The Coming Deception And World Leader Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

CrossWay Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

I have spent the majority of my adult life, more than 25 years, preaching the gospel. There's one thing I know for sure about the gospel: it promises God's love to those who will put their faith in Him. It is a promise of His forgiveness. It's also a promise to those who put their faith in the salvation of His son, Jesus, will not taste God's wrath which will be poured out during the end times. The gospel also includes an assurance of a time that is coming specifically for the purpose of God's final wrath and judgment on sin, immorality, and unbelief. His wrath will be poured out on the world’s satanic systems that have tremendously deceived many.

Revelation 6 is a description of the initial execution of God's judgment. It is a time described by the appearance of four horsemen. They are known as the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Some have tried to speculate about the nature of these horsemen. Some have tried to associate events in the world as the contemporary appearance of these horsemen today.

What we know for certain is that the church will not be here on earth when these horsemen and the subsequent judgments of God are released. However, the events surrounding the appearance of these horsemen and the events of the tribulation are continually being foreshadowed through current events.

The reason is, that the condition of the world, the appearance of a global deceptive leader, and the technologies that must be in place for these events to occur, must appear prior to the events of the great tribulation in order for these prophecies to be fulfilled.

For example, when I take a trip, I do not just ‘show up.’ There are preparations to make that trip happen as evidenced by my behavior. I may have to purchase plane tickets, I need to pack my suitcase, I will need to arrange lodging, or exchange currency. These are foreshadowing events of something that is about to happen.

Similarly as major prophetic events happen, there are events that lead up to the fulfillment of the prophecy. With Jesus’s birth came the moving of governments, the Roman occupation of Israel, the birth of John the Baptist, and many other background events that prepared the world for Jesus’ first coming. So it is with Jesus’ second coming and the preceding Great Tribulation of the World. These things are not hidden. They are plainly written in Scripture and as the time of these prophecy’s fulfillment comes at hand they become more plain to see to the believer.

Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. 3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. 5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” 7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:1–8)

The Coming Deception

If there is a single word the Bible uses more often to describe the condition of the world in the last days, it would be the word “deception.”

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3–4)

and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10–12)