articlesforchristians

The Antichrist

• 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 describes this evil leader, calling him the “man of sin.”
  • Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
  • Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
  • Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
  • And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
  • For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
  • And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
  • Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
  • And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
• It further teaches:
  • The son of perdition, that man of sin will be revealed.
  • He will oppose God (verse 4).
  • He will exalt himself above God (verse 4).
  • He will sit in the Temple, showing himself as God (verse 4).
  • He will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus at Armageddon (verse 8).
  • Satan will empower him with signs and lying wonders (verse 9).
  • He will deceive those who do not love the truth (verse 10).
  • God will allow those who do not love the truth and are deceived by the Antichrist to believe a lie and be damned (verses 11-12).
• The Devil has the same desires now as when he was in Heaven.
  • Isaiah 14:10-16
    • All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
    • Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
    • How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
    • For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
    • I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
    • Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
    • They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
• Revelation 13 describes him as a “beast” rising up out of the sea.
  • The dragon (Satan) will give him his power and authority.
    • Rev. 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
  • The one-world system of government will be, in some sense, a revival of the old Roman Empire.
    • Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
  • The people will worship the beast.
    • Rev. 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
  • He will have total power the last three and a half years of the Tribulation.
    • Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
  • He will blaspheme God, His name, and the heavenly dwellers.
    • Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
  • He will make war against those who turn to God during this time.
    • Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
  • He will cause all to receive a mark in the right hand or forehead in order to buy or sell (verses 16-17).
    • Rev 13:16-17  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
  • His number is calculated to be 666.
    • Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

The False Prophet (Religious Government)

• Revelation 13 also describes a religious leader in the Tribulation who works closely with the Antichrist. He will assist the Antichrist in attaining world supremacy. The false prophet is mentioned three other times (Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10).
• According to Revelation 13:
  • Rev 13:11-15
    • And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
    • And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
    • And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
    • And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
    • And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
      • He will exercise great power.
      • He will cause the people to worship the Antichrist and submit to the world system (verse .
      • He will perform miracles by the power of Satan.
      • He will be a deceiver.
      • He will have an image of the Antichrist made.
      • He will give life to the image and cause the image to speak.
      • He will put to death all that will not worship the image of the beast.