## Faith for the Future: The Antichrist

## Revelation 13:1-18

Over the past weeks, we have been looking at some of the major areas of prophecy as we have considered our theme of 'Faith for the Future'. We have considered the seven distinct periods of time or dispensations in the history of the world. The next prophetic event on the schedule is the Rapture of the believers. Then comes the Judgment Seat of Christ in heaven. But here on earth, there will be great tribulation. The tribulation will be a period of seven years when God will pour out His wrath on the unbelieving world, and will prepare Israel to receive the Messiah. This seven-year period is broken down in several ways in various passages. It is during this time of Tribulation that a man will come onto the world scene and will literally take control of the world. Imagine the chaos that will ensue with the Rapture. All over the world genuine Christians suddenly vanish. There will be a panic. From that chaotic time a leader will rise up. He will bring peace, safety and confidence to all people.

The Bible has many names for this man. (pause for slide) 1 Jn.2:18 calls him "the Antichrist." In 2 Thess.2:3 Paul calls him "the man of sin" and "the son of perdition." In Rev.13 he is described as "the beast." And in Daniel 7-9, he is called the "little horn" and "the prince that shall come."

Re 13:18 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.

Over the years there has been a lot of speculation as to the specific identity of the Antichrist. Various numeric formulas have been used to calculate names and come up with the answers that God has hidden from us since the beginning of time. Henry Kissinger's name adds up to 666 using one formula. President Bush was born July 6, 1946. If you add up all the digits in his date of birth you get 7+6+1+9+4+6 = 33 = 3+3 = 6. Depending on the formula, you could calculate that anyone is the antichrist! Foolishness!

Let's look to the Word of God and learn what is important about the Antichrist.

I. The Characteristics of the Antichrist.

A. He will be a World Dictator (v.1).

1. The world will be ready for a man with all the answers.

2. Every politician would have us believe that they have the answers to our problems.

3. But in the days after the rapture and the chaos that ensues, the timing will be perfect for the rise of the Antichrist, who will come with the answers for the world's problems.

4. In Daniel7 we see a prophetic timeline of the history of Gentile domination from the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Grecian Empire to the Roman Empire.

5. From the fall of the Roman Empire we see ten separate nations rising from the rubble.

Da 7:7-8 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

6. From Daniel, we learn that he will take full control of the world, thus becoming a world dictator.

7. This is further seen in Revelation 17.

Re 17:12-13 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

B. He will be a like a Beast (v.2).

1. John describes the Antichrist as being like a strange beast.

2. Again this corresponds to the prophecies of Dan.7.

3. I have had occasion to visit a lot zoos in many different parts of the country, but I've never seen anything that resembles the "beast" John describes in v.2.

4. First, he is "like a leopard."

a. A leopard is very fast, one of the swiftest animals.

b. In the same way, the Antichrist's coming on the world scene will be very fast.

c. It seems that he will be virtually unknown but within a very short time he will hold all the seats of power.

d. As a leopard swiftly and stealthily attacks its prey, he will attack the world.

5. Next "his feet" was"as the feet of a bear."

a. A bear is a very powerful animal.

b. He will be a man of great power and strength.

c. Bears can seem sort of cute on all fours, but when they rise up on their hind legs and roar, everything gets out of their path.

d. He will seem peaceful at first, but then he will rise up and roar!

6. Then we see that, "his mouth" was "as the mouth of a lion."

a. The lion is the king of beasts.

b. He carries himself in a regal majestic fashion.

c. So will the Antichrist.

d. He will be a gifted communicator. He will mesmerize people.

e. Ultimately he will become the most prominent man in the world.

