The Antichrist

Everybody today throughout the world longs for peace. We're tired of war. We know that war doesn't accomplish anything. It saps the country of its economy and strength. Even as a conqueror we feel guilty, because we realize that war is no way to settle differences.

People who are intelligent ought to be able to sit down and intelligently communicate with each other and solve their differences and problems. It doesn't seem reasonable for rational, sane men to create weapons of mass destruction to use on other human beings. It doesn't seem right to allocate billions of tax dollars to build and design mighty arsenals for the purpose of destroying people. Deep down in our hearts we want peace. All over the world people want peace. Then why do we fight? Why are there wars? You would think that we could finally achieve a standard of development where wars would be eliminated.

But, unfortunately, there are two more tremendous wars that the earth will experience before we can finally discover peace.

Plans are being drawn for the next to last battle. I expect it to take place at any time. The fuse is already lit. I don't know how much time there is before it blows up.

An alliance of nations from the north, including Turkey and Iran, are going to invade Israel according to Ezekiel 38 and 39. This will be prior to the last battle. When this alliance of nations begins to push Israel back and defeat her forces God is going to step in and fight for Israel. He will destroy five-sixths of the army. This will allow a federation of ten nations to rise into power in Western Europe and to exercise immediate world influence and control.

At that time a man will come on the scene with some fantastic answers for peace. He'll be like a magician in his ability to get nations and people together. He'll sign a covenant with the nation Israel, and Israel will accept it. He'll build his own powerful economic bloc and monetary system. All the world will wonder after this man and follow him and his schemes and programs. This man is the Antichrist.

Those who refuse to follow him willingly will be subject to attack, and he will subdue them. Egypt will be one of the nations against which he'll move. While he's moving against Egypt, Red China and the nations of the East (Japan and India) will send their forces to invade the European continent by coming through the land of Israel. The River Euphrates will be dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the east (literally "the kings of the rising sun")(Rev. 16:12). Allied with the King of the North, Russia, they will marshal their millions of people and arm them to move against this confederation of European nations. This final war is the Battle of Armageddon.

REVELATION 13:1

The Beast

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy (Rev. 13:1).

This beast out of the sea is the Antichrist. He will rise out of the ten nations of the Common Market, the rejuvenated and renewed Roman Empire. This description of the beast takes us back to Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great image with ten toes of iron and clay (Daniel 2).

Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, had a dream. In his dream he saw a great idol with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, a stomach of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. The feet had ten toes of iron and clay mixture. A rock not cut with hands came out of the mountain. It smote this great image in its feet, and the whole image fell. This rock began to grow until it filled the whole earth.

Nebuchadnezzar had two problems when he woke up. First, he couldn't remember his dream. Second, he knew that it terrified him because he didn't understand it. So, he called all his wise men and counselors and demanded that they tell him both what he dreamed and what it meant.

They kept stalling and said, "There's no way we can tell what your dream meant if we don't know what you dreamed! Tell us what you dreamed, then we'll tell you what it meant." He said, "I can't remember. But if you're really such wise men, tell me what I dreamed! If you don't, I'm going to have you all killed." Finally, they gave up trying to give him the answers, and so he gave the order for them to be killed.

When Daniel heard about the edict of King Nebuchadnezzar, he sent him a message. "Tell the king to settle down. I'll come and tell him what he dreamed and what it meant.

Meanwhile, Daniel told his friends, "We'd better pray. We're on the spot now!" While praying, God came to Daniel and revealed the dream and gave him the interpretation.

Daniel went to the king. "Nebuchadnezzar, you have seen in a dream the kingdoms of this world." Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which was a prophecy of what would happen to the kingdoms of the Gentile world. And Daniel described the dream as Nebuchadnezzar had seen it - this great image, made up of various metals, which was destroyed by a huge rock out of the mountain.

Then Daniel said, "This is what your dream meant. You, Nebuchadnezzar, are the head of gold. God has given you the kingdoms of the world. You're ruling over them, but your kingdom will be replaced by the Medo-Persian empire, the breast and arms of silver. But that kingdom will be replaced by the Grecian empire, the stomach of brass. And that empire will be replaced by the Roman empire, the legs of iron."

The final world ruling kingdom is yet to arise. These are the ten toes of the iron and clay mixture. A federation of ten nations associated with the old Roman empire - or at least comprising many of the nations of the Roman empire because of the iron substance mixed within the image's feet - will arise as a world ruling empire.

