>>Who
is the Anti-Christ
By Mark S Watson
http://www.markswatson.com/acwho.htm
Posted on this site March 27
2005
Updated 9/18/2003)This is an
important question many teachers and scholars have attempted to
answer for a long time. This paper will not attempt to give a name
to the individual in question who is, all probability, alive today.
Who he is, is of less importance to genuine Christians than as to
what he does and to a lesser degree, where he comes from. Here we
will look into these issues.
This paper is not an exercise
in political correctness, however it is not written to create
dissension in the body of Christ. This is being written because most
people that claim Christ as their savior will not be able to
recognize him when he comes. This is why Jesus Christ emphasized
watching with such a repetitious determination. This one of Christ’s
most oft repeated warnings to the believers that live at the end of
the age. What are we to watch for? The signs of Christ’s coming, and
we can only know what to watch for by studying (not just reading)
God's word.
The study of the end times is
probably one of the most important undertakings any Christian can do
right now. The study of salvation, grace and love are foundational
principles and they are most important. However, Paul called these
doctrines milk, clearly meaning that they were for spiritual
children, no... spiritual infants for only infants drink milk as
their primary diet. An infant does not know his right hand from his
left. He does not know who to trust and will be carried away by any
stranger to God knows where.
This describes the Church
today. People who are spiritually infants (perhaps not even
regenerated) who have no idea what the all the concern about Bible
prophecy is all about. Sometimes, they even have the temerity to
condemn those who study it and warn from it, as Christ so often did.
Therefore this paper is both a study and a warning, lest we be like
the Pharisees of Christ’s time that did not want to see the hour of
their visitation, and were condemned to hell for it.
Ye serpents, ye generation of
vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
(Mat 23:33)
Notice who the entire chapter
(Matt 23) is addressed to, it is the Pharisees (priests) and the
Scribes (those charged with copying and translating) the scriptures.
It was to the religious establishment. Here is a key that so many
teachers miss, that religious establishment got it wrong and were
effectively cast out of the kingdom for their error in the prophetic
interpretations. Therefore we should…
And take heed to yourselves, lest
at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares.
(Luk 21:34)
and
For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. (Rom
11:21)
Yes, these warnings are for the
Church. Christ and Paul are telling you something in the plainest
language there is. It is up to the modern day deceivers to change
the meaning of these words and then tell you these warnings are not
for the church... and certainly not for you.
Who is the Antichrist?
He is also known as the man of
sin (2Thes 2:3);
The Assyrian (Isaiah 10:5-FF,
31:8-ff; Micah 5:5-ff)
The King Of Babylon – (Isaiah
14:4-ff)
The Little Horn – Daniel 7:8-24
The Son of Perdition (2Thes
2:3)
This is not an exhaustive list as
he is also called the wicked, the Beast and the King of the North.
These titles are clues that assist the student in determining not so
much the identity of the person but his character his actions and
the system he rules over. They are keys for the watchful so they
will not be taken in by the deceitfulness of the Antichrist…and he
will be most deceitful. He is going to fool just about everybody.
The Antichrist will arise out
of a system of ten kings.
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. 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.
And I saw one of his heads as it
were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the
world wondered after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon which
gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who
is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 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.
And he opened his mouth in
blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle,
and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war
with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over
all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 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.
If any man have an ear, let him
hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he
that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is
the patience and the faith of the saints. 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.
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. And 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.
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. 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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the
number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number
is Six hundred threescore and six. (Rev
13:1-18)
Here, in this verse on can see
that there is a system in place a system that has ten kings and has
the attributes of beasts (empires). The question here is this; is he
referring to beasts empires, the attributes of which make up this
Antichrist system, as empires of the past or co-existent with the
antichrist? Here is a thought, unlike tradition that says these
empires are Assyria, Babylon Greece and Rome, What if they are the
same entities from Daniel Chapter 7 being:
-The Lion (UK)
-The Bear (Russia)
-The Leopard (Germany) -
Dominion given to it by the four allied powers after WWII
(Russia, Britain France and the US)
-The dreadful Fourth Beast
It is the wings that came out of
the Lion that stood up as a man (out of the LION) that is
interesting here and this could be referring to America look
carefully as the wings come out of the lion; as America came out of
England and later the symbol of a man in very much associated with
America (Uncle Sam) who would then be the key part of the system of
the dreadful forth beast).
I am not saying that traditions is
wrong per-se here, it is just that the similarities are too stark to
ignore and that there may be a dual fulfillment here that many have
missed. The important thing to remember is that these are kingdoms
that SHALL ARISE (Dan 7:17), and the traditional interpretation has
one entities in the past from Daniel. How can anyone think that the
most powerful, no...far
and away the most powerful
military and nation that has ever existed
could not be mentioned in
scripture? Yet this
is what the shepherds of America have been teaching for over 100
years!
This system is mentioned both
here in Revelation and also in the book of the Daniel. Many have
taught that this is a revival of the Roman empire. This view, while
seemingly sound, if looked at very closely does not stand up to the
closest of scrutiny. This usually comes form the belief that the ten
toes of Daniel (Chapter 2) corresponding to the Ten horns/Kings of
Daniel and revelation. This however does not necessarily tell of any
revived roman empire but speaks of the empire itself when Christ
arrived and set up the Kingdom Of God. For Daniel’s interpretation
is clear that is in the days of these kings God will set up
his kingdom.
Indeed this is an important verse often used by those who teach the
a-millennial and post-millennial view of prophecy. For Christ did
come in the time of the ten-toed (Roman) kingdom and he
did set up
his kingdom on earth.
And when he was demanded of the
Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and
said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
(Luk 17:20)
And he said unto them, Verily I say
unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or
brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
(Luk 18:29)
And as they heard these things, he
added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and
because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately
appear.
(Luk 19:11)
For the kingdom of God is not meat
and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
(Rom 14:17)
For the kingdom of God is not in
word, but in power.
(1Co 4:20)
Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind,
(1Co 6:9)
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom
of God.
(1Co 6:10)
Now this I say, brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption.
(1Co 15:50)
Here we can see that Jesus Christ
came preaching the Kingdom Of God, the kingdom that eventually
destroyed Rome. Therefore the ten toes in the vision of Daniel and
the final ten kings of the end of the age in Rev 13 do not seem to
me to be the same and therefore probably do not constitute revival
of the Roman Empire. However, there are many teachers who give some
excellent scripturally based arguments that the ten toes of this
image is actually the end time 10 kings of Daniel and Revelation (to
be discussed later in this article) and thus this passage refers to
the final manifestation of the earth's 'beast' government. This
author does not dispute this possibility, only that a so-called
revival of the Roman Empire does not seem to be indicated in this
passage.
In fact if there is any empire that
seems to fill the parameters set down by Daniel it is the Greek
Empire. This is because the little horn rises in the latter time of
their kingdom.
And in the latter time of their
kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of
fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand
up.(Dan
8:23)
If one looks at this entire
chapter one can see that here he is not speaking of Rome but of
Greece. For the verses before this describe in the minutest detail,
the kingdom of Alexander the Great, his empire, his death and the
division of his kingdom. It is Greece, not Rome that it is stated
that in the latter time of THEIR kingdom, these things begin to
happen, describing the person and work of the Antichrist. If there
is any 'revival here, it is a revival of A Greek civilization, the
civilization that brought us democracy and much of western culture.
However, it must be clearly stated
the end times system does have a ten king system in place this is
clear from Revelation 13:1-18 and 17:12-14. It just is not the ten
toes that Daniel spoke of, or as it is interpreted a revived Roman
Empire. This is often taken to be the New European Union, which now
has 15 members and is ready to take on ten more making the number
25. This should show any reasonable person that this interpretation
is fallacious and needs to be re-examined, God is not confused, but
many so-called prophecy teachers are. Yet so many simply persist in
what is showing itself to be an embarrassment. Indeed, one must
wonder why these teachers persist in this teaching.
These men, who invariably are part
of America's multi-billion dollar religion business, are pointing
the worlds Christians in the wrong direction.
