Everything The Most High God, His Son, The Prophets and The Apostles said with regards lawlessness was tied in closely with teaching something contrary what God relayed to be taught and explained through those persons.
Today, lawlessness is closely tied into disobedience to God and His Son and things taught contrary to what Christ taught.
A feature that precedes the arrival of The Messiah is the revealing of who Scriptures calls “the man of lawlessness.”
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5)
The Apostle Paul also linked the arrival of this “Man of Lawlessness” to Jesus’ arrival and the “Harvest” or gathering of himself and others to him. (This harvest is a future event, so we have two applications of The Man of Lawlessness)
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5)
Who today is expressing today via literature and talks that “The day of the Lord has already come?” The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
They identify the year 1914 has that pivotal date that God’s Kingdom was established; that “The Appointed Times of the Nations” ended in that year; that we are now living in the time period that Scriptures call the “Last Days”; that Jesus is now actively ruling as earth’s King; and that Jesus’ presence among his faithful followers occurred in that year.
It was the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society who announced that the year 1975 would bring the end of the world. Well, 1975 came and went without event. Thus showing the danger of engagement in establishing dates and publishing and announcing prophetic reports such as it does easily unsettle persons and then makes for a hard crash when they go unfulfilled.
It is not just the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society who engages in time-prophecy and putting dates on things, almost all religious organization claiming to be of Christ does this. So, this “Man of Lawlessness” that the Apostle Paul spoke of would not be some singular influential “Antichrist”, but a system of human agency that will oppose and exalt itself over everything that is called God or is worshiped. Not only that, it will set itself up in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God or LORD.
That is, it would lord over others as if it has God-given authority to do so.
Opposition To Everything That is Called God
How can someone or something be in opposition to everything that is called God or is worshiped? By usurping the things that God has established and put in place.
If human agencies – namely, religious organization – sets itself in a position to act as a mediator between man and God and sets up a system of elaborate rules and regulations that it binds it’s membership to, it becomes the lawgiver, not God.
This is precisely what all religious organization has done in the world today. It has also been clever in this ruse because it has been able to convince its membership that God endorses it.
The effect is that religious organization is calling all of the shots and issuing acceptance, reward, punishment, banishment, and condemnation of sheep that are not theirs.
Noteworthy is how one becomes a member of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society ( a Jehovah’s Witness). After studying from their many publications for a span of time with a qualified and experienced person, a new convert will undergo a public baptism ceremony in dedication of his life to Jehovah’s service. But is it really in service to Jehovah or an organization. Let the reader decide.
I have reproduced word for word the baptismal vow all candidates desiring to become a Jehovah’s Witness must take. It is taken from the June 1, 1985, Watchtower, page 30:
On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
The second is:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?
Secondly, it has usurped a title that belongs to Jesus only. At John 14:6, Jesus said:
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
All religious organization represents this Man of Lawlessness. Notice what Jesus said at Matthew 7:21-23:
Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew YOU! Get away from me, YOU workers of lawlessness.
