What Can We Know About the Antichrist

33 Pages·2005·0.16 MB·English

WHAT CAN WE
KNOW ABOUT
THE ANTICHRIST?
WWho or what is this
CONTENTS
personification of evil
identified in Scripture
by the code number 666? Is a
A Timely Subject . . . . . . 2
discussion of the Antichrist
What Are
nothing more than speculation?
People Saying? . . . . . . . . 4
For those who recognize the
What Does
wisdom of the Bible, the prospect
The Bible Say? . . . . . . . . 5
of this “devil in the flesh” is a real
What We Know
and serious issue. Whether or not
What We Don’t Know this evil one has yet been born
What We Should Do we don’t know, but the Bible says
that his spirit is at work in the
Why Study Prophecy? . 28
world right now (1 Jn. 4:3).
Daniel’s Seventieth
This booklet, written by
Week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Herb Vander Lugt, gives careful
Antichrist And
attention to what the Bible says
The Church. . . . . . . . . 31
and what it doesn’t say about the
Are You Ready? . . . . . . 32
coming Antichrist whose spirit is
already among us. We pray that
you will profit, grow, and help
others through your knowledge
of this enemy of Christ.
Martin R. De Haan II
Managing Editor:David Sper Cover Design:Terry Bidgood
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.Copyright © 1982 by Thomas
Nelson,Inc.Used by permission.All rights reserved.
© 1987,2003 RBC Ministries,Grand Rapids,Michigan Printed in USA
© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.
A TIMELY
Then if anyone says to
SUBJECT you, “Look, here is the
Christ!” or “There!” do not
AAfew years ago, several believe it. For false christs
newspapers featured and false prophets will rise
a story about a and show great signs and
man who claimed to be the wonders to deceive, if
Messiah. He declared that possible, even the elect
he had gone through a long (Mt. 24:4-5,23-24).
series of reincarnations, Most non-Christians
and that this time around are not ready to talk about
he was going to fulfill this an “antichrist,” but many
crucial role. His spokesman people recognize the
said that he was waiting for possibility that we
just the right moment to go may soon need a world
public. He’s still waiting. government with a strong
We certainly don’t man at the head. Some
know when or even if this foresee the time when the
self-proclaimed messiah whole Western world will
will reveal himself. But we be under a single monetary
who know what the Bible system. They point out that
teaches are sure of one nations are becoming
thing: He is not the real increasingly dependent
Messiah! He is an impostor! on one another. They also
Jesus spoke of such people express the fear that small
when He warned: countries may build nuclear
Take heed that no one weapons if they can get the
deceives you. For many necessary materials. The
will come in My name, well-known economist/
saying, “I am the Christ,” theologian Jacques Ellul,
and will deceive many. . . . for example, has insisted
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that we are rapidly are acquainted with the
approaching the time prophetic Scriptures. The
when all purchases of raw Bible tells us that the time
materials will be cleared
through a central computer.
The Bible tells us
He sees this as necessary
to prevent irresponsible that the time is
people from producing
coming when the
the kinds of weapons that
Western world will
would give them awesome
and frightening power. be united under
Whether we like it
an incredibly
or not, we are headed
intelligent,
toward increasing
internationalism. Whether tremendously
we like it or not, we may
dynamic,
someday find ourselves
awesomely
unable to purchase certain
products without having powerful, but
our transaction go through
frighteningly
a giant international
evil man.
computer. Whether we
like it or not, we may see
nations banding together
under one powerful leader is coming when the
because of their conviction Western world will be
that this is an absolute united under an incredibly
necessity for human intelligent, tremendously
survival. dynamic, awesomely
All this doesn’t powerful, but frighteningly
surprise Christians who evil man.
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WHAT ARE
he begins his rise to power.
PEOPLE SAYING? He will proclaim a new
religion and perform miracles
MMany churchgoers like Jesus did. But unlike
are intrigued by Jesus, he will reach for and
the biblical achieve political power.”
teaching about Antichrist. A New-Age
When we asked a number Advocate.“Antichrist
of people if they had any will hold to a religion that
ideas about Antichrist, we teaches reincarnation, astral
received a wide variety of projection, communication
responses. Here are a few of with the dead, and a kind of
their ideas about what they pantheism that says we are
expect Antichrist to be: all gods.”
