The Rise Of The Antichrist

THE RISE OF THE ANTICHRIST

REVELATION 13

THE CONCLUDING EVENTS OF THE END TIMES WILL OCCUR IN SHORT ORDER AFTER THE RAPTURE. CONSERVATIVE THEOLOGIANS ESTIMATE NO MORE THAN NINE TO TWELVE YEARS UNTIL THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF CHRIST AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE MILLENNIUM.

THIS SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WILL SEE THE RISE OF THE MOST EVIL LEADER THE WORLD WILL EVER KNOW. PEOPLE HAVE OFTEN TRIED TO DETERMINE WHO THE ANTICHRIST IS, ALL TO NO AVAIL, BUT ONE OF THE RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF GOG AND MAGOG, COULD BE THE ESTABLISHING OF THE ANTICHRIST ON A WORLD SETTING, ESPECIALLY IF HE CAN BRING ILLUSIVE PEACE TO THE MIDDLE EAST, ANDS LEAD TO THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE WHERE THE DOME OF THE ROCK IS.

DAVID JEREMIAH STATES THAT THERE ARE OVER 25 NAMES FOR THE ANTCHRIST MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURE, AND OVER 100 BIBLE PASSAGES THAT DESCRIBE THE ANTICHRIST, BUT ONLY 5 VERSES SPEAK OF THE ANTICHRIST BY NAME, EACH TIME BY THE APOSTLE JOHN. OF THE FIVE, ONLY ONE REFERS TO THE PERSON WE ARE TALKING OF TODAY.

1 JOHN 2:18: DEAR CHILDREN, THIS IS THE LAST HOUR; AND AS YOU HAVE HEARD THAT THE ANTICHRIST IS COMING, EVEN NOW MANY ANTICHRISTS HAVE COME. THIS IS HOW WE KNOW IT IS THE LAST HOUR.

JOHN IS SAYING THAT IN THESE LAST DAYS THAT THE WORLD WILL SEE THE ATTITUDE AND ACTIONS OF MANY PEOPLE, AND GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT WILL MIMIC THAT OF THE ANTICHRIST, ALL LEADING UP TO THE ACTUAL APPEARANCE OF THE ANTICHRIST WHICH IS A KEY DEFINING POINT THAT WE ARE IN THE LAST DAYS.

ESSENTIALLY, THE ANTICHRIST IS THE TOTAL OPPOSITE OF THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST. HE IS IN FACT A COUNTERFEIT CHRIST. CONSIDER THESE GREAT DIFFERENCES:

CHRIST ANTICHRIST

SON OF GOD (JOHN 1:34) SON OF PERDITION (2 THESS. 2:3)

HOLY ONE (MARK 1:24) LAWLESS ONE (2 THESS. 2:8)

CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN (JOHN 3:13) CAME UP FROM THE BOTTOMLESS PIT (REV. 11:7)

ENERGIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT (LUKE 4:14) ENERGIZED BY SATAN (REV. 13:4)

DOES THE FATHER’S WILL

(JOHN 6:38) DOES HIS OWN WILL (DAN. 11:36)

CLEANSED THE TEMPLE

(JOHN 2:14-16) DEFILES THE TEMPLE (MATT. 24)

MAN OF SORROWS (ISAIAH 53:3) MAN OF SIN ( 2 THESS. 2:3)

HUMBLED HIMSELF (PHIL. 2:8) EXALTED HIMSELF (DAN. 11:37)

CALLED “THE LAMB” (JOHN 1:36) CALLED “THE BEAST” (REV. 11:7)

RECEIVED UP TO HEAVEN

(LUKE 24:51) SENT TO THE LAKE OF FIRE

(REV. 19:20)

IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY THE ANTICHRIST UNTIL AFTER HE COMES TO POWER AND HIS IDENTITY IS OBVIOUS. TIM LAHAYE IN HIS BOOK REVELATION REVEALED DOES GIVE THIS BIBLICAL DESCRIPTION OF HIS NATIONALITY.

DANIEL 8:8-9:

THE GOAT BECAME VERY GREAT, BUT AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS POWER THE LARGE HORN WAS BROKEN OFF, AND IN ITS PLACE FOUR PROMINENT HORNS GREW UP TOWARD THE FOUR WINDS OF HEAVEN. 9 OUT OF ONE OF THEM CAME ANOTHER HORN, WHICH STARTED SMALL BUT GREW IN POWER TO THE SOUTH AND TO THE EAST AND TOWARD THE BEAUTIFUL LAND.

THESE VERSES SPEAK OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE MEDE-PERSIAN EMPIRE AND THE COMING TO POWER OF THE GREEK EMPIRE. THE FOUR PROMINENT HORNS WERE GREEK GENERALS WHO WOULD RULE DIFFERENT REGIONS AFTER ALEXANDER THE GREAT WHO WAS THE LARGE HORN. OUT OF ONE OF THE FOUR GENERALS WOULD COME THE EVIL ANTIOCHUS EPITHANES, A RUTHLESS RULER.

PROPHECY CAN HAVE IMMEDIATE AND FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS, AND SO THIS SMALL HORN CAN ALSO REPRESENT THE ANTICHRIST, AND INDICATES THAT HE WILL BE PART GREEK.

DANIEL 9:26: AFTER THE SIXTY-TWO ‘SEVENS,’ THE ANOINTED ONE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH AND WILL HAVE NOTHING. THE PEOPLE OF THE RULER WHO WILL COME WILL DESTROY THE CITY AND THE SANCTUARY. THE END WILL COME LIKE A FLOOD: WAR WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE END, AND DESOLATIONS HAVE BEEN DECREED.

THIS PASSAGE INDICATES THAT HE WILL BE OF ROYAL LINEAGE OF THE RACE THAT DESTROYED JERUSALEM. THE ROMANS DESTROYED JERUSALEM IN A.D.70. THIS SUGGESTS THEN THAT THE ANTICHRIST WILL BE PRE-DOMINANTLY ROMAN.

WHILE WE CANNOT SAY WHO THE ANTICHRIST IS, WE CAN SAY THAT HIS ANCESTRY IS A COMPILATION OF THE ENTIRE WORLD. HE IS A COMBINATION ROMAN-GRECIAN, SO GENTILE, AND COULD COME FROM SOME AREA AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

HOW DOES THE ANTICHRIST RISE TO POWER?

THE ANTICHRIST WILL COME TO POWER THROUGH DIPLOMACY AND DECEIT AT A TIME WHEN THE EARTH WILL BE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH WILL HAVE JUST OCCURRED WITH NO EXPLANATION FOR DISAPPEARANCES, AND POLITICAL LEADERS COULD BE AMONG THE RAPTURED. THOSE LEFT BEHIND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE DISAPPEARANCE.

POSSIBLY THE BATTLE OF GOG AND MAGOG WILL HAVE JUST OCCURRED AND THE ONE WHO CAN BRING PEACE TO THE REGION WILL GAIN GREAT POWER. REMEMBER THE TRIBULATION WILL START WHEN THE ANTICHRIST AND ISRAEL SIGN A PEACE TREATY WITH NATIONS AROUND IT AND THE TEMPLE WILL BE REBUILT ON MOUNT MORIAH WHERE THE DOME OF THE ROCK NOW RESIDES.