I definitely believe that the European Community nations are a presage of this ten nation federation. It's extremely interesting as we watch the events that God spoke of thousands of years ago take place in our daily newspapers.

Out of this ten nation federation there shall arise a very powerful leader. He will be vested with all the powers of Satan and able to deceive the nations by his miracles in bringing peaceful solutions to the troubled world. This ten nation federation will come to an end as this rock not cut with hands comes out of the mountain. It will smite the image in its feet and destroy it. The rock is Jesus Christ.

Nebuchadnezzar saw a vision of the second coming of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom upon the earth. Daniel 2:44 declares, "And in the days of these ten kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed." When Christ comes again, the Gentile rule will be over. Jesus will establish His kingdom which will fill the entire earth. It will be the most glorious age that man has ever known. We are coming to a golden age - the age when Jesus Christ rules and reigns. There's talk about the Age of Aquarius, but that doesn't do anything for me. I'm waiting for the Age of Jesus!

REVELATION 13:2-4

The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority (Rev. 13:2).

Satan promised to give Jesus the kingdoms of this earth if only He would bow down and worship him. Satan said, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:9).

Now, Satan turns the kingdoms of the world over to the Antichrist, which indicates that Satan is still in control of the world. He is still the prince of this world and the god of this age. He has the world under his control. So, don't blame God for the calamities in the world around you. It is Satan's world. He has the authority now. He's the one who is ruling - and with man's consent in many cases.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death: and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? (Rev. 13:3-4).

The Antichrist will be the victim of an assassination attempt in which, it seems, his right eye will be put out and his arm paralyzed (Zechariah 11:17). Yet, though he appears to be dead, he will be revived. All the world will wonder after him when it sees his power. People will ask, "Who is able to make war with this fellow?" He'll become a superman in the eyes of the world.

And then the Bible says they will worship the dragon - Satan worship. That's unthinkable, isn't it? Yet, it's amazing how many people are now consciously worshipping Satan today. Even here in the United States, satanic cults are widespread. The Antichrist, of course, will be an instrument through which they will worship him.

REVELATION 13:5-15

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given to him to make war with the saints [Israel], and to overcome them: and power was given to him over all the kindreds, and tongues, and nations (Rev. 13:5-7).

Those who use this Scripture in an attempt to prove that the church will be on earth during the Great Tribulation period fail to note that the Antichrist overcomes the saints, which is contrary to the concept of the "super saint" usually accompanying this heresy. It is also contrary to the statement of Jesus in Matthew 16:18, concerning His church, that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. And I beheld another beast [the false prophet who leads the world to worship the Antichrist] coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb [-he looked like a lamb but "he spoke as a dragon"](Rev. 13:8-11).

And he exercised all the power of the first beast before him, and caused the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men [mimicking the work of the two witnesses], and deceived them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live (Rev. 13:12-14).

The false prophet promotes the idea of making an image of the beast that the world might worship.

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed (Rev. 13:15).

This power to give life sounds like a computer which is fed information and has the capacity of speaking and declaring certain things. We're arriving to that point in our modern computerized society.

REVELATION 13:16-18

"666"

And he caused 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 [be able to] buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666] (Rev. 13:16-18).

I've started a collection of items branded 666. I have a little tag from a shirt made in Japan with a 666 trademark. I have a large bag of fertilizer made in West Germany with 666 in big numbers on it. Why would people choose that number to brand things?

But even more interesting is the concept of buying and selling with numbers and setting up the whole monetary system on a mark and number basis rather than on the cash and check basis such as we are using today. No one will be able to buy or sell without a number.

Bankers are actually planning on getting rid of money and implementing a totally computerized monetary system. There are banks that offer this service even at the present time in California. An advertisement several years ago in the Los Angeles Times said, "In the beginning there was money, and it was good. But now a better system." The ad told how to have your checks credited to your account in the bank and have your bills sent there. The bank takes care of all your bills. You don't have to use your money anymore. You can use your charge card for everything you buy or sell. You'll never see your checkbook and never have to bother with money again. We're coming closer to it.

There's only one problem with this system - stolen credit cards. So, they'll have to figure out some solution for stolen credit cards. But there's an easy solution to that. All you have to do is tattoo the number under the skin on the person's hand or on his forehead with a laser. You can easily check the card with the tattooed number. No one's going to cut off your hand or your head to steal your number. It'll be a very easy way of identification. No one will be able to buy or sell without it, just as the Scripture said. We can see the whole thing shaping up.