A Winsome A Homosexual.
Religious Leader. “According to the Bible, he
“Antichrist will probably won’t have any desire for
start out as a religious TV women. So he will probably
personality. He will have a be a homosexual. The
great deal of charisma and current strong emphasis on
rise to power on the strength ‘gay rights’ is preparing the
of right-wing politics and way for him.”
fundamental Christianity. A Philosophy.
After he achieves his “Antichrist will not be an
position, he will show his individual, but will be a
true colors and reveal his prevailing philosophy that
hatred of Christ and emphasizes human freedom
everything He stands for.” in moral matters and calls
Someone Like Jesus. for toleration toward all
“Antichrist will be a Jew kinds of religious ideas
about 30 years of age when except true Christianity.”
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WHAT DOES THE
A Bible study that
BIBLE SAY? focuses on this subject is
not just speculation about
AAntichrists have been the future. It can be very
present for more than practical, telling us how to
1, 900 years. The face the antichrists and the
apostle John declared that spirit of Antichrist that is in
“even now many antichrists the world today.
have come” (1 Jn. 2:18). He Revelation 13:18
also warned against “the assigns the number 666
spirit of the Antichrist, which to Antichrist, so we have
. . . is now already in the organized our study around
world” (1 Jn. 4:3). three sixes: (1) 6 things
Antichrists may be false we know about him; (2) 6
christs, men like those Jesus things we don’t know; and
warned about when He said (3) 6 things we should do.
6 6 6
WHAT WHAT WE WHAT WE
WE KNOW DON’T KNOW SHOULD DO
that they would come in The Number 666.
His name, saying, “I am A time is coming when no
the Christ” (Mt. 24:5). one will be able to buy or
Antichrists can also be open sell unless he wears some
enemies, people who hate kind of mark that includes
the gospel and refer to Jesus 666 (Rev. 13:17-18).
Christ as “a misguided The number 666 shows
zealot,” “an unsuccessful up from time to time on
revolutionary,” or “a social security checks,
monumental fraud.” credit cards, and computer
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printouts. Every time it does, theorists have suggested the
it excites some people. They names Nero, Caligula,
see it as a sign that we are Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm,
at the point of Christ’s Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, and
return. Rumors have even others. Some of the early
been spread that a huge church fathers believed that
computer in Brussels is
being fed information on
every living person, and that “The Antichrist is
each of us will be given a coming,even now
number that will include the
many antichrists
digits 666. This has resulted
in an avalanche of protest have come,by
letters to government and which we know that
industry leaders.
it is the last hour.”
“Let him who has
understanding calculate the 1 John 2:18
number of the beast” (Rev.
13:18). This admonition has
been an excuse for many the apostle John was making
word games. Using the a veiled reference to Nero to
numerical equivalents of help the church avoid
Hebrew, Latin, and Greek needless persecution. The
letters, people have made church fathers said that
the proper names of certain Nero would be resurrected
infamous individuals add to become the future
up to 666. For example, in Antichrist. But few scholars
Hebrew the letter K equals today believe that John had
100 and S equals 60. a proper name in mind.
Employing all three Dr. John Walvoord
languages if necessary, writes: “Probably the
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simplest explanation here falls short. The number may
is the best. . . . Six in the be meant to indicate not an
Scripture is man’s number. individual, but a persistent
He was to work 6 days and falling short. All the more is
rest the seventh. The image this likely to be correct if we
of Nebuchadnezzar was 60 translated ‘it is the number
cubits high and 6 cubits of man’ rather than ‘a man.’
broad. Whatever may be John will then be saying
the deeper meaning of the that unregenerate man is
number, it implies that this persistently evil. He bears
title referring to the first the mark of the beast in all
beast, Satan’s masterpiece, that he does. Civilization
limits him to man’s level, without Christ is necessarily
which is far short of the under the dominion of the
deity of Jesus Christ” (The evil one” (Revelation Of St.
Revelation Of Jesus Christ, John,Eerdmans, first edition
Moody Press, 1966, p.210). 1969, p.174).
