3 Angels Messages; Dan/Rev; AntiChrist

Let me briefly speak on point 3{a and b} and come back to it a bit later.

Indeed Catholicism is older than Islam, even as any historical source will show, and both they themselves will admit.

As to the second part of the question, I was thinking of several texts in mind, by asking, here:

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Acts 20:29

Islam is not entered “in among” Christianity, it is external to Christianity.

Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Acts 20:30

Islam did not arise from True Christianity.

…but more upon those two points later… for the 4th point is really answered here, in that it was the Roman Empire hindering:

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 2:7

Notice, it was already working in Paul's day.  Definitely not Islam, which came not about for some 500 years.

What then is the power which was “let[ting]” this “mystery of iniquity” which was already at work then in Paul's day?

Again, this shows that Paul verily knew that the Antichrist power that was going to arise [future tense] and was not of the 3rd Kingdom [Greece, therefore not Antiochus Epiphanes IV in any sense, to be spoken about later on Daniel 8, for the “little horn” does not arise out of Greece and its divisions, but rather from one of the 4 winds, see Hebrew Masculine Feminine]. For this Antichrist power to come was being hindered in his [Paul's day, during the 4th Kingdom] own day, for Paul says, “he who now letteth” [ie., he who now, at this present time, at this very moment, restrains].

Paul also knew that once this Antichrist arose in power, once the restraining power was removed, that it was to remain [though suffer what appeared to be a deadly mortal wound at one point, yet regain] until the very 2nd Advent of Christ Jesus, therefore it was to last for many many hundreds of years:

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 2 Thessalonians 2:8

Yet before any of those events could take place, Paul had already told the Thessalonian Church that certain events were to occur:

Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 2 Thessalonians 2:5

There was to be a “falling away” first, a great apostacy from the True and Everlasting Gospel and Faith of Jesus Christ:

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 2:3

And this Antichrist power, that was yet to come, having at its head this “man of sin”, the very “son of perdition” [as Judas was] was to hold its position over the very Church of God, claiming to be doing so “in the place” of God; [Latin] “Vicarius Christi”; “Vicarius Filii Dei”; [Greek] “AntiChristos”:

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. 2 Thessalonians 2:4

We can see then, that which was withholding was the Roman Empire itself under the rule of Caesars. Others anciently also reveal this:

“…Again, in the second epistle he addresses them with even greater earnestness: Now I beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, nor be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, that is, the word of false prophets, or by letter, that is, the letter of false apostles, as if from us, as that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means. For that day shall not come, unless indeed there first come a falling away, he means indeed of this present empire, and that man of sin be revealed, that is to say, Antichrist, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or religion; so that he sits in the temple of God, affirming that he is God. Do you not remember, that when I was with you, I used to tell you these things? And now you know what detains, that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity does already work; only he who now hinders must hinder, until he be taken out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-7 What obstacle is there but the Roman state, the falling away of which, by being scattered into ten kingdoms, shall introduce Antichrist …” [Roman Catholic Online Fathers Of The Church; On The Resurrection Of The Flesh (Tertullian); “Chapter 24. Other Passages Quoted from St. Paul, Which Categorically Assert the Resurrection of the Flesh at the Final Judgment.”] – http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0316.htm

“… One may naturally enquire, what is that which withholds, and after that would know, why Paul expresses it so obscurely. What then is it that withholds, that is, hinders him from being revealed? Some indeed say, the grace of the Spirit, but others the Roman empire, to whom I most of all accede. Wherefore? Because if he meant to say the Spirit, he would not have spoken obscurely, but plainly, that even now the grace of the Spirit, that is the gifts, withhold him. And otherwise he ought now to have come, if he was about to come when the gifts ceased; for they have long since ceased. But because he said this of the Roman empire, he naturally glanced at it, and speaks covertly and darkly. For he did not wish to bring upon himself superfluous enmities, and useless dangers. For if he had said that after a little while the Roman empire would be dissolved, they would immediately have even overwhelmed him, as a pestilent person, and all the faithful, as living and warring to this end. And he did not say that it will be quickly, although he is always saying it— but what? “that he may be revealed in his own season,”… But he did not also wish to point him out plainly: and this not from cowardice, but instructing us not to bring upon ourselves unnecessary enmities, when there is nothing to call for it. So indeed he also says here. “Only there is one that restrains now, until he be taken out of the way”, that is, when the Roman empire is taken out of the way, then he shall come. And naturally. For as long as the fear of this empire lasts, no one will willingly exalt himself, but when that is dissolved, he will attack the anarchy, and endeavor to seize upon the government both of man and of God. For as the kingdoms before this were destroyed, for example, that of the Medes by the Baby
lonians, that of the Babylonians by the Persians, that of the Persians by the Macedonians, that of the Macedonians by the Romans: … And these things Daniel delivered to us with great clearness. …” [Roman Catholic Online Fathers Of The Church; Homilies On Second Thessalonians (Chrysostom); Homily 4] – http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/23054.htm

“…The impediment is the Roman Empire; the main event impeded is the “man of sin” (most Latin Fathers and later interpreters) …” [Roman Catholic Online Encyclopedia; “A”; Antichrist; In The Pauline Epistles; [second option of 4 listed]] – http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01559a.htm

“…I will nevertheless mention such conjectures as I have heard or read.

