The Man Called Antichrist
“Are We Living In The Last Days”
The Man Called Antichrist
I searched the internet while preparing for this series and was surprised to find that so many people throughout history have been labeled as being the Antichrist. The names include: Nero, Domitian, Adolph Hitler, Pope Paul VI, Prince Charles of England, George W. Bush and even David Hasseloff from Bay Watch.
Although some of the reasons that these were potentials were silly, it does show that people have a deep desire to know things concerning the end of time.
Last night we looked at a question and answer session between Jesus and His disciples concerning Jesus future return to the earth. Jesus disciples wanted to know just as we do when He will be returning.
I hope to show you today that the man we called Antichrist otherwise known as the Pirnce in the book of Daniel and the Beast in Revelation, has not yet appeared on the scene but could be revealed at any time.
The coming Antichrist will symbolize and personify all that stands against God.
There are many other references to him in the Old Testament prophets, that the first
prophecy of the Antichrist may well occur in Genesis 3:15. God tells the serpent
of Eden, ''And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
offspring [a possible reference to the Antichrist, the "offspring" of Satan] and
hers [Jesus, the offspring of the woman]; he [Jesus] will crush your head, and
you will strike his heel [a reference to the Crucifixion Jesus--is wounded by
death but rises again, a costly victory that crushes the head of Satan]."
The powerful and ominous figure we know as the Antichrist appears throughout
Scripture under various names and guises. As we examine this man in the Old and New Testaments, we find a portrait of a powerful man of remarkable personal appeal and deceptive powers. He is a political ruler and the human incarnation of Satan on Earth. He is the one who will gather up in himself all the humanistic philosophies of the earth, receive the worship of all the nations of the earth, and set himself in
opposition to the worship of the one true God.
I would like to point out three aspects of this man know as the Beast as we try to determine who he could be and when he will arrive.
1. The Restrainer Recalled
Before the Antichrist comes upon the scene, the world must be prepared to accept him. I think this can only occur when someone called the Restrainer is removed.
2 Thessalonians 2:7” 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.”
What is this “restraining”? It is an invisible force holding back the gathered might of ultimate evil. As bad as it is today in our world, it could (and will) get worse. A restraining influence in our world holds this evil – this dark satanic tide of perversion and lawlessness – in check. Who has the power to restrain Satan? Only God. And it is God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who draws the line today and keeps the ocean of evil at bay.
Paul said to the Thessalonians, “Friends, don’t be troubled by these letters purporting to come from me. You are not in the midst of the Tribulation. The day of the Lord has not come, and will not come until the rebellion against the truth has reached full force, and until that restraining power that holds evil in check is finally removed.” (2 Thes. 2:2-3)
When will that restraining influence cease? When the Holy Spirit no longer has the ministry He has now. And when will that happen? When the church is taken out of the way at the Rapture.
Where does the Holy Spirit live? He lives within the believer. When the Rapture comes, all the believers will be swept up into heaven and the Holy Spirit will no longer have a resident ministry on this earth. His role will revert to what it was in the Old Testament. If you think conditions are dark and vile now, just try to imagine the way things will be when all the restraints are suddenly removed. It will be like the bursting of the levees in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina. Sin and death and hatred and perversion will suddenly rush in to fill the vacuum left by the departure of the church and the presence of the Spirit. When that occurs, the Great Tribulation isn’t far behind.
Since Paul says plainly that the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the world
before the Antichrist is revealed, we know that His removal from the world
occurs somewhere between the events recorded in Matthew 24:14 and the events of
verse 15. It will occur sometime before the "Abomination that causes
Desolation," spoken of by the prophet Daniel, stands in the holy place of the
restored temple.
- The Church Raptured
This event known as the Rapture will set the stage for Antichrist to be revealed and he will be accepted as a peacemaker and leader. He will have the answers to the world’s problems and will be the one to bring peace to the nation of Israel.
That the church will be removed before the Great Tribulation the Bible says is coming upon the earth, has been under much debate for several years. Some scholars say that this Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory was first made popular by John Darby in the 1840’s. Others say that the word Rapture is not even in the Bible, which is actually true. The word rapture come from a translation of the Greek word in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 hapadzo which translators have rendered “caught up” and was later termed the rapture.
Lets look at this 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 to get the full effect of what Paul was saying.
3 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
I want to let you know that I do believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church and I would like to give you a few reasons why I do.
First, God has already raptured someone. In Genesis 5:24 we read “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. “
Second, God rescued His own before times of destruction. Think back to what He did with Noah and Lot before His wrath was poured out.
Finally, Jesus Himself gives the following assurance to the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10 “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.”
2. The Beast Revealed
Jesus made a fascinating prophecy to the religious leaders who opposed him. In John 5:43 we find these words “I have come in my father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.”
Jesus was telling the religious leaders of the day that although they do not accept the real Messiah coming in the name of the Father, they would accept the false Messiah that will come in his own name.
The evil man known as Antichrist will not be accepted by the world unless the conditions are right. The removal of the Holy Spirit will allow Satan to show his representative to the world and the world will be waiting for just someone like him.
The prophet Daniel had a vision of the end times and much of it concerned this man known by names such as the king, the prince, the beast and the antichrist.
Let’s look at a few passages that tell us what this man will be like.
“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every
god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be
successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined
must take place. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the
one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above
them all. Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to
his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly
gifts. He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god
and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over
many people and will distribute the land at a price." (Daniel 11:36-39)
“Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the
rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to
destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is
called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple,
proclaiming himself to be God”. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
“The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise
his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to
slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was
given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given
authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the
earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book
of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.”
