precede the
Day of the Lord; that is, they would not be present on the earth when the Day of the Lord arrived. Paul lays
out the correct order of the events several times over, in order to reinforce his teaching on the subject.
Last week, we saw that Paul begins by saying that the Day of the Lord will not come unless the falling
away comes first that is, the departure, speaking of the rapture of the church, when believers will be
caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Only then will the man of sin be revealed.
The man of sin, or man of lawlessness in some manuscripts, is Pauls title for the last world ruler who will
come on the scene in the final days, and lead the world in rebellion against the Lord and His Christ (Ps 2:2).
The appearance of the man of sin on center stage will signal the beginning of the Day of the Lord;
something that the Thessalonian believers will never be around to see nor will any believer.
Paul calls the man of sin the son of perdition, emphasizing both his destructive character, as well as his
ultimate destiny everlasting destruction in the Lake of Fire as foreordained by the Lord. Paul then went
on to describe the singular act of sin that this man will commit which will conclusively demonstrate that
Gods judgment of him is righteous. Were going to read from verse 3, to get Pauls full meaning.
2:3-5 Paul is saying that the Day of the Lord will not come until the church departs from the earth; but he is
also saying that the Day of the Lord will come with the revelation on the man of sin.
Although all of this mans actions will be characterized by lawlessness, Paul records just one particular act
of the man of sin his act of greatest blasphemy. It is for this action that he is characterized by the Holy
Spirit as the son of destruction, for it will seal his own condemnation, as well as that of anyone who
believes in his great deception.
What is it that the man of sin will do? He will make the claim that he is God; and he will demand to be
worshiped. What can be a more heinous sin than for the creature to declare that he is the Creator, and claim
the worship that belongs to God alone?

# 4: 2-6-09

The man of sin will not make this claim immediately; in fact, he will not do so until the middle of the
Tribulation, three and a half years after he has come on the scene. This will be the fullness of his revelation
as the man of sin, the son of perdition.
Now, Pauls purpose in this letter was not to give the believers in Thessalonica a short course in the
Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ. His purpose was to correct an error that they had begun to
believe. Paul was citing certain key events, about which he had already instructed the assembly in
Thessalonica, in order to jog their memories this is what he is saying in verse 5.
But by what Paul is saying, and by the fact that Pauls outline of events here is so sketchy, we can surmise
that Paul did give this assembly a complete picture of the end time events when he was still with them (v.
5). What I would like to do here is to fill out Pauls sketch a little bit, to give you a more complete picture
of the Day of the Lord, from the perspective of the man of sin, which is Pauls emphasis here.
Pauls understanding of the man of sin would have come from several sources: from the OT Scriptures,
particularly the prophet Daniel (Dan 2, 7-9,11); from the teachings of Jesus concerning His Second
Coming, which we find in the gospels (Mt 24, Mk 13, Lk 21); and even from the history of Pauls nation,
Israel, particularly concerning the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV and the Roman emperor, Caligula.
Ultimately, Pauls understanding of the man of sin, as recorded in this letter, had to be revealed to Paul by
the Holy Spirit, who alone could bring together history and prophecy to create this profile.
Well begin with the words of Jesus concerning His Second Coming. Turn to Matthew chapter 24. Mark
and Luke also contain a record of Jesus words about His return.
This was the final week of Jesus life. He had made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, showing Himself
to be Israels King, in fulfillment of Zechariahs prophecy (Zech 9:9). Initially, the crowds welcomed
Jesus, professing their recognition of Him as the Son of David (Mt 21:9). But the multitudes were riding
high on emotion, and by the end of the week, the same crowds would be crying out for Jesus to be
crucified.
After entering Jerusalem, Jesus cleansed the temple. Then He healed the blind and the lame there, and
began to teach the people. The chief priests and the elders challenged Jesus, but He confounded them with
the wisdom of His answers. Jesus spoke a series of parables to them stories with a hidden meaning,
which could be understood by those seeking the truth. These parables pointed to the judgment of those
who reject the Son whom God sent.
Jesus then pronounced judgments of scathing woes upon the Pharisees and scribes the hypocritical, false
teachers of the people. Finally, Jesus expressed His grief over Jerusalem, a figure of the nation, who, in
rejecting Him, left herself defenseless against the pending judgment of God which would come upon her
(Mt 21:12-23:39).
The disciples were present for all that Jesus said; yet, afterward, when Jesus went out of the temple, they
conducted Him on a tour of the temple grounds Herods version of the temple. Apparently, they were
awed by the magnificence of the buildings (Mk 13:1, Lk 21:5). Jesus gave them a needed reality check,
and filled them in on what was to become of that temple.

# 4: 2-6-09

[Matthew 24:1-5]

v. 1-2 This would have stunned the disciples of Jesus, as they gazed on the many splendid buildings of the
temple complex some of which were not even completed. The words of Jesus would be fulfilled within
four decades, in 70 AD, when God would employ the Romans to raze Jerusalem to the ground, and destroy
the temple quite literally leaving not one stone upon another. The temple would have been completed
only six years before.
The pronouncement of Jesus stern judgment had a sobering effect on His disciples. Having heard the
parables and woes of judgment on the rulers, followed by the judgment on Jerusalem, and now on the
temple, the disciples refocused themselves on all that Jesus had been saying, and came to Him with
questions.
v. 3 Now, it is critical to understand what it was that the disciples were asking, in order to understand what
Jesus answer meant. The first question was, When will these things be? What things? Not just the
judgment on the temple, but also the final judgment to which the parables alluded.
Although Matthew does not record it, Luke records the words of Jesus concerning the soon-to-come
judgment on Jerusalem and the temple, which would take place within four decades (Lk 21:20-24). You
may want to look at that on your own.
What we find in Matthews record is the answer to the second question of the disciples: What will be the
sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? Jesus answer contains many details of the final judgment
that is coming on the earth the Day of the Lord which will culminate in the His Second Coming the
return of the King, at the end of the age.
Now, to whom was Jesus speaking? To His disciples. Was Jesus speaking to them as members of the Body
of Christ, or as Jews? This is crucial to determine. He is speaking to them as Jews.
Does the Body of Christ the church exist, at this point in time? No the church is still a mystery. The
church will come out of the death of Jesus (Gen 2:21-22, Ps 139:15, 16). Until the disciples are
sequestered in the Upper Room with Jesus, just before His death, He generally speaks to them as Jews who
have believed into Him.
A further evidence that Jesus is speaking to His disciples as Jews is realized when you consider what this
passage is about: The Day of the Lord, and the Second Coming of Christ to the earth. Will the church go
through the Day of the Lord? No; but the Jews will. Will the church be present on the earth when Jesus
returns? No; but the Jews will.
Jesus gives this revelation to His disciples as Jews including Matthew and John, who will record His
words not because they need to know, but because there will be many Jews who will be searching the
Scriptures for answers during the Tribulation; they will find their answers here.
v. 4-5 The very first thing Jesus said, giving it prominence, is not to be deceived about His coming again.
Many will profess to be the Christ the Anointed One of God and there will be those who believe them.
Jesus was giving His people a heads-up not to be misled by false Messiahs. Why? Because they will be
inclined to do just that.

