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There is much speculation about the identity of the Antichrist. Some of the more popular targets are Vladimir Putin, Prince William, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Pope Francis I. In the United States, c...
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I think we should focus on the word of God in order to have our full armour of God on. Deciphering who the anti christ is will only lead us to giving up more of our useful spiritual time to a mere mental excercise. In the fullness of time wewill know the antichrist but with the spirit of God in us we will overcome. Praise God!
This is a crucial question. Every Christian has to know, or at least know the characteristics of this heinous system or person. We study the characteristics: (Warning: I will not exhaust them all). 1. He oppresses/kills the saints (Daniel 7:21,25; Revelation 17:6). Who are the saints? Those who obey God's Commandments AND remain faithful to Jesus. (Revelation 12:17, Revelation 14:12). Now, do you know a SYSTEM that has killed Christians simply because they chose to stick to the bible? That is an indicator. 2. He will blaspheme God. (Daniel 7:25: Revelation 17:3). What is to blaspheme? Pretending to do that which ONLY God has the prerogative to do. (Mark 2:7). Know of ANY SYSTEM which purports to forgive sins? You're getting there! 3. Has the privilege to interact with 'kings' of the earth, and to influence them. Hence the power has embassies and receives ambassadors. It is also involved with matters of worship. (Revelation 17:2-3). Any Church fits the bill? 4. It is a filthy rich system (Revelation 17:4). Know any system that is very rich, on a global scale? 5. The system arises from an imperial system. (Daniel 7:17-25). It arises AFTER the Greek empire (Daniel 8:19-25). It is an historical record that after the collapse of the Greek empire, a new empire arose. Do you know it? It is key to the answer of who the antichrist will be. 6. The system will change times and laws of God. (Daniel 7:25). The biblical day starts at sunset to sunset following, but the system changed that to midnight to midnight. Do you know which calendar has that way of reckoning days? The laws, which laws have been changed. Two come to mind: Idolatry and the Sabbath. These were directly changed. Any idea who might have done that? 7. Exalts himself and purports to be God, and sets himself up in God's temple. (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Any system that has these characteristics? Anyone calls itself to be in the place of Christ? Now, study, and Google. Then the truth will stun you. Bless.
What I am more grateful to God about is that He let me know there will be some being in the name of antichrist. It is for that reason that I first of all hold my head up because at least, I am aware of such. As in to who he is, or should be, should be at the periphery. As Christians, it is all about keeping ourselves pure and prepared for the final coming of our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus CHRIST. However, that does not deter us from brainstorming about it, but at the same time, we should not overly discuss it from a physical point of view, it should be from a spiritual point of view. Above all, Jesus told us to read the signs of the times and seasons, by this we will be able to identify who and when. Let us however be spiritually alert. By the grace of the Almighty, we will overcome.
My opinion is as follows: I believe that the antichrist is our current system. T.V., radio, and of course computers. I feel that the system is in place and has been in place for a while. One does not need to look farther that the worlds current situation. Mark of the beast, many different opinions, I feel it is a number assigned to specifically you. Neither buy nor sell, one computer imput could stop your credit for as long as someone wants. I believe that there is or will be a leader that will utilize the system. To create a one world leadership tied to our current technology.John mentions the spirit of the antichrist. Indeed, I beleive it will be a spirit of evil that will transend this planet. The tools are in place, waiting for someone to step up to take this world into its final chapter, resulting in our Lord coming to resue his people.
The antichrist is ANYONE who is anti-Christ. There is no singular antichrist. The Beast of Revelations is antichrist but not the only antichrist. The Beast and all antichrists are under the deception of the greatest deceiver of all Satan.
Without fueling further speculation, especially unhealthy and unproductive speculation, there is some scripture to support the opinion that Antichrist will likely be an Assyrian Jew, based on his knowledge of the Jewish Law and a couple of other factors from the old and new testaments. I'm shooting from the hip on this one because I've not studied up recently on it so, sorry, I don't have the scripture references to support this, but I will emphasize that a life lived for Christ now will render the point moot. He'll not appear until "he that letteth" is removed: the church, the body of Christ is taken up. (2 Thes. 2:7.)
Honestly, my husband and I have been researching and studying this subject for awhile now. It is our belief (as others as well) that the antichrist is not a particular person as many believe, but a system....Islam. We also believe the false prophet will be the one pushing for all to convert to Islam. Although it could still be just a single person (antichrist), but regardless they WILL be Muslim.
