@suzianne saidI agree that the anti-christ will have some super-natural solutions to some major problems in the world at that time. The Bible is also clear that most will like him at first.
Consider it thus: He will appear to be a good person. He's right in that he will appear to have solutions to many world problems. This will get people on his side. After he gets the grievous head wound and lives, the "beginning of sorrows" will be over and the "Great Tribulation" will begin. Each will last 3 1/2 years. The GT will end when Christ returns and stands on the Mount of Olives.
So when will the rapture happen in all this? I'm a mid-trib rapture believer myself; and you? Anyone? Many believe that all Christians will be with the Lord during the whole tribulation. And you? Anyone? The rapture has to certainly be equated into all of this, does it not? anyone? Son?
How do you link the anti-Christ with the first beast. I get the death of the sixth head means that there a resurgence of some description, but provide the scriptures that link the please.
When Revelation 13:12 speaks of the second beast in relation to the first the evidence points to an individual with a healed death stroke.
"And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, . . . And he exercises all the authority of THE FIRST BEAST, whose death stroke was healed."
It does not refer to just ONE of its heads but the entire beast. That implies that though larger aspects are represented, the first beast is no doubt an individual man.
The singular pronoun "him" indicates an individual man.
The nations say in 13:4 "Who is like the beast? And who can make war with him? "
In verse 6 the singular pronouns "he" and "his" are used rather than "they" also indicating an individual man.
"And he opened his mouth for blasphemies against God . . . " (13:6)
Though the symbolism conveys all the most evil powers of tyrants and kingdoms of the past as the beasts in Daniel, indications are an INDIVIDUAL man is the first beast.
Again in chapter 17 the singular pronouns "he himself" indicates the beast though the head of a conglomerate evil empire is an individual man.
"And the beast who was and is not, he himself is also the eighth and is out of the seven." (17:11)
Though the ten horns of the beast are said to be "ten kings" nonetheless an individual LEADER and head of them is a man.
"And the ten horns which you saw are ten king . . . receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast."
The ten individual kings are accompanied by the beast as 10 + 1 people in Rev. 17:16.
"And the ten horns which you saw and the beast, these will hate the harlot . . . " (17:16)
There are more indications. For length's sake I stop here.
@medullah saidYou are correct about that many traits. So John said there were many antichrists.
@KingDavid403
I don’t either, I was just going with the flow accepting the proposition for sake of argument. At this point in time “antichrist” to me is a set of behavioural traits that reflect a class or group.
" . . . it is the last hour; and even as you heard that antichrtist is coming, even now many antichrists have come . . . " (1 John 2:18)
Nevertheless there is one final Antichrist.
This is why I encourage the praying phrase by phrase the verses of the Bible.
You will digest them in their details not missing things which you should not miss.
Each phrase and each part of a phrase you muse over, repeating with thanksgiving and praise. Details get more into you and you are less likely to
take for granted minute portions which count.
Revelation is particularly difficult. In order to help the Bible interpret itself you must not miss any of the details.
Besides, there is a blessing in reading it and even reading it aloud and carefully.
"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things written in it, for the time is near." (Rev. 1:3)
There are a few English version that render the text "Blessed are those who read ALOUD . . . "
Now I am cutting and pasting. [my bolding]
English Standard Version
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
Berean Study Bible
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near
So when will the rapture happen in all this? I'm a mid-trib rapture believer myself; and you? Anyone? Many believe that all Christians will be with the Lord during the whole tribulation. And you? Anyone? The rapture has to certainly be equated into all of this, does it not? anyone? Son?
Since we Christians do not know that is precisely WHY we have to watch and pray and be vigilant to walk with God. We have to develop the habit to walk in the Spirit.
And even to do our daily duties with a heart aware of the Lord's presence.
There is the secret rapture before the three and one half years.
And there is a public rapture at the conclusion of the great tribulation.
The first secret rapture is unexpected. So the Lord wants His people to be living in an attitude that at any time He may call for them.
It is also a matter of growth and maturity. The farmer doesn't have a specific DATE on which he reaps the crop. The reaping of the crop depends not on a calendar date but on their condition of readiness, ripeness, and maturing. God gives the growth. And God knows the moment He wants to harvest the ripened crop.
"And He said, So is the kingdom of God: as if a man cast seed on the earth, And sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and lengthens - how, he does not know.
The earth bears fruit by itself: first a blade, then an ear, then full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he sends forth the sickle, because the harvest has come." (Mark 4:26-29)
You see, reaping is dependent not on a specific date but on the ripeness of the crop. And in the Old Testament there was the EARLY ripened crop as firstfruits and the latter majority ripen crop as harvest.
So it will be at the close of the church age.
@sonship saidSo there is not much need for Christians with faith, to have to know who the Anti-Christ is, or who he is gonna be, and so on; correct? Don't get me wrong; reading and studying all of the Scriptures is good. Hell, I've studied most of the Apocrypha books and have found great meaning in all of them. If you think that you have un-locked the mysteries of the Book of Revelation, then all the power to you. Personally, it does not concern me much with the faith the Lord has given me. For me, there is so much more to do, and to worry about in my walk with God. When my time comes, it comes; just like all of us.
