BS-34 ‘Antichrist’

BS-34 ‘Characteristic of antichrist’

Lesson point: know about antichrist but hope you never meet him.

 

What does scripture say about the coming antichrist as the end of time approaches? First of all, this person does not come on the earthly scene until towards the End-of-Time or the Last Days. Not that there have not been some bad-bad people down thru the ages; who are people who have been ‘anti’ Christ or ‘not of Christ’. There is a time coming when the person ‘antichrist’ will actually live on earth. Should we know a little about this person? Does scripture give a description or any characteristics to look for?

Know this; anti-Christ along with the False Prophet and Satan are the unholy trinity. They are in opposition of the Holy Trinity who we know as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

More than likely there are a dozen or so ‘rabbit trails’ to get off on to come to some kind of conclusion but let’s keep it to a few. Who is antichrist? When will he appear?

Using scripture, there are a few things in the O.T. in the book of Daniel; let’s start there. I will bold type the high or main points.

Many Christians believe that the SAVED or Born Again will have been caught up to the heavens prior to antichrist. On the other hand; many don’t think that is how it is. A question – Why would scripture talk about the end times and how perilous the times are going to be IF the Christians are all gone? Scripture wasn’t written to the heathen, was it? Maybe it is a warning for the readers to be prepared.

Didn’t Father God have Noah proclaiming a time of judgement coming; the people had 100 years to repent as Noah built the ‘ark’. Also prior to the Messiah coming to proclaim the New Covenant, the Gospel, who was it that announced him? His name was John and the scriptures call him ‘John the Baptist’. Think about the Second Coming or Second Advent; how will we know when the time of his return is about to happen?

Scripture tells us that antichrist & the unholy trinity will be in power; so, what do you know about them?

So, let’s look at some scripture. Attached below are Daniel 7:, Daniel 8:, Daniel 9:, Daniel 10:, Daniel 12:, Matthew 24:, 2 Thessoleans 2:, 1 John 2:15-29, 2 John 7:7-10, Revelation 13:, 17:, 19:. I attached them below for easy reference.

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Vision of the Four Beasts [New American Standard Bible (NASB)]

Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. ² Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³ And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. ⁴ The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it. ⁵ And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ ⁶ After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. ⁷ After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. ⁸ While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts. [The great SEA is more than likely the Mediterranean; representing Nations and People.] [Question –Do these beast represent the same kingdoms as Daniel 2 describes? (Babylon 605-539BC; Head of Gold – Medo-Persian 539-331BC; Chest & Arms of Silver – Greek 331-146BC; Belly & thighs Bronze – Roman 146BC-AD395 Legs of Iron). For the record, there is a future kingdom, which has Feet of Iron & Clay; possibly 10 kings rising up from the E.U.; the former Roman Empire revived.] [Another Horn is more than likely antichrist. Question – Does he, the antichrist, come from the old Roman Empire; what is now the E.U.?]

The Ancient of Days [God] Reigns [God’s description; from Daniel]

⁹ “I kept looking until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days [God] took His seat;
His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool [Xref-Rev. 1:14]. His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. ¹⁰ “A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him [God the Judge]; The court sat,
And the books were opened. ¹¹ Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. [Thrones – how many? Rev. 4:4.] [The beast will not be destroyed until Christ does it]

The Son of Man Presented [Christ, our Lord & Savior]

¹³ “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days [Father God] And was presented before Him. ¹⁴ “And to Him [Christ] was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. [AMEN ! Christ has an Everlasting Kingdom – It goes on for all of eternity; it is never ending]

The Vision Interpreted

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’ [The Beast & earthly Kingdoms are temporary]

¹⁹ “Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, ²⁰ and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. ²¹ I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them ²² until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. [The other horn or small horn is antichrist. Think about what fear all of this was bringing to Daniel. Wow!]

²³ “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. ²⁴ As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. ²⁵ He [the evil one] will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time [3 ½ years].  ²⁶ But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. ²⁷ Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’

²⁸ “At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.” [Out of Rome, which is the 4^th kingdom, maybe comes 10 E.U. kings sometime toward the end times. When is that???]

Vision of the Ram and Goat

Daniel 8:1 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. ² I looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. ³ Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. ⁴ I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself. [The vision – Susa was 250 miles E. of Babylon]

⁵ While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground [How? Is this end time future?]; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. ⁷ I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. ⁸ Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

The Little Horn [Same Question – Is the little horn antichrist?]

⁹ Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. ¹⁰ It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them [people of Israel] down. ¹¹ It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. ¹² And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. ¹³ Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” ¹⁴ He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings [just under 7 years]; then the holy place will be properly restored.” [Future?]

Interpretation of the Vision

¹⁵ When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. ¹⁶ And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.” ¹⁷ So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end [the Last days].” ¹⁸ Now while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and made me stand upright. ¹⁹ He said, “Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. [End of age – prior to Christ return?]

The Ram’s Identity

²⁰ The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.

The Goat

²¹ The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. ²² The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.

²³ “In the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue. ²⁴ “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people. ²⁵ “And through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human agency. ²⁶ “The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; But keep the vision secret, For it pertains to many days in the future.” ²⁷ Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it. [Daniel was alive at the time of the 1^st or Babylonian kingdom being in power.]

Daniel’s Prayer for His People [Jeremiah & Daniel lived at the same time; both were prophets of God.]

Daniel 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. ³ So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, ⁵ we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. ⁶ Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. ⁷ “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. ⁸ Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; ¹⁰ nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. ¹¹ Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. ¹² Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. ¹³ As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. ¹⁵ “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. ¹⁶ O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷ So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer [Archangels – Michael; Gabriel; Raphael; Uriel; maybe 7]

²⁰ Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, ²¹ while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. ²² He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed [Ezekiel 14:14]; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah [70 weeks; weeks of years = 490 years?]

²⁴ “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. ²⁵ So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. ²⁶ 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 [AD 70]. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. ²⁷ And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week [7 years], but in the middle of the week [aprox.3 ½ years] he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” [Based on what theologians teach; there is just one week until the 2^nd coming of Messiah; in that 1 week or 7 years; the time span of the Tribulation Period. Anyway, time has started; and stopped; along the way by YHWH. Some teach that the ‘time-of-the-Gentiles put a hold on the clock that the Lord is using; but that it could start any moment; one thing, the Sons of Israel are back in their homeland waiting for Messiah.]

Daniel Is Terrified by a Vision

Daniel 10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision.

² In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks [He fasted & prayed].  ³ I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. ⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris, ⁵ I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. ⁶ His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. ⁷ Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. ⁹ But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. [A vision of the Lord before him left Daniel frightened & weak.]

Daniel Comforted

¹⁰ Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹ He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. ¹² Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard [Daniels prayer is answered-How?; by fasting & Prayer], and I have come in response to your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia [Question – A fallen angel or Satan?] was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes [Archangel], came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.” [Your people=Sons of Israel]

¹⁵ When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. ¹⁶ And behold, one who resembled a human being was touching my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “O my lord, as a result of the vision anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. ¹⁷ For how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.” ¹⁸ Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. ¹⁹ He said, “O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” ²⁰ Then he said, “Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. ²¹ However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.

The Time of the End

Daniel 12:1 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, [God’s Book of Life.] will be rescued. ² Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to [unsaved – those who are anti-Christ] disgrace and everlasting contempt. ³ Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. ⁴ But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” [At this time in history technology will have increased to where aircraft travel is routine and computers will store data that can be retrieved in seconds.] [INSIGHT – Only true Christians have this kind of insight.]

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. ⁶ And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” ⁷ I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time [the last 3 ½ years of Daniels 70 weeks; also Rev. 11:2]; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. ⁸ As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” ⁹ He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. ¹⁰ Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. ¹¹ From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation [antichrist & Satan] is set up, there will be 1,290 days. ¹² How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! [Something happens for 45 days; then the Kingdom of Christ begins] ¹³ But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.” [None of the wicked will understand – Only followers of Christ, God’s chosen, are enlightened and understand scripture; the people who have the Holy Spirit within.]

Signs of Christ’s Return. [The Disciples question Jesus]

Matthew 24:1 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. ² And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down [AD – 70].” ³ As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many [David Koresh & Jim Jones are examples]. ⁶ You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. ⁸ But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. ⁹ “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name [the name of Jesus]. ¹⁰ At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. ¹² Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved [what about suicide-is that enduring to the end?]. ¹⁴ This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. [We can do it with technology – satellites]

 Perilous Times

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation [antichrist] which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place [Is that the land of Israel or the temple?] (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ²² Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect [Is that those who are SAVED or the Sons of Israel?] those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect [the ELECT should know the scriptures and not believe a false or misleading teacher]. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. [Where the false Christ is at; the unsaved will gather to listen to him; be careful who you follow.].

The Glorious Return [The 2^nd coming of Christ and gathering of the Elect]

²⁹ “But immediately after the tribulation [Is Satan in the bottomless pit and antichrist in Hell OR is Christ about to end the days of evil on the earth?] of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other [When are the SAINTS gathered? Not until after the Tribulation and Christ’s return; 1 Thessoleans 4:16-17]. The unsaved will not be gathered at this time. Judgement comes later.]

Parable of the Fig Tree

³² “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; ³³ so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. ³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. [When ALL of these things happen; then that specific generation will live to see the conclusion; if you are an old man when the 1^st of these things happen; have hope.]

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷ For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they did not understand until the flood came [Just like today – the secular world who do not believe scripture or who have not put their Trust in Jesus will suffer.] and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. [One is considered the ELECT and one is the secular or the non-believer]

Be Ready for His Coming [make the choice for Jesus while there is still time]

⁴² “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. [Many have heard the Word spoken but have never put their Trust in Christ as their Savior & Lord. All have the choice; some do not respond.]

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave [Or Servant] whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards [i.e. – that slave or person hangs out with the heathen and acts just like them, they never actually repent or turn to Christ]; ⁵⁰ the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place [Hell] there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Man of Lawlessness [Don’t be deceived like Eve was; with half-truths]

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of [2^nd coming] our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, ² that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. ³ Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first [Falling away; unbelief], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, [The Day of the Lord does not come until antichrist is reveled; he will attempt to rule the world; a one world government.] the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. ⁵ Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I [Apostle Paul] was telling you these things? ⁶ And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 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. ⁸ Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; ⁹ that is, the one [antichrist] whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, ¹⁰ and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, ¹² in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

¹³ But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. ¹⁴ It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

Do Not Love the World

1 John 2:15 ¹⁵ Do not love the world nor the things in the world [the secular things, which are pretty to the eye – be content]. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷ The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour [Was it 11:00 when John wrote this Epistle and now is it about 11:59 on the heavenly clock?]; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists [False prophets] have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us [They were not believers; maybe they just heard the Word and then reject it?]; but they went out [Were they once in the sanctuary and heard the Gospel taught?], so that it would be shown that they all are not of us [They must have left the sanctuary without accepting the truth of Christ?]. ²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. ²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it [This Epistle was written to BELIVERS; not heathens.], and because no lie is of the truth. ²² Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. ²⁴ As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father [Both – God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.].

The Promise Is Eternal Life

²⁵ This is the promise [A Precious Promise from the Lord] which He Himself made to us: eternal life. ²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. ²⁷ As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

²⁸ Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. ²⁹ If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. [None of we who call ourselves Christians are perfect BUT we put our TRUST in Christ; once saved we serve and do good work unto the Lord; good works only, do not save us, but the Holy Spirit within guides our thoughts and motives in serving as a part of the church body.]

2 John 7

⁷ For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves; that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. ⁹ Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ [The N.T. Gospel is the New Covenant.], does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house [i.e. – Joh.Wit. – Mormons – Muslims – etc.], and do not give him a greeting; ¹¹ for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. [Ignore them unless they want to hear the Gospel of Christ; your comment to them is “you listen to me first; I have good news; actually GREAT NEWS.”]

