Are You Concerned about the Future?

  Part 5 Matthew 24

Antichrist Part 2

 

A man who was who was traveling on a dinner flight, w/ a particular AIRLINE – was startled when he opened his prepackaged meal, & right on top of his salad he saw an enormous cock roach.

When he got  home, he wrote an indignant letter to the president of that

  airline. A few days later, a special delivery letter came from the president.

 

He was all apologies. "This was very  unusual, but don't worry. I want to assure you that that particular airplane has been fumigated. In fact, all the  seats and upholstery have been stripped out. We have taken disciplinary action against the stewardess who served you that meal, and she may even be fired. It is highly probable  that this particular aircraft will be taken out of service. I can assure you that it will never happen again. And I  trust that you will continue to fly with us."

            

Well the man was very impressed by such a letter until he noticed that by accident, the letter he had written had stuck to the back of the president's letter.

   When he looked at his own letter he saw a note at the bottom  that said,    

             "Reply with the regular roach letter."-

 

One thing the Bible declares will take place before Jesus returns to the earth to set up his kingdom

A)Is that Satan is going to invent a Counterfeit Christ – A man that the Bible refers to as the Antichrist – False Messiah {

 

B) A Man who is going to have great influence Politically / Religiously and Economically

1)   Thinking this week  that is exactly the kind of Messiah that Israel was waiting for when Jesus came the first time

 

C) They were looking for a leader who would save them from the Romans & the other oppressive nations who had controlled them

1)   That is what the world is looking for today – a man w/ Answers

We began discussing this man – the Antichrist in our last study noting how the world is presently being Primed for his Arrival

A)We looked at the book of Daniel Ch. 2 & Ch.7 where it indicates that the Antichrist will rise up out of the Revived Roman Empire

 

B) That in the last days there is going to be a federation of nations a 10 nation confederacy Represented by this Statue { Feet w/ the 10 toes

1)   The beast w/ the 10 horns –

 

C) We noted that the Current European Union fits some of the Characteristics of what that Political system is going to look like

1)   A Federation of nations – headquartered in Europe – representing nations from the old Roman Empire

 

D) Tonight I would like you to begin Rev.13 – gain some insight into what the Antichrist is going to do & how He comes into Power

1) How he is going to set up a Political system / Religious system & a Economic system -            Read v.1-18

 

 

Now this is a riveting Chapter – Divide into 3 sections

 1st Anti- Christ Political System / 2nd the Antichrist Religious System /  3rd Monetary System

 

 

1st Antichrist Political System :  Depicted by this beast rising up out of the Sea –

A) Now it is easy to wonder as you read about this beast coming up out

        of the Sea – what is this ?     Visions of Godzilla vs. Rodan

 

B)  Of course John is using symbolism here / and he is using symbols that are

     familiar to the student of the Bible especially O.T.

1)   Sea = the nations /  We saw these creatures last week  in the book of Daniel Ch.7

 

C) We learned in Dan. Ch. 7 that the beast that Dan. Saw represented 4 great world empires . The first beast which was like a lion – Babylon

1)   The 2nd Beast like a bear represented the Medo-Persian empire that followed Babylon / which was Later replaced by the Leopard –Greece

 

D) Which spoke of the swiftness of Alexander the Great in his conquering of the Known world at the time

1)   The 4th Beast w/ its 10 horns & seven heads we pointed out last week is identifiable as the Roman empire –

 

All of these are drawn upon to show how the Antichrist is going to combine the features of these prominent empires of the past

A)The lion-like ferocity of Babylon, the crushing bear-like power of Medo-Persia, and the swiftness of the Grecian leopard,

 

C)   All combined &  appearing in the last days in a restored form of the Roman Empire.

1)   That will consist of a 10 nation Confederacy – which is what the 10 horns represent

 

 

Remember back to the Bush SR. administration – one of the Buzzwords during the end of his Administration was a NEW WORLD ORDER

A)    We don’t hear about that much any more – at least not in those words but it hasn’t died - Jan.1 1999 – unveiled the U.S. of Europe

 

B)    Jan. 2002 Eurodollar – A new Common currency in Europe { No longer different currencies – Arizona

1)   This Unification of Europe & this move to a Common Currency is just one of many examples -  New World order still on move

 

C)    So this beast that arises up out of the Sea speaks of this New World empire Political system that is going to be set up in the tribulation period

 

Notice in V.2 that the Dragon who is identified in Ch.12 as Satan gives power to the beast {This Political system is energized by Satan himself

A)   But then in v. 3 we see how the Antichrist will become a Dominate figure head in this New Political system