@KingDavid403
So when will the rapture happen in all this? I'm a mid-trib rapture believer myself; and you? Anyone? Many believe that all Christians will be with the Lord during the whole tribulation. And you? Anyone? The rapture has to certainly be equated into all of this, does it not? anyone? Son?
Since we Christians do not know that is precisely W ...[text shortened]... ted. So the Lord wants His people to be living in an attitude that at any time He may call for them.
May God Bless you in your studies.
@sonship saidThe danger with this interpretation is that you are deciphering the words "him" and "he" to denote singularity, but equally could it not be applied to masculinity?
@medullah
How do you link the anti-Christ with the first beast. I get the death of the sixth head means that there a resurgence of some description, but provide the scriptures that link the please.
When Revelation 13:12 speaks of the second beast in relation to the first the evidence points to an individual with a healed death stroke.
"A ...[text shortened]... hate the harlot . . . " (17:16)
There are more indications. For length's sake I stop here.
Also if you look at other versions of the bible such as the RSV there is no masculine singular, the word used is "it", which demolishes the idea of a singular masculine figure? The Beast then becomes some other force (political) which would correspond to the beasts in Daniel ?
@medullah
It is not something I think a strenuous debate is worth having. If you don't see the "man of lawlessness" (2 Thess. 2:3) as a "man" then you go with what you feel is a better interpretation.
I see the connection to the beasts in Daniel to mean this final "son of perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3) and his kingdom is the consumate CLIMAX of all the godless political powers of mankind as a kind of grand finale. You have an excellent point in reminding of HOW the symbols of beasts in Daniel meant kingdoms rather than individuals. Good point.
Go with that if you want. I'm persuaded the "the lawless one" (2 Thess. 2:8) is a man as the head of a restored Roman Empire basically (in geographic scope).
Its not a major tenet of my Christian faith.
Also if you look at other versions of the bible such as the RSV there is no masculine singular, the word used is "it", which demolishes the idea of a singular masculine figure? The Beast then becomes some other force (political) which would correspond to the beasts in Daniel ?
But how will a entire political government "sit in the temple of God" (v.4) ?
Thankyou both KIngdavid and medullah. And thanks for your contributions to the discussion.
I still have some loose ends to tie. For example, according to what I learn in the Recovery Version footnotes, the five kings are five Roman emperors who all died unaturally. "fallen"
"And are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a short time. " (Rev. 17:10)
The five kings are Julius Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, all of whom either were murdered or committed suicide before John wrote Revelation.
They all blasphemed God and died unnaturally as in Judges 3:25; 2 Sam. 10:10,25,27 - "fallen"
The sixth Domitian, also murdered, was living when John was writing. So it says that he "is".
" five have fallen, one is . . . "
The coming seventh one "has not yet come" is the Antichrist.
He comes and remains only a short time because he is killed and reanimated with the spirit of Nero to be the eighth.
The seventh king to come dies and by Satanic miracle is possessed by the spirit of the fifth Nero. So he is of the seven.
Perhaps in another post I can show you how 666 calculates out to the name "Ceasar Nero".
I need to have a bit of a study, I'll catch up with you tomorrow maybe.
Interesting view. A good friend told me to "keep my mind open" a couple of years ago, and you will be amazed at what i have see/discovered as a result.
That's the trick with anything like this, not to close the mind, and be open to possibility.
I still think that you are bit long winded 😉 😉
In this post I will not refer to Bible verses. But I will give my present understanding of how things are likely to unfold. Complete knowledge is not known.
The temple in Jerusalem has to be rebuilt.
An earthquake or a destruction of the Dome of the Rock could trigger the
rebuilding by Israel of the temple.
The sphere of political power around the scope of what was the Roman Empire will emerge. This may be happening now with what was called "Fortress Europe". Antichrist will barter peace between Israel and the incensed Arab nations with some kind of covenant that allows the Jews to worship in the restored temple site.
I believe the United States will probably be withdrawn and possibly powerless in those days. I suspect that the mainland of the US will function as one of a number of places to receive refugees fleeing from the rule of the Antichrist.
This is speculation. But for Antichrist to sit in the temple as Paul predicted there has to BE a temple for him to sit there. Presently there is not. And presently the Moslems claim the likely spot a restored Jerusalem temple as their holy site. A rocket explosion or an earthquake or something could destroy that Dome of the Rock in a instance.
The Jews have been all too ready to rebuild the temple there. They probably could just bring the pieces together in short order and restore their ancient worship. Antichrist's peaceful covenant allowing them to do so will be betrayed by him.
All hell will break lose. Or all heaven will break lose depending on your point of view. The great tribulation, if not shortened by God, would allow no humanity to be left alive on earth most likely. God said He would shorten those terrible days.
Everyone reading this post should be confessing their sins and believing and serving the Lord Jesus in preparation to possibly meet Him even in this lifetime. Eventually we will all stand before Him one way or another.