Monday, March 29, 2021
Carey
From 'The Tide Comes In' – F.W. Boreham – 1958
William Carey has joined the ghostly company of the immortals at Westminster Abbey. A lectern has there been dedicated to his imperishable memory.
History abounds in striking coincidences; but, among them all, there is none more arresting than the fact that it was on 11th November 1793 – the day on which the French Revolutionists tore the Cross from Notre Dame and smashed it in the streets – that Carey sailed up the Hoogly, landed at Calcutta, and claimed a new continent for his Saviour.
With the eye of a statesman and a strategist, he saw the best way of regaining the ground that was being lost in Europe was to achieve new conquests in Asia. To gain that end, he played more parts than any man of his time. Cobbler, schoolmaster, preacher, missionary, diplomat, scientist, factory proprietor, and professor of Bengali, Sanskit and Marathi, he appears on the broad stage of world affairs as a veritable quick-change artist.
With every nerve in my body tingling with excitement, I embarked, shortly before the outbreak of war in 1939, on a pilgrimage to all those scenes with which, a century and a half ago, William Carey was so familiar. How I revelled, during those long, luxurious mid-summer afternoons, in strolling about those lovely Northamptonshire lanes along which the brave little cobbler trudged with his rolls of leather and his boots and shoes.
With what a surge of emotion I explored the little village in which he was, at one and the same time, minister, schoolmaster and shoemaker, deriving from the three occupations a salary of fourteen shillings a week! I seemed to see him coming round every corner, chatting with the occupants of every cottage, and bestowing a wave of the hand or an affectionate smile on every child that passed.
Shall I ever forget the hour that I spent in his old home, standing in the very room in which he worked away at his trade, making of the bits and pieces of leather a map of the world to hang upon his wall? And the years seemed to fall away like a curtain when, entering the plain little meeting-house, I reverently laid my hand on the quaint old pulpit from which William Carey habitually preached.
As I leaned against a white gate in one of those fragrant lanes one afternoon, I fancied that I saw the agile figure of William Carey coming round the bend. He was making his way back to Moulton, evidently very tired, carrying enough leather to keep him busy for a week or two. The dappled cows in the green fields on either side of the lane stared silently up at him, as well they might.
The whole wide world would stare at him if it had the chance today. For the world salutes in William Carey the harbinger of a new order, the prophet of a new age, the creator of a new world. In the spirit of his Lord he cried, 'Let there be light!' and there was light; and the evening and the morning made a new day. The cattle in the long rich grass stare round at him, but he has no eyes for them. His thoughts are over the seas and far away. He is a dreamer; but he is a dreamer who means business; a dreamer who is resolved, at any cost, to make his stately dreams come true.
As twilight fell, a bird settled on the bough of a beech tree just down the slope, and with musical though monotonous persistence, made the same call again and again. My wayward mind was so preoccupied that it insisted on distorting the bird's reiterated note. What it really said was: Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! But to me it said Carey! Carey! Carey! For, to me, the entire landscape was haunted by one glorious ghost; the spirit of William Carey was everywhere!
Something startled the bird and it flew away. I myself shortly afterwards left the lane, and, after spending the night at Kettering, close to the house in which Carey's apostolic dreamed attained its fulfilment, I made my way next day to Nottingham that I might breathe the atmosphere in which, a hundred and fifty years ago, Carey's historic sermon was preached! 'Expect great things from God!' he cried. 'Attempt great things for God!'
I felt it good to carry the spirit of Australia to those sacred shrines. And I felt it good to saturate myself in the perfumed atmosphere of those lovely places in order to bear the fragrance back to Australia with me.
For Australia fits naturally into the picture. It is an integral part of the splendid romance. It was in the days in which the inspired shoemaker was audaciously planning the evangelism of the world that Australian history was born. It was one of earth's magnificent moments. There was sublimity in the air. God was abroad. The hammers of eternity were chiming on the anvils of history. Whilst, on one side of the planet, the seraphim were singing their 'Holy, Holy, Holy' above the twittering of the birds and the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the cattle of that tranquil Northamptonshire countryside, the angels were, on the other, chanting their 'Gloria in Excelsis' amidst the wooded solitudes of an unopened continent. Earth was crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God.
William Carey was the child of one revival and the father of another. On the day on which the curtain was rising upon the spacious drama of Australian history, England was crowded with illustrious and epoch-making men. There were giants in those days. But, of all of them, none are more significant or more prophetic than a certain very old man and a certain very young one.
He is eighty-five, this venerable, scholarly-looking gentleman, with finely chiselled face, and beautifully white hair falling in a graceful cataract of silver about his slightly drooping shoulders. And this sturdy young shoemaker is twenty-seven. On the day on which Captain Phillip cast anchor in Sydney Cove, John Wesley, this picturesque old gentleman with the velvet suit, the knee britches, the silk stockings, the silver buckles and the lovely hair, and William Carey, this robust and workmanlike figure with the well-knit frame and raven locks, mean much to this old world and to everybody in it. John Wesley represents a glorious sunset; Willian Carey represents a radiant sunrise. John Wesley represents all that is best in the era that is dying; William Carey represents all that is best in the era that is dawning.
Carey is the logical corollary of Wesley. John Wesley led the most notable revival in our history. But a revival cannot be localized. It is impossible to conceive of a genuine revival that is devoid of world-wide radiations and repercussions. If it be really a divine movement, its line will go out into all the earth and its words to the end of the world. When God speaks to Jerusalem, the echoes and reverberations of His voice are heard in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
Every really spiritual movement is instantly followed by a missionary movement. Monasticism failed because it attempted to enclose piety within stone walls. Given a Wesley in one generation, a Carey in the next is inevitable. 'Thine eyes', cried the prophet ecstatically, 'thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall behold the land that is very far off.'
