Mental Perception

Thus we see optomai can mean either literal sight or mental perception. The following are examples of how the Greek word optomai is used in Scripture to denote mental understanding.

Luke 3:6-"And all flesh shall see [optomai] the salvation of God." One doesn't literally see salvation, one understands it.

John 1:51-"And he [Jesus] saith unto him [Nathanael], Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see [optomai] heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." Nathanael never literally saw this. In an allusion to Jacob's ladder, Jesus is saying that the Son of man would become the real ladder of communication between heaven and earth.

Three more examples of optomai are found in the following:

• Revelation 19:10-"And he said unto me, See [optomai] thou do it not.
• Matthew 24:4-"...And they said...see [optomai] thou to that.
• Matthew 24:24-"...I am innocent...see [optomai] ye to it."

A thoughtful reading of Matthew 24:30-31 and Revelation 1:7 reveals terminology that leads itself to symbols, and in fact, are often used in the bible as symbols. For example, in the following quotation of Matthew 24:30-31, words that frequently are used symbolically are her italicized. "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see [optomai] the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

The scripture simply cannot be taken literally. Any concept with which it is harmonized requires a symbolic interpretation. For example, some apply this scripture to the living saints being caught up with Christ to heaven. But here in Matthew 24:30-31 they are gathered "from one end of heaven to the other." If understood liberally, the saints would already be in heaven when Christ returns, and this scripture would teach that the saints are taken at that time out of heaven and not to heaven. This rules out a literal interpretation of Matthew 24:30-31. It also says that they are gathered from the "four winds." Are the saints gathered from four literal winds?" Those who teach the rapture concept recognize this problem and symbolize the four winds and the word "heaven" in verse 31 to mean that the church will be gathered from all parts of the earth. However, this presents a greater problem. By what rule can we arbitrarily symbolize the word "heaven" in verse 31, yet insist that it is literal in verse 30 where it mentions "the sign of the Son of man in heaven" and "coming in the clouds of heaven"? Matthew 24:30-31 is either literal or symbolic; it cannot be both. A literal application does not make sense; therefore, both verses must be consistently symbolic.

Symbolic Meaning of Matthew 24:30-31 Heaven and heavens are often symbolic of corrupt religious systems (2 Pet. 3:5-10; Isa. 34:5-4; Joel 2:9-11). See can denote mental perception (Luke 3:6; John 1:51; Rev. 19:10; Matt. 27:4,24). Clouds often represent trouble as in Joel 2:1-2, a parallel text of Matthew 24:30-31. The word angels is translated from the Greek word aggelos whi ch literally means messenger and often refers to any messenger of God (Rev. 2 and 3, the seven angels or messengers to the church). Trumpets are often used to denote a proclamation of truth (1 Cor. 14:8; Joel 2:1).

With these symbols in mind the explanation of Matthew 24:30, 31 becomes meaningful. Here the Master tells us in verse 30 that one of the first signs or evidences of Christ's return will be in heaven, that is, in the corrupt religious systems. Verse 29 speaks of the powers of the heavens shaking. Agnostic revolutionary influences have infiltrated the churches. The resultant battle between the fundamentalist and the modernist has sorely rent the church heavens. Since Vatican II, Catholicism is being similarly shaken. The Son of man comes in "clouds of heaven," that is, during this trouble that is shaking the churches. The Luke account includes "distress of nations with perplexity." This worldwide trouble in both the churches and the nations will increase in intensity until all the people of the earth mourn because of it. Finally "they shall see [discern] the Son of man coming in the clouds" of trouble, that is, they will realize that the trouble is the result of our Lord's return. While the heavens (nominal churches) of Matthew 24:30 are being shaken, verse 31 reveals that the returned Lord will "send his angels [messengers] with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect-from one end of heaven (corrupt church systems) to the other." Revelation 18:1-4, a parallel passage, further confirms that this trumpet is a proclamation of truth. Through this great proclamation of the truth, faithful servants of God will call the Lord's people out of Babylon.

Symbolic Meaning of Revelation 1:7

Revelation 1:7 cannot be taken literally since those who literally pierced Jesus have long since died. If "they also which pierced him" is symbolic of the living Jewish people, then the "clouds" and "every eye" seeing him must also be symbolic.

