#but you absolutely butchered the end of the first kingdom of Jerusalem

[earthly-apples]

I stay away from any romanticization of the Mayerling incident because I know it will be an experience of watching people butchering something which had much more potential than star crossed lovers boo hoo

[thomaspredestined-blog]

End of the Age (Typed Sermon).

Here’s the transcript from the sermon I gave on December 3rd, 2017.

The audio version is here.

Mark 13:24-37

Good morning!

Just as a general disclaimer up front, I want to let you know that the views and opinions expressed in the next half an hour-ish don’t directly reflect that of Josh or the leadership team at The Bridge.  Likewise, if I say anything that you’d like to further discuss, you’re more than welcome to talk to me after the service or we can get coffee together sometime.

My name is Ryan.  I’ll be speaking this week and next.  

I’ve come to terms with the fact I might be so bad at this that y’all collectively decide not to show up next week.  If that happens, Shad is gonna play me some songs on his guitar, I’m gonna say some words to him, and then we’re gonna get margaritas.  However, if it’s good, or you want to hear some more about why Josh decided to have the tattooed, angry chubster speak, I invite you to come back next week for a more in-depth look at me and how I got to this place.

Right up top, I wanna let y’all in on something I believe to be true.  There are ONLY two dumb things in this world.  Of course, there are evil, grotesque, abhorrent, and violent things in this world that are awful.  But, only two TRULY dumb things.  The first of those dumb things is listening to Pearl Jam.  The second is trying to figure out the end times, the end of days, the end of the age, whatever you wanna call it. So, today, we’re gonna be talking about the end of the age.   We’re gonna be breaking the scripture reading for today down into two parts.  The first part dealing specifically with the Christ predicting his death, the fall of Rome, and what it meant to the world of his day.  The second part dealing with what happens next, after his death, after he’s left our plane of existence, and what that means for us.

And, for the record, there will be absolutely no talk of Eddie Vetter’s divinity.

If you would join me… Pull out your phone, open your Bible app to Mark 13:24-37, and remember what life was like when you had to thumb through a physical book to get to the scripture reading…

For the youth and kids in here, a book is an app that you can hold with your hands.  It has lots of smashed, dead trees glued together with full-sized words printed on each page.  And yes, a page is just like a website, but you know, if the website were made of dead trees…

Here we go!

24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[a] 26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[b] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown 32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[c]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

It’s so Christmas-y! Like a peppermint mocha in word form, eh?!  Nothing says Christmas quite like an adult, full grown, not-baby Jesus talking about the end of the world!

Today, we’re gonna be focusing on verses 32 and on for the majority of this message, but we will briefly discuss what the first half of what the Christ was saying here means.  To put the last section of this into some sort of palatable, applicable context.  

Right before the reading for today, the disciples come to Jesus proclaiming how amazing the temple is and how beautiful the buildings in Jerusalem are.  Poor dudes never got to see midcentury modern architecture, am I right?!  Jesus tells the disciples about the destruction of the temple, how the stones for the buildings will no longer lay on each other, but will be scattered.  He tells them about the end of their current age.  The fall of Rome, the fall of Jerusalem, the end of the opulent, extravagant thing built by man.  

He goes on to tell his disciples to be alert, on the lookout, for false messiahs.  Today, we’ve taken that to mean people who suck at interpreting scripture, or the people who interpret it in ways that we don’t like.  But, at that time, when Christ was speaking this message to his followers, there were about 8-12 known, active “messiahs” in Judea.  These were violent men, leading violent mobs against the Roman rule.  They dealt strictly in the physical world, using physical violence in an attempt to establish a physical kingdom.  All things Christ had no interest in.

He follows that statement up by telling the disciples, “Look, I’ve already told you all of this about the demise of empire and my death.”  But, once more, he points to scripture to show them the prophecy he’s living.  

The opening quotation is echoed in Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Joel.  This idea of the sun going black, the moon going black, the stars falling so the skies go black, and the heaven’s quaking.  Everything fades to black and then starts shaking violently.  Proving once and for all that God is a Metallica fan.  And the first three albums can be considered the blessed trinity of thrash…

Thank you, my work here is done…

Kidding, kidding.

Everything he’s saying here is an echo of great cities, empires falling.  He’s speaking directly to the fall of Rome, the current empire the Israelite people are languishing under.  The current empire that’s controlling the temple and all of Jewish life.  

Josh spoke a number of weeks ago about how the disciples were really, really bad at listening.  So, this is Jesus, once more, reiterating this idea that he will die and Jerusalem, Rome, etc. will fall.  He is trying to drive this point home using prophetic language that they all would have known and understood.  