As soon as John Wesley caught, and communicated to his countrymen, the vision of the King in His beauty, Carey arose to carry beatific revelations to the lands that were very far off. I like to think that, on the day on which Australia was born, Mr. Wesley, painfully conscious of his slackening gait, his clouded sight and his treacherous memory, was handing the blazing torch into the vigorous young hands of William Carey, leaving him, his comrades and successors, to carry the light that had transfigured England to earth's most spacious continents and most scattered islands.
Now that I am luxuriating in the tranquillity of a long Australian eventide, with no prospect of revisiting those dear English scenes that, in my time, have meant so much to me, I often close my eyes and think my way back to Carey's little cottage at Moulton. Everything there seems so significant and symbolic.
That map of the world, fashioned from snippets of leather, hanging on the wall of the little room at Moulton, is worth a second glance. It is a reflection of the man's very soul. The map of the world hung in his room because it already hung in his heart. It was of the world – the wide, wide world – that he was dreaming as, with his rolls of leather under his arms, the cattle stared at him. The thought of the world haunted his mind, sleeping and waking – the world, with its five vast continents and all the scattered islands of the rolling seas!
At that moment Captain Cook was electrifying mankind with the story of his epoch-making voyages; and the intrepid navigator's revelations acted like fuel to the fire of Carey's hot young heart. If Christianity had transfigured Britain, why should its gracious and enlightening influence be denied to the peoples beyond the seas?
Everybody knows the sequel. Like a clamorous and insistent alarm sounding from a village belfry, Carey's voice startled all the churches. The great missionary societies soon sprang into being. Carey led the gallant adventure in person. He went to India; and, in addition to his own evangelistic work, was soon able to earn enough money by his industrial and scholastic enterprises to plant his faith flourishingly in the Orient.
Just before Carey died, Alexander Duff arrived in India. He was a young Highlander of four and twenty, tall and handsome, with flashing eyes and quivering voice. Before setting out on his own life-work, he went to see the man who had changed the face of the world. He reached the college on a sweltering day in July. 'There he beheld a little yellow old man in a white jacket, who tottered up to the visitor, received his greetings, and, with outstretched hands, solemnly blessed him.' Each fell in love with the other. Carey, standing on the brink of his grave, rejoiced to see the stalwart and cultured young Scotsman dedicating his life to the evangelization and emancipation of India. Duff felt that the old man's benediction would cling to his work like a fragrance through all the great and epoch-making days ahead.
Not long after, Carey lay a-dying, and, to his great delight, Duff came to see him. The young Highlander told the veteran of his admiration and love. In a whisper that was scarcely audible, the dying man begged his visitor to pray with him. After he had complied, and taken a sad farewell of the frail old man, he turned to go. On reaching the door, he fancied he heard his name. He turned and saw that Dr. Carey was beckoning him.
'Mr. Duff', said the dying man, his earnestness imparting a new vigour to his voice, 'Mr. Duff, you have been speaking about Dr. Carey, Dr. Carey, Dr. Carey! When I am gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey – speak only of Dr. Carey's Saviour.'
It was in that spirit that William Carey wrought the work that changed the world: and it is because the work was wrought in that spirit that it has now been memorialized by the lectern in Westminster Abbey.
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Revelation 13 The False Prophet
Revelation 13 The False Prophet
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Join us on Tuesday nights in person or on zoom as we discuss these questions from Revelation 13.
Why is "deception" the best way to describe the work of Satan? Where do you see this in Scripture?
What other words could be used to describe Satan's tactics?
What parallels do you see between the description of the false prophet in this chapter and false teaching that is spread today?
The false prophet looks like a lamb but talks like a dragon. What role does speech play in revealing what's in our hearts?
How does a unified world religion help Satan accomplish his goals? What is required of religious truth claims for all faiths to unite?
What passages of Scripture point to the exclusive claims of Christianity? How would you explain to someone why biblical Christianity cannot endorse the validity and equality of all faiths?
Why aren't miracles alone enough to prove the validity of a person or event? From the biblical perspective, what else must be present to confirm that something is of God?
In this passage the image seems to come alive, giving apparent validity to the idolatry. Discuss how sin often gives the appearance of validity and reality that it cannot deliver.
Discuss some of the bad ways to interpret the number of the beast. What do these miss about what John is trying to tell us?
In contrast to the mark of the beast, what is the mark God places on His people?
Sermon : https://youtu.be/plNeUu1-wKY
Zoom Online Bible Study Meeting Tuesday evening at 7:30 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2402286476
Revelation Studies Video Channel
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCNs0iOkWo_sL2u7vLPOCQ2Q
Revelation 13 introduces us to the False Prophet who supports the purposes and plans of the Antichrist, the first beast that we are introduced to in Chapter 13 of Revelation. One Beast arises from the Sea, the gentile nations, this beast arises from the earth, probably in contrast representing Israel.
We can't know for sure how the false prophet will be introduced to the world or what his path to notoriety will be. We also don't know the identity of this coming world religious leader, but we do know what he will be like, what he will do, and what will happen to him in the end.
All of this information is given to us in the Word of God, especially in Revelation 13. Here we learn about the false prophet's profile, purpose, power, program, and ultimately, his punishment.
