Satan's Superman

Intro:

Adrian Rogers was an American Southern Baptist pastor and conservative author. He lived from 1931 -2005. And His ministry “Love Worth Finding” is still broadcast on different radio and tv stations today.

Here’s how he describes the antichrist: “World history began with the sin of man; it will end with the man of sin. There are some people who tell us that man sprang from the beast. Man did not spring from the beast; man is headed to the beast. Man is headed to the Antichrist, that last world ruler, who is Satan’s superman.”

Not very often will I have a whole sermon devoted to talking about Satan… However, he is a prominent figure throughout the Scriptures and we are not going to skip over those parts… He is enemy #1 of Christ and Christ followers and it is always beneficial to gain information about our enemy…

And… I don’t mind talking about him today, because we will also be talking about Christ defeating him.

So I want to borrow Adrian’s term as we look at “Satan’s Superman”

About 8 years ago, a man named David Gonzales, bought a rundown old house in Minnesota for around $10,000. While he was removing a wall, he found an original 1938 Superman comic book that had been stuffed behind the walls for insulation. It wasn’t in great shape after 75 years, but he sold it to a collector for $175,000.

In 1958, the writers of Superman introduced a character called “Bizarro Superman”. He was the complete opposite of Superman. Superman used his superpowers for good, but Bizzaro used his powers for evil.

It is not fair to liken Superman to Christ, because Superman is a fictional character and Jesus Christ is the real Supernatural God-man. But what Bizzaro was to Superman, the Antichrist will be to Jesus.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace and the Antichrist will be a false (or fake)-peace maker. In Isaac Watts hymn “Joy to the World” he writes that Jesus will “rule the world with truth and grace.” That’s referring to the thousand-year reign of Christ. But during the Tribulation, the Antichrist will rule the world with lies and disgrace.

As I said last week, we are going to look at some of the verses we already went over last week and pull some more information out concerning the Anti-Christ, Satan’s Superman… and then we will move a little further in our text as well.

Let’s look at 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12…

Meat:

We are going to skip around this passage some today, but we will cover it all, nonetheless…

Satan’s Superman Will...

Today I want to look at several things that Satan’s Superman will do and have done to him…

First of all, Satan’s Superman will…

1. Deceive Many People

The first part of v.3 says “Let no one deceive you by any means… ” and then Paul says in vv. 9-11 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,”

Satan’s Superman will be able to deceive many people…

1.1 By Performing Miracles

again, v. 9 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,”

Yes, Satan has the power and ability to perform miracles… Remember when Moses stood before Pharaoh and his staff was transformed into a snake....??? The priests of Pharaoh were able to perform the same tricks.

The warning here is… Just because someone claims to perform a miracle, doesn’t necessarily mean they are from God.

The Bible says during the time of the Antichrist, people will believe THE lie. Jesus said that Satan was a liar from the beginning. Satan and his Superman have the same purpose—to deceive and then to kill, steal, and destroy… So, What is this lie?

The lie of Satan is the same lie he told Eve in the Garden of Eden. God said, “Help yourself to all the food in the Garden, but there is one tree that I reserve to myself. Don’t eat of that fruit, or you will die.”

Satan’s lie was this: “Eve, you don’t need a God because you can be your own god. Eat of this tree and you won’t die. Instead, you’ll become like god!” These words were spoken from the lips of a liar who had once tried to be like God and failed.

But Eve believed the lie. In fact, when God confronted Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, her excuse was, “The serpent deceived me.”

Satan is still telling that lie today. There is a growing number of Americans who claim they don’t need God. In essence they are swallowing the lie of the devil. They believe there will never be any consequences for their sin. They call themselves self-made people, and they worship themselves as their own creator. They see themselves as a god…

Of course, you would expect to see this in the world that is full of sin, but no one could ever believe that concept is a biblical one… Right?

Creflo Dollar is an American pastor, televangelist, and the founder of the non-denominational Christian World Changers Church International based in College Park, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.

If you were here a few weeks ago on Sunday night, then you have already seen this clip…

(Movie Clip)

Did you see how many people were there… I am not sure how many are fully believing exactly what he is teaching, but the deception is real!

Satan and his Superman will have the ability to disguise themselves in whatever way they have to in order to deceive as many people as they can… partially through the messages that they speak and partially through the signs or miracles they perform.

Some people really stumble over the phrase, in v.11 that says “God will send them strong delusion.” But the language simply states that God will allow them to be deceived. He could have kept Eve from being deceived, but there is one area of the universe where God has willingly limited Himself. That is in the area of your will. God allowed Eve to be deceived and He allows us to make our own choices as well…

May I encourage you, as Paul did his flock… “Let no one deceive you by any means...”

Secondly… Satan’s Superman will…

2. Declare that he is God

v.4 tells us that he “… 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.(or literally, declaring that he is God)”

Satan’s main goal is to be worshipped. He even tried to entice Jesus to bow down and worship him. So it’s no surprise Satan’s Superman, the Antichrist, will demand that people worship him as God. And during the tribulation, he will be worshipped by everyone except those who put their faith in Jesus.

Revelation 13:7–8 NASB95

7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

The prophet Daniel predicted that the Antichrist would set himself up in the Temple in Jerusalem and demand people worship him. Currently there is no Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The last one was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans.

On The Temple Mount today, you find the Muslim Dome of the Rock, the third most holy place in Islam. Muslims claim Mohammed had a dream in which he rode a flying horse from Mecca to “a faraway place.” And from this spot, he stepped up into paradise for a visit with Allah.

