The Other World Series
Lesson IV
Matthew 24:21-30
(21) For then
shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be.
(22) And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the
elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
(23) Then if any
man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.
(24) For there
shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if
[it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
(25) Behold, I
have told you before.
(26) Wherefore if
they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he
is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.
(27) For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even
unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
(28) For wheresoever the carcase is, there
will the eagles be gathered together.
(29) Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens shall be shaken:
(30) And then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
We have stated that the
Bible foretells a time of heretofore unseen world-trouble, just
before Christ returns to this earth. (Matthew 24:21-30). We have also stated that this world-trouble
will be of such a nature that it will demand a world-government. Such
a government is also described in prophetic Scripture.
In this paper we continue by
stating that a world-government will bring to the fore a world-leader. We look back at history during our
own lifetime. It was the Great
Depression, (1929-1937), that opened the door for the rise of Adolf Hitler in
Another has written and I
quote: “Leadership is as much a question of timing as anything else. The leader must appear on the scene at a
moment when people are looking for leadership, as Churchill did in 1940, as
Roosevelt did in 1933, as Lenin did in 1917.
And when he comes, he must offer a simple eloquent message. Winston Churchill managed, by sheer rhetoric,
to turn the British defeat and evacuation of
Speaking in
Howard Ruff said, some
twenty-five years ago, “This Nation (USA) is ripe to be manipulated by a
powerful personality. If the best man
came along, the country would accept him.”
At that time the question was being asked, “Where have all the leaders
gone?”
1 John 2:18
(18) Little
children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come,
even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
In 1 John 2:18, the Bible names the coming world-leader, the “Anti-Christ.”
It states that “there have been
many antichrists”. We understand that
all of these only foreshadow the Anti-Christ who is yet to come.
2 Thessalonians
2:3-8
(3) Let no man
deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
(4) Who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
(5) Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these
things?
(6) And now ye
know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in
his time.
(7) For the
mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth
[will let], until he be taken out of the way.
(8) And then
shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of
his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2
Thessalonians 2:3-8, we believe, is talking about this coming World-Leader,
identifying him as “the man of sin.” Verse 6 tells us that “he will be
revealed in His time.” And until
that time comes it is useless speculation to try and reveal him. Until the time comes he will not be
revealed. Verse 8 informs us that he will be destroyed by the Second Coming
of Jesus Christ. Therefore we conclude
that he must be on earth at the time of the Second Coming. And because Matthew 24:29-30 teaches us that
the Second Coming is to be “immediately after the tribulation of those days”,
it follows that this man of sin, this Anti-Christ, must appear during the time
of the Great Tribulation.
In notes left with me by the
wife of a departed brother, I found the following outline. It is worth
preserving. I have added my thoughts to
the outline.
This Coming World Leader is
described in Revelation chapter thirteen.
HIS
PERSON:
Revelation 13:6
(6) And he opened
his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle,
and them that dwell in heaven.
Genesis 3:15
(15) And I will
put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel.
1
Timothy 3:16
(16) And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory.
John 14:6
(6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
2 Thessalonians
2:11
(11) And for this
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
John 5:43
(43) I am come in
my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive.
Revelation
13:6 “And he opened his mouth...” The personal pronoun identifies him as a
person, not a system.
2
Thessalonians 2:4 “He as God sitteth in the temple of God showing himself
that he
is God.”
In Genesis 3:15, there is the promise of two seeds. The “seed of the woman”, who is Christ-God
becoming man (1 Timothy 3:16) and the “seed of the serpent”, who will be
Anti-Christ-man becoming God. The first
is the truth (John 14:6), the second is the lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11). If men do not believe the truth they will
believe the lie. Jesus said “I am come
in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own
name, him ye will receive” (John 5:43).
HIS
POWER
Revelation 13:6
(6) And he opened
his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle,
and them that dwell in heaven.
Revelation 12:9
(9) And the great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation
13:4 “And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the beast.” The dragon is well identified in Revelation 12:9 as “that old serpent,
called the Devil and Satan”. So the
source of the power of the Anti-Christ is the Devil himself. I don’t talk about the Devil too much. Christians don’t need to be Devil-conscious
as much as they need to be Christ-conscious.
It is my opinion that the Devil gets more attention than he should. By this I do not mean to say he has not been
active, nor do I deny his existence. We do need to know that the Devil will
manifest himself in a greater way than ever before when he is revealed in the
Anti-Christ.
HIS
POPULARITY
Revelation 13:8
(8) And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book
of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation
13:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are
not written in the Book of Life of the lamb...” Many are looking for this
leader to arise from the political arena.