 

B)   In v.3 we are told that one of the horns – one of the leaders is going to be mortally wounded – Probably an assassination attempt

1)   But some how he is miraculously healed – and all the World marveled & followed the beast –

 

C)   I believe that it is at this point that the political system is going to become his political system

 

Imagine the reaction: They will see this assignation attempt replayed over & over on T.V. – thinking there is no way he could have survived

A) But when he does – they will claim it to be a Miracle & will follow after him by the Masses

 

A)   Just think what the reaction would have been like had – JFK – survived – the assignation attempt that took his life

1) We are told in v. 4 that at this point:  the world is going to worship the Dragon who gives his authority to the beast & they will worship the beast

 

 

So there is going to be wide spread acceptance & allegiance for the Anti-Christ after this event – He is going to be on the talk show circuit

A)   He will be on Larry King Live / Oprah / 20/20 – notice in v.5 it says that he is going to speak great things

 

B)   He is going to have some great ideas / been said that this man is going to have the Charisma of a JFK / Oratorical skills of a Winston Churchill

1)   / the Determination of a Joseph Stalin / the Vision of a Carl Marx / the respectability of a Gandhi

The Military Prowess of a Douglas MacArthur & the Charm of a Paul Newman

C)   He is going to be a Charismatic leader – very respected – someone like a Koffi Annan – Secretary General to the United Nations

   

 

 

 

Now something else that is interesting there is going to be a Spiritual side to his Empire

A)Note in v. 5 it says that he is going to speak great things & Blasphemies  against God / Anti= against or instead of

 

B)I don’t think that the Blasphemies  mentioned there are Cursings against God – but more of a Message Propagated in the Original Lie

1)   Satan told Eve that if She ate of the Forbidden Fruit that she would become like God – she would become a Deity / she would be godlike

 

D)   It is amazing today how that message is spreading: Indications that Satan is on the move seeking to get his religious system in place

1)   We noted in our last study how Satan knows that his time is short – consequently he is stepping up his efforts to Deceive & Destroy

 

E)   The Shortness of time MOTIVATES him to action –

1) Question:  But how does it affect us? Are we as stirred to work for Christ, as he is to work against Christ

 

F)    He is never half hearted in his efforts / are we in ours?

1)   Are we as anxious to SAVE, as he is to destroy?  Are we as Anxious to spread the truth, as he is to propagate his lies?

 

 

If you haven’t noticed There is a growing interest TODAY in spiritual MATTERS

A)    Some of the recent books on the N.Y. Times best sellers list have been books about such things as Prayer  The soul / Angels / the after life

 

B)    Unfortunately most of these books espouse the age old lie of Satan – that you can be a god – or you need to discover the divinity w/ in you

 

C)    Oprah Winfrey who only has to recommend a book & it automatically becomes a best seller recommended a book not long ago

      Discover the Power w/ in You -   In the book the Author says

 

Jesus did not come to teach how divine he was but to teach us that divinity is with in us . To  Claim that he was god would be pure egotism on his part . There couldn’t possibly be one way to god – there are many diverse paths leading to what we call God -  ( Gospel according to Oprah )

 

A)    Called New Age – really it is an Old lie – You can be god – discover the god w/ in.

  Corporations spending Billions on New age – training for Employees

 

 

V.11 – We are introduced to his spiritual front man – Another beast that appears on the Scene: Called the False Prophet in Rev.16 &19

A)  He two horns like a Lamb – speaks of the fact that he is going to seem meek & gentle but he is going to speak w/ the Authority of the Dragon

                He is a Dangerous fraud / a Dragon in Sheep’s Clothing

 

B) In v.12 we are told that He is going to do some pretty impressive miracles that will give some Credence to his claims

1)   In which he leads the World in their Worship or their Exaltation of the first beast who was wounded

 

C) This has been called Satan’s Unholy Trinity – Trinity = Father Son & H.S. – H.S. job is to point people to Christ – Glorify Christ

1)   In this Unholy – trinity you have the Dragon /the Antichrist & the False Prophet – false Prophets Job is to point people to A.C.

 

D)   Someone like Pope John Paul the II

 

People who see him - and countless millions have - do not forget him. His appearances generate electricity unmatched by anyone else on earth. That explains, for instance, why in rural Kenyan villages thousands of children, plus many cats and roosters and even hotels, are named John Paul. Charisma is the only conceivable reason why a CD featuring him saying the rosary - in Latin - against a background of Bach and Handel are best sellers

 

Consider the reaction of a young woman who found herself, along with the thousands around her in a sports stadium in Denver, cheering and applauding him: "I don't react that way to rock groups. What is it that he has?"