In today’s parlance, it would be Jesus saying that the world is swirling the same drain as the DC movie universe.

He’s setting all this up, this prophetic speech, to let them know that something, something big is about to happen.  These words were spoken before.  When Babylon fell, when the Jews escaped Egypt, when Joel prophesied the gospel.  He wants them to know that a YUGE, THE BIGGEST, thing is about to happen.  As in, just around the corner.  As in, soon.  

He tells them they will all be alive when this thing happens.  When he dies.  They will see it all happen.  They will, most importantly, see heaven and earth pass away.  The destruction of the temple.  The place the Israelites saw as the meeting place of heaven and earth, the dwelling place of their god.  In Christ’s death, this would no longer be the dwelling place of God.  

Right after this, you have Jesus mentioning a fig tree.  Just a few chapters before this text, Jesus curses a fig tree and it withers and dies in front of the disciples.  The same disciples he’s speaking to now.  The fig tree was an incredibly significant symbol for Rome, at the time, that all of the Jewish people would have understood.  Rome was said to have been founded by a pair of twins, Romulus and Remus, who were found under a fig tree being nursed by a she-wolf.  Christ then goes on to say that despite the tree growing, the end is still near.  Rome will fall.  Roughly 30 years after this, a long bloody war began between the Jews and the Romans that lasted nearly 70 years.

Quickly, before we move on to the second half of the reading and the bulk of the message, I want to point out how fickle language can be and how one wrong translated word can change the entirety of the text.

Lots of people read these specific verses, 13:24-27, and see the phrase “Son of Man coming in the clouds” and immediately assume that it’s the return of the Christ.  However, the word “coming” is translated from the Greek work “erchomai,” and yes, I probably butchered the pronunciation of that.  Greek was a very figurative language.  In English, the word “coming” means…well…”coming.”  An arrival or an approach.  Something that is going to start.  But, “erchomai” means, “to arrive, to come into being, or to go or follow.”  That one word then changes the text to read a handful of ways…

“At that time people will see the Son of Man arriving in clouds with great power and glory.” “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming into being in clouds with great power and glory.” “At that time people will see the Son of Man leaving in clouds with great power and glory.” “At that time people will see the Son of Man following in clouds with great power and glory.”

All of the sudden we have one word’s full definition range that turns one section of one verse into four possible translations.  And, just a short time after Jesus is offering up this prophecy, he leaves this plane of existence in the clouds with great power and glory.  Now, I’m not telling you what to believe, but I have an idea of where he was headed with his train of thought…

In essence, verses 24-31 is Christ telling us that he’s gonna be killed.  In his death and resurrection, there will be a sort of completion that all will experience.  He’s also alerting the disciples to what will come after his death, the fall of Rome and the work they will be tasked with.

Now, to the meat of the message.  

The end of days…

The end of time… The end of the age.

Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel once said that “Judaism is a religion of time aiming at the sanctification of time.”  Jesus, for those of you unaware, was not a Christian, but was Jewish.  He would have understood the Israelite tradition of living around the idea of time.  And he speaks to their need for knowing time in the following passage.

The Day and Hour Unknown 32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[c]! You do not know when that time will come.

Two thousand years later, we still wrestle with this idea.  We are a people caught in time.  We exist centered around the idea of time.  Church starts at 10:30am on the seventh day of the week, every day of the month, 12 months a year, and sometimes other days that we deem holy, based upon a calendar that we constructed around the moving of celestial bodies.  We created time, a way of knowing, based upon physical objects moving in a physical space.  Even Jesus, himself, in the flesh, is bound by time.  And right here, in this passage, Jesus is saying that the physical, the tangible, the touchable, can not predict the coming age because we all exist within time.  The Father, however, is not.  The Father, God, exists beyond this age.

And that’s what it is.  It’s not the end of the world.  It’s not an all-encompassing fire.  It’s not death and destruction for Muslims and Jews and Hindu’s.  It’s the next age.  That’s the way the Jewish tradition understood it, the early Christian church understood it.  It’s the time after this time.  It’s this, but the next this.  A better this.  A completed this.  The finished creation of a loving creator.  The completion of a masterwork.  Time restored.

And so, Jesus is saying that because the Father exists outside of the confines of time, we shouldn’t worry ourselves with when the next age will come.  Instead, we should prepare for it.  We should work towards it.  

My mother is a beautiful, saint of a woman.  But, you know, she’s crazy.  To quote Christopher Titus, "I don’t mean, ‘My mom’s crazy…’ I mean, 'We the people find the defendant…’”

Growing up, we would always have to clean the house when people were coming over.  It didn’t matter who it was.  The meter reader could be coming by the check the electric usage and we’d have to be on our hands and knees picking individual lint balls out of the carpet from where it had fallen off our socks.  