Dr. Leon Morris suggests: We can’t be sure about
“It is possible that . . . we the exact meaning of the
should understand the number. But we can be
expression purely in the reasonably certain that it
terms of the symbolism of has something to do with
numbers. If we take the sum the devil and his two
of the values represented by cohorts, the Beast and the
the letters in the name False Prophet. All three
Ie¯sous, the Greek name members of this “infernal
Jesus, it comes to 888. trinity” come short of the
Each digit is one more than perfection of God. They are
seven, the perfect number. finite and limited. This
But 666 yields the opposite satanic trinity is a cheap
phenomenon, for each digit imitation!
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6 6 6
WHAT WHAT WE WHAT WE
WE KNOW DON’T KNOW SHOULD DO
1A.His Times 1B.The Exact Date 1C.Be Ready
1A.WHAT WE probably cause a great deal
KNOW:HIS TIMES of chaos and lead many to
Antichrist may be living believe in Jesus Christ. But
today! But he probably won’t it will also make multitudes
come forward openly as a ready to give their
Christ-hating world dictator unconditional allegiance to a
until after Jesus has caught dynamic earthly leader. Paul
up Christians from the earth connected the rapture to the
to be with Him in heaven. Antichrist, saying that it will
This event, described in remove the one hindrance to
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and the full outbreak of evil and
usually called the rapture, open the door for Antichrist’s
could occur at any moment. manifestation to the world.
Suddenly, without an To Christians concerned that
advance announcement, they had already entered the
Christians will hear a great tribulation, he wrote:
trumpet blast heralding Let no one deceive you by
Christ’s coming for His any means; for that Day
own. At that instant, will not come unless the
believers who have died falling away comes first,
will be clothed with their and the man of sin is
new bodies, and living revealed, the son of
saints will be transformed. perdition, who opposes
Then both will be caught and exalts himself above
up, removed from the earth. all that is called God or
This dramatic event will that is worshiped, so that
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he sits as God in the of the earth,” He has been
temple of God, showing restraining the “mystery of
himself that he is God. iniquity.” As soon as the
Do you not remember church is removed in the
that when I was still with rapture, the way will be
you I told you these open for Antichrist to
things? And now you come to power.
know what is restraining,
that he may be revealed
“He was given a
in his own time. For the
mystery of lawlessness is mouth speaking
already at work; only He great things and
who now restrains will do
blasphemies,and
so until He is taken out
of the way. And then he was given
the lawless one will be authority to
revealed (2 Th. 2:3-8).
continue for forty-
Notice the words, “He
who now restrains will do so two months.”
until He is taken out of the Revelation 13:5
way.” Most efforts to identify
this restrainer have been
unsatisfactory. One Bible Antichrist’s coming could
commentator admitted, “The be close at hand because
Christians in Thessalonica the rapture is an any-
knew, but we don’t.” The moment possibility. Jesus
passage makes good sense, said that the church of every
however, if we view the generation should be living
restrainer as the Holy Spirit in continual expectancy
working through the church. because “the Son of Man
Through believers, the “salt is coming at an hour you
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do not expect” (Mt. 24:44). shall be like Him, for we
Antichrist will reveal himself shall see Him as He is. And
very soon after the rapture. everyone who has this hope
1B.WHAT WE in Him purifies himself, just
DON’T KNOW: as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:2-3).
THE EXACT DATE A person who wants to be
While we know that the ready for the Lord’s return
Antichrist will be revealed will try to live a pure life. He
shortly after the church is won’t want to do anything
removed from the earth in he would be ashamed of if
the rapture, we have no way Christ were to return. He
of giving these endtime wouldn’t want to be thinking
events a date. the kind of thoughts he
1C.WHAT WE would be ashamed of if he
SHOULD DO: were to be raptured while
BE READY thinking them.
Being ready for the rapture is When we live in continual
the best way we can oppose readiness for the rapture, we
and overcome present-day will automatically recognize
antichrists and the spirit of impostors and the enemies
Antichrist. Jesus issued the of Jesus Christ. That’s the
exhortation, “Therefore you promise of 1 John 2:18–3:3.
also be ready, for the Son of A believer who is living a
Man is coming at an hour pure life and keeping in touch
you do not expect” (Lk. with God through prayer and
12:40). The apostle John regular study of the Bible
wrote, “Beloved, now we are possesses an anointing from
children of God; and it has the Holy Spirit that will keep
not yet been revealed what him from being deceived by
we shall be, but we know antichrists or captured by the
that when He is revealed, we spirit of Antichrist.
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