The King James Holy Bible
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come,] except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin (man of lawlessness) be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
“Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”
“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.”
“For the mystery of iniquity(lawlessness) doth already work: only he who now letteth (restrains) [will let (restrain),] until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked (lawless one) be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”
“[Even him,] whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12
The mystery of iniquity or lawlessness was already at work when Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonian church. That is sometime before 100 AD. The working of the mystery of iniquity was what was going to lead to the revelation of that wicked once the restrainer was removed. And once that wicked was come it was to continue and only to be destroyed at the coming of Christ by Christ’s brightness.
Today is 2024 AD, approximately 1900 year later. What has happened in these 1900 years? Is the mystery of iniquity still working? Are we still waiting for the revelation of that wicked one? For sure we know we are still waiting for the second coming of Christ. That has not yet come. Nonetheless, in the past 1900 years are we sure the man of lawlessness has not appeared? Have we looked through the pages of history to ascertain this? Or are we resting on the presumption that he has not without doing our due diligence to confirm it?
It is with this aim in mind that we turn to the testimonies of the early fathers.
The Testimony of Ignatius ~ AD 98 – AD 117
“The last times are come upon us. Let us therefore be of a reverent spirit, and fear the long-suffering of God, that it tend not to our condemnation.” {PFF1 209.1}
“Weigh carefully the times. Look for Him who is above all time, eternal and invisible, yet who became visible for our sakes.” {PFF1 209.2}
“Let not those who seem worthy of credit, but teach strange doctrines, fill thee with apprehension. Stand firm, as does an anvil which is beaten. It is the part of a noble athlete to be wounded, and yet to conquer. And especially we ought to bear all things for the sake of God, that He also may bear with us, and bring us into His kingdom. Add more and more to thy diligence; run thy race with increasing energy; weigh carefully the times. Whilst thou art here, be a conqueror; for here is the course, and there are the crowns. Look for Christ, the Son of God; who was before time, yet appeared in time; who was invisible by nature, yet visible in the flesh.” {PFF1 209.3}
Weigh carefully the times was the admonition of Ignatius to the saints at his time. Let us also weigh carefully their times and see what was happening at that time.
The Testimony of Barnabas ~ AD 70 – AD 150
“For the Lord made known to us by His prophets things past and present, giving us likewise the firstfruits of the taste of things future. And seeing each of these things severally coming to pass, according as He spake, we ought to offer a richer and higher offering to the fear of Him. But I, not as though I were a teacher, but as one of yourselves, will show forth a few things, whereby ye shall be gladdened in the present circumstances.” {PFF1 210.2}
“It behoves us therefore to investigate deeply concerning the present, and to search out the things which have power to save us. Let us therefore flee altogether from all the works of lawlessness, lest the works of lawlessness overpower us; and let us loathe the error of the present time, that we may be loved for that which is to come…, The last, offence is at hand, concerning which the scripture speaketh, as Enoch saith. For to this end the Master hath cut the seasons and the days short, that His beloved might hasten and come to His inheritance. And the prophet also speaketh on this wise; Ten reigns shall reign upon the earth, and after them shall arise a little king, who shall bring low three of the kings under one. In like manner Daniel speaketh concerning the same; And I saw the fourth beast to be wicked and strong and more intractable than all the beasts of the earth, and how there arose from him ten horns, and from these a little horn, an excrescence, and how that it abased under one three of the great horns. Ye ought therefore to understand.” {PFF1 210.4}
“Wherefore let us take heed in these last days. For the whole time of our faith shall profit us nothing, unless we now, in the season of lawlessness and in the offences that shall be, as becometh sons of God, offer resistance, that the black one may not effect an entrance.” {PFF1 211.2}
Concerning the ‘black one’ he says, “the way of the black one is crooked and full of a curse, for it is a way of eternal death with punishment,” {PFF1 211.5}
But he continues his exhortation…
“Let us flee from all vanity, let us entirely hate the works of the evil way …. Let us become spiritual, let us become a temple perfect unto God. As far as in us lies, let us exercise ourselves in the fear of God, (and) let us strive to keep His commandments, that we may rejoice in His ordinances.” {PFF1 211.2}
“For he that doeth these things shall be glorified in the kingdom of God; whereas he that chooseth their opposites shall perish together with his works. For this cause is the resurrection, for this the recompense. I entreat those of you who are in higher station, if ye will receive any counsel of good advice from me, keep amongst you those to whom ye may do good. Fail not. The day is at hand, in which everything shall be destroyed together with the Evil One. The Lord is at hand and His reward:” {PFF1 211.6}
It should be noted that though in prose form, Barnabas is reasoning from the words of 2 Thessalonians. Such phrases make that evident:
- “Let us therefore flee altogether from all the works of lawlessness, lest the works of lawlessness overpower us; and let us loathe the error of the present time” – “For the mystery of iniquity(lawlessness) doth already work”
- “…we now, in the season of lawlessness…” – “For the mystery of iniquity(lawlessness) doth already work”
- “The day is at hand, in which everything shall be destroyed together with the Evil One” – “And then shall that Wicked (lawless one) be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”
Interestingly, in this testimony is the mention of Daniel’s chapter 7 fourth beast, and not only that beast but the little horn that comes up on it. And not only that but speaking of it as an event that they knew was coming and strove to oppose it.
