Bible Warns of Apostasy and Persecution: Birth Pang 7

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Last time, we discussed the global unification that’s coming, one that will ultimately be led and controlled by Satan’s spiritual son, Antichrist. Interestingly, just after the publication of that, I came across an article in which a top advisor to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated the following:

Climate change is a hoax developed as part of a secret plot by the United Nations to undermine democracies and takeover the world…

He went on to say…

This is not about facts or logic. It’s about a new world order under the control of the UN…

And also stated…

It is opposed to capitalism and freedom and has made environmental catastrophism a household topic to achieve its objective.

Again, this is a top advisor to the Australian PM. Meanwhile, here in the United States, newly appointed DOJ head, Loretta Lynch, has indicated that she has discussed referring climate deniers to the FBI for investigation. So intent are the Elite in commandeering society and foisting the type of change they desire on it, that they are willing to use America’s DOJ as one of their henchman. Rather than backing down, they continue full steam ahead.

The point is simply this. Regardless of how much people push back against the hoax that is called “climate change” or “global warming,” the truth is that this world will need to – one way or another – come together as one, as a unified global system of governance. This is clearly spelled out in Scripture and it doesn’t matter how people might object to the plan. It is destined to happen.

Look what occurred under dictators like Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Pol Pot, and too many others to count. They managed to get people to turn in their guns and got them to “trust” the Gestapo, the Brown Shirt Squad or whatever other means these dictators used to control the masses. Stop and consider that it was really a handful of fearful men who somehow forced entire societies to do it their way…or else. Think about that and the ramifications of it and how much these dictators were able to accomplish all because people did not come together as one or refuse to obey. Most wound up losing their lives anyway.

The world will become one and even though more people are willing to state that climate change/global warming is a huge lie concocted by the Elite who use the UN and then the United States to push their agenda, the world will still become one. Even if it becomes impossible for the Elite to continue to push the fallacy of climate change, they’ll simply switch gears and use something else, though they have much invested in the climate change hoax. Plans like Agenda 21 depend too much on it. It’s all getting too big to ignore and too expensive to switch out for something else so it may well be that the UN and other groups will continue to push the climate change lie because that’s all they really have. So far, in spite of the push back from people and groups alike opposed to the UN’s agendas, climate change and Agenda 21 continue unabated pushing global society to a one-world government.

But let’s move on with Birth Pang #8, which is the Rise of the Antichrist as noted in the chart. The Bible paints a fairly detailed picture of the Antichrist. While some believe the “Antichrist” is essentially a spirit that undergirds what is happening in society and found in those who oppose God (it is, as stated in 1 John 4:3), it is also more than that. It always starts at the spiritual level, but that is not where it ends. In order to see a fully detailed picture of the man who is fully empowered by the spirit born of Satan, the entirety of God’s Word must be seen and understood. Unfortunately, space does not permit us to look at every portion of Scripture that highlights the spiritually endowed man the world will see as the Antichrist. There are simply too many portions of the Bible that deal with him.

For this article, we will look at a few of the more commonly understood portions of Scripture that reveal the man to us, a man who is absolutely spiritually endowed from below by his spiritual father, Satan.

Let’s look at Daniel 24b.

…but he will be different from the earlier ones. He will humiliate three kings.

We’ve already dealt with this passage previously. It highlights the fact that there will be ten kings at some future point who will be given authority to rule. This “different” one will not be part of the original ten kings, but will rise up among them (as the 11th). He will “humiliate” or “uproot” three of the original kings, so that only 7 of the original kings are left. This makes him the 8th. The main difference between this guy and the original ten is the power he is endowed with, which comes from Satan himself. To be sure, the original ten kings have some power, but this “different” king will be fully empowered by Satan and that is the needed difference.

Let’s look at another passage, 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4.

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.

It goes without saying that people allegorize this passage as they do with many others, but there is nothing in the text or context that would demand such an interpretive view. There is no reason why this text should not be taken literally and by literally, I simply mean that it should be taken in its most plain and ordinary sense, just as we do in general conversation.

