Christians who believe that the Bible foretells an Antichrist in an endtimes think he will declare himself to be God. This belief is based largely upon the Apostle Paul’s declaration about “the lawless one” in 2 Thessalonians 2.3. The next verse reads in the NRSV concerning this lawless one, “He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God” (v. 4). Paul refers to the temple at Jerusalem that existed in his time. Only two or three years after Paul was martyred, this temple was destroyed by the Roman armies in 70 CE. It has never existed since, thus for 1945 years. So, this text is one of many prophecies in the Bible indicating that Jews would return to their ancestral land and rebuild their temple at Jerusalem, all before the end of this age.
But our reason for considering 2 Thes 2.4 is that it says this “lawless one,” the final Antichrist, will sit in this rebuilt, third, temple at Jerusalem and declare himself to be “God.” All major, modern, English Bibles have the capitalized word “God” as the last word in this sentence, thus referring to the God of Israel. The Greek New Testament, however, from which English New Testaments are translated, has the word theos without the definite article ho, making this noun theos anarthrous. So, the more likely translation is “a god” rather than “God,” referring to the God of Israel, the God of creation, the God of the Bible, the God of heaven.
Keep in mind that the earliest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament were uncials, meaning that they did not have upper and lower case, punctuation, or even spaces between words because these lierary aids were not created for ancient languages until centuries later.
Bible translation should always be done just like Bible interpretation: comparing scripture with scripture. When this is done regarding theos in 2 Thes 2.4, it become obvious that it should be translated “a god” as it often is in other places in the Bible because of the absence of the article.
We see this especially in the book of Daniel. For, when Paul wrote , “the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed” (in 2 Thes 2.3), he most likely had in mind Daniel’s text, “when the transgressors have reached their full measure, a king of bold countenance shall arise” (Dan 8.23). Paul does not cite this text from Daniel or elaborate because he then says to the Thessalonians, “Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?” (2 Thes 2.5).
The book of Daniel presents four major prophecies in the form of one dream and then three visions. They present a scenario about four major empires in the Mediterranean world. The dream relates that the kingdom of God then comes from heaven to overthrow the last, fourth empire and fill the whole earth (Dan 2.34-35). The book amplifies the information in this dream with three visions that follow, and these visions that Daniel had present a progression of prophetic information about the endtimes Antichrist.
Daniel’s first vision is about four beasts that arise successively from the Mediterranean Sea. They symbolize four empires: Babylonian, Media-Persian, Greek, and Roman. The fourth beast “had ten horns” (Dan 7.7), and “another horn appeared, a little one coming up among them” (v. 8). An angel “attendant” then explained this vision to Daniel (v. 16). He said the ten horns symbolize ten kings, and the little horn symbolizes another king that shall arise among them (v. 24). Then the angel said of this extra king, the little horn, “He shall speaks words against the Most High” (v. 25). This little horn refers to the final Antichrist, and the Most High is obviously God who is also identified in the vision as “the Ancient One” (vv. 9, 13, 22). So, the Antichrist of the endtimes certainly will not be an atheist; rather, he will believe in the existence of God, yet speak many blasphemies against him.
Daniel’s second vision likewise portrays the Antichrist as “another horn, a little one” (Dan 8.9). Again, an angel explained this vision to Daniel (vv. 15-18). He said, “I will tell you what will take place later in the period of wrath; for it refers to the appointed time of the end” (v. 19). “The end” refers to what is for us the end of the age, and “appointed time” means God predetermined the end, which is known only to him (Zechariah 14.5-7; Matthew 24.36; Acts 1.7). The angel then says of the Antichrist, “in his own mind he shall be great” (Dan 8.25).
In Daniel’s third and final vision, we learn more about how great the Antichrist thinks he is. We read of him, “The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods” (Dan 11.36). Most published commentators on the book of Daniel regard “the God” in this text as a reference to “the God of heaven” (Dan 2.44) who is repeatedly identified as “the Most High God” and is the same as “the Ancient One” in Daniel 7. So, the Antichrist will claim to be greater than “the gods.” But there is nothing in the book of Daniel that says he will declare himself the God of gods or that he is greater than the God of gods. It merely says he will speak against this God of gods, uttering horrendous things against him.
Here again, the book of Daniel reveals that the Antichrist will believe in God’s existence. This should not cause the faithful any concern, as if it conflicts with biblical theology. James, Jesus’ brother, wrote, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe–and shudder” (James 2.19). Isn’t that interesting. The demons shudder when they think of God being supreme over all, yet the Antichrist of the endtimes “shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods.”
I would go so far as to say that any human being in those latter days who is an atheist will be down right stupid! How so? The Bible indicates that by that time, science will have proved many things indicating both that this universe was created by a very Intelligent Designer and that there is actually a heaven where this Designer resides.
(See my post on December 16, 2015, “Will There Be Any Atheists in the Endtimes?”, and my post on September 27, 2015, “Science Is Going to Prove their Is a Heaven. Then Atheism Will Be a Relic of the Past.”) For now, I must withhold my main reasons for believing this which I intend to reveal in future publications.
In conclusion, the Apostle Paul says in 2 Thes 2.4 that the Antichrist will sit in the temple at Jerusalem and declare himself to be “a god,” not the God. For, Paul knew and understood the book of Daniel quite well. And we have seen that it reveals repeatedly that the Antichrist will believe in the existence of God and portray himself as “greater than any god.” He “shall pay no respect to the gods of his ancestors,” and “he shall pay no respect to any other god, for he shall consider himself greater than all” (Dan 11.37). But he certainly will not identify himself as “God,” and again, I don’t think the book of Daniel says he will present himself as greater than God, that is, the God of heaven.
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