THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION: A “Lying Wonder” that deceives The Whole World (Revelation 13 &17)
The ultimate evil, the scourge of this entire planet, a wickedness so profound that every realm it touches becomes a wretched desolation, that’s,“The Abomination of Desolation!” Somehow this event has been seen as singularly defiling the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. That is surely evil but it will also announce the Antichrist campaign to destroy everything Jewish. This event spells darkness for the total earth. Daniel called it “The Transgression of Desolation” but Jesus Christ named it, “The Abomination of Desolation.” It is the mark of wickedness for the last three and one half years that will envelope the world.
A “One World Church” is developing all over the earth. It still has many names but that will soon end. The Roman Catholic system is certainly the largest but not the loudest. The Charismatic group called Kingdom Dominion or Dominionism is large, radical and growing. They hate the truth of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and call it the enemy of their effort to possess the earth. Post Millennialism is dominant in many Mainline Churches but it lacks the aggressive element in Charismatic circles. Almost all Churches in the Emergent or Sinner friendly groups, especially those into Religious Rock or Contemporary Music are mainly Post Millennial and will be part of “The One World Church” after the Rapture. A great percentage of this last company does not believe in a Rapture either but see the church as destined to rule the entire world system.
We Bible believers are LOOKING for Jesus Christ because He will appear in the Midair to Rapture the saints before the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation. Then He will come to the earth after the Seven Years to defeat Satan and his Unholy Trinity. We also know that He and He alone, “THE SON OF GOD AND KING OF KINGS” will set up His Kingdom for one Thousand years. These three great Bible doctrines are the only truth that is consistent with Prophecies in both Testaments and especially the Book of Revelation. Every other doctrine begets nothing but guestions and competing ideas. The Truth is solid.
This event called “The Abomination Of Desolation” in the middle of the “Seven Years of the Great Tribulation” is the scheme of this “One World Religion”. The One World Church” will submit to her ultimate religious leader which ascends up out of the “Bottomless Pit.” This False Prophet does not appear until the middle of the Seven Years. The One World Religion will be in great power and full sway and will have martyred millions of those that repented and turned to the Truth. The first purpose of this False Prophet with his “false anointing” will be the announcement of the Antichrist as the appearance of a false Jesus to the world.
Here is the actual statement of the False Prophet’s arrival on the scene. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” (Revelation 13:11-14) This beast of a man has paranormal powers that will give credit to prove that he is the world’s greatest and most powerful prophet. His message will be successful in presenting this false Jesus as the hope of the world. He will declare that every living person must be a follower and servant of this new christ or they must be killed.
In the process of presenting the Antichrist as Christ, an image or likeness of him will be created and placed in the Jewish Temple. The False Prophet performs an undeniable miracle. He declares this image to become a living being and the image is mysteriously animated. John saw a drama of this very scene in advance so he could describe it to us prophetically. Before the Scripture announces the mark and the world wide requirement, it first speaks of worshipping before this image and the Antichrist it represents. The idea of praying to an image is not foreign to the Catholic church and is quickly gaining favor with the church world. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Revelation 13:15) The unconverted multitude will have no wisdom to deny or disprove this “Lying Wonder.”
The One World Order will be united, so the political and economic arms of government will join this event. A decree that no one can buy or sell will be instituted to support the religious action of the Antichrist and his “False Prophet. “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (Revelation 13:16-17) It’s easy to understand that this mark has two purposes. One, to control all commerce for taxing and another to ensure the worship of the Antichrist by the entire One World Order. False religions have always been willing to force everyone under their control to worship the god they chose. .
