2 Thessalonians 2:4

he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.

This verse is understood as revealing the character of the final lawless one who shall be the culmination of that evil progression, or as marking the true spiritual import of those innovations and corruptions which have been exhibited by the "man of sin" (in a collective sense) as already historically revealed. A strong case may be made out for either view.

All that is called God ... A persecutor of the church exalts himself against God in the person of his followers; a perverter of the word of God exalts himself against God in his word.

Or that is worshipped ... This indicates the total atheism and unbounded egotism of the ultimate man of sin.

Sitteth in the temple of God ... There can be no way that this is a reference to the Jewish temple. Paul, who wrote the Corinthians that "Ye are the temple of God," would never have made that den of thieves and robbers in Jerusalem the "temple of God" historically. First, it means the church of Jesus Christ; but in context it means the apostate church of Jesus Christ, a deduction that is mandatory from the fact of the apostasy being Paul's subject in this paragraph. Therefore, whenever and wherever the "man of sin" appears it will be in the church apostate!

Sitteth ... This is a most peculiar verb to be used in such a context; and this writer, who has seen the Pope borne into the Basilica of St. Peter, hoisted above the people and elevated above the high altar upon the shoulders of those who carry him (literally "sitting") into the sanctuary cannot escape the deep. impression that a prophecy of that very spectacle is imbedded in this remarkable verb. Who else, ever, in the history of humanity, always entered the church house "sitting," and even taking the Lord's Supper "sitting"? Luther was outraged by this, and said, "Let the Pope stand up to take the Lord's Supper, like any other stinking sinner."

Setting himself forth as God ... The papacy fulfills this in the blasphemous titles of the supreme pontiff, but there may be a more drastic fulfillment of it in the revelation of the terminal "man of sin."