Paul is speaking of a particular person who will one day arrive on the scene to head up the final “beast” empire. This man is described by Paul as “the man of lawlessness” and “the son of destruction.” In verse 4 Paul uses the pronoun “he” specifying one particular individual.

The last part of verse 4 is where people tend to go whole hog in allegorizing the text. Some take that portion of the verse to mean that Satan will take up residence in “God’s temple,” which they take to mean the human heart. They gather this from Paul’s assertion that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 6:19. While this is certainly true, it is also clear (or should be) from other portions of Scripture that this coming “man of lawlessness” is a real person who will live and who will lead the final version of the fourth “beast” empire first revealed in Daniel 2.

In fact, it is also clear from Jesus Himself that He warned people to be on the lookout for this man of lawlessness. In His Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24, Jesus explains that one day, a leader would appear on the world’s stage who will do exactly what someone else did in 168 BC, by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Then, this leader walked into the Holy of Holies of the existing Jewish Temple, sprinkled pig’s blood on the altar and erected a statue of Zeus. Some historians also believe Epiphanes placed a mask of his own face over that of Zeus. He was literally declaring himself to be a god and demanded that Jews of that time period worship him. This caused the Maccabean Revolt and the event that led up to it, perpetrated by Epiphanes, became known as the “abomination that desolates.”

This is exactly what Jesus referred to in His Olivet Discourse. We see that in Matthew 24:15-28. Jesus is referring back to the historical event from 168 BC to let His listeners (and we, the readers), that another event like it would occur toward the end of this age, during the coming Tribulation period. Please note that this coming “abomination of desolation” will occur just prior to the physical return of Jesus (Matthew 24:29-31).

I believe that this is also what Paul is referring to in his letter to the Thessalonian believers. He is fleshing out more of what Jesus taught by telling them that one specific man, fully empowered by Satan to bring the world together as final leader of Gentile world powers.

And the whole world followed the beast in amazement; 4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” (Revelation 13:3b-4)

In Paul’s text above – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, note that he uses the same type of explanation that Jesus used in His Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. Paul says that “He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.” This is far more than a spiritual problem, though it starts there. Paul is telling us that one day, a spiritual fraud to the highest degree will duplicate what Antiochus Epiphanes IV did in 168 BC. The Antichrist will actually sit in the Temple asserting that he is god. For him to do this, another Temple or part of one will need to be rebuilt.

Jesus is saying the exact same thing.

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation—spoken about by Daniel the prophet—standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains (Matthew 24:15-16).

If this was only a “spiritual” problem, there would be no physical need to physically run to the hills to get out of harm’s way. In fact, how would physically running away protect a person spiritually? Jesus is speaking here of protecting a person’s physical life. Within the context here, please note that all this happens as the world moves toward the end of the Tribulation and the physical return of Jesus to establish His Millennial Reign on earth.

The coming Antichrist is a very real person, one who will be thoroughly empowered by Satan himself. Remember, Satan will attempt to create a counterfeit Trinity during the Tribulation. Most will be so amazed they will succumb to emotional virtue and see everything that Antichrist does as truth instead of lies.

If there was no physical Antichrist coming to this world, there would be no need for the world to see a globally unified system of governance as we are seeing. In truth, the coming final world order is at our doorstep because Satan is being given the chance to rule over it as God. He will choose a physical human being to fully empower with his supernatural abilities as leader of this final global empire. While the spiritual ramifications of this coming empire are huge, the fact remains that it will be a physical manifestation of Satan’s promise to be “like the Most High” in human form as the Antichrist.

Yes, Satan is the god of this age and the ruler of the powers of the air, and he has always been such since the fall of humanity. However, he has never had a global kingdom that he has total control over with a direct connection to a human being, one who will be so completely empowered as will the Antichrist. No other dictator before the Antichrist will have ever reached the position Antichrist reaches or accomplishes what he is able to accomplish. Satan will be putting all of his eggs in that one basket.

We’ll deal with Birth Pang #8 next time.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective