The World Under Anti-Christ

I was reading another pastor's sermon notes on Revelation. After

his twelfth sermon (this is my fourteenth), he received an anonymous note

from his congregation. It read, Kindly see to it that your sermon

presentation is more entertaining and con-cise. He had a member

who thought he was preaching too hard and too long! Well, I can

sympathize with the writer of that note. I have found it difficult to preach Revelation in an entertaining and concise manner. My preaching has been both harder and longer than I thought it would be. But the issues before us are serious, and as we move into this section of Revelation, the scenes of earth become all the more terrible. Satan's man rises to power and, like his spiritual

father, he only comes to steal and kill and destroy. The judgments of God begin to fall, increasing in inten-sity, until planet earth becomes a giant, smoking battle-field littered with the decaying remains of those who died in their deluded, rebellious rejection of Jesus Christ. They are scenes that cannot be passed over quickly, be-cause they serve an

important purpose in the Word of God.

1. To scare the living daylights out of us, making us see the fearful

consequences of rejecting the truth of God.

2. To sober us, making us take our lives more seriously and to live them

according to eternal values.

a. We will not put so much attachment upon the things of this earth once

we see what will become of them.

b. We will live more thoughtfully for eternity, finding our source

and satisfaction in God.

3. To send us out into the world ambassadors for Jesus Christ delivering people from the wrath to come. With the breaking of the first seal, we are introduced to the reign of the

anti-Christ. He has many names throughout the Bi-ble. He is the little horn of Daniel 7, the son of perdition, the man of sin, and the abomination of desolation. He will end up being the most hated man on earth because he will bring desola-tion death and destruction to the earth. With this chapter, we begin to see what the world will be like under the anti-Christ. With the breaking of the seal, John hears the noise of thun-der the sound of an approaching storm. The storm comes in the form of four horsemen. We will see that as each horse arrives on the scene, the storm

intensifies. It begins like a brisk breeze that causes nothing more serious than the loud crack of a flag snap-ping in the wind. It ends like a great tornado that flattens every-thing in its path.

I. The Four Riders 1-8

A. The White Horse

The first notable event of the Tribulation is the arrival of the Antichrist. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 states, Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the Day of Christ, the day in which Jesus returns to establish His kingdom] shall not come, except there be 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.

1. He is antichrist.

a. He bears a resemblance to Christ.

Both come riding on a white horse

Both wear crowns

Both come to conquer

b. But he is in fact the very opposite of Christ.

READ DANIEL 8:23-25

Jesus exercised the power of God; Antichrist will exer-cise the power of Satan

Jesus saved wonderfully; Antichrist will destroy wonder-fully in a manner that is extraordinary, unique Jesus magnified His father; Antichrist will magnify him-self.

Jesus brought the peace of salvation; Antichrist will bring a peace of destruction

2. The symbols associated with him.

a. A brandished bow a readiness to use force

Like Hitler, he uses the threat of war to intimidate nations into accepting His demands

b. A crown a symbol of victory, reward

He will win the praise and respect of men and they will reward him by giving him power and authority.

3. He will go forth conquering.

a. His power and appeal will grow gradually

b. However, when it is apparent that all nations will not accept his authority, he will attempt to sub-due the world by force.

Prophecy tells us that the antichrist will come with the prom-ise of peace, but will prove to be a man of war. Those whom he cannot win by

deceit, he will conquer by force.

B. The Red Horse

When Hitler rose to power, he continually spoke of peace, all the while preparing for war. The antichrist will do the same. Having been given power over many nations, he will plunge the world into war in an effort to

rule it all

1. Red speaks of violence and bloodshed.

a. The peace he has so astutely bargained for he will take from the earth.