AMA: Who is the Antichrist? - Pastor David Houck | May 17, 2026

In a culture of theory and speculation, what does the Bible really say about the Antichrist? In this message, Pastor David shares what scripture has to say about this coming world ruler and how it applies to us today.

Transcript

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I'd encourage you to turn with me in your Bibles to the book of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 1 through 11. That will be our main text for this morning. I really enjoy uh going over the Ask Me Anything submissions from you all. Thank you to those of you who have submitted questions, uh, and you may feel free to do so uh continually. We're not able to answer everything, but we do return to this series from time to time. But every week I have to, and Pastor Mike and I sometimes fight over which uh questions we do, but we have to pick the questions, and sometimes one pops out as something that I think is really relevant to the church at the time, or maybe a topic we haven't addressed in a while. And then other times there will be a question that really just kind of excites me because it's something that uh I am interested in. So we receive the question: what does the Bible really say about the Antichrist? And I loved the wording of this question. What does the Bible really say about this question? Because it acknowledges the fact that there are a lot of ideas and there is much speculation floating around out there. And while it certainly can be entertaining to some degree to engage in this speculation, we must not become distracted and let our focus turn away from God's word and towards opinion. There's some uh speculation concerning eschatology, which is the study of the end times, that makes sense and seems quite logical, but we must be careful not to get carried away with it. I'll hear preachers teach with confidence what each symbolic name and location in biblical prophecy means and how it will all go down. That certain nations mentioned are really Russia and North Korea and the United States, that nukes and tanks and helicopters are mentioned, how the United States will take a part in all of it, how artificial intelligence and microchips will play a role in the rise of the Antichrist. And it's interesting, maybe some of it is logical and probable, but it's speculation. We don't actually know that that is how it's all going to go down. And we must be careful never to hold speculation on the same level as the truth of Scripture. Speculation about the end times is always based upon how these events will take place within our generation or within the next century. So we always base these ideas on the nations, the politics, the political figures, and the technology of our day. But that evolves, that changes over time. And we know from scripture no one knows the day nor the hour that these events will take place. It might happen in our lifetime. The speculation and the ideas we have might be somewhat accurate. It could also take place a thousand years from now. Maybe the global landscape by the time it happens has completely changed. Maybe we're in the dark ages. Maybe we reject technology. Maybe the chariots and the horsemen that Revelation refers to are literally chariots and horsemen. We don't know. And so my job isn't necessarily to promote speculation, as fun or interesting as it might be, but to just preach the word of God. So let's turn our attention to what the Bible really says about the Antichrist. 2 Thessalonians, a letter from Paul, beginning in chapter 2, verses 1. Now, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes a seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And you know that it is restraining him now, so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this word. I pray that you would guide me in uh word and spirit to speak the truth and nothing more. Lord, may we all have uh a readiness to accept the truth of your God or of your word uh and uh a slowness to speak about that which we don't understand and uh and a hesitance to become offended at the truth of your word. And may we this morning lay aside our speculation, our ideas, the things that we have heard, and just return to the truth of your word. Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So this passage uh really gives us a great basis of who the Antichrist is, what the Antichrist is. But of course, there is a lot of biblical prophecy, so I've provided a lot of scripture for you this morning. But first of all, we need to understand who is this uh who is the Antichrist? Well, there is the spirit of the Antichrist. There is the spirit of the Antichrist. He refers to this in verse 7 when he said, For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. We often think about the Antichrist as a coming figure, and certainly that is true, but it is also a spirit that is in the world now. The mystery of lawlessness or the mystery of sin, the mystery of the Antichrist is already at work. He has been at work, the spirit has been at work since the time of Jesus. John told us, uh, told us this in 1 John chapter 2, when he said, Children, it is the last hour. As you have heard that Antichrist is coming, so now many Antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that it might become plain that they are not from us. And then later in verse 22, he says, Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. The