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 says that the mystery of iniquity must work until He who restrains is taken out of the way. I believe that Person is God the Holy Spirit. If so, all the rest follows. Ephesians 1:13-14 says Christians are sealed with that Spirit unto the day of redemption. John 7:39 says that the Spirit was not given until Christ was glorified, and we know that happened in Acts 2. John 16:7 says that the Comforter could come to the earth until Jesus Christ was taken out of it, and it is as his Body that we are indwelt with the Spirit of God. Now, because the Holy Spirit and the believer cannot be parted, and the Holy Spirit is to be taken out of the way (i.e. He will return to heaven), it follows that Christ's body will be taken to Heaven and united with Christ. Only then will that lawless one be revealed, and then Christ comes back to the earth to destroy him with the Word of His mouth. It then follows that determining the identity of the antichrist is not possible for a Christian, because he cannot be revealed until the Holy Spirit, and, consequently, His vessels, are taken out of the way.
1. MATTHEW 24; MARK 13; LUKE 21; JOHN 16 The Antichrist will be the worst person the world has ever known. 2. Daniel 8:25; 9:27; 11:38 He will enter the World stage as a man of peace. He shall destroy many in their prosperity and guarantee peace for Israel and the middle east. He will sign a 7 year peace treaty, which he will break in 3 1/2 years. He will have hypnotic, charm and charisma. He will come from the Federated States of Europe, the revived Roman Empire. His spell will over take the 10 Kingdom Federation. He will use military force to gain and maintain world supremecy and will seduce the world with the promise of prosperity after a world wide collapse. He will turn his eyes towards the apple of God's eye - Israel. 3. Rev 13 16-17 The Antichrist will have a three part plan for world domination. He will establish a one world currency, a one world religion and a one world government with out national borders where nations are ruled by international law imposed by international leaders. The economy will be a cashless society, which will be monitored. He will cause all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. No one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 4. Daniel 11:36; 2 Thessaloniki 2:4 The Antichrist will set up his image in the city of Jerusalem and demand that all nations worship him as God or be decapitated and he will speak blasphemous against the God of gods. 5. Rev 13:18; 13:14-15; 13:13 John writes, "Here is wisdom, let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for it is the number of a man. His number is 666". In the Bible 6 is the number of sin. The number of the Antichrist is 666, meaning he is part of a three-part demonic trinity, consisting of Satan, the False Prophet, and the Antichrist, who will work signs and wonders in the Antichrist's name to deceive the nation's of the world that he is God. The Antichrist will apparently be the object of assassination as John records; "I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world marveled and followed the beast. The Antichrist will emulate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 6. REV 6 THE Antichrist enters the stage of Bible prophecy in Rev 6, riding a white horse because Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, makes His appearance in Rev 19 riding a white horse. 7. Rev 19:20 Unlike Jesus Christ, though, the Antichrist's days will establish numbered: "Then the beast (antichrist) was captured and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence...these two were cast alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone". Also, anyone not found in the Book of Life will also meet the same fate.
We can speculate endlessly on who or what is the antichrist, but let me remind you that we who are sealed by the holy spirit need not worry about the antichrist for we have or will have escape his rule and his reign. Those that come to Christ after the rapture of the church will face many hardships, prison, and beheadings. The revelations of John reveals this to John as a clearly understood fact. Another fact is anyone who preaches any gospel that denies Jesus or any works of Jesus is a purveyor of an antichrist teaching. If they deny one or all of these facts: Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was a manifestation of God clothed in flesh, was God's only begotten son, was brought into the world to be a living sacrifice for all that believe in his redemptive works and finally that he was raised from the dead or that he has become a mediator and high priest between our heavenly Father and mankind. Any opposition to these facts is antichrist. There are a few more, but this list is thorough enough to be understood.
Satan loves to mimic God & he sets out to imitate God wishing he was God in all he sets out to do. Just as God the Creator is a triune God, we call the Trinity, comprised of The Father, The Son & the Holy Spirit-the Holy Trinity. Satan will also form an unholy trinity, comprised of Satan. THE AntiChrist & the False Prophet. The Antichrist gets all his power to deceive the people & the nations directly from satan! You can read of satans pride in Isaiah 14:12-14. When satan is is totally cast out of heaven, he will then I dwell & take full control of the Antichrist- just as God & Christ are one (John 10:30). The false prophet will complete the unholy trinity. Like the Holy Spirit compels men to Christ, the false prophet will compel those of the earth to follow & worship the beast. The Antichrist is a person.....read Daniel 17 & Revelation 17. After the church is Raptured - effectively needing the "Church Age or Age of Grace" he will come on the world scene seeming to have all the answers & will form a peace treaty with Israel for a period of 7 years. The first 3.5 will be relatively peaceful but the last 3.5 years he will break the treaty & all hell will break loose. There will be a one world government in which he is to worshipped - your allegiance confirmed by a "stamp" on your forehead or in your hand & you can only buy or sell if you have the strap of his name or number (666) in either of those 2 places. There will also be a one world religious system in which no one will be able to go anywhere or do anything without this "system" knowing about it. If you become a believer of the real Christ & call upon His name, one can still be saved eternally even in the tribulation however, you will be beheaded for that belief. The Antichrist will set himself up in the temple claiming to be God & demanding to be worshipped as God. Indeed, there are many many antichrist because that just merely means to be against Christ.......however, THE Antichrist is a man & has the number of his name (666) & he will even have an image, that is able to speak, & people are required to bow down & worship this image or they will beheaded for their lack of disobedience. Everything will be controlled by this one world, one currency (your money will not be worth the paper its printed on) one government & one religion system.