C. He will receive Power from the Dragon (v.2).

1. Keep in mind that he will not be just an ordinary man.

2. He will be empowered by Satan himself.

3. He will have all the supernatural, deceiving power of hell.

4. Look back to 12:9. It is Satan who "gave him his power, his throne, and great authority."

5. God's Son is Jesus the Christ (Messiah, Anointed One).

6. Remember this is the Antichrist.

7. The beast is Satan's 'son' if you will, his unholy right hand.

II. The Reign of the Antichrist.

A. He will receive a Fatal Wound (v.3).

1. One of the beast's heads is "wounded to death" or receives a fatal blow.

2. Then, the "deadly wound was healed."

3. It appears that he dies and comes back to life.

4. The beast is the opposite of Jesus and the devil's substitute Messiah.

5. Just as Christ died and was raised again, the Antichrist will be killed but will come back to life.

6. Note also "all the world wondered."

a. Most of us can identify with the world's fascination with celebrity deaths.

b. Whether it is a U.S. President, a member of the Royal family, or a Hollywood star; their deaths will dominate the TV, radio, and newspaper.

c. Imagine what would happen if a major world ruler were killed or assassinated.

d. Then imagine what would take place if that ruler suddenly seemed to come back from the dead!

7. The word "wondered" literally translates "admired."

8. "All the world" will admire him and be greatly moved to give its allegiance to him.

B. He will receive Worship (v.4).

1. After this earth-shaking event, v.4 says, "they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast."

2. Either knowingly or unknowingly, the world's population becomes involved in satanic worship.

3. Remember that the Christians have been removed at the Rapture.

4. So it isn't difficult to see how the world will easily be duped by the power of Satan.

5. The beast will become like a god.

6. Notice what people ask, "Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?"

C. He will have a Great Authority (vv.5-10).

1. V.5 says "there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things."

2. He will speak "blasphemies."

a. Blasphemy is to curse or speak against God.

b. He will speak against God, the Lord Jesus and Christianity.

c. What else is new? Political leaders have often spoken blasphemous things, but he will openly speak against God.

d. He will do this because of the great authority that is given to him.

3. He will be " and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months" or three and a half years.

4. This refers to the latter half of the seven-year tribulation period.

a. Jesus called this "the Great Tribulation."

b. He will rise quickly in the first half and have worldwide authority or power in the second half.

5. He will 'make war with the saints' v7

a. There will be people who have never heard the truth of the Gospel who will accept Christ during the tribulation.

b. There will be multitudes saved out of ever nation and tongue.

Re 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

Re 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

D. He will have a False Prophet (vv.11-15).

1. He is the right hand man of the Antichrist.

2. He will be a religious ruler that "causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast."

3. He will make up the third member of the unholy trinity. [Satan - Antichrist - False Prophet]

4. He will also be a deceiver who will deceive through signs and wonders.

E. He will influence the World Economy (v.16-17).

1. The beast will cause all people to "receive a mark in their right hand."

2. This may be a computer chip or a stamp like a tattoo.

3. Those who have no "mark" will not be able to "buy or sell."

4. No food, clothing, fuel or anything!

F. He will have a Number (v.18).

1. As we have said before, the "number of the beast" is "666."

2. What this means is unclear, because the Lord didn't explain it to us.

3. But I doubt that it is some cryptic clue to figure out his identity.

4. No one knows who he is, but this is his number.

III. Concluding thoughts concerning Antichrist.

A. Knowing his identity is not important.

1. It may be interesting to speculate, but the truth is that we don't know who he is

. 2. He could be alive today… we don't know.

3. He might be a young child, he might be a young man, or he might be fully prepared and just waiting for his time.

4. But it isn't important for us to know; however:

B. Knowing Jesus Christ is very important.

1. We don't have to wonder who the Savior is…His name is Jesus.

2. We need to understand the events of the future as God reveals them to us.

3. But unless we have received the forgiveness of God that comes only through faith in His Son Jesus Christ…nothing else will matter.

There are some dark and difficult days ahead for this unbelieving world. People need to know that God has provided a way of escape. Through His great love He has given us His Son, Jesus. All who will trust Him will be delivered from the judgment to come. The only hope for the future is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Trust Him today!