The Lord, in the sacred Gospel, also proclaimed: ‘the gospel shall be preached’ to all corners of the earth, ‘as a witness’ to them, ‘and then shall the end come’ (Matthew 24:14). Understanding this, the blessed Paul encourages the Thessalonians and, by extension, all who cherish godliness: do not assume that the adversary of truth will appear just yet; first, the idolatrous deception that holds power and the preaching of the Gospel must be dismantled, with the establishment of the Gospel followed by the appearance of the lawless one. He then reveals a vision of the adversary's demise: ‘But the Lord Jesus will kill him by the spirit of His mouth, and will destroy him by the appearing of His coming.’ He also explains how this figure will manifest: ‘But his coming shall be the coming of Satan's work’ for the devil will mimic the Incarnation of our Lord and Saviour. Just as the Lord, taking on human flesh, achieved our redemption, the devil will employ an instrument fitting his malevolence to deceive the careless with false signs, wonders, and fake miracles. The Apostle clarifies why the Almighty permits this: ‘Because they have not received the love of the truth, that they might be saved: And for this reason God will send them the work of deceit, that they may believe a lie: that all those who have not believed the truth, but who have pleased in unrighteousness, may receive judgement’ (2 Thess. 2:10-12). The Lord similarly told the Jews: ‘I come in My Father's name, and you do not accept Me: he who comes in his own name, you will accept him’ (John 5:43). The angel revealing this to Daniel proclaims: ‘He will speak words to the Highest, and to the Saints of the Highest; he will bring them to an end, and he will think to change the times and the law, and it will be given into his hand even to times, and times, and half a time. And the judgement shall sit, and his power shall cease to be consumed, and to destroy unto the end.’ Here, we see how the angel's revelation of the mystery is elucidated by Blessed Paul. The Lord, foreseeing the rebellion against the saints, declared: ‘there shall be great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world until now, but which cannot be. And if the days of these days had not ceased, no flesh would have been saved: but the days of these days shall cease for the elect's sake’ (Matthew 24:21, 22). After counseling His holy disciples, and through them all humanity, He cautioned against being misled by those who say, ‘Here is the Christ’ (23), emphasizing that He shall not appear secretly or in concealment, but openly in glory. He added: ‘Then they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. And He will send His angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the heavens to the end of them’ (30:31). The angel also foresaw this for Daniel and appended further insights to his previous declarations.
THEOSIS