His Profile
11I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
John describes this religious leader as a "beast coming up out of the earth,"
Out of the earth contrasts out of the Sea of 13:1. Out of the sea referred to the Gentile nations. Then it is quite likely that this beast out of the earth is someone coming by contrast from the nation of Israel. He is a man, and he is called "the false prophet" three times in the book of Revelation (16:13; 19:20; 20:10).
Two animals are mentioned here: a lamb and a dragon. As a lamb, he will appear meek and mild -a counterfeit of the Lord Jesus. He will seem humble and self-effacing. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15; see also Matthew 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22; 1 John 4:1).
As a Lamb, but in his heart, a dragon!! As a dragon, the false prophet will manipulate and deceive the masses. "The dynamic appeal of the false prophet will lie in his skill in combining political expediency with religious passion, self-interest with benevolent philanthropy, lofty sentiment with blatant sophistry, moral platitude with unbridled self-indulgence. His arguments will be subtle, convincing, and appealing. His oratory will be hypnotic, for he will be able to move the masses to tears or whip them into a frenzy. . . . His deadly appeal will lie in the fact that what he says will sound so right, so sensible, so exactly what unregenerate men have always wanted to hear." John Phillips, Exploring Revelation (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2001), 171
Donald Grey Barnhouse says, "The devil is making his last and greatest effort, a furious effort, to gain power and establish his kingdom upon the earth. He knows nothing better than to imitate God. Since God has succeeded by means of an incarnation and then by means of the work of the Holy Spirit, the devil will work by means of an incarnation in Antichrist and by an unholy spirit." Donald Grey Barnhouse, Revelation: An Expository Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), 240.
Just as Satan counterfeits God the Father; the Antichrist counterfeits God the Son; the false prophet counterfeits God the Holy Spirit.
"Satan's final rebellion will be waged relentlessly. To fight this great battle against God and his people, he parodies the Holy Trinity and establishes his own false trinity: the dragon (himself), the beast from the sea (the Antichrist), and the beast from the earth or false prophet (the religious leader of the movement). The dragon uses these creatures to gain control of both the governmental and religious apparatus, creating both a one-world government (with the Antichrist as "king of kings") and a one-world religion (with the Antichrist as idol of the world). This combination of political and religious control is the core of the absolute power of the false trinity over the nations. This has always been Satan's method, from the Egyptians in Moses' time to the Babylonians and Persians of Daniel's day to the Romans of John's day to the Nazis and Stalin in the twentieth century. The people of God have always been both persecuted and led astray into idolatry and immorality by the same evil forces (Rev 2:14,20). In other words, the material here about the final Antichrist also fits the many "antichrists" that have preceded, of both the political and the religious variety.
The first beast gains control by parodying Christ's death and resurrection but in a far more public forum. When he returns from the dead, his associate, the false prophet, will use the event to forge a new world religion with the beast, and behind him the dragon (13:3-4,12), as its focus. . . . Again, this tendency for world leaders to arrogate to themselves divine powers and to pretend that their actions are answerable to no one (note the "lawless one" of 2 Thess. 2:3-4) is seen everywhere today as well. The message of 13:5-8,14-15 is critical. Though the beast and his followers believed their "authority" had been given by Satan (13:2), it is clear that the ultimate authority had come from God. The blasphemous names (13:5-6), the worship of the nations (13:7b-8), the power to perform miracles and deceive (13:14-15), and even the persecution of the saints (13:7a) happened only because God allowed it. There is no true power in evil. God is in firm control, and it can do no more than its part of the divine will... At the end of history, the Antichrist will control the economics of the world. Nothing will be bought or sold without his "mark," and many "Christians" will capitulate to the pressure (the "great apostasy" of Matt. 24:4-5 and 2 Thess. 2:3). But that also is seen today, where the idol of too many Christians is the dollar sign and so many in our churches put economic success ahead of following God. . . .
The passage describes [then] the final "tribulation period" of history, when the beast/antichrist comes to power and the second beast/false prophet becomes the prime minister, or high priest, of the evil empire, forcing the world to make a choice between Christ and the beast. After the Antichrist is assassinated and comes back to life, the false prophet will erect a statue and bring it to life, thus inaugurating the period when every person will either accept the "mark" or die. It will become a capital crime to refuse to participate in the universal worship of the beast. While at the present period in history it seems unthinkable that such a state of affairs could occur, we must remember that we are only seventy years removed from the rise of Hitler and Stalin, and it is pure arrogance to think something similar could not happen again. If anyone could solve the terrorist crisis, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the unrest in Africa and bring peace to our troubled world, people would rush to worship such a person. (Grant Osborne Revelation, 507–8, 522)
His Purpose
12He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Just as the Holy Spirit has one main objective —to glorify the Son —so the false prophet has one objective: to cause people to worship the Antichrist. "As Christ received authority from the Father (Matthew 11:27), so Antichrist receives authority from the dragon (Revelation 13:4), and as the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ (John 16:14), so the false prophet glorifies the Antichrist (Revelation 13:12)." Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation: The New International Commentary on the New Testament, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 255.
The false prophet will be a religious figure, but his religion will be demonic. His goal will be to unite the world around the Antichrist.
His goal of unifying all religions will show no respect to the distinctives of each religion. He will attempt to blend them all into One, the worship of the Antichrist in the temple.
