Latest Prophecy Commentary
The Antichrist And What He May Know At This Time
There has been much speculation
throughout history as to who the future antichrist will be ranging from Nero to
Prince Charles. But these prospects have come and gone over the years
without so much as a whimper. Personally, I don’t think anyone will know
until after the rapture takes place.
Yes, the Bible does state in Revelation
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.” This has led many to believe that we can know who
the antichrist is if we possess this wisdom.
I believe this is a message is not to those who are on this side of the tribulation period but to those who will be left behind. Personally, I don’t believe anyone on this side of the rapture will ever know who the antichrist is. We can guess and speculate but anyone who thinks that they have solved the mystery of the antichrist just doesn’t understand that things will change dramatically once Christians are taken out of this world. It’s like trying to forecast what the greatest future gainer will be (possibly years down the road) in the stock market based on present information. What many of these prognosticators don’t understand is that their man could die tomorrow along with their ironclad prediction. They could also come to Christ!
Whoever the antichrist turns
out to be the Bible has much to say about his character and his activities.
The Timing Of
The Day Of The Lord
First, I believe it is important to set the stage. The Bible says that
life will be fairly normal before the rapture takes place. That doesn’t
mean that day will not be self-serving and a very dangerous and evil time (II
Timothy 3:1-5).
It’s likely that the “Day of the
Lord” will start at the beginning of the tribulation period but could begin as
earlier as the rapture of the church. Many believe it won’t start until
the midway point of the tribulation period and others say it won’t happen
until near the end of the seven years when the Lord comes back. Keeping this in
mind, we can proceed with this timeline.
The Timing Of
Certain Events
This is how I see the sequence of
events taking place. There are two events that many overlook that I
believe could happen before or after the rapture or during the tribulation
period itself. One, the rebuilding of the temple (Daniel 9:27), and two,
the antichrist’s subduing of three nations (Daniel 7:24).
Of course, it
is generally believed by most Bible scholars that these two events will take
place during the first half of the tribulation period. I have to agree but
it’s certainly possible that one or both could happen before the tribulation period
starts.
As you may know, I also believe that there will be a period of time between the rapture and the start of the tribulation period. How long that will be is anyone’s guess.
During this time period, satan will select his man and reveal himself to this
person. At this time, I don’t believe the future antichrist knows who he
is or his future role. That’s not to say that satan isn’t positioning him (antichrist)
behind the scenes and directing his path for the future.
Does satan
Know his Time Is Near
I’m sure many are thinking,
”Doesn’t satan know his end is near? He must read the Bible.”
satan does know the scriptures, but I don’t believe he knows all scripture nor
has the ability to discern them. The scripture is only completely
understood by those who possess the Holy Spirit. You can’t understand
the Word unless God grants this ability. Take a look at I Peter 1:10-12:
“Of which salvation the prophets
have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should
come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ
which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of
Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that
not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now
reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy
Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”
Even the prophets only understood what God
permitted them to understand. They were not given full
knowledge as today’s New Testament Christian’s are granted.
In verse twelve it states that salvation was
something angels didn’t fully understand but desired to look into.
This leads me to the conclusion that angels do not fully understand the
Bible unless God allows them to have this knowledge even though they desire to.
If God has hidden some things from the heavenly angels how much more from
those who have fallen!
So how does satan know it’s time to ready his man to rise up and rule the world? He doesn’t! Certainly he knows that one day he will be judged (Matthew 8:29) but that day is a mystery to him as well.
I believe that God, who knows everything,
including the mind of every creature (satan), simply looked into the future and
knew exactly when satan would try to stage a revolt. He also
set it up to be perfectly timed with the rapture of the church and the events of
the tribulation period. In short, satan is just a tool that
God uses to do His will in His time. I think it’s safe to
say that God manipulates satan on a regular bases to come in line with His
timetable.
In my opinion, satan is oblivious to what day he is living in and what is about to happen. He firmly believes that his rise to earthly power is all a part of his master plan and in his timing. Little does he know that his plans were known from the beginning.
How Much Does satan Know
How much does satan know? Whatever
God has granted for him to know. That will be something we
probably won’t know until after we get to heaven.
Upon doing research for this article I tend to believe that he does not know when the rapture will take place. It's highly unlikely he even knows what the rapture is. It is conceivable that when the rapture takes place it will completely take satan by surprise. It may be a surprise but it won’t derail his plans. Somehow, he will deceive the world into believing his lie and life will go on as if it never happened.
There’s one thing many overlook, if not
for God’s protection, this world would be putty in the hands of satan to be
deceived and manipulated at every turn.
Getting Back To The Timeline
It’s possible that Israel could make some
sort of deal in the near future that would allow them to rebuild their temple.
Actually, the only qualification for the temple to be rebuilt is that it
be completed by the midway point of
the tribulation period. That will be when the antichrist will
desecrate the temple and declares himself to be God. (Daniel 9:27).
Many believe that the antichrist will bring peace shortly after his revealing. It's believed that this peace plan will start the tribulation clock rolling and bring a short time of peace and safety to Israel. The rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple may or may not be a part of this plan. Some believe that the Arab world would never agree to such an abomination of one of their holy sites. Permitting Israel to build a pagan temple next to theirs would be a complete desecration of their temple and start World War III.
This leads many to believe that the peace plan the antichrist will confirm will not include permission for Israel to rebuild their temple on the temple mount. But peace will come and bring rest for Israel and they will dwell safely in their own land (Ezekiel 38:11) for a short time.
But after a very short time of peace war will break out. Russia and their Islamic alliance will stage a surprise sneak attack on Israel. Since there is no mention of the actual attack taking place (they will died in the hills of Israel) it is my belief that God will destroy them just before war begins. They will probably be mobilized near Israel’s border planning their attack. As they proceed in the beginning stages of their advance the Lord will destroy them. In that day, God will cause a terrible shaking of the earth that will resound throughout the world:
"And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground." (Ezekiel 38:18-20)
The Bible says that not only Israel, but the whole world, will give glory to God (Ezekiel 38:23). Yes, it will be that shocking! It is my belief that this victory will start the beginning stages of a national revival in Israel (and possibly other nations) leading them to reclaim the temple mount and rebuild their temple. The Ark Of The Covenant may even be brought out of hiding at this time. And if the Mosque Of Omar is still standing (which I highly doubt) they will tear it down without Arab resistance.
It will also bring about a major revival in the Muslim world. I believe that after seeing the awesome power of true and only God there will be a massive defection from the Muslim religion. But in doing so many will be put to death for their faith in Christ.
Are you ready to meet the Lord? If not, your time is running out!
Terry Malone
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