The Antichrist - 21

Christian lady asked welcome to tooling point, weekend edition. Do you wonder who the antichrist would bring to that you, Dr. David Jeremiah says what we can't yet know who the Antichrist is, we can certainly not want to use my understanding Daniel chapter 7 introduces message the antichrist is David, thank you for joining us for the weekend edition of Turning Point, you know, the idea of a single individual gaining sway over the nations of the world is not as far-fetched an idea today as it once was. The earth is a shrinking planet and ever-increasing needs. The Bible makes it clear that there will be a leader who will arise on the world stage is known in the biblical terminology as the antichrist and the book of Daniel, the seventh chapter has something to say about him. You want to hear about it on the weekend edition of Turning Point which begins right now. One of the most popular indoor sports of theologians is to choose to identify the antichrist, spoken of by Daniel and by John when you survey the literature of the history books and what has been said about this subject. In times past, you could almost choose anybody want to and you find somebody who will agree with you I could go on and on with what some have predicted what it really is my purpose to satisfy the idly curious, or to gratify your love for the sensational. I don't know who the antichrist is but I know what he is and I know that the Bible says that he is more than just an insignificant person who will appear sometime in future. There is more than just a passing reference to him in the Scripture. There is much information about him in the Bible.

The seventh chapter of Daniel has set the stage for our understanding of this prophetic phenomena.

It reminds us that the sovereign God is in control and he takes us through the steps of human government from the time of Daniel the prophet and the Babylonian kingdom to the end of human government when Christ the King returns, God gives us the whole scheme of things and into that scheme. This individual fits. Now if you want to understand the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel. Let me give you little catchphrase that sort of like a signpost along the way to help you see some of the epics that are described here in the seventh chapter. The first use of this is in the second verse and it's this phrase I saw in my vision by night verse two I saw in my vision by night signpost one and what follows is Daniel's presentation of the three great kingdoms of the world battle in Medo Persia and Greece. The second signpost is found in the seventh verse and again.

It's the same one and after this I saw in the night vision and what follows is the vision that Daniel had of the fourth great kingdom which was the kingdom of Rome and which is still in essence alive and well, though it has been dispossessed of its authority and dominion the Roman kingdom is still alive. It is never been taken over by a greater kingdom and the Bible teaches that when Christ comes back that it will be this final form of the Roman kingdom over which he is victorious and then the third use of this phrase is in verse 13 and I saw in the night visions, and behold, and then this is the introduction to the final chapter. When Christ comes to rain upon the year. Now listen carefully. The antichrist fits in the last part of that second epic when you're clear down to the end of the final form of the final kingdom. The Bible says that a man, a Superman will arise to take leadership over that final form of the Roman kingdom and that is the person we call antichrist. Now if you're taking notes and if you read the Bible you need to know that in the Bible this person's called by a lot of names and sometimes when you're reading through the Scripture. If you don't know what names apply to him you going to confuse him with something else in the Scripture, let me just tell you that even in the book of Daniel. There are several names for the antichrist in the seventh chapter.

He's called the little horn, the little horn. That's his name. The word horn is a word for power and authority in the concept of the little horn is that he starts out as an insignificant ruler, but he evolves into a great gigantic king when you move from the seventh chapter to the eighth chapter he gets a new name in the eighth chapter. He's called the King of fierce countenance, that's his name in chapter 8. When you go from chapter 8 to chapter 9, he gets another name. He's called in chapter 9 the Prince that shall come, and as you go to chapter 11. He's called the willful King there's four names for this person in the book of Daniel alone when you come to the New Testament. You enter into the book of Matthew and Verity's called the abomination of desolation and in the writings of John the apostle. He's called the Antichrist and in the book of Revelation is called the second beast. Now if you don't know all of these names and identify them with the antichrist to go to get proxy all mixed up, so you need to get your glossary correct in your vocabulary right we cannot identify who this person is, but there are a number of plain marks which make it comparatively easy to recognize his person.

Whenever the Scripture brings in before us in the Bible. And so it's these marks that we want to look at but before we do, let me ask you to think with me for a moment about the fact that though we believe that as Christians and as believers were going to be caught out of this place before the final manifestation of the antichrist that there are some things going on in our world today. That makes the study of this man very important to us this statement. I quote he said the truth is that the method of international committees has failed. What we need is a person, someone of the highest order of great experience of great authority of wide influence of great energy let him calm and let him come quickly either a civilian or military men, no matter what is nationality, who will cut all the red tape and shove out all of the committees and wake up all the people and galvanize all the governments for whom we wait let him come quickly. The man we need is a man for whom we wait. Who will take charge of the defense of the West once more. I say it is not too late, but it is high time letting come." What the man is saying is this, that the world is right for a leader who will come upon the stage of our world seem and command the respect and command the following of the world because nobody in the world seems to have the answer to our international problem in all the world is looking for someone to solve them. And so when the Antichrist comes in by supernatural revelation begins to demonstrate that he has the ability to lead the world they will fall down at his feet. They will be so anxious to see them come the vacuum is been created when Mussolini was strutting in force across much of the Mediterranean world.

He was asked one time to explain his swift rise to power. You know what he said. He said I found Europe full of empty throne rooms, and I simply walked in and took one of them." That's the way to be in the end time the antichrist will come and find a vacuum of world leadership and you walk in to that place people will be hungry for someone to follow. He's going to be that kind of a person for a number of reasons. I just like to suggest some of them to you. Look at the seventh chapter disorders an outline and will come back to it later. Number one, this man called antichrist that we don't know who he is.

We know what he is in the first thing we know about him is he's a charismatic leader is a man with great charisma, a charismatic leader.

He will be a great public speaker. Verse eight tells us that verse eight says yes, a mouth speaking great thing. Verse 20 says he has a mouth that speaks very great things. Verse 25 says you shall speak great words against the most high. If you study the 13th chapter of the book of Revelation, which is the comparative study to the seventh chapter of Daniel Revelation 13, five, says, and there was given onto him a mouth speaking great things. In fact, a little bit later on in the program of antichrist establishes an image that everybody supposed to worship and even his image speaks some folks think he does it through ventriloquism.

Some folks think it's demon possession out of what it is but this man is a man of great oratorical power.

Someone has said that the antichrist will be noted for wonderful eloquence. He will be able to capture the attention and the admiration of the world you will be able to move the masses. Someone has said he will be like Melanchthon William Jennings Bryan and Gladstone all wrapped up in one men and women every silver tongue liberal orator, an atheist is a forerunner of that man ever heard liberals were great orators never heard him great liberal pastors great great in the sense of their renowned you come away so thrilled until you realize that you don't know what they said they just seem to say it well. That's the way the antichrist will be great swelling words of oratory. He will be able to use the media. I believe you be able to stand in front of the television cameras and move the masses in everyone hears them speak will be caught up in his charisma is a great speaker.

I remember back some years ago, listening to the orations of some of the great political men and realizing that we don't have many men like that these days.

So when this man comes on the scene with his charisma in front of the cameras in front of the masses and is able to weld these masses into activity all the people will follow him. The Bible goes on to say that not only will you be a tremendous speaker, but there will be something about him physically that's attractive. It says in verse 20 that he is more stout than his fellows, and the word stout. There is a word which means to be abundant in size and rank, sometimes in the Bible it has to do with being a captain or T4 Lord is a man of high rank or of impressive appearance like Saul in the Old Testament was head and shoulders above his fellows. This man when he walks into the presence of others will immediately capture their attention there something about him is a charisma as he speaks about his very person that will attract people by an inhuman magnetism to follow him. That's what you been charisma coleader. Secondly, I want you to notice that not only will he be a charisma clean up when he'll be a clever leader, this man will be the master politician of all history.

The greatest diplomat who ever lived. Verse 20 says he has eyes that phrase is a reference to his mental ability to his intellect to his cleverness, he will be able to solve the problems of the world with his cleverness with his wisdom, good illustration of that's in the eighth verse it says in verse eight that he's going to rise up at the time of the 10 King Confederation and he will subdue three other kings and verse eight describes it graphically. It says I consider the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the firstborn, plucked up by the roots of what this is talking about is that there are three other powers involved and that the antichrist moves in and he replaces those powers in the Scripture says he plucks them up by the roots, which sounds rather cataclysmic, but it's not that at all.

The phrase the plucked up by the roots means literally to squeeze out push out by subterfuge to come in and cleverly replace. So somehow, politically, diplomatically, cleverly, the antichrist will move in and he will get three kings together and somehow he will politically maneuver them until he aggregates the power they have to himself, replaces them. He stands now in their place is a clever politician turn in your Bibles to the 11th of Daniel. Let me just show you another verse that illustrates his cleverness. Verse 21 in Daniel 11 says in 1121 this about the antichrist. It says, and in his estate shall stand up, a vile person to hold, they shall not give the honor of the kingdom, but he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by Flannery's. That's how you do it by Flannery's you take all of the malarkey you ever heard of a political rally all the baloney you've ever heard during political campaigns and all of the flattery that goes on when somebody's trying to get elected. You promise everything but his life to get in office.