The Beast from the Sea

Revelation 13:1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. ² And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. ³ I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; ⁴ they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” ⁵ There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months [3 ½ years] was given to him. ⁶ And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

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 [Christ shed blood and his death sealed the redemption for the Elect]. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. [Theologian NOTES – Christian, accept percussion, you may end up in jail; don’t do like Peter did with his sword; to suffer for Christ is GOOD; endure with patience. Be a good example just as Christ is our example.]

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. ¹² He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. ¹³ He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. ¹⁴ And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. ¹⁵ And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, ¹⁷ and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six [666].

The Doom of Babylon      [Symbolic – Future?]

Revelation 17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot [Those who practice Religious Apostasy; witches; devil worshipers etc.] who sits on many waters, ² with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” ³ And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, ⁵ and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” ⁶ And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. ⁷ And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. [The Beast & Harlot unite. Question; could it be Rome?]

⁸ “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction [Hell]. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast that he was and is not and will come. ⁹ Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, ¹⁰ and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. ¹¹ The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. ¹² The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. ¹³ These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. [Bad stuff]

The Fourfold Hallelujah [Recognize God with shouts of Praise]

Revelation 19:1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; ² because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” ³ And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.” ⁴ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” ⁵ And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” ⁶ Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

Marriage of the Lamb

⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride [Church] has made herself ready.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

⁹ Then he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.” ¹⁰ Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The Coming of Christ      [Detailed description of Christ leaving heaven]

¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. ¹³ He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. ¹⁵ From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. ¹⁶ And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven [above the earth], “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, ¹⁸ so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” [Armageddon?]

¹⁹ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

Doom of the Beast and False Prophet   [Cast into Hell]

²⁰ And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. ²¹ And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Conclusion

So many things to ponder; is antichrist alive and living somewhere behind the scenes today? Is he in the E.U., maybe the revived Roman Empire? What time is it on God’s eternal clock? Is it almost mid-night? We do know that just like we have God the Holy Trinity [Father, Son, Holy Spirit] the enemy has an unholy trinity [Satan, Antichrist, False Prophet] who; towards the End Times; will attempt to physically war against God and HIS chosen living on earth. Will there be a one-world government? Will there be a cashless society? How many friends or family will take the MARK; so they can buy and sell?

Scripture encourages the Christian to keep their faith; to endure to the end. There has always been an internal battle with temptations attacking our minds and IF any of us are still alive when the future tribulation time heats up; it will get worse.

Apostasy [Falling away / turning against the Lord.] will take place; has it already begun?

Does this scripture take place in Israel [Middle East] or is the whole world involved?

1. Who was HELL prepared for? Matthew 25:41.
2. How many days was Jesus tempted by the devil? Luke 4:2.
3. What were the worldly pleasures Jesus was tempted with? Luke 4:3-6.
4. Why should a Christian rejoice in the battle? Luke 10:20-21.
5. What should a Christian do to fight temptations? Ephesians 6:10-15.
6. Why did Jesus become the God-Man? Hebrews 2:14-18.
7. Does Satan and the fallen angels believe in Jesus? James 2:19.
8. What does scripture say about PRIDE? James 4:6.
9. Instead of being Prideful; what should I do? Janes 4:7-8.
10. Are there devil worshipers; then and even now? 1 Corinthians 10:19-21.
11. Will Apostasy take place on earth? 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
12. Is there a punishment for waring against Israel? Zechariah 14:1-19.

Last – Will the unholy trinity receive judgement by the Lord? Revelation 20:10.

 

In light of the evil plans of Satan; God will prevail; there will be a new Heaven for the children of God. Endure the challenges and the temptations that Satan uses to entice the Christian. Antichrist isn’t at war with the heathen [ungodly] because he already has them. Just like the fake news of our networks; Satan is behind all evil.

Child of God; be brave because we are the only ones who have the Holy Spirit within. We are traveling on that narrow road where few tread; it ends at the pearly gate. The others are many; on the wide road and it will end at the fiery gate.          SELAH’.

DG

 

Comments welcome: ___________________.