Category: antichrist / man of sin / son of perdition

A Papal Prophecy? #5

Monday, March 4, 2013

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6 KJV).

The recent resignation of Benedict XVI as pope is being greatly discussed within “Christian” circles in light of eschatology. Are we seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled today, or is this simply the (usual) failure to “rightly divide the word of truth?”

Firstly, why is the antichrist in Scripture?

2. To deal with the nation Israel: to separate the believing Jews from the unbelieving Jews.

Most Jews today are lost, spiritually blinded, and ignorant of Jesus Christ: they reject the New Testament Scriptures, so they are still waiting for their Messiah to come (the first time) as promised in the Old Testament Scriptures. Israel has already rejected the authentic Messiah (the Lord Jesus) as fraudulent; in the future, the antichrist (the counterfeit Messiah) will come, and ironically, Israel will accept him as genuine. Jesus Christ warned Israel: “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (John 5:43). Jesus is referring to the antichrist!

As in biblical times, the nation Israel today still longs for peace in her Promised Land, for the Arabs, the Palestinians, and their sympathizers still relentlessly hassle her, hoping to “drive [her] into the sea” and possess her God-given land (Psalm 83:1-18). The Jews long for their Messiah to come and rescue them, and usher in that peaceful kingdom promised by the Old Testament prophets so long ago.

One day, the antichrist will come “peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries… and such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries” (Daniel 11:21,32). The smooth-talking, double-talking antichrist will promise Israel a peace treaty, just like the Old Testament spoke of (Jesus) Christ’s peaceful kingdom. “He [the antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” (Daniel 9:27). Halfway through that seven-year Tribulation period, the antichrist will betray Israel’s trust, and he will side with Israel’s enemies by killing those (believing Jews) who refuse to worship him as God (Revelation 13:5-10,15; Revelation 17:12-14). This persecution will sort believing Jews from unbelieving Jews.

A Papal Prophecy? #4

Sunday, March 3, 2013

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6 KJV).

The recent resignation of Benedict XVI as pope is being greatly discussed within “Christian” circles in light of eschatology. Are we seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled today, or is this simply the (usual) failure to “rightly divide the word of truth?”

Firstly, why is the antichrist in Scripture?

1. To be a literal, spiritual, and physical counterfeit Jesus Christ: he is anti(against)-Christ, the ultimate embodiment of Satan’s lie policy aimed at destroying God purpose and plan for creation.

God’s purpose and plan for creation is to exalt His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:9,10; Colossians 1:13-20). However, Satan desires that worship, and sinful mankind under his influence joins him in “changing the truth of God into a lie, and worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever” (Romans 1:25). This lie program encompasses everything that Satan has done these last 6,000 years. However, there will be one world ruler who will be the culmination of Satan’s evil world system and his policy of evil—the antichrist.

The antichrist will “oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4; cf. Daniel 11:36,37; Revelation 13:5-18). Just as Jesus Christ claimed to be God, the antichrist will claim to be God and desire worship that only God deserves.

Additionally, the antichrist’s “coming is after the working of Satan with power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish…” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Just as Jesus Christ performed miracles, the antichrist’s devilish regime will produce supernatural phenomena, causing the antichrist (and thus Satan) to be worshipped (Revelation 13:5-18). Even as Jesus Christ was resurrected, the antichrist will be assassinated and “resurrected” (Zechariah 11:15-17; Revelation 13:1-4,12). No wonder Jesus described the Tribulation as, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).

There is more….

A Papal Prophecy? #3

Saturday, March 2, 2013

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6 KJV).

The recent resignation of Benedict XVI as pope is being greatly discussed within “Christian” circles in light of eschatology. Are we seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled today, or is this simply the (usual) failure to “rightly divide the word of truth?”

Firstly, why is the antichrist in Scripture?

1. To be a literal, spiritual, and physical counterfeit Jesus Christ: he is anti(against)-Christ, the ultimate embodiment of Satan’s lie policy aimed at destroying God purpose and plan for creation.

Satan desires worship that only the God of the Bible deserves (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8). Before his fall from heaven, Lucifer declared, “I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14). Ezekiel 28:17a says to Lucifer, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty;” his sin was pride (1 Timothy 3:6). Satan wants all of creation to ignore Jesus Christ, and worship everything else—him, mankind, nature, and so on.

