RISE OF ANTICHRIST TO WORLD POWER

RISE OF ANTICHRIST TO WORLD POWER

• The Steps in His Rise

(Note - In general the order is correct, but we cannot insist on this too dogmatically.)

1. Begins his triumphant march immediately following rapture of church.

Roman Empire with false religion, Gentile Domination, Satan, Spirit

2 Thess. 2:7-8 ARV - Holy Spirit in the Church is the restraining influence. "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 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."

Rev. 6:1-2 Immediately after the rapture of the Church. "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

 2. Politically, he comes as a small figure. (Small i.e. inconspicuous)

Illustration: At 22 Alexander the Great was a petty prince. Four years later he was Master of an Empire and changed the course of history.

Dan. 7:8 "Another horn, a little one." "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things."

Starts as a minor political power.

Rev. 6:1-2 "Conquering and to conquer" "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

 3. Starts at once his ruthless extension of power.

Dan. 7:8, cf. 20, 24 Evidently conquers 3 powers. "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things."

"And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows."

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings."

 Rev. 11:7-8 "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. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."

The Agent of Destruction
This is the beast that ascendeth out of the Abyss. This is the beast of Rev. 13:1; 17:3, 8; 19:19-20; 20:10). This is the Antichrist, the head of the revived Roman Empire.

 Rev. 13:2 "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."

 This hybrid beast—part lion, part bear, part leopard, part dragon—is a composite of the three beasts of Daniel 7:1-6, being itself the nondescript fourth beast of Daniel 7:7. The latter will have gained supremacy over the other three, which seem to represent respectively the western confederacy, the northern confederacy and the eastern confederacy (see notes on Daniel 7).

4. Makes treaty with Jews for seven years.

John 5:43 "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."

Dan. 9:26 "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week."

Antichrist may need money, and this is his way of  obtaining using oil and other products.

Dan. 9:27 getting it. Jews will temporarily accept him as their Messiah. "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined."

 

5. Becomes head of ten-power confederacy (in bounds of ancient Roman Empire) Contains several false religious beliefs.

Rev. 13:1 10 horns "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy."

Rev. 17:12-13 "10 horns which thou sawest are ten kings" "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."

 

6. Extends his power over many countries.

Psa. 110:6 ARV "head over many countries."

Isa. 14:5-6, 16-17 "The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth."

"They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?"

 7. Meets kings of north and south with apparent success. Three kings - Willful King; King of the North; King of South

Dan. 11:40-43 "And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps."

Meaning of "north" and "south"?

cf. Ezek. 38 and 39 (6 "North Quarters")

8. Finally reaches place of world authority.

Rev. 13:7b "Over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."

Political, economic, religious cf. Rev. 17-18

 9. Becomes final "king of Babylon"

Isa. 14:1-15 "King of Babylon"

Rev. 17:9, 11-14, 17

Finally Babylon is a city and also a world system.

 10. The Means of His Rise.

- Chaotic world conditions.

Rev. 6:3-8 Universal war, famine, pestilence, dislocation "And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."

Matt. 24:6-7 Wars and rumors of wars - nation against nation. "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places."

 -He has great personal ability.

Rev. 13:3-4 "Who is like unto this man?"

 -He has the support of Jewish nation.

Dan. 9:27 "Many" "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

 

1. Many great men are Jews.

2. They have a racial solidarity like no other group.

 -He has the influence of apostate Christendom.

Rev. 17:1-5 The Apostate Church rides the Beast. "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

- He has Satanic power.

Satan gives his power, throne, and his authority what he once offered Christ, he now gives to his willing servant.

Rev. 13:2 "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."

 -He has also Divine providential control.

Psa. 75:6-7 "He puts down one, and sets up another, but God is the Judge."

cf. Rev. 14:8-10 Heaven may be in a Northerly direction; cf. also Isa. 14:13.

-The Chronology of His Rise.

Beginning of public career follows rapture of church.

2 Thess. 2:7 A dateless event. "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way."

 

His treaty with Jews will mark beginning of Daniel's 70th week of years. Dan. 9:27 "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

We cannot be dogmatic about the time between beginning of public career and treaty with Jews.

Probably occurs near or at the same time.

But we know he will reach the height of his power in middle of 70th week.