Some think that the Apostle Paul referred to the Roman empire, and that he was unwilling to use language more explicit, lest he should incur the calumnious charge of wishing ill to the empire which it was hoped would be eternal; … However, it is not absurd to believe that these words of the apostle, “Only he who now holds, let him hold until he be taken out of the way,” refer to the Roman empire, as if it were said, “Only he who now reigns, let him reign until he be taken out of the way.” “And then shall the wicked be revealed:” no one doubts that this means Antichrist. …” [Roman Catholic Online Fathers Of The Church; The City of God (Book XX); (St. Agustine); Concerning the last judgment, and the declarations regarding it in the old and new testaments.; Chapter 19.— What the Apostle Paul Wrote to the Thessalonians About the Manifestation of Antichrist Which Shall Precede the Day of the Lord.] – http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120120.htm

“5. The Fathers held that the Roman empire was the “let,” or hindrance, referred to by Paul in 2 Thessalonians, which kept back the manifestation of the “man of sin.” This point is of great importance. Paul distinctly tells us that he knew, and that the Thessalonians knew, what that hindrance was, and that it was then in existence. The early Church, through the writings of the Fathers, tells us what it knew upon the subject, and with remarkable unanimity affirms that this “let,” or hindrance, was the Roman empire as governed by the Caesars; that while the Caesars held imperial power, it was impossible for the predicted antichrist to arise, and that on the fall of the Caesars he would arise. Here we have a point on which Paul affirms the existence of knowledge in the Christian Church. The early Church knew, he says, what this hindrance was. The early Church tells us what it did know upon the subject, and no one in these days can be in a position to contradict its testimony as to what Paul had, by word of mouth only, told the Thessalonians. It is a point on which ancient tradition alone can have any authority. Modern speculation is positively impertinent on such a subject.4 … From Irenaeus, who lived close to apostolic times, down to Chrysostom and Jerome, the Fathers taught that the power withholding the manifestation of the “man of sin” was the Roman empire as governed by the Caesars. The Fathers therefore belong to the historic, and not to the futurist school of interpretation; for futurists imagine that the hindrance to the manifestation of the man of sin is still in existence, though the Caesars have long since passed away. …” [Romanism and the Reformation; H. Grattan Guiness; Pg 52-53] – http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/docs/ROMANISM_AND_THE_REFORMATION.pdf

The “little horn” always comes out of the 4th Kingdom [Rome], in both Daniel 7 and Daniel 8, let us see how, and how it cannot possibly come out of the 3rd Kingdom [Greecian]:

The text of Daniel 8:9 says, “out of one of them”.

What is the “them”?

In the previous verse we read of only two possibilities it can be, and as by the very inherent structure of the text we see in actuality there is only one understanding that is correct:

Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. – Daniel 8:8

Here are the Reasons why the “Little Horn” of Daniel 8 cannot be Antiochus Epiphanes IV [etc], but rather it must be Roman.

[1.] In Hebrew, nouns and pronouns have gender [masculine/feminine].

When the gender of a noun is feminine, a pronoun that refers to it, must also be the same, that is to say feminine.  Let us look at the texts again:

“…four notable ones [horns] [feminine]… four winds [feminine] of heaven [plural, masculine].”

“…out of one [feminine] of them [masculine]…”

With this evidence before us, there is only a singular correct choice between the two options [horns or winds].

The pronoun “them” cannot refer back to the words “notable ones” [horns], because the word “them” is masculine, not feminine.

This means that the word “them” can only be referring to the word “heaven”, which is both plural and masculine.

The numeral “one” [feminine] then refers to that which is adjoined to the word “heaven”, namely the “winds” [feminine].

Therefore:

“…out of one [feminine] of them [masculine] of the winds [feminine] of heaven [plural masculine] came forth a little horn…”

This power came not out of one of the “four notable ones” [horns] of the Greek empire when it was divided, no indeed, for this “little horn” power was something new and came from elsewhere, another beast not seen in Daniel 8 [but in Daniel 7], even as Daniel 7 already spoke to us.  It would be of the divided 4th Empire, it would be Roman.

Paul clearly speaks to this, saying that this “little horn” was to be yet future from His day.

Again, this shows that Paul verily knew that the Antichrist power that was going to arise [future tense] and was not of the 3rd Kingdom [Greece, therefore not Antiochus Epiphanes IV in any sense, to be spoken about later on Daniel 8, for the “little horn” does not arise out of Greece and its divisions, but rather from one of the 4 winds, see Hebrew Masculine Feminine].

For this Antichrist power to come was being hindered in his [Paul's day, during the 4th Kingdom] own day, for Paul says, “he who now letteth” [ie., he who now, at this present time, at this very moment, restrains].

Paul also knew that once this Antichrist arose in power, once the restraining power was removed, that it was to remain [though suffer what appeared to be a deadly mortal wound at one point, yet regain] until the very 2nd Advent of Christ Jesus, therefore it was to last for many many hundreds of years:

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 2 Thessalonians 2:8

Yet before any of those events could take place, Paul had already told the Thessalonian Church that certain events were to occur:

Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 2 Thessalonians 2:5

There was to be a “falling away” first, a great apostacy from the True and Everlasting Gospel and Faith of Jesus Christ:

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 2:3

…and there are yet several more reasons to come why it cannot come out of Greece when we consider Daniel 8 in more detail in context with the other books of Daniel.