Daniel 11:21 introduces us to the coming world ruler, the antichrist, the personification of Satan’s rebellion: “And in his [the antichrist’s predecessor’s] estate shall stand up a vile person [the antichrist], to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.” When he is to be “revealed in his time” (today’s Scripture), the antichrist will assume his office of global domination by deception and smooth talking—he is a classic politician!

Daniel 9:27 continues: “And he [the antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven-year Tribulation]: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease….”

The antichrist will mimic Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ’s kingdom is one of peace; the antichrist will speak peace unto Israel by making a seven-year peace treaty. In the middle of that week, the antichrist will turn on Israel, he will desecrate Israel’s newly rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, and he will institute a religion that worships himself (Daniel 11:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:5-18): like Jesus Christ claimed to be God, so will the antichrist. The counterfeits continue….

A Papal Prophecy? #2

Friday, March 1, 2013

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6 KJV).

The recent resignation of Benedict XVI as pope is being greatly discussed within “Christian” circles in light of eschatology. Are we seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled today, or is this simply the (usual) failure to “rightly divide the word of truth?”

Firstly, why is the antichrist in Scripture?

1. To be a literal, spiritual, and physical counterfeit Jesus Christ: he is anti(against)-Christ, the ultimate embodiment of Satan’s lie policy aimed at destroying God purpose and plan for creation.

The book of Daniel contains three specific prophecies of future world empires (Daniel wrote approximately 600 B.C., so, except for the latter two kingdoms, these empires are history to us). Let us briefly summarize the dreams (and their interpretations) in Daniel 2:31-45, Daniel 7:1-14, and Daniel 8:1-25.

In Daniel’s lifetime, Babylon was the world empire. Circa 539 B.C., the Medes and Persians defeated and replaced Babylon as the world empire. The Greek Alexander the Great defeated and replaced Media-Persia as the world empire circa 331 B.C. Upon young Alexander’s death (323 B.C.), his four generals divided his Greek Empire amongst themselves. Scripture speaks of another coming world empire, one stemming from that ancient (northern) Greek Empire, out of which will come the antichrist’s government. The Bible then discusses yet another world empire, Jesus Christ’s millennial reign, which will overcome and replace the antichrist.

Every world empire that has existed up to the present-day has been one of man’s founding. They have all brought glory to man and Satan instead of to Jesus Christ. None of them were based on the Bible’s teachings. Gentiles whose heathenism and ignorance ruled, instead of Jesus Christ, developed them. Hence, Satan rightly offered to give Jesus Christ the world’s kingdoms and “the glory of them,” if Christ would simply worship him (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8). Consequently, the Bible speaks of “this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4) and Satan as “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Ephesians 2:1,2 explains that lost mankind blindly follows Satan’s evil world system. The antichrist will be the ultimate, flesh-and-blood personification of this, everything that Satan’s lie policy promotes….

A Papal Prophecy? #1

Thursday, February 28, 2013

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6 KJV).

Today’s resignation of Benedict XVI as pope is being greatly discussed within “Christian” circles in light of eschatology. Are we seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled today, or is this simply the (usual) failure to “rightly divide the word of truth?”

Ever since the Bible—especially the book of the Revelation—was completed nearly 2,000 years ago, many have offered wild speculations regarding the identity of the antichrist. Before we attempt to tackle the issue of who he is, let us first ask and answer, “Exactly what is the antichrist and why is he even in the Bible?” The books of Daniel, 2 Thessalonians, and Revelation deal with him in detail more than any other Bible books, although brief, implicit references to him can be found elsewhere in the Old and New Testament Scriptures (Exodus, Psalms, Isaiah, the Four Gospels, 1 John, et al.).

In the next several studies, we aim to look at some of the most important Bible passages regarding the antichrist. There is much ignorance about him, his purpose, his plan, his origin, his reign, and his inauguration. We want to set aside our denominational biases, and the secular input from the lost Bible critics who sell their alleged “prophetic” books and television programs, and we desire to simply see what God’s Word actually says about this man, the “antichrist.” By the way, today’s Scripture is excerpted from a passage (verses 3-12) that provides one of the most graphic portraits of him found in the Holy Bible.