It is clear from the Scripture that the “Abomination of Desolation” is the action of the “One World Religion” developing before our eyes The Harlot Woman, as this powerful religious order is called, will actually rides the Beast and have power with him. Although this Beast ascended out of the Abyss or Bottomless Pit it will not disturb a church world that is deeply controlled by Mysticism. We call this beast “The False Anointed,” or the “False Prophet.” At this time in the seven dark years religion has so lost its way that any thing religious is wonderful. This Beast is not the Antichrist but the second beast which Satan uses to cause the world to worship the Antichrist and Himself, the Dragon. This Religious multitude will look like Kings as they ride this vicious beast. The riches of this false religious system will dazzle the world.
The Harlot Church will be the dominant factor of the “New World Order.” No one can control the masses like the powers of superstition. This church world is already vile in utter compromise and immorality. The present Roman Catholic Church is clearly guilty of protecting the pedophiles, homosexuals, and power thirsty crowd that dominants their ruling elite. The Lord invites John the Revelator to view this “Whore Church.” The word “whore” is the word the Holy Ghost used to describe her. The Lord said to John, “Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:1-4)
It is clear that the “Abomination of Desolation” that begins with an image in the Jewish Temple then proceeds to envelope the earth with a rot of the vilest possibility. This abomination will be forced upon the world and a mark will be tattooed or inscribed on every person that worships at their new altar. The Religious Whore is Biblically called the Mother of Harlots. “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.” (Revelation 17:5-6) This is wickedness so destructive and repulsive that the kings represented by the horns on the beast begin to hate her themselves.
History is replete with secular kings that have hated the Roman religious system. She has forced her will often through the years but now her last campaign of world dominance has reached it’s end. “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:16-17) Political people are perfectly ready to use any system that will help them succeed, but in the end care nothing for its survival.
I believe the Catholic Church actually use pedophiles and homosexual priests to enlist altar boys and anyone under their sway into the priesthood. No one can study the history of this dark religious order and not know that the Vatican is a cesspool. Popes have often been suspected of death by foul play when they failed to do the bidding of the ruling class. The Roman Catholic Church is preparing at this very hour for their coming plan of ruling in a “One World Order.” The Vatican in the last few weeks has called for a world economy, world banking system, and a world court system.
To take control of the Jewish temple and then install the image of a Eucharist Jesus is Catholic to it’s heart. I believe this Jesus that they accept will be a Marian Jesus and will include multiple apparitions of Mary whom they call “The Mother of God.” The Catholic Church doctrine is profoundly “replacement theology.” They believe God is finished with the Jews and that they are the rightful owners of Jerusalem. This will be their idea of their “Grandest Hour” as they make Jerusalem the center of their “Worldwide Religious celebration.”
Zechariah spoke of this “One World System” in his great prophesy Book from it’s First Testament. “Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.” (Zechariah 5:3-4)
The placing of the Antichrist image in the Jewish Temple will begin the all out crusade to strip Jerusalem of the Jews and replace the city with the Antichrist marked and tattooed believers. I believe the two thirds of all the Jews that will be slaughtered will be eliminated by this false church that are already partial to anyone but the Israelies. Some of Israel’s sharpest critics are the liberals in the church world. The Roman Catholic Church has often come down on the side of Israel’s enemies. They are ready to repeat the crusades of the past when they slaughtered Jews and Arabs in the taking of Jerusalem.
The “Abomination of Desolation” is certainly the plan of the “Unholy Trinity,” Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet. But Satan in his scheming will use, the “One World Religious Order” to do his dirty work. Both the Antichrist and the False Prophet receive their powers from the Dragon and they also receive their commands from him. Hatred for Christians will be merciless but the total destruction of all things Jewish will be vicious. Jesus promises, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22) DO NOT MISS OPEN BIBLE DIALOGUE THIS SATURDAY WORLDWIDE ON THE WEB. Note the link on the front page, right near the top. The time is 1:00 P.M. (EST) every Saturday .
“THE FALSE ANOINTING SERIES” is our worldwide acclaimed expose of “LYING PROPHETS”. This set of CDs or DVDs is the best defense of truth against the false Charismatic foolishness available. David Wilkinson personal told me the first in this set was the best explanation he had ever seen. Order on line or call 1 800 338 7884. You may e-mail us at jrc@pawcreek.org .
