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 2 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved. 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. 3 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved. 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.” 4 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved. 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 5 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved. 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 6 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved. 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! 7 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved. 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 8 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved. 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 9 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved. 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. 10 © RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.
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