# 4: 2-6-09

Even in our lifetime, we have heard of those who profess to be Christ, come again to the earth in our own
country, Jim Jones; David Koresh. Not a few have been fooled by these charismatic individuals, and have
followed them to their deaths. And there have been others, at other times, in other countries.
But Jesus is speaking specifically about the Jews here. As the end times approach, there will be more
individuals who claim to be the Christ. Since the unbelieving Jews did not know the time of their
visitation (Lk 19:44) that is, they did not recognize Jesus to be their Messiah in His first coming they
will be prone to believe in a false Messiah.
Turn to John chapter 5. The Jewish rulers had confronted Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, and making
Himself equal with God, by stating God to be His Father. Jesus spoke of the authority He had from the
Father to give everlasting Life to those who believe in Him, and to execute judgment on those who do not.
Jesus indicated the many, many witnesses there were to Him, to help them to believe in Him: John the
Baptist; the works that the Father gave Jesus to do; the Father Himself; and the Scriptures.
[John 5:40-43] This statement of Jesus is prophetic. Time and again, the Jews have been deceived into
following false messiahs, who rose up, claiming to be somebody (Acts 5:36). They were usually
insurrectionists, who led the Jews in uprisings against the civil government, which were then brutally
suppressed.
But Jesus was looking further, all the way to the end times, to the one who would come in his own name
the name of a mere man and yet profess to be the Jews Messiah their Savior so he will also come in
Jesus name, saying I am the Christ.
And the unbelieving Jews will receive this man. Why? Because he will promise to give them what they
want. This is the man of sin; the Antichrist, as John calls him (1 John 2:18). What is it that the man of sin
will promise the Jews, that they so desire? He will promise them peace.
Turn to Daniel chapter 9. This contains the prophecy that the angel Gabriel gave to the prophet Daniel
concerning his people, the Jews. They were currently in captivity in Babylon. We went through this
prophecy in detail in First Thessalonians, so I will refer you back to that study, for more information on the
timing (CD # 9).
Remember that the word weeks here means a heptad seven years and that the timing of this prophecy
is based on when God is actively dealing with His people, the Jews.
[Daniel 9:24-27]
v. 24 God has decreed 490 years (70 X 7) for Daniels people, the Jews, to repent of their sins, and to
receive their Messiah as their king. The time of this prophecy goes from Daniels day all the way until
Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth (more than 2500 years). Obviously, the time therefore cannot
be continuous.
v. 25 The beginning of this 490-year period was when the Persian king Cyrus issued the decree to restore
and rebuild Jerusalem (Ez 1:1-4). From that time, until Messiah the Prince, there would be seven heptads
plus sixty two heptads, totaling 69 heptads, or 483 years. It is known that this corresponds to the time when
Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the King of Israel. This leaves just one heptad seven
years until the fulfillment of the decreed 490 years.

# 4: 2-6-09

v. 26 Less than a week after Jesus came into Jerusalem as the King, the people rejected Him; Messiah was
cut off in death. When Jesus was cut off, it was with nothing for Himself; that is, He did not at that time
receive His inheritance speaking of the earthly kingdom.

For rejecting their Messiah, the Jews incurred the judgment of God, at the hand of the Romans in 70 AD; as
mentioned before, they destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The prophecy indicates that the Romans are
the people of the prince who is to come. That is to say, the prince who is to come a future ruler will
come out of the Roman Empire, which will be revived at that future time. This future ruler is the man of
sin.
When Messiah was cut off in death, the prophetic clock stopped; for God had stopped dealing with Daniels
people, who had rejected their Messiah. Remember the prophecy is directed to Daniels people, the Jews.
The prophetic clock remains at a standstill throughout the church age, as the gospel goes out to the ends of
the earth, and the Lord takes for Himself a Gentile bride. When the bride is caught up to be with her Lord,
the time will come for God to resume His dealings with Israel; and the prophetic clock will start again.
How much time is left on the clock? A heptad seven years.
v. 27 From the context, we can see that the pronoun he in the first clause refers back to the prince who
is to come in v. 26; the man of sin. He will confirm a covenant with many for one heptad seven years.
The word confirm carries the meaning of making strong, or causing to prevail. The root is commonly
associated with warfare. The covenant can be seen in this context to refer to an agreement between men;
it does not have to do with God.
It has been commonly thought that this part of the prophecy means that the man of sin will negotiate a
peace treaty between Israel and her enemies. But based on the meaning of the word confirmed, it may be
more likely that the man of sin will not negotiate peace, but send in peace-keeping troops, to cause peace to
prevail in Israel. The troops will enforce a policy of peace between Israel and her enemies, ensuring
security for Israel.
This seems more likely in light of current events, as well. In fact, there have already been heads of
government that have made the suggestion to use peace-keeping troops in the Middle East.
Who are the many with whom the man of sin will confirm the covenant? Undoubtedly, Israel will be
one; and she will see the man of sin as her deliverance from her enemies, who seek to wipe Israel off of the
map. Secular Israel desires peace and security above all else; and the man of sin, as the one who
guarantees it, will be seen by her as her savior.
Here is the false Messiah that Jesus had warned about. Yet despite His warning, the nation of Israel will be
deceived. In Jesus day, Israel was seeking a political Messiah who would deliver them from their Roman
oppressors; in the end times, they will still be seeking that same Messiah. The unbelieving Jews are
seeking a temporal deliverance. They have yet to recognize their overriding need to be saved from their
sins an everlasting deliverance.