Another important aspect of the
above verses is the nature of this beast, it has the names of
blasphemy on it. It mocks the living God and his Christ. The trend
in the world today is clearly moving in that direction. One need
only to look at modern American TV to see how Christians and God are
portrayed. This spirit of blasphemy is real and it is ever
increasing. This is one a key clue Christians should take heed when
assessing a system, government, organization or corporation that is
under the control of the Beast. It will mock Christians and Jesus
Christ and seek to undermine the values and principles laid out in
the word of God. The end-times system will be the epitome of
blasphemy, and it will eventually severely persecute the saints of
God.
***************************
In the first year of Belshazzar
king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his
bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the
four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great
beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was
like a lion, and had eagle's wings:
I beheld till the wings thereof
were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand
upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And
behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up
itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between
the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much
flesh.
After this I beheld, and lo
another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of
a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast,
dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron
teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with
the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were
before it; and it had ten horns.
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. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and
the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and
the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the
fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
A fiery stream issued and came
forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was
set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice
of the great words which the horn spoke: I beheld even till the
beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning
flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion
taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
I saw in the night visions, and,
behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and
came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed.
I Daniel was grieved in my spirit
in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I
came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of
all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the
things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which
shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High
shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even
forever and ever.
Then I would know the truth of the
fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding
dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which
devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
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 spoke very great things, whose look was more
stout than his fellows.
I beheld, and the same horn made
war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient
of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High;
and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he
said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which
shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole
earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
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. And he shall speak great words against the most
High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a
time and times and the dividing of time.
But the judgment shall sit, and
they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto
the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is the end of
the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and
my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
(Dan 7:1-28)
Here notice that the ten horns are
in the beasts head (a clear difference inferred, from the ten toes
of Daniel Chapter 2 which are toes located on the feet of the
image). Notice that this fourth beast is diverse, (different) than
any of the previous beast and it treads down the whole earth. Here
we see that the little horn (Antichrist) comes up AFTER the ten
kings come to power and that he will subdue, three of the ten kings
on the beasts head. Here we can also see that the beast overcomes
and prevails against the saints of God Until Christ comes back
again. Notice here that the wording is very carefully different here
than the Daniel Chapter two, there we see that the God sets up his
kingdom in the days of the ‘ten toes’. However here in Daniel
Chapter 7 we notice that the saints actually have been given the
kingdom of the Beast and the power of judgment. The old beast is
actually destroyed by God. Another very important point is that
these beasts are future from Daniel, Verse 17 clearly states this.
This important point throws many traditional interpretations out of
the window.
The fact that the ten horns are
on the head of the Beast lines up perfectly with the ten Crowns of
Revelation 13, as they too are located on the head of the beast. So
we will have a ten-king/horned system of government or empire in as
the final form of secular/satanic government on earth just before
Christ returns. This beast will encompass elements of the four
Beasts, the Lion, Leopard, Bear and the dreadful fourth kingdom into
its kingdom. This the final formation of the ten kings and Four
beast system that the Antichrist will reign over or a short time.
The Antichrist when he arrives will cause
everyone on earth, not just in selected regions, as some teach, to
receive a mark on his right hand or forehead. In this one action one
can recognize the person and work of Antichrist. While it is
actually the false prophet that actually causes people to take the
mark, the mark itself is based on the Antichrist's name and the
worship (pledge of allegiance) to him and his government. In this
mark is a riddle that requires wisdom that being the number of his
name which comes up to six hundred, sixty and six
(600 60 6).
This number will not be
obvious and it will require wisdom to understand it when it arrives.
Those who do not have this wisdom will not recognize it for what it
is, The mark of the beast that grants
ANY WHO TAKE IT A ONE WAY, NON
REFUNDABLE, NONNEGOTIABLE, NON-DISPOSABLE TICKET TO THE LAKE OF
FIRE.
The scripture says that is the
number of a man that man being the one world leader of the Beast
system.
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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding
count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and
his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
(Rev
13:16-18)
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, The
same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be
tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up forever 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. Here is the patience of the saints: here are
they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
(Rev
14:9-12)
Look at the Roman numerals at
the base of the pyramid and you get this.
