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The man of sin's rise to power was to be accompanied by claims of supernatural signs and
wonders. Writes Paul: "Whose coming is after [according to] the working of Satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9). A full account of all the miracles that have
supposedly occurred within this system would literally fill volumes: crucifixes have spoken; im-
ages have come down and lit their own candles; idols have sweat, moved their eyes, moved their
hands, opened their mouths, healed sicknesses, raised the dead, mended broken bones; souls from
purgatory have appeared on lonely roads and begged that masses be said in their behalf; many have
claimed that the virgin Mary visited them, etc. All of these "miracles" -- whether supposed, real,
or faked -- greatly increased the fallen church of Rome.

We see, then, that the man of sin would appear in connection with the falling away or apos-
tasy; he would rise to power within the very framework of Christianity, claiming to be above all
others, as Yehovah; his rise to power would be accompanied with lying signs and wonders. We
have seen evidence -- point by point -- that these things did indeed find fulfillment in the Papacy of
the Roman Catholic Church.

Some might object to this interpretation on the basis that Paul spoke of "THE man of sin" --
meaning an individual man, not a succession of men. But this is not necessarily true. "The" is used
in the expression "the man of God" (2 Timothy 3:16) -- a reference to a class of men of certain
character, a succession of similar individuals. Also, we read about "the high priest" (Hebrews
9:7) -- meaning a succession of high priests. The church -- the long line or succession of believers
through the centuries -- is spoken of as "one new man" (Ephesians 2:15). A single beast in proph-
ecy often represents a whole empire or kingdom in all its changes and revolutions from beginning
to end. The four beasts of Daniel 7 are mentioned as four kings, yet the meaning is not limited to
individual kings, for each of these kingdoms included a succession of rulers.

Grammatically, the expression "the man of sin" could mean either an individual or a suc-
cession of similar individuals. There is a strong indication, however, that a succession of men is
meant. "He that letteth [or restrains]" was a line or succession of Caesars, so it would not be in-
consistent to believe "he that sitteth" would also be a succession of men. Even so, the idea of one
man is not eliminated by this interpretation, for there is only one man at a time who occupies the
papal office.

There is something else we should point out here -- the statement that the little horn would
"wear out the saints of the most High" for "a time and times and the dividing of time" (Daniel
7:25). The early Christians, not knowing the times and seasons (Acts 1:7), had no way of knowing
that time would continue on for at least another 2,000 years. Consequently, from their prospective,
they may have believed the fall of the Roman Empire would be sudden -- in their lifetime -- and
that the Antichrist would be an individual who would rise to power and wear out the saints for a
literal three and a half years. Centuries later, when the Bible became an open book again during
the Reformation, many Christians and students of the Bible came to see that these prophecies had
indeed been fulfilled -- though on a somewhat longer scale than might have been originally
understood.

Rome had indeed fallen, but it was a decline and fall -- taking place over a period of many
years. The rise of the Papacy was also gradual -- many years passing before it met all the

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