The description of complete anarchy and profanation of the temple implied would only have been allowed at a certain period of time. This man “sits in the temple, setting himself forth as God.” The sedition before the fall of Jerusalem would allow for this gross misuse of the temple. The text seems to suggest that the man of sin was being retrained at the time Paul wrote in A.D. 51-52. It appears that there was both someone and something that restrained him and I would suggest at the same time; namely, the priests and the law. This man is described as “the lawless one.” Conybeare and Howson define the word as one who is “unrestrained by law” (The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, 317). For this reason, it seems logical to think that the restraining force was the Law of Moses. The law was given to retraining such men like this one (cf. 1 Tim. 1:9-10). The two witnesses of Revelation 11:8 may refer to the high priests who were openly killed and left unburied in the streets of Jerusalem (Josephus, Wars, IV, v,2). This was the result of an unrestrained man who was then revealed his true nature. Josephus believes this man was “preserved by God that he might bring on the destruction of Jerusalem” (Wars, IV,ii,3). He is described by Josephus as a “treacherous man, cunning, knavish person, ready liar, but sharp in gaining credit to his fictions: he thought it a point of virtue to delude people, and would delude even such as were the dearest to him. He was a hypocritical pretender to humanity, but when he had hopes of gain he spared not the shedding of blood” (Wars, II, xxi,1). His name was John from Gischala. Josephus describes this wicked man to be fond of war because he could advance himself into a position of authority. It was he who encouraged a revolt and when Rome came against Gischala, the general populace wanted to surrender, but John refused it on the claim that it was unlawful to negotiate terms on the Sabbath. Josephus comments that he had no regard for the Sabbath. After Titus agrees to wait the following day, John flees to Jerusalem with his little band of renegades, including families of women and children. John used them as buffers by convincing them to stay behind on an open road while he continued forward. The Romans killed about six thousand women and children who went out with him (Wars, IV, ii, 2-5).
When arriving at Jerusalem, he persuaded the young men to go to war by giving them false hope. He laughed at the idea of Romans taking up wings to fly over the walls of their great city and circulated the notion that the affairs of Rome were weak. Jews from all over the countryside, including refugees and robbers, flocked into the city as they fled from Romans. Josephus explains that wicked men were plundering and killing others in broad daylight (Wars, IV, iii, 4). They even chose the high priests who were not qualified for the office. They then made the temple a stronghold for themselves that Josephus calls “a shop of tyranny.” Ananus, who was high priest and military governor of Jerusalem is quoted as saying, “Certainly it had been good for me to die before I have seen the house of God full of so many abominations, or these sacred places that ought not to be trodden on at random, filled with the feet of these blood-shedding villains” (Wars, IV, iii,10). However, John cultivated a friendship with Ananus and pretended to be on his side. Yet, by night he would divulge their secrets to the seditious Jews (Zealots). He appeared at every meeting of the people led by Ananus, even when uninvited and was under suspicion. Still, he influenced some of the leading men in the city who believed the lies of John’s loyalty. John took an oath that he would be on the side of the people and not betray them into their enemies. This convinces Ananus so much that he would soon appoint John as their ambassador into the temple to the zealots (Wars, IV, iii, 13). John was a shrewd manipulator. He convinced the zealots that Ananus was preparing to attack them and surrender the city over the Vespasian. So, he advised them to get foreign assistance, which they did in the Idumeans. The Idumeans were outraged when they came and found the gates closed against them. However, the Zealots opened the gates and they began to slaughter the people and plunder their possessions when entering. After Josephus reports that they killed Ananus, he writes, “I should not mistake if I said that the death of Ananus was the beginning of the overthrow of her wall, and the ruin of her affairs, whereon they saw their high priest, and the procurer of the preservation slain in the midst of the city” (Wars, IV, v,2).