Articles / The antichrist
This nation has always struggled between light and darkness, good and evil, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We were, at one time, a Christian nation. Even though there has always been sin and sinners present among us, the Godly influence of most American families, local, state and federal governments has been a prevailing force in our country for righteousness and Truth.
If any man worship the beast and his image
Revelation 14:
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelation 15:
2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Revelation 16:
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
Revelation 19:
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
Revelation 20:
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
The people of the Earth will worship the beast and his image. They will admire him and try to be like him. He is the leader of the rebellion against God. They will take his mark and worship his image. They, too, hate God and His people and are in agreement with the killing of all Christians by beheading.
It was President Clinton who told the American people that you could have sex without committing adultery. It was President Clinton who showed the men and the boys that you could have extra-marital affairs and still be an important figure in the nation and the world. It was President Clinton who showed the political world that you could go from scandal to scandal and still be re-elected, still be much in demand and listened to and admired.
Today, Bill Clinton is the leader of the Democratic power structure and a speaker much in demand. He runs a global social and political organization (the Clinton Global Initiative), attended by the top corporate and political elite of the world. He is still a keynote speaker at world social, political and economic gatherings. You could say that Bill Clinton is more popular today than he ever has been. The people have made him so. They are in agreement with his views, his methods and his achievements. They have made themselves over into his image.
Revelation 18:
4 - And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 - For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
From Genesis, chapter one, into the New Testament, ending in Revelation, we are told to come out of this world system, renew our minds by reading the Word of God and acting upon what we have read.
Once we have repented of our sins and received Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, by faith, the Lord forgives our sins and transforms us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son (Colossians 1:13). This is where we are to live. This is the way we are to operate here on planet Earth.
Genesis 1:
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
This is God's Will for the human race. He wants us to surrender our hearts to Him and put Him first in everything we say, everything we do. It is God's Will that we love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength and with all of our mind. He also wants us to love our neighbor as our self.
It has always been God's Will for us to be like Him. Listen to what Jesus told a lawyer of His day:
Matthew 22:
35 -Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 - Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 -This is the first and great commandment.
39 - And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 - On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Lawyers are like priests in their profession. They enter into an agreement with an individual, partnership or corporation and represent them in all dealings with the other party. They negotiate, arbitrate or litigate all actions and communications between their client and the other individual, partnership or corporation.
Today, almost everything done in business and even private dealings between people requires a lawyer. This was never God's intention. God has always wanted us to have a personal relationship with Him and be a true Christian towards all others. His Word, the Bible, teaches us to be honest, trustworthy and beyond reproach in our dealings with other humans. I understand that today it may be hard to believe but when I was growing up, when two men made a deal, they shook hands. That's all it took. I'm not saying this was true in every case, with every family and every business but this was the model. It was a sign of great respect for a man, that it was said, "If you got a handshake, that's all you need from him". When I was growing up in the 50's and 60's, a man's word was his bond. I'm not saying that was the case with all people at that time but it was a common saying and a sign of great respect for a man you could say that about.
That is God's ideal for His people, even the whole human race. He gave us His Son as the Prime Example and He gave us His Word to read and learn how to become like Him:
Romans 8:
29 For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
This nation has always struggled between light and darkness, good and evil, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We were, at one time, a Christian nation. Even though there has always been sin and sinners present among us, the Godly influence of most American families, local, state and federal governments has been a prevailing force in our country for righteousness and Truth.
Not so anymore. It's no secret that we, as a nation, have left our First Love, Jesus Christ. We have become a nation of sinners, transgressors of the law and strangers to God and to His Holy Word, the Bible.
The prevalent prophecy teaching is that the false prophet makes a statue or a hologram and causes the people of the world to worship the antichrist by bowing down to this image.
That is really not a correct reading of Revelation 13 and 14. Reading verse 14, it says that the false prophet tells the people of the world that they should make an image to the beast. Verse 15 says that the false prophet has power to bring that image alive, that the image should speak and cause those who do not worship that image should be killed.
Today, we can see that President Obama has taken President Clinton's image of what he wants the United States of America to look like (also the world), and is busy forming the peoples into that image. At some point (you should be able to see this coming now), those who don't conform to this image will be killed. Can you see that Christians, during the Tribulation, are going to be called "haters" and then persecuted and prosecuted? Then, death to the "haters"! Off with their heads (Revelation 20:4)
Revelation 13:
14 - And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 - And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
The Bible teaches us that there are two images that people have to choose between - the earthly and the heavenly:
1 Corinthians:
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
1 Corinthians 15:
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
The Bible teaches us to conform to the image of Jesus Christ. He is our image. He is our example. He is our role model. When we obey Him and His Word, we become like Him. He is present with us, by His Spirit, to help us to be like Him:
2 Corinthians 3:
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
You can see there are two ways we can go, as humans. The Bible teaches we are born sinners. As such, we are susceptible to the lusts of the eye, the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life. We are born into the image of the flesh, the world, the devil.
1 John 2:
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The Bible tells us, in these last days:
2 Timothy 3:
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
The Word of God tells us, clearly, that there will be two images in these last days that people will conform to - the carnal image (children of disobedience) or the spiritual image (the new man):
1 Colossians 3:
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate (unreasonable) affection, evil concupiscence (lust), and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Since the fall of man, in the Garden of Eden, the battle for the human soul is continually being waged. In these latter days, we are seeing a clear difference between the children of light and the children of darkness. The Christian is dedicated to and worshiping our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The non-Christian (sinners, atheists, agnostics, pagans, Satanists, new agers, followers of false religions), mention His Holy Name, too but usually in blasphemy.
Notice, too, in verse 6, "the wrath of God" is mentioned. At some point, during this separation, God's Wrath will fall upon "the children of disobedience":
Revelation 16:
2 - And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
We know, from the Word of God (Revelation 7:9 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9), that we will escape God's Wrath that He pours out during the Tribulation. The Bible declares:
Luke 21:
36 - Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
"..worthy to escape all these things..", not worthy to endure all these things, as some would have us believe.
Let's talk about now. Have you made a decision to follow Jesus Christ?
Do you want to escape all of these things or stay here to face all of these things?
2 Corinthians 6:
2 For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Now is the accepted time.
Now is the day of salvation.
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? If not, don't put it off. Come to Him while He is calling. Come while you are listening. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Bow your knee. Admit you have sinned against Him and His Holy Word. Ask Him to forgive you and save your soul today. Then tell somebody, for the Bible declares:
Romans 10:
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Once you receive Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, confession to others seals your salvation. Confession to others means you are not ashamed of Him and He will not be ashamed to confess you before the Father (Matthew 10:32).
Sadly, below is a description of the image of the beast, "like to corruptible man". This is the image the people of the United States and around the world are being changed into:
Romans 1:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.