BLUE VIEWPOINT
According to the Bible, the person that most Christians know only as "the man of sin", "lawless one", "that Wicked", "AntiChrist", "liar", "apostasy", and "another", will arise sometime in the future.
Exactly when, we don't know. However, there are some things that must happen before he comes that will help to make him more effective. One of these things is a great "falling away" or apostasy, during which many will lose their faith (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
).
This is better stated in the Interlinear version which translates the Greek word apostasia as apostasy, which means "rebellion" against God or "falling away" from the faith:
While many Bibles call it a "falling away", the more accurate ones call it a "rebellion", "defection", or "revolt", the actual meaning of the word "apostasy":
(Image from first result list on Google for "apostasy definition". More formal definition at
Wikipedia)
This is a direct rebellion against God Himself, not just the lacadaisical, passive attitude of uncaring people. Well, it's easy for me to say these things, but let's see what some others say.
They got it right, except for some of the details
The fact that an Antichrist is coming and his actions will have a direct effect on the entire world seems to have activated the imagination of the world's religious leaders. Since the Bible actually says that something bad is about to happen, many have used some passages in scripture to fabricate escape plans that deny the prophecy of God. Many serious pastors have conjured up a "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" that is supposed to remove the saints from the earth, thus thwarting the persecution that is predicted in the Bible.
How can you call yourself a Christian, and then make up stuff that calls God a liar? There is not one verse or passage in the Bible that even alludes to this "early escape". But, on the other side of the coin, others are, without even being aware of it, making preparations to get the world ready so the Antichrist can easily accomplish his task of leading people astray. People are already believing and acting in ways that are in line with what he is going to ask the world to do. When he actually performs his feat, the "whole world" will follow him. That is the meaning of the statement in Revelation 13:3
3One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.
.
A recent book called Foreshocks of Antichrist, a collaborative work by Grant Jeffrey, Chuck Missler, Dave Breese, Zola Levitt, John Walvoord, and 9 others, has come to our attention. The purpose of this book is to "inform" us of the truth regarding the Antichrist and the events leading up to his appearance on the scene. The quotes are around the word "inform" because the "information" they use is not always corroborated by the Bible, being an opinion based on interpretations that skew the words of the Book and contradict other passages. In the foreword on page 10, the general editor of the book states the following:
The terms apostasy and Antichrist really mean the same thing: a denial that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh to redeem fallen mankind through His shed blood on the old rugged cross at Calvary. Each term represents people's anti-God determination to do what seems right in their own eyes, to march to their own drumbeat in diametrical opposition to God's way.
Starting out with incorrect facts?
They are right about the modern drift into "me-ism" and people starting to "do what seems right in their own eyes". However, they are falling into that "me-ism" by accepting information from unverified sources that provide misleading "facts". Since this book is supposed to give us the truth, why does it use terms that the Bible does not use with regard to the death of Christ? Note the words at the end of the first sentence. This statement has been made including a phrase that is not even in the original language of the manuscripts translated into today's Bibles - "the old rugged cross".
It's there, but who put it there?
Oh, you will find the words "the cross" in most of the Bible versions out there, but the Greek
does not support this. You will also find the word "money" in 1 Corinthians 16:2
2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
, but it is not in the Greek
, so this is no longer surprising to see more popular words used in the modern translations. Even trying to get a good definition requires looking outside the definitions provided by the "Biblical" sites like Bible Hub. Looking at the Greek in their site link
, you see the word "cross" as the english translation for the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23. But looking at the definition for the Greek word for stauron or stauros, you see:
The definition is clearly given as: "stauros: an upright stake", which is followed by a totally incongruous "hence a cross (the Rom. instrument of crucifixion)". What?
Say that again, with a straight face...
For those of you who don't use a lot of KJV English, "hence" means "therefore", as in "Of course, that word "stake" means "a cross". ??? The cross was used as an instrument of "crucifixion" by the Romans until the third or fourth century A.D., past the time of Christ. But the instrument used on Christ is recorded in the Greek as a "stauros" or "stake". They probably should have used the term "stakifixion", but there is no "romance" in that term.
Worse yet, look at the "Short Definition" in the lower part of the box - "a cross" - and the "Definition" below that - "a cross". How blatant can you get? The only thing we don't see here is a pastor statement like "I, the Bible scholar, refuse to believe it was not a cross, so I will make the definition say that I am correct."
