Antichrist proclaims himself God

This Antichrist, the apostle Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped. This individual man uses religion (and in particular, false and apostatizing Christianity) to rise to power. And once he has used the false church to rise to power, he outlaws the worship of Jehovah God in all the world. And he outlaws the worship of all false gods too. 2 Thessalonians 2:4: He exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped. The Antichrist is going to outlaw religion altogether and any authority that any religion has had in the lives of people on earth. As all dictators, when this one comes to power he is not going to be content with only partial power over men. He will want to take all power to himself. And he will overthrow, therefore, the authority of the home. He will overthrow all the authority of the church of Christ. He will overthrow the authority of every individual state. And since all religion has some sort of authority over men, he is going to outlaw all religion in order to have all power possible unto himself.

That explains why the text goes on to tell us that what he puts in place of religion is the worship of himself. Why does he oppose all that is called God? Precisely so that he can exalteth himself above all that is called God, and that he might as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The only worship that the Antichrist will allow in this worldwide kingdom will be the worship of himself, the individual head of this kingdom.

This is precisely what the prophet Daniel had said about the Antichrist many, many years before 2 Thessalonians 2:1–17 in Daniel 11:36–37. And you can be sure, beloved, that the apostle Paul had Daniel 11:36–37 in mind when he wrote 2 Thessalonians 2:4.

And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. Daniel 11:36–37, KJV

He will proclaim himself God of heaven and earth. And as God (Jehovah) dwelled in the temple in Jerusalem, and all Israel honoured Jehovah God who dwelled in the temple, this Antichrist will set himself in the temple of God (2 Thessalonians 2:4), proclaiming to all that he is God. It is not that he is going to set up a physical throne and an actual physical temple rebuilt in the actual city of Jerusalem (as the premillennialists teach), but this is a metaphor. The point is that the Antichrist is going to assume Jehovah God’s place. He is going to take that place to himself and declare himself Lord of heaven and of earth – a self-proclaimed God.

He will set up laws for all people on the face of the earth. That is what God does. But he will set up laws for all people that overthrow and are opposed to the laws of God as revealed in His Word and as revealed in nature. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 calls him that Wicked one, or more literally, that lawless one. He is himself, as the spawn of Satan, personally opposed to all of God's law as it is revealed in the Word and in nature. And he will not only not follow that law or allow people to not follow that law, but he will consciously, actively and with hatred make laws that enforce what is contrary to God's law. That is his goal. And if he is not alive today, he is being helped already.¹

Cory Griess