W. A. Criswell writes, "I do not suppose that in the history of mankind, it has ever been possible to rule without religious approbation and devotion. . . . In the days of Pharaoh, when Moses and Aaron stood before the sovereign of Egypt, he called in Jannis and Jambres, the magicians, the religionists of his day, to oppose Jehovah. When Balak, the king of Moab, sought to destroy Israel, he hired the services of Baalim to curse Israel. . . . Ahab and Jezebel were able to do what they did in Israel, in the debauchery of the kingdom, because they were abetted and assisted by the prophets of Baal." W. A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on Revelation, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), 115.
His Power
13-14He performs great signs . . . in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast.
Not everything that appears to be a miracle is a miracle. And not everything that is a miracle is a miracle from God. That is true today, and it will clearly be true during the reign of the antichrist. Our text tells us that the false prophet "performs great signs." This same phrase is used for the miracles of Jesus in John 2:11,23 and 6:21. The false prophet is also something of a false Christ. (Daniel Akin Christ-centred Exposition of Revelation).
The power of the false prophet will not be his own. It will be given to him by the Antichrist, who himself is empowered by the Dragon, or Satan. Scripture documents this fact clearly, telling us five times in Revelation 13:2-8 that the power of the Antichrist comes from the devil himself. And then, three times in Revelation 13:12-15, we are told that the Antichrist gives his power to the false prophet: "He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. . . . He deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast. . . . He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast."
These statements make it clear that the power of the Antichrist and the power of the false prophet originate with the Dragon, Satan. All the false prophet's power will be demonic. And if there's any doubt left about his ability to perform miracles, let's consider these words from Jesus: "False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand" (Matthew 24:24-25).
HE WILL CALL DOWN FIRE FROM HEAVEN
"He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men" (Revelation 13:13). God has often revealed Himself and His judgment through fire. He called down fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah as a result of the people's wickedness (Genesis 19:24). Fire came down from heaven and consumed Nadab and Abihu for their carelessness in the Tabernacle (Leviticus 10:1-2). And the end of Revelation records that one day God will destroy Satan's army with fire from heaven (Revelation 20:7-9).
When the false prophet calls down fire, he is attempting to mimic God.
Here he duplicates the miracle of Elijah (1 Kgs 18:28; see Mal 3:5-6) and the two witnesses (Rev 11:5). The spectacular nature of these miracles mesmerizes and deceives the earth dwellers. Amazingly, they reject the true fire of 11:5 for a false fire in 13:14. (Akin).
False prophets lead people away from the Lord Jesus Christ. That is their goal. They substitute something else (perhaps religious activities, legalistic bullying) for the Lord Jesus Christ.
HE WILL COMMAND THAT AN IMAGE BE BUILT
The false prophet's miracles, performed through the great occult power granted him, will achieve their intended effect by luring the masses into idolatry and convincing people to build a giant statue in honor of the Antichrist —what John describes as "an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived" (Revelation 13:14). This idol will become the center of false worship until the end of the Tribulation.
Through Satanic and demonic enablement, the statue will come to life and speak (Osborne, Revelation, 515–16).
The image is mentioned four times in Revelation 13: once in verse 14 and three times in verse 15. It is mentioned six more times in the rest of the book (14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4).
The image of the Beast is evidently what the Lord Jesus had in mind when He gave His Olivet discourse: "When you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place . . . then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. . . . For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:15-16, 21).
In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul also describes this moment: "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
HE WILL CAUSE THE IMAGE TO BREATHE AND SPEAK
After the false prophet erects the statue of the Antichrist in the most sacred area of the newly constructed Jewish Temple, he will then "give breath to the image . . . that the image of the beast should . . . speak" (Revelation 13:15).
His Program
16-17He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
The false prophet will wear two hats. Not only will he be the world's religious leader, but he will also become the Antichrist's economic czar. After displaying his power through the image of the Beast, he will move to set up a comprehensive economic program. He will demand that everyone accept the mark of the Beast or be banned from all business transactions.
Now this would have seemed far-fetched were it not for the current "cancel culture". I think we have noted how the media and individuals with strong voices have abused the Prime Minister this last week. It is almost "if we don't like you we will make your life hell!" And that hell will be that those who do not comply with the dominant religious and economic view will not be able to do business any more. We have seen venues closed and people sued when they have not agreed with someone's politicization of a political pressure group. If you want to comply with your moral values, that will not be respected in these coming years. Particularly when the False Prophet reigns.
He will be marking his followers on the forehead in an attempt to seal his people to the unholy trinity. We saw that QANTAS last year made it mandatory for all of their workers to promote the rainbow flag on their uniforms. Those who wouldn't comply with their leader's directives for moral, or for individual reasons were sacked. "No one will be able to shop at the mall, eat at a restaurant, fill up at gas stations, pay bills, buy groceries, get prescriptions filled, pay to get the lawn mowed, or pay the mortgage without the mark of the Beast. It's the Tribulation trademark." Mark Hitchcock, The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2012), 275.
The word for "mark" in Greek is charagma, and it is used eight times in the book of Revelation in reference to the mark of the Beast. The mark of the Beast allows its bearers to conduct their affairs. And it also indicates that the one wearing it is a worshiper of the Beast who submits to his rule.
Identification with the Beast. He will force people to become identified with the Beast by a mark that they must receive on their foreheads or right hands. The word "mark"means an impress made by a stamp, like a brand used on slaves and animals. People will become slaves of the Beast and have the identifying mark of their slavery. Without it they cannot buy or sell.
