When Will the Lawless One be Revealed? Second Installment

In a few days, it will once more be the 13th day of the 1st month. Since learning about the sign that is the subject of my recent blogging, watching for the sign has been a special annual activity. Based upon what I've seen while on watch, and from what I've learned about the times and seasons, I don't expect the lawless one to be revealed until next year, most probably on 4/4/15. (My uncertainty is only due to the fact that the determination of the day that begins the month is subject to the observation of the new moon.) Even though I don't expect to see the lawless one revealed yet, I still keep watch on the annual day to see what I see of what the Lord may reveal. Because there was a signal noted on the 13th day of the first month that is January of this year, I suspect the nearness to the actual sign may be cause for another alert. While watching during the two Shemitah cycles previous to this one, signs were noted in the corresponding position, as I've documented. Both times, in 2001 and 2008, Bill Clinton was modeling the lawless one. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI was also involved. It will be interesting to see if there's some further prefiguring to be observed as we've got only a single year remaining in the countdown.

This second installment is part of the work of updating Part 2. If you haven't been following this blog closely, I recommending reading Part 1 of The Sign for the Bride, one of the core studies on theopenscroll.com, then the first installment of When Will the Lawless One be Revealed? (The Sign for the Bride - Part 2).
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* Note: After reviewing what I first posted here I wasn't favorably impressed with the effort. There wasn't anything wrong, per se, but some of it wasn't very comprehensible. This new version was updated on 4/11.

Judas Iscariot

When Jesus Barabbas was released, that poignant foreshadowing of the revealing of the lawless one followed shortly after two other examples which had come earlier in the day. These both involve Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. The account of Barabbas provides an important sketch of the revealing, and together with the accounts featuring Judas, we learn even much more about that day's events. The first prophetic modeling unfolds as the day began in an upper room at the scene of what's called the last supper. The second unfolds in the garden of Gethsemane at the scene of the arrest. The primary feature of these dramatic models is the revealing of identity, and they both occur on that 13th day of the 1st month.

Judas and the lawless one are the only two characters referred to in the Bible as being “doomed to destruction” or, huios apoleia, in the Greek. This connects these two characters and leads us to seek out the reasons for the connection.

“While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. ~ John 17:12

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:3

To put it simply, Judas is a type of the Antichrist. The name “Judas” is the Greek form of “Judah.” The royal and messianic bloodline of Israel stems from Judah. The true Messiah is the King of the Jews and the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” ~ Matthew 27:11

and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” ~ Revelation 5:5

This disciple Judas bears the name representing the heritage and ruling authority of the messianic King of the Jews. So it is that the Judas-to-come will be recognized as having that lineage and the legal right to the throne that attends it. The claim to that title “King of the Jews” is a matter of huge significance, as seen in the reaction to Jesus' claim in all four gospels' accounts.

Judas is further identified as “Iscariot,” which means, “from Kerioth.” “Kerioth” means “cities.” Judas Iscariot was not from that good city that Abraham looked to whose builder and maker is God, however. Judas “from cities” is identified thereby with the heritage of Cain, the builder of the first city. (Genesis 4:17). That's an important link, to be sure! Cain was literally a Barabbas as the “son of the father” sired by the Nachash in the Garden of Eden. (Who is Cain's Father?)

Like Cain, Nimrod is a widely recognized type of the antichrist and city builder. (Genesis chapter 10. See Nimrod and this Nimrod) Nimrod is so strongly identified with cities that his name is found under the definition of “city” in Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. He built a city with the Tower of Babel, and more cities after the confusion of tongues at Babel. He is widely considered to be the first world dictator, and the first-listed center of Nimrod's kingdom was Babel or Babylon. Mystery Babylon the Great is “the great city, Babylon, the strong city” in Revelation 18:10. Nimrod also built Nineveh, the capitol of Assyria. He is associated with "The Assyrian" type of Antichrist in Micah 5:6.

The coming Judas “from cities” will be like Cain and Nimrod. The name “Nimrod” means “he will rebel.” The number thirteen is associated with rebellion, the numbering of the day of this Judas-Cain-Nimrod composite's revealing.

With that background as a foundation, let's consider the first of the two signal events involving Judas and Jesus.

Judas is Betrayed

Judas was revealed as the one who would betray Jesus at what is known as the last supper. If you've got any doubts about whether baptism is at the center of the activity that reveals the lawless one, this should dispel them!

18 I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” 21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” 25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night. ~ John 13:18-30

I had often wondered why Jesus didn't just come out and openly declare that Judas was the betrayer, or simply point to him. Why all the drama, why dip the bread and hand it to Judas as a signal? Until you understand 2 Thessalonians 2 and recognize this scene as a prophetic demonstration, it's really quite a puzzle. By dipping the bread He demonstrated a baptism, the means of revealing identity. He did this to instruct us, you and I, about how it would be in the day appointed for the other huios apoleia.

The Greek word translated “dipping” in verse 26 is bapto. That's “baptism,” which literally means “dipping.” Such a dipping is for the purpose of revealing, as you should recall from Part 1. This symbolic act is rich with messianic meaning because bread was used as a sop. John 6:35 records Jesus' declaration that He Himself is the true bread from heaven.When the true bread from heaven was dipped in the Jordan, that was the means through which He was revealed. In the upper room, Jesus dipped the bread to demonstrate the baptism of the anti-bread from heaven. When He gave the sop to Judas, Judas was revealed! According to verse 27, “After the morsel, Satan then entered into him.”

The morsel or sop was a visual component representing pneuma antichristos, the anti-anointing. Compare the sop conveyed to Judas to what was conveyed to Jesus as a counterfeit compares to the genuine.

After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, ~ Matthew 3:16

The visual component was a sign to His baptizer, the key to the revealing.

32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God. ~ John 1:32-34

According to this pattern, we can be assured that when the lawless one is revealed there will be a visual component that will be conveyed and witnessed to personally identify him at a baptism. Some will recognize this transmission of the anti-anointing - anti-bread - unholy spirit as the transit of Horus through the Silver Gate.

When you recognize this scene in the upper room as a demonstration of how it will be in the day appointed for the revealing of the other huios apoleia, it becomes so obvious how baptism and anointing really is the subject of 2 Thessalonians 2. What a blessing to have eyes that see and ears that hear! If you want to know who has the authority in matters of restraining and releasing and over the critical timing of the action, consider who breaks off the morsel from the loaf, dips it, passes it to Judas and then gives the command: “What you do, do quickly.”

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More to follow, Lord willing.