The Antichrist's rise to power

29 Pages·1973·0.31 MB·English

by  Gordon Lindsay

The Antichrist’s Rise to Power
END OF THE AGE SERIES Volume III
by Gordon Lindsay

Published By CHRIST FOR THE NATIONS Dallas, Texas 75224 Litho
U.S.A.
The Year 1973 Reprinted 1974
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter I
The Antichrist Takes Power Over Western Europe
Chapter II
The Antichrist Feigns Friendship With the Papacy and Israel
Chapter III
The First. Three and a Half Years
Chapter IV
The Rapture of the First. Fruits
Chapter V
The Rise of the Preternatural
Chapter VI
The End of the First Three and a Half Years of the Antichrist’s Reign
Chapter VII
Other Events Around the World
Introduction
The present volume deals with the first three and a half years in the reign of
the antichrist. Previously he has been engaged in consolidating his power. Now
he begins to reveal his iron will in directing world events. Under ordinary
conditions it is unlikely that the nations would permit their sovereignty to be
taken over by a central authority.
The antichrist, however, comes on the scene in a time of great confusion and
uncertainty. After World War II, Europe with America’s help formed a united
front called NATO to withstand possible aggressions of the Russian colossus.
Now after America became bogged down in Vietnam and her people lost their
taste for war, Europe has serious doubts whether the U.S. would intervene in
case Russia should decide to cross the Iron Curtain into the NATO countries. For
the time being there has come a sort of a detente between the East and the West.
This dilemma provides the open door for the rise of the antichrist. NATO and
the Common Market have laid the groundwork for ten kingdoms to be formed
into the antichrist confederacy. Once he consolidates his power he works out an
accommodation with Russia by agreeing to special spheres of interest. The clay
and the iron of the feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s image are mingled together for a
season, though only for a season.
The antichrist’s next step is in the direction of Israel. This little nation today
stands almost alone, surrounded by a sea of enemies. The Arab world has sworn
to liquidate her. Israel will look questioningly at the strong man of Europe and
will be gratefully surprised to learn that his overtures are friendly. In fact he
makes a league with Israel in which he guarantees her security. Alas, Israel is
blind to the nature of the man, for the Scriptures refer to this treaty as a
“covenant of death,” a covenant he will break at a time convenient to his
interests.
The antichrist’s initial attitude toward the Catholic church is conciliation. In
this he will follow the example of Benito Mussolini who curried favor with the
Catholics by restoring the sovereignty of the people over the Vatican. Thus in
Revelation 17, we find the Harlot Woman riding the Beast. In the end the ten
kings turn against her and burn her with fire.
During the first three and a half years of the antichrist’s reign, he will put
down anarchy at the price, however, of the loss of individual freedom. He will
cause craft to prosper and thus gain popularity with the masses. This will also be
at the price of personal liberty, for the hour will come when no man may buy or
sell, save he has the mark. However, the first three and a half years are a time of
comparative peace and prosperity, although there may be brief wars in which the
antichrist is invariably victorious. At the end of that time the antichrist is
wounded unto death, but his deadly wound is healed. The startling, world-
shaking events that follow will be the subject of our next volume.
Chapter I
The Antichrist Takes Power Over Western Europe
In our previous volume, we have shown how the antichrist rises to power.
Our present volume traces the events of the first part of his reign, of which the
Scriptures reveal considerable detail. As Hitler rose to power during a time of
chaos and confusion in Germany, so the Beast of Revelation 13 will come into
power at a time when the world is in a state of extreme turmoil. The peoples of
the nations will be looking for a man who can bring order out of chaos, and
whose word will carry the weight of authority.
Were conditions in the world normal, there is little likelihood that the nations
would be willing to have their sovereignty limited by a central power, but people
will have become so wearied of the disorder and anarchy that they will welcome
a man who promises to be able to restore something like normalcy in the earth.
Especially will this be so during the crucial period when the man of sin conceals
his true nature and appears as a beneficial father who has nothing but the good of
mankind at heart.
The Beast's Power spoken of in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 will not come
out of either America or Russia, the two present superpowers, but as Antiochus
Epiphanes, his antetype, “.. he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and
shall become strong with a small people” (Dan. 11:23). Western Europe which
was the territory of the old Roman Empire today greatly fears the Russian
colossus and has formed a front under NATO against her. Nevertheless, in recent
years since Russia has attained such overwhelming nuclear strength, Europe is
undecided whether America, after her frustrating experience in Vietnam, would
come to her aid should Russia threaten Europe with nuclear blackmail. They
realize that the Soviet Union could overrun Europe very easily if America chose
not to intervene. Europe knows this only too well and is seriously considering
the contingency.
It is in the midst of this bewilderment and uncertainty that a strong man will
arise in Europe. His country is one of the ten nations in Europe. Six of these
nations no doubt are the original members of the Common Market—France,
West Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Luxemburg. There are several other
continental countries which are not in the Communist orbit. Recently three more
nations, Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark, have joined the Common Market,
making nine on January 1, 1973. This union will be increased to ten nations.
Over these ten nations will arise the dictator of the Beast empire —the one
popularly termed the antichrist.
At first he is but one of the leaders of the ten nations, but soon his talents and
gifts will cause him to stand out above the others. Indeed he shortly becomes a
force to be reckoned with by all nations of the world, including the Communist
camp. In time most of Europe will accept his leadership. Three nations, however,
will resist and seek his overthrow (Dan. 7:8, 24). They will take a leaf from
