Scripture Revealed

A Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1

Tag: man of sin

 

Antichrist and the Devil. Detail from the Deeds of the Antichrist fresco by Luca Signorelli, c. 1501
Antichrist and the Devil. Detail from the Deeds of the Antichrist fresco by Luca Signorelli, c. 1501

Introduction

Part of the end time speculation is the rise of a world ruler.  Many believe that this individual will first step on the world’s stage as a hero.  Then he will show himself to be an evil villain.  This world ruler is thought to be “the Antichrist” and “the Man of Sin” described in the Bible.

Christians across denominational lines anticipate the soon arrival of this individual.  As the belief goes, this adversary will arise shortly before the return of Christ.  Many prophecy teachers connect “the Antichrist” with “the Man of Sin”.   For good measure, they lump in the “beast of the sea” mentioned in Revelation chapter 13.

Antichrist(s) – of the Bible

 John, the Apostle, is the only one who uses the expression “antichrist”.  John used the phrase just five times in four different verses.  These are the ONLY scriptures that mention “antichrist”:

  • 1 John 2:18 (KJV) “ye have heard that antichrist shall come.”
  • 1 John 2:18 (KJV) ” even now are there many antichrists.
  • 1 John 2:22 (KJV)  “He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the
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The Antichrist Deception

John the Apostle on Patmos, Painting by Jacopo Vignali
John the Apostle on Patmos, Painting by Jacopo Vignali

Over thirty years ago I got off track! How so you might ask. Well as a newly minted Christian I had a fascination with the “last days” and anything that had to do with the “end times”. One of the first books that I purchased, besides the Bible, was Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth. That book had a profound effect on the way that I interpreted Bible passages that I assumed dealt with the “end time”. The book was published in 1970 by Zondervan Publishing House. I picked up my copy in 1983, thirteen years after its original publication date. 28 million copies had sold by 1990. Did I bother to check the claims made in this book against the scriptures? Nope! Sure didn’t.  That is until a few short years ago!

Although Lindsey did not claim to know the dates of future events with any certainty, he suggested that Matthew 24:32-34 indicated that Jesus’ return might be within “one generation” of the rebirth of the state of Israel, and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. Lindsey asserted that “in the Bible” one generation is forty years. (...)

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