LOOKING FOR THE ANTICHRIST

Introduction

We are certainly living in the most exciting times man’s history has ever seen. The advances in technology, general knowledge and science are the most amazing we could even conceive of in science fiction. With the changes in the world and the completion of prophecy our generation is deeper into the end of times than any generation in history. Fulfillment of end times prophecies are happening all around us, the latest being the drying up of the Euphrates River. Our generation has seen Israel return to the Holy land as a new nation. Todays Christians are positioned and excitedly awaiting a first-class trip to the New City of Jerusalem. Reviewing and studying the prophecies of Daniel we are told he was ordered to “shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4). Daniel says the “unsealing” or the ability to understand end-times prophecy shall happen during an increase of knowledge in the last days (Daniel 12:4). We are certainly in that time and this increase in biblical knowledge is worldwide and all over the internet.
At the same time, we have seen an increase of Wars and rumors of Wars, famine on an ever-increasing scale and the Word of God has been shared with every being. The World is ready for the next event the coming of the great deceiver. The very first prophecy in the Bible mentions Him, (the Antichrist) Genisis 3:15 is a direct reference made to the Serpent’s: Seed” And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. In the prophecy of Balaam, the Antichrist is referred to as “Asshur” (Num 24:22). In the book of Job he is “the Crooked Serpent” (Job 26:13). Paul gives us a real description of him in 2 Thess 2 “that man of sin” “the son of perdition”.
In this collection of thoughts, I am attempting to lead you to an understanding of what the Antichrist is and that he is not the Messiah the Jews are looking for. Whether you are Christian or Gentile I have attempted not to convince you but to provide guidance and scripture to help you understand the deception. We are dealing with Eschatology not History. This is the study of the end times, future events that have not yet happened. These future events are described in biblical prophecy that is interpreted by men. The slightest misunderstanding or wrong translation, misinterpretation can lead to incorrect conclusions. Given the language these prophecies were written in and translated into, any culture differences can lead to many interpretations of the same text. So given this I always tell my students when we discuss Eschatology, we are discussing speculation at best. While we discuss the Antichrist remember this is speculation on my part, given I have done my best, to bring the cleanest translation and interpretation I have put together from prayer and study. You are welcome to disagree with what I have presented. I will be the first to agree that this subject is a widely debated topic in many circles. The key to even partial understanding of this subject is the ability to compare scripture from Old and New Testament prophecy. I have attempted to do this and apologize if I have provided more scripture than is necessary. I also may be guilty of not providing enough scriptures to lead you to a correct understanding.
I do believe we are the generation that will see this tribulation come to pass. I believe this because we are the generation that saw Israel become a nation in 1948. I sincerely believe through my studies that Jesus Christ may not yet know it, but his Father is about to send Him to get his bride. These are the signs of this unusual event I am looking to find today. You may agree or disagree with me things in the middle east are looking worse and worse every week. The world is prepped for a Magog War lead by Russia that will include many of the Islamic countries. The hate, in this region, is at a historically high level that technology has contributed to in every area. The invention of drone Warfare is taking some of the caution and expense out of War. When you can send a $3000.00 drone to destroy several million-dollar tank, Warfare is cheaper. A country does not have to be a rich industrial complex to develop modern unmanned dangerous effective weapons. This has made the battlefield much larger than the world has ever known. Enemies that have been in the past separated by many miles are now close enough for long range missiles and unmanned drones. These are very destructive weapons that have not in the past been available to attack each other. As Russia has painfully discovered a small nation with limited resources can mount major defenses against major powers. Large warships can be defeated by small drones causing the large loss of life and very expensive equipment. Technology is making Islam more powerful on the battlefield causing their politics to be a shift in ideology to be listened to.
If a Magog War is forced any time soon the bible prophecy says this will destroy Russia’s army and the armies of the Islamic countries involved. This would position the Antichrist to take power and force world disarmament and piece. This could also give the Antichrist the power he needs to protect the temple mound with a seven-year treaty while the Jews rebuild their temple. With prophecy our Father has blessed us with these valuable clues, and we are fools if we choose to ignore His warnings. I am often asked by my students “what should we do to prepare for this” my answer is simply make sure you have Jesus Christ in your heart. Knowing Jesus gives you the first-class ticket to heaven.