There's the real thing...
An even better (more honest) definition came from University of Chicago showing this:
limiting it to the basic definition for "stauros" as "an upright pale", which is a pole, not the "modified" one that fits all the pastors' ideas. So which is it - a stake or a cross? It can't be both.
A little side trip
Jesus died on a "pole" or "stake", not a pagan cross. But, don't take my word for it. The site at Wikipedia has an article that explains the cross concept originating with the "church fathers" as opposed to the use of the stake as defined in the actual words of the Greek. (If you really care to get a more accurate picture, there is more on this subject at Aurthur Frederick Ide's Blog, but be prepared for the complex details).
"Glorify" the weapon?
Worse yet, we decorate our churches and our bodies with crosses as a raising up of the murder weapon used to kill Jesus. And yet, the cross is not really even a valid symbol of Christ. Oh, everyone knows Who is meant by the cross symbol, but that is kind of like saying that "poverty" is a symbol for Donald J. Trump. There is just no link there. But, then again, the way people use the Bible is pretty much the same, saying that a passage means one thing when that meaning contradicts other parts of the Book.
Does anyone even care about the truth any more?
So, does this mean that the authors of the Foreshocks of the Antichrist are some of those about whom they write that are going their own way, in spite of the truth? If you look around, you will see that this apostasy of faith is not just "out there" in the world, but it is in our churches, with our neighbors, on TV, and in the books on our home library shelves. It has become so common that no one even notices it anymore. If you don't care to verify that what you "know" is the truth, then here's hoping that your future is as you want it to be. We will use this information later in this page.
Sorry about the side trip, back to the Antichrist
There are at least 22 Bible passages that sort of describe the man, but more time is spent on what he will do in the future. These give us the only clues we get to determine who he is, or will be. Here is a list of eight of those passages:
Daniel 7:24-27
24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
26 But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.
Daniel 9:27
27He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-10
6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
1 John 2:18
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
1 John 2:22
22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist - denying the Father and the Son
Revelation 13:1-10
1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?"
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 "If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword they will be killed."
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people.
Revelation 19:20
20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
Daniel 7 speaks of the Antichrist, his persecution of the saints, and his eventual end. Daniel 9 speaks of the things he will do during the tribulation times. According to scholars, there are several possible meanings here:
1. Some say that this was accomplished in 168 B.C. by Antiochus Epiphanes when he erected an altar to Zeus on the altar in the Temple of Jerusalem.
2. The destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans
3. The Antichrist's setting himself up in God's Temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4
4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
)
4. That each of these three steps are part of the prophecy and the last one is the final fulfillment.
By the numbers
As for the first one, Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:15-17
15"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house.
tells His listeners to do something when this event takes place in His future, so it couldn't have already happened 200 years earlier.
For number 2, the ruler of the people sent to destroy the temple in 70 A.D. could be in view here, causing by that destruction the end of the sacrifices and that still prevents those sacrifices to this day.
Third, the Man of Lawlessness of 2 Thessalonians 2 and the beast of Revelation 13 are the same person, defying God and persecuting the saints immediately before the return of Christ. This affects other end time "prophecies" (or really, guesses) regarding the supposed seven-year duration of the tribulation (it may only be three-and-one-half years) and the "rapture" that is supposed to happen right before that time.
Fourth, the final events could be an accumulation of the atrocities and will simply be the final blow that Satan attempts in order to end the reign of Christ before the Millennium even starts.
And so on...
The rest of the verses listed give a smattering of the blasphemies he will perform and his eventual end.
So, from the list in the box, we can see that Antichrist is still coming, the Holy people will be delivered into his hands (see Daniel 7 and Revelation 13:7
7It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
), so there can be no "rapture" before Christ comes and kills him. He is a liar, he exalts himself above God, he will work the way Satan works, some like him have already come, people will worship him, he is pompous, the time is short, and he will be defeated in the end. However, as tempting as it is to point at someone who is mean and famous and say, "There he is!", we do not yet have enough to know who he is, or even if he is a single person. The closest we have is the passages that refer to him as the "lawless one", "man of lawlessness", or "that Wicked" (KJV) (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10
3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 63And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
).
But, what about...
