Before the 20th century you could, with some justification, lay the blame for the world's evil at the foot of religion because there were few non-religious régimes. The 20th century, though, exploded the myth that religion is exclusibely to blame for the world's woes. We have witnessed Communist and Fascist régimes come and go and seen more murder by atheistic governments in an equivalent span of time at their hands than in any religious system over the rest of the world's history. And though it is true to point out that the 20th century saw the arrival of weapons of mass destruction which the ancients had no access to, with therefore the potential to kill more than at any time previously, it is also true to say that never before has such systematic murder and ethnic cleansing been undertaken as in the name of various atheistic political philosophies.

Now, in our own 21st Century we are witnessing a third form of totalitarian atheism, which many are calling 'liberal fascism', and which is starting to imitate communist and fascist (anti)social behaviour. I know. I have been following the the human rights abuses of these modern liberals (particularly in Scandinavia) which are getting worse and worse. (NB. These are not traditional libertarian liberals but a new autocratic breed). No, the problem with the world is not with religion or lack of religion but with people. This has always been the problem.

Our passage of scripture today is well know to those who have done any studying on the Antimessiah or Antichrist, also known as the Son of Perdition. What is it that characterises this 'man'? He opposes Yahweh-Elohim, he exalts himself above Yahweh-Elohim or anything else that is worshipped (including false gods idolatrously), because he views himself as Elohim (God). Who is this person? Most will cry out 'Satan!' And indeed Satan wants to be God - no doubt about that. He wants worship - and not just 'worship' but all worship. Some will say that the Antichrist and/or the Beast or maybe the False prophet also fall into this categorisation but that's as far as they will go.

Three nights ago I had a dream that really shook me, more so after I woke up and realised during the day what was really going on. To cut a long story short, I saw a man. He was sitting on a balcony but he was dead. He had been put there by two brothers. He was artifically propped up to give the impression that he was 'present'. His eyes and mouth were wide open in an eerie sort of way. Though I realised in the dream he had been 'put' on that balcony to convince people that a living being was sitting there, I believed he was dead. Seconds later he no longer perched on the balcony but was half lying on top of someone who was definitely alive who seemed to want him there. I was shocked, appalled. Thinking of that person's well-being before any concerns or fears I might have had about confronting this 'thing', I grabbed it and began to drag it away. It was heavy like an adult being. It was fleshy like a human being. And it felt revolting. I just wanted to get it away as quickly as possible. As I started hauling it over the balcony with a view to throwing it out of the house (we were at least one storey up), the 'thing' 'awoke' and started trying to bite me to stop me from evicting it. The rest of its body was limp and inactive - as though it had little energy - but the head galvanised into life. I then saw that even though it had flesh on it that it was somehow still alive - or at least the head was - and it was frantic in an evil sort of way. But I refused to let go until I had got it over the balcony and away from the house, even though its jaws were snapping at my hands. And I knew somehow the whole time that this 'thing' was a part of me.

When I woke up I was in shock. It had been like being in a horror movie. How could something so disgusting be a part of me? I immediately asked Yahweh what this thing was, and what its roots were in me. He then opened up a vision to me.

I was shown a deep well and at the bottom of the well I saw a set of human chromosomes illuminated on a black background, and one chromosome pair stood out in particular. Then I knew, instantly, that this was generational, and not just something in the family line, but something even more fundamental than that. I then heard the words, "Man of Sin" and knew that what I had witnessed in all its vileness, was the FALLEN ADAMIC NATURE, THE CARNAL MAN, THE FLESHY NATURE!

I was shocked more than anything else because the reality of the theory - the theological truths of scripture - was suddenly in front of my face. Though I was not surprised by the revelation that the Adamic nature was not fully dead in me as it should be as a believer...it was weak but still fighting to survive...I was surprised at how revolting it was. And though I am a seasoned minister with a lot of experience behind my years, I have the same, filthy, sinking, corrupt and vile carnal nature as you do - as everyone does. And I was ashamed. In a way I was grateful to see the reality behind the theology because it brought me down a few notches on the staircase of pride and showed me what my fleshy nature really is. It is literally the living dead. I can now say, with greater conviction than ever before, that self is death - literally. And the 'life' that it does have is not from Yahweh!

Our passage of Scripture is primarily a general one about an historical character that is to come in the last days before Yah'shua returns BUT he is also every single man and woman on this planet:

"Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim (God) or that is worshiped, so that he sits as Elohim (God) in the temple of Elohim (God), showing himself that he is Elohim (God)"

What, then, are we to do? By allowing Yah'shua into our hearts on the conditions He has given (obeying his commandments, lifestyle and tavnith or pattern). While present, the Man of Sin is dead - overwhelmed by Him. The moment we rebell or throw Yah'shua out in any degree, the Man of Sin revives and begins to exert his demonic influence, acting as a magnet for dark spirits who just make things even worse. No good deeds on our part will remove that Man of Sin - if they could, we could save ourselves and have no need of Christ. It is our submission to and trusting in the Messiah of Calvary that brings us deliverance and nothing else.

To illustrate the importance of being in tavnith or sacred pattern, I will share one other part of that dream I had, that came before I saw the Man of Sin. I saw a man, a member of one of the larger and older Protestant denominations from the early Reformation period which has a following of many tens of millions. Yahweh showed me something interesting about the effects of the antinomianism (lawlessness) of that belief system. The man was wearing a pair of glasses but behind the glasses was an open glasses case so that the case was blocking off all light to the eyes. The glasses were sound (basic evangelical Christian tenets) but the case or vessel (the church with its traditions) rendered the glasses wholly useless. He was wearing the traditions first and the glasses second.

The truth of simple alef-salvation is being taught correctly by tens of millions of Christians worldwide but is being nullified by their traditions. And this truth does not just apply to Proestants but to anyone subscribing to false traditions, including Messianics. Though a glasses case or body of tradition is essential it must be the authentic biblical, apostolic tradition or else it will give fuel to the Man of Sin within every soul that wants to be exalted as God.

I mentioned that two brothers had propped up the Dead Man of Sin on that balcony. This was one of the brothers - Evangelical Christianity in its broadest sense, with all its false traditions. The other brother was Messianic Judaism/Israelitism and its false traditions. I must therefore allow Yah'shua to ask us these questions in all sberness:

"Why do you also transgress the commandment of Elohim (God) because of your tradition?...Thus you have made the commandment of Elohim of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men'" (Matt.15:3,6-9 NKJV).

"All too well you reject the commandment of Elohim, that you may keep your tradition...making the word of Elohim of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do'" (Mark 7:9,13 NKJV).

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Elohim (God)" (John 3:3, NKJV).

"Woe to you [religious leaders] hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides" (Matt 23:15-16, NKJV).

We in Messianic Evangelicals are not here to compete or oppose those who are bringing souls to alef-salvation - God forbid that we should! Indeed we support them whole heartedly! But we are opposed to any and every false teaching with revives the Man of Sin and destroys spiritual vision. For those who are blind fall into pits and are destroyed by the enemy.

As we make teshuvah or repent during this set-apart season, let us, after we have secured our alef-salvation by trusting whole-heartedly in the Messiah and giving Him full place to rule in our beings through total surrender, then not assume that everything is done and secure without teaching and living true Torah tavnith. This, at any rate, the is burden and passion of my calling. And now, having seen the enemy within, and the remnants of false things that need extirpating thoroughly, I feel animated to proclaim it even more emphatically than before! I hope you will join with me in that task.