Thus we find that the Bible does not contradict itself. Many scriptures plainly state that the returned Lord cannot be literally seen by man. In harmony with this, the few scriptures that refer to mankind seeing the returned Christ, are obviously symbolic and denote a mental discernment of Christ's presence.

(A more detailed Scriptural proof of the symbolic explanation of Matthew 24:30-31, Revelation 1:7, and all other scriptures in which the word "see" denotes mental perception of Christ's return, will be found in Appendix C.)

The Man of Sin

Let us first note, however, the disharmony between this prophecy and some current views. Some claim that the Lord Jesus first comes secretly to take his saints-and then the Man of Sin appears. An examination of an error made in the early church is instructive on this point. Recognizing that Christ was to come invisibly, as a thief (1 Thess. 5:4, Rev. 16:15), some believers in Paul's day concluded that Jesus was already present and that the resurrection of the dead in Christ had, therefore, occurred (2 Thess. 2:1-2, 2 Tim. 2:18). In order to correct this mistake, Paul found it necessary to advise that they "be not soon shaken in mind…that the day of the Lord is present [Greek, enistemi]. 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 be revealed, the son of perdition." 2 Thessalonians 2:2,3 Compare with the Revised Standard Version. Notice, the invisible presence of Christ is preceded, not followed, by the revealment of the Antichrist. Also verses 1 and 3 teach that the Man of Sin precedes two things: (1) "The coming of our Lord"; and (2) "our gathering together unto him." This eliminates the possibility of Christians being taken to heaven before the Man of Sin is revealed.

It should be observed further, that Paul did not attempt to correct their error by asking if they had seen Jesus with their literal eyes, or had heard a literal trumpet with their ears, or had seen large numbers of Christians suddenly disappear. Had such arguments been appropriate, Paul would certainly have employed them. The concept of the invisible presence was correct: the Day of the Lord would steal quietly upon the world and many would be overtaken by it unawares (1 Thess. 5:2-4). The mistake of believers in that day was not in regard to what they should expect, but when. Looking forward with great eagerness to the return of Christ, as the fruition of all their hopes, they were prone to accept uncritically any teaching to the effect that their longed for Lord was present, or near at hand.

Mystery of Iniquity

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 again. In verses 7 and 8 Paul call the "Man of Sin" the "Mystery of Iniquity" and says that "it," not "he," already is a work in his day. This could not be a literal man. He would be nearly two thousand years old now. Why did Paul call the "Man of Sin" the "Mystery of Iniquity"? Remember the beautiful mystery Paul showed in (Eph. 5:30-32, Col. 1:26-27 and 1 Cor. 12:12-28). Christ is "not one member but many." Just as the human body is a union of many members, so the church is the body of Christ. Paul's lesson of contrast is clear. Just as there is a mystery class of righteous or justified believers who compose Christ, so there is a mystery class of iniquity (evil workers) who comprise Antichrist. Paul's use of the phrases, "Man of Sin" and Mystery of Iniquity" in verses 7 and 8 prove they are one and the same.

Origin of the Man of Sin

To trace the origin of the Man of Sin, we must begin in Paul's own day. Writing to the church at Thessalonica, he warned them, saying, "For the Mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [Greek, restrains] will let [Greek, restrain], until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed." 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 8 Compare with the Revised Standard Version. In the ambitions of leaders to be "lords over God's heritage" (1 Pet. 5:3), and in the desire of some to avoid the path of sacrifice which Jesus ordained, the Antichrist principle found fertile soil. When the Roman Emperor, the restraining one, ceased his opposition to Christianity, this spirit of worldly ambition blossomed rapidly into the Papacy. "As ye have heard that [the] Antichrist shall come," wrote the Apostle John, "even now are there many antichrists." 1 John 2:18 Pointing out that the spirit of Antichrist was already at work, he proceeded in the remainder of the chapter to advise how to escape its influence when it did come.

