I could easily have posted this in Eschatology--not Theology. But this question is bigger than just Eschatology. It involves the struggle we have against Satanic condemnation. He appears in heaven before God to condemn us. And on that basis Antichrist assumes a posture within God's heavenly domain, or temple, proclaiming his verdict against the Church more powerful than God's.
So I'm posting here a letter I just sent to my brother. He was questioning whether the temple in 2 Thes 2.4, where Antichrist will sit, will be an actual literal, physical temple or a heavenly one? Dispensationalists commonly see this as a rebuilt, Jewish Temple, but I see it as an heavenly Temple, and I explain to my brother why I take this position.
My brother, like me, attends a Dispensationalist church, but my brother and I are both independent thinkers, and don't automatically agree with the "group think" in our denomination. However, I wish no offense to Dispensationalists, among whom I name many of my friends and brothers. Here is what I wrote him--try to keep an open mind!....
Dan 7.21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
...26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
Here is the main point. When Paul writes 2 Thessalonians, he is clearly referencing Daniel 7. He doesn't say this, but he has indicated this has been a previous Bible Study, so to speak. I feel it has to be Daniel 7 that he is referencing because...
1) Daniel 7 is the only passage in the Bible that deals in any detail with the Antichrist, or "Man of Sin." Paul is *not* giving a prophecy!
2) All of the elements in Daniel 7 are also referenced in 2 Thessalonians.
I will go a step farther and suggest that all of the NT eschatological references to Christ's Return are based on Daniel 7, as well. And that's because ...
1) Daniel 7 is the predominant passage that provides a framework for the 2nd Coming.
2) Some of the elements in Daniel 7 are at least partly referenced in all of these NT passages.
a. For example, whenever a NT eschatological passage references the Son of Man coming, it is, I believe, a reference to Dan 7, where the Son of Man is viewed as coming.
b. Another example would be a reference to Christ coming from heaven, or with the clouds. That also is a reference to Dan 7, where the Son of Man descends from heaven with the clouds.
c. Another example would be a reference to the establishment of Christ's Kingdom. That also is a reference to Dan 7, where God's Kingdom is established at the time the Son of Man descends from heaven.
d. Finally, any NT reference to the Antichrist is also a reference to Dan 7, since that is where the Lawless One, the Little Horn, originates in the Bible.
e. Incidentally. we also have peripheral references to being dressed as white as snow, thrones, and fire. These are all derived from Dan 7!
So, when Paul states in 2 Thes 2.4 that the Antichrist assumes a seat in God's Temple, we would naturally look back to Dan 7, to see how this concept originated. There, we see that God assumes a seat in heaven, where the Son of Man appears before Him, while the Lawless One boasts before God, appearing to usurp God's place on his throne. He stands in opposition to the Son of Man, and is thus called the "Antichrist" by the Apostle John.
The main idea here is that God's People want God's Kingdom to be established permanently on earth, since in Israel's history they failed to maintain His Kingdom time after time. And so, the Son of Man appears before the court of heaven on our behalf, while Antichrist boasts of his ability to destroy God's Kingdom on earth repeatedly.
Ultimately, the Son of Man descends from heaven, to deliver God's People from their failures, and to establish God's Kingdom permanently among them. And in the process, the Man of Sin is defeated.
The point is, the Antichrist is attempting to usurp God's seat in a *heavenly temple* before the Son of Man descends from heaven. This is a heavenly temple, and not an earthly one, and forms the core of Paul's teaching about this. Paul's idea is entirely derived from the passage in Dan 7 concerning God's throne in heaven before which the Son of Man appears, followed by the boasting of the Antichrist.
Dan 7.8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
9 “As I looked,
“thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened.
11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.
“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
So, if we're going to find a basis for Paul's claim that the Man of Sin will sit in God's temple, proclaiming himself God, it is here, in Dan 7. The "temple," we might assume, is this court in heaven where the Son of Man appears and where God's judgment and ruling against the Man of Sin takes place.
And it is Antichrist who boasts in this place that God's People have been disqualified from God's eternal Kingdom. He is thus "taking his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself God." He is ruling in place of God's judgment.
Job 1.6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
In conclusion, I don't believe Paul infers a literal, physical temple will exist that the Antichrist will take a seat in in order to declare himself God. He is posturing himself as God, judging men and declaring them ineligible for God's Kingdom, just as he is ineligible for God's Kingdom. The Antichrist, in a sense, appears before God's heavenly throne to plead disqualification for the Church. He is *posturing* as if he is in God's heavenly temple, in my opinion, based on Dan 7.
Since Paul is referring to Dan 7, he is identifying the "temple" with the place in heaven where the Son of Man appears before descending from heaven to establish God's Kingdom on earth. This is therefore God's heavenly temple, and not a temple on earth, in my opinion.
This is how the heavenly court, which I see as God's heavenly temple, relates to the temple Antichrist will take his seat in. And I think this heavenly court in Dan 7 also relates to the book of Revelation, which contains the exact same framework, the coming of the Son of Man with the clouds of heaven, his appearance on our behalf before the throne of God in heaven, the defeat of Antichrist, and the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth. There are other shared images, such as God's clothing appearing white as snow, and the fires of judgment.
I hope this clarifies my position, or is it still vague. My communication skills are lacking!
