Revelation Bible Study #19 The Beast The Antichrist Part 1
Revelation #19
The Beast From the Sea … The Antichrist … Part One
Revelation 13:1-10
We are finally formally introduced to the "Man of Lawlessness" the "Son of Perdition" the one described in Daniel that set's himself against God, who wars against the Ancient of Days.
He has been alluded to in Revelation but this is his "formal" introduction and we will learn much of him here as well as further on in this Revelation especially in Chapter 17.
Let's READ 13:1-10
We call him the Antichrist … Satan's Opposite of and counterfeit to Christ
Well let's spend a little time talking about this IDIOT, this EVIL One, this Arrogant Fool … Why do I call him that? Well I have no doubt that he will be the smartest man to ever walk the face of the earth and like so many intelligent ones, he can read for himself the prophesy, see the signs of God, and yet not only rejects God, but THIS fool arrogantly, stupidly, in the ultimate act of idiocy, places himself above and at enmity with God
The earliest Prophesy about Jesus also contains a prophesy of the Antichrist
In Genesis 3:15 it says that there will always be struggles between the offspring of the woman and the offspring of the serpent. While the woman, eve, has countless descendants, ultimately JESUS will bruise the head of the serpent biting at his heel. And Satan also have many that are his "offspring" that come after him that follow his lead. They have been many throughout history, and this last Century has been filled with them, men like Hitler, Idie Amien, Lenin and Stalin, Ben-Ladin, Hussein, Rapist, Murderers, Pedophiles, Terrorists, Blasphemers, but they will all be surpassed by ONE offspring who is yet to come, the one we know as THE Antichrist.
Dr. Clarence Larken Lists this contrasts between the CHRIST and the Anti Christ … from the book Dispensational Truth
1. Christ - From above … John 6:38 - Antichrist ascend from the pit - Rev 11:7
2. Christ came in his Father's name - John 5:43 - Antichrist in his own name John 5:43
3. Christ humbled himself --- Phil 2?8 - Antichrist will exalt himself 2 The 2:4
4. Christ was despised - Is 53:3; Lk 23:18 - Antichrist will be admired Rev 13:3,4
5. Christ will be exalted - Phil 2:9 --- Antichrist will be cast down to hell - Is. 14:14,15; Rev 19:20
6. Christ came to do his Father's will - John 6:39 --- Antichrist will come to do his own will - Dan 11:36
7. Christ came ot save - Lk 19:10 --- Antichrist will come to destroy - Dan 8:24
8. Christ is the good shepherd - Lk 19:10 - Antichrist is the "idol shepherd" Zech 11:16,17
9. Christ is the true vine - John 15:1 --- Antichrist is the "vine of the earth" Rev 14:18
10. Christ is the "truth"John 14:6 --- Antichrist is the "lie" 2 Th 2:11
11. Christ is the "holy one"- Mk 1:24 - Antichrist is the "lawless one"
12. Christ is the "man of sorrows" - Is 53:3 --- Antichrist is the man of sin - 2 Thes 2:3
13. Christ is the Son of God - Lk 1:35 --- Antichrist is the "son of perdition" 2 The 2:3
14. Christ is the mystery of godliness: God … manifest in the flesh" 1 Tim 3:15 --- Antichrist will be the "mystery of iniquity" Satan manifest in the flesh - 2 Thes 2:7
Now Let me Remind you that JESUS IS the CHRIST … He is the 2nd Adam, he is like Moses who leads his people out of bondage and into God's land of promise; he IS like David as protector, ruler, leader, and King. And the best way to recognize the Spirit of the Antichrist is TO KNOW thoroughly the TRUE Christ, then you will spot his counterfeiters every TIME.
But let me give you a little more on him.
The following list on his I edited from A.W. Pink's writings on him from the 1920's … (Things in italics are directly from AW PINK
How is he referred to in Scripture? What are his names and titles of description?
NAMES and TITLES
1. The Antichrist - 1 John 2:22 - "who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is the Antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son" -
he is the opposite, the antithesis to Christ in EVERY sense of the Word. But the word also means not only OPPOSITE to CHRIST but in OPPOSITION to Christ in every sense of the Word
2. The Man of Sin, lawlessness, the Son of Perdition - 2 Thes 2:3 - "Don't let anyone deceive you, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed …" MAN OF LAWLESSNESS … OR SON OF PERDITION which means son of damnation or son of destruction … He is the offspring of Satan, the embodiment of Satan, Satan incarnate as Jesus was God incarnate … He will be the Superman that the world is looking for, that is exactly what he will be
3. The Lawless One - "then the lawless one will be revealed … whom the Lord will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming" 2 The 2:8 -- Jesus, Grace And Perfection in the flesh was still born under and obedient to the Law but … the Antichrist will oppose all law and be a law unto himself … Dan 11:36
4. The Beast - Rev 11:7 - "and when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will attack them, aand overpower and kill them" there will be NOTHING humanly or humane about him he will be by nature a BEAST . The Beast contrast from the Nature of Christ as the Lamb" The Lamb is Savior of sinners, and the Beast is Persecutor and slayer of saints … on one side we have the Lamb and the Dove and on the other side the Dragon and the Beast
5. The Bloody and Deceitful Man - Ps 5:6 a prayer of the godly remnant … during the tribulation … "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the Bloody and Deceitful Man" … The Bloody and Deceitful Man views the antichrist in relation to the Jews. He poses as friend but breaks his covenant and turns on them in fury seeking to destroy them Ps 83:4 "come let us destroy them as a nation, that they name of Israel be remembered no more"
6. The Wicked One - Ps 10:2,4 "in his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devices; 4 in his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God"
7. The Man of the Earth - Ps 10:18 "defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more" … wicked speaks of his character, and of the earth speaks of his position. He will be a world emperor.
8. The Mighty Man - Ps 52:1 - "why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God" --- this psalm is devoted to a description of this character … boasting v 1 ; deceitful v 2 ; depraved v 3; ego v 4; riches v 7 ; doomed v 5
9. The Enemy - Ps 55:3 "At the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger" a contrast to Christ who is a friend sticking closer than a brother … he is enemy of Israel … "words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords"
10. The Adversary - Ps 74:8-10 "They said in their hearts, let us destroy them together; … O God how long will the Adversary reproach? …" Is 59:19; Lam. 4:11,12 … Amos 3:11
11. The Violent Man - Psalm 140:1 - "Deliver me, O Lord, from the Evil Man: preserve me from the Violent Man" … speaking of the Time of Jacob's Trouble or the Tribulation
12. The Assyrian - Isa 10:5,12 - Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger in whose hand is the club of my wrath! … 12 When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, I will punish the King of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and haughty look in his eyes"
13. The King of Babylon - Isaiah 14:4 "you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: how the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!" … He will have three headquarters … Jerusalem will be his Religious headquarters, Rome his political headquarters, and Babylon his commercial.
Isaiah 10, 11, 13, 14; Jer 49:51, Zech 5 and Rev 18
14. Son of the Morning - Isa 14:12 - How far you have fallen O Lucifer, son of the Morning! How art you cut down to the ground, you who weaken the nations" this scripture speaks of Satan but the Antichrist will be Satan in the flesh and will fall just as Satan has and will and as Christ is the Morning star of Rest, the Antichrist will be the son of the Morning in the Blasphemy of the Great Day of Tribulation
15 The Spoiler or Destroyer - Isa 16:4,5 "Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer. The oppressor will come to an end and destruction will cease. In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it - one from the house of David - one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness" Jer. 6:26 - he Contrasts Jesus who is a RESTORER Ps 69: 4
16. The Nail - Isa 22:25 "In that day … the peg driven into the firm palce will give way, it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down" …. Like Shebna in that day holding an office as a usurper until God's man Eliakim took his place, so the Antichrist will have a place that seems firm, until God replaces Christ on his throne
17. The Profane and Wicked Prince of Israel - Ezekiel 21:25-27 "O Profane and wicked prince of Israel, who day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax … remove the crown … the lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low … it will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it" Dan 9:24; Zech 6:13
18. The Little Horn -- Dan. 7:8 - "while I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully" Dan 7:8-11, 21-26; 8:9-12, 23-25 … lowly political origin of the antichrist and describes him as he is before he attains governmental supremacy
19. The Prince that Will Come - Dan. 9:26 - "After the 62 sevens, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary … Connects the Antichrist with the Roman Empire in its final form …
20. The Vile / Contemptible Person - Dan. 11:21 - "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person …" in contrast to the Holy One of Israel" …
21. The Willful King - Dan. 11:36 - "The King will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard of things against the God of gods …"
22. The Idle / Worthless Shepherd - Zech. 11:16,17 "Woe to the Worthless Shepherd, who deserts the flock … " evident contrast with the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep.
23. The Angel of the Abyss - Rev 9:7 - "They had as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon" --- Abaddon and Apollyon means destroyer … like the Destroyer or Spoiler of Is 16:4 and Jer 4:7
He has other names but these give us a good picture of him who will come against God at the End
What About Nationality / Origin?
Nutshell … we have here … a beast coming out of the sea … It is a place as well as a symbol … a "sea" in scripture often refers to a MASS of PEOPLE … and THE Sea in scripture is the Mediterranean Sea. So, coming from the masses of people around the Med. Sea, it appears he will rise up. So, from this we would see him as Gentile …
Daniel 8:8-27 - There is a small horn that comes out of the FOUR Grecian Horns … so that shows that he is partially Greek
Daniel 9:26 - Says he is of the "people who will come" that is those who would destroy Israel --- so he will be predominantly Roman or of those of the Roman Empire
Daniel 11:36,37 - Says that he doesn't regard the gods of his fathers or the one desires of women --- Every Jewish woman wondered if perhaps THEY may be the Mother of the Messiah to come --- Placed in this context then … he would also be a Jew by lineage - AW Pink gives us much scripture to back this up -
Ezek. 21:25 - calls him the "profane and wicked prince of Israel" - v 25 says "his time has come … punishment has reached it's climax" this is speaking of the end … the pouring of God's wrath
Ezek. 28:2-10 - uses the Prince of Tyrus to describe the Antichrist and in pronouncing judgment says in v10 "you will die the death of the uncircumcised …" why would this be a bid deal unless he was NOT uncircumcised?
John 5:43 - I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him - the word "someone else" or "another one" used here is the word NOT the word "heteros" which would mean another one that is different" it is the word "allos" which means another of the same genus, or another one like this one … i.e. another one of Abrahams' line …
He is called Antichrist … means he will be an imitation Christ, or an imitation Messiah … Israel would NOT receive a Messiah that was not Jewish … And Israel will receive him, be deceived by him … One final thing … in the first four Centuries of Christian writings it was believed that the Antichrist would come from the Tribe of Dan … Don't Know … but what about Genesis 49:17,18 - Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward 18 I look for your deliverance, O Lord."
The Actions of the Antichrist
What does the Bible Tell us about him?
1. He will Rise to Power
Rev 6:2 - without bloodshed - Bow with no Arrows - White Horse Rider
Dan 8:25 - he will cause deceit to prosper … when they feel secure he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes
2. One World Government -
Dan 2 - 10 Toes at the bottom of the image of Nebuchadnezzar are the kings who are under his control --- We will see in Chapters 17,18 that they world rulers GIVE him their authority
3. Dominate World Economy
Revelation 17:13 - if they give their power to him, with military power, comes economic power … and you can't have economic power without it being connected to a singular world economy
4. Antichrist's Own Atheistic Religion
a - theism --- means WITHOUT or APART from Theos or GOD.
Dan. 11:36-39 and 2 The 2:1-12 - tell us that he will demand to be worshipped …
Rev 17 - will show us his approval for a one world church … with the Church GONE in the Rapture … there will be little to stop him
5. Covenant with Israel
Dan. 9:27 - in the last "seven" he will make a covenant with Israel for 7 years, but he will break it in the middle. So much of Israel will be looking to him instead of to God
6. His Death and Resurrection
-- He will "die" and be "resurrected" - some have said that he will fake his death … others that he will die and be brought back to life, or more accurately, animated by the indwelling of Satan himself … As Satan doesn't have the power over life and death that God has
Rev 17:8 - "the beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come." So … it makes sense that while already in peaceful power, at the middle of the tribulation he will die, be killed, and as Satan is cast out of Heaven, is aware of the shortness of time … he will indwell the Antichrist in order to "duplicate" or counterfeit the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This ONE ACT will cause the multitudes of the world to accept him as their savior and lord … and Satan will work directly through him in all kinds of counterfeit miracles and wonders and he will pour out his anger on Israel
6. The Ultimate Destruction of the Antichrist
2 thes 2:8 - "Then the lawless on ewill be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will over throw with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming"
He will succeed for a time … but remember all he has is ONLY what God has GIVEN … or PERMITTED him … and the day will come when WE will Split the Sky Behind our Commander Christ, riding a White Horse and the Sword of the Word proceeding from his mouth and his Very SPLENDOR will defeat this EVIL ONE …
NOW … with THAT groundwork lain …
NEXT week we will begin to breakdown the symbols of the Antichrist/Beast of the Sea and his False Prophet the Beast of the Earth in Chapter 13
Wednesday Night Bible study Fall 2005-Spring 2006
The following resources were used among others in preparation
Bibliography:
Revelation Four Views: A Parallel Commentary – Steve Gregg
W.A. Criswell Expository Sermons on Revelation
Dr. J.A. Seiss Expositions on Revelations
MacArthur Bible Studies: Revelation – John MacArthur
Dr. David Jeremiah Expositions on Revelation
The Pulpit Commentary: Revelation
Wiersbe: The Bible Exposition Commentary
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