That there was a great "falling away" from true Christian faith during the early centuries of the Gospel Era, no Protestant will deny. Pompous rituals and elaborate ceremonies replaced the simple preaching of the Gospel. Salvation was sought no longer through the blood of Christ alone, but from holy water, relics of saints, medals and amulets, the rosary and the intercession of Mary. Multitudes flocked to converted heathen temples to pray to and adore the very same idols which the Pagans had worshipped a short time before. The names of the statues were simply changed form those of Pagan gods and heroes to the names of Christian martyrs and saints. The Roman Emperor, who as Pontifex Maximus ("Chief Religious Ruler"), had been the head of all the Pagan priests, vacated his office in favor of the Bishop o Rome, the new Pontifex Maximus. Whereas the Roman emperors had claimed to possess the Keys of Janus and Cybele, the new supreme pontiffs, dressed in the same costume as their forerunners, claimed possession of the Keys of St. Peter and attempted to prove that the Apostle Peter had once been the Bishop of Rome,; something completely unsubstantiated by history.

This Man of Sin, growing out of the apostasy, as foreseen by Paul, exalted "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." 2 Thessalonians 2:4 The temples to which Paul refers is not a literal building, but the Church of God, for he elsewhere declares, "Ye are the temple of the Living God." 2 Corinthians 6:16 The self-exaltation of the bishops of Rome in the temple (church) of God was extravagant beyond measure. Applying divine prerogatives to themselves, they claimed that every human being must be subject to their authority. "The pope holds the place of the true God," declared Pope Innocent III (A.D. 1198-1216). The Lateran Council (A.D. 1123) acclaimed the pope as "Prince of the Universe." St. Bernard (A.D. 1090-1153) wrote that "none except God is like the pope, either in heaven or on earth." And Pope Nicholas (A.D. 858-867) boasted that Constantine had "conferred the appellation of God on the pope, who, therefore, being God, cannot be judged by man."

Astounding as these false claims are, they deceived the whole Christian world during most of Papacy's dark reign (Rev. 13:5, 6). Only a faithful few escaped their baneful influence and remained loyal to their true Lord and Head. And be it noted that the Greek prefix "anti" signifies not merely "against" or "opposing," but also "instead, in the place of." (See Strong's or Vine's) Thus, Antichrist is not simply an opponent of our Lord and his truth, but as impostor, a usurper of his position. Attributing the purest motives to the popes, the Papacy would still be the Antichrist; for claiming to be the "Vicar of Christ" on earth and supreme "Head of the Church," each pope in turn has applied the Messianic promises and appellations of Scripture to himself. Even kings were required to kiss the pope's great toe, in supposed fulfillment of Psalm 2:12, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry."

The System-Not Individuals

We are not, of course, stating that any one pope was the Antichrist, must less that every Catholic or pope is a man of sin. What we are saying is that the Man of Sin, the Antichrist, the "Mystery of Iniquity" is the Papal system. It is not an individual.

Antichrist in Other Prophecies

Here we are confronted with a basic violation of Scriptural interpretation. When the bible identifies a symbol, then we are on shaky ground to give that symbol a different meaning. Daniel, Chapter 7, clearly states that beasts represent governments and it lists the governments: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome. By what logic are the beasts of Revelation symbolic of an individual when beasts in Daniel are admittedly governments? Also, is it not inconsistent to claim the "little horn" in Daniel is a man, whereas the horns of Revelation are governments? Consistency requires a uniform application of the beasts and horns in both Daniel and Revelation. The justification for this reversal of interpretation is the claim that the leopard beast of Revelation 13 is referred to by a personal pronoun "he"; whereas the government beasts of Daniel are not. This simply is not valid. In Daniel 7:19, 20, the fourth beast, which all agree represents the Roman Empire, is referred to by the personal pronoun "his." In Daniel 8:3-7 the beasts picturing Medo-Persia and Greece are continually referred to by the personal pronouns "he" and "him."