You take all of that and I want to tell you that the antichrist will be the master.

He'll be able to talk people into anything. I'm reminded of a passage of Scripture in the Psalms that says that God hates flattering lips and that ultimately he will take control of them and remove them.

He's a clever leader flattering politician, diplomat, the third thing I noticed about them in the seventh chapter is that he is not only a charismatic leader and a clever leader. He's a cultic leader, a cultic leader. He's a religionist is not just in the political realm is in the world of religion. He's a great religious leader. He's a cultic leader. Verse 25 says this about him. Verse 25. In chapter 7 says he shall speak great words against the most high, and shall wear out the saints of the most high, and think to change the times and the law. The Bible says that he will stand up with his oratory and he will give great speeches against the most high God. The apostle Paul adds to our understanding of this and I will ask you to turn to it because you know it, but in second Thessalonians chapter 2 in verse four. This is what Paul says about him. It says that he will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he has God sit within the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. What's he going to do is try to take over for God is going to put himself in God's place. Think of it, the creature speaking against the creator. He's going to ask people to fall down and worship him and bow down before you. One of the people were going to meet later on the book of Daniel, who is a type and historical type of the antichrist is a fellow by the name of Antiochus epiphanies the targets epiphanies illustrates this whole concept in the antichrist of self worship. I'm told that on the coins that survived from that day can be seen the figure of Zeus, whose features closely resemble those of Antiochus epiphanies and one of those coins which is been preserved, which is now in the British Museum has this inscription on it of King Antiochus God manifest victory bear King Antiochus God manifest. Revelation 13 eight says that the whole world will worship the antichrist and all who dwell upon the earth shall worship him, he's going to be a religious leader in God, if you will. Verse 25 goes on to say that in his cultic leadership. He will try to change the moral of the natural laws of the universe. It says that he changes the times most people believe that Izzy messes around with the calendar he does away with a religious feast days. Some think that perhaps even does away with the seven-day week, which is a God ordered time and he changes it to attend a week like they tried to do back during the French Revolution tries to change the calendar he does away with all the religious feast days and all of the opportunities the Jews have to worship to get rid of all those things. Just like our cultic leaders do today. He tries to strip down everything that has anything to do with structure, anything that has to do with history and stability.

As far as their own personal religious beliefs or concern.

He just takes it all away and he starts all over from scratch and he literally starts his own religion to obliterate God out of the picture, and goes on to say that he not only does away with the times what he does away with the laws we were having trouble understanding what that's all about you, does away with the moral laws he creates his own morality so you don't have to follow the relative God hears a new set of moral laws. Along with that. We know that not only will he be putting himself in the place of God in changing the times and changing the laws and changing the seasons, but he's also going to be able to do great things you say to me pastor Jeremiah how a man like that ever get enough people to follow them so we can rule the world with the Scripture tells us again in second Thessalonians chapter 2 that he will be equipped by Satan to do great wonders and great lies and great signs and great miracles. He will heal, he will bring people back from the grave. I believe at least that will be the appearance of it. He will be able to do things this world has never seen.since Jesus walked upon the earth for thing I learned about the antichrist in the seventh chapter of Daniel is not only a great charismatic leader is not only a great cultic leader not only a great clever leader but folks as you study what he does in the end of time. He is a cruel leader, a cruel leader not to stay with me as we look at this verse 23 says of the end time of that kingdom, that he shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in verse 25 tells us he will wear out the saints of the most high, he will persecute the saints. Literally, he will wear them out you say what one of the saints doing in the tribulation whenever I hear people talking about the tribulation and they think that the church is going to go through it.

There's always one thing that I noticed that is that they you like the tribulation is just sort of like a little more trouble than got right now. I mean after all, if were enduring this is just a little more trouble than we got right now.

Let me take some friend tribulation is more trouble than you can imagine in your wildest imagination is like anything you've ever dreamed of. You can put open and 666 and all of those things together with the greatest force in Hollywood can eject on the screen.

It is not like anything is going to happen in the great tribulation, my friend. The Bible says God has saved us from the wrath to come. And I believe that means the wrath of the tribulation period as well which ovulation is nothing more nor less than hell on earth and all of its fury. We learn something about that. We learn what the antichrist is doing during this time, the Scripture says he wears out the saints.

