My Thoughts on the Coming Antichrist

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It's no doubt that the world isn't getting any better for most of its run. There's already signs of global warming, climate change, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes in various places, rising immorality and it's not going to get any better. I can't help but think of the Antichrist with all this in mind - especially that it's been some time since I keep hearing and/or noticing of the following events:
  • An upcoming New World Order is always at the talk. You can't deny how many people want it than fear it. 
  • People looking for a special someone to help unite the world.
  • The European Union came around when I was a teenager. Now it meddles in worldwide affairs as if it knows the world at the palm of its hand. Sounds familiar?
  • The various religions of the world are coming together one way or another. The Vatican is now having ecumenical dialogue with various world religions. Check out pictures of various Popes such as John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis who have had various unity dialogues with various world leaders.
  • The collapse of the Christian churches with a number of false converts. There are also many pastors who turn out to be men of Satan and not men of God.
  • Technology that would soon allow humans to be tracked is already there. Soon enough, it can help create the mark of the Antichrist for the Tribulation Period.

The mere thought that people are already looking for someone aside from the Lord Jesus Christ to fix the world's problems is a frightening thought. Yet, that's already Bible prophecy in action. I have observed at how the Jews are still waiting for the Messiah which will be their biggest mistake - they will soon end up accepting the Antichrist who will eventually double-cross them. 

I was thinking about reading through various passages of the Bible concerning the coming Antichrist. Daniel and Revelation show things match together. Read Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 and notice that the Antichrist is a composition of the four major world empires which totals to a symbolism of a beast with seven heads. Now, I once thought this was going to be a literal beast but this was more of a symbolism of the true nature of this Antichrist.

Just who will be the Antichrist? One can think of a world leader who will try to solve all the problems of the world. The Reformers and various theologians teach that both the Antichrist and his False Prophet will emerge from the Roman Catholic system. Others have taught that the dynasty of the Popes is Antichrist and that the cardinals are represent the False Prophet - a view which I so reject as erroneous in favor of a one person Antichrist (1 John 2:18) since many antichrists does not refer to one Antichrist. Others think of a Muslim Antichrist who will be accompanied by the final Pope. Others suggest that a half-Jewish, half-Arab man in the European Union will be endorsed by the final Pope. Others believe that the final Pope will be the Antichrist because the name Vicarius Filii Dei doesn't only mean Vicar of Christ (or in place of Christ) but it also equals to 666. It's not just the numerical value but also the fact that the name itself is blasphemous.

There are various myths surrounding the Antichrist. You can think that some have gone as far as to suggest these following myths:
  • Antichrist is Judas Iscariot reincarnated? No. Arthur W. Pink was using a figure of speech in depicting the coming Antichrist.
  • Antichrist will be Satan in the flesh or the son of Satan. However, this is impossible because spirit beings and humans cannot procreate with each other.

Regardless, I think the Antichrist may just be an illegitimate child of an unknown father or a result of artificial insemination or whatever. It could be a counterfeit virgin birth. I think more often than not about the Antichrist coming to deceive people that he's the one that they are waiting for. One could think of the following "coming saviors" in various world religions and it shouldn't be too surprising either:
  • Buddhists (and perhaps to an extension Hindus and Jains) are still waiting for the upcoming Maitreya. Buddhists call him the Maitreya Buddha. A New Age teacher whose real name I think is still unknown - he also calls himself Maitreya. If the Antichrist can pretend to be Maitreya to these religions the religious ecumenism will be even easier than it is now.  
  • Taoists believe that their highest god the Jade Emperor is soon to hand over his throne to the Heavenly Master of the Dawn of the Jade of the Gold Door. Would the Antichrist claim to be this upcoming Taoist messiah? 
  • Muslims are still waiting for the Mahdi who is referred to the Islamic Messiah. If the Antichrist can present himself to the Muslims as Mahdi and to the Jews as "the Christ" then would be possible to create a false peace treaty, isn't it?