Daniel Chapter 7

With this the future literal Man of Sin concept crumbles. In Daniel 7:13=14, Christ is brought before the Heavenly Father and given the kingdom. In Daniel 7:18 and 22, "The saints of the most high," the same saints that are persecuted by the "little horn," the Man of Sin, are also given the kingdom. Remember, only Christ and his church reign in His kingdom. Therefore, "the saints of the most high" in Daniel 7 are not the "tribulation saints," but the Church of Christ who reigns with Christ. This also gives us the time element of the Man of Sin. The "little horn" persecutes these saints, consequently, the "little horn," the Man of Sin, is revealed before either the Day of Christ when the saints are resurrected or the tribulation occurs.

Daniel 7:25 shatters the whole "seven-year tribulation" concept. Daniel 7:25 reveals "the saints of the most high" are worn out by the "little horn" for a period of a "time, times, and a half times," which most agree refers to 3½ years or 1260 days. We have already seen that the saints persecuted by the Man of Sin are the church who reign with Christ and not the tribulation saints. Therefore, the church is persecuted for 1260 days. Consequently the 1260-day period occurs before the great tribulation and is not part of the tribulation.

1260 Days

The Scriptures do not speak of a "seven-year tribulation" nor do they speak of two back to back 1260-day periods. The following citations are the only places in the Bible which mention the 1260 days: Daniel 7:25;12:7; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5. Each agrees with Daniel 7:25. The holy people (saints means holy ones) of Daniel 12:7; the holy city (identified in Rev. 12:2 as the bride of Christ) of Revelation 11:2, the woman (symbolic of Church, 2 Cor. 11:2) of Revelation 12:6, 14; the saints in Revelation 13:5, 7 all show the Church of Christ is persecuted for 1260 days by Antichrist. And the Bible rule for time prophecy is a day for a year (Ezek. 4:6). During the 1260 years of Papacy's persecution of the Church, God's two witnesses (Rev. 11:3 the Old and New Testaments) witnessed in sackcloth-the dead language of Latin.

Earmarks of Antichrist

We have already considered the first two points: the preposterous words by which popes claimed to be "as God" and the wearing out of the true Church by papacy. Papacy did indeed "change times." Unwilling to await the unfolding of God's plan, papacy changed the time of Christ's Kingdom. It declared the reign of Christ had already begun and applied scriptures relating to the Millennial glory of Christ to the unchallenged dominion of the popes up until 1799. (Douay Bible, First Edition, footnote on Rev. 20:2) Another example of Papacy's attempting to "change times" is in their changing of the calendar.

Did papacy change laws? The precepts and commandments of God meant little. By the claimed right of issuing "dispensations" the popes frequently set aside the moral law. Murder of heretics was called praiseworthy, subjects were encouraged to rebel, oaths and contracts were canceled and torture was declared to be an "act of faith." Spying, intrigue, perjury and theft were pronounced virtuous deeds when performed in the service of the church. Not content, moreover, in dispensing with divine laws, the popes were always ready to create new ones if convenience so required. Clerical celibacy was prescribed, meat was forbidden for centuries on Fridays, ecclesiastical taxes were levied and liberties of the people were frequently curtailed.

Indeed, the four earmarks of the Man of Sin given in Daniel 7:25 have been fulfilled in the infamous reign of papacy, especially up to 1799. This is why Martin Luther and the other Reformers identified the papal system as Antichrist. The Man of Sin already has been revealed, therefore, there remains no objection that the Lord is now present (2 Thess. 2:3).

With the combined weight of the testimony of prophecies of our Lord's return before us, we may have as full a confidence of his presence as those who were his personal eyewitnesses on the Mount of Transfiguration at his first advent (2 Pet. 1:16-18).

In fact, our confidence in Jesus' return is "more sure" based on prophecies- We have also a more sure word of prophecy, Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, As a light that shineth in a dark place, Until the day dawn and the day star Arise in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19

The watchers, the children of light, see the day dawning and their Day Star, Jesus, arising on the horizon while the world still sleeps. This blessed knowledge so strengthens and energizes their hearts that they are sanctified in a way they could not be otherwise. He has kept his promise, He has come again.

They see the foregleams of the Sun of Righteousness which will eventually rise with "healing in his wings" (Mal. 4:2) to bless the groaning creation. With joy they realize that they will also be with him as, Then shall the righteous shine forth As the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Matthew 13:43