She also told me to always leave the house wearing clean underwear.  You didn’t wanna get into an accident and be wearing dirty underwear.

Again, a saint of a woman.

But, she was always preparing for something.  At the time, it was sheer lunacy.  It was busywork for a bored son and a special needs daughter.  It was a punishment.  Why make a bed if I’m gonna be sleeping in it that night?  That question was always answered with, “Who says I’m gonna let you live that long?”

That’s precisely what the Christ is saying in the latter half of the scripture here.  The only things he promises are that he will return, this age will end, and his words will endure.  He doesn’t promise that he’s gonna let us live long enough to make it to bed tonight.  He promises this age will come to an end.  And he follows that promise with a command for us to prepare for that end.  To work towards it. We work towards a promotion at our jobs.  We work towards a better relationship with spouses or kids or parents.  We work towards having a nicer lawn and bigger, shinier things.  We work towards certainty.  We work towards all of these things, wallowing in our salvation and pointing our certainty at the next thing.  Waiting for the end of days, where we’ll be vaporized into the heavens and dance around on streets of gold with a crown.  But, that’s not what we’re called to do here.  

Simply put, Jesus is calling us to prepare this incomplete place for the day of it’s completion.  Jesus is calling us to do the work.  Now.  Here.  Prepare.  Now.  Here.  It’s not about someplace after this one and it isn’t about sometime after this one.  It’s about beginning the completion, the rectification, the healing of the here and now.  Because we exist in this place and in this time.  We are to always be working toward the coming age where God will peel back the hurt and the suffering.  Where God will make ALL of the wrongs right.  Where God will pour out the love we are called to embody.  And, selfishly, where God will heal the brokenness in my wife, and in my friends, and in my family, and in me.  That’s what we’re to be working towards.

There’s a brewery across the street that does more outreach for this community than most churches.  They paint houses, feed the hungry, and make incredible beer.  They open their arms and love and look past gender, skin color, sex, orientation, and so on.  They brew and sell beer and give love.  Does that not make you feel the exact same shame I feel?  They talk to the homeless.  They love the outcast and marginalized.  I look the other way.  I pretend the music coming through my headphones is too loud to hear them asking for help.

We have messed everything up, guys.  We have twisted and misinterpreted a beautiful message.  We have been called to create community, but we do so only with those we deem worthy.  With those that have the physical and spiritual characteristics that we agree with. I have friends who are pastors, theologians, that aren’t welcome to discuss their hurt and brokenness with their congregations because it’s not what a leader is supposed to do.  They’re to be certain, strong, have all the answers.  Always.  Is that the next age kinda community we are supposed to be ushering in?  

We give money to organizations, but don’t look the people who benefit from that money in the eye when we pass them on the street.  We donate to charities and shelters and speak out against rape and abuse and a million other things, but we do not sit with the woman who was raped and let her cry.  

We do not sit with the black family who’s son was murdered for selling cigarettes on a street corner.  

We do not sit with the heroin addict who’s puking and shaking from detoxing.  

We complain about football players protesting Empire for destroying community.   We post on social media and talk with our friends about how horrible mass shootings are, but we’ll be damned if anyone takes our guns from us.

We give money through websites and text messages.  We give our thoughts and prayers through likes and hearts online.  And we go on with our day feeling a little bit better about ourselves.  We just put another jewel into a crown.

Jesus isn’t calling us to delegate the responsibility for the work we are to be doing.  He calls us each to do it.  To do the work.  He could have used any analogy that he wanted, but he uses the analogy of servants.  Those who are to do the master’s work.  Plain and simple.  The end of the line.  Where the bucks stops.  No one below us to delegate our task to.  He says we are to be the servants, doing the bidding of the one who exists outside of time, that will usher in an age of completion.  And you know what we do?  We shirk our responsibilities and pass off the dirty work to those “with a heart for it” or “the patience for it” or “the stomach for it.”  

We are each called to a task and we hope someone else will come along and do it for us.

I’m ashamed of myself.  I’m ashamed of the church as a whole.  I’m ashamed that we have taken everything in this book and twisted it into self-serving, political and social power and propaganda.  When we’re called to be the servants preparing the people for the age when they will be made whole.  We weren’t called to add to their pain, to scream “Whore!” at the woman getting an abortion for circumstances we don’t know, to legislate marriage so only the people we deem worthy can enjoy it.  We were called to be the community, the completion, the coming age to the hurting here and now and we have beyond missed the mark on that.  To you, to me, to the church, be better. Today.  Be better now.  Be better here.