Many people will have a problem
with this identification. If so, I can only say that the American
Spirit is a spirit of religion. It is the religion of
Masonic, humanistic occultism, it is a tenet of faith for most
Americans and like a talisman or a magical incantation, the word
America and FAITH in its institutions are the foundations of most
Americans basic belief systems.
In other words, Americanism is a
religion.
American Christians are no exception because most have subordinated
their love for this Masonic system to their professed love for
Christ. Many cannot see the clearly occult significance of the Great
Seal, they cannot see the Antichrist spirit rising in America, or if
they do, they make excuses for it. They cannot see because it has
not been given
for them to see:
He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven, but to them it is not given.
(Mat 13:11)
Many shall be purified, and made
white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the
wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
(Dan
12:10)
Remember this as well, in
Daniel there is an event that is very similar to the coming mark of
the beast; there was the worship of an image and those that did not
worship were to be killed and the number 6 figures in prominently.
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an
image of gold, whose height was sixty
cubits, and its breadth six cubits. He set it up in the
plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the
king sent to gather together the satraps, the prefects, the
governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the justices,
and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of
the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Then were gathered the satraps, the
prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges,
the justices, and all the officials of the provinces, to the
dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And
they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then a
herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and
languages, at the time you hear the sound of the
horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, bagpipe,
and all kinds of music, you shall fall down
and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
And whoever does not fall down and worship, at that moment they
will be thrown into the middle of a burning fiery furnace.
Therefore at that time, when all
the people heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre,
harp, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the
languages, fell down and worshiped the golden image that
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then at that time certain
Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to
King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever.
You, O king, have made a decree
that every man who shall hear the sound of the
horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and the bagpipe, and
all kinds of music, shall
fall down and worship the golden image.
And whoever does not fall down and worship, he should be thrown into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are men, Jews, whom you
have set over the business of the province of Babylon, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego.
These men, O king, do not heed you.
They do not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you
have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in anger and wrath commanded them
to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these
men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them, Is it
true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Do you not serve my gods, nor
worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if you are ready,
at the time you hear the sound of the horn,
the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and bagpipe, and all
kinds of music, fall down and worship the image which I have made.
But if you do not worship, in that moment you shall be thrown into
the middle of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that god who shall
deliver you out of my hand? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered
and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to return a
word to you on this matter.
If it is so that our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, then He
will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be
known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship
the golden image which you have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar was
filled with wrath, and the form of his face was changed against
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they
should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
And he commanded mighty men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, and to throw them into the burning fiery furnace.
Then these men were tied up in
their slippers, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other
clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the burning fiery
furnace. Then because the king's commandment was urgent, and the
furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who
took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of
the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed.
And he rose up in haste and spoke and said to his advisers, Did we
not throw three men bound into the middle of the fire?
They answered and said to the king,
True, O king. He answered and said, Behold! I see four men loose,
walking in the middle of the fire, and there is no harm among them.
And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Then
Nebuchadnezzar came near the door of the burning fiery furnace. He
answered and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the
Most High God, come forth and come here.
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, came forth from the middle of the fire. And the satraps,
the prefects, the governors, and the king's advisers gathered and
saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power (and the hair of
their head was not scorched, nor were their slippers changed, nor
had the smell of fire clung on them).
Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said,
Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent
His Angel and has delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and
have changed the king's words and have given their bodies that they
might not serve nor worship any god except their own God. And a
decree is given by me, that every people, nation, and language, who
speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, shall be made into mere members, and his house shall be
made an outhouse. Because there is no other God who can deliver in
this way. Then the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prosper
in the province of Babylon.
(Dan 3:1-30)
There are several things to
notice here. The DIMENSIONS of the image were 60 and 6. Second there
are six instruments listed that were to be played at the
worship of this image. It takes a divine revelation to see the
occult nature of our own national 'image'. It requires wisdom, it
requires understanding, and most Christians will not see because
they do not want to see because
it assaults their religion of Americanism.
Remember this, it is not coincidence that this compulsory worship
takes place in
ANCIENT BABYLON.
