Eschatology has always been one of the trickier areas of bible study. The cryptic language of prophetic books lends itself to a wide array of interpretations. Deciphering how end time events might unfold is no easy task, but it hasn't stopped hordes of people from trying over the years. One end time scenario currently making the rounds is a controversial assertion by radio preacher Harold Camping that Satan is at this very moment ruling in all of the churches. He bases this assertion on many verses, but for now we will explore chapter 2 of 11 Thessalonians. Verse 3 and 4 read: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."
The falling away refers to a great apostacy, or departure from biblical teaching in the doctrines and conduct of the churches and its members. It can be argued that this state of affairs applies to almost any period of church history, although one could make the case that things are particularly bad now, as evidenced by the dissolution of the family unit. Verse 4 seems to be saying that at some point in history Satan will replace God in the temple of God. How to interpret the word temple is a matter of debate, but it does seem in keeping with the spirit of the rest of the chapter to interpret the temple as referring to the church; the church seems to be what's in view in the references to the "falling away" and "signs and wonders".
Verses 9-11 state: "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sent them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie". There's no arguing that signs and wonders have grown enormously in popularity these days. The churches that feature this phenomenon are the fastest growing in the world. Speaking in tongues and faith healing have gone mainstream; churches everywhere seem captivated by this kind of activity. Is it a "delusion", a lie that indicates that Satan is now ruling in the churches? Verse 9 seems to relate this type of activity to the working of Satan. It's an amazing thing to ponder--that Satan could have taken over the churches, but something seems to be going on here, and that might just explain it as well as anything else.
