Antichrist, America and the End of Days - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. If you would like to know how you can become a harvest partner, just go to harvest.org that's harvest.org going rise will be his reason. Wireless embodiment of sin and rebellion. The Antichrist is not official today. Pastor Greg Laurie pointed out to be very real instruction he brings to this world, living at a Cluj Devils disciple is Lucifer's leader is Satan's son. He will oppose every law of God because these and try fries and as of the heart of nearly every fictional story we've ever seen red the bad guy causes some missed you the good guy settles in school all is right with the world today on a new beginning for Greg Laurie points out, when the Antichrist comes on the scene. It won't be fiction, you will be a war between good and evil like the world has never seen.

It will reach every single city, town, village and hamlet, and at that point nothing will be right United States of American. I don't know about you but I'm proud to be in America.

I know that's fallen out of favor patriotism is looked down on by some, but I got the opportunity to travel around the world and I still believe the United States of America is the greatest country on the planet. Some of your for Greg if you look at America lately that we have a lot of problems, though I acknowledge that I knowledge the divisions and the problems in the conflicts in all the areas we fall short in but this is a unique nation different from any other nation.

The only other nation. You could even compare us to would be the nation Israel established by God in the land that there is but we have spiritual root.

You know a very important name in the history of America is George. George is anybody named George or any George that the good name George, now you're really thinking of George Washington and he was our founding father that we name the nation's capital after him, but I'm not talking at this moment about George Washington.

I'm talking about our spiritual founding father George Whitfield ever heard him. He wasn't even an American is in England, and George Whitfield was a great evangelist so he came over to our shores and preach to the call in this and many of them came to Christ. In fact, 80% of the people living in the colonies at that time heard George Whitfield preach in person, including Benjamin Franklin sometimes as many as 40,000 people would come here George Whitfield preach thousands and thousands of people came to Christ that is spiritual awakening spread across America. So while France was having a revolution.

We were having a spiritual revival. It was in that soil that the seeds of this experiment. This new concept of a nation was born one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all that we say even in our Declaration of Independence we been endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We would not be ruled by a monarch on a throne we would have representatives who would go into our capital and speak for us, and with all of the flaws of our system and there are many of this amazing thing is work in America was born. In fact, it was George Washington our first president said, quote anyone who believes you can explain our victory in the American revolution without the hand of Providence completely misunderstands what happened." And then one of the runner fires of the U.S. Constitution, Patrick Henry made this statement, which is very significant quote. It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded. Listen, not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is for this very reason people of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." Very true, and revisionists want to edit that out of our history books but it's part of our story and then we entered into a civil war, you know, of course, and it almost destroyed America because we were killing each other.

We survived that and ultimately emerged as a super power in the world and imagine if you will for a moment, a world without the United States of America. Imagine if the United States of America did not exist during World War II. Hitler could've won that war with the amazing technology that they had developed so far ahead of its time, but it was one America stepped in that England knew that the war would ultimately be one that England was taking a beating from Hitler and we stepped in and thankfully we turn that back. Imagine what would happen to the Jewish population of the planet.

If Adolf Hitler had one, and then you go forward in history. New look at all the times we stepped forward we face down the Soviet Union, that evil empire is president Reagan said, and we want it was America that is pushed back and stood against the spread of Islamic terrorism since 911. It is America that since humanitarian aid around the world. No other nation really even comes close to the generosity of American people. We gave away $30 billion in humanitarian aid last year alone. People ask that the United States of America to do that and we do now imagine if you will, a world without America will sad to say that day is coming, why don't know that America will cease to exist, but I'm saying there is coming a day when America will not be the dominant superpower that we are right now because as we look to the last day scenario. Other players emerge starting with the Antichrist and his 10 Confederated nations had another massive force called the Kings of the East.

I think you can make a pretty good case biblically for the existence of Israel in the end times of economic it's an airtight case you can make pretty good case for the existence of Iran. According to Ezekiel 37 existing in the end times. I think you can even possibly make a case for the existence of Russia and China. In the end time scenario, but it's alarming that you cannot really find anything that resembles America as we know it today.