spirit of the Antichrist is really just the spirit, the evil forces that oppose Jesus, and who tried to convince people that Jesus isn't who he said he was, that he is not God, that he is not fully man, that he is not the savior of the world. That's the spirit of the Antichrist, and that's everywhere. That's a spirit that completely dominates our culture. And to a certain extent, any single one of us can be an antichrist because we can be against Christ. At one point, we were all an antichrist. At one point, we were all lost in our sin and our rejection of who Jesus is. He also warns that the spirit of Antichrist exists within the church. And we've talked a lot about that this year about false teachers and false Christians who infiltrate the church, but they deny who Jesus really is. Eventually, they go out from us to show that they were never really a part of us. John also tells us that what makes one an Antichrist isn't just denying that Jesus is the Messiah, but denying any reality of who Jesus is. In his second letter in chapter 1, verse 7, he said, For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such one is a deceiver and the Antichrist. Here he's addressing a heresy that existed in the church then and still continues in some uh sects and groups today, that Jesus did not come in the flesh, that Jesus was not fully man. Perhaps he was an angel, perhaps he was just God, but that there was no humanity to him. He says that person is the Antichrist. That is a false teaching. He is fully God and fully man. Hard for us to comprehend, but it is the truth of who he is. And John tells us how to discern between the true Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Antichrist, and it's to test the spirits. We test it. Every teaching, every experience we might have, or an experience someone else shares, every theological concept, any supposed prophecy, we test it. We test it by opening up our Bibles, comparing it to the truth of God's word, the truth of scripture. If it contradicts God's written word, or even if we don't find it in God's word, that is the spirit of the Antichrist at work. We believe God's word is inerrant, fully sufficient, and complete. So any person who intentionally contradicts Scripture with a false teaching or claims to have a new revelation from God that isn't found in our Bibles is a false teacher, a deceiver, or an antichrist. If the Bible is what it says it is, fully sufficient, and if John was right when he wrote Revelation that this book is finished, don't add to it, don't take anything away from it, then there's no need for new prophecy. There's no need for new revelation. When someone comes to you and says, I have a word from the Lord, I have a word from God, a prophecy for you today. If what they say isn't a verse, don't listen to it. Because if they are giving you a new truth from God, then that must be equal to scripture. And if it's not found in scripture already, then essentially they are adding to the Bible. The Bible needs nothing new. All of this, the spirit of the Antichrist that exists in the world now, is just a glimpse at the very real person, the person of the Antichrist who has yet to come. Because there's the spirit of the Antichrist, and secondly, there is the person of the Antichrist. If you read scripture, there is no denying that the Bible contains very clear prophecy about a coming world ruler who will deceive the masses and completely oppose Christ and his people. There is a person who will be the final ultimate antichrist. So who is he? Well, there have been many theories and accusations of who this figure is ever since Daniel first wrote his prophetic visions of the coming world ruler. One of the most interesting examples is a man named Antiochus Epiphanes. He was a Greek king who ruled over Syria from 175 BC to 164 BC. So this is even before the time of Jesus. He was a tyrant, often referred to as the mad one, and he fulfilled many of the prophetic, um, many of the prophecies that Daniel spoke about and wrote about regarding the Antichrist, written about 400 years prior to Antiochus Epiphanes. In fact, many scholars believe that Daniel's prophecies, when he spoke about the Antichrist, had a dual meaning. It was specific prophecies of Antiochus Epiphanes, and it is also a prophecy about the coming world ruler of the end times. Just a brief synopsis, he absolutely hated the Jewish people, going so far as to raiding a temple, stealing its treasures, setting up an altar to Zeus, and sacrificing swine upon it. He then killed many Jews, forced some to eat pork, sold some into slavery, and ordered that circumcision was punishable by death. So many people understandably believed he was the true Antichrist, the true beast. But we know from the teachings of Jesus that the final Antichrist has yet to come. He fulfilled some prophecies, but not all. And of course, there have been many, many other theories. During the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther and John Calvin and others believed that the Antichrist was the Pope. Many people today still believe that the Antichrist will be a pope or is the Pope now. Many people understandably believed that Adolf Hitler was the Antichrist. And then it kind of just gets bizarre from there. Perhaps the first US president to be widely suggested to be the Antichrist was actually FDR. JFK was another one. Many people actually