Usually, one of these points in the verses above is often ignored, and even denied, by most pastors. The point is in Daniel 7:25
25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
where you find the phrase "the holy people will be delivered into his hands". The hands here are those of the Antichrist, but who are these holy people and how are the pastors ignoring them?
According to the beliefs of most pastors, before the Antichrist arrives and begins his dirty work there will be a removal of all faithful followers (read this as "holy people" or "saints") of Christ from the earth. This stand is called the "pre-tribulation rapture", and it directly contradicts Daniel 7:25
25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
with regard to the Antichrist persecuting the saints. If the "holy people" mentioned in the last paragraph are, indeed, the saints, how could this happen if they were "raptured" before the Antichrist did his thing? Logically, these can not both be true. So, if we have to pick a side to believe...
They create new saints for the persecution...?
Now, to be fair to those who have thought this through up to a point, some believe that the rapture will happen, and those borderline "Christians" left behind will realize their mistake. (Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins made an excellent presentation of this idea in their famous Left Behind series. While I disagree with the concept, the fiction series was an exciting read.) This will somehow immediately transform them into "saints", without any concrete examples of saints around them to emulate, and these will become those saints who are persecuted by the Antichrist.
Another thought is that the "holy ones" could be the Remnant of Jews who have denied that Jesus is the Christ, yet still believe in a coming Messiah, and have the promise of salvation from God (Isaiah 10:22
22Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous.
).
While this makes sense in a very limited way, it sounds like a way to set up a flimsy defense for a non-Biblical doctrine. Why must we have secret ideas that deny the plain text of the Bible, when reading it for what it says and means is straight-forward and easier?
A thought to chew on
Just where do the examples of saints originate? If most of the churches of today do not follow the commands of God, they will not be part of any so-called pre-Trib rapture, or even the real one at Jesus' coming. Only those who do the will of the Father would be taken (Matthew 7:21
21Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
), so all the current self-ordained lawbreaking "saints" would still be here on the earth. The only ones missing, in Jesus' own words elsewhere, would be those everyone called fanatics because they thought the law still mattered to Gentiles. And with today's "Christian" antinomian viewpoint, who would miss them? The world would go on pretty much like before, with the pastors convincing their congregations to "keep on trucking" they way they had been doing all along.
Remember, "the whole world was astonished and followed the beast". (Revelation 13:3)
Not only that, but the world is going to think this guy is the SGW (Smartest Guy in the World) until he turns bad and starts persecuting the real Christians who do not worship him. Then, those "Christians" not now heeding the whole word of God have a chance to realize that the Antichrist is persecuting, at first, only real Christians. Hopefully, they will try to find out what the difference is and get in line with the will of God as described in His word. The Antichrist is going to convince the world that he is the only hope it has. With today's lackadaisical church practices, how tricky will he have to be?
It seems he will be clever enough to convince most of the world, not just "Christians", to follow him (Matthew 24:24
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
). Combine that with the "love of most will grow cold", Matthew 24:12
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
, and where does that leave the world? (again, see Revelation 13:3
3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.
for a hint.) Of course, you and your pastor will not be fooled, right? It will only be all those other churches who don't know what you know...but all of you seem to believe pretty much the same thing. And, if you still think he is right when he persecutes only those other "fanatics"...
There are others, but...
Now, there are some (a considerably smaller segment) pastors who advocate a "Mid-tribulation rapture". They hold that this will happen at some point after tribulation starts but before the second half where God's wrath comes into play. This stand is more in line with Daniel 7:25
25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
, but it begs the question - "Why even consider a rapture other than the one that happens when Jesus returns?" God has promised to protect those who have faith in Him and His Son from "His wrath", so we will be safe if we are truly "in Him". Sure, we may die from the persecution of the Antichrist because of our faith in God, but that is only a loss for this life, not eternal life. Do you remember any other time when a horrible fate awaited some people among whom the Israelites were mingled?
That's right! The exact same situation happened with Moses and the Israelites when they were captive in Egypt. Now, did God "rapture the people out of the way" when He sent the angel of death to kill the firstborn of those who would not submit to the will of God? Nope. He left the ones who obeyed His commands right there and worked around them like only He could have done.
A new phase for the world
Sacrifices will have to start again unless the description of the Feast of Tabernacles is changed before the Millennium starts (Daniel 9:27
27He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.