What will this mark be like? Verse 17 indicates that it will be either the name of the Beast or the number of his name (v. 17). Greek letters also stand for numbers. The number is further explained in verse 18 as 666. Evidently, people will be stamped with the number 666 or the name for which those numbers stand. In that coming day this will also be a means of identifying the Beast to those who constitute the godly remnant.
Many characters in history have been identified with the number 666, but all are mistaken. When this man arises on the scene of world affairs, there will be no mistake as to who he is, and in some way, unknown now, the number 666 will play a principal part in the identification.
While no one can say for certain what the mark of the Beast will be, it is not the covid vaccine. It will be something that is not done accidentally. Just as under the Roman Emperor Domitian, the people who take the Mark of the Beast will do so willingly and knowingly understanding what they are doing.
Revelation 13:18 "Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666."
There have been countless theories about the meaning of the number 666 over the centuries. The Mark of the Beast, the"Antichrist" has been somehow applied to almost every prominent leader from the Pope to Hitler, to the Italian wartime dictator Mussolini, to American presidents or Kissinger. This last week I saw on the Sunrise show how a Jewish man is the strongest advocate for the religiously unifying role of Pope Francis.
John Wesley said: "However, in many respects, the Pope has an indisputable claim to those titles. He is, in an emphatical sense, the man of sin, as he increases all [4] manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled, the son of perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers, destroyed innumerable souls, and will himself perish everlastingly. He it is that opposeth himself to the emperor, once his rightful sovereign; and that exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped. Commanding angels, and putting kings under his feet, both of whom are called gods in scripture; claiming the highest power, the highest honour; suffering himself, not once only, to be styled God or vice-God. Indeed no less is implied in his ordinary title, 'Most Holy Lord', or, 'Most Holy Father', so that he sitteth - Enthroned. In the temple of God. Mentioned Rev. 11:1. Declaring himself that he is God - claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone." "The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which it is commonly said that the priest doth offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, is a blasphemous fable and a dangerous deceit."
It is this role of promoting the false religion of the Antichrist that is the real issue.
The bottom line is that no one currently really knows what 666 means.
Some claim that all of this was fulfilled in the first century of the church.
Walvoord notes "First, the book of Revelation was written in A.D. 95, after the reign of Nero was already over, (*as validated by the early church fathers particularly two of John's immediate disciples inserted by me Steve Grose). Therefore, it can't be a prophecy about him. Nero never fulfilled the numerous clear statements in Revelation 13 about worldwide worship, the mark of the beast, and never had a person like the beast out of the earth supporting him. Third, in order for Nero's name to equal 666, one must use the precise title Neron Caesar. No other form of his name will work. Moreover, there is an abbreviated form of the name Domitian (the Roman Caesar from A.D. 81–96) that also equals 666.5 Fourth, if the relationship of 666 to Nero is so obvious, as preterists claim, why did it take almost five hundred years after Nero's death for anyone to make this connection between his name and 666? All of the early church fathers who wrote after the time of Nero adopted a futurist view of the beast out of the sea and the number 666."
It could be that, six is the number for human beings. People were created on the sixth day, and they are to work six of seven days. A Hebrew could not be a slave for more than six years.
In the book of Revelation, which is more properly titled "the Revelation of Jesus Christ," the number seven is used more than fifty times. There are seven churches, seven Spirits, seven candlesticks, seven stars, seven lamps, seven seals, seven horns, seven eyes, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven heads, seven crowns, seven angels, seven plagues, seven bowls, seven mountains, seven kings, seven beatitudes, seven years of judgment, seven letters to the seven churches, seven "I am" statements of Christ, and seven songs in heaven. Seven is God's number, the number of completeness. But six is the number for humans, the number of incompleteness.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
I guess when these things happen those who are wise in that time period will identify him by his number. It may be something like in Daniel 12 "seal up these things" until they happen.
"What is portrayed is a tremendous union in which capital and labor are both subject to the control and direction of one man. Anyone who is outside that vast combination will be ruthlessly boycotted: no one will work for him or employ him; no one will purchase his produce or sell goods to him. . . . Bankruptcy and starvation face such a man." Fredk A. Tatford, Prophecy's Last Word: An Exposition of the Revelation (London: Pickering & Ingles, 1947), 154.
His Punishment
I am glad I can look at the last pages of this book to know how it will all work out. Though the Beast on the Sea, the AntiChrist, and his wonderworking henchman the False Prophet are empowered by Satan, God is still the ruler of this world yet.
REVELATION 19:20 The beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
In spite of the power and control the false prophet will exercise during the Tribulation, his doom is sealed. He will be "cast alive into the lake of fire." Those who take the mark of the Beast will not do so well either. Revelation 16:1-2 details "a foul and loathsome" sore that comes upon them. Revelation 14:10-11 says they will "drink of the wine of the wrath of God" and "shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angel and in the presence of the Lamb . . . forever and ever."
While it may appear that those who take the mark of the Beast are simply doing what they have to do to protect themselves and their families, they will be judged for identifying with the satanic evil of the false prophet. But what about those who refuse to take the mark?
Their refusal will seem like a death wish, but what seems like death will in reality result in everlasting life: "I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4).
What seems like foolishness to the world will prove to be wisdom, for these martyrs will have heeded the words of Jesus: "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
The false prophet will come with power and influence, deceiving many and causing widespread destruction through his plan of economic domination. But his days are numbered. While he may taste limited success as a counterfeiter, he is no match for the original. The false prophet will be allowed to spread evil during the Tribulation, but God is merely biding His time. One day God's justice will prevail, and the false prophet will meet his fiery end.