believing that he would be resurrected at his funeral. During the 70s and 80s, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was a popular candidate. Some of you might remember that. I don't because I'm not as old as you. Almost two decades ago now, many conservatives insisted Barack Obama was the Antichrist. The past few months, the most frequently cited individuals in online searches and discussions about the Antichrist are Donald Trump, Elon Musk, King Charles III, and Emmanuel Macron. Basically, we've reached a point where any figure of power or influence or notoriety can and will be accused of being the coming Antichrist. Quite frankly, most of it is garbage. Most of it is just based upon our own personal prejudices and our own desire to just uh gain some political views by saying, hey, this person is of the devil. Um, most of it isn't true. Some of it is very interesting. I've heard it suggested that history has produced several prototypes for the coming Antichrist. Uh, that perhaps, again, the greatest example would be Antiochus Epiphanes, because there is scripture about him, prophecy about him. There's also another great theory, and I hold to it as well, that other than Antiochus, one of the greatest prototypes or just foreshadowings of the Antichrist was Adolf Hitler. Probably the greatest example of the power, the influence, and the evil that the final Antichrist will have, and he is just a foreshadowing of that. Uh I'll leave it at that. You can go down your uh late night YouTube or Wikipedia rabbit hole to look into that more. But as promised, let's see what the Bible actually says. So, who is he? Well, I'm gonna give you some names. Names from the Bible. He is the beast. First of all, he is the beast. In both Revelation, uh, prophecies and visions regarding um the end times that were recorded by the Apostle John and the book of Daniel, authored by an Old Testament prophet, the figure is referred to as a beast. Revelation chapter 13, verse 5 says, And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for 42 months. Daniel also refers to him as a beast, and he calls him the little horn. Daniel chapter 7, verse 8 says, I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things. By the way, we're gonna look at the prophecies of Daniel uh often today. Please do not expect that I am going to explain every single aspect of that, because that is a several-year uh conversation in and of its own. Now, some have taken this title, the beast or the little horn, to mean that he will be a literal beast, uh, some sort of monstrous creature or demon hybrid. But biblical prophecy um contains metaphorical imagery, uh, not literal descriptions. Elsewhere in scripture, it is pretty clear that this will be an ordinary man, flesh and blood. He will be human. That's what Daniel says. He is the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things. He is human. Uh, secondly, he is a king of bold faith. The Antichrist will not just be a man who opposes Christ, but as we said, he will be a powerful world ruler. And Daniel describes his nature. Daniel chapter 8, verse 23. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. He will be a king of bold face, he will be powerful, he will be formidable, he will be arrogant, and he will be cruel. He will not be seen as a weak man. As we read in 2 Thessalonians, he's referred to as the man of lawlessness. The man of lawlessness. This is also just translated as the man of sin. And sin is lawlessness, sin is disobeying the law of God. He says, For that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed. What does it mean that he's a man of lawlessness? It means he is completely consumed by sin and evil and darkness. There is no good in him, there is no good deed that he will do. He is evil and wicked and consumed by the power of Satan. Then in the same verse, Paul refers to him as the son of destruction. The son of destruction, also uh the son of perdition. We actually find this elsewhere in scripture, used by Jesus as a label for Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed him. Some have taken this to mean that the Antichrist will actually be Judas resurrected, but there's no real evidence for that. The son of destruction or son of perdition just identifies the fact that both Judas and the Antichrist are destined for eternal damnation. Judas and the Antichrist are stated in Scripture and stated by Jesus to have no chance at redemption, completely consumed by evil and darkness, destined for eternal condemnation. So, who is the Antichrist? Those are the most specific names I can and am going to give. But scripture does also contain ways that we might be able to. Identify him. So, how can he be identified? Well, first of all, he will be intelligent. He will be intelligent. That perhaps is an understatement. He will probably be a genius. Daniel 8 23 says he is one who understands riddles. He will un uh he will offer solutions to the world's problems. He will be someone that the people of earth flock to for answers. We'll read that he will even have appeared to establish world peace. But it's not only intelligence that appears good to the people, he's also cunning and deceitful. He will not only appear as a genius to the public, offering solutions to the world's problems, he will also be working behind the scenes for sinister purposes. For us, our Star Wars fans out there. Uh I think of Chancellor