In the last days were are we. I don't know will explore that in another message but in our absence. Imagine a world where evil is allowed to spread unabated. A world that ultimately pledges its loyalty to a man that will make Adolf Hitler look like a lightweight. In comparison, that is coming to planet Earth. And that's what I want to talk about in this message. Antichrist America and the end of days.

Let's talk about the Antichrist himself, he will be sent by state. You see, Satan is effectively an imitator is not an innovator. He imitates whatever God does.

Satan does his devilish version of just as surely as there is a father in heaven there is a Satan from hell. Just as surely as the father in heaven give given us his only begotten son, Satan, in a way will have a son to the devil around the sun.

This will be him. The Antichrist will be energized by Lucifer himself. God has real Christians. Satan's fake ones. God is real miracles the devil as imitations of those as well. Antichrist will be his crazed violinist embodiment of sin and rebellion but is not going to be what you might expect, you know, dressed head to toe in black with glowing red Eisenstein coming off of them with the Darth Vader song playing in the background when he enters a room know I'm telling you, this guy will be charismatic still be magnetic will be a powerful orator will be a convincing speaker. He will be probably a very handsome guy as well. Probably be on the cover of GQ and time magazine simultaneously think the devil wears Prada by he will do it. No man is ever been able to do before he will establish a treaty between the Jewish and Arab nations that they will abide by and he will pave the way for the long-awaited third temple in Jerusalem. He will be a satanic Superman but it's all a mask hiding who he really is the most evil men who ever lived in a many people believe Antichrist is coming. I read an interesting poll done among Americans, not Christians necessarily and many of them 49% believe that an Antichrist will come in the future and then another article revealed that 19% of Americans think that Antichrist is on earth now and in the same poll, nearly half of those who accept biblical prophecy believe Antichrist is alive right now but we don't know if he is or it isn't.

We don't know if he's present somewhere, waiting for his moment. But we know his moment will ultimately come. I know some of your thinking. Reagan didn't come to church today to hear about the Antichrist okay will listen. It's important that you know something there over 100 passages that detail the origin nationality, career, character, kingdom, and the final doom of Antichrist is discussed at length in second Thessalonians Revelation as well as here in the book of Daniel, the sheer volume of information about the Antichrist in Scripture is enough for us to want to understand who he is and what he is coming to do and also to know that ultimately he is going to lose, reminding us that his darkest things can look at times we win in the end we must never forget that we went to bring that up because there are times that when it seems evil is prevailing. It seems like darkness is when the mayor were losing well it does seem that with times, but I read the last page of the Bible. I'm telling you we win in the end, here's three things to remember that are important. Number one God is sovereign over all of history.

God is sovereign over all of history. Because history is his story. Number two history as a blip on the screen of eternity. It's a blip on the screen of eternity. And thirdly, God will have the final word and it will be good to Greg Moore will have the second half of his message just a moment. It's a privilege to bring these studies from Pastor Greg your way and it's encouraging to know that the program is reaching all parts of the world, including to this soldier in the Middle East. A pastor Greg. I'm not sure he'll get this email but I was walking through our morale, wellness and recreation center this morning and saw one of your messages on TV.

I got saved at vacation Bible school in your church when I was five years old.

My parents also dedicated me to God as a child at your church as well. Your book lost boy helps bring me back to a dark place in my life during college. Today I read that book I recommitted my life to Jesus and have been following in ever since. Thank you for continuing to serve in God's Army thought he would like to know God is using your ministry. Well, we send these daily studies for pastor grading the radio, satellite, or the Internet. Would you like to share how this ministry is made an impact on your life. If so, just from Pastor Greg an email.

It's great@harvest.org again, that's great@harvest.org where we're considering what the Bible says about the Antichrist today from our series of most requested messages of the year let's continue. So who is this Antichrist also called the beast the wicked one, the son of perdition. Well, that brings us to where we last left off here in the book of Daniel. Daniel saw a vision of a winged lion and the bear and a leopard coming out of the sea.

Daniel seven and we pointed out that the Bible, the sea is a picture of the multitudes. The people in these are not literal animals there symbols of the nation's so the winged lion is Babylon, and they even had the winged lion on the gates of their city and and so the lion, the king of the jungle. This powerful piece ruled and dominated for many years but Babylon was defeated by the Medo Persian Empire under the direction of King Cyrus. That's the bear.