Evil people have used political, religious, and economic threats to enforce their will upon their subjects from time immemorial. Thus, we should not find it surprising that these same forces will be used one more time, more effectively than ever. The challenge for us is to remember that these threats to genuine Christian living face us. We should not be so intent on trying to identify who the Antichrist will be that we forget that the dragon is already at work. He likes nothing more than to deceive the world's people using all the political, religious, and economic forces that he can. When he loses persons to the Lamb's side, he will use those same forces to attack them. Easley
Sources: Commentaries on Revelation by:
Akin
Easley
Walvoord
Ryle
Osbourne
Phillips
Barnhouse
Criswell
Hitchcock
Book By David Jeremiah Agent of the Apocalypse
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Revelation 13 The AntiChrist; The Beast
Revelation 13 The AntiChrist; The Beast
Zoom Online Bible Study Meeting Tuesday evening at 7:30 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2402286476
Revelation Studies Video Channel
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What are the dangers of too much speculation regarding the exact identity of the antichrist?
If the point is not to speculate about the precise identity of the antichrist, why does John give us this description?
This passage shows that Satan can work through both individuals and governments or institutions. How have you seen this to be the case in your life and in the world today?
Why does the beast imitate Christ in this passage? How is all sin ultimately a perversion of God's goodness?
Why do you think God allows the beast to reign and even blaspheme His name? How does this evil fit into God's ultimate plan?
1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?"
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.
Following chapter 12 of Revelation we are introduced in Chapter 13 to the method of Satan the dragon's power upon earth during the Tribulation period of Persecution. We are introduced to the Satanic Trinity of Chapter 13: The Dragon, the beast from the seas and the beast from the earth. Next week we shall examine together the beast that rises from the land.
This week we shall look particularly at the Antichrist, the figure arising from the sea, in the first half of Chapter 13.
Just a few days ago (March 17 2021), Greg Sheridan, The Australian's Foreign Editor, said on Sky News that the EU, the European Union, is "essentially the work of the Devil." The operating procedure is this: it ties itself up in ludicrous regulatory knots and imposes grotesque cost disadvantages on itself. It then tries to export those cost disadvantages through the treaty system." Australia faces a very heavy levy for carbon from the EU.
Paul-Henri Spaak, the prime minister of Belgium in the 1930s and 1940s, reportedly made the following statement:
"The truth is that the method of international committees has failed. What we need is a person, someone of the highest order or great experience, of great authority, of wide influence, of great energy. Let him come and let him come quickly. Either a civilian or a military man, no matter what his nationality, who will cut all the red tape, shove out . . . all the committees, wake up all the people and galvanize all governments into action."
When the Antichrist ascends the global stage, the world will be waiting to receive him in precisely this way.
So who exactly is the Antichrist? While there are more than one hundred passages of Scripture that describe him, the title antichrist is mentioned in only five verses in the New Testament —each time by the apostle John. Four of the five occurrences refer to opponents of Christ and His work in John's day (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). Only once does this term refer to the individual who is the focus of this chapter: "Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour" (1 John 2:18).
Here John contrasts the many antichrists (lowercase a) with the Antichrist (capital A). The spirit of the antichrist, which is at work in our world today, will one day be concentrated in one being.
The prefix anti can mean both "against" and "instead of." Both meanings apply to this coming world leader. He will overtly oppose Christ and at the same time will try to insert himself in the place of Christ.
There are more than twenty-five different titles given to the Antichrist, all of which help to paint a picture of the most despicable man who will ever walk the earth. In the book of Revelation, he is referred to as the rider on the white horse (6:2), "the beast" (11:7), and the "beast rising up out of the sea" (13:1). Some people think he is Satan incarnate. We know for certain that Satan gives him his power, his throne, and his authority.
Here are some of the Antichrist's other aliases:
· The little horn (Daniel 7:8)
· The king of fierce features (Daniel 8:23)
· The one who understands sinister schemes (Daniel 8:23)
· The prince who is to come (Daniel 9:26)
· The one who makes desolate (Daniel 9:27)
· The willful king (Daniel 11:36)
· The man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
· The son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
· The lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
The Counterfeit Christ | |
Christ | Antichrist |
Son of God (John 1:34) | Son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3) |
Holy One (Mark 1:24) | Lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:8) |
Came down from heaven (John 3:13) | Came up from the bottomless pit (Revelation 11:7) |
Energized by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14) | Energized by Satan (Revelation 13:4) |
Does the Father's will (John 6:38) | Does his own will (Daniel 11:36) |
Cleansed the Temple (John 2:14-16) | Defiles the Temple (Matthew 24) |
Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53:3) | Man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3) |
Humbled Himself (Philippians 2:8) | Exalts himself (Daniel 11:37) |
Called "the Lamb" (John 1:36) | Called "the Beast" (Revelation 11:7) |
Received up to heaven (Luke 24:51) | Sent to the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20) |
It is not possible to know the precise identity of this future world ruler. Yet! He will, however, have a name, and he will likely come from some European nation (Daniel 2, 7).
Note he arises out of the sea, a common way of describing gentile nations. 1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. This interpretation is confirmed in Revelation 17, when John records Jesus' words to him: "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues" (verse 15).
Daniel 7 helps us understand what the lion, bear and leopard represent in Revelation 13.
Daniel delineates the four great empires of the world and describes them as beasts.
(a) The Babylonian Empire
Described as a lion. The rulers of Babylon were regal like the lion. The lion also has a ravenous appetite and incredible strength; he's able to terrify.
