12 Week Revelation Intensive Week 9 – Introduction to the Antichrist

I.

Revelation 5 is a continuation of the throne room account in Revelation 4

1 Revelation 5:1-14 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" 14 Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. A. This is a dramatic vision full of meaning and symbolism i. Scroll = Title Deed to the Earth ii. Writing on both sides is significant prophetically 2 Zechariah 5:1-11 Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll. 2 And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I answered, "I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits." 3 Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: 'Every thief shall be expelled,' according to this side of the scroll; and, 'Every perjurer shall be expelled,' according to that side of it." 4 "I will send out the curse," says the LORD of hosts; "It shall enter the house of the thief And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house And consume it, with its timber and stones." 5 Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, "Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth." 6 So I asked, "What is it?" And he said, "It is a basket that is going forth." He also said, "This is their resemblance throughout the earth: 7 Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket"; 8 then he said, "This is Wickedness!" And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth. 9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10 So I said to the angel who talked with me, "Where are they carrying the basket?" 11 And he said to me, "To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base." iii. 1|Page

This scroll lists everything stolen (the ownership of the earth) on one side

12 Week Revelation Intensive Week 9 – Introduction to the Antichrist

B.

iv. And the actions necessary to take it back on the other side Daniel saw this same event in Daniel 7

3 Daniel 7:13-14 "I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. i. ii.

Daniel saw Jesus in a resurrected body (like the Son of Man) Daniel described the contents of ownership on the scroll  Dominion  Glory  A kingdom  The loyalty of all peoples  This is describing a unified global government C. Jesus is the only MAN worthy to hold all the power of the earth. Although He is God and is with God forever (John 1), Jesus stepped into humanity…forever 4 Hebrews 2:17-18 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

5 Philippians 2:6-9 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, D. Jesus came to do correctly what Adam failed at: living in connection with God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. To do that, He had to give up the most wealth, power, influence, and reputation any man has ever had. E. Jesus has elected, for love, to live by the Spirit as a man. This qualified Him to be our “kinsman redeemer,” in accordance with the law of redemption given in Leviticus 25:47-50 F. Satan tried to tempt Jesus into picking up His miraculous power to violate His eligibility to redeem us 6 Luke 4:1-4 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD.' " 2|Page

12 Week Revelation Intensive Week 9 – Introduction to the Antichrist

Many have a wrong idea that Jesus will at some point throw off the constraints of His humanity, wave His hand, and fix the world. This is NOT the process God has chosen. God has chosen the process on the scroll, which is the plan of judgment described as 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls. G. Additional Study Point: This was explained in Leviticus 26, where God explains the blessedness of walking in agreement with Him in Leviticus 26:1-13 (which His Bride will do as she establishes cities of refuge and agrees with Him about His righteous judgments), and the consequences of walking out of agreement with Him in Leviticus 26:14-39. Look at verses Leviticus 26:18, 24, and 28 (7,7,7). This is all intended to be redemptive, as described in verses Leviticus 26:40-45. H. Jesus is worthy to open the scroll and have all of the power: i. Worthy to open the scroll because He is the qualified redeemer and has the strength, wisdom, and love to release all of the contents of the scroll ii. Worth to have all of the power because He has already shown that He is faithful with power when He laid it all down to become a man and live by the Spirit forever. iii. God gives Him a name above every other name, which is awesome for a man, but quite a step down for God. We need to understand the depth of His love demonstrated by this great sacrifice. A. The only appropriate response to this kind of wholehearted proven love, is wholehearted love in return (the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle). II. Revelation 6:1-2 – Jesus begins opening the Scroll A. In direct contrast to Jesus, who is the only man who can hold absolute power without corruption, Antichrist proves true that for every other man “absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton – 1887) B. For the next couple of weeks we are going to spend time studying what the Bible reveals about this man and the government he is the leader of, the end time Babylon, or the Harlot Babylon. It is important to know who it is releasing, or allowing, the Antichrist to succeed in Revelation 6. 7 Revelation 6:1-2 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. i. ii.