The bear defeats the winged lion within the bear is defeated by a leopard. Also with wings and that is because the Medo Persians were defeated by Alexander the great. Alexander the great conquered most of the world and 12 brief years and he seemed unstoppable, but Alexander died unexpectedly at the age of 32 and his massive kingdom was divided among four generals. They were defeated eventually by mighty Rome and Rome was never conquered snow from the ashes of Rome rises of Phoenix. The new leader the Antichrist. Daniel seven verse eight I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking pompous words.

There so if you're taking notes there is point number one Antichrist is coming to defy and take the place of Jesus Antichrist is coming to defy and take the place of Jesus our Lord is mentioned herein.

Daniel 78 is a symbol of power in Scripture.

But this horn has both eyes and a mouth reminding us that this is a person that is being addressed and I would also add this the prefix anti-does not only mean against it also means instead of so it's not just that this coming world leader. This piece, this charismatic politician extraordinaire is going to oppose Christ and he will. But he also comes in the place of Christ and for some, they'll believe he is the Christ, Korea's their Messiah at least verse eight says that he speaks pompous words which means he boasts arrogantly is a powerful oratorio win people over to bring about a temporary global peace and economic solutions would hear some else to know about Antichrist point number two is coming to declare war on believers is coming to declare war on believers. Daniel 725. Since then the saints will be given into his hand for time and times and half J so will read this phrase in Daniel and elsewhere and basically comes down the best the Antichrist will inaugurate what is often called the great tribulation.

That will last for seven years will be divided into two sections, time, times and 1/2 or 3 1/2 years. In the beginning of the tribulation, the Antichrist will come up like a good guy to come with this peace treaty don't come with his brilliant words that come with economic solutions and many will hail him and love him and especially when he rebuilds the third Temple for the Jewish people, but at the three and I Earmarked the abomination of desolation takes place will talk about this more later to this is one of the temple was rebuilt and it desecrated by the Antichrist, marking the second section of the tribulation. Were this coming world leader shows his true colors and they're not pretty, he begins to persecute Jewish people and he persecutes Christians and he begins to rule by force and so that is what this is referring to. And already you see four shots of Antichrist in the world today. Number three Antichrist is coming to dominate the glow is coming to dominate the globe. Revelation 13 seven says authority was given to him over every tribe and tongue and nation now again when emphasize how does he do it through war. No initially through piece because he's the man of peace, the probably award him the Nobel Peace Prize and the Bible says PC will deceive many. And so he'll establish please read then you'll be the ultimate man-of-war. Following that, in the also come economically difficult times and he will succeed where others have failed. Now you might wonder where in the heck does Antichrist get the ability to do this, he gets it from now. This power comes from how this power comes from Satan. He's the devil disciple. He is Lucifer's leader he Satan's son. Revelation 13 to says the Dragon which is later identified as Satan gives him his power and his throne and his grade authority. He will oppose every law of God because he's anti-Christ.

Here's another interesting thing about him. Number four Antichrist will establish global control through a cashless society Antichrist will establish global control through a cashless society over a Revelation 1317. It says no one will buy or sell except one was the mark or the name of the beast that's Antichrist for the number of his name. Here's wisdom with him was understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number of a man. His number is 6660. We all are those numbers away. I think everybody knows that 6660's are not good numbers of there was a house for sale in the neighborhood and it was 666 anything any people would not buy it. If you Google the number 666 you'll find 543 million results and you'll also find 543 million different ideas about what I mean and I don't think we should over fixate on what it literally means. Here's the bigger picture. Antichrist will introduce a cashless society requiring people to take a mark and no one will be able to buy or sell without the mark under the reign of Antichrist. Now I ask you is this possible in technology today. Of course it is will know it is Bill Gates brought it up three years ago. He said the key to this will be mobile phones already in the developing countries with the right regulatory framework people are storing money digitally on their phones and using the phone to make purchases as if they were debit cards by 20 32 billion people who don't have a bank account today will be storing money and making payment. Whether phone" there's a problem you can lose your phone right now you get a watch like an Apple watch and and you can make payments on your watch as well, but to the next logical step is to introduce biometric-based payment system wide order to carry a phone I don't have devil want to write just said something you could scan how my body, this technology exists and you know it does. There was a day when I don't going all these things in those pretty well know this is already here now that we know that this data is out there. It is assessable and there are people talk about the dark wet with sinister motives get access this data and have control over the lives of a lot of people that man is coming, then men will be the Antichrist to Greg Laurie good insight about what's to come. When the Antichrist takes the world stage. There's more to learn is pastor Gray continues his message called Antichrist America and the end of days.

