Get your bibles out folks, and lets go through the learning curve necessary to shed great light on this important end-time subject. Such an endeavor will remove much of the fear an anxiety surrounding this subject.
He is real. He is coming. But the sequence of events, as well as the events that play out are in no way anything like what you see in the movies. The big operative word here is DECEPTION!
The very first thing we must establish is the real meaning of the word Antichrist. Hollywood portrays such an individual as one who is AGAINST Christ by being the OPPOSITE of Christ. You know, anti-acid pills are used against stomach acid because they are alkaline the opposite of acid, therefore they neutralize the stomach acid. So, most unconsciously assume the word Antichrist means against Christ by being the opposite of Christ. They reason if Christ is love then the Antichrist must be the opposite, which is hate. If Christ looks like God the Father, then the inclination is to reason that the Antichrist must look like the devil. Hollywood steps in here providing an evil-looking hideous devil with horns wild eyes, scales , a tail and a pitch fork ---- all of which are waste products of the mind of man and are not biblically accurate at all!
Actually Satan appears just the opposite.
" For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."II Corinthians 11:13 - 15
Read that verse above again. Also notice this, Satan has MINISTERS! Where do you find ministers today?
If you need tires you go to a tire store. Need a hair cut? Go to a barber or hair salon. Need a minister......where do you find them? Do you think maybe a "church" would be a good place to start looking? And while you're thinking on that, consider this:
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Don't be mistaken. The Antichrist will be against Christ. But he will not appear as the opposite of Christ. Instead he will, in fact, appear to BE Christ. He will appear to be Christ in purpose, in demeanor, in looks, in personality, and in the very deeds he institutes upon his counterfeit "return" to earth complete with a counterfeit resurrection.Revelation 12:9
In fact this individual is SO MUCH LIKE the genuine Christ that the original disciples would be fooled if they were alive and here today.
Children will follow him around. He will be deceivingly kind. The Theocracy he will usher in will have God's very Ten Commandments, Holy Days, and Sabbaths as tenets of the Law of the land.
I John 2:18 speaks of the Antichrist, and the original Greek word used is "antichristos" defined as an "opponent of Christ". Note, an opponent not necessarily an opposite.
This word is listed as number 500 in Strongs Exhaustive Concordance. It is a conjunction of two separate words, "anti" (#473) and "Messiah" (#5547).
Here is how the Concordance defines them:
#473: anti an-tee'
"a primary particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to):-- for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc."
#5547: hristos khris-tos'
"from 5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:-- Christ.
See also 5548"
For 42 months (3 1/2 years) this man will be the head of the end-time beast power government. So let's see the sequence of events that leads up to this counterfeit kingdom of God.
In the last days of this age, political tension among the nations involved in the middle east will reach an unparalleled crescendo.
Matthew 24: 1-8"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows."
Verses 21 - 25
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders;Behold, I have told you before."
In the midst of such troublesome times a very charismatic man will begin showing up on the evening news. He will become greatly respected man obviously full of wisdom with a calm reassuring nature about him. With diplomacy and intrigue he will present solutions to all religious and political animosities such as no one has ever seen before.
The Arab nations will love him (as they do Abraham). However, so will the Jews (as they do Abraham) as well as the Christians (as they also do Abraham). In fact, nations of all political and religious persuasions will be awed by this man's incredible ability to bring peace among the nations.
Many will think he has arrived just in time to keep mankind from destroying themselves. But the apostle Paul, in I Thessalonians 5: 1-3 gives us this advice concerning those coming days:
Realize that the Great Tribulation spoken of in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 is brought about by mankind. It is not an act of God. The coming act of God that puts an utter, and immediate stop,"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."
to all rebellion of mankind and angel alike is called The Day of the Lord.
"The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
"Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger."
Furthermore, what many do not realize is that a parallel time of great tribulation is prophesied to break out in the heavenly domain simultaneously to the one on earth.Isaiah 13: 4 - 6, 9 - 11, 13
Revelation 12: 7 - 9"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
So let's note the sequence of events. Mankind's own actions brings about a time of great tribulation upon the earth just as a parallel time of great trouble spawns war in heaven. These things don't happen in just one day. Instead, over the long haul they gradually build to a climax.
For years, on earth, the Antichrist has been inspired by Satan to believe he is some exceptional religious figure. He has no idea, that he is in fact, the Antichrist!