(b) The Medo-Persian Empire
Described as a bear. The bear has massive strength to grasp and to hold and to crush.
(c) The Greek Empire
Described as a leopard. The leopard has rapid movement. The Greeks conquered the known world with rapidity.
(d) The Roman Empire
The Antichrist will be the last of these world rulers. But he will have a link to the fourth world empire, the Roman Empire. Ceasar. Kaiser in German. Daniel prophesied that the prince, or the Antichrist, would come from the people who would destroy the city of Jerusalem and the sanctuary (Daniel 9:26). Those were the Romans who, under Titus, decimated Jerusalem and Herod's Temple in AD 70. Therefore, "the prince who is to come" might be a Roman prince. In other words, he will be a European Gentile. Daniel also saw the Antichrist as the "little horn" that arose out of the ten horns on the head of the fourth beast (Daniel 7:7-8, 19-26). This fourth beast represents the Roman Empire, which followed Greece, Medo-Persia, and Babylon in their conquest of the Jewish people.
And note once more in Revelation 13: 1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth.
The Antichrist combines the power of these four empires (and in reverse order). As the Greeks were fast, so shall be the Antichrist. As the Medes and Persians were brutal, so shall be the Antichrist. As the Babylonian Empire was Powerful so shall be the Antichrist in his own person! Could a Beast rising out of Rome affect the whole world? Last week Italy nullified Australia's importation of the Astravenica Vaccine for the Covid 19 Virus. Immediately millions of vaccinations were stopped. Australia has asked that our vaccinations go to our near neighbor Papua New Guinea ( a country of 16 million people), where suddenly perhaps half of the population of Port Moresby have been infected. We shall see what Italy does this week!
His Preparation
In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. DANIEL 8:23-24
This Scripture passage says that this world leader will rise to power in the earth's last days. Whenever we read the words "the latter time" or "the last time" in Scripture, they refer almost exclusively to the Tribulation period. At the beginning of this period, an ominous personality will arise —inconspicuously at first —from among the masses. John says, "I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name" (Revelation 13:1).
Since the Antichrist will make a covenant with the Jewish nation, many people assume that he himself must be a Jew. But there are several reasons why this assumption seems improbable:
His Presentation
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. . . . For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed. 2 THESSALONIANS 2:3-4, 7-8
According to Paul, "that Day" —a term for the seven-year Tribulation period during which the Antichrist will be revealed —cannot happen until there is first a "falling away." The Greek word for "falling away" is apostasia, which appears only one other time in the New Testament. There it is translated "forsake" (Acts 21:21). Paul is telling us that before the Antichrist can be revealed, there will be a falling away, a forsaking, on the part of professing believers. This will not be a time when just a few people abandon their doctrinal beliefs; it will mark a period of major, widespread departure from the faith.
In His Olivet discourse, Jesus predicted such a time: "Many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:10-12). The apostle Paul describes this period in further detail: "The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith" (1 Timothy 4:1). "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires . . . they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Contrary to what many people think, this present age will end not in a time of revival but in a time of apostasy. The Antichrist cannot be revealed before the great apostasy occurs, for it is this descent into chaos and rampant immorality that will set the stage for his arrival.
Up to this point, one thing has restrained the Antichrist from coming: he cannot appear until "He who now restrains" (the Holy Spirit) is removed (2 Thessalonians 2:7). When the church is raptured, the restraining work of the Holy Spirit, who is now holding back the man of sin and keeping the world from utter lawlessness, will be removed, and the earth will be subject to the full effects of sin. After the falling away and the Rapture, it will be time for the Antichrist to be revealed.
His Personality
He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. REVELATION 13:5
According to the prophet Daniel, the Antichrist shall "speak pompous words against the Most High" (Daniel 7:25; see also 7:7-8; 11:36). The NIV translates Daniel's word pompous as "boastfully."
Revelation 13:2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
According to biblical scholar A. W. Pink, the Antichrist "will have a perfect command and flow of language. His oratory will not only gain attention but command respect. Just as the voice of a lion surpasses that of all other beasts, so the Antichrist will outrival orators both ancient and modern.
According to the prophet Daniel, the Antichrist will also be physically impressive. His "appearance was greater than his fellows" (Daniel 7:20). When this man walks into the presence of others, he will immediately capture their attention.
He will also be a man of great intellect. Daniel describes him as one who "understands sinister schemes" and "through his cunning . . . shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule" (Daniel 8:23, 25).
When the events of the Tribulation have begun and people are devoid of hope, this man will rise up. People will flock to him like desperate sheep, ready to do whatever he says.
His Plan
DANIEL 8:25 Through his cunning, he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule.
DANIEL 11:21 He shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.
Daniel was given a picture of this world leader in his famous dream: "I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots" (Daniel 7:8). "Plucked out by the roots" literally means "to squeeze out, to push out by subterfuge, to come in and cleverly replace." Daniel goes on to explain: "The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings" (verse 24).
The little horn that Daniel sees rising would be the eleventh horn —a leader who subdues three of the ten kings, one by one. He will do so not by war but by clever political manipulation, and then he will claim their power for himself.
The Antichrist will begin as one of many minor political leaders, attracting little attention at first, but gradually grasping more and more power. His plan is to defeat all other world leaders and eventually take over the world through whatever means necessary —first by deceit and intrigue, and later by force.
His Pride
3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?"