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Who opened the seal that releases the conqueror? Jesus Jesus is not the one on the white horse, He is releasing it. This is a man trying to present himself as Jesus. This is how Jesus will look when He comes on a white horse:

12 Week Revelation Intensive Week 9 – Introduction to the Antichrist

8 Revelation 19:11-16 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. C. Arrowless bow? - This passage is describing the Antichrist attempting to take control of the whole world, which begins with Him demanding to be worshiped in Jerusalem at the same time He is using his great military power (the bow) to INTIMIDATE the leaders of the earth to submit to him or make war with him. D. Jesus said when this happens, that all of Judea (Jerusalem) should flee into the wilderness. 9 Matthew 24:15-21 "Therefore when you see the 'ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. E. This is the moment the “mask comes off” the false prince of peace. This moment will be a big surprise to everyone except those loyal to Jesus and watching in an anointed way. 1 Thessalonians 5:3-4 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. F. John understood much about the antichrist when he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ G. We need to know what John knew when He heard this from the angel. John and the other apostles had great insight already into who the Antichrist would be from the scriptures. We want to know: i. Who Antichrist is (character) ii. Where he will come from (political base) iii. What Scripture says will reveal him III. Antichrist’s Character A. In the most simplistic definition, the Antichrist is a counterfeit “Jesus” part of an “unholy” counterfeit trinity including 4|Page

12 Week Revelation Intensive Week 9 – Introduction to the Antichrist

i. satan as the counterfeit Father, ii. Antichrist as the counterfeit Jesus, and iii. the false prophet as the counterfeit Holy Spirit B. Antichrist will offer himself to the world as a tangible “messiah” C. The world will be forced into a choice between the tangible “messiah” who has a plan to fix the world by force, and the invisible Jesus who also has a plan written out in the Bible to fix the world by free will. D. Both the true and the counterfeit end time plans are centered on Jerusalem. Jesus is waiting for Jerusalem to invite Him back, as described in Psalm 118, while the antichrist is going to impose himself upon Jerusalem Psalms 118:22-26 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This was the LORD's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. Luke 13:34-35 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! 35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!' " 10 Revelation 11:2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 11 Daniel 7:25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. E. 42 months = 3.5 years = times (2 years), time (1 year), and a half of time (0.5 years) F. Antichrist will get the same amount of time to compel the world to follow him as Jesus did during His earthly 3.5 year ministry. G. During Jesus’ ministry, He revealed the heart of His Father. Jesus is the image of His Father. 12 John 14:9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? H. Similarly, Antichrist is the image of his father, satan. 13 Ezekiel 28:13-19 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 5|Page

12 Week Revelation Intensive Week 9 – Introduction to the Antichrist

"You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever." ' " 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Trading – redistribution of power Pride – “blinding pride” Made perfect Arrogance and greed “many sins” come with his downfall Brought fire out from within you – he was released to the destruction of himself 7. Antichrist chooses to become the antichrist bit by bit…incrementally. He convinces himself that he is God at the moment the great tribulation begins. 14 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. I.

Like his father, satan, Antichrist comes to power and consolidates power through deception both outside AND inside his inner power circle:

15 John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

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12 Week Revelation Intensive Week 9 – Introduction to the Antichrist

16 Daniel 8:23-25 "And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. 24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. 25 "Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means. J.

A large part of the antichrist’s understanding and domination will result from his ability to pit groups against each other to divide and conquer, much like Hitler did at the consolidation of his power. The Bible is clear that one of His main schemes will be to do this with religion. He will do this by empowering a violent religion, even though he has a disdain for all religion.

17 Daniel 11:36-39 "Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. K. This cunning deceit will, at the moment leading up to the beginning of the Great Tribulation, will reach its end, and all of the alliances he has forged through lying will suddenly fall apart. This marks the beginning of the great tribulation 18 Daniel 11:40-Daniel 12:1 "At the time of the end the king of the South (Egypt) shall attack him; and the king of the North (Syria) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. (Jordan) 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians (including modern day Sudan) shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north (Gog Coalition) shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. Daniel 12:1 "At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.

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