Palpatine. He appeared, and I'm looking at the Star Wars fans. Chancellor Palpatine, who appeared as a hero, um, but behind the scenes was working as Darth Sidious. That means absolutely nothing to some of you, and that's okay. Um, but he will be intelligent, and his intelligence will be sinister. Secondly, he will be charismatic. He will be a charismatic ruler. Several times it's stated that he will speak great things, meaning he will be a powerful person of great, influential, and captivating speech and conviction and persuasion. Adolf Hitler is a great foreshadowing of that, a great orator. To the fact, very interesting to see that people close to him said when he spoke in speeches and in public gatherings, that wasn't his real voice. That was a completely different voice. We might see something similar in the Antichrist. But we read in Daniel 7 that he will have a mouth speaking great things. We're also told that he will be masterful in the art of flattery, and this is actually how he will gain much of his power. Daniel 11, 21 says, He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. He he people will love him, he'll know the right thing to say in every situation. But he won't just be charismatic in the sense of personality. We refer to charismatic churches as churches that embrace all these different spiritual gifts and signs and wonders. He will be charismatic in that sense too. He will appear as being powerful, supernatural, and gifted with many spiritual abilities. We read in verse 9, Paul wrote, The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders. He won't just be a powerful political figure, he will appear to be a powerful religious figure as well. And naturally, his intelligence and his charisma lead to this: he will be powerful. Of course, excluding the true sovereign power that is Christ's, the Antichrist will be the most powerful world ruler the world has ever seen. More than Napoleon, more than Hitler, more than any of the emperors of the past. We're told exactly where his power comes from. Daniel 8 24, his power shall be great, but not by his own power. His power will come from Satan. Satan rules over the fallen world now. Of course, Satan cannot do anything without God's permission, but as we read, there will come a time when God will no longer restrain Satan, and all hell will literally break loose. Satan will finally be able to give his full power and authority to the Antichrist. Daniel says that he will be terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. This power will not only be political but economic as well. Daniel 11, verse 43 says he shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and silver. He will have total and complete control over the world's economic system. That leads many people to believe that uh there will be a conversion to a single world currency. We'll see in a moment that actually no one in the world will be able to buy or sell without first submitting to the Antichrist. He will be a figure of unprecedented military might. Daniel says that he won't honor the gods of his ancestors, but instead he shall honor the god of fortresses. That means the only thing he worships is power and force, weaponry, military might. This is his object of worship. This is his goal, to obtain the world's fiercest and most powerful army, which he will use to great effect to enact his own tyrannical rule and the will of Satan. And very unsurprisingly, he will be narcissistic. We could probably infer to that at this point. It's hard for anyone on the global stage of power or on the global stage of fame to not develop a fat head. And with the unprecedented power that he will wield, certainly the Antichrist is gonna have the fattest head that there is. Daniel said, in his own mind he shall become great. Ever met someone like that? Will be nothing compared to the Antichrist. His narcissism will be so great that eventually he will declare himself to be God. Now we've had many world rulers throughout history who have claimed to be a God. No, he will claim to be the God. In fact, he will oppose all world religion and put an end to it all. We read in verse 4, Paul said, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. When you hear of someone having uh a God complex, this will be the ultimate final form of that. And now we come to uh the part that a lot of people have fun with. He will be associated with the number 666 or 666. This is where speculation often blows up into full-blown conspiracy. But it is there, Revelation chapter 13, verse 18. John saw this in a vision. He says, This calls for wisdom. Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. John says this calls for wisdom, meaning he saw it, he himself did not understand what it meant. But there will come a time during the Antichrist's reign of terror that people will be able to identify him by the number 666, 666. Now, since the time the Apostle John penned this in the first century, all sorts of people have said to themselves, hey now, that per that person of wisdom and understanding, I think that's me. I think I can figure out the meaning behind this. And so we've had all sorts of elaborate mathematical equations pointing to hundreds of different people through the pack practice of gymatria, which is the sign the assigning of numerical values to um to letters. Many scholars believe that this pointed to Nero, the Emperor Nero, because