抓姦
Its great that you Shed light on a few things I didn’t understand. Thank you , hope you can keep writing blog.2
Richard Bright
I will be waiting for Saturday.
Ed Wood
Thanks, Pastor Joseph, for writing this article which details the inter-relationships between the Antichrist, false Prophet, the “Ten Kings” governments, the false Mystery Babylon religion – all those major players in the last seven years of history. That we can now see the stage being set for all of them right now is no doubt an indication as to how close we really are to the end of this age.
Copncerning the Abomination of Desolation, as I’ve said before what history records of Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ defilement of the Temple which had been rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbabel and the returning exiles from Babylon centuries earlier was merely a prefigurement of what is likely not very far ahead in the future.
But unlike Antiochus whose authority was limited to a comparitively small region of the world, the Antichrist will control it all with the help of the False Prophet who counterfeits the power of Elijah, which actually came from God, even to the point of calling down fire from the sky (1 Kings 18:17-39). Even now the infrastructures are being built upon which this Satan-powered tyrant will rule the Earth.
One of which is th world economy. The matter of the mark and the stranglehold the Antichrist will come to have over it is now actually literally achievable. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Speedpass technology is already with us. An injectable chip the size of a grain of rice (Verichip) with these capabilities is routinely used to “chip” pets, and in some cases, even people!
There is already in progress research into developing an RFID ink which would serve the same purposes when applied to the skin! Can you see where this is headed?
With the advent and growth of e-commerce and e-banking, it is easy to see how the trend toward a cashless society accessible only by electronic means leads directly to what we read will certainly take place exactly as it was recorded in Revelation 13:11-18.
With every passing day, the prophecies of the Bible seem more and more like current events.
Again, thanks Pastor Joseph for sounding the alarm.
Byron
Wow, my socks got totally blessed off! It will be glorious when old ‘humpty dumpty’ finally falls all the way into the lake of fire, Yes!
Also, these people who are trying to rob us pre trib Christians of the ‘blessed hope’ can be depressing, I guess ‘they’ too have been polluted by the club of Rome!
Peter Tracy
I just had a couple of questions. I know of course that no man knows the hour of our Lords return
but how close do you really think we are in regards to the Rapture? I know so many things are
rapidly and daily coming together that point to the tribulation so we must be very close. Your
thoughts on this? And also many prophecy teachers believe that a literal Babylon will be built.
I know some say that Saddam had started actually doing this but from what I’ve read the little he
did was very little. My point also is that it would take quite awhile wouldn’t it to rebuild
Babylon into a modern day city. So in that essence wouldn’t that put off the Rapture a ways down
the road if Babylon has to be rebuilt? I personally do not believe literal Babylon will be rebuilt.
Your thoughts on both of my questions would be appreciated. Thank you and God Bless.
Peter Tracy
G. E. Schwalm
To Peter Tracy: God bless you dear brother in Christ! Allow my two cents if you would please! There is nothing that needs to preceed the Rapture. It could happen at anytime and is irrelevant to any specific earthly activites other than what God had chosen to keep to Himself. Our attitude as Christians is to always be ready and to tell others the same. Personally, I think we have been living on borrowed time for quite awhile now! So…the rebuilding of Babylon whether literal or figuritive really doesn’t matter, just keep your eyes steadfast on Him! See you up there soon!
ges
Joseph Saraceno
Your a little bit off base, Pastor Joseph. The Antichrist & false prophet will
be accepted by the Jews & most of the world. Pope John Paul II called them “his elder
brothers,” and was the first to enter and be accepted inside a Synagogue. (Jn:5:43) The
Jews are in union with Rome now, getting everything ready to make Jerusalem the Peace
center of the world for ALL of the Religions. The False Prophet. (Billy Graham)
or his successor, like wise will be accepted by the Jews and Rome. He’s preached inside
Catholic Churches since the 70’s. He was preaching inside Pope John Paul II’s cathedral,
in Poland when John Paul II got elected. I understand that Bill Graham’s parents are
buried in Jerusalem?? No matter as they are all on the same team.
