Please be careful. That's not what Paul says that the Man of Sin does. The Bible is so precise. It's within 0.0001 +/- .00001 mm. Now that's a tight tolerance!!
Here's the text.
the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, [SUP]4 [/SUP]who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
1) Man of Sin is revealed
2) He opposes and exalts himself above all called God or is worshiped
3) He sits as God in the Temple of God
4) Showing himself that he is God
He never states verbally that he is God. He sits in the Temple and allows himself to be worshiped as God above everything else.
Exalt: to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate
Now here's what Josephus says:
War 6.6.1: 1. AND now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round about it, brought their ensigns to the temple and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus imperator with the greatest acclamations of joy.
So we have sacrifices and worship to the image of Vespasian and Titus (the ensigns bear their graven images in 3D).
And we have a declaration that Titus is imperator.
Imperator:
1. an absolute or supreme ruler.
2. (in Imperial Rome) emperor.
Titus accepts all this praise and worship from his men. Are we getting close? Can you at least see that this is starting to line up? Keep in mind, Titus was the only Roman emperor to stand in the Temple and have people worship him. That clue is HUGE. But there is more. This happens about a week later so Titus is still in the Temple complex as the foreign conquering king. The remaining priests who opposed the war and were loyal to Rome came to Titus to beg for their lives. They were deceived in their minds that Titus was there to rescue them as loyal subjects of Rome.
Titus gives them a long speach about how great and powerful Rome is compared to all other nations. Then says this: On the fifth day afterward, the priests that were pined with the famine came down, and when they were brought to Titus by the guards, they begged for their lives; but he replied, that the time of pardon was over as to them, and that this very holy house, on whose account only they could justly hope to be preserved, was destroyed; and that it was agreeable to their office that priests should perish with the house itself to which they belonged. So he ordered them to be put to death.
us Romans which hath excited you against us; who, in the first place, have given you this land to possess; and, in the next place, have set over you kings of your own nation; and, in the third place, have preserved the laws of your forefathers to you, and have withal permitted you to live...you turned your too great plenty against those that gave it you, and, like merciless serpents, have thrown out your poison against those that treated you kindly...And now, vile wretches, do you desire to treat with me by word of mouth? To what purpose is it that you would save such a holy house as this was, which is now destroyed? What preservation can you now desire after the destruction of your temple? Yet do you stand still at this very time in your armor; nor can you bring yourselves so much as to pretend to be supplicants even in this your utmost extremity. O miserable creatures! what is it you depend on? Are not your people dead? is not your holy house gone? is not your city in my power?
So Titus acts as God, in place of God taking credit for giving them their land and establishing their kings. He also decides who lives and dies. Is there anything more God-like?
Here's the text.
the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, [SUP]4 [/SUP]who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
1) Man of Sin is revealed
2) He opposes and exalts himself above all called God or is worshiped
3) He sits as God in the Temple of God
4) Showing himself that he is God
He never states verbally that he is God. He sits in the Temple and allows himself to be worshiped as God above everything else.
Exalt: to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate
Now here's what Josephus says:
War 6.6.1: 1. AND now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round about it, brought their ensigns to the temple and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus imperator with the greatest acclamations of joy.
So we have sacrifices and worship to the image of Vespasian and Titus (the ensigns bear their graven images in 3D).
And we have a declaration that Titus is imperator.
Imperator:
1. an absolute or supreme ruler.
2. (in Imperial Rome) emperor.
Titus accepts all this praise and worship from his men. Are we getting close? Can you at least see that this is starting to line up? Keep in mind, Titus was the only Roman emperor to stand in the Temple and have people worship him. That clue is HUGE. But there is more. This happens about a week later so Titus is still in the Temple complex as the foreign conquering king. The remaining priests who opposed the war and were loyal to Rome came to Titus to beg for their lives. They were deceived in their minds that Titus was there to rescue them as loyal subjects of Rome.
Titus gives them a long speach about how great and powerful Rome is compared to all other nations. Then says this: On the fifth day afterward, the priests that were pined with the famine came down, and when they were brought to Titus by the guards, they begged for their lives; but he replied, that the time of pardon was over as to them, and that this very holy house, on whose account only they could justly hope to be preserved, was destroyed; and that it was agreeable to their office that priests should perish with the house itself to which they belonged. So he ordered them to be put to death.
us Romans which hath excited you against us; who, in the first place, have given you this land to possess; and, in the next place, have set over you kings of your own nation; and, in the third place, have preserved the laws of your forefathers to you, and have withal permitted you to live...you turned your too great plenty against those that gave it you, and, like merciless serpents, have thrown out your poison against those that treated you kindly...And now, vile wretches, do you desire to treat with me by word of mouth? To what purpose is it that you would save such a holy house as this was, which is now destroyed? What preservation can you now desire after the destruction of your temple? Yet do you stand still at this very time in your armor; nor can you bring yourselves so much as to pretend to be supplicants even in this your utmost extremity. O miserable creatures! what is it you depend on? Are not your people dead? is not your holy house gone? is not your city in my power?
So Titus acts as God, in place of God taking credit for giving them their land and establishing their kings. He also decides who lives and dies. Is there anything more God-like?
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