“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and the sea! the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” – Revelation 12:12
This 7th installment in my 14-week series on Revelation will be one of the most popular, without a doubt, because it deals with one of the most infamous characters in all of history – THE ANTICHRIST. He will be the final enemy of God in this world to be put down by Jesus Christ Himself. He will be Satan incarnate. The Holy Bible reveals so much about this man, and I covered as much of that information as I could in my book, THE COMING SIGNS OF OUR TIMES. The chapter about Antichrist is one of the longest chapters in the book.
In this preview, I’ll share close to half of that chapter to give you a glimpse into the nature and personality of this coming wicked man. If you thought that Adolf Hitler was bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet. I truly believe that the Antichrist is alive and well today, but he will not be revealed until us believers are raptured. And that will be where this teaching begins…
He is first revealed to the world after the Rapture of the Church – not anytime before. This is because the restrainer of the pure evil that the Antichrist embodies must be “taken out of the way” (removed), and that restrainer would be the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit indwells believers on Earth. So, when you remove us (living temples of the Spirit) from the scene, the influence of God’s Spirit is removed. If He remained gone, then no one on the earth would ever be saved again. Every human being would be destined for Hell. That is why the LORD sends 144,000 Jewish evangelists, and the coming Two Witnesses, to bring the influence of His Spirit back to the earth. That’s the reason why you who are left behind are reading this book. If the Spirit was not working on your soul, you would have trashed this book and anything having to do with the God of the Holy Bible. You didn’t and you haven’t. Thank His Spirit for that!
Immediately after the Rapture, there will be a radio silence, so to speak, of the Spirit. He will have no one to speak or preach through. This lack of a universal moral compass is what opens the door for the entrance of the Antichrist. The historic event of the Harpazo (Greek for “the Rapture”) results in a sudden mysterious disappearance of millions (if not billions) of Christians globally. This causes widespread panic around the world, creating a perfect atmosphere for the charismatic leader to finally rise to power.
I explained in the “4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse” chapter that he enters the world scene as a “man of peace,” and does what was long thought to be impossible – succeeds in brokering peace between Israel and her hostile neighbors. Since the mid-1970s, world leaders (specifically U.S. Presidents) have tried extremely hard – and have all failed – at achieving this goal. The number one reason for their failure has been that Islamic nations surrounding Israel have never truly wanted peace with the Jewish State. They have wanted Israel gone. That is why citizens of the world (and even most Israelis) will heap praise upon this man, because he’ll finally deliver what no one else in history ever could – real peace.
“He shall confirm the covenant with many (Israel and Muslim nations of the Middle East) for one week (7 years): and in the midst of the week (3 ½ years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation (of Jews in their Temple) to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations (declares himself to be God in the Holy Temple, and sets up his image in the Holy of Holies) he shall make it desolate.” – Daniel 9:27
As the verse above lays out in detail, it will not be a lasting peace. Antichrist will actually be the one to break the covenant, and turn the whole world against Israel. That was the devil’s goal all along, and that is why he propped this false messiah up in the first place. Satan has always hated Jews, and especially the Jewish State. He’ll lure them into a false sense of peace and security, and then pounce upon them like the vicious roaring lion that he is – attempting to tear them to pieces.
When the Antichrist first arrives in the world of politics as the smooth-talking visionary with all of the answers, it won’t just be Israel that will admire him for bringing peace. It will be the entire world. He will likely come around not long after the Gog-Magog War, which I suspect precedes the Rapture. Since Israel’s enemies will be demoralized after their failure to wipe the Jewish State off the map, and Israel will have war fatigue, I believe the political atmosphere will be ripe for the Beast to swoop in and broker the prophesied covenant of peace. I’ve written extensively about this Gog-Magog battle in my previous books. Take a few moments to read them if you have not already.
While Antichrist deceptively enters the Tribulation period as a peacemaker, most of his Biblical titles reveal his true nature. He is called the…
King of fierce countenance (Daniel 8:23)
Willful King (Daniel 11:36)
Idol Shepherd (Zechariah 11:16-17)
Man of Sin (2nd Thessalonians 2:3)
Son of Perdition (2nd Thessalonians 2:3)
Wicked One (2nd Thessalonians 2:8)
Antichrist (1st John 2:18 & 22)
The Beast (Book of Revelation)
Other titles are primarily found in the Book of Daniel. The Old Testament prophet had given the most detailed description of this wicked dictator, which is even more thorough than the Book of Revelation’s account. In Chapters 7-8 of the Book of Daniel, the prophet refers to him by the name of the “Little Horn.” Daniel was given a vision by the LORD of the final world empire on the earth. Like John does in Revelation, He uses “beast” to describe a One-World-Government (Daniel 7:23). Antichrist is “THE Beast” of the beast that has ten horns (10 kings), and he is the horn that will rise up after them (the “little horn”) which will subdue three of those ten kings.