Could it be that he will arise as a pop-singer? There is a beat to the music of the world
that captivates the minds and souls of young people. We remember the story of Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel chapter three, when his image was
set up (we believe it is but a type of the future) we read: “At what time ye
hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all
kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image....” As music was used by
that king, so it likely will be used by the Anti-Christ. Pop singers are really popular today
.
I remember my friend, G.S.
McLean, holding his hand above his stomach and saying, “One type of music
touches you from here up, another type from here down.” I also remember Bob Stone saying, “When music
appeals to the young and not to the old, we are appealing to the flesh and not
the spirit. For there
are no old spirits, just old bodies.” Nothing can manipulate a crowd
more than a certain kind of music! So we
ask again, will the Anti-Christ use music to meet his purpose?
HIS
PARTNER
Revelation
13:11-12
(11) And I beheld
another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and
he spake as a dragon.
(12) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and
causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to
worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed.
Revelation 19:20
(20) And the
beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and
them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone.
Revelation
13:13-14
(13) And he doeth
great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
(14) And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of]
those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to
them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast,
which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Revelation
13: 11-12 “And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two
horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” (In other words, he looks like the Lord but
talks like the Devil) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and
causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to
worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed.” When one reads Revelation 19:20, one discovers that
this second beast is identified as the false prophet. Revelation 13:13-14 “He doeth great
wonders so that he maketh fire come down from heaven
on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on
the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight
of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an
image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword and did live.”
Revelation 14:9,11
(9) And the third
angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and
his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
(11) And the
smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelation 15:2
(2) And I saw as
it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory
over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of
his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Revelation 16:2
(2) And the first
went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and
grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast,
and [upon] them which worshipped his image.
So it is this Second Beast
who introduces “the image” and “the mark” of the First Beast. These three, the beast, his image, and his
mark, are also named in Revelation
14:9. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand….”
Revelation
14:11, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they had no rest day or night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
Revelation
15:2 “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that
had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his
image, and over his mark, stand on the sea of glass,
having harps of God.”
Revelation
16:2 “And the first when and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there
fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the
beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”
Revelation
19:20 “and the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought
miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the
mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image...”
Certainly the mark and image
of the beast tie these chapters together as belonging to one period of history.
HIS
PERSECUTION
Revelation 13:15
(15) And he had
power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast
should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the
beast should be killed.
Revelation 16:4-6
(4) And the third
angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they
became blood.
(5) And I heard
the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou
hast judged thus.
(6) For they have
shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink;
for they are worthy.
Revelation 17:6
(6) And I saw the
woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs
of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Revelation 18:24
(24) And in her
was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon
the earth.
Revelation 20:4
(4) And I saw
thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw]
the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word
of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had
received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Revelation
13:15 “… and cause
that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be
killed.” Then in Revelation 16: 4-6 we read, “And the third angel poured out his
vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou
are righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shall
be, because thou has judged thus. For
they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood
to drink; for they are worthy.” Again in
Revelation 17:6, “And I saw the
woman drunken with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus.” Words repeated in Revelation 18:24 “And in her was found
the blood of prophets, and of saints....” Finally, Revelation
20:4 tells us about “the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness
of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast,
neither his image, neither had received his mark.”
Let us not make the mistake
of thinking that these saints are Church saints. There were saints on
earth before the Church age began, and there will be saints on earth after the
Church age ends.
HIS
PROGRAM
Revelation
13:16-17
(16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and
bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: {to
receive: Gr. to give them}
(17) And that no
man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or
the number of his name.
Revelation
13: 16-17 “And he causeth all both small and great,
rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads; and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,
or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” There is no need for speculation. The Anti-Christ will have a money system that
will control the commerce of the world.
HIS
PERIOD OF TIME
Revelation 13:5
(5) And there was
given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was
given unto him to continue forty [and] two months.
Revelation 11:7
(7) And when they
shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth
out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them,
and kill them
Revelation
19:19-20
(19) And I saw
the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to
make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
(20) And the
beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and
them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone.
Revelation
13:5 He continues for 42 months or three and one half years. The beast is first mentioned in Revelation
11:7, and the last reference is in Revelation 19:19-20. Therefore it seems
right to conclude that from Revelation chapter eleven through chapter nineteen,
the events of this period of forty two months are described.
CONCLUDE
2 Thessalonians
2:11
(11) And for this
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
Anti-Christ is coming! The spirit of Anti-Christ is already in the
world. Anti-Christ will be revealed in
his time. Men and women, who today
willingly reject Christ, will be the ones who will receive Anti-Christ when he
comes. They will be sent a strong
delusion to believe THE LIE (2 Thessalonians. 2:11).