WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT THE FUTURE 2: Rise of the Man of Sin
2 Thess. 2:3-4
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Israel is famous for winning unlikely wars.
1. Israel's economy was in a bad way, inflation was getting higher and immigrants were flooding in from all over the world. Problems, problems, problems, but what should they do? So the Knesset held a special session to come up with a solution.
2. After several hours of talk without progress one member, Isaac Herzog stands up and says, "Quiet everyone, I've got it, I've got the solution to all our problems. We'll declare war on the United States."
3. Everyone started shouting at once. "You're nuts! That's crazy!" "Hear me out!" says Herzog. "We declare war. We lose. The United States does what she always does when she defeats a country. She rebuilds everything; our highways, airports, shipping ports, schools, hospitals, factories, and loans us money, and sends us food aid. Our problems would be over.
4. "Sure," says Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, "that's if we lose. But what if we win?"
B. TEXT & TITLE
1. “...that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the Man of Sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who 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” 2 Thess. 2:3-4.
2. Today is Part 2 of “What God Says About the Future.” Today’s Message is “The Rise of the Man of Sin.”
I. THE IDENTITY OF THE ANTICHRIST
A. FORERUNNERS OF THE ANTICHRIST
1. 1 John 2:18 says, "Dear children…the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." John tells us there is a spirit of antichrist working in the world (1 John 4:3), and that this spirit produces forerunners, proto-types of the one, final, future Antichrist.
2. The O.T. saw forerunners such as the King of Babylon (Isa. 14:13-15); the King of Tyre (Ezek. 28:12-19); and Antiochus Epiphanes (Dan. 11:32).
3. Many in the early Church thought that Nero could be the Antichrist. During WW2, many Christians saw Adolf Hitler as a possible Antichrist -- trying to exterminate the Jews. But there was no Jewish Temple for him to sit in & declare himself God.
B. NAMES FOR
1. "Beast" – Rev. 13:1.
2. "That Wicked" – 2 Th. 2:8.
3. "King of Fierce Countenance" – Dan. 8:23.
4. "Man of Sin" -- 2 Th. 2:3.
5. "Little Horn" – Dan. 7:8.
6. "Son of Perdition" -- 2 Th. 2:3.
7. "Vile Person" – Dan. 11:21.
C. CLUES TO HIS IDENTITY:
1. He is a Gentile (Rev. 13:1, He comes out of the "sea" of the nations).
2. He arises out of the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:23, he is the King of Fierce Countenance).
3. He is the "Little Horn" that arises out of the former Roman empire, likely, out of Italy (Daniel 7:8).
4. So at this juncture we can say with some certainty that the Antichrist arises out of Greece or Italy.
D. CHARACTERISTICS
1. Ruthless Dictator -- surpassing Nero, Hitler, Pol Pot
2. Highly intelligent, a great speaker, a military genius, and morally -- a blasphemer.
3. He will be personally indwelt by Satan.
4. He will instigate a Worldwide Reign of terror, blasphemy and murder.
5. Performs miracles, declares himself God.
6. Patriotism to the Antichrist:
a. You must take the Mark of the Beast – you can’t buy or sell without it.
b. Or be beheaded! Revelation 20:4.
E. 10 REASONS HE COULDN’T COME BEFORE OUR LIFETIME
“Pastor, people have been talking about this for 100’s of years.” No, only in the last 75 years have all the pieces fallen in place for the Antichrist to come. Here are 10:
1. Israel became a sovereign nation again in 1948.
2. The European Union formed in 1998 and Britain left the EU in 2016 (a fulfillment).
3. The Gospel to every nation on Earth (Matt. 24:14).
4. Speedy global travel (Dan. 12:4).
5. Capacity to destroy all life (Matt. 24:22).
6. Progress toward one-world government (Rev. 13:7B).
7. Israel possesses Jerusalem (gained in 1967).
8. Global communications now exist (Rev. 11:9).
9. Technology exists to track every human on Earth and control their spending (Rev. 13:16-17).
10. China must have a 200 million-man/woman army (Rev. 9:16; the CIA said in 2006 that China had 281 million fit for military service.)
II. THE PACT WITH ISRAEL
A. 7-YR COVENANT & THE TEMPLE
1. Dan. 9:27 says, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’ (7 years). In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the Temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” The “many” are Jews, since this is Temple related.
2. The “He” is not identified, but what he does identifies him as the Antichrist. The “Abomination that causes desolation” is spoken of by Christ in Mt. 25:14 & Mk. 13:14. In Dan. 8:9-11, he’s called the “little horn” who “took away the daily sacrifice and brought low the sanctuary;” in vs. 13 it’s called the “transgression that causes desolation.”
3. Paul tells us in 2 Thess. 2:4 that the Antichrist will “set himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” So Daniel and Paul tell us that the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt.
4. It’s vestments and implements have already been remade, the priests have been trained, the red heifer has been located, the stones are being quarried, the sacrifices prepared; all that’s necessary is that permission be given to start building.
B. THE WORLD IS RIPE FOR A DICTATOR
1. That the world is ready to welcome such a leader was dramatically demonstrated by a startling statement made in Paris in October, 1957, by Henri Spaak, secretary-general of NATO. "We do not want another committee: we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him."