The Testimony of Iranaeus Of Gaul ~ AD 130 – AD 202
“Daniel too, looking forward to the end of the last kingdom, i.e., the ten last kings, amongst whom the kingdom of those men shall be partitioned, and upon whom the son of perdition shall come, declares that ten horns shall spring from the beast, and that another little horn shall arise in the midst of them, and that three of the former shall be rooted up before his face …. Of whom also the Apostle Paul again, speaking in the second [Epistle] to the Thessalonians, and at the same time proclaiming the cause of his advent, thus says: ‘And then shall the wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the spirit of His mouth, and destroy by the presence of His coming; whose coming [i.e., the wicked one’s] is after the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and portents of lies, and with all deceivableness of wickedness for those who perish; because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And therefore God will send them the working of error, that they may believe a lie; that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but gave consent to iniquity.’ ” {PFF1 246.4}
“For when he (Antichrist) is come, and of his own accord concentrates in his own person the apostasy, and accomplishes whatever he shall do according to his own will and choice, sitting also in the temple of God, so that his dupes may adore him as the Christ; wherefore also shall he deservedly ‘be cast into the lake of fire:’ [this will happen according to divine appointment, God by His prescience foreseeing all this, and at the proper time sending such a man, ‘that they may believe a lie, that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but consented to unrighteousness;’ whose coming John has thus described in the Apocalypse: ‘And the beast which I had seen was like unto a leopard, and his feet as of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon conferred his own power upon him, and his throne, and great might.”’ {PFF1 247.2}
Again we see the reference to Daniel 7’s fourth beast in the context of the antichrist, especially the division into 10 kingdoms and the ascension of the little horn following the uprooting of three others. In the following paragraph, we have more verses that have been tied in the topical discussion of the antichrist, namely;
- “be cast into the lake of fire” – Rev 19:20
- “And the beast which I had seen was like unto a leopard, and his feet as of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon conferred his own power upon him, and his throne, and great might.” – Rev 13:2
Elsewhere Iranaeus explicitly links the works of the little horn of Daniel 7 to Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians.
“‘He shall speak words against the most high God, and wear out the saints of the most high God, and shall purpose to change times and laws; and [everything] shall be given into his hand until a time of times and a half time,’ that is, for three years and six months, during which time, when he comes, he shall reign over the earth. Of whom also the Apostle Paul again, speaking in the second [Epistle] to the Thessalonians, and at the same time proclaiming the cause of his advent, thus says: ‘And then shall the wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the spirit of His mouth, and destroy by the presence of His coming.”’ {PFF1 248.1}
The Testimony of Tertullian AD 160-240
“‘For that day shall not come, unless indeed there first come a falling away,’ he [Paul] means indeed of this present empire, `and that man of sin be revealed,’ that is to say, Antichrist, ‘the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or religion; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, affirming that he is God. Remember ye not, that when I was with you, I used to tell you these things? And now ye know what detaineth, that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now hinders must hinder, until he be taken out of the way.’ What obstacle is there but the Roman state, the falling away of which, by being scattered into ten kingdoms, shall introduce Antichrist upon (its own ruins)? ‘And then shall be revealed the wicked one, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish.’” {PFF1 257.3}
“There is also another and a greater necessity for our offering prayer in behalf of the emperors, nay, for the complete stability of the empire and for Roman interests in general. For we know that a mighty shock impending over the whole earth—in fact, the very end of all things threatening dreadful woes—is only retarded by the continued existence of the Roman empire. We have no desire, then, to be overtaken by these dire events; and in praying that their coming may be delayed, we are lending our aid to Rome’s duration.” {PFF1 258.5}