But during these days leading up to the war in heaven, Satan himself begins to appear to this man as an "angel of light". He gives this man supernatural power to do wonders and miracles before multitudes of religious followers. The Antichrist is Satan's counterfeit Messiah. The prophesied Beast Power is a counterfeit kingdom of God. And Satan himself a counterfeit of god the Father.
As war in heaven comes to a head Satan sends an angel to summon the Antichrist to him somewhere in the heavens. This man believes he has been called to ascend (like Christ) to God in Heaven even as Satan and his angels are cast out of Heaven and down to the earth.
Revelation 12: 7-9
As the Antichrist ascends to meet God. Satan appears to be God himself to the man. The man is told that he is mankind's last hope. Heylel (Satan's real name) calls the man his son, and reveals to him that the world knows him (the antichrist) as Jesus, the son of god.
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
The Antichrist then returns to earth with a myriad of Heylel's angels as a counterfeit return of Christ.
Demons stage a resurrection just like the one they staged for King Saul (see I Samuel 28). Satan remains an unseen invisible spirit being as all human eyes are now on the spectacle of the returning counterfeit Christ.
Ten end-time nations then give their allegiance to the Antichrist in a confederation the bible calls the Beast Power in Revelation 13:
Verses 1-5"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."
He sits in the temple of God as if he is God. The old system of Mosaic Law is reestablished along with observance of God's Holy Days and Sabbaths. The Antichrist annexes them to himself and proclaims to be the law of the land.
This is the Mark of the Beast. Imagine that! God established the Holydays and Sabbaths as a SIGN to MARK the nation of Israel as belonging to Him. And now, the counterfeit god, and the counterfeit christ assume those days to themselves as their own SIGN to MARK the Beast Power as if it is the genuine Kingdom of God.
For crying out loud! That would deceive even the very elect!
Concerning the Antichrist, Revelation 13:16 - 17 says this:
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
Notice the mark is in their hand and in their forehead. This symbolizes how the work of their hands is governed by the Sabbaths, while the mark in their forehead symbolizes their belief. The set of scriptures above from Revelation 13 pertains to the counterfeit god.
Concerning the genuine commandments, statutes, judgments, Holy Days and Sabbaths the true Almighty God said this:
"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes (forehead)."
Deuteronomy 6: 7-8
If any demented man or angel would ever want the world to think they are God himself all they would have to do is to get them to worship them on the sabbath day! Not Friday, not Sunday, but on the seventh day SABBATH! The sabbath will be temporarily used as a SIGN (mark) of the Beast Power."Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you."
The apostle Paul gives us some more information on the life and times of this individual sitting astride the Beast as if he is God himself:
"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, shewing himself that he is God.And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: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 shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
II Thessalonians 2: 3-4, 8-12
Indeed, Jesus Christ Himself intends on reestablishing the Mosaic system, along with the Holy Days and Sabbath when He returns. Such a system represents God's Elementary School system to teach his ways and His Plan for mankind. God's Law, Holy Days and Sabbath will exist forever. They won't change.
But get this ....... people do change. I would dare to say that every person reading this has been through elementary school. They've probably grown up. They matured.
Likewise, when anyone matures spiritually they CHANGE. They leave elementary school and go on to high school. Which types-out the New Covenant. Such a spiritually matured person is not expected to observe times, seasons, moons, sabbaths, dietary laws and such which are the very beginnings of learning the ways of God. When such a person graduates beyond such things they do not go back and destroy them. Instead they leave them in place for the next students coming along.
Jesus will reestablish them not long after returning to the earth to benefit millions and millions of Christians, atheists, Hindus, Buddhists, and on, and on, etc. who will eventually move on to a New Covenant relationship as the mature spiritually.
Beyond that God has a third level of spiritual growth that involves some things He has kept hidden from the foundation of the world until one matures spiritually enough to receive them.
"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"
Ephesians 3:9
The Sabbaths and Holy Days typed out various steps in God's plan. They are a sign, a mark, to those keeping them that they are the children of God. However, they are also a sign of Spiritual immaturity.......spiritual children. To the church at Colossi Paul said:
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; "
So the Antichrist will use the foundational teachings of God's elementary school to point the masses toward himself. When Christ returns, the world will already be living under a theocracy.
For much more information on events concerning the The Antichrist and the end of the age, you can request the following DVDs:
PRELUDE TO THE ANTICHRIST
END OF THE AGE (Part 1)
END OF THE AGE (Part 2)
END OF THE AGE (Part 3)
KINGDOM OF GOD (Part 1)
KINGDOM OF GOD (Part 2)
KINGDOM OF GOD (Part 3)
UNDERSTAND THE MARK OF THE BEAST
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