The Antichrist

The Antichrist will be revealed after the rapture of Church to heaven. After the rapture nations will be unified and ruled by a cruel leader defined in the Bible as Antichrist. In his reign of terror he will lead a fierce and unsuccessful battle against the kingdom of Christ. The spirits of Antichrist are already in the world,  tormenting, persecuting and trying to weaken faith of those who want to live for God. Revelation 12:11 - They (believers) overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. The followings are discussed: Rise of the Beast; Power of the Beast, and Worshippers of the beast judged

Rise of the Beast: According to the revelation given to Daniel, the sinful world system will reach its peak and there shall be ten powerful nations that will pave way for emergence of the Antichrist, who will be so powerful and arrogant, and receive instructions directly from Satan to carry out evil schemes (Daniel 7:7 - 28). The Antichrist will force all people to do his will except the Saints. The Saints are those who will be saved after the great tribulations; they are believers who missed the rapture but determined to face the terrible consequences to reclaim their salvation. The Antichrist will replace the law and custom of the society with his own and deny people of the fundamental rights. He will deal with believers without mercy and demand their worship of him.

The Antichrist will be given enormous physical and mental capability to deal with and win people to his side, except the Saints. It was further revealed that the Antichrist would emerge among the peoples of the world and his government will be the last series of the world government. He would claim divine power and try to put Satan in the position of Christ (Revelation 13:1&2).

The Power of the Beast: The beast (Antichrist) will be given the power to lead and convince the world to worship him and Satan. He would promote himself to the Status of God, thus using disrespectful words against God and denying the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 13:3-10). There shall be no limit to Antichrist power in dealing with people, even he would defeat some Saints (Rev 13:7). All people who refuse to accept God's offer of salvation and reject Christ's gospel will be deceived and defeated by him (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11). During the tribulation the Saints will be saved by their patient and faith in Christ. The Antichrist has a very short time to accomplish his purpose before he faces the final judgement. While the spirit of Antichrist is at work in society, Christians are encouraged to remain faithful and be patient in the face tribulation and test of faith.

The False Prophet: It was revealed that the Antichrist will have a false prophet as an assistant. The false prophet will perform signs and wonders to promote worship of Antichrist (Rev 13:11-18). The false prophet will also oversee marking of Antichrist followers for identification and access to certain basic rights. The mark will allow its bearers to transact businesses. Those who reject the mark will face difficult economic consequences. The mark is the sign of control of the Antichrist followers, and it is to be placed either on the forehead or the hand.

Worshippers of the Beast Judged: All who worship the beast will be judged and gathered for eternal doom. Three angels shall be given specific work to do after the rapture. The first Angel shall continue with proclamation of Christ's gospel because the Church given the mandate would have been raptured and no longer existing to do so. The second angel will proclaim God's judgement on the world system - the religious and political rule of the Antichrist. The third angel will continue to proclaim God's message of judgement and wrath on people who fail to do His will.

Hard times, trials and temptation will surely come,  however, Christians are encouraged to maintain their faith in God. The eternal joy of living patiently for God should be our focus rather than giving chance  for the devil to possess and destroy us. Christians should persevere, remain faithful to God and allow His Spirit to lead them for the eternal blessing. Lesson texts: Daniel 7:1-28; Rev 13:1-18; 14:6-13