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it,
Dr. Henry Morris describes what will motivate the Antichrist's evil actions:
"Not content to merely rail against God, the dragon-inspired beast must utter diatribes and obscenities against all He stands for (His name), defaming His holiness, His love, His law, His grace. He curses the heavens (the dragon has recently been expelled from heaven) where God dwells. Those who dwell with God in heaven, including not only the holy angels but also all the raptured saints, share in his vilifications. This continual barrage of slander must now take place on earth, since the Devil no longer has access to heaven where he used to accuse the brethren."
This man will even despise false gods —an extreme demonstration of the Antichrist's pride: "The king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods. . . . He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor . . . any god. . . . But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know" (Daniel 11:36-38). "A god of fortresses" refers to his pride in his own military might. He will be the Supreme Secularist!
The Antichrist will acknowledge no religion at all other than the worship of himself and Satan. In his attempt to wipe the thought of God from the world's collective mind, he will try to change the moral and natural laws of the universe (Daniel 7:25). He will create his own morality, saying, "Forget about God's restrictive laws. Here's a new set of guidelines."
His Peace Treaty
He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. DANIEL 9:27
The Antichrist will make a seven-year covenant with Israel at the beginning of the Tribulation period, promising to protect the Jews from their many enemies.
Mark Hitchcock writes, "[The Antichrist] will be the consummate unifier and diplomat. He will acquire power using the stealth of diplomacy. His platform will be peace and prosperity. Emerging with an olive branch in his hand, he will weld together opposing forces with ease. The dreams of the United Nations will be realized in his political policies. He will even temporarily solve the Middle Eastern political situation, which may well earn him accolades such as the Nobel Prize or being anointed TIME magazine's man of the year. He will bring such peace to the Middle East that the Temple Mount area in Jerusalem will be returned to Jewish sovereignty (Daniel 9:27). He will undoubtedly be hailed as the greatest peacemaker the world has ever seen."
Because of this treaty, Israel rebuild the Jewish Temple. However, halfway through the seven-year Tribulation period —after three and a half years —the Antichrist will break his covenant and turn against Israel: "In the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate" (Daniel 9:27).
His Persecutions
REVELATION 13:7 It was granted to [the Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Daniel describes it this way: "I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them" (Daniel 7:21). He goes on to describe the persecution the Antichrist will enact: He "shall persecute the saints of the Most High" (verse 25), and "He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people" (8:24).
The Antichrist won't just harass these believers; he will seek eradicate them, much like Hitler attempted t eradicate the Jews in the Holocaust —probably through economic pressure and public seizure of goods when they refuse to take the mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16-17).
In His Olivet discourse, the Lord Jesus described this terrible time: "There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:21-22). How short? John tells us in Revelation 13:4-5 that "the beast," or the Antichrist, will be "given authority to continue for forty-two months."
His Power
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. 2 THESSALONIANS 2:9
Satan will empower him to perform certain counterfeit signs and lying wonders, which will cause the world to say "Who is like the beast?" (Revelation 13:4). He does a miracle much like the Lord Jesus' resurrection! 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.
It will appear that he has been killed, and then, to the astonishment of the whole world, he will be raised back to life by the power of Satan in a grotesque counterfeit of the resurrection of Jesus Christ: "I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast" (13:3).
"And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).
Satan is the great deceiver and the great destroyer. He does not have the power to give life. He can imitate God, but he will never have the power to duplicate Him.
His Profanity
REVELATION 13:4 They worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
When the Antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel, he will surround Jerusalem with his troops and seize the newly constructed Temple. And then, as one last mockery of God, Satan will install his man of sin as a god in the Temple. At that point, "all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).
The false prophet will erect an animated image of the Antichrist in the Jewish Temple and enable it to speak (Revelation 13:14-15). He will then command the world to worship the image, ultimately fulfilling Daniel's prophecy: "'When you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not' (let the reader understand), 'then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains'" (Mark 13:14; see also Matthew 24:15-16).
His Punishment
DANIEL 8:25 He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means.
John paints the scene for the Antichrist's destruction: "I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army" (Revelation 19:19; see also Zechariah 12:1-9; 14:1-3; Revelation 16:16). And when the Beast comes face-to-face with Christ, he will meet a swift end: "The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:8). As these writers tell us, when the Antichrist dares to defy the second coming of Jesus Christ after the Great Tribulation, he will be finished.
Christ's return will officially end the career of the Antichrist. But it will not be the end of him. When we are told that he will be destroyed, this does not mean that he will be annihilated but rather that he will be utterly defeated and rendered powerless. He and his evil partner, the false prophet, will be apprehended and will become the first two humans cast into the lake of fire for all eternity: "The beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20).
As we see the signs of the end times increasing and intensifying today, the world is being prepared for the coming of this evil one. As Christians, we must keep our lamps trimmed so we will be among those the Lord removes before this man's terrible career begins.
Here is a call for endurance.
At all times in the earth's history Satan has waged war against the gospel and the people of God. He is restrained at present. One day, at the rapture of the church, that restraint will be removed.
Those who thought themselves formerly to be Christians will discover they are not, and will follow the Antichrist in his deceptions.
Today we too must endure. Then?
I hope you are a Christian dear friend. If not you must turn to Christ now.
He who believes in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one sacrifice for sins, the one true Saviour will have eternal life. If you do not, you will perish with the Antichrist forever.
Sources: David Jeremiah, Agents Of The Apocalypse
Adrian Rogers Unveiling The End Times
Leman Strauss The Book Of Revelation
Akin Revelation