This time of year always breaks my heart.  I was fortunate to never miss a meal or a holiday.  I got presents every year at the applicable time of year.  I grew up knowing we weren’t wealthy, but there were many, many people worse off than we were.  I didn’t ever give up anything of mine to them, though. My stuff? My parents’ worked hard for my stuff.  The kids who weren’t getting a ham, or weren’t getting a new toy, their parents didn’t work as hard as mine.  A truly disgusting mindset, I know.  

But, that’s what society told me.  They said that the mom on welfare shouldn’t have had another kid.  That extra kid cost the others a good Christmas.  They said that the kid who’s parents were junkies should have been born to parents without a drug addiction, or mental imbalance, so they could have had a good Christmas.  And I was spoon fed that mindset by the church, gobbling it up like my Christmas ham.

We are called to create the next age now.  We are called to make this time of year mean something more than toys and meals and “How much did so-and-so spend on the thing?”  We are called to prepare for the coming age.

This season, the advent season, is all about that preparation.  Preparing ourselves for the coming Christ, preparing our communities.  In our preparation, we are called to remember where we’ve come from.  Because we exist in time, we have a past to look back at and honor.  We have traditions to tie us to those who came before, to those who did the work to usher in the coming age before us.  

One of those traditions is the lighting of the advent candles.  Each Sunday, leading up to advent, another candle is lit, culminating with the fifth candle on Christmas Eve.   Each of the five candles represents something different.

The first candle, today’s candle, is the candle of the prophets.  Reminding us to look back at those who came before, prophesying the coming of the gospel of the Christ.  And it serves as a reminder that we are now the ones being sent with the good news of Christ’s coming to reach our communities.  Doing the work, bridging the gaps, and working towards the completion, the rectification, of creation through Christ. The second candle is the Bethlehem candle.  It serves as a reminder that God acted in a particular place at a particular time.  God, who exists outside of time as we know, operates within time in a very specific manner.  This candle serves to remind us that the Christ was born a human to a human in a real place during a real time.  It also serves to remind us that we exist within a particular place at a particular time and in both, we are to be working towards the coming age.

The third candle is the Shepherd’s candle.  The shepherd, the smelly, poor, outcast member of their society and culture.  This candle is a reminder to us that God chose the lowest member of society to reveal himself to and to reveal his nature to seek out and restore those who’ve been marginalized and pushed to the edges.  It’s this candle that reminds us that God sought these people out, and it is our work to continue seeking this people out, to reveal the restoration of creation to.  

The fourth Sunday ushers in the angels’ candle.  The candle of extravagance.  The extra candle, as my wife would say.  The candle that shows us God can, because God can.  One angel would have been more that sufficient as a messenger to the shepherd’s from week three, but God sent an entire choir of them.  Because he can.  Because he is God and God’s love is an extravagant, over the top, YUGE kinda love.  God truly has the best love.

And the final candle.  The one lit on Christmas Eve.  It’s the candle for the Christ.  The one sent to begin the work of restoration for all of creation.  The one sent to begin the completion of God’s creation and the one who will come again to finish that work.  This candle reminds us of what was done and what’s left to be done.  

As the prophets were called to foretell the coming of the restoration, so are we called to continue the work of restoration.

As the human birth of the divine happened at a particular time and place, so are we called to live in the present, our own particular times and places, to continue the work of restoration.

As the shepherds were called to prove God’s love extends beyond class and culture, so are we called to continue reaching out past physical and social borders and boundaries to continue to work of restoration.

Is anyone seeing a pattern emerging here?  

As the choir of angels was called to show us God’s extravagant love, so are we called to continue showing the extravagant love of the one who exists beyond time and comprehension in an effort to further his desire for restoration.

And the final candle, the Christ candle, calls us to continue the work he started some 2,000 years ago.  The work of reaching out, reaching down.  The living, physical, tangible figures of restoration, ushering in the age to come that he promised.

As we enter into this time of advent, I beg all of you to do your part in bringing about the next age, the age to come.  The age promised to us by the Christ.  I beg you to begin the work of restoration in your community, wherever that may be.  

I’m gonna close simply.  

I want to invite my wife on stage at this time to join me in reading the passage for the prophet’s candle.  The candle that reminds us we are to be telling our communities about the great restoration of the Christ.  After the reading and the candle lighting, I will pray for us, and then I’ll shut up and we can all go home.

