Sermon Tone Analysis

!! The Coming Anti-Christ

!! Revelation 13:1-6

 

Who is the anti-christ?

We don’t know

Where will he come from?

Is he alive today?

He could be

 

Interesting How Christians have speculated over the years as to who it might be

            ~*Often to great embarrassment

            ~*I believe that we need to be careful with that type of thing

                        -some have speculated when Christ would return

+Billy Graham said when Israel became a nation it would only be a couple of more years

+Others predicting all the time that it is extremely close

 

-Y2K experience at turn of the millennium

 

With anti-christ:

   Hitler:  Number of 666:  Assign each letter of alphabet # beginning with 100

               A = 100  B = 101 so on:  Hitler’s name adds up to 666

 

   John F. Kennedy:  Thought he died and rose in WWII

                                  666 votes at 1956 Democratic Presidential convention

                                  He was shot in the head by an assassin:  Antichrist will

                                       Wounded in the head

 

  Henry Kissinger:  Worked peace between Israel and Arabs in 1973

 

Some have speculated today that one of our Presidential candidates is the anti-Christ

 

That is something that you will never hear me do:  The Bible does not tell us who he will be so I do not think that it is up to us to try to figure it out, if we do we run the risk of looking foolish and discrediting a more important message:  The message of Jesus Christ!!

 

In Revelation 13 we see the anti-christ’s personality, profile, and program

 

 

!!! I.                   The Personality of the anti-christ

 

1.

A Charismatic leader:  His person is charismatic vv.

3-5

He will sway the masses by his words

Early on we saw some great things:

·         He will begin by putting down world conflict and creating peace

·         He will sign a covenant with Israel for a seven year period which will allow them to rebuild temple and reinstitute religious rituals

 

One thing said of Hitler was that he was a great orator

            Those listening to him speak would be willing to do anything

 

Numerous Presidents, etc. in this country have had the ability to sway crowds

 

This man will excite crowds and sway them away from God to follow him

 

2.

Physically Attractive  Daniel 7:20

His appearance will be greater than his fellows

 

3.

Cleaver leader:  Daniel 7:8, 20

1)      Eyes of a man: intellect, wisdom, cunning

2)      Subdues 3 other kings

 

4.

Cultic Leader Daniel 7:25

Spoke against true God

Praised himself as God

Persecutes those who follow the Most High God

Rev. 13:8

2 Thess.

2:4  will exalt himself above all that is called God

 

5.

Cruel Leader  Dan.

7:23, 25

He will change from being a peace maker

He will also speak blasphemous words (pompous)

            Daniel 7:7-8, 20, 25

He will speak pompous words against the Most High

 

Will devour the whole earth and trample it to pieces

Focus is on the saints of God: to destroy God and all that is His

 

The world will follow, his oratory ability will enable him to cause the masses to follow:  just like Hitler was able to cause people to follow him in killing 100’s of thousands of men, women, and children for a greater cause

 

Overview:

            Rev.

13 Kills 2~/3 of the Jews

            Zach.

14 conquers the city of Jerusalem

            Rev.

13 Slaughters large number of Gentiles

            Dan.

7:25 Persecutes the saints

           

!!! II.

The Profile of the anti-christ

13:1-2 he is the embodiment of Satan:  Satan’s version of Jesus Christ

 

Interesting to compare how man looks at him (point #1) with how God looks at him

V. 2  Like a wild animal from the pit of hell empowered by Satan, the great dragon!!

 

 

1.

His coming to power:  Daniel 7:8 little by little:  he is the little horn

Rev. 13:1 rises out of the sea of humanity

 

2.

His spirituality:  Rev.

11:7 out of the abyss

Satan incarnate, in the flesh

Sets himself up to be worshipped by the world

 

3.

His power vv.

2, 5, 7

Given unto him by Satan

Controlled by God:  God keeps the reigns tight

Illustration of Job in OT

 

4.

He is intimidating

13:1  awesome creature

13:2  Leopard, bear, lion: beautiful, cruel, strong, brutal  

            anti-christ brings all these together in himself

 

Bear:  say two bear up a tree recently outside of Wysox along the road:  beautiful to look at.

As I saw I saw several people out of their cars standing under the tree with cameras taking pictures.

As I saw it I thought what a beautiful sight, and the it occurred to me that without know it the people caught in the beauty of the moment were putting themselves in great danger:  where was mama bear?

Same will be true of the anti-Christ:  There will be much about him that is attractive—yet behind all of that will be great danger!!

 

!!! III.

His Program:  Great counterfeiter vv.

3-4

 

1.

He appeared to rise from the dead:

 

He is wounded vv. 3, 12, 14

·         Deadly wound:  As far as the world was concerned it was a mortal wound, yet John says in verse 3 that “as if it had….”

·         Was wounded by a sword

·         He appeared to die

·         He was miraculously raised from the dead

 

Imagine him sitting up in the casket and starting to speak:  The whole world seems to listen

 

2.

Lesson or challenge:

People believe what they want to believe

Jesus did same thing and yet many won’t accept

When anti-christ does they will fall behind and worship