There is a Holy Trinity: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is also an unholy trinity: Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. You can read more about the unholy trinity in Revelation chapters 12 and 13. Today, I want to bring you a study on the coming world dictator, the Antichrist. I believe this is an appropriate time to bring this study because with the way the world is going, we must be getting close to the Rapture, Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Section 1: The Power of Christ Versus the Power of the Antichrist
Satan has been able in this generation to put over his deceptive program of making the world religious without Christ in the most subtle way and with very little protest. Satan's program masquerades under a religion in the name of "Jesus," because he operates as "an angel of light" through his "ministers of righteousness" (II Corinthians 11: 13-15), deceiving the world through satanic mass psychology. He has created a false salvation, e.g., decisionism, easy believeism, profession of faith, seeker sensitive churches, etc. Satan is a great imitator that seeks to take the place of God Almighty. Satan wants to be worshipped, that is what led to his being cast out of heaven. Satan will answer prayer, he can inspire prayer and then answer it. Satan can bring about self-reformation; he has the power to perform miracles, lying wonders, and signs of all types. If he can get you focusing on signs and wonders and not Christ, he will lead you astray. Satan can even heal the human body. Remember, he has the power to imitate and duplicate, in a limited way, all the power that Christ has, except to give life.
In Ezekiel 28: 14, the LORD God, speaking of Satan before he fell, described him as "the ANOINTED CHERUB THAT COVERETH" and says, "I have set thee so." Before Satan fell, he was the ANOINTED CHERUB. God set him in that position, and nowhere in Scripture do we have any hint that God has taken away the supernatural power that He gave him to perform his office of leading the created beings in their worship. Satan had the power to personify himself in the serpent and appear to Eve as an angel of light, leading the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Today, Satan is doing the same thing deceiving people as he did to Eve. His power is supernatural, but not omnipotent.
Read Ephesians 6: 11, 12 and you will see that Satan has an organized kingdom to carry out his deceptions: PRINCIPALITIES, POWERS, RULERS. From the exchange between Satan and Michael the archangel in Jude 9, reveals the fact that Satan's power and authority was not revoked or taken from him after his fall. Michael the archangel would not dare to rebuke Satan. Michael let it to the LORD when he said, "The LORD rebuke thee." Michael recognized Satan's position and authority over the body of Moses. The only true authority over Satan is the LORD God. He is able to take care of every situation that Satan tries to control, as far as God's child is concerned. When we deal with Satan and his emissaries who contend with the LORD God of Heaven is "The LORD rebuke thee."
Let us now compare the Scriptural language used to describe the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and that used of the Antichrist:
1. Acts 2:22: "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by MIRACLES, WONDERS, and SIGNS, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." (Emphasis supplied)
2. II Thessalonians 2:9: "Even him, whose coming is after Satan with all POWER and SIGNS and LYING WONDERS." (Emphasis supplied)
The language is almost identical. The word in both Scriptures is the Greek word dunamis and means the outgoing of supernatural power. The Antichrist ill exercise supernatural power in performing miracles in following the direction of his father Satan. I see ministries that have as their mission statement to spread the gospel will signs, wonders and miracles. These are false ministries. How do I know? You don't hear any mention of the Sovereignty of God, blood redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ, the depravity of man and Holy Spirit conviction. They seek to deify man and reduce God to a helpless spectator on the sidelines of our lives.
Where did the Lord Jesus Chris and the Antichrist get their power? Acts 10: 38 states: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him." Antichrist received his power from Satan: "And the dragon (Satan) gave him (Antichrist) his power, and his seat, and great authority." (Revelation 13:2)
The Lord Jesus Christ warned us about the end times in Matthew 24:24: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Christ did not minimize the power of Satan.
When the Antichrist rises upon the world's political scene, the Scripture says he will come "WITH ALL POWER." Christ had ALL POWER in heaven and on earth. Antichrist will have ALL POWER limited to an earthly rule, that is, power over the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 13:7-8 reads: "And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Satan seeks to deceive the mind of man and take him captive at his will. The central point is that not all signs, miracles and wonders are from heaven.
The test: do you hear any mention of the Sovereignty of God, blood redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ, the depravity of man and Holy Spirit conviction? This Biblical test will guide you when you encounter ministries acting under the control of Antichrist.
Section 2: Signs of the Coming Antichrist
This study will focus on the thousand-year reign as described in the Bible in Revelation 20: 1-3. The word millennium is not actually used but in theology it is referred to as the Millennium. It will be a time when Satan will be bound, and there will be a time when Christ shall rule without interference. Try to imagine a time of complete righteousness, peace, and justice. The issue is when will this occur? There are three main views with one having two possibilities. If we are going to understand the signs of the coming Antichrist, we need an understanding of the three approaches.
