The Antichrist

Bottom line

The antichrist is coming, are you going to be ready?

Opening Line

In November, the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the Grey Cup. As a result, there was a parade to celebrate the victory.

Introduction

Now it doesn’t have to the Roughriders, put whatever team you want into the picture, but the picture of the celebration is the same. The streets of the parade are lined with screaming fans, dressed in the team colors, waving the teams flags. The team themselves parade themselves down the street, most of them in trucks or convertibles so they can wave to the people. There will be music playing. At the back of the parade are the stars of the show. For the CFL, that means the MVP of the Grey Cup, the Most Valuable Canadian, and the Grey Cup itself, the grand finale of the parade. It all culminates at the end of the street with a stage with more cheering, speeches, and partying over the victory.

Main Point

The intersting thing is that this is the basic formula all throughout history. In the past, it wasn’t major sports victories being celebrated, but wars being won, and victorious kings being swooned over. The convertibles and trucks are replaced with horses and chariots, and the team flags are replaced with… palm branches.

This is the atmosphere of the Triumphal Entry. The highway leading into the city is lined with people, celebrating the arrival of the Messiah. The palm branches represent the liberation of the Jews. The first time the palm branches had been waved was 200 years prior for Simon Maccabeus after he had defeated the Syrians.

So the people are cheering, waving palm branches. Some are laying the palm branches and cloaks on the road, creating a red carpet of sorts for the arrival of the redeemer of Israel.

But there is a problem. The Jews had been taught that the Messiah would be a conquering king, and the hope was that the Christ would defeat the Romans and restore Israel. So what they were hoping for at the end of the procession was a king, riding a horse, wearing a crown, carrying his weapon of choice, like a sword or a bow.

Why it matters

Wait… someone riding a horse, with a crown and a bow. Where have I read that before?

Revelation 6:1–2 NLT

As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.

This passage in Revelation is describing a person known as the antichrist. This morning we are going to do a dive into what scripture says about the antichrist, and why you as disciples must be on guard. As Jesus said, when the false messiahs, when the antichrist arises, he will perform such signs that God elect will deceived, if that is possible.

Scripture

When we read through Scripture, it is important to note that there are two different aspects when it comes to the antichrist.

1 John 2:18 NLT

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.

1 John 2:22 NLT

And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.

2 John 7 NLT

I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.

1. The Spirit of the Antichrist

So John writes to the church and he tells them that both the antichrist is coming, and that a spirit of the antichrist is already at work. This should come as no surprise, as this mindset was actively at work when Jesus was on the earth. The Pharisees actively tried to undermine Jesus, and even had him killed on account of the fact that Jesus called himself the Son of God.

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This spirit of the antichrist continues today, constantly questioning and casting doubt on the idea that Jesus is the messiah that the world needs. Though they can not deny that Jesus was alive and walked the earth, many want to simply acknowledge him as a good teacher and nothing more.

I start here because there are some in the church that simply want to interpret all the passages pertaining to the antifchrist as simply a mindset. The opposition to Christ will simply grow, and a more aggressive approach will to deployed in the last days. But I want you to note where John starts. You have heard that the antichrist is coming. John wrote to people who had been taught that an actual person that acted in this capacity was coming and they needed to be watching.

2. The Person of the Antichrist

Which brings us to the second level of the teaching. What does the bible says about the person, this antichrist. Well let’s go back to words of Daniel.

Daniel 7:24–27 NLT

Its ten horns are ten kings who will rule that empire. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them. He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time. “But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.”

a) A king like no other

This person is going to be a political figure, and he is going to be different from those who come before him. He is going to have dominion over God’s holy people and he will defy the Most High. He is going to try to change the sacred festivals and laws. In order to do that, he is going to have a great amount of influence, or he is going to be very powerful.

Daniel 9:27 NLT

The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”

b) He is going to promise a false peace

He makes a treaty with Israel and promise them peace for seven years. For those who have been a part of the chruch for a while and wondered why talk of the tribulation was always taught as a seven year period, this is why. This seven year treaty will be the beginning of the Great Tribulation, with things amplifying at the half way mark when the treat is broken.

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But this political figure that promises peace isn’t going to just break the treaty, oh no. He is going to set up the abomination of desolation, or the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.

The Apostle Paul expands on this in 2 Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 NLT

Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:9–10 NLT

This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.

c) He will be worshipped as a god

Not only is the antichrist going to be a political figure like no other, having an extreme amount of influence and promising peace to the people of Israel. He is also going to be able to perform counterfeit signs and miracles. He is going to be supernaturally empowered. With the combination of these two things, he will exalt himself above every kind of worship, sitting in the temple of God and delcaring himself as divine.