Firstly, we can briefly list at least three reasons why the antichrist is in Scripture:

  1. To be a literal, spiritual, and physical counterfeit Jesus Christ: he is anti(against)-Christ, the ultimate embodiment of Satan’s lie policy aimed at destroying God purpose and plan for creation.
  2. To deal with the nation Israel: to separate the believing Jews from the unbelieving Jews.
  3. To demonstrate that, in the end, God is far wiser and far more powerful than Satan and sinful man whom he controls.

Let us examine these three points in greater detail….

We have recently uploaded to YouTube the final part of 3 home Bible study videos that introduce dispensational Bible study, and specifically Pauline dispensationalism. Click here to watch it.

Replacement Terminology Theology #6

Sunday, February 10, 2013

“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:5,6 KJV).

Satan deceptively employs terms that the Bible uses—”God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “Christ”—but he does not always apply them to the same individuals the Bible does. What ingenuity!

Have you ever called a religious leader “reverend?” What about “father” and “monsignor” (pronounced mon-seen-your)?

The title “reverend” is only found once in the King James Bible, and it applies to the true and living God, not some fallible, sinful man! Psalm 111:9 says: “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”

The term “monsignor” is French for… perhaps you guessed it… “my lord!” Although “lord” itself is not an evil word, using it for a religious leader is blasphemous. No church leader is our “lord.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ forbade His disciples to call religious leaders “father,” for they had one Father—His heavenly Father (Matthew 23:9). Interestingly, in ancient Israel, a Jewish man asked a younger man, an apostate Levitical priest, to be unto him “a father and a priest”—he agreed too (Judges 17:7-13). Would you call a younger man “father?!” It was clearly used in a spiritual sense, not a physical one. Furthermore, “Holy Father” is a title of Father God (John 17:11), so why is this the pope’s title? Even the term “pope” is derived from the Latin papas, meaning… what else?… “father!”

Why is this serious?

The Holy Bible speaks of a future time—the seven-year Tribulation—when religious deception will be at an all-time high (Matthew 24:24). We can see the world preparing for it even today: the confounding of Bible terms and applying them to Satan’s counterfeits (see today’s Scripture). Modern “bibles” and many so-called “Bible-believing” churches and “godly” church leaders are paving the way for the antichrist’s satanic, one-world religion. Beware!

Psalm 23 in HD #7

Saturday, December 15, 2012

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1 KJV).

Cutting through the “static” of religious, traditional thinking, we summarize Psalm 23 in HD, dispensationally delivered with astounding clarity.

  • Today’s Scripture. The Lord Jesus Christ, like a shepherd tends his flock, will feed redeemed Israel, meeting her spiritual and physical needs forever, as the subsequent verses explain.
  • “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” (verse 2). The Lord will lead a portion of His people, believing Israel, to a place of safety and peace (note there will also be vegetation and water there), particularly during the horrors of the Tribulation.
  • “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (verse 3). Redeemed Israel will personally experience God’s righteousness. A redeemed Jew will be saved, forgiven of his sins, and thus God can then use him in the capacity for which He originally created the nation Israel—reign on earth for His glory!
  • “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (verse 4). The portion of redeemed Israel who will perish during the seven-year Tribulation, are comforted that God is with them, even to the point of being executed for rejecting the antichrist’s deception.
  • “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (verse 5). God will feed the Jews in verse 2, manna. They will have their physical needs met, both in the Tribulation and in their kingdom, and beyond.
  • “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (verse 6). God will bless Israel with His goodness, mercy, and forgiveness. “The house of the LORD” is Israel’s kingdom on earth, in which Christ will personally reign forever and ever. Israel has a glorious, glorious hope!

And that, dear saints, is “Psalm 23 in HD.” 🙂

Psalm 23 in HD #5

Thursday, December 13, 2012

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (Psalm 23:5 KJV).

Cutting through the “static” of religious, traditional thinking, we present to you Psalm 23 in HD, dispensationally delivered with astounding clarity.

Halfway through the future seven-year Tribulation, the antichrist will break his covenant with Israel and desecrate her newly rebuilt Temple (Daniel 9:27; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4). Jesus Christ warned believing Jews in Jerusalem and Judaea who would witness that event, to flee to nearby mountains (Matthew 24:15-21; Mark 13:14-19; Luke 21:20-24).