[mayorgalvan]

GALVANISM Subscriptions Donation Information   Language: English Contact Us Help The Restored Church of God The Real Truth The World to Come WCG Background?Search  Contact Us  Login Library   About Us   News My Bookshelf Requests  How is everything free?  Order Free Copy *Free shipping included.Save to read later epub mobi pdf Where Is God’s Church Today?New York, USAJamaica Jesus said, “I will build My Church…” There is a single organization that teaches the entire truth of the Bible, and is called to live by “every word of God.” Do you know how to find it? Christ said it would: Teach “all things” He commanded Have called out members set apart by truth Be a “little flock” Attend a Congregation About the AuthorDavid C. Pack Founder and Pastor General of The Restored Church of God, Editor-in-Chief of The Real Truth magazine, and voice of The World to Come program, David C. Pack has reached many millions around the globe with the most powerful truths of the Bible—unknown to almost all. He has authored 80 books and booklets, personally established over 50 congregations, and appeared as a guest on The History Channel. Mr. Pack attended Ambassador College in Pasadena, California, entered the Worldwide Church of God ministry in 1971, and was personally trained by its founder, Herbert W. Armstrong. Learn more You may wish to read: How God’s Kingdom Will Come – The Untold Story! Revelation Explained at Last! Library   Library   Books and Booklets  Bible Prophecy The ANTICHRIST All-powerful, Worse Than Any Expect—and Close! by David C. Pack The Bible teaches that an Antichrist will appear just before the Return of Christ. Evangelical Christians most often speak of “the Antichrist is coming!” They see this figure as affecting “the masses who do not know what to look for” and who are spiritually “not ready for the rapture.” Such people themselves have absolutely no idea what to look for, and if they did, the Bible teaches nothing about a rapture. Prophecy watchers and so-called experts butcher the truth about the coming Antichrist. Most reduce this prophecy and badly skew it. Others dismiss it entirely and still others declare it already fulfilled. This horrific deceiver is not a past figure, such as Nero, Saladin, Saddam Hussein, Hitler, or Putin or any other current world leader. On top of this, so-called Bible authorities speak with competing, disagreeing voices, and add to the confusion. The ignorance of these voices—ALL of them—is painful to hear. They have no idea what they are talking about. Most Bible readers remain in near complete ignorance of the speed, sequence and seriousness—as well as the AWESOME MAGNITUDE!—of certain oncoming prophecies. And this is on top of not truly comprehending what any of them actually MEANS! So many just cannot untangle the maze of what happens when, and why, as well as where and to whom. This could not be more true than on the subject of the Antichrist. No booklet could be more important than this one. Read it all! A monstrous Antichrist is coming. His power and stature are infinitely beyond anything you have been told. This will be no Hollywood actor in a hooded robe with fangs—one popular image of him—but rather an unstoppable titanic figure of awesome worldwide power and authority that not one person you know is remotely prepared for. You must understand what God in His Word says is coming!—and how to know his arrival is close! Literally terrifying understanding follows. No One Is Prepared We live in an age of terrorism. Attackers emerge from deep cover and strike without notice. No one sees them coming, but the bloody aftermath of their work is visible to all. One moment life is normal, but when a terrorist strikes, things are suddenly changed forever. Such will be the case with the Antichrist—but on a worldwide scale—with billions of “survivors” who must endure his reign. Think of his coming as the greatest and longest terror attack in history—with every man, woman and child on Earth in his crosshairs. World troubles—now including the real prospect of nuclear war—beg for a savior to come and “fix” mankind’s problems. But the Bible clearly teaches that a powerful Antichrist will arise to actually rule the world just before Jesus Christ returns. Unknown to almost all, he is referenced time and again through Scripture by terms including: Man of Sin, Son of perdition, Little horn, Fierce king, Foolish (or evil) shepherd, Wolf, Adversary, Beast, Fourth beast, Seventh head, That Wicked one, “He that comes” and even woman in a jar. He is connected to the terms: the snare, the fire, desolation and the place of dragons. All these terms, and others left out, relate to the misunderstood figure most commonly known as the “Antichrist.” Satan counterfeits every doctrine of the Bible. The Antichrist would be no exception. While generally understood to be a figure of evil and a vague threat to mankind, the Antichrist is seen by most to be largely focused against the Jews. Based on a complete misreading of Daniel 9:27, tens of millions believe this world-deceiver will make a seven-year covenant with the modern nation of Israel, before breaking it halfway through, thus introducing the Great Tribulation for the last three-and-a-half years of his reign. It is commonly believed that at this point this man will throw off his cloak and reveal his true colors. This belief is wrong—ALL of it!