This event in Daniel Chapter
three was a preview of the coming mark of the beast. Remember what
John the Apostle said in the book of Revelation; It will require
wisdom and understanding it will
not
be a giant 666. The scriptures are most specific the actual number,
is not
666, but
600, 60 and 6 (chi
xi stigma)
. The above diagram gives the
exact number given in the scripture! There is a mystery and a some
sort of calculation or conundrum must be solved:
Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath
understanding
count
the number of the
beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number
[is] Six hundred threescore [and]
six.
(Rev
13:18)
The antichrist will master money
and wealth of the earth using his mark as a tool of control for no
one will be able to buy or sell unless he has this mark on his right
hand or his forehead. Here is going to be the ultimate test for
‘Christians’ who are serving mammon rather than Christ in the last
days. This verse has an important exhortation in it as well; 'here
is the patience of the saints'. What is he telling us here? Simple
that things are going to get very difficult for believers and that
keeping ones faith in Christ will require patience. Mammon is going
to demand its allegiance and a mans soul, just like Jesus said;
No man
can serve
two masters:
for either
he will
hate the
one, and
love the
other; or
else he
will hold
to the
one, and
despise the
other. Ye
cannot serve
God and
mammon.
(Mat 6:24)
Jesus said that you CAN NOT do it.
As the saying goes today ‘what part of NOT don’t you
understand? Here we can see that when the system of mammon fails,
and a Global economic collapse is right now in progress, those who
serve it will be tempted, and a strong temptation it will be, into a
new system in order to keep what little wealth they have remaining.
The new system will use a form of currency that people have not
really used before, at least not on such a scale. Money will almost
certainly be electronic and people will have to put their FAITH in
the digital-beast money and the people that run it, rather than in
the God that made all things.
The system that will be ushered
in will have many aspects that will entice people to accept it. It
will remove the underground economies of the world, it will allow
governments to track criminal proceeds better, it will do way with
drug money laundering, monetary punishments for crimes will have
more effect as no one can stash cash away for a rainy day. There
will be many reasons why such a system will sell itself to the
people of the Beast kingdom. But most of all the two most important
motivators that move the Devils children will case them to accept
it, greed and fear.
The antichrist will have
control wealth and Daniel says about him that
But in his estate shall he honor
the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he
honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant
things.
(Dan 11:38)
and
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.
(Dan 11:43)
Here we can see that wealth is
something that the Antichrist is after, as he is the living
breathing personification of the spirit of Mammon, which is Satan
himself. However, the leadership of the earth knows that no one will
accept such a system unless there is some sort of tragedy or crisis.
Look at what happened after 911; anti-terrorist legislation was
passed with extreme swiftness, legislation that the members of the
house HAD NOT EVEN READ before they voted on it. The bill had almost
certainly been written before the attacks, then a crisis occurred
(or was manufactured) to bring about the desired results, that being
the destruction of Constitutional protections for American citizens.
This is how the mark of the
beast will certainly be brought about. A crisis of such a magnitude
will occur that will cause people to accept the new system without
really thinking about it or considering all the ramifications, just
like the US Congress did after 911. A Global banking crisis that
closes the banking system down for several weeks (no ATM’s, checks
are not honored, no charge cards, paper money worthless, etc) would
case the people of the earth to bow before the beast with lightning
speed in order to eat. This is the patience of the saints, as they
will not be able to participate in the devils system and remain
saints. Many Christians are hard-headed and will not listen to the
witness of the scripture or the witness of Gods true prophets and
will be cast alive into the lake of fire when they put their faith
in mammon (Antichrist) rather than God and take the mark.
The King of Babylon
One enigma that has fascinated me
is the the King of Babylon. He is identified in the book of Isaiah
as being an opponent of God. Yet God identifies another, more
important
spiritual power
which is the real King of Babylon. The Book of Isaiah talks about
the King of Babylon and identifies him in all his spiritual
wickedness. You will find the Proverb against the king of Babylon in
Isaiah Chapter 14 versus 4-23. He is violent (vs. 6) he has power
over nations (vs. 6). He is pompous (vs. 11) there is rejoicing
when he falls (vs. 8). He winds up in hell (vs. 9) his name is
Lucifer (vs. 12) He is arrogant enough to think he can be like God
(vs. 13) he shakes kingdoms, (vs. 16) he destroys the entire planet
(vs. 17). More descriptions of this spiritual entity can be found
in the book of Ezekiel, Chapter 28 Verses 12-19. Here we have more
information He was the Anointed Cherub (High ranking angel) (vs.
