1958 Bible Studies - page 194

BIBLE STUDIES 192

of Revelation shows. The quotation from Joel 2 by Peter in Acts 2 was an application of what that prophet said as to what was transpiring in Jerusalem at Pentecost, but it was by no means the fulfilment of the Joel prophecy. The words of verse 7 above are, in my opinion, better rendered as follows : " Only he who restrains at present, until out of the midst he become. " He who restrains is the Devil, and he who shall become out of the midst is the antichrist or (wild) beast. When he rises out of the midst, then shall be revealed the lawless one.  If the one who restrains and is taken out of the way were the Holy Spirit, then the revelation of the beast would take place consequent upon the Lord’s coming for the Church, which cannot be supported from Daniel and Revelation.

Verses 8, 9, 1 0 : And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord

Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the mani-

festation of His coming; even he, whose coming is according to the working of

Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of

unrighteousness for them that are perishing;  because they received not the

love of the truth, that they might be saved.

When the man of sin or (wild) beast rises from the midst, " out of the sea " (Revelation 13. 1 ) --" the waters which thou s a w e s t , . . . are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Revelation 17. 15)-- "then shall be revealed the lawless one. " Him " the Lord Jesus shall slay "

(Analisko, take away or destroy, not slay, as we learn from Revelation 19. 20, where we are told that the beast and the false prophet " were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone") with the breath (Pneuma, spirit or breath) of His mouth.  He shall also bring him to nought (Katargeo, to render inactive, make useless : see of death, 2 Timothy 1. 10; of the Devil, Hebrews 2. 14 ; etc. ), not annihilate, by the appearing (Epiphaneia), or brightness, of His coming (Parousia). The coming (Parousia) of the lawless one, the beast or antichrist, is according to the working of Satan, " in every power and signs and wonders of falsehood "

(translated literally), all of which will be aided and abetted by the false prophet, who shall work great signs in the sight of the beast, and shall deceive them that dwell on the earth (Revelation 13. 13, 14). Such wonders of falsehood shall be connected with the deceit of unrighteousness, for sin is ever a deceitful thing (Hebrews 3. 13).  This deceit shall be to the perishing ones, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. They loved falsehood rather than truth, hence they were deceived, and they loved to be deceived.  What a sad story !  But

is it different in kind from what exists today ? Nay verily : the deceit may be different in measure, for deceit will then have reached its high water-mark, but it is not different in kind from the many forms of deceit

practised now.

J. M.

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