THE RISE OF THE ANTICHRIST
(Words in red are word for word from the King James Version)
THE ANITCHRIST CANNOT EXALT HIMSELF AS GOD UNTIL AFTER THE RAPTURE.
In II Thes chapter two, the bible makes it very clear that the antichrist will exalt himself as God. (v.4) It also makes it clear that he cannot do this until the church is taken out of the way. (v.7) The Holy Spirit is who is being spoken of in v.7. He is who is restraining the evil in this world right now.
Chapter 2 (II THES) - Let no man deceive you
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day
shall not come, except there come a falling away
first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is
called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God
sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he
is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told
you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be
revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he
who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the
way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord
shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall
destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them
that perish; because they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
We also know from Daniel chapter 9 that this will happen at the mid-point of the tribulation. The only question that still remains is "will the Body of Christ go through the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation?".
Daniel Chapter 9 verse 27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one
week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Some teach that Dan. 9:27 was fulfilled by Antiacus Ephifanese 300 years before the time of Christ. This was only a partial fulfilment. A greater fulfilment remains in the end times. We know this because Jesus spoke of it as a yet future event in Matt. 24:15-27
Chapter 24 - The Coming of the Son of Man
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in
the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the
mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take
any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to
take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them
that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,
neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor
ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there
should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake
those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is
Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false
prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders;
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in
the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret
chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and
shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be.
The defining character of the end times will be deception. II Thes.-2:11 tells that GOD will send them strong dilusion. It does not mean that God will be a deciever, this only means that God will allow them to be decieved because they have rejected the truth. When the truth is rejected, the only thing that is left is a lie. That is why the mark of the beast is without repentance... if they had believed God's word, they would have read it, then they would not have taken the mark. Millions of people (maybe more) will take the mark without knowing it is the mark. Rev.20:4,5 make it clear that no one who has taken the mark of the beast will have part in the first resurection, the only other option will be the second resurrection at the Great White Throne Judgement. this is for lost people only. (Rev 20:11-14)
Revelation 20:1-6
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the
key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent,
which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up,
and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the
nations no more, till the thousand years should be
fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season.
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.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power,
but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and
shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall
be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in
the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to
gather them together to battle: the number of whom is
as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city: and fire came down from God out of
heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the
false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on
it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled
away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;
and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
them: and they were judged every man according to
their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire.
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