Satans Character also says who he is: He will be a "composite" man. One who embraces in his character the abilities and powers of Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Alexander the Great and Ceasar Augustus. He will have the marvelous gift of attracting unregenerate men, and the irresistible fascination of his personality, his versatile attainments, superhuman wisdom, great administrative and executive ability, along with his powers as a consummate flatterer, a brilliant diplomatist, a superb strategist, will make him the most conspicous and prominent of men. All these gifts will be conferred on him by Satan, whose tool he will be, and who will thus make him the Superman. He will pose as a great humanitarian, the friend fo men, and the especial friend fo the Jewish race, whom he will persuade that he has come to usher in the "Golden Age" as pictured by the prophets, and who will receive him as their Messiah.
I think that the Antichrist is not a person but a religion or a church that will try to prove that the original teachings of the true Church that St. Peter propagated are false and erroneous. The Antichrist will be a perfect deceiver, and will go to the extent of using the Bible, with its own interpretation of it (that's why it is said the Antichrist will have a proud mouth that will speak blasphemous words). Because this Antichrist (church) will be so good at deceiving, it will be able to persuade many people into believing its teachings. A beast is something big. A single person would not be capable of making multitudes believe in him. So I believe that the Antichrist is a religion or a church that will make people turn their backs on the original teachings of the true Church of Jesus Christ.
The, Antichrist historically, is a tag that has been pinned on hundreds of different people, from Attilla the Hun to Adolf Hitler. It, also appears that every Pope has been the Antichrist depending on your Protestant faith you may adhere to. So far people label whoever they seem to fear at the moment and it usually is based on political views or religious leanings at the moment. Read Revelation for yourself, think awhile,and you will see that we will have no doubts when it really happens. I personally, don't think things are anywhere near bad enough to justify the coming of the Antichrist, yet!
The title Antichrist means 'against Christ or ' instead of Christ'. Apostle John referred to the Antichrist as the Beast (Rev13:1). Antichrist is definitely a human being, a created being. He is not equal with God nor is equal to Jesus. He is not an angel or he is not a demon but a demon-possessed person the world has ever seen /known. He will be a personification of evil. Apostle John saw the Antichrist -the Beast- coming out of the sea(Rev.13:1). Water is symbol of people, the more water, the more people. So if the Antichrist rises out of sea, he will rise from a sea of humanity (Rev.17:5). Christian believe the Antichrist will,come and rule the world. According to the Word of God the Antichrist will make a war against God's people. Muslim believe their Imam Mahdi will appear and redeem Islam. They believe that a big war will precede Mahdi who will kill those who oppose Mahdi. Jews believe that Messiah is coming as a great military's leader. There will be war and suffering. (Ez. 38:16).
Who is the antichrist? An antichrist is defined as someone who is against Christ. You had antichrists during the apostles' days. One apostle wrote that antichrists will come in the last days. They have always been here since Christ came. Christ warns us of a false-christ that will come in the end days, in the last generation. The question should be, "Who will be the false-christ?" The one who proclaims himself to be the Christ. One who exalts himself above all gods. Including the God of creation. Who will be this man? If you study Daniel and Revelation you will see this false-christ will be the eighth king that comes from the beast to rule as a king. He will receive his power with a ten nation alliance. He is the beast, being the eighth king, ascending up from the pit. He will be present during the time the two witnesses are seen in Jerusalem. The beast is the one that kills them. When you look at the description of the beast with its seven heads, you will see each head wad a king. The false-christ is the king over the last kingdom to come just before Christ returns.