# 4: 2-6-09

The confirmation of the covenant by the man of sin will mark the beginning of the final seven-year period
of Daniels prophecy. This seven-year period is the Tribulation. Although Daniels prophecy tells us that
the man of sin will confirm the covenant for seven years, it will only last for half of that time; the peace he
provides will prove to be false.

We have the advantage of having the Revelation that Jesus gave to the apostle John, to help fill out the
details for us about what will occur during the Tribulation. Revelation chapter 6 records the seven seal
judgments, which cover the entire period of the Tribulation. The seals are opened sequentially. The first
four reveal that the man of sin will conquer through peace, but that he will then take that peace from the
earth through war. Famine, pestilence and death will follow on its heels (Rev 6:1-8).
For the first 3 years of the Tribulation, the peace confirmed by the man of sin will be enforced in Israel;
but that doesnt mean that there is not war anywhere else, or that the peace in Israel is not threatened.
Return to Matthew 24. Jesus continued to recount the events of the Day of the Lord.
[Matthew 24:6-8] Jesus indicates that before the end, that is, when He returns, there will be many
catastrophic events. Some will be natural disasters, such as famines and earthquakes. War is the result of
mans activity in this world. Pestilence disease can be a natural occurrence, or can be the result of war.
Now, have we seen all of these things in the world? Yes. Have they been going on since ancient times?
Certainly. But Jesus states that these are the beginning of sorrows. The word for sorrows in the Greek,
when in the singular, refers to the travail or pain of childbirth.
Although it is in the plural here, I believe Jesus chose this word intentionally to reflect that these
catastrophic events will be like labor pains; as time progresses from the beginning of the Tribulation, the
catastrophic events will get closer and closer together, and cause more and more suffering. Although these
labor pains will get worse and worse, ultimately, they will result in a birth the regeneration of the nation
Israel.
It would not be surprising if we were to experience some early labor pains even before the Tribulation
begins; perhaps that explains in part the increase in frequency and intensity of natural disasters worldwide.
Some recent examples are the hurricanes in the southern US and the Caribbean, the firestorms in the
western US, the earthquakes in Pakistan and China, the tsunami in Indonesia, and the cyclone in Myanmar.
There certainly is never any shortage of wars and rumors of war we Americans are currently fighting
wars on two fronts, ourselves but there is one war which is prophesied concerning Israel, which will most
likely unfold as the world approaches the midpoint of the Tribulation in the midst of all these everincreasing calamities.
The LORD gave Ezekiel a prophecy concerning the end times, when a swarm of nations will join forces and
launch an attack against Israel, who at that time will be dwelling in peace and safety in their land. But
before we go back to look at that prophecy, we need to understand more about the power base of the man of
sin for he will be involved in that conflict. We will make a very quick construct of this power base.

# 4: 2-6-09

Turn to Daniel chapter 2. In the second year of his reign in Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing
dream, which he asked his wise men to recount and explain. Daniel was one of the Jews who had been
taken into captivity back in Babylon, and was in training for the kings court as one of his wise men. But
Daniel was already wise, for he knew the LORD. God revealed to Daniel both the kings dream, as well as
its interpretation.
[Daniel 2:31-35] This was the dream. The interpretation that God gave to Daniel revealed that each
section of the image represented kingdoms that would succeed one another; one would take over in place of
the other.

