The video is from Chris White, and gives a glimpse both of scripture and what Israel and Jews are looking for from the Messiah at this late hour of history. The text is some scripture I have gathered and mentions of few of the different titles regarding the Antichrist throughout the Bible. We can never study too much...
THE ANTICHRIST
The term “Antichrist” is used only four times in
scripture, all of those in the letters of 1st and 2nd
John. While the specific title is not
often used in the Bible, the aura of the character is so powerful that is has
become a part of our culture be it Christian or not. Antichrist means “in place of” or “against”
Christ. The term can refer to one specific
character yet to appear on the stage of history, or anyone in the sense that
they deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh (1 John 4:3) or deny God the Father and Jesus the Son (1 John 2:22).
The Antichrist that draws our attention in prophecy is
one particular man who will be the consummate Antichrist. He will appear on the scene of history at the
end of the age and take his stand in place of and opposition to Jesus the
Messiah. Following are some of the many
titles and prophecies that have been given of him throughout scripture.
THE SEED OF THE SERPENT
The first prophecy in scripture is in Genesis 3:15. There the Lord pronounced that “…I will put
enmity (hostility/hatred) between thee (the Serpent) and the woman, and between
thy seed (Antichrist) and her seed; it (the seed of the woman/Messiah) shall
bruise thy head and thou (the serpent) shalt bruise his (Messiah’s) heel.” Here in this passage we see the coming of
Antichrist called the “seed of the Serpent”.
This is very telling, as we know a great deal about the seed of the
woman in the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. He has
the Holy Spirit as His physical Father, yet He was born of a human
mother. And He is the representative,
Savior and “Firstfruits” of all who would be obedient to God and trust in Him
for their salvation and resurrection (1
Corinthians 15:20). It is not
unlikely that the Antichrist will meet these same features, yet in a fully
sinister and ungodly way.
THE BEAST
In Revelation 13 and
17 we get more detail about the character and work of the Antichrist. In this letter, John, the same writer who
coined the term, does not use Antichrist as a description, but here refers to
him as the “Beast”. This is from the
Greek word “therion” which means
vicious, savage, and fierce. While there
is more than one Beast described in Revelation, we can conclusively define this
Beast as the Antichrist. It is important
to remember that this term is describing both a kingdom and a man. Let’s look closely at the descriptions here:
-
The Beast rises or originates from the sea (Rev. 13:1) This may be descriptive of
both the man and kingdom.
-
The Beast kingdom has seven heads or kings. (Rev. 17:3-7)
-
The Beast has ten horns symbolic of kings
and/or kingdoms. (Rev. 13:1, 17:7, Dan. 7:19-20)
-
The Beast has a crown on each horn symbolic
of authority (Rev. 13:1)
-
The name of blasphemy is written on each of
the heads. (Rev. 13:1)
-
The Beast kingdom has the characteristics of
a Leopard (swiftness, thought to characterize the Kingdom of Ancient Greece in Daniel 7:6), a Bear (symbolic of size
and power, believed to represent Ancient Persia in Daniel 7:5), and a Lion (symbolic of ferocity and authority,
believed to represent Ancient Babylon in Daniel
7:4). (See Rev. 13:2)
-
One head (king) will be wounded (killed) but
will be temporarily resurrected and the whole world will marvel and worship the
Beast. (Rev. 13:3-4, 17:8-10)
-
The Dragon (Satan) gives his power and
authority to the Beast (Rev. 13:4)
-
The Beast is given power for 42 months. (Rev. 13:5)
-
The Beast will make war with the saints and
overcome them (resulting in the martyrdom of many as seen in the 5th
seal of Revelation 6:9-11. (Rev. 13:7, Dan. 7:21, 25, 8:24-25)
-
All that dwell on the earth whose names are
not written in the Book of Life will worship him. (Rev.
13:8)
-
For more on this line of prophecy see Daniel 7:7-11, 8:23-25, 9:26-27, 11:36-39
and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10.
OTHER TITLES OF THE
ANTICHRIST
-
“Abominable branch” (Isaiah 14:19) and the “branch of the terrible ones” (Isaiah 25:5). These in contrast to the true “Branch” or
root of all life, Jesus the Messiah. (Isaiah 11:2)
-
The “worthless shepherd” (Zechariah 11:17)
-
The “man of sin” and “son of
perdition/destruction” (2 Thessalonians
2:3)
-
The “abomination of desolation”. (Matthew 24:15, Daniel 9:27 and 12:11)
-
The “little horn”. (Daniel 7:8)
-
The “powerful and ungodly king”. (Daniel 11:36)
-
The “destroyer” and the “extortioner”. (Isaiah
16:4)
-
The “head of the house of evil”. (Habakkuk
3:13)
It should be noted that the popular idea of the
Antichrist coming to power as a man of peace seems to have little support in
scripture. Of the titles and
descriptions of him and his character, violence and war seem to designate his
career. While it appears at some point
during Daniel’s 70th week the Antichrist will bring some peace to
Israel and the world, it will be a peace that comes through war and is
solidified in the establishment of force personal worship to him as god on
earth.
THE MARK
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and
poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their
foreheads: and that no man might buy or
sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
name.” (Rev. 13:16-17)
Two things
cannot be separated from our impressions of the coming anti-Christ; the mark of
the Beast, and the number, 666 (Rev.
13:18). These two things have
provoked both fascination and great fear in readers for centuries. What is clear about the mark is this; that it
will be a visible etching or brand, something that can be clearly seen by
others. Many have reasoned in recent
decades that the growth of nanotechnology and the reduced size of microchips
would mean that the mark would be something of this nature. While it is possible that the mark may
include some advanced technology, the scripture uses the Greek word charagma,
which means “imprint”, or “brand”, like what might be seen on a domesticated
animal. Those who take the mark of the
Beast take his “brand”.
In verse 17
we see that to do any transactions, you must either have the name of the Beast,
the number of his name, or the mark.
While we don’t know what the mark is yet, if one does not accept the
symbol or mark that represents the Beast, the option will be available to take
his name or the number of his name, 666, in a form similar to the mark.
It must
also be said, that there is no clearer dividing line in history than between
those who take the mark of the Beast and those who don’t. Those who take the mark will live, do
business, and continue for a short time.
However they will eventually be subject to the wrath of God (Rev.
14:9-11) which includes being tormented with fire and brimstone
forever. Those who reject the mark will
be slain, but spend eternity with the Lord.
(Rev. 12:11, 17, 13:15) It
is likely that the mark of the Beast is a symbol that is already in use around
the world today.
The mark
has parallels in scripture. In Ezek.
9:3-7 the Lord has an angel “mark” the foreheads of all those who “sigh”
and “cry” over the evil that is done in in Jerusalem and the Temple. Here the mark was the Hebrew letter “tau”,
which looks like a cross.
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