There is a lot of confusion over the term "antichrist." Neither the word or the concept is directly found in the Old Testament, although there are many prophecies about Christ there. We have the serpent of Genesis being anti-God, but not specifically antichrist. Without the revelation of Jesus Christ in the flesh, there would be no revelation of the antichrist in the New Testament. He is the most mysterious person in the scriptures, exceeding even Melchizedek in the scarcity of facts about him. We can eliminate the four beasts of Daniel as sources of the antichrist. They are simply persecutors of Jews and Jewish Christians, and military in character. The ten-horned beast of Revelation represents a deeper insight into the nature of these four beasts.Those living by the sword will be dying by the sword. The most probable source of the antichrist is the beast coming out of the earth with two horns like a lamb and speaking like a dragon (Rev 13:11). He is the one that does great wonders that convince people he is Christ. With only two horns he is not a great military leader or conqueror. He achieves his objectives through deception and false miracles. As with the other beasts, he will have a kingdom or empire. Christ at his second coming will destroy the antichrist with the spirit of his mouth and the brightness of his coming (2Thes 2:8). This will be the last empire to be overcome. The empire of the 10-horned beast may be destroyed beforehand at the battle of the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:9-17). There have been many antichrists since the time of Christ, the first being Simon Magus. All of these form the body of the two-horned beast with the final example, the last and greatest, a single man. This single man is a unique incarnation in world history, but not as unique as Christ was. The closest description of him is found in Ezek 28:2-19 as the Prince of Tyrus, and Isaiah 14:12-22 as Lucifer. He will most likely be an incarnation of Lucifer and exercise all the powers he possesses as a high angel or cherubim. Why is the word antichrist not found in the book of Revelation? Because the second coming is also not depicted. The false prophet may be one of a series of precursors to the antichrist, but not the final one. Revelation doesn't show any victories by Israel over its enemies since pagan Rome would have sought to destroy the book as subversive for the Roman Empire.
We are told from scripture; who is the antichrist; better yet, what is the antichrist. Prophecy states plainly that the beast will seek to change "times and laws," and there is ample evidence that the Roman Catholic Church ADMITS to that very act! "The Pope has the power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ." "The Pope has the authority and often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ." -Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop. Cap. (The Pope can modify divine law.) Ferraris' Ecclesiastical Dictionary. They changed the 10 Commandments to allow them to have graven images to worship. When the popes of Rome were in power, they declared many blasphemous things: “We may according to the fullness of our power, dispose of the law and dispense above the law. Those whom the Pope of Rome doth separate, it is not a man that separates them but God. For the Pope holdeth place on earth, not simply of a man but of the true God.” (Source: “Decretals of Gregory IX,” Book 1, chapter 3.) Pope Pius V blasphemed, “The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” (Source: Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Cities Petrus Bertanous Chapter XXVII: 218.) Pope Leo XIII declared, “We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” (Source: Pope Leo XIII Encyclical Letter, June 20, 1894) The Popes of Rome rose to power after the last Roman Emperor was removed in 476 A.D., fulfilling 2 Thessalonians 2:7. St Gelasius I, who was the Pope from 492 – 496, was the first Pope to be called the “Vicar of Christ“. And since then each Pope has been declared the Vicar of Christ, as they have proclaimed to be Christ in the flesh. Pope Boniface VIII said, “We declare, assert, define and pronounce to be subject to the Roman Pontiff is to every creature altogether necessary for salvation… I have the authority of the King of Kings. I am all in all, and above all, so that God Himself and I, the Vicar of Christ, have but one consistory, and I am able to do almost all that God can do. What therefore, can you make of me but God?” Pope Boniface VIII, Papal bull Unam sanctam, 1302 A.D. Pope Pius IX said, “I alone… am the successor of the apostles, the vicar of Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth, and the life…” Pope Pius IX, History of the Christian Church, by Henry Charles Sheldon, p. 59. Pope Pius X declared, “The Pope is not simply the representative of Jesus Christ. On the contrary, he is Jesus Christ Himself, under the veil of the flesh. Does the Pope speak? It is Jesus Christ who is speaking, hence, when anyone speaks of the Pope, it is not necessary to examine but to obey.” Pope Pius X, Evangelical Christendom, Vol. 49, Jan 1. 1895 A.D., p. 15, “the organ of the Evangelical Alliance,” published in London by J. S. Phillips. Pope Pius XII said, “…recognize the Holy, Catholic, Roman Church to be the only true Church of Jesus Christ, outside of which neither sanctity nor salvation can be found. Call them to the unity of the one fold, granting them the grace to believe every truth of our holy faith and to submit themselves to the Supreme Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth.” Pope Pius XII, The Raccolta, Benzinger Brothers, Boston, 1957 A.D., No. 626. The position of antichrist is not just one man, it is a position, like the President of the United States or the King of England. In the New Covenant, Saint John specifically states that antichrist would deny the Father and the Son. I Saint John 2:18-22. The Vicar of Christ, the Vice-Christ, the antichrist, the popes of Rome, present themselves in the stead of the true Christ and must therefore be characterized by deception, dissimulation and counterfeit. The beasts of Daniel and Revelation reveal that the Roman Catholic Church is the ‘beast of Revelation‘, the ‘Little Horn of Daniel‘, and the pope, the ‘son of perdition‘.
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