—as is the belief that millions will escape through a fictional rapture. The Antichrist’s arrival involves domination of the entire world, from day one! You will learn how. In all of this, everyone is looking in all the wrong places. You must know what to look for—and to avoid. You must be able to understand the setting—and gravity—of what is coming. After you have read this booklet, you will have learned the most essential knowledge about this subject. Basic prophetic understanding reveals that the Antichrist is not only alive but his appearance is imminent. Those who are even looking are largely expecting a kind of far away, low level “bad guy” that only the wicked must endure. Instead, think of the coming world shock as a soldier expecting a pygmy and suddenly encountering Goliath—or dressing for a brisk wind and experiencing a Category 5 hurricane that lasts for months. Theologians and religionists are expecting a firecracker but will be rocked by a nuclear explosion. This man will reach every friend, co-worker and relative you know—near and far. This monster will personally affect the life of every human being on the planet, with no world leader even remotely able to slow or resist him, let alone stop him. Complete Worldwide Takeover Three passages describe the awesome scope of this man’s world control and power. First is from Luke’s version of the well-known Olivet prophecy. It ends with a sober warning few consider: “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting [hungover from drinking], and drunkenness, and cares of this life…” (Luke 21:34). Sadly, this describes the masses today. Continuing: “…so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it [one day] come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (vs. 34-35). Snares are violent, unexpected and often lethal. Jesus said a snare will drop on the whole Earth. So this is not a localized event in the Middle East or elsewhere. Jesus added, “Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass…” (vs. 36). Not by rapture but by special supernatural protection on Earth. He warned: “Take heed that you be not deceived: for many shall come in My name, saying, I AM Christ, and the time draws near…” (vs. 8). The word Christ is not in the Greek. This pictures deceivers pointing to one claiming to be “I AM”—a name reserved only for God. Think. Would deceivers actively point followers to the true Christ? Of course not. This case will later be expanded in irrefutable detail. Christ’s stark warning about these coming deceivers follows: “…Go you not therefore after them!” (vs. 8). Related to this, when the Antichrist will arrive must be addressed. Can we at least generally know? Do specific conditions precede his arrival? For now, understand the Antichrist’s coming is imminent! But you need not take my word for it. This will be proven later. The second passage is Revelation 3:10. Christ calls the Antichrist’s arrival “…the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” “All” comes from holos, meaning “whole, complete or absolutely all” (all definitions are from Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, unless otherwise noted). “Temptation” means “experience of evil.” No wonder the apostle Paul called this “the evil day” (Eph. 6:13). The prophet Daniel was just as expansive—and much more chilling. In chapter 12, this day is shown to be 1,335 days from the time Daniel is resurrected—when Christ enters Jerusalem. Those who faithfully “wait” for the 1,335 and “escape” (recall Luke) are called “blessed” (Dan. 12:12). Why becomes clear in Daniel 7. He there recorded a vision of the Antichrist—calling it the “little horn”—who just before Christ’s Return, “…made war with the saints, and prevailed against them” (vs. 21). Christ returns in verse 22. Next, Daniel presents a fuller picture of this man’s devastating power and reach, saying he will “devour [the Hebrew means “eat”] the whole earth, and…tread it down [the Hebrew means “trample”], and break it in pieces [the Hebrew means “crush”]” (vs. 23). Come to grips with the staggering level of power a human being must possess to eat, trample and crush the ENTIRE EARTH! The question is, who will believe this? Most will not—and the evil day will take them. Antichrist Defined The word Antichrist is found in four scriptures, all by the apostle John. The Greek antichristos means “an adversary” (Thayer’s Greek Definitions) or “opponent of the Messiah”—in other words, against Christ. Here is John’s reference to this man’s arrival in the last time: “…You have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists…” (I John 2:18). Clearly there have been multiple antichrists—those who operate against Christ. But a single, all-powerful Antichrist—“that Antichrist”—is the subject. The apostle Paul placed Christ’s Coming right after the Antichrist. In II Thessalonians 1:7 he described “…when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels…” but then clarified that the Antichrist’s rise comes first. Chapter 2 opens with “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [of Christ’s Return] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (vs. 3). This “falling away” has already occurred—the subject of other material produced by The Restored Church of God. Our focus is the Man of Sin, the son of perdition—the ANTICHRIST! John records, “…sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4)—God’s Commandments—and “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments…” (5:3). The Antichrist will bring and promote lawlessness—SIN. Paul continues, “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself [the Greek means “show off, exhibit or demonstrate”] that he is God” (II Thes. 2:4). How will become plain. Many passages make clear that true Christians are the “temple of God” (I Cor. 3:16; 6:19; II Cor. 6:16-17; Eph. 2:20-22 and I Pet. 2:5). This Man of Sin will be “revealed in his time” (II Thes. 2:6), meaning he will rise from obscurity. His arrival involves “the mystery of iniquity [lawlessness]” (vs. 7) and that he “comes up out of the midst”—the correct translation of this phrase. “Out of the midst” becomes