14), he was actually in the Garden of Eden (vs 13) he was perfect
(Gods Opinion! vs 15) be was beautiful (vs 17) and he’ll will be
destroyed for all to see (vs 18-19).
Lucifer is the King of Babylon. It
is Lucifer who deceives the planet into serving him. From this
scriptural understanding of the real power behind Babylon, we can
determine that Babylon is a Luciferian system. It is the Devil's
Kingdom top to bottom. It is founded in iniquity and sin and is
destined for destruction. Because Mystery Babylon holds such an
important place in the book of revelation it seems a very strong
probability that the Antichrist will arise from this Mystery Babylon
system or at the very least, the remains of it. I say remains
because the 10 kings burn her (Mystery Babylon) with fire and thus
come into full power with the Beast, There is an enigma here that
has yet to be fully ascertained. The fact that the entire system
before and after the destruction of Babylon is Luciferian is, I
believe, an extremely important point. The King of Babylon (its
ruler, temporal and spiritual) is an important piece of the
prophetic puzzle. Today, George Bush is not only the the President
of the US but by international law he is also the King of Ancient
Babylon (Iraq). Thus we have America deeply associated with Babylon.
This verse must be applied to the
very end of the age because if we note here; after the Antichrist is
destroyed, the Earth is at rest (vs. 7). Hence the dirge against the
King of Babylon has to apply to some future date as the conditions
described here have never happened on earth before. The kings of
Babylon is described as striking the nations with a continuous
stroke. In words he is extremely violent and cruel. While the
passage used here from verse 12 to verse 14 describe Lucifer as the
spiritual entity, verse 16 describes the man (Hebrew 'ÎYSH',
meaning man or male person). This shows that there is a human
connected with the office of the King of Babylon. He is Satanic to
the core and is in all probability a key part of the Antichrist
system if he is not the Antichrist himself. What is most interesting
about this dirge is that later on the prophet refers to the Assyrian
in the same context as being destined for destruction. Here the
destruction will take place in the land of the Lord (my land, i.e.,
Israel, Verse 25). This destruction almost certainly is a result of
the Assyrian's attempt to invade Israel. So we have the King of
Babylon and
the Assyrian associated with Lucifer, whose power extends over the
whole earth, (Vs. 6 and verse 26). God wants to make the certainty
of their future destruction as clear as possible.
For the
LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who
shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn
it back?
(Isa 14:27)
The Assyrian is a very
important prophetic entity and under no circumstances should his
end-time roll be ignored. Repeatedly he is mentioned in conjunction
with an invasion of Jerusalem and the return of the Messiah.
Woe unto them that decree
unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write perverseness; to
turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people
of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may
make the fatherless their prey! And what will ye do in the day of
visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom
will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? They
shall only bow down under the prisoners, and shall fall under the
slain.
For all this his anger is not
turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. Ho Assyrian,
the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine
indignation! I will send him against a profane nation, and against
the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil,
and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the
streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so;
but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a
few.
For he saith, Are not my princes
all of them kings? Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as
Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? As my hand hath found the
kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images did excel them of
Jerusalem and of Samaria; shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria
and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? Wherefore it shall
come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work
upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the
stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high
looks.
For he hath said, By the strength
of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have
understanding: and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and
have robbed their treasures, and like a valiant man I have brought
down them that sit on thrones: and my hand hath found as a nest the
riches of the peoples; and as one gathereth eggs that are forsaken,
have I gathered all the earth: and there was none that moved the
wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped.
Shall the axe boast itself against
him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him
that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, or
as if a staff should lift up him that is not wood. Therefore will
the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and
under his glory there shall be kindled a burning like the burning of
fire. And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy
One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his
briers in one day. And he will consume the glory of his forest,
and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and it shall be as
when a standard-bearer fainteth.
And the remnant of the trees of his
forest shall be few, so that a child may write them. And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that
are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him
that smote them, but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of
Israel, in truth. A remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob,
unto the mighty God. For though thy people, Israel, be as the sand
of the sea, only a remnant of them shall return: a destruction is
determined, overflowing with righteousness. For a full end, and that
determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, make in the midst of
all the earth.
Therefore thus saith the Lord,
Jehovah of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not
afraid of the Assyrian, though he smite thee with the rod, and lift
up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For yet
a very little while, and the indignation against thee shall be
accomplished, and mine anger shall be directed to his
destruction. And Jehovah of hosts will stir up against him a
scourge, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and
his rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up after the
manner of Egypt.
And it shall come to pass in that
day, that his burden shall depart from off thy shoulder, and his
yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed by reason of
fatness. He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron; at
Michmash he layeth up his baggage; they are gone over the pass; they
have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah trembleth; Gibeah of Saul
is fled. Cry aloud with thy voice, O daughter of Gallim! hearken, O
Laishah! O thou poor Anathoth! Madmenah is a fugitive; the
inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
This very day shall he halt at Nob:
he shaketh his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill
of Jerusalem. Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, will lop the
boughs with terror: and the high of stature shall be hewn down, and
the lofty shall be brought low. And he will cut down the thickets of
the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
(Isa 10:1-34)
Notice the path the Assyrian
takes on his way to Jerusalem and the cities he passes through. The
indignation spoken of here is very much in keeping with the
indignation of Daniel.
And the king shall do according to
his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above
every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of
gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished:
for that that is determined shall be done.
(Dan 11:36)
Here Daniel is discussing the
future King of the North which is generally associated with the man
of sin. See also Isaiah 26:20. The Assyrian is strongly associated
with an indignation and the overthrow of Jerusalem.
He is also mentioned most
clearly in the book of Micah. The verses here show here, as those in
Isaiah, a real lust for treasure and honor. Micah also discusses the
Assyrian in vivid detail with specific reference to the Messiah.
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,
[though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of
thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel;
whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.
Therefore will he give them up,
until the time [that] she which travaileth hath brought forth: then
the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of
Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in
the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide:
for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
And this [man] shall be the
peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he
shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven
shepherds, and eight principal men. And they shall waste the land of
Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances
thereof: thus shall he deliver [us] from the Assyrian, when he
cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. And
the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew
from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for
man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
(Mic 5:2-6)
Yes, the Assyrian is a key
figure in end-time prophecy, yet to hear so many teachers today, you
would never know it. But each of these verses make it clear that
Jerusalem is the military target of the Assyrians rage. Something
happens that rises the ire of the Assyrian. (please cross reference
with Isaiah 17:1).
And in that day will I make
Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden
themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of
the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the
LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with
madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will
smite every horse of the people with blindness.
And the governors of Judah shall
say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem [shall be] my
strength in the LORD of hosts their God. In that day will I make the
governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a
torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round
about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be
inhabited again in her own place, [even] in Jerusalem.
The LORD also shall save the tents
of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory
of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify [themselves] against
Judah. In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of
Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as
David; and the house of David [shall be] as God, as the angel of the
LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I
will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
And I will pour upon the house of
David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace
and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have
pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his]
only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in
bitterness for [his] firstborn. In that day shall there be a great
mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley
of Megiddon.
(Zec 12:3-11)
Notice this passage of
Scripture clearly makes reference to the Messiah at the time of this
battle for Jerusalem, Also notice this key point that there will be
great mourning in Jerusalem, and that the mourning will be like the
day King Josiah was killed in the Valley of Megiddo (the same place
that the armies of the battle of Armageddon are to be gathered in
the future). This weeping will be for the Messiah, who was wrongly
put to death. Also, many nations are coming against Jerusalem and in
the Isaiah prophecy above we notice that the Assyrian has gathered
many nations with him in his battle. While this passage does not
specifically mention the Assyrian by name, it seems to be consistent
with the other quoted verses that do mention it.
I believe that it is the
Assyrian Branch of the divided Greek empire that will
give rise to the man of sin. Remember that when Alexander's empire
was divided it went to four generals.
-
Syria went to Seleucus
-
Egypt went to Ptolomy
-
Cassander ruled Greece
-
Lysimachus ruled Asia Minor
Watch this region of the world,
my studies point to this as being the cradle of antichrist.
Occult Theocracy
There will be an occult/demonic
aspect to the entire system that the Antichrist sets up. Even now
one can see the images of the beast all over the place. The most
prominent is the pyramid with the eye on top. Many variations of
this can be seen in Corporate America and the US Government. From
AOL’s logo to the super secret DARPA; from the dollar bill, to the
pyramid architecture used by a growing number of corporations.
These various occult logos,
usually hailing from the religions of ancient Egypt, witchcraft (wicca)
and even Satanism are becoming more and more apparent in Corporate
America and America’s marketplace. For those who are interested,
there is an article that is short and to the point on this. Go to
this website
and click on the link that says “marks
of the sun”.
The Antichrist will be a committed
occultist, but to those who know nothing about God or the occult, it
will pass unnoticed and thus be ignored. This occult
government is here, now. It is
not
coming. But most Americans cannot see it and mock those who expose
it. When the Antichrist finally arrives he will do what Christ will
do when he comes, he will go to Jerusalem and proclaim himself God2.
Many Christians, who do not know their bibles, will be fooled by
this impostor, not having watched or even knowing what to watch for.
Masonic/Occult influences already run the American government.
They already are in power, no one
gets to the top levels of the US government without Masonic
Connections. (Prince Hall, Scottish rite, Skull and Bones,
Rosicrucian, etc.) They can be referred to as ‘builders’, that is,
those that are building the world order that the Antichrist will
eventually rule over. This term 'builders' is used by the masons
themselves to describe their political work. Foster Bailey, a 33rd
Degree mason wrote in his book Changing esoteric values that ‘the
Occult hierarchy of the planet functions in a way that is a bit
analogous to the way any great international powerful corporation
functions in the world today’.
Most people have little or no
idea that the world in which we live is run by an occult hierarchy
that is led by Satan himself. They will not believe it no matter
what. It goes against the training and mental control mechanisms
that keep people from asking difficult questions and keeps their
faith in the visible governmental institutions that, unknown to
them, are controlled secretly by an occult hierarchy under powerful
spiritual forces. This hierarchy will be run by the Antichrist when
the ‘builders’ are finished with their work. Reader Beware:
it is no coincidence that out current President and his father hail
from the
Skull and Bones Society.
Where will the Antichrist
come from?
I do not know. What follows
here is speculation. Nothing more. If you do not like speculation,
you should stop reading this now, but it may help you discover at
the right time who is the Antichrist.
There are some other
possibilities, beside the EU, which simply put, is not a viable
candidate despite the many pronouncements of America’s lucrative
prophecy industrialists. That is not to say that the EU will not
play a prominent role in building and being part of the antichrist's
kingdom, it will be, But it and it alone is probably not this final
empire. So lets take a look at the ten kings from which the
antichrist will arise again:
And the ten horns which thou sawest
upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her
desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree,
and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall
be fulfilled.
(Rev 17:16-17)
And here is the mind which hath
wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman
sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and
the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a
short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the
eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 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. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they
that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Rev
17:9-14)
These are some clues to the
identity of the this final beast. The ten kings are present as well
as the seven heads. These heads are what the whore of Babylon sits
on, exercising power and authority.
Lets take a look at the seven
heads. Tradition has it that these are seven successive empires of
history from Assyria to Rome. This makes sense, that is the implied
meaning especially when one considers five are fallen. However, what
if these kings, including that fallen ones are concurrently in
existence as nations, but not as empires?
That is, the five fallen kings are
nations that exist but are no longer empires, BUT THEY ONCE WERE.
There is an entity that had for a long time has
seven heads,
and now has eight and Five, at one time
in the past,
were empires that have fallen.
Perspective is key
here because many have taught that the five fallen must have fallen
in Johns day, well, what if the angel is saying
at the time they come into being
forming this seven mountain ten horned entity,
five are fallen? This would put a completely different spin on it.
And remember that John saw the harlot (America) on
top of (in control of) the seven mountains (rev 17:9).
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