when his name and title Nero Caesar are written in Hebrew, they total 666. Later, some believe that it pointed to Hitler because since 666 is a three-digit number, then we should be working with three-digit numbers. So beginning with the letter A, they assigned 100. Letter B 101, so on and so forth. And if you were to do that with Adolf Hitler, wouldn't you know it? It would add up to 666. Now, uh, just for fun, I decided to use the same numerical values for my name, David Hauck. And thankfully it added to 1088. Um but then I realized Daniel says that the Antichrists will come from the final of four beasts, and the book of Revelation contains 22 chapters, 422. Does anyone happen to know what 1088 minus 422 equals? Kind of spooky. The truth is, even if the Antichrist were to rise in our generation, none of us true, genuine believers, will be around to see it. I think more so this riddle will come into play for those who are alive on the earth during the reign of the Antichrist. And I believe that during the Antichrist's reign, the connection here is gonna be made obvious and clear. So, what will he do? What will the Antichrist actually do? First of all, he will deceive through signs and wonders. We know that Satan is the father of lies, and the Antichrist will be closely behind him in that position as the master deceiver. But his deception won't be limited to a speech or political maneuvering. We're told that there will be a component of false religious and spiritual deception. We already read in verse 9 coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. The Antichrist will appear to have supernatural power, but as Paul says here, they will be false, false signs of and wonders, wicked deceptions. It will be smoke and mirrors, it will be cheap tricks and emotional manipulation. Paul says God actually allows this as a punishment. Because in the final days, in the seven years at the end of the world as we know it, then we call it the tribulation. In the final days, those who already refuse to love the truth, those who deny true salvation, will be given this master deceiver to seal their deception and condemnation. God says, You don't want to believe me, you're not going to reject me, or you're going to reject me no matter what. Then here you go. Here's your false God to seal their condemnation. I find it very interesting that for the large part of the previous 2,000 years since the time of Jesus, the church has largely viewed miraculous signs and wonders, faith healings, prophetic visions, and the speaking in tongues as a thing of the past, belonging only to the apostles in the apostolic age, to confirm that their foundational gospel message was indeed the message of Christ. That has been the majority view of Christians, leading Christians, Christian scholars since the first century, that the time for that is over. However, this changed when the modern charismatic movement found its roots in California in the year 1906 and then exploded to the size that it is today in the 70s and 80s. So within the last century, really, has this massive shift taken place where now countless churches teach and promote that all these signs and wonders can and should be the normative experience for modern believers. That all genuine believers can and should speak in angelic tongues as proof of their salvation. That many believers possess the power to perform a miraculous healing through their words or their touch or their anointing. That many others possess the power, as we said, to receive new divine revelations directly from God. Then there are those who claim to control the weather, be able to make people rich, or even distribute these spiritual gifts to others. A lot of these charismatic churches that say, hey, if you're a genuine believer, you have to be able to pray or speak in tongues. You know what they do? They have a class. They have a course to teach you how to do so. Do you know what that class says? It says, just open up your mouth, start just saying words and gibberish, and then the angel will take over, the spirit will take over and allow you to do it. So if you're skibbity, skibbity, skibbity, you know, eventually it'll turn into an actual genuine prayer. But we know the Holy Spirit is the only one who can distribute true gifts. But people flock to these teachers and these churches in hopes that they can have some sort of supernatural or emotional experience, that they can find healing, that they can speak in angelic uh languages, that they might be slain in the spirit, have all their desires answered through prayer, or receive a fortune cookie message from God. Now, do not mishear me and do not misunderstand me. In no way am I saying that God cannot perform miracles and miraculous healings and signs and wonders today. Of course he can. I'm not limiting God. What I question is that the average believer today has these spiritual gifts and that really it only began to appear since the 70s and the 80s. The natural conclusion, especially of the idea that all genuine believers should speak in tongues, suggests that the modern that the average churchgoer in a modern American charismatic church is somehow more gifted, more spiritual, more powerful than Calvin or Luther, who never spoke in tongues, who viewed it as something in the past, and all of the influential, most influential and authoritative figures in church history since the apostles. You really want me to believe that the church today is better than the church then? I I don't see proof. I don't see fruit of the spirit to support that. I think the modern church's obsession with miracles and wonders and personal supernatural experiences is a sign of the times. People often wonder, how is it that the antichrist will be able to deceive so many? It's pretty obvious. Look around you. It happens now. It isn't just the Antichrist who will deceive through false signs and wonders, because Jesus said, for false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. False Christian teachers will arise to do their best to draw away genuine believers if that's even possible. We're told it will happen now, and it will be the ultimate version of this then. When you look at the leading figures of today's charismatic movement, when you look at what they actually preach and teach, you'll find shallow and self-centered messages in the best form and complete and utter heresy in the worst. One day the Antichrist will be the ultimate embodiment of this, and countless people will flock to him, including many false Christians. I just have to say this I I never want to diminish anyone's personal experience, but don't ever hold an experience you have or an experience of someone else on an equal level as Scripture. Do as John said, test every spirit against God's word. And through his deception, he will conquer the world. In the book of Daniel, uh he describes four beasts that many scholars believe to be four major empires throughout world history, the fourth one being the final great empire of the Antichrist. He said in chapter 7, verse 23, as for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth and trample it down and break it into pieces. This final kingdom will be the final culmination of all the great kingdoms and empires in world history. It will conquer all, making the Antichrist the most powerful human leader in existence. And we saw earlier that much of this was just through flattery. A lot of this wasn't through force. People willingly handing him the keys to their kingdom. And then whatever nations do try to resist his power and authority will be quickly trampled by his military might. Then he will make a seven-year peace treaty with Israel, but break it after three and a half years. When the Antichrist comes to power during the seven-year tribulation, the end times, he will appear to be a great ruler. He will establish peace in the Middle East. Everyone always wonders, will there ever be peace in the Middle East? Yes. Under the Antichrist. He will actually appear to be a supporter or an ally of Israel and establish a seven-year peace covenant with them. But this is a farce. And three and a half years later, right in the middle of the seven-year tribulation period, his true intentions will be revealed. Daniel 9, 27 says, and he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the on the wing of abomination shall come one who makes desolate until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. This translation says one week, but it um others it says for uh one seven. And we know from other scripture that he's referring to seven years. Jesus tells us that this wasn't just the past event of Antiochus' uh sacrilegious acts in the Jewish temple, but at some point, the great desolation, probably within the first three and a half years, the Jewish temple will actually be rebuilt. And then will come the great abomination, the great desolation, where the Antichrist halfway through will put an end to the practice of Judaism and set up some sort of statue to himself, likely, or something else in the center of the temple. Jesus said, Matthew 24, verse 15 So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel. Standing in the holy place, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. This will be the turning point. Three and a half years. And Jesus warns when this happens, this is the sign that everything's gonna change. When this happens, the people of Israel should run, flee to the mountains, because the worst is yet to come. Not just for Jews, but also for people who have accepted Christ during this tribulation period, because people will come to know Jesus during this time. Daniel said, As I look, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them. But this is only temporary. Daniel 25 says, There shall be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time, three and a half years. This is when his true colors are revealed, and he will declare himself to be God. His evil and his arrogant agenda and his blasphemy will be evident when he declares himself again, not just to be a God or one of many gods, but the only God, not opposing Christianity and Judaism, but all religion. We read that in verse 4. And he will commit and speak ultimate blasphemy. He'll even seek to change the entire way the world operates, its religious practices, it's even its concept of time and moral law. Daniel 7, verse 25 says, He shall speak words against the most high, and shall wear out the saints of the most high, and shall think to change the times and the law. Atheists and Hindu and Muslim, how can everyone be convinced to actually worship this guy? Well, he's not working alone. We're told he will work with a false prophet. There will be another evil figure at work in all of this. Satan is the ultimate mastermind, the source of all this evil. Then there's the Antichrist doing Satan's will, and then there will be a sidekick of sorts to the Antichrist, a false prophet. You can read about him in Revelation 13. But it appears that he himself will be a figure of great power and influence and intellect, perhaps even more skilled in the arts of trickery and deception than the Antichrist. Verses 11 through 12 of Revelation 13 says, Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. So he will seem like he's innocent like a lamb, but he will have powerful speech. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence. It makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast. Then in verse 16, he says, Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. So the second command will be able to devise ways to trick and even force the inhabitants of the earth into submitting to and worshiping the Antichrist. And this is where we hear of the mark of the beast, somehow pertaining to the beast in the number 666, the number of his name, some sort of mark, physical or this could be metaphorical, on the hand and forehead, physical or metaphorical. And without this sign of submission to the Antichrist, no one will be able to participate in the commerce of the world. No one will be able to buy and sell. So it forces people to worship him. And then we read that he will fake his death and resurrection. There are different interpretations of this, but I want to share one with you. So Revelation 13, verse 3 says, one of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. Some scholars, and I tend to agree with this, that this refers to a false resurrection of the Antichrist, which makes sense that if Satan's trying to oppose this fig or create this figure, uplift this figure who he thinks could actually truthfully oppose Jesus, even though we know that he can't, that there would be a false resurrection. Now, nowhere in scripture do we see that Satan actually has the power to raise from the dead. So again, this is most likely deception. Everyone, the world will think that he died, he has a wound to his head, but somehow he will reappear, and that just confirms the world's awe and wonder and worship in him. The other interpretation is that this just refers to his empire. Specifically, that this empire is the Roman Empire resurrected, essentially. People think the Roman Empire is dead, but it will come back. So those are two differing opinions. Um, and I don't think there's need to be dogmatic about that. But what we can all agree on is this he will be defeated by Christ. As powerful as he seems, as wicked as he seems, as authoritative as he seems, he will not be victorious. He will be defeated by Christ. In the final moments of the seven-year period, it will appear as though hell had won. The Antichrist will have power over all the kingdoms of the earth. He will issue the greatest attack and persecution against the people of Israel and the tribulation Christians that the world has ever seen. And then Christ returns, dressed in a white robe dipped in blood, riding on a horse with the armies of heaven and all the resurrected saints behind him. Believe it or not, the Antichrist and all the armies of the earth will actually try to attack Jesus, and Jesus will kill him all with his breath. We read in verse 8, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and then the lawless one will be revealed to him. Revelation 19, 20 through 21, John says, And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet, who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns a sulphur, and the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. Quite an image. Things are going to get ugly in the end times, uglier than we can imagine now. The seven-year tribulation period and the rule of the Antichrist will bring about pain and suffering and death, the likes of which the world has never seen. But we can skip ahead in the story. We can skip to the end. We know how it ends. Jesus Christ returns and will be victorious over not just the Antichrist, but over all the powers of darkness. Amen. We're told all of this. Not so that we can try to piece it all together, figure out who the Antichrist is, or try to prevent him from coming to power because it is inevitable. We're actually told all of this so that we might have hope. Let's keep first things first. Only faith in Jesus can deliver us from the coming wrath. Don't get so caught up in the details that you miss the main things. God only allows Satan to release the Antichrist because it will ultimately unleash God's final wrath and judgment on the earth. Our God is a God of grace. He is a God of love and mercy and forgiveness, which is why He offers a second chance through the sacrifice of his son Jesus. But the window to accept that gift is limited. Someday it will close. And the rise of the Antichrist will be a sign to the world that the window of opportunity is closing soon. And we know from scripture that thankfully many will see the light during this time. 1,044 or 144,000 Jews during this time will turn back to Christ and they will launch the greatest missionary movement the world has ever seen, turning untold numbers of souls to Jesus. But then, even though that happens, many will not accept the truth, and the deception of the Antichrist will seal their fate, which is what we read in verse 11 and 12. And all of this, I get it, sounds very doom and gloom, but there's good news. We