1. Pre-Millennialism: This approach believes that things will grow worse and worse for society. Unrighteousness will be the order of the day. Classic Pre-Millennialism believes in no rapture and the Lord Jesus Christ will return and set up His kingdom for 1000 years. Dispensationalism Pre-Millennialism believes that things will grow worse in our world leading up to a time of the Rapture of the Church when the Lord Jesus Christ returns part way to the earth and removes the church from the mess the world has become. Then the Antichrist will appear, and a seven-year period will begin called the Great Tribulation. At the end of the seven years, Christ will return all the way to the earth and bind Satan and his evil demons, and a 1000-year reign of peace will begin. This group is overall pessimistic about the future. Things will get worse before the Lord returns.
2. Post-Millennialism: This view is that the church will win the world to Christ and establish peace and righteousness and at the end of the 1000-year reign, Christ will return to set up His kingdom. This group is very optimistic about the future. Things will get better before the Lord returns.
3. Amillennialism: This group believes we are already in the millennium. Christ is ruling heaven and His church below. They do not believe in a literal 1000-year reign. When Christ returns the New Heaven and a New Earth.
The view you adopt will influence how you view the coming of the Antichrist. I am a Dispensationalists Pre-Millennialist. I am very pessimistic about where we are headed. I believe in the Rapture I have done podcasts on why and for brevity's sake, I refer the reader to those podcasts if you want to know my reasons why.
I John 4: 3 states: "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is in the world." The spirit of antichrist was in the world in the first century, but we are referring to the person of the Antichrist, Satan's son, who will appear once the church has been removed at the Rapture. What are some of the signs of the appearance of the Antichrist:
1. There has been a gradual removal of restraint by the Holy Spirit. Romans 1: 28 speaks of God giving people over to a reprobate mind. That is the time we live in today. Homosexual marriage is endorsed by many churches and denominations. Now, the transexual movement is in full swing. Men thinking they are women and expecting everyone to join in agreement with them. There is only one condition necessary to introduce into a person's life that will bring about a state of reprobation: REMOVAL OF RESTRAINT, or we may say, god's withdrawal of the Holy Spirit in His position of "convincing, reproving and restraining sin, exercising authority of Christ's Lordship, and convicting of judgment."
2. The sin of the age is UNCLEANNESS, which is being uncovered and made public by the wholesale in the degree that the RESTRAINER is withdrawing His retraining power. The truth of God's Word is being exchanged for a lie (Romans 1: 25). Think about how politicians, the news media, "ministers" and people think about traditional Christian values. True Christians are laughed at, mocked, and on some occasions attacked for their beliefs. Murdering abortion clinics when opposed by believers bring threats of violence and violence against those that stand for life. The increase of uncleanness points to the coming of the Antichrist in person, not just his spirit.
3. People have exchanged the glory of God for an image or likeness to corruptible man. Man has been deified and the Sovereignty of God has been marginalized. People have made a "god" in their own image. Man has become supreme. Man decides when and how he will come to God. God waits patiently on the sidelines hoping someone will choose Him. No! This is blasphemy against the LORD God. This follows the pattern of Satan. They have exchanged the truth of God for the lie of Satan, for Satan said, "I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH." Man fails to acknowledge his depravity, his sin, and his lost condition. Satan has offered a false salvation of decisionism, easy believeism, profession of faith, and baptismal regeneration, speaking in tongues, or saying the sinner's prayer as substitutes for blood redemption, Holy Spirit conviction and the Sovereignty of God.
4. The increase in LYING WONDERS is a sign of the coming Antichrist. Christians who accept God's Word as it is, believe in the miraculous power of God, because in the miracle to make a depraved sinner into a new creature. It is this underlying principle of Christianity that leads Satan to present signs and false wonders in the form of miracles today to deceive, because their minds are open to the miraculous. The MIRACLES OF SATAN through the Antichrist are primarily to deceive the religious world, and, to do this, have to IMITATE and SUPPLANT the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ, both in kind, purpose, spirit, and bringing about the same result---ATTESTING THE AUTHORITY OF SATAN AS BEING LIKE THE MOST HIGH. Thing about it. There are number of ministries today that exist to demonstrate miracles of healing, the gifts of the Spirit, and the Prophetic movement. Listen to their message? What is it? What is isn't is the truth of blood redemption, Holy Spirit conviction, the depravity of man and the Sovereignty of God. My friend, are you looking for miracles, for signs, for supernatural phenomena to prove that the experience you have is from God? If so, you don't know Christ.
Conclusion
1. The Antichrist receives his power from his father Satan, and he will be able to perform "lying wonders."
2. The restraining power of the Holy Spirit is being gradually removing and therefore we see an increase in people having a reprobate mind.
3. People are exchanging the truth of God's Word for an image of corruptible man.
4. We live in an age of uncleanness hat is getting worse every day.
5. False teachers are promoting ministries that focus on false signs and lying wonders instead of blood redemption, Holy Spirit conviction, the depravity of man, and the Sovereignty of God.
6. The time for the appearance of the Antichrist is near.
Next week: THE RISE OF THE ANTICHRIST.
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