The Man of Lawlessness
 Several
years ago during a Sunday night series in the study
of Revelation I was talking about the rise of the Anti-christ
and his activity during the coming tribulation period.
About 10 minutes into the class a man who was traveling
through our town and who was visiting with us simply
got up and walked out of the assembly. Some folks did
not understand why he did this, but I understood completely
why he left. While speaking to him before the class
began I discovered he was from a church group that did
not believe in the literalness of the prophetic word.
He did not believe there would ever be such a man as
a literal Anti-Christ, and he demonstrated his displeasure
with my futurist interpretation of Revelation by walking
out.
Unfortunately there are many who not believe the Bible genuinely
speaks of a man who will be Satan's protégé
during the period Jeremiah called the "time of Jacob's
trouble". Why should this surprise us? There are many
professing Christians who sit in Sunday assemblies all around
the world who do not believe in the bodily resurrection of
Jesus, the blood-atonement, the rapture, the existence of
a literal hell and many other places, events and people the
Bible clearly addresses. So, this attitude should not surprise
us very much.
However, when we think of all the nonsense that is put up
for our consideration about the Anti-christ we can understand
to some degree why some folks are somewhat hesitant about
the subject. Search the internet and you will find all kinds
of information about the Anti-christ. Some of it is the result
of serious Bible study, but a lot of it is pure baloney. Among
those who have been identified as the Anti-christ are Henry
Kissenger, Bill Clinton, Saddam Hussein and Bill Gates. Another
group says the Anti-christ is alive and well living in anonymity
in England as a member of a Middle East cultural group just
waiting for an opportunity to be unveiled.
So, what is the real scoop on the "man of sin"?
The answer is that the only thing we know for sure about him
is what God has given us in His word. From these texts we
can draw some very logical conclusions, but there is absolutely
no way any person can use that information to positively identify
him. In short, no one knows who he is. In my opinion those
folks who are dogmatic about the identity of the Anti-christ
should be held in the same light as those who have fixed a
date for the return of Jesus for His church-a very dim light,
indeed. Yes, he is a real person, but no, we do not have any
means of identifying him presently.
That leads to a very important question. Is this man alive
today? The answer to that question depends upon whether you
believe we are living in the final part of the last days.
I think the evidence indicates that we are indeed living in
the final part of the last days. I would not want to be so
rigid and unbending on this subject so as to dictate to God
what He must do and when He must do it, yet I think He has
given us enough information to make some fairly accurate deductions.
The reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 is the
major factor. Added to that is the ability of the media to
broadcast worldwide events as they happen. Also, never before
has the stability of the world been so dependent upon multilateral
cooperation, and never before has there been such fracturing
of that cooperation with such potentially catastrophic results.
In short, the world is being set up for a crisis that will
demand the intervention of a man with uncanny skills and phenomenal
charismatic influence. That man will be the Anti-christ.
I believe the Word teaches the taking of the church will
precede his début. The disappearance of millions of
people in a nanno-second of time will send shock-waves throughout
the world that will rock the pillars of civilization. It is
quite possible that a number of those that will be taken currently
hold critical places of prominence in some nations, especially
those of the western world. Among those areas affected will
be government, business, and the military. And don't forget
religion, for the real church will be removed and, since man
is religious by nature, there will rush into this religious
vacuum a false church that will deceive billions of people.
It is into this melee that the Anti-christ will step with
a plan that most will embrace with unquestioning allegiance.
Among the things we do know are these: the name Anti-christ
means both "against Christ" and "false Christ";
he will first befriend the Jews then try to destroy them as
a people; a great apostasy will be associated with his coming;
he is presently restrained from taking power by an unnamed
entity that some believe to be the church and the associated
presence of the Holy Spirit; he will set himself up as God
in the rebuilt Jewish Temple; he will demand and receive worship;
he will deceive many with Satanic power to perform signs and
miracles; he will be destroyed by Jesus personally when He
comes to establish his millennial reign on this earth; and,
he and the false prophet will be the first humans to be thrown
alive into hell.
What is Anti-christ's purpose? He is Satan's tool to bring
the world into submission to him. Satan has always desired
worship, but he has never had world-wide adoration. However,
during the time when Anti-christ has world dominion Satan
will have in his power the man that can deliver almost wholesale
human worship into his hands. But, before that will fully
happen Jesus will come back to the earth, Anti-christ will
be defeated and cast into hell and Satan will be bound for
1000 years while Jesus rules as King of kings and Lord of
lords.
History records that a number of men have attempted to unite
Europe and make it the supreme power on earth, but never has
the time been right. That is, never until now. At no time
has humanity been ripe for the picking as it is today. Consider
what most earth dwellers would give if somebody could guarantee
recovery and growth for their 401(k) plans. Consider what
they would agree to do if somebody could guarantee them peace
and prosperity. Do you suppose those people would worship
a man who could solve the problems of energy, the Middle East,
terrorism, international finance and the threat of global
war? Yes, absolutely!
The time is upon us. All that is left is for the church to
be removed, and that is the next event on God's prophetic
calendar. Most people today refuse to worship God, but in
those days they will worship somebody, and that somebody will
be the personification of evil in the person of Anti-christ.
Their worship, however, will cost them their eternal souls
because they will worship the creature rather than the Creator
(Romans 1:25). They will bow to a man who will lead them in
a futile war against God Himself. This is the absolute ultimate
in self-deception. DLM
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