can escape the coming wrath. In fact, that's what this whole passage Paul wrote to the Thessalonians is about. Look how he began. Now, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word or a letter seeming to be uh to come from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. He speaks of two events here: the coming of our Lord Jesus, meaning the second final coming of God when he returns on the white horse and pronounces his judgment on the world, and our being gathered together to him. This is the rapture. He says, Do not be alarmed. Why would they be alarmed? Well, it appeared that there were false teachers and preachers, even counterfeit letters claiming to be from Paul, that said the day of the Lord, the time of Christ's judgment, had already come. They were facing persecution at this time, and false teachers came and said, This is because of God's judgment, this is the day of the Lord. Now, the fact that they were alarmed confirms the order of events Paul had already told them. If they believed Jesus Christ returned in all judgment, and then the rapture happened, then this should have been good news. Because it meant Jesus was coming for them soon. They were alarmed because if God's judgment was here, then they missed the rapture. That's what bothered them. Someone is saying, You missed the rapture. But that's not what Paul had taught them. They were taught the rapture happens first. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 16 to 17, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. This event that we refer to as the rapture is when Jesus comes in the sky. This isn't his final coming when he comes to the earth. This isn't his final arrival. And in a blink, in a moment, every believer living and dead will be with him up in the sky. He will take us from the earth. And then Paul says the tribulation happens. Because in the next chapter, he's writing chronologically, he says, While people are saying there's peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape. When they say this is there's peace and security, what's he referring to? When the Antichrist says he establishes peace, then the chaos will happen. But notice what he says next. But you, it's writing to the Thessalonians, to Christians, but you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. Then verse 9, he says, For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him. Paul's telling him, the people left behind to suffer during the tribulation, he uses the word, they will be surprised by sudden destruction. But we believers are not destined for wrath. Through Jesus, whether we are awake or asleep, the dead and the living Christians will be raptured up to be with Christ and protected from the tribulation period. This is consistent with what we read in Revelation. Jesus, in the beginning, few chapters of Revelation is speaking to different types of churches. And he says, Because you have kept my word about patience endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. He's not talking about the great white throne of judgment. He says, the hour of trial, the period of judgment. Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus will escape the seven-year period of wrath and judgment. It's interesting that the book of Revelation contains great detail about this period. In the first three chapters, before he gets to the tribulation, the word church appears 19 times. And then it doesn't appear again until chapter 22, after the tribulation is described. Why? Because we're not going to be there. That's why I say don't get caught up in all the detail. We're not gonna be there. Rest in the fact that we're not going to be there. That's Paul's message. Keep first things first. Is it scary? Yes, but there is hope. The only way you can protect yourself and protect those you love is to share Jesus with them and accept Jesus as your savior. And I acknowledge people hold different opinions. Some people think the rapture happens halfway through or happens after. I think the Bible's pretty clear. But even if you disagree, we can all agree that we can escape eternal condemnation and damnation only through Jesus. Do you have that hope? Do the others around you have that hope? Now therefore, O kings, be wise. Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Have you taken refuge in him? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for these prophecies. They tell us of the time to come. Lord, we know that during these times, this word will help those understand what's happening in the world and point them to you. And that many, many, many, countless numbers of people will be saved during that time. But Lord, to us, we're told these things so that we may have hope, because we know you will protect us and save us from the hour of wrath. And that you tell us this so that we might be motivated and encouraged and inspired to share Jesus with others, that we might keep first things first, sharing the gospel so that people can escape not only the coming wrath on earth, but eternal condemnation, the punishment we all deserve for rejecting you. But the good news is through Christ Jesus we are offered forgiveness and that we might be blessed by taking refuge in you. If there's anyone here this morning who has doesn't have that hope, I pray that they would pray to you, confess their sins, and accept you as to be their Lord and Savior. Jesus' name we pray. Amen.