crucial. Continuing, “Then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming” (vs. 8). Again—this man precedes Christ’s Return. How else could he be destroyed when Christ returns? (To learn more about Christ’s completely misunderstood coming to establish His tiny “mustard seed” Kingdom, read our booklet How God’s Kingdom Will Come – The Untold Story!) “All power, signs and lying wonders…” The Antichrist’s power exceeds anything the world has ever seen. His coming is “…after the working [meaning “efficiency or energy”] of Satan with ALL power and signs and lying wonders” (II Thes. 2:9). Think of Satan himself, through a human being, bringing the full extent of his false miracles, wiles, devices and depths to bear. This is the devil completely unleashed as no one has ever witnessed! What kinds of things might this man do? I have cast out many demons and know their staggering power. Here is a partial list: call down fire, use terrifying visions—and voices—mass destruction, foretell events, violent possession, project their presence, levitate, powerful storms—Satan is prince of the power of the air—turn inanimate objects into living creatures (recall the Egyptian magicians copying Aaron’s rod becoming a snake and turning water to blood), horribly afflict God’s servants (think of Job), temptation, intimidating accusations, loud noises to engender fear, outright murder, lies, subtle deceptions of all kinds and many more things. This is the reality of “ALL power, signs and lying wonders.” These will appear on a scale never before seen, and over a short period of time. Next comes who is affected and how. The Antichrist brings “all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth [defined as God’s Word in John 17:17], that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion [actually strong fraud], that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned [meaning “judged”] who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thes. 2:10-12). The judging primarily involves certain Christians who knew the truth but were seduced into sin. The thing most to be avoided through this trial is disbelief of truth—and sin, starting with rejecting outright blasphemy by the Antichrist, but also much more. The world has believed that the “holy, just, good and spiritual” Law of God (Rom. 7:12, 14) was kept for mankind by Christ and then done away. This lie has been accepted by uncounted billions through the centuries. The 10 Commandments and many other laws are real and in force today. If one breaks them, they break him. If one keeps them, they keep him. The Man of Sin will break them all and lead many willing adherents to follow his example on an unprecedented scale. What Paul Knew The apostle Peter recorded one of the great keys to understanding Bible prophecy: “…no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (II Pet. 1:20-21). How did Paul know this evil man was coming? The Old Testament—where these “holy men” recorded God’s inspired words—holds clues. Notice the parallels in this curious vision recorded by the prophet Zechariah: “Then the angel…said…Lift up now your eyes, and see what is this that goes forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah [an eight-gallon jar] that goes forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance [more than one person—actually three are being described] through all the earth [their reach is worldwide. More on this later.]…And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and [the angel continues] this is a woman that sits in the midst of the ephah” (5:5-7). Recall the Man of Sin rises “out of the midst.” Continuing, “And he [the angel] said, This is wickedness…” (vs. 8). (Recall Paul called the Antichrist “that Wicked” in II Thessalonians 2:8.) The angel “…cast it into the midst of the ephah [again—note the parallel]; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth…” (Zech. 5:8). This figure sits hidden today within a symbolic jar—covered with a poisonous lead top. It says the Man of Sin is “revealed” (II Thes. 2:8)—literally meaning “to take off the cover” in the Greek (apokalupto), as one would the lid of a jar. Zechariah brings two other figures into the picture: “Then lifted I up my eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two [other] women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel…Where do these bear the ephah?” (5:9-10). These two men of great evil flank the Antichrist. They are typed in II Timothy 3 by Jannes and Jambres—the sorcerers who withstood Moses under Pharaoh. In Zechariah 11:8, they—with the Antichrist—are collectively referred to as three shepherds who abhor—meaning in the Hebrew loathe—God, the Antichrist being the evil shepherd there. This evil shepherd wields “instruments” (vs. 15)—his extraordinary power. God declares in verse 8: “…and My soul loathed them.” “Loathe” actually means “reap.” God ultimately intends to cut down these men like wheat. A point of clarification. The woman of Zechariah 5 is plainly interpreted in the New Testament to be a man—the Man of Sin. The stork women are therefore also men. Much more on the Antichrist’s chief agents will come later. Understanding their power and nature provides insight about the even more powerful man they serve. For now, suffice to say they are sorcerers who possess immense supernatural power, including the ability to cast spells. Verse 11 of Zechariah 5 holds a big clue about the Antichrist’s intentions. Remember, verse 10 ended with “Where do these bear the ephah?” The answer: “…To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established [meaning erected, built], and set there upon her own base” (vs. 11). Shinar is a plain in Babylon on the Euphrates River that is a symbol for modern Jerusalem (Revelation 17 and 18 proves this). Construction of a false