The restraining power in his day that prevented the revelation of the man of lawlessness or anti-christ Tertullian clearly states was the current pagan Roman state. He urged people to pray for its continuance and stability because once it was broken up into 10 smaller kingdom, the anti-christ would rise upon its ruins
The Testimony of Hippolytus AD 236
“1. In speaking of a ‘lioness from the sea,’ he (Daniel) meant the rising of the kingdom of Babylon, and that this was the ‘golden head of the image.’ … Then after the lioness he sees a second beast, ‘like a bear,’ which signified the Persians. For after the Babylonians the Persians obtained the power. And in saying that ‘it had three ribs in its mouth,’ he pointed to the three nations, Persians, Medes, and Babylonians, which were expressed in the image by the silver after the gold. Then comes the third beast, ‘a leopard,’ which means the Greeks; for after the Persians, Alexander of Macedon had the power, when Darius was overthrown, which was also indicated by the brass in the image. And in saying that the beast ‘had four wings of a fowl, and four heads,’ he showed most clearly how the kingdom of Alexander was parted into four divisions. For in speaking of four heads, he meant the four kings that arose out of it. For Alexander, when dying, divided his kingdom into four parts. Then he says, ‘The fourth beast (was) dreadful and terrible: it had iron teeth, and claws of brass.’ Who, then, are meant by this but the Romans, whose kingdom, the kingdom that still stands, is expressed by the iron? ‘for,’ says he, ‘its legs are of iron.”” {PFF1 272.2}
“Let us look at what is before us more carefully, and scan it, as it were, with open eye. The ‘golden head of the image’ is identical with the lioness,’ by which the Babylonians were represented. ‘The golden shoulders and the arms of silver’ are the same with the ‘bear,’ by which the Persians and Medes are meant. ‘The belly and thighs of brass’ are the ‘leopard,’ by which the Greeks who ruled from Alexander onwards are intended. The legs of iron’ are the ‘dreadful and terrible beast,’ by which the, Romans who hold the empire now are meant. The ‘toes of clay and iron’ are the ‘ten horns’ which are to be. The ‘one other little horn springing up in their midst’ is the ‘antichrist.’ The stone that smites the image and breaks it in pieces,’ and that filled the whole earth, is Christ, who comes from heaven and brings judgment on the world.” {PFF1 272.4}
Hippolytus gives a quick ran down of the kingdoms in the book of Daniel. He show that both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 address the same subject; the kingdoms to reign on the earth until the second coming of Christ. He traces exactly where he stands in history and tells us of the events that he awaits to be fulfilled, as can be seen in the following words:
“The legs of iron, and the beast dreadful and terrible, expressed the Romans, who hold the sovereignty at present; the toes of the feet which were part clay and part iron, and the ten horns, were emblems of the kingdoms that are yet to rise; the other little horn that grows up among them meant the Antichrist in their midst; the stone that smites the earth and brings judgment upon the world was Christ.” {PFF1 273.2}
Through the testimonies of these early fathers we get a glimpse in the prophetic understanding of their time. It is clear they knew of the present apostasy in their day, “the mystery of lawlessness doth already work”. And strove to resist it lest they be overcome by the man of lawlessness who was coming because of lawlessness.
There was an understanding that the restraining power was the Roman state (pagan Roman state). They understood that the division of the Roman state would usher the little horn power upon its ruins. The little horn Roman power they knew to be the man of sin that Paul talks about in 2nd Thessalonians which would be destroyed at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Summary
In conclusion and following their understanding, we ask, is the Roman state still reigning? We answer, No. We go further and ask, Did the Roman State really disintegrate into 10 kingdoms? If yes, were three uprooted? Upon the ruins of the Roman state was the little horn of man of sin to arise, did this really happen? Do we know? And in light of all these, just where exactly are we in the stream of time seeing this was over 1700 year ago?
We finish by a quote from Hippolytus.
“These things, beloved, we impart to you with fear, and yet readily, on account of the love of Christ, which surpasseth all. For if the blessed prophets who preceded us did not choose to proclaim these things, though they knew them, openly and boldly, lest they should disquiet the souls of men, but recounted them mystically in parables and dark sayings, speaking thus, ‘Here is the mind which hath wisdom,’ how much greater risk shall we run in venturing to declare openly things spoken by them in obscure terms!” {PFF1 273.3}