2. What caused Hitler to come to power? The Great Depression. Such a collapse is again inevitable with modern governments running trillions of $ in the red every year. (Check out the US Debt Clock which tells we owe 168 trillion in liabilities! A brutal dictator will rise.
C. BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE ANTICHRIST’S CAREER
1. The Antichrist gains regional power over the 10 member empire (Dan. 2:41; Rev. 17:12). He institutes the 666 Mark within his region (probably Europe).
2. He makes a 7-year pact with Israel of peace (Dan. 9:27). Israel rebuilds the Temple (2 Thess. 2:4) and reinstitutes the sacrifices (Dan. 8:11).
3. Because the Antichrist guaranteed the safety of Israel, he must defend them against the King of the North (Ezek 38 & 39), i.e., against Russia – the Bear (Dan. 7:5) and her allies, who come, possibly, to defend the Muslim Confederacy, which Antichrist attacked. Antichrist defeats them and absorbs them into his kingdom (Rev. 13:1-2).
4. At the midpoint of the 7 years, the Antichrist is fatally wounded: He is healed (Rev. 13:3) and rises from the dead, possessed by the Devil (Rev. 12:13). The whole world submits to the Antichrist (Rev. 13:3,4).
5. The Antichrist breaks his 7-year pact with Israel (Dan. 9:27) & causes the abomination of desolation (Mt. 24:15; Mk. 13:14). He begins a wholesale slaughter of the Jews (Daniel 7:21, 12:7; Rev. 12:13, 13:7).
6. Toward the end of the Tribulation, the armies of all the nations gather together to defy God and His Christ at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-16). Christ and His armies defeat them and capture the Antichrist & False Prophet, which are thrown into the Lake of Fire. (Rev. 19:19-20). Christ sets up His physical Kingdom on Earth (Dan. 2:44).
III. THE MARK OF THE BEAST
A. WHAT IS THIS MARK?
1. “[The Antichrist] ...forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name” Rev. 13:16-17.
2. To receive the Mark, the recipients must “worship” the Beast (Rev. 14:9,11; 16:2). Those who accept the Mark of the Beast will forfeit their eternal life and are certain to go to hell (Rev. 14:9-12).
3. The only other option seems to be martyrdom (Rev. 20:4). For most, ECONOMIC PRESSURE will persuade the world to take the Mark. Without it no one will buy or sell.
B. EASY TO GET US TO TAKE THE MARK
1. “But Pastor, I would never take the Mark!” You and I are six meals away from the Mark of the Beast. Experts say that if you miss 3 meals, you'll be willing to borrow to get food. If you miss 6 meals, you'll be willing to beg. If you miss 9 meals, you will steal for food. If you missed 12 meals, you will kill to get food. Police and psychologists say it is part of a basic survival mechanism.
2. What if the government deactivated your ATM and credit cards, what would you do? What if they froze your bank account, what could you buy?
3. ADVANTAGES. There will be many natural advantages to taking the Mark of the Beast. An MSNBC article said, "Why you should get a chip implant." Some reasons were;
a. You’ll never have to stand in checkout lines again.
b. You won't have to carry a wallet or keys for your car; all your devices will be connected to your digital ID. When you move through your house, the lights will turn on and off as you move.
c. Babies will not get mixed up in hospitals;
d. Military casualties will not be lost.
e. They can track irregular heartbeats and keep blood sugar count. It will contain your medical records.
f. Incoming faxes and phone calls can automatically
be routed to where you happen to be.
g. You can restrict what your kids spend your money on.
5. SUMMARY. So for health, identity, protection, corporate efficiency, convenience, and control -- it's better to have a chip implant!
C. HUMOR
1. A priest was attempting to help a man prepare for his death. Whispering firmly, the priest said, “Denounce the devil! Let him know how little you think of his evil!”
2. The dying man said nothing. The priest repeated his order. Still the dying man said nothing. The priest asked, “Why do you refuse to denounce the devil and his evil?”
3. The dying man said, “Until I know which way I’m headed, I don’t think I ought to aggravate anybody.”
4. I hope you all know which way you’re headed; if not, I hope you’ll make that determination before this service ends.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: IGNORING GOD’S WARNING!
1. The people of the island of Martinique sent representatives to that smoldering volcano, Mount Pelee, to see what the condition was. They returned and gave false reports and the city slept on, in all its vice/ sin.
2. Nature took warning and the reptiles commenced crawling down the mountainside, birds left their nests, and the cattle and the sheep took warning. But the people ignored the warning.
3. Then old Mount Pelee exploded and about 40,000 people perished. They heard the warning too late.
4. The Lord Jesus Himself said, "Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man is coming."
B. THE CALL
1. JESUS SAID HE’S COMING BACK! The signs are everywhere around us. The Question is, “Are you ready?” You have been warned. Would you be ready if Jesus came today?
2. If we miss the Rapture and have to face the
Tribulation Period, we will be confronted with whether we will take the Mark of the Beast or watch our family starve or go without medicine. How would you do in that situation?
3. Today is the day of Salvation. Now is the time to get right with God. Don’t put it off, procrastinate. Don’t ignore God’s warnings. Don’t refuse the dealings of God’s Spirit as He convicts you. God is speaking to you now! Will you obey Him or walk away?
4. All who want to be right with God stand up and join me at the front! PRAYER for salvation & repentance; for a new love for God.