(Revelation 13:5-8)
The Antichrist will be a major political and military leader. To make things even worse he will be helped in his conquest by an individual called the False Prophet. This man will be a religious leader able to perform great and miraculous signs. It will be the duty of the False Prophet to make everyone in the world worship the Antichrist.
It will be the False Prophet not the Antichrist that will wage war on anyone who does not worship the Beast. The False Prophet will even require allegiance to his master by making everyone who wants to do any kind of business, have a mark on their forehead or right hand. This will cause turmoil for everyone in the world who does not worship the Antichrist and refuses to have his mark on their body.
The last verse of Revelation thirteen is where we find reference to the number of the beast being 666.
There has been much speculation on the insignia or “mark” of the beast, but it could be any of several kinds of identification. Countless attempts have been made to interpret the number 666, usually using the numerical equivalents of letters in the Hebrew, Greek, or other alphabets. As there probably have been hundreds of explanations continuing down to the present day, it is obvious that if the number refers to an individual it is not clear to whom it refers.
There has also been questions raised about where the Antichrist will come from and what nationality will he be.
Many scholars believe the he will have to be a Jew to be accepted by the Jewish people as their true Messiah. There a couple of verses that may lead us to a closer understanding about him. In Daniel 9:26 we read “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”
This verse implies that the Antichrist or the ruler who will come is that final head of the Roman Empire, the little horn of Daniel 7:8. It is significant that the people of the ruler, not the ruler himself, will destroy Jerusalem. Since he will be the final Roman ruler, the people of that ruler must be the Romans themselves. This, then, is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem about which Christ spoke in His ministry.
Many feel that in order for the Jews to accept the Antichrist as the Messiah that he would have to be a Jew himself. One verse found in Daniel 11:37 seems to imply this. “He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.”
The confusion comes when we consider that the Antichrist is one half of the destructive duo. There will actually be two men filling this office, and they are both presented in chapter 13 of Revelation. This first one is a political ruler who comes out of the Roman Empire and probably the Greek section of the Roman Empire. He is the one who doesn’t have to be an Israelite at all. The second beast that arises is a religious leader, and he imitates Christ—I assume he will be an Israelite.
We can conclude the “prince who is to come” is the coming deceiver of Israel, the Antichrist. He will not appear before the world until ten kingdoms (Daniel 7:23-24) are formed within the Roman Empire and until the Rapture of the Church (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). His “week” will be the last of Daniels 70 Weeks of Years – the 70th week. This “week” will comprise the time between the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ, that time known as the Tribulation.
The terms of the covenant, or agreement, between the Antichrist and Israel are not clear. However, it will be a political alliance that will enable the Antichrist to gain power over the 10 kingdoms. Involved in the agreement will be the protection of Israel in her homeland, the restoring of temporary peace and the promise of continued peace. The covenant, or agreement, will be set for seven years; that is a “week” in Daniel’s 70 Weeks of Years.
In the middle of this “week” or after 3 ½ years, the Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel. He will invade Jerusalem, defile the Temple, and set himself up to be worshiped. This is what Jesus referred to as the “abomination of desolation”
The world is ripe for the rise of the Antichrist, who will promise peace. There has never been peace in the Middle East and especially in the land of Israel.
Millions of people on this earth will be fooled into thinking that the Man of Sin is really the Messiah. They will proclaim that finally peace can come to the earth and we can all dwell in safety and security. The world will feel secure for a season because people have failed to acknowledge the true Messiah and are willing to believe a lie. Listen to these words from (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness”
3. The Beast Removed
The Antichrist will have his day on this earth. In fact he will have a period of seven years according to the book of Daniel and Revelation but he will not prevail.
In Matthew 24:21-22 Jesus says “For there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now- and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive.”
We will look tonight at this time called the Great Tribulation that will come upon the earth during the glory days of the Antichrist.
But what as Paul Harvey might say is the rest of the story for Antichrist. We see in Revelation 19:19-20 that after his destructive power on earth is released and the whole world is made to worship him. He decides that he will be able to defeat Jesus and the army of heaven. Let’s see what his outcome will be when he takes on King Jesus.
“ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Rev. 19:19-20)
Do I believe in a literal person we call Antichrist to come into power on this earth one day. Yes, I do.
I knew a pastor once that told me that all of this end time prophecy business was merely symbolic. Another pastor told me that the things we read about in the book of Daniel and Revelation have already occurred. The person described was know as Antiochus Epiphanes who ruled from 175-163 BC. He did many of the things that the Beast is reported to do but I believe he was only a precursor or sampling by Satan not the true Antichrist. There are too many other signs and prophecies that could only happen in these latter days that could not have been fulfilled years ago.
It is my firm belief that very shortly a man will appear on this earth who will be someone the world has long since waited for. In the chaos that will follow the rapture of the church from the earth, this man will step forward to proclaim through signs and wonders that he has the plan that will once and for all bring lasting peace upon the earth.
Our reason for having this session this week is to help prepare and assure believers concerning what will soon be coming to earth. It is not my purpose to attempt to frighten anyone here today, but I could not in good faith not warn you of these events that will soon come to pass.
How long will it be you might ask, I really don’t know but just as Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24:42-44 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him”
We must be prepared for His imminent return. My question to you today is this, are you prepared, are you watching and waiting in anticipation of the return of our Lord to the earth.
If the Rapture would occur today are you sure you would be one of the ones changed in the twinkling of the eye carried up to glory to meet Jesus in the air? Or would you be one of the ones who is left behind, eagerly awaiting the man called the Antichrist who will only offer false hope and false peace.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior today, I want you to come forward when our hymn of invitation is given and ask Jesus to become your Lord and Savior. Don’t take a chance on being left behind make sure of your final destination today.