The Abomination is when a true priest worships with a false priest in each others
Temples. The Jews, Catholics, Protastants, etc.. have been doing this since the 70’s.
Where have you been? To young to remember no doubt. ha.
Yes the one world social gospel is spreading fast. Hurry home Lord. Next 5 years should
tell all.
Joseph Saraceno
locnguyen
With the shabby world leaders now polluting city halls, chanceries, palaces and air waves,
the unsaved masses are longing for a strong ruler that will give everyone of them his most
secret desires against surrendered personal freedom(Hitler anyone ?)
The world is then ready for the anti-CHRIST, and the pestilent CHRISTians that dare to call
him such will be exterminated.
Dominionism will at first ally itself with Israel,even CHRISTian Zionists and Messianic Jews,
to stop the Islamic terrorist takeover of the world, thus presenting itself as the savior.
Then second it will reinsert Islam into its system in the name of universal harmony between
the faiths for the construction of a man-made paradise on earth.
Needless to say, the holders to the Pre-Millenium Pre-Tribulation Rapture Doctrine will be
the most unwelcome among the most unwelcome in this system, and will have the Dominionist
minions unleashed on them as in Nero ‘s circuses of old.
It is very interesting in that in the Tarot deck of cards(which originally is no game but divination device)the devil – most disgustingly represented – has on his left hand Satan the destroyer, and on his right hand Lucifer the re-builder.
The devil must first send Satan to destroy this present world which after all, was built under CHRISTian Influence(hence the devilish whys for the civilization-wrecking wars) and in the aftermath send Lucifer to pick up the pieces and rebuild according to his own new order.
Interestingly, the 1960 book “The Dawn Of Magic” by 2 French writers Louis Pauwels and Jacques
Bergier, in its chapter on Nazi Mysticism advanced this view which is deistically blasphemous
to say the least, for the authors admitted the necessity of collaborating with the “initiated
masters” like Satanist Aleister Crowley, to build a new world order and hustle in a new
“Golden Age”. Crowley ‘s own circle is called “The Golden Dawn” !
Were the devil only a destroyer, he wouldn ‘t have gone very far in kingdom building.
But we are told that the word “devil” means first and foremost “the one who puts himself
across someone’ s path”.
In this instance Prince Lucifer puts himself across GOD’ S WAY, to pirate GOD’ S WORKS
and make THEM his own.
So the anti-CHRIST is not merely against CHRIST, but wants to be the substitute For CHRIST
in his own evil ersatz way.
———————————————————————————————-
Back to Dominionism and its appeal to many Evangelists, particularly Jewish Evangelists,
I have been sorely shocked in reading on an Israel-friendly CHRISTian site an attack I can
qualify only as angry, against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Doctrine.
This Jewish brother accepts JESUS-CHRIST AS SAVIOR, HIS PRE-MILLENIUM SECOND COMING,
but labels The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Of The CHRISTian Church as cowardly escapism,
leaving the Jews alone to face a new Holocaust, and a reneging on The CHRISTians’ Resolve
to stand with Israel !
As if the issue is ours to decide !
The devil deserves at least a grudging tipping of our hats to his genius for sowing misunderstanding among brothers in CHRIST, and for never giving up his great mischief ways.
However, we have to thank him too for reminding us that although there are still many battles
to fight, The War Has Already Been Won BY CHRIST.
Ed Wood
Note to Peter Tracy:
No, I’m not Pastor Joseph, so I hope neither you nor the pastor mind me offering an opinion on your two excellent questions.