These things aren't expressly stated as such in Dan 7, that Daniel's heavenly throne room is God's heavenly Temple. But the relationship between them seems strong to me. What say you?
So I'm posting here a letter I just sent to my brother. He was questioning whether the temple in 2 Thes 2.4, where Antichrist will sit, will be an actual literal, physical temple or a heavenly one? Dispensationalists commonly see this as a rebuilt, Jewish Temple, but I see it as an heavenly Temple, and I explain to my brother why I take this position.
My brother, like me, attends a Dispensationalist church, but my brother and I are both independent thinkers, and don't automatically agree with the "group think" in our denomination. However, I wish no offense to Dispensationalists, among whom I name many of my friends and brothers. Here is what I wrote him--try to keep an open mind!....
Dan 7.21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
...26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
Here is the main point. When Paul writes 2 Thessalonians, he is clearly referencing Daniel 7. He doesn't say this, but he has indicated this has been a previous Bible Study, so to speak. I feel it has to be Daniel 7 that he is referencing because...
1) Daniel 7 is the only passage in the Bible that deals in any detail with the Antichrist, or "Man of Sin." Paul is *not* giving a prophecy!
2) All of the elements in Daniel 7 are also referenced in 2 Thessalonians.
I will go a step farther and suggest that all of the NT eschatological references to Christ's Return are based on Daniel 7, as well. And that's because ...
1) Daniel 7 is the predominant passage that provides a framework for the 2nd Coming.
2) Some of the elements in Daniel 7 are at least partly referenced in all of these NT passages.
a. For example, whenever a NT eschatological passage references the Son of Man coming, it is, I believe, a reference to Dan 7, where the Son of Man is viewed as coming.
b. Another example would be a reference to Christ coming from heaven, or with the clouds. That also is a reference to Dan 7, where the Son of Man descends from heaven with the clouds.
c. Another example would be a reference to the establishment of Christ's Kingdom. That also is a reference to Dan 7, where God's Kingdom is established at the time the Son of Man descends from heaven.
d. Finally, any NT reference to the Antichrist is also a reference to Dan 7, since that is where the Lawless One, the Little Horn, originates in the Bible.
e. Incidentally. we also have peripheral references to being dressed as white as snow, thrones, and fire. These are all derived from Dan 7!
So, when Paul states in 2 Thes 2.4 that the Antichrist assumes a seat in God's Temple, we would naturally look back to Dan 7, to see how this concept originated. There, we see that God assumes a seat in heaven, where the Son of Man appears before Him, while the Lawless One boasts before God, appearing to usurp God's place on his throne. He stands in opposition to the Son of Man, and is thus called the "Antichrist" by the Apostle John.
The main idea here is that God's People want God's Kingdom to be established permanently on earth, since in Israel's history they failed to maintain His Kingdom time after time. And so, the Son of Man appears before the court of heaven on our behalf, while Antichrist boasts of his ability to destroy God's Kingdom on earth repeatedly.
Ultimately, the Son of Man descends from heaven, to deliver God's People from their failures, and to establish God's Kingdom permanently among them. And in the process, the Man of Sin is defeated.
The point is, the Antichrist is attempting to usurp God's seat in a *heavenly temple* before the Son of Man descends from heaven. This is a heavenly temple, and not an earthly one, and forms the core of Paul's teaching about this. Paul's idea is entirely derived from the passage in Dan 7 concerning God's throne in heaven before which the Son of Man appears, followed by the boasting of the Antichrist.
Dan 7.8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
9 “As I looked,
“thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened.
11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.
“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
So, if we're going to find a basis for Paul's claim that the Man of Sin will sit in God's temple, proclaiming himself God, it is here, in Dan 7. The "temple," we might assume, is this court in heaven where the Son of Man appears and where God's judgment and ruling against the Man of Sin takes place.
And it is Antichrist who boasts in this place that God's People have been disqualified from God's eternal Kingdom. He is thus "taking his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself God." He is ruling in place of God's judgment.
Job 1.6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
In conclusion, I don't believe Paul infers a literal, physical temple will exist that the Antichrist will take a seat in in order to declare himself God. He is posturing himself as God, judging men and declaring them ineligible for God's Kingdom, just as he is ineligible for God's Kingdom. The Antichrist, in a sense, appears before God's heavenly throne to plead disqualification for the Church. He is *posturing* as if he is in God's heavenly temple, in my opinion, based on Dan 7.
Since Paul is referring to Dan 7, he is identifying the "temple" with the place in heaven where the Son of Man appears before descending from heaven to establish God's Kingdom on earth. This is therefore God's heavenly temple, and not a temple on earth, in my opinion.
This is how the heavenly court, which I see as God's heavenly temple, relates to the temple Antichrist will take his seat in. And I think this heavenly court in Dan 7 also relates to the book of Revelation, which contains the exact same framework, the coming of the Son of Man with the clouds of heaven, his appearance on our behalf before the throne of God in heaven, the defeat of Antichrist, and the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth. There are other shared images, such as God's clothing appearing white as snow, and the fires of judgment.
I hope this clarifies my position, or is it still vague. My communication skills are lacking!
These things aren't expressly stated as such in Dan 7, that Daniel's heavenly throne room is God's heavenly Temple. But the relationship between them seems strong to me. What say you?