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” This believing remnant of Israel (God’s people)—symbolized by “woman”—will escape to the mountains, angering the bloodthirsty antichrist. The Godhead will feed these believing Jews for the remaining 42 months of the Tribulation (Revelation 12:6,14). Thus, the “Our Father” prayer says, “Give us this day, our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Those Jews will depend on God for their daily meals (remember, Matthew 24:15-21 and Mark 13:14-19 explain how they quickly abandoned their homes, unable to bring neither food nor possessions). God will make a “table” in the presence of Israel’s enemies: Satan will attempt to destroy these Jews in the mountains, but he will be unsuccessful (Revelation 12:15-17).

God will feed these believing Jews with “bread.” Revelation 2:17, which applies to the Tribulation, says “hidden manna.” Just as God fed Israel with manna during her 40-year wilderness wanderings (Exodus 16:4-36; Psalm 78:18-29), He will repeat that during the future Tribulation with those Jews who will seek refuge in the mountains.

“Thou anointest my head with oil.” A glimpse of Israel’s coming salvation: anointing with oil is a type/picture of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20,27), whom Christ will pour upon Israel at His Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10).

“My cup runneth over.” A foretaste of Israel’s joy and prosperity in her kingdom (Isaiah 35:1-10; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13-15; et al.), which Christ will establish on earth at His Second Coming. God nourishing Israel’s believing remnant in the mountains, is a shadow of what her kingdom will be like.

Psalm 23 in HD #4

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 KJV).

Cutting through the “static” of religious, traditional thinking, we present to you Psalm 23 in HD, dispensationally delivered with astounding clarity.

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” After our Dispensation of Grace, God will exhort believing Israel, who will suffer the antichrist’s tyrannical reign: “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6). “[The antichrist] will speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High…” (Daniel 7:25ab). Believing Israel will suffer the death penalty for rejecting the satanic antichrist (Revelation 13:6,7,15).

The Apostle John, foreseeing what would happen during that Tribulation period, wrote: “…I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?… and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:9-11).

“For thou art with me.” God encourages believing Israel to not fear, for He is with them: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). This is why the “Our Father” prayer says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). The “temptation” and “evil” is the awful Tribulation (see James 1:12,13; 1 Peter 1:6-9; 1 Peter 4:12-17). God encourages believing Israel to not grow weary, even if they experience death for His sake (Hebrews 12:1-4).

“Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The Lord will use these Scriptures to console believing Israel in her troubles, as a shepherd quiets his terrified sheep.

Psalm 23 in HD #2

Monday, December 10, 2012

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:2 KJV).

Cutting through the “static” of religious, traditional thinking, we present to you Psalm 23 in HD, dispensationally delivered with astounding clarity.

Today’s Scripture is often understood to be “heartwarming poetry;” we have reason to believe Scripture is teaching a literal concept here, albeit prophetic, unfulfilled until after our Dispensation of Grace has concluded and Israel’s program resumes.

In Matthew 3:1-6, God the Father through John the Baptist is calling a believing remnant of Jews into the wilderness, away from the apostate nation and corrupt Temple. Jews who are waiting for Christ’s kingdom promised in the Old Testament, confess their sins and receive John’s water baptism.

Interestingly, God is causing John the Baptist to fulfill prophecy, for He had promised Israel’s restoration centuries earlier: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt” (Hosea 2:14,15). This applies not only to John’s day, but also a future time from ours.

One day, the antichrist will arise and deceive Israel (reminiscent of Israel’s apostasy in John the Baptist’s day). Christ instructed believing Jews in Jerusalem and Judaea to flee for their very lives, to escape Israel’s apostasy and judgment, and head into the mountainous wilderness (Matthew 24:15-22; Mark 13:14-20)—near where John water baptized believing Jews 2,000 years earlier! They will stay there in that wilderness for 42 months, the latter half of the Tribulation, where the Godhead will feed and protect them (Revelation 12:6).

Hosea 2:14,15 mentions vineyards; water is present where Israel’s believing remnant will flee. “The valley of Achor” is northwest of the Dead Sea, near the Jordan River. Prophetically, God will lead Israel to the literal “green pastures” and “still waters” of today’s Scripture, to wait for Christ’s coming kingdom (like John’s converts). Amazing!