First, as to when the Rapture will occur. Though we can’t know the exact time as you said, what we do know is it requires no preconditions. That means it could happen before I’m done writing this, or many years in the future. Judging by all the signs of stress we see in nature, politics, religion, and economics, I tend to believe it will be very soon. I suppose one way to look at it is to ask oneself the question: How much longer can the world go on the way it is?
Though the Bible teaches that the worst time in history is coming, it does not teach that the human race will exterminate itself, but that God will dramatically intervene. I think that time is just up ahead.
Second, as to the rebuilding of Babylon. As you said, Saddam Hussein didn’t get very far on this project. But I believe the Antichrist will already be on the scene before that city is reconstructed. Once he is firmly in control of the world and has access to all its resources, with modern building techniques I believe it could be done in a matter of months. Neither the Rapture nor the coming of the Antichrist to power requires Babylon to be a functional city first. In fact, I think it must follow both events, not precede them.
Anyhow, these are just some personal opinions of mine.
Dan
In the book of Esther queen Vashti disrespected the King by being insubordinate. The King consulted with his wise men who told the king that if the queen does this and gets away with it then every woman will rise up against her husband and there will be no end to the disrespect and discord. Proper gender recognition is a foundational truth for all societies to have order and respect. This basic truth / tradition has existed since the time of Adam, and in all cultures, but is now seriously compromised. There is now no end to the disrespect and discord in our society, and many others. The secret power of lawlessness has been released. This is more likely the Abomination that causes Desolation and at the root of sexual immorality to begin with. The Jezebel of Revelation 2. “seduce my servants to commit fornication”. We are now way past fornication in our culture. There are women dominating men the world over. This has not been the case for the majority of cultures in the past. Good or bad, it has been a man’s world in the past, but that is changing. Who caused this? You will find many antichrists when you look in this arena.
Many churches were powerless to stop this from happening and are already compromised. It has its roots in emasculated doctrine that goes back over 1500 years. Paul said of those trouble makers in the church “I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves” Is 1500 years enough time to bring down the false doctrines? “The mystery of iniquity doth already work” Are we guilty for Adams sin or do we become guilty when we sin? Ezekiel 18 “The man who sins will die” We are all born into this world and must overcome. You can overcome by being sinless or find someone who will cover for you. What about making retribution for your mistakes? How did Enoch and Elijah defeat death? They were both servants of a forgiving God, were they not?
What traditions are worth keeping? Sola Scriptura is not a valid truth. Explain 2 Thessalonians 2:15 “hold with the traditions ye have been taught” The seeds of destruction were planted many, many years ago. The churches as a majority are in error, blind, and seemingly powerless to do anything about it. Is the coming of the end of the world a result of a hopeless state for man? Who has been holding back the lawlessness? He will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way. There are still some churches that are holding back the secret power of lawlessness, by keeping a proper respect for scripture and tradition.
Dave
Note to Dan:
Sola scriptura is not a valid truth? Are you kidding me? Every time Jesus of Nazareth corrected the religious community of their errors he used SCRIPTURE ALONE. How many times did Jesus appeal to tradition? NONE. When the rich man dies in Luke 16, he ends up in hell. He appeals to Abraham to send Lazarus to witness to his five brothers who are still on earth. Abraham says: They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them. Moses and the Prophets are SCRIPTURE. Abraham is saying that the SCRIPTURES are a sufficient enough guide to lead people into heaven, and miss hell. Apparently, the rich man did not bother heeding the scripture, as is the case of many on earth today. With regards to your comments about the break down of the family, the answer is and always has been right in front of us in the SCRIPTURE. In his letter to the Ephesians the apostle Paul writes: Wives submit yourselves unto your husbands as unto the Lord, and husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. There is no need to appeal to any tradition to find out God’s order for human relationships. Lastly, your reference to II Thessalonians 2:15 as a reason to declare that the scriptures are not sufficient is the same excuse the Vatican has been using for centuries to make up whatever they want in the name of “sacred tradition”. They have instilled in the minds of many that the scripture is only PART of what you need to know. The other part is supposedly found in the traditions of the RCC. However, nobody has been able to improve on what the apostles have written, for the apostle Jude writes: Contend earnestly for the faith, which was ONCE DELIVERED to the saints. The faith needs no improving upon by anyone, whether they are a bishop, church father, or anyone who came after the apostles…..and that faith is clearly shown in SCRIPTURE ALONE. BTW, great article Pastor Joseph! – Keep sending them!