 

Consider what Different leaders have said about him:

Dalai Lama "He really has a will and a determination to help humanity through spirituality," "That is marvelous. That is good. I know how difficult it is for leaders on these issues."

 

An exceptional man" said Mikhail Gorbachev

 

Italian President Carlo Ciampi said: "Europe owes you so much. The world owes you much for your tenacious commitment to the defense of man."

Ehud Barak "Your sensitivity, your gestures conquered the hearts of all Israelis,"

 

He was named the Person of the year in 1994 / and The person of the Century in 2000

A)So this False Prophet – is going to be a man who spiritually is going to have that type of an appeal in the World –

 

B)We are told in v.14 & 15 that he makes some type of Image of the beast & some how – gives life to it – when people see it -  cheer / Exalt / Worship

 He uses miracles to do this – which should be a word of caution for us

 

C)The reason I mention this is because Satan – I believe has the power to do certain miracles –

A)   And at the hands of this false prophet those on the earth at this time are going to see some pretty impressive miracles

 

B)   That is why we must always be careful to not get caught up in looking for miracles & following after signs & wonders

1)   Jesus said it was an evil & adulterous Nation that seeks after a Sign

 

C)   Instead we need to Know what the Bible says & not be so concerned about whether we get a shiver up our spine

 

 

So the Antichrist is going to establish a World Political center that is going to consist of a revival of the old Roman Empire – 10 nations

A)   He is going to establish a One world religious system

 

B)   That is going to be headed up by this false Prophet who will use miracles to insight the world into the worship the Beast –

 

 

3rd Aspect of this Counterfeit that we want to Discuss is this one world monetary system that the Antichrist is going to set up

A)   A system were everyone is going to receive a mark in their right hand or

     on their forehead – won’t be able to buy or sell w/ out that mark

 

B) He is going to Institute a CASHLESS SOCIETY !!!!!!

 

C)Such an idea seemed impossible even Ludicrous – 70 yrs ago – but now / the advances in Modern day technology –

1)   It is not just possible but probable & the acceptance of such an idea is rapidly growing every single year !!!  For several reasons

 

The banking industry has been pushing hard for a Cashless Society for many yrs – Why?

A)   Every Check cost the bank between 35 to 60 cents to process / but Electronic transactions only cost the bank ONE CENT

B)   That is why banks have a real interest in seeing us move solely to an Electronic funds transfer system

 

C)   So do Small Business owners who lose Millions every yr. From employees who steal from the till

 

D)   The IRS is also pushing for a Cashless Society because the Govt. loses an estimated One Trillion dollars a year in taxes / in Underground economy

1)   Those who pay their employees under the Table – (Eliminate Cash & that wouldn’t be possible anymore)

 

 

Law enforcement agencies are Pushing for this Why? Eliminate Cash & you Eliminate bank robberies / Store hold ups /

A)   And most importantly – you render a death blow to the Drug dealing Business – which consist purely of Cash for drugs exchanges

 

B)   So there are a lot of good reasons to go to a Cashless Society & the recent Bio Computer Chip technology has made it very possible

 

World Net Daily –

Heads up, future cyborgs! Implantable chips are back in the news, with the current focus on a tiny chip that can be injected into your body, then used to identify and monitor you.

Media reports are calling it "the stuff of science fiction," and Reuters likened it to something from the 1999 blockbuster film, "The Matrix."

 

The VeriChip is a syringe-injectable radio-frequency device about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. It's designed to carry a unique ID number and other critical personal data. Once injected, the chip can be activated by an external scanner, and radio frequency signals then transmit the ID number and other stored information to a telephone, the Internet or an FDA-compliant data-storage site.

 

A Brazilian Politician wants to become the first politician to be

implanted

"I want to demonstrate to the citizens of Brazil and the world that this

technology is safe," Antonio de Cunha Lima, a federal minister from the

state of São Paulo,. "I believe in supporting the advance of science and

 technology. I want to be the first Brazilian to be chipped. I want to be the first politician to be chipped."

 

Lima, a veteran politician who has served in public office for more than 22 years, said he is interested in the VeriChip for its potential as a kidnapping deterrent.

"I believe this technology will contribute to the public safety and security of Brazilians," he said. "I believe this technology will act to deter the shocking rise of kidnapping in our cities and particularly the abhorrent kidnapping of the children of businessmen."

 

The city of São Paulo, the capital of the state of São Paulo and home to 17 million, is the kidnapping capital of Brazil.