World War II and decide that they must take measures to stop this man before it
is too late, as occurred in the case of Hitler, who gobbled up one small nation
after another before the Western powers finally took action.
Nevertheless, these nations will receive a surprise. In a series of lightning
military actions, the antichrist will subdue the three countries which oppose him
(Dan. 7:24). After that, he will be unopposed on the continent.
The result of his victories will cause him to be recognized as a military
genius in the same category as Alexander the Great, Caesar, and Napoleon. Not a
few will view his rise to power with serious misgivings, but others will welcome
the appearance of a strong man who can guarantee order on the continent. They
will say, “Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Rev.
13:4).
The Beast And Russia
In our previous volume we have seen that the final stage of Gentile power
was portrayed in Nebuchadnezzar’s image by feet of iron mingled with clay. In
other words the final form of the Beast Power would be a kingdom of dual
character. The iron represents fascism; the clay on the other hand stands for
Communism. The feet have ten toes which represent ten kingdoms.
Significantly the Communist confederacy today includes ten main
continental powers:
Russia
Czechoslovakia
Romania
Lithuania
Bulgaria
Hungary
East Germany
Latvia
Poland
Estonia
The Russian confederacy had its beginning when Soviet Russia overthrew
three of these nations in 1939—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. After World War
II, Soviet Russia violated her most solemn promise of permitting Eastern Europe
to choose its own form of government. She forcibly brought all of these nations
under Soviet hegemony.
As we have said, since World War II, Russia and her satellites on one hand,
and Western Europe on the other hand, have been ready for battle at a moment’s
notice, being deterred mainly by the fear of nuclear warfare. The tension and
mistrust between the powers have never ceased, but even to this day it exists in
ever-increasing intensity, although at the present time there is a sort of a detente
between the two camps.
What then will this great leader do? Will he move against Russia in direct
onslaught as did Hitler? No. The antichrist will have no desire for a direct clash
with Soviet Russia. The iron mixed with clay will cleave together for awhile.
Hitler kept up a word duel against Russia before he finally proposed a
nonaggression pact between them. The antichrist will be a wiser man; he will not
immediately tangle with the vast Soviet empire.
The great showdown will not come until Armageddon. Therefore, craftily he
will make a rapprochement with Russia, and for a time will feign goodwill. But
the true nature of both “kings” is portrayed in type in Daniel 11:27:
“And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall
not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.”
As explained in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s image, the clay and
the iron, which are mingled together, will not cleave indefinitely the one to the
other. The peace between the two will last only for a season. Eventually the non-
agression pact will be ignored. Peaceful intentions are merely feigned, and both
powers secretly jockey for advantage. In the end they will be at each other’s
throats. Nevertheless, for a time the dual empires will form an axis, and their
combined power will enable them to intimidate and bring fear upon the whole
world. The Russian juggernaut like a steam roller has always had a tendency to
move slowly, but with suspicious eyes it ever watches for advantage. The
antichrist of the west is more active than the men in the Kremlin. Having for a
time taken care of the Russian problem, he will move rapidly to consolidate his
empire, at the same time maneuvering to secure absolute personal control. As we
have said, he will appear at the beginning as a benevolent dictator who in the
midst of anarchy and chaos will succeed in restoring law and order. Thus he will
earn the gratitude and confidence of the populace who are weary of the turmoil
and confusion. On the other hand, those who have any knowledge of the
Scriptures will become more and more apprehensive. Nevertheless, the adept
statesmanship of the antichrist and his unbroken chain of successes will tend to
silence those who have been critical, and the world will dare hope for the dawn
of a new era:
“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” (Rev. 17:12-13).
Chapter II
The Antichrist Feigns Friendship With the Papacy
and Israel
What will be the antichrist’s attitude toward the papacy and the Catholic
church? Clearly his initial altitude will be conciliation. Soviet Russia has taken a
hard line against both the Greek and Roman churches, in fact against all religion,
permitting religious worship to continue only under the severest restrictions.
On the other hand, the antichrist will follow the example of Benito
Mussolini. During the early years of his rule, Mussolini, a man of no religion
himself, nevertheless saw the wisdom of soliciting the favor of the pope who
wielded an enormous influence not only over the Italians, but over hundreds of
millions of subjects in other nations. No one in Italy in those days dared raise a
finger against Il Duce, and he could afford to appear to be gracious to the pope,
knowing that in return he would win the favor and approval of the Catholic
world. Therefore, Mussolini arranged to release the pope from his
“imprisonment,” which the latter had imposed on himself after he lost the papal
states in 1870, by granting him the autonomy of the territory of the Vatican, an
area of approximately a mile square. The pope then could assume his former
position as an earthly monarch. He would now be able to have his own flag,
issue his own postage stamps, and send out ambassadors and diplomatic agents,
as any other sovereign state.
Revelation 17 shows us that the Beast Power will follow the same course as
Mussolini did. John the apostle saw in the Spirit the Harlot Woman, Mystery
Babylon, sitting on the beast:
“So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured
beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple
and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand
full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE
EARTH” (Rev. 17:3-5).
The identity of the Harlot Woman is not difficult. She is guilty of the blood
of the martyrs—those who perished during the centuries of the cruel inquisition
when millions were slain who resisted her claims. Verse 15 indicates the vast
numbers of many nations who are under her rule:
“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”
The woman sits on “seven mountains” (Verse 9), the seven hills of Rome,