One of the top 10 most requested studies of the year. If you missed any part of today study you can hear it again by going online to harvest.org you can stream the message while you're there or download MP3 for later. Or if you'd like to have a permanent copy on CD. Call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 and then were so excited about Pastor Greg book chronicling the spiritual journey of singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. It's a book called Johnny Cash, the redemption of an American icon, and you know Pastor Greg you put it up before how your wife Kathy likes puzzles and you are not so much and I was wonder who was the first guy with that idea you know you you take a pretty picture you cut it all up into pieces like you going to throw it away and then and then you give all the scraps to somebody and say here with this together and you charge them for the experience. Yeah. Who was that guy.

I don't know but whoever he was yet to its time in his hands, and I don't know why. Like if I walked into a room and there's a puzzle. I keep walking. They hold no allure to me. However, my wife Kathy she's drawing of the puzzle she wants to put the puzzle together.

Then when it's all done. Susie Greg look the puzzle is completed. Number like I don't care. But I'm happy you're happy and were just wired differently. Well, you know that the life of Johnny Cash is really a puzzle and you've done a great job in putting the pieces together to give us a complete picture of his life, and more importantly, of the spiritual journey but even with all the pieces put together. He lived a puzzling life.

This evening Jan that that's what makes it so appealing to me because you know life is messy and things don't always go the way we think they should go, but I find real life so much more interesting than fiction and and that's why I love to read biographies because you read about the twists and turns in the ups and downs and the highs and lows that come to every person in life and in Johnny's life was no exception to that. You know he was raised in the very traditional country home. They went to the southern Baptist church. She worked out on the farm. He literally pick cotton in the fields of that was very proficient at it, and an early age, picked up a guitar and started learning some cords and he was raised singing gospel music and they would actually be out there in the cotton field singing these songs that would help them get through the day, but God had given Johnny a very special gift, and he had sort of a high tenor voice and almost overnight and dropped out of the slow kind of baritone voice that's the boys. We most closely associated with Johnny, a deep ghetto growl and that tonality of his sound that no other artist really is.

Had before or since Johnny Cash. I mean the moment he starts singing you know who it is it's it's Johnny so he had these you know very simple country roots that I don't think he ever forgot. I think what it was all said and done, he was always a country boy at heart, but you know the big city was calling and success was calling the literally global worldwide fame came to him, but that he never forgot his roots, he never forgot his faith. I and he really wanted to use this incredible platform God had given them for the gospel. I mean here he was at the peak of his fame singing the Billy Graham Crusades listen, that could be a career killer for sure, but to but Johnny understood that he had a huge audience of figure 1 point even thought about leaving music and becoming a preacher and it was his wife June who said Johnny God is giving you this huge platform. Why not use that for Jesus Christ.

Also at the peak of his fame. He needed gospel film about the life of Jesus Christ. He went to Israel with the film crew was called. The gospel road and so he always was looking for ways to talk about his faith sing about his faith. Even when he was at the peak of his success and and and something I think that's a really admirable quality about him yet as lapses yet is stumbles, but he never forgot where he came from, and in the end he recommitted himself deeply to the Lord and had great great faith in Christ and enough course I believe is in heaven and were great encouragement. It offers to others who live the life with ups and downs, successes and failures.

I'm thinking of parents of prodigal children, or children with prodigal parents actually none of us lives in unblemished life. That's why we need God's grace and forgiveness in this book and remind us just how far God will reach with his mercy. You really owe it to yourself to read this book and then pass it along to someone who needs this hope to send you your copy of Johnny Cash, the redemption of an American icon call 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org but we hope you join us again next time. Pastor Greg brings us more biblical insight about the antichrist and what's coming in God's last days plan to an end for more from our most requested messages of the year. Next time, new beginning and great glory possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor greats free daily email, devotions@harvest.org