The entire image represents the times of the Gentiles (Lk 21:24) when the Gentiles would have world
dominion. The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Babylonian empire. His
kingdom would be succeeded by the Medo-Persian empire the chest and arms of silver followed by the
Greek empire the belly and thighs of bronze. The Greek empire would be succeeded by the Roman
empire the two legs of iron, reflecting its eastern and western portions.
The Roman empire has never been succeeded by another empire. Rome was never conquered by another
kingdom, but instead disintegrated from within. Still, it has retained its skeletal form for centuries through
the papacy. The final world empire will be a resuscitated version of this form, which is often referred to as
the Revived Roman Empire. This is represented by the feet of the image.
In Nebuchadnezzars dream, the iron continued from the legs into the feet of the image. The feet and toes
of the image were composed of both iron and clay. Now, iron and clay cannot be combined to make one
compound; and iron and clay will not adhere to each other.
This part of the image represents a kingdom that has not yet come a kingdom that will be a tenuous
mixture of clay, which symbolizes men, with their strong self-wills, and of iron, reflecting the domination
of the one behind this kingdom Satan. Satan will be represented in this unstable confederation by the
man of sin.
Where is the instability, in the image? In the feet, with its ten toes, which balance the entire image. This is
where the stone cut out without hands will strike, crushing the image to dust. What does the stone cut out
without hands represent? The LORDs anointed one; His Christ; He is the Rock, the Stone of Israel (Gen
49:24).
In Daniels interpretation, it is during the time of this last kingdom that the God of heaven will set up his
everlasting kingdom on earth through His Christ, and His kingdom will break up and consume all of these
kingdoms of men. The time of Gentile dominion will come to an end; and Gods kingdom will have
absolute dominion forever.
Turn to Daniel chapter 7. Fifty years later, Daniel was given another prophetic vision. Although this
vision also relates to kingdoms, it is not another version of Nebuchadnezzars dream of the image.
In this later vision, these kingdoms were portrayed as great beasts, that came up from the sea. They did not
succeed one another; they existed concurrently. Also in this vision, the dominion of the first three
kingdoms was taken away, but the kingdoms were not destroyed, as in Nebuchadnezzars dream. Only the
last kingdom is destroyed, in this later dream.

# 4: 2-6-09

In this later dream, the first three beasts represent three kingdoms that will be present during the end times.
For the sake of our overview, I will just tell you that the lion represents Great Britain, the bear represents
Russia, and the leopard represents India. The fourth and last beast is described by Daniel as dreadful and
terrible, and exceedingly strong (Dan 7:7). It had huge iron teeth, with which it devoured; and it trampled
the earth under its feet, breaking it in pieces.
This fourth beast had ten horns. A little one came up among them, and plucked out three of the horns by
the roots. Later Daniel saw that the little horn was making war against the saints, and was prevailing
against them (Dan 7:21). The saints in this case would be Gods people, the Jews.

