The Hyperlinked Bible
Intertextuality Pair
Allusion
Later text
Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
Earlier text
Daniel 11:36BSB
Then the king will do as he pleases and will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must be accomplished.
Earlier text
From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them. It magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary. And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?” He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.”
Earlier text
9:26-27BSB
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”
Earlier text
11:31, 45BSB
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Paul's composite description draws from multiple OT texts: "man of lawlessness" from Psalm 89:22 and Isaiah 57:3-4 (Semitic idiom designating essential character), "exalts himself" from Daniel 11:36's description of Antiochus Epiphanes who desecrated the temple, and "takes his seat in the temple" from Daniel's temple profanation prophecies (8:9-14; 9:26-27; 11:31) combined with Isaiah 14:13 and Ezekiel 28:2's rulers claiming divine status. Paul employs typological interpretation where Antiochus and the arrogant kings of Tyre and Babylon become archetypal patterns for the eschatological "man of lawlessness" who embodies all characteristics of God's enemies in concentrated form. This provides the Thessalonians with objective, observable criteria—since the man of lawlessness has not yet appeared and desecrated the temple, the day of the Lord cannot have already come. Paul grounds his correction in authoritative OT teaching, demonstrating the importance of OT literacy for understanding NT eschatology.