I want you to know that the people who were saved during the tribulation period become the target of this man and he determines to destroy them. The believer's life will be difficult it will be treacherous.

It will be particularly difficult after the antichrist is coming to full power.

During the last half of the tribulation. He will harass and afflict and persecute them without mercy. Many of them will be martyred for their faith.

During the last 3 1/2 years. The suffering will be extremely severe. In fact, the word to wear out the saints is a word which comes out of the context of wearing out garments. It's not a matter that he comes in just snuffs them out what the Scripture says he wears them out like you where out close. He harasses them any stays on top of them. Every minute he won't let them breathe. Some folks have said he's going to do that in a slow and painful wearing down of the people of God.

It will be a cruel time of bloodletting. Saints say what difference does it make for me.

If I'm going to be gone mean after all, if I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture.

Why should I worry about all this information about that across. What is like to give you three things to hang your thoughts about this on as we close the first thing I want you to notice this that already. The stage is being set for the coming of antichrist. You read the Bible and you read the papers and you can see it. The stage is being set for the coming of antichrist. You know that the abject conditions of the economy in Germany after World War I helped to catapult Adolf Hitler and the power just give you little information that will help you understand what I mean. The German treasury after World War I was low in gold.

Her budget was unbalanced.

Sound familiar. Inflation went out of perspective. In 1919, the German Mark was worth $0.25 within four years. It declined in value until 4 trillion were needed to equal one dollar and buying power. It's unreal, the German middle-class lost all their savings. The value of every pension was wiped out totally. All security was gone. The people were ready to listen to any demagogue who would help them solve their bitterness. Enter Adolf Hitler. It was Lennon who said in one occasion that the surest way to overthrow an existing social order is to debauch the currency." What you think would happen in the United States of America. If a charismatic wonderworking leader were to walk across the American scene and say to us.

I have the answer to the economic stress this country think anybody following I'm sad to say I know some Christians who following. I do share that with you to tell you that as you look around at your world. The stage is being set for the arrival of a man like the man we've been talking about the second thing I want you to notice this the strategy of the Christian is not to look for the antichrist saving you told Ellis about it.

Now you tell me I must was be looking for what I just want you to keep this in perspective, no place in the Bible do I read that my job as a Christian is to look for the antichrist but I do read in Titus chapter 2 in verse 13 looking for that blessed hole and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ friends. I'm not looking around for the antichrist on looking up for the Christ.

And when I see the things that signal his soon appearance. All it does is really focus my attention on the one who's coming in who my interest is Jesus Christ the coming King and Savior of all mankind. So you see, the antichrist might be alive today, he might be strutting on the stage of politics already, but speculation about him does not fit either of the two things God is told me to do in light of his coming. In light of the coming of Christ. You know those two things are just as simply as I can say first one is occupy till I come occupy till I come. That's what the Scripture says Luke 1913 occupy till I come.

That means first thing I'm supposed to do is work and then it says in Matthew 2513 W. He therefore so my job in light of the fact that I looking for Christ is to work and to watch and when I see all these things happening, tell me antichrist is coming, it just makes me focus my attention on the coming Christ makes me want to work and watch better than I've ever worked or watched his give you one third thing.

The stage is being set for the antichrist and strategy for the Christian is not to look for him but for Christ, but the third thing I wanted to share with you. Put this in perspective is that the Bible says that the spirit of antichrist is already here in the book of first John were told that many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and a pseudo-Kristof antichrist, and first John chapter 2 verses 18 and 19 we read little children. It is the last time, and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrist whereby you know that it is the last time the gym Joneses. The moans all of the great cultic leaders. Just tell us that what John said was true that the spirit of antichrist is everywhere in the world today, the Messiah complex is everywhere in the world today.

Everywhere false messiahs on every horizon.

Bible says the spirit of antichrist is here so you say pastor Jeremiah what should I do, you need to be aware of that.

God knows we need to be warning our young people against the inroad into their life of any of the crazy cultism that's going on in our world because friends the spirit of antichrist is here and if I understand the Scriptures right from the time when we see the spirit of antichrist appear which goes clear back to New Testament times until the time when he finally appears in his final person, the spirit of antichrist groves until finally it is epitomized in the person we know as the man of sin, the abomination of desolation. The willful King. The king of fierce countenance, the prince that shall come. The little horn, I'm just thrilled beyond words to know that God has all of this in control and that, as he has it in control and I am his. He has me in control and that he has a plan that includes me. That doesn't include me, and the antichrist together someday soon were going to hear the shower trumpet will sound caught.

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