The fact that this beast had ten horns links it to the last kingdom of Nebuchadnezzars image, with its ten
toes; in the interpretation, both represent kings (Dan 2:44, 7:24). Both of these the feet with ten toes of
iron and clay, and the terrible beast are the last kingdom, from different perspectives; and both are seen to
incur the LORDs judgment, and are destroyed.
This is what the LORD shared with Daniel concerning the fourth beast.
[Daniel 7:23-27]
v. 23 This is the last world kingdom, the Revived Roman Empire, as seen in the feet and toes of
Nebuchadnezzars image. It shall conquer through devouring assimilating nations; through breaking in
pieces a divide and conquer approach, to those nations that resist; and through trampling destruction,
for those nations that continue to resist. This will be its agenda throughout the Tribulation.
v. 24 In Scripture, horns represent power, or those who hold it. The kings of our day are chancellors, prime
ministers, and presidents. Ten of them will retain the military power in this empire. The one that shall arise
after them is the little horn; he will come on the scene late, perhaps with a meteoric rise to power. He will
gain control over three of the rulers, so as to have their vote, and the most powerful say in this
confederation. This of course, is the man of sin.
v. 25 The word pompous is not present in this verse, but it is in verse 8, 11 and 20. The man of sin will
be great with words; he will be a persuasive politician. When he first appears on the scene, and secures
peace in the Middle East, he will seem to be a great success, and a friend of Israel; but half-way through the
Tribulation, he will show his true colors.
This is when the man of sin will be fully revealed for who he is; anti-God and anti-Christ. His pompous
words are directed against the Most High God El Elyon, the possessor of heaven and earth. As Paul
brought out, the man of sin will both oppose God and exalt himself above God he will do so by claiming
the worship that is due to God alone. Here we see that his full intention is the same as his masters: to be
like the Most High God (Is 14:14).
Once the man of sin is fully revealed, Israel will have their eyes opened to who he truly is: not their
Messiah, but the Antichrist. Their categorical rejection of him will result in him persecuting them with a
vengeance never before seen on this earth. This will take place during the last 3 years of the Tribulation.

# 4: 2-6-09

We are told that this man will even try to change times and law. He is determined to cast away all of Gods
restraints; but He who sits in the heavens shall laugh (Ps 2:3-4).
v. 26-27 The end of this kingdom is its destruction, as it is for its ruler, the man of sin.
In the Revelation the Jesus gave to John, we find a description of this last world empire that reflects this
dream of Daniel. Turn to Revelation chapter 13. We cant do this in any detail, but will just add to our
picture a bit.
[Revelation 13:1-3]
v. 1 John was standing on the sand, and saw a beast rising out of the sea a kingdom, coming out of the
sea of humanity. This is the final world kingdom. Both the kingdom and its ruler are called the Beast in
the book of Revelation, for they are one in the same. Just like the dragon in Revelation 12, which
represents Satan, this beast has seven heads and ten horns; this is clearly marked as his beast.
v. 2 This beast has characteristics of Daniels first three beasts in his vision. This beast possesses the subtle
stealth of a leopard, the crushing power of the feet of a bear, and the authoritative mouth of a lion the king
of the jungle. Enabling and empowering this terrible beast is the dragon Satan.
v. 3 Here we see one of the heads of the beast had a deadly wound, but it was healed. This is seen in the
Revived Roman Empire, for it would have seemed that Rome had no prospect of rising again, once it fell; it
seemed that empire had ceased to exist.
We can recognize this Revived Roman Empire in our day it is the European Union. It is interesting to
note that, although the EU currently has 27 member nations, only the first ten are considered permanent
members; the rest are considered associate members. These original ten are the Western European
Alliance, and they have the control of the military wing of the EU they are likely the ten horns.
This is the powerful confederation of which the man of sin will be the primary mouthpiece. Empowered by
Satan, it will confirm the covenant with many, securing peace for Israel for a time. Now we are ready to
consider a disturbance of that peace which will most likely occur in the first half of the Tribulation. We
find it prophesied in Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39.
[Ezekiel 38-39:16]
38:1-2 Im just going to give you the modern nations that are thought to correspond to these ancient ones.
I have provided more detail on your sheets.
Gog is the name of the ruler of the land of Magog. Magog is thought to now be many of the Muslim
countries northeast of Israel, which were part of the former Soviet Union. Rosh is identified with Russia,
as the nation to the far north (Ez 38:15); Meshech and Tubal, are identified with Turkey, also to the north of
Israel. So we see Russia in alliance with several Muslim nations; all are enemies of Israel.
Now, why would Russia be allied with Muslim nations? In a word oil. In our day, the one who controls
oil will be the dominant economic force in the world. Russia is determined to be that force. We can see
this happening in our day.