violet
Thank you Pastor Joseph for the article so clearly revealing the truth. There are, of course, always those who will argue, but The Word of God is infallible, even if they don’t like it. Too bad for them and they should fall on their knees and ask The Lord to reveal the truth to them and be humble in their approach to God. It is pride that causes most problems and false information is prevalent in today’s churches.
Maranatha, Come quickly Lord Jesus because we who believe in the pretribulation rapture are waiting for your call for us to “Come up hither!”
Hallelujah!
jaimie
Dear Pastor,
Well you hit this one out of the ball park too!
What a blessing to have this site and share it with such love filled believers.
Dan, Please bear with me here, Jingoism is to males as feminism is to females. Yes wives are to be subject to their husbands, yet husbands are also to ready themselves as a bride…submission is to a holy and truthful authority that our Heavenly Father hath provided in His spotless Lamb Jesus.
The Lord can use Eunuchs to deal with feminists if he desires.. Yes Phillip even assisted a Eunuch. Isaiah 56,vs 3,4&5 Matthew 19:12
God Bless
jaimie
Dennis McLelland
Pastor: I am confused about the antichrist. Is he appollyon from the abyss? Is he the one that opened the abyss with the key God gave him?
RobiMac
Amen, Pastor Chambers….Amen!
Obi
I am a pre-tribulation rapture believer in Nigeria and I am glad to have stumbled upon your blogs. Please put me on your mailing list and do mail me any important end time related development that you come upon. That said
, I believe also that the only end time prophecies remaining yet unfulfilled are those regarding the rapture
Event itself, the tribulation period and beyond. Gird up your loins brethren…our flight is gonna be called soon…maybe sooner. Than we all think. MARANATHA!
Obi.
locnguyen
Brother Obi,
GOD BLESS you, for keeping your faith amidst such a perilous environment, where everyday
can be your last on this earth, but also an opportunity to bear witness to and save those
who hate you.
See you soon in our FATHER’ S HOUSE.
Donna Byrd
To Ed Wood,
Once again you are quite correct on the chip. It has been tested is several states on humans. I am not being political here, the Obama health care plan calls for a medical information chip to begin in 2014. I think it is on page 1010-1013, as it has been a year when I read through it. But I do remember that if you enrolled in a state or federal plan you would be required to get the chip. We all know our medical records contain everything about us. I was told I was crazy by my Sunday School Class when I told them, until I printed the pages and showed them. They still don’t believe the gov. will do such a thing. I say open your eyes, the book of Revelation is unfolding right before us.
Thank you Pastor Chambers for all that you do. It has been a blessing to our family!
徵信
This is my first time i visit here! I found so many useful stuff in your website especially its discussion; From the a lot of comments on your articles; I guess Im not the only one receiving the many satisfaction right here! keep up a good job;
Ken Stone
As to pre-requisits to the rapture. In 2 Thes 2 Paul speaks of “our gathering together unto Him..”. Then says “That day SHALL NOT COME except there be a falling away ( apostasy ) FIRST and that man of sin be revealed”. Sounds clearly that apostasy will come before gathering. Of course that has been happening for some time now. Also sounds like revelation of Antichrist is also prerequisite to our gathering. We must remember that the ” patience and faith of the saints” is enduring persecution of that antichrist. Simple understanding of a straight forward passage leads to best interpretation.
Rico Nordmeyer
I totally agree with what the previous commenter said. Right on, brother. Regardless, happy holidays everyone.