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This is why I believe the words, abomination of desolation is a more accurate description. It is not going to be an sacrilegious object in the temple of God; it is going to be a person, acting in deiance of the Most High and establishing himself as a god. The scary part about it is that the vast majority of people are going to believe him.

Look what John says in Revelation 13:1-8

Revelation 13:1–8 NLT

Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority. I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?” Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.

He blaspheme God, he will wage war against God’s holy people and conquer them, and he will rule over every tribe, people, language, and nation. We’re not just talking about a localized political figure that will only impact the Middle East. We talking about someone who will rule over every nation. The scary part is, with his political power and supernatural ability, the world will most likely hand it over to him willingly. Think about it. We live in a day where you can’t really trust media, you certainly can’t trust the government to do what’s best for the people. There is so much upheaval that if someone comes along, claiming to be able to fix it all; who is going to be opposed to that?

John continues

Revelation 13:11–18 NLT

Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.

Now we’re not just talking about someone who has authority over people, but he has complete control over the economy, demanding that everyone take a mark in order to buy and sell anything.

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This antichrist is going to deceive so many people because in the beginning, he is going to give them exactly what they want. By consolidating power to himself, he will be able to convince people that he is fixing things. In fact, he will be able to perform such signs and miracles that it will probably apppear that he is fixing things. He is the king that everyone wants.

Which brings us back to the triumphal entry. Back to all the celebrating, palm waving, cheering and excitement of the Messiah. But instead of a king riding a horse, the symbol of strength and power, who in this procession? It is Jesus, riding a donkey, the symbol of humility. Instead of a crown and a weapon, it is written that there was nothing about Jesus that would draw people onto him.

At the time, the people wanted a king who would defeat the Romans. Jesus came to defeat the real enemy of the people, which is Satan. The Jews were expecting a Messiah that would put an end to the oppression by people, but Jesus came to put an end to the oppression from sin. The people wanted to see Israel restored to a position of power in the world. Jesus came to restore the people to a right relationship with God so that they could enjoy God’s eternal kingdom.

Jesus may not have the been the king they wanted or expected, but he was the king that they needed.

When the antichrist comes, and trust me he is coming, he is going to offer the world life. He is going to give them someone tangible to worship, and he is going to promise peace and prosperity. He is going to be charismatic, charming, and he will draw the hearts of many. But, even though he offers life, the only thing that he will deliver is death.

Jesus, on the other hand, teaches that if you are willing to die to self, put to death your sinful nature and selfish ambitions, then you will truly live. Then the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you know freedom from sin and you will be made into a new creation. A fresh start. But it will require you taking your cross every day.

Transition to Application

Which brings us back to the palm branches. Everyone is going to lay their palm branches down to someone, the question is, who will you lay yours down to?

Main To Do

We’ve been talking a lot about what’s your next step? We’ve talked about preparing yourself for the return of Christ and standing before the judgment seat, but what the antichrist? What are some things you can do to prepare your mind so you are not deceived by his ways?

Why it matters

Your ability to guard your heart and mind against the lies of the world is absolutely paramount with the growing amount of decpetion in the world. The spirit of the antichrist is hard at work now. You need to be in the word and praying constantly so that you are now deceived.

Closing Line

Who will lay your palm branch down to someone. The question is, who?

Communion

In preparation for communion, I want to take sometime, quiet yourself before God, and listen for his voice. Ask God if there are any areas of your life that need to be deception proofed. As we take communion this morning, it is a reminder that Jesus’ return is coming soon, and we need to be ready.

The Call

This morning I want to close with something different. I believe that there are three different kinds of people in the service this morning.

Maybe you are here, you are new to church, and you know that the way life is going isn’t working. You feel a pulling on your heart this morning. You are being invited to come near to God through prayer.

Maybe you were part of church growing up, but life happened, and you are here hoping for a fresh start on your faith. You are being invited to come back this morning.

Maybe you are here this morning and you have been faithfully coming to church but feel like you need something more. You feel distant, or you just know you could be a lot closer, you are being invited to come closer.

If you fall in either of those categories, with no one looking around, could you put your hand up this morning. Let me pray with you.

If you are one who put your hand up and want to come near to God for the first or come back to God, could you come to front this morning, I would to talk to you.

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

How can we differentiate between the true Messiah and the spirit of the antichrist in our daily lives?

What practical steps can you take to ensure that you are standing firm in your faith against false teachings?

How does understanding the characteristics of the antichrist impact your view on current political and social leaders?

When facing peer pressure, how can knowing about the antichrist encourage you to stand up for your faith?

How can you encourage your friends to seek the truth about Jesus rather than the false promises of worldly success?