Both Daniel 7:21 and Revelation 13:7 reveal that he “makes war with the saints and will prevail against them.” This is another reason why the Church is raptured before the Tribulation begins, because he is said to overcome and prevail against “the saints.” Yet, Jesus said that “the gates of Hell shall not prevail against His Church” (Matthew 16:18). If Antichrist (who’s the ambassador of Hell on Earth) is prevailing against believers, we know that they cannot be “the Church.” These believers are “Tribulation saints” (post-Rapture converts) that he will be making war against.
In verse 25 of Chapter 7, Daniel tells us that this Antichrist will publicly blaspheme the LORD – “he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High.” Revelation 13, verses 5 and 6, says “there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; He opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His Name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven (Angels, Old Testament saints, and the Church).”
Also, in verse 25 of Daniel 7, it is said that “he shall think to change times and laws: and they (Tribulation saints) will be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” When Daniel says, “time and times and the dividing of time,” it’s his way of saying “three and a half years.” This will be the second half of the Tribulation, during which the Antichrist begins his rule as dictator of a New World Order. This time frame is referenced in Revelation 13:5 (42 months = 3 ½ years). As to the changing of times, I believe that this means he will change the calendar in order to wipe connection to the life of Christ (BC & AD) from it.
He will also change laws – most likely moral laws inspired by God’s Biblical Law. Daniel 8:12 says “he will cast down the truth to the ground.” Doing Satan’s bidding, this evil man will attempt to scrub all memory of Judaism and Christianity from the earth. The Holy Bible will be banned. Christians and God-fearing Jews will be imprisoned, or even put to death, when discovered.
The religious leader that rises alongside him, who is known as the “False Prophet,” will originally be a Christian leader (horns like a lamb) who has global influence (perhaps the Pope); but he will come under demonic influence. He turns His back on Jesus Christ and on the true God, and will use his power and influence to turn the hearts of the people away from the God of gods and toward Antichrist. He’ll be the Beast’s right-hand man. His main goal will be to usher in a One-World-Religion, to compliment the One-World-Government. He succeeds in bringing all religions of the world together as one, and their god will be Antichrist. Daniel has a lot more to say about the Beast in Chapter 8 –
“In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. Through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes (Jesus Christ); but shall be broken without hand.” – Daniel 8:23-25
There are many signs that herald the Rapture and Tribulation, but there’s a specific indicator for the rise of Antichrist and it will be one that’ll be very easy for believers to recognize – “when the transgressors are come to the full.” Though there has always been sin, since Adam and Eve, the time for the Beast’s arrival will be ripe when sin blankets the earth. Lawlessness will be the norm, and those who live holy lives will be virtually impossible to find. That is why, as I write this, I think the Rapture could occur at any hour in the near future – because sin and unrepentant sinners have become mainstream, setting the stage for Antichrist.
When sin is absolutely everywhere you look, that is when this “king of fierce countenance” appears. The definition of “fierce” is harsh, cruel, and forceful. All these adjectives give us an insight into the personality of Antichrist. Though he will come into the world picture “peaceably” (Daniel 11:21 & 24), under the surface he’ll have the makings of a harsh, cruel, and determined dictator who will eventually seize global power on account of these traits.
That will do it for this week’s preview of my latest book. As I said at the open, that was less than half of the chapter on Antichrist. There are so many more verses about him that I delved into and broke down word for word. Not to mention, this character is the only one (besides God) who is mentioned in just about every chapter of the book. So, the next time someone posts on social media about this President or that world leader “being” the Antichrist, you will be equipped with the knowledge to either correct them or to confirm their suspicions.
One thing I truly believe after studying the Bible, cover to cover, is that no one on Planet Earth will be able to identify him for certain until after I’m outta here! So, don’t come asking me who I “think” the Antichrist is. I won’t know!
Next week, you will learn about his Godless accomplice, THE FALSE PROPHET. The following week, I will address another hot-button Biblical subject – THE MARK OF THE BEAST. So, stay tuned! If you don’t want to wait another week or two to learn about these things, you can grab the book today by clicking on the image below.
God bless y’all until our Lord comes back down to get us out of this mess of a world – just before that Wicked one is revealed. Maranatha!
“The king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.” – Daniel 11:36
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