, he couldn't stop something that is not happening). However, even now, few realize that those sacrifices will not necessarily be the ones for the sins of those raptured at His coming, but those of the "left behind" still living on the earth, because Christ has paid that debt for those who believed and stayed in the will of God. But, remember that the dead and living in Christ will be resurrected and taken up at Christ's return, leaving most of the earth's population behind, those who did not get the point to learn how to get right with God by being obedient and faithful before He comes.
The sacrifices that will start up again will be those commanded by God for the Festivals, which He has never ordered stopped. The list includes burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, and guilt offerings (also called trespass or reparation offerings). It is these types of sacrifices that will be required in the Millennium. (see Zechariah 14:16-21
16Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. 18If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 19This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
20On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty. (emphasis added)
) You can see more on this at the page Sacrifices.
"But, that's legalism..."
And for those who think that following God's commands are just for "legalists", remember that the Israelites in Egypt were told to smear blood on their doorposts - an act of obedience required in addition to their faith - in order to be saved. What would have happened to those who didn't smear the blood on the doorposts so as not to upset those who called them "legalists"?
Any more? How about Noah? He wasn't raptured to save him and his family. Instead, he was saved out of the Wrath by following the commands of God in a very down-to-earth, physical method - an ark. Again, an act of works required along with faith to attain the salvation offered. How long do you think the Israelites and Noah would have lasted had they not "done the works" as a demonstration of their faith? Even though their warnings to the others turned out to be a futile message, their obedience was witnessing to those around them - especially after the rain started.
Sometimes, people don't get the message even when it is right in front of them.
I can't find that one...
Now, the "rapture" as described by most pastors is supposed to be a silent, sneaky one that people will not notice until their plane or bus, with a Christian pilot or driver, crashes. Or, they will wake up in the morning with some loved ones missing. But none of the passages they use for reference are describing an event that is quiet. In fact, the main one they use in 1 Thessalonians has a lot of shouting and horn blasts going on.
What passages do these pastors use as a reference to make these claims? Well, the first one is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
. OK. This is definitely a rapture or being "caught up", even though the word "rapture" does not appear in the Bible. But, look at verses 15 and 16. This will affect those who are still alive and "left until the coming of the Lord". Also, let's read Mark 13:26-27
26 At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. (emphasis added)
.
That sounds like a rapture as well, and notice that it is not a gathering of only those who "wised up and converted later", but of His elect. And, it is not a silent one. The one in Mark 13 one is the "rapture" believers are waiting for, and with all that power and glory, we should expect a chorus of angels and the sound of power. Halleluiah! (or however you spell it.)
"That's not what I want it to say, so..."
Now, again, many pastors say that the two passages above in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and Mark 13:26-27 are two different events in time. Their reasoning varies, but it all centers around a technique used to calm the fears of Christians who don't want to be around during the Tribulation. However, if you read the actual words of the passages, they are both stating events that will happen at the coming of the Lord. It's a pretty sure bet that there is only going to be one of those, and it will be when He said it would happen, at the end of Tribulation, not when we desire it.
Hang in there...
So, gird your loins, friends and neighbors. (In case you are wondering, the loins are between your hips and your ribs on both sides of your spine and belly button. Yeah, surprised me, too.) We will be right here when the Antichrist gets busy. Well, hopefully some of us will have passed away naturally by then.
Based on a pet theory, the "End of the Age" will not begin for a couple of hundred years or so (see the page called The Rapture for details), but I'm doing everything possible to be ready just in case that idea is wrong. The thought is to subtract the current Jewish year number (5780 as of July of 2020) from 6000 (the end of the 6th millennium that hopefully brings the beginning of the Revelation Millennium of the Bible). That leaves a little over 200 years (depending on when you are reading this). We can't be dogmatic, just hopeful.
Even if this is only roughly correct, it shows that there is still time for the third Temple (Ezekiel 40 through 48) to be built so that the sacrifices can start up again before the Antichrist comes to put an end to them. No matter how long it is, if we can hold on through the trials and resist the Antichrist, when Jesus comes at His second coming we will then be truly "raptured" (resurrected if dead or caught up if alive) and spend the rest of eternity with the Lord.
Disagree? Find an error? Contact us at glenjjr@gmail.com and give us your view.
