The word ‘anti’ in “Anti-Christ” means, to be in the stead of or because of, a substitution, and in place of. 2 Thess.2:4, tells us what the Antichrist would do when he was revealed: “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 word temple in this verse is ‘Naos’, which Paul used to describe the temple of the body. But the antichrist body was not God’s temple, but Satan’s through Apollyon. (This again is not speaking of the Jewish Temple, because God’s temples are bodies of people). Daniel 8:23 says: “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.” At the height of Europe’s sins, he appears. This is none other than Adolf Hitler.
Adolf Hitler was the modern-day Antiochus IV. Like Antiochus, Hitler would change laws against the Jews; and not only against the Jews but the church. His fight against the church was more of a wearing down through attrition. Daniel 7:25 says: “And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change times and laws…” A representation of himself is sat down in the assembly of believers. Dan.11:31, says: “And arms (the S.S., Hitler’s bodyguard) shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the Abomination that maketh desolate.”
The Abomination that made the church in Europe desolate was the book “Mein Kampf”. Adolf Hitler is the little horn of Daniel. He desecrated the Christian assemblies of Europe through his book Mein Kampf, which means ‘My Struggle’. It would last 3 ½ years. In William Shirer’s book “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich”, he explains that the book Mein Kampf was highly regarded. He also gives us a description of a few of its thirty-point article which convey the essential parts, beginning with point fourteen, “The National Church declares that to it, and therefore to the German nation, it has been decided that the Fuhrer’s Mein Kampf is the greatest of all documents. It…not only contains the greatest but it embodies the purest and truest ethics for the present and future life of our nation. 18. The National Church will clear away from its altars all crucifixes, Bibles and pictures of saints. 19. on the altars there must be nothing but Mein Kampf (to the German nation and therefore to God the most sacred book) and to the left of the altar a sword. 30. On the day of its foundation, the Christian Cross must be removed from all churches, cathedrals and chapels…and it must be superseded by the only unconquerable symbol, the swastika.” In this book, he opposeth and exalts himself above all that is called God. Fest states that this book was an “unspeakable foulness…behind a veil of randomly acquired learning runs an arrogant conviction of the omnipotence of the individual will, the idea of an ‘everlasting, brutal struggle’, a primitive belief in force sneeringly convinced of its superiority over all ‘religions of pity’ and exulting at the practice of running amuck as the ultimate meaning of history such is the repetitive, paltry content of an ideology presented in inflated and semi-educated verbiage through almost eight hundred pages.”
Dan.11:36, says “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.” Remembering the principle of the natural being first then that which is spiritual, who are the Israel of God in these times? Paul called the church ‘the Israel of God’, and just like Old Testament Israel were divided into the North and South kingdoms; so did the church divide into the east and west divisions of Christendom. Judah represents the Catholic Church, and Israel represents the Protestant Church. The church in Germany was indicative of apostate Israel and Judah. When Hitler came to power, the Catholic Church was at his door step with a covenant they wanted him to sign, but in return they had to give the Hitler salute signifying that they approved of his government. On the other hand many from the Protestant Church compromised their beliefs, their teachings and their Christ, to receive a new ideology of race, blood, and soil, called ‘Positive Christianity’.
They changed their name to the German Christians or the National Church. In place of the Cross they received Hitler’s Swastika on and in their assemblies. Mein Kampf was the book they had to preach from now. Daniel 9:27, says: “And he shall confirm the covenant (some translations say ‘a covenant’) with many for one week:” The Antichrist always tries to copy Jesus the Christ! The Catholic Church made a Concordat (or a covenant) with Hitler not to harm the denominational schools and churches. Soon after the signing of the Concordat, the Nazis began to violate their agreement. J.S. Conway says that “In Wurttemberg and Saxony the Ministry of Education tried to introduce an inter-denominational form of religious instruction, which omitted the Old Testament, a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Concordat as well as of the wishes of both Churches (Catholic and Protestant) …”
In 1936, plans were prepared that new ‘model schools’ were to take the place of the denominational schools. In August 1939, all denominational schools were abolished by the Nazi party, under the leadership of Alfred Rosenberg. The Desolation had been set up. The Bible was taken out of the schools of learning, and Hitler’s Mein Kampf replaced it. The daily sacrifice of the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was substituted with teachings from Mein Kampf. This was the abomination that caused desolation.
The abomination of desolation in the Old Testament was when the daily meat offering was taken away by Antiochus IV, and substituted with an unclean swine on the altar of the Jews. A statue of Zeus was also erected in the temple representing Antiochus IV. In this New Testament era, Hitler like his predecessor, removed the daily preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Christ. Like then, today this is what we are seeing in our world. Please understand.
-Anthony Booker
The GATHERING Place 