Many years after Mohammed died, some of his followers claimed that this “faraway place” was Jerusalem, so they built two mosques there.

There has been a debate about the precise location of the Jewish Temple that was destroyed in 70 a.d.

(Picture of temple mount)

According to Dr. Asher Kaufman, Professor Emeritus of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. When you look at an aerial photograph of the Temple Mount, and line up the place that is directed in front of the Eastern Gate, it’s easy to see the location of the Jewish Temple is about 200 feet north of the Dome of the Rock. This is where he claims the Jewish Temple used to be.

I say this because some have claimed the only way the Jewish Temple could be rebuilt would be to destroy the Dome of the Rock. But if the Antichrist is able to negotiate a treaty between the Muslims and the Jews, there is room for both on the Temple Mount.

Today, the Israelis own and control the entire Temple Mount and The Muslims are allowed to worship there. Another scenario could have the Israelis claiming the northern part of the Temple Mount, and building a wall to separate the two.

“But Pastor, the Jews and the Muslims don’t get along, I don’t think there will ever be a place where they would be willing to worship side by side...”

Let me introduce you to “The House of One” (1. Picture)

This is a picture of what it will look like when it is finished, but this project is currently in the process of being built in Berlin, Germany.

Here is another picture… (2. Picture)… Explain…

The “Christian” minister that is kind of leading this project says this about The House of One… “The people who come here will remain true to their own religion, continue to draw from its power, and engage in peaceable dialogue with one another and with members of the city’s secular population. This house will be home to equality, peace, and reconciliation.”

This sounds like a great idea, but if the “Christian Church” that is represented there, was truly doing what Christ intends, then they should be sharing the gospel with the others that are in the other portions of the building.

If there is peace between the Muslims, the Jews and the “Christians” in Berlin, it might not be to long before there is an agreement in Israel.

I don’t think it would take long at all for them to put up a temple when they get permission. I am not sure if you realize, but the Jewish Community in Israel has been preparing for such a day.

In fact, all the articles and implements of the Temple have been manufactured according to the specifications of Leviticus, and Jews with the last name of Cohen have been trained as priests. All they’re waiting on is the Temple to be built.

Maybe, and I am just speculating here, they just build a tabernacle, like Moses had when wandering the wilderness. That would take no time at all to set up…

Folks, I firmly believe that the world is primed and ready for the Anti-Christ to start making his rise to rule the world. And when he does, he will set himself up in whatever Temple the Jews have and declare that he is God…

Alright… Let’s get into some good news… Satan’s Superman Will…

3. Be Defeated by Jesus

v.8 says… “And then 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.”

Last week we talked about God’s Prophetic Timeline… Let me give you a quick order of events…

Halfway through the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist will set himself up, in the Temple, as God, and say, “Worship me.”

At that point, Israel will realize, this is not our Savior and will reject Satan’s Superman and he will cause them to suffer severely.

The Antichrist will gather all the armies of the nations together to fight against Israel and nobody comes to her rescue… The Ukraine has been able to get some help from others. Not very much, but some… Israel, on the other hand, will receive no help at all. All of the nations will come to fight against Israel.

The Israeli army will be outnumbered by a thousand to one. But wait… what is that in the sky? It’s a bird, no it’s a plane… nope… it is Israel’s Heavenly Hero, Jesus Christ and He is ready for battle.

Turn to Revelation 19… (Read vv. 11-16)

Folks, The most powerful weapon in the universe is the Word of God. Remember what Paul said back in v.8 of 2 Thessalonians 2:8

2 Thessalonians 2:8 NKJV

8 And then 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.

Now, maybe you’ve knocked people over with your breath after you’ve eaten garlic and onions, but Paul is referring to the spoken Word of Jesus.

The Antichrist might have a massive armament of nuclear and biological weapons, but they will be useless against the Word that Jesus speaks.

As I’ve said before… I believe it will be the shortest battle in history. Jesus will simply speak, and the battle will be over. I don’t know what Jesus will say, but it will be enough to get Antichrist to immediately cease and desist.

Lastly this morning, Satan’s Superman will be…

4. Condemned Forever

But it won’t be just Satan’s Superman, it will also be Satan himself and everyone who follows him.

vv. 11-12 “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Many of us have a life verse… I have on the back of my business cards, Proverbs 3:5-6 “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” I am sure that many of you have a life verse as well. One that you base your life from…

Satan may not have a life verse… But did you know that he has a death verse? Satan knows Scripture… he probably knows it better than we do… and so he also knows exactly what this particular verse says… Rev. 20:10 “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

This takes place after the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ and Satan isn’t dead, as in destroyed, but he will be “tormented day and night forever and ever”

Closing:

So what does this mean to us?

Again, it reassures us that whatever happens in the world around us, that we shouldn’t worry or lose hope. God is in control, and in the end, Jesus wins.

But there’s another application as well. The Bible predicts there will be a horrible man, the Antichrist, leading during the worst time in the history of humanity. Jesus said it would be a time of tribulation worse than the world has ever experienced. And the Jesus has promised to take His church home before this horrible time occurs. When He was speaking to the church at Philadelphia Jesus said… Rev. 3:10-11

Revelation 3:10–11 NKJV

10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

We do not know the day or the hour of His coming and no one is guaranteed tomorrow… Today is the day of salvation.

Is Jesus calling you to put your faith in Him? Will you do that today?

Prayer: