Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Monday, October 23, 2017

"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him .... Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness [the Antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."¹

Who is this Antichrist that is coming? As his name implies, the Antichrist is the anti or against-the-real-Christ (the Son of God) and will be totally opposed to him and everything to do with Christianity. He is a person whom the Bible says will come to power at the end of this world age as we currently know itâ€"at or about the same time as the literal return of the real Christ to earth via Israel. The Antichrist will be the leader of the revived Roman Empireâ€"an amalgamation or merger of ten nations symbolized in Daniel 2 by the image with ten toes and by the terrible beast with ten horns in Daniel 7. This merger or coalition of nations will cover much of the same geographical area as did the ancient Roman Empire. The EU (Europe Union) today is looking very much like it could be shaping up to become the revived Roman Empire as depicted in the Word of God.

The Antichrist will be an emissary of Satan himself and empowered by him; and, as a puppet of Satan, no human will be able to stand against him. As he takes control of the world, he will make what Hitler did look like a Sunday school picnic.

What will the Antichrist look like? Without doubt the Antichrist will be an extremely charismatic, persuasive, cunning and deceptive individual, a silver-tongued orator, and will be a combination of a religious, political and economic leader/dictator. The religion he will promote will be a counterfeit religionâ€"one that denies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world. He will also be the leader of a counterfeit political system, and a counterfeit world-wide economic systemâ€"all of which will ultimately fail. Furthermore, his religion will have within it an element of truth that will make it believable to the masses. It's the element of truth in any religion, organization or political party that makes it one of the most deceptive forms of lying there is. In fact, every false cult and false religion has an element of truth in their belief system; otherwise it would never be accepted.

This is how Satan deceived the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. In seeking to entrap the first man, Satan said to him, "God knows that when you eat of it [the forbidden fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."² This was a true statement in part and sounded very impressive to Adam. But what Satan did not say was, "not only will you be like God knowing the difference between good and evil, but you will be forever confirmed in a state of evil." We can be certain that the Antichrist will again deceive the masses by his part-truths.

When will the Antichrist appear? The Antichrist will come on to the world scene at a time when the world is looking much like Germany in pre-Hitler days, but on a far vaster scale. Prior to World War II Germany was in chaos facing a major economic crisis, thus setting the stage for the acceptance of a charismatic leader who would promise "the world" to the German people. Enter Hitler who, promising the German people the good life, was readily accepted and embraced by the German people. Tragically, Hitler used his power and control in a sadistic attempt to conquer and gain the worldâ€"killing all who tried to block his deadly ambitionâ€"including the murder of six million Jews.

So when we see the world's economy crumbling and the push towards a one-world economy, and a one-world political system, beware of political and religious leaders who speak in part truths that just may be helping to prepare the way for the coming world dictator, the Antichrist.

To be continued . . . .

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I can see and understand the signs of the times as pointed out in your Word, the Bible. Help me to be certain that I am ready for your return and not be deceived by any false prophetsâ€"either religious or politicalâ€"and always stand firm in my belief in you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NIV).
2. Genesis 3:5 (NIV).

Book: Is the Antichrist Alive Today? by Mark Hitchcock, a recognized authority on end times prophecy. On sale ... only $7.99. Click HERE or on http://tinyurl.com/antichrist-alive.

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