One of Satan's most horrible deceptions is that people don't even realize they are actually serving him. John 16:2 warns that time will come when people will persecute Christians all the while thinking that they are doing it for the glory of God. The Pope declares himself to be a man of God even if he's a man of Satan. Various religious leaders claim to be men of God even when they are men of Satan. Worse, how many persecutions against Christians were also done in the name of Christ? The Roman Catholic's well-hidden from the average Roman Catholic today history has a lot of crimes against Christians that were all done in the name of Christ. Many Christian scholars too were burned alive in the name of Christ.

I think the Antichrist himself will present himself as a man of God. I don't think people would immediately welcome Satan immediately unlike the members of the Church of Satan founded by Anton La Vey. The more Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) the more followers he gets. The more he pretends to be God the more followers he get. How often do you hear the propaganda that there's good in every religion except Satanism? How often do you hear that Islamic terrorism is un-Islamic all because the average Muslim today knows nothing about Jihad? It's really part of Satan's agenda towards raising his man as God permits it.

What's interesting to know is that Revelation also mentions of the signs and wonders. The False Prophet tries to mimic Elijah. Some have suggested that the dynasty of the False Prophet comes from the cardinals. Some Reformed theologians refer to the Cardinals as the Beasts of the Earth gathered by the Beast of the Sea - that they too worship the latter. Some suggest that the Cardinal closest to the Pope will emerge as the False Prophet. Others say that the final Pope will be the False Prophet. Regardless, this False Prophet will be a lying worker and a counterfeit to the Holy Spirit. The False Prophet will mislead people to worship the Beast.

The Antichrist will have an image casting miracles. I was thinking of a number of signs and wonders concerning graven images. One instance said that a statue supposedly cried though it turned out that salt was placed inside the statue. Others turned out that it was water from a clogged toilet. But some of them ended up doing some supernatural yet limited miracles that God permits for Satan and his demons to do. Some have somewhat "spoken" though demons and others have levitated. The Bible warns that the False Prophet will somehow make this image seem to come alive that it should speak and deceive the masses. What's more interesting is that Sister Faustina a Roman Catholic mystic allegedly got a vision from "Jesus" and was told to paint this counterfeit savior for the world to know his image. Could it be that the painting of Sister Faustina will soon lead people to the Antichrist in the future and people who were left behind will recognize him immediately? Maybe, maybe not. 

There's the mark of the Beast. Some people think this is just to merely buy and sell. But if you read closely, Revelation mentions the mark of the Beast eight times - Revelation 13:16-17, 14:9, 14:11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20 and 20:4. God didn't damn them for simply receiving a mark. They were damned because they were worshiping the Antichrist. No one can be awarded the mark except that they first pledge their allegiance to worship the Antichrist. The mark is tied to one important detail and it's worshiping the Antichrist. The worshipers will gladly accept this mark as much as the believers will gladly accept the seal of the believer. When Dr. John F. MacArthur said that it's not unforgivable - he doesn't mean it's no great treason. Rather, he stresses out the fact that unfortunately, Revelation 16:9 says that those who received the mark refuse to repent. Can you imagine the damning reality why those who receive the mark are going to the Lake of Fire? The same bunch refuses to repent and give God the glory even after many plagues have hit them! They continue to blame God for everything wrong in their lives!

Why do I think God is allowing the Antichrist to come in? 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 warns that people receive not the love of the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness. People today want a world where they can have it and God gives it to them. As some may call it that mankind will get one thing that it always wanted - a world that seems to be that there is no God. Yet, it's all part of the act of finally filling the world's cup of wrath to be full. It's all part of God's plan to finally destroy iniquity together that when seven years are fulfilled that all this iniquity will be destroyed at the Battle of Armageddon.

What the Christian should be looking for is not the coming or identity of Antichrist. No, they should be waiting for the Trumpet instead. I believe that a pre-Tribulation Rapture makes the most sense. Just think that Christianity is a huge thorn at the New World Order's side. The only reason why the New World Order hasn't taken over yet is because the Church is still there (2 Thessalonians 2:7) doing its job. Can you imagine how a minority of Christians are in fact still a great menace to where iniquity is full? Can you imagine how many times God hasn't destroyed any city yet because there's more than ten righteous people in it? Yet one day, God will say enough is enough especially when the time comes when the Gospel of the Kingdom is already preached across the whole Earth (Matthew 24:10) - then it's time for the Antichrist to reveal himself to the world. 

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