# 4: 2-6-09

10

v. 3-6 Persia is modern-day Iran; ancient Ethiopian also included Sudan; Libya is still Libya; and Gomer
and Beth-Togarmah are identified with regions in Turkey. More enemies of Israel.
v. 7-8 Notice the timing here Israel is back in her land, after having been dispersed among the nations.
v. 9-12 Notice the situation of Israel; they are relaxed; they are off-guard. No walls, no bars, no gates; a
peaceful people dwelling in safety. Why? They believe those peace-keeping troops are going to keep the
peace. But peace-keeping troops could never handle such a massive attack as is planned here! Notice what
the aggressors want: they want Israels possessions, and they want Israels land, including Jerusalem. They
never really did buy into that peace.
v. 13 This verse refers to nations that are not in the alliance against Israel. Sheba and Dedan include the
peoples of the Arabian peninsula: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

The merchants of Tarshish is a term that in ancient times described the westernmost part of human
civilization. All their young lions is thought to refer to the market-based economies of Western Europe
that is, the EU. It may even refer more specifically to Great Britain and its young lions: Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, the African colonies, and the United States. All of these nations currently have
relations with one another.
Notice that these nations issue a statement of challenge to those who have come to destroy Israel.
v. 14-16 Ezekiels description would translate into modern weaponry today. The attack will be from the
north; through the mountains of Israel there.
v. 17-23 What will happen? The LORD God Himself will destroy the enemies of Israel. First, there will be
an earthquake. Then, in the confusion, the armies will begin to destroy each other; then disease will afflict
the troops; and finally, the LORD will rain down floods, hailstones, fire and brimstone. The LORD God will
utterly destroy Israels enemies; and through this supernatural judgment, He will make Himself known to
those with eyes to see.
The judgment continues.
39:1-8 The LORD God will make Himself known to Israel and all the nations to whomever is willing to
see.
v. 9-10 The weapons they collect will supply their energy needs for seven years. Could the weapons have
been nuclear-powered? Notice the note of retributive justice here.
v. 11-12 It will take seven months to bury all the bodies; but they must be buried, for they defile the land.
v. 13-16 Take note here that all the people of the land will be burying the bodies, and gain renown for it.
The peacekeepers would surely be needed for this work.

# 4: 2-6-09

11

This may help to clarify a verse in Revelation 13. Turn back there again. We left off with all the world
marveling after the beast, and following it. Remember the beast represents the kingdom and the ruler.
[Revelation 13:4-6]
v. 4 Wouldnt it make great sense, after the LORD God defeats the enemies of Israel by supernatural means,
that the Revived Roman Empire, with its peacekeeping troops, would take credit for the victory?
Remember that Ezekiels prophecy spoke of all the people of the land gaining renown for it would that
not mean for the victory, which the LORD had won?
Then you could see how all the world would honor the beast, for his great victory: Who is like the beast?
Who is able to make war with him? After the defeat of that multitude of armies; they must think, no one
is like him; no one can make war with him.
v. 5-6 It is following the victory over the Russian-Islamic coalition that the man of sin blasphemes God
and all that is of Him, for the man of sin desires the praise of men for himself.

This brings us to the middle of the Tribulation, of which Paul spoke to the Thessalonians - when the man of
sin is revealed for who he truly is, and sets up an image of himself in the temple in Jerusalem, demanding
to be worshiped as God. This is the abomination that makes desolate, prophesied by Daniel (Dan 9:27) and
cited by Jesus as He spoke to His disciples about His Coming at the end of the age (Mt 24:15). We will
consider this further next week.
Recall from Pauls letter to the Thessalonian assembly that he had asked his readers if they did not
remember he told them of these things (2 Th 2:5). How could they forget the most blasphemous act that
will ever be done by a man? It would serve as a reminder of the great evil from which the Lord Jesus will
deliver His own and from the wrath of God, that will be unleashed upon it.
We will continue next week as Paul moves from the blasphemous man of sin to the one who will destroy
him with the brightness of His coming.
Read 2 Th 2, Dan 8, 11, Rev 13, 17, 18.