 

Feb. 11, 2002-- Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. an advanced technology development company, today formally invited 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney to be among the first people in the world to ``get chipped(TM)'' - the term the company uses for having a VeriChip(TM) identification microchip implanted.

 

Mr. Rooney said: recent 60 Minutes broadcast

``We need some system for permanently identifying safe people. Most of us are never going to blow anything up and there's got to be something better than one of these photo Ids ... I wouldn't mind having something planted permanently in my arm that would identify me.''

 

Nov. 20 —  The next time you fly through Boston, your eyes, nose and mouth may be scrutinized — digitally cross-checked with the eyes, noses and mouths of suspected terrorists.

Starting this month, Logan International Airport will try out two facial recognition systems designed to boost security after two hijacked planes originating at the airport changed the course of history.

 

 EVEN BEFORE September’s terrorist attacks put the nation on edge, a controversial new security and surveillance technology known as biometrics was emerging


Examples of the technology’s early applications abound:
*London’s Heathrow airport has started directing selected international passengers to bypass immigration agents and instead look into a machine that captures the unique pattern of the iris, translates it into 512 bytes of binary data called an iris code and matches it to the passengers’ frequent flier numbers.


*At Disney World in Florida, annual pass holders breeze through the gates of the Magic Kingdom by placing their hand on a scanner.


*In Connecticut, the Department of Social Services stores the digital fingerprints of welfare recipients to combat “double dipping” fraud.
*Casinos across the country routinely use facial recognition technology to snoop out known cheaters.


*A growing number of banks, including Texas-based Bank United, the Bank of America and Wells Fargo, are using biometric technology to improve the security of online banking and replace PINs and bankcards at ATMs.

 

So we see that things are being set up to move to this type of Cashless society – these will be the Predominant features o AC ‘s Empire

A)Now it is important when talking about the Antichrist to realize that his involvement w/ Israel Divides the Tribulation time – 1st 3 1/2 yrs Peace

 1) Last 3/12 yrs he is seeking to destroy Israel – Matt.24 Read

 

 

B)Wait - who are the elect?  3 groups

1.)     In Isaiah over and over - Is 45:4 - Israel mine elect

2.)     Church is called His elect

3.)     And those who get saved during the Tribulation

 

C)The Reference in Matt 24 is to Israel! 

 

Abomination of Desolation :Summarize Daniel Ch. 9 Cov. 7 yr cov. TEMPLE {Ask an orthodox Jew today how Know Messiah – Temple

A)Solve Temple Problem –Designs both fit / So he will help Israel build the temple Basis of the Covenant

 

B) But in the middle 3/12 yrs breaks it goes into the temple & demands to be worshipped –

1)   All Hell breaks lose for Israel – Great Persecution

 

So it is clear to see that Satan is preparing the world for the Arrival of this Counterfeit Oneness that will come about in the Tribulation.

A)   The political players are being put into place – Spiritually speaking the Message is being spread

 

B)    And Economically the Technology is in place for us to move into a Cashless Society

1)   So how should this affect us? Should we spend our time trying to figure out who the Antichrist is? answer is No !!!

 

C)    Listen we are no where in Scripture told to be looking for the Antichrist instead we are told in Luke 21:28

28  "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

 

D)   We are not to be looking for the Coming of Anti-Christ but the coming of JESUS CHRIST

In fact we are told in 2 Thes. 2:6,7 that the Antichrist is being restrained right now –

A)   That he cannot be revealed until that which restrains is removed – what is restraining him?

 

B) It is the Presence of the Church in the World today –which means he is going to officially come on the scene until the rapture of the Church happens

1)   What is the RAPTURE?  - Nut shell ……

 

C)So how can a person know if they are going to be taken / how can they

  know if they are ready?   Is your name written in the Lambs book of life?

 

If your name is written is the Book of life you will be ready for the rapture /

A)   But if your name is not written in the Lambs book of life you will not be ready for the rapture – you will go thru the TRIB.

 

B)   Which I assure you is going to be HELL ON EARTH !!!!

1)   Do you know that Your name right now is written in the book of life

 

 

Well how can I know if my name is written in the Book of Life?

A)   Simple: By putting your Faith & Trust in Jesus Christ relying solely upon his Sacrificial death on the Cross – basis for your Forgiveness

 

B)   Admitting that you are a Sinner / that You have Broken God’s laws & that your sin has separated you from God

1)   And that it is only thru putting your faith in Christ death on the Cross that Your sins can be Forgiven / guilt removed / relationship w/ God

 

Rom.10: 9  that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.