# Nero antichrist?



## JM (May 20, 2020)

Calvin on 2 Thess. 2:3, “It was no better than an old wife’s fable that was contrived respecting Nero, that he was carried up from the world, destined to return again to harass the Church by his tyranny; and yet the minds of the ancients were so bewitched, that they imagined that Nero would be Antichrist. Paul, however, does not speak of one individual, but of a kingdom, that was to be taken possession of by Satan, that he might set up a seat of abomination in the midst of God’s temple–which we see accomplished in Popery.”

Gill on 2 Thess. 2:3, “yet the man of sin is here distinguished from Satan, 2Ti_2:9 nor is any particular emperor of Rome intended, as Caius Caligula, or Nero, for though these were monsters of iniquity, and set up themselves as gods, yet they sat not in the temple of God”

Polemics against the idea that Nero was antichrist:
Francis Turretin’s 7th Disputation
The Papacy is the Antichrist
Westminster and London Baptist Confessions

Reactions: Like 1


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## Reformed Covenanter (May 21, 2020)

See also Greg Beale's book on the temple, which makes a very strong case that the man of sin must be an ecclesiastical figure.

Reactions: Informative 2


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## JM (May 21, 2020)

Reformed Covenanter said:


> See also Greg Beale's book on the temple, which makes a very strong case that the man of sin must be an ecclesiastical figure.


Just downloaded! Thank you.


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## bookslover (May 21, 2020)

It would be difficult for Nero to be _the_ Antichrist, him being dead and all. . .

Reactions: Funny 1


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## RamistThomist (May 21, 2020)

Riddlebarger also does a good job dismantling the Nero case. The main problem: at which Roman emperor do you start counting to get to Nero? It kind of works if you start with Julius Caesar, but he wasn't technically an emperor.


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## JM (May 21, 2020)

Reformed Covenanter said:


> See also Greg Beale's book on the temple, which makes a very strong case that the man of sin must be an ecclesiastical figure.


Does Beale say it has to be a Christian ecclesiastical figure?


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## RamistThomist (May 21, 2020)

JM said:


> Does Beale say it has to be a Christian ecclesiastical figure?



I don't remember specifically, but I think he does. His lexical argument is that "temple' refers to the church. It doesn't have to be the Pope, per se. It could be the leader of the World Council of Churches (and I think it probably will be).

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## JM (May 21, 2020)

BayouHuguenot said:


> I don't remember specifically, but I think he does. His lexical argument is that "temple' refers to the church. It doesn't have to be the Pope, per se. It could be the leader of the World Council of Churches (and I think it probably will be).


Joel Richardson (Futurist) has a book and some videos on YouTube where he explains the Islamic understanding of Eschatology. According to Richardson (don't know how accurate he is) according to Islam, the "Islamic" Christ will return with the Mahdi (the Guided one) and will broker peace with Israel, rule for 7 years and all Christians will be forced to follow this "Islamic" Christ. In one video he interviewed a few Islamic scholars that explained the above.


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## RamistThomist (May 21, 2020)

JM said:


> Joel Richardson (Futurist) has a book and some videos on YouTube where he explains the Islamic understanding of Eschatology. According to Richardson (don't know how accurate he is) according to Islam, the "Islamic" Christ will return with the Mahdi (the Guided one) and will broker peace with Israel, rule for 7 years and all Christians will be forced to follow this "Islamic" Christ. In one video he interviewed a few Islamic scholars that explained the above.



I like Joel. I really do. He just has this tendency to die on hills which are rather arcane to most of the Christian world. I think an Islamic antichrist is possible, but I don't think it best explains all the data.

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## JM (May 21, 2020)

BayouHuguenot said:


> I like Joel. I really do. He just has this tendency to die on hills which are rather arcane to most of the Christian world. I think an Islamic antichrist is possible, but I don't think it best explains all the data.


I understand that. My collection includes over 2 shelves of books on eschatology and I still find it very confusing so I tend to go with the old guys like Luther, Calvin, Gill, Barnes, etc.

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## RamistThomist (May 21, 2020)

JM said:


> I understand that. My collection includes over 2 shelves of books on eschatology and I still find it very confusing so I tend to go with the old guys like Luther, Calvin, Gill, Barnes, etc.



Among the older guys, Calvin is probably the best exegete, and I say that as someone who is not a Calvin fanboi on his commentaries.


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