Temple—called a “house”—will commence in Jerusalem after the Man of Sin explodes onto the world scene there—literally descending from “between the heaven and the earth”—a precise counterfeit of Christ coming in the clouds to Jerusalem. More about the Antichrist’s world headquarters later. Habakkuk’s Vision of Horror Hebrews 10 speaks of, “…he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (vs. 37). Paul was quoting the prophet Habakkuk, who recorded one of the grimmest prophecies of the Bible—yet one virtually no one connects to the Antichrist. This short book is divided into three chapters, with the final one devoted to a prayer Habakkuk uttered after receiving a horrifying vision. The prayer begins: “O Lord, I have heard Your speech, and was afraid…” (3:2). What so frightened this servant of God? (You will see the prophet Daniel got sick and apparently fainted when he saw the same vision Habakkuk did.) Chapter two of Habakkuk shows this prophet received a mysterious vision that he was to “write” and “make…plain…that he may run that reads it” (vs. 2)! Remember, the Antichrist is lawless and against Christ. Keep this in mind as Habakkuk’s vision unfolds with what Paul quoted: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time [the Hebrew can also be “season”], but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though [he] tarry, wait for [him]; because [he] will surely come, [he] will not tarry” (Hab. 2:3). Remember, the Antichrist is revealed “in his time” (II Thes. 2:6)—do not miss the clear connection! Continuing, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith” (vs. 4). Reliance on God is the only way to endure this terrible trial. Next comes, “Yes also, because he transgresses by wine, he is a proud man…” (vs. 5). Think of a devil-empowered arrogant drunk governing the world! He “…enlarges his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathers unto him all nations, and heaps unto him all people” (vs. 5). The Antichrist’s reach cannot be underestimated. This man will literally seize complete control of every nation and their governments at every level. This includes the global economy, all military activity, all education, the media, Internet, communication, intelligence, all commerce, transportation, shipping, all legal systems, energy distribution, food production and every religion. This will be one world government with the worst possible leader, exponentially beyond today’s worst tyrant. Over seven billion people will not like it! Note what Habakkuk adds next: “Shall not all these [nations and peoples] take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increases that which is not his! How long?” (vs. 6). This man loots the world—and all nations see this but are powerless to stop him. The Antichrist’s “House” Remember, the Antichrist’s chief henchmen will supernaturally transport him to Jerusalem “to build it an house…” (Zech. 5:11). The same verse ends, “…and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base,” meaning “spot.” This house will be built! After addressing a unique group who rises up suddenly to bite, vex and spoil this man, the description becomes even clearer: “Because you have spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil you; because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land [or Earth], of the city, and of all that dwell therein. Woe to him that covets an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!” (Hab. 2:8-9). This man will live untouchable—“delivered from the power of evil”—ruling from his “nest on high”—on the Temple Mount! The temple’s construction is funded by plunder acquired through this man’s evil covetousness—his boundless greed that cannot be satisfied. Don’t miss the connection between birds and nests, noting that storks always build at the pinnacle of tall structures. Why Zechariah’s specific reference to the Antichrist’s house being built on its “own base”—its own foundation? A massive foundation—for previous temples—already exists. Daniel 8 says the Antichrist will “cast down” the “place” of God’s “sanctuary” (vs. 11). God’s physical sanctuary existed on the Temple Mount. Daniel could therefore be speaking of only one “place.” Christ removes all doubt, adding crucial chilling details. What is commonly called the Olivet prophecy of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 starts similarly in all three cases. Notice the connection. Matthew 24:1-3: “Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and His disciples came to Him for to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See you not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?…” Mark 13:1-4: “As He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said unto Him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answering said unto him, See you these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be?…” Luke 21:5-7: “As some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, He said, As for these things which you behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And they asked Him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be?…” Why this repeated emphasis on every stone being thrown down—paralleling Daniel’s report that the Temple Mount would be “cast down”? To make room for this house, everything on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount will be demolished—fulfilling Christ’s emphatic prophecy. Despite the destruction in AD 69-70, this hasn’t yet happened. Many thousands of stones still sit “one upon another” in the four walls of the foundation and on the plaza itself. Added to this, “thrown down” actually means “disintegrated.” One of these stones, called “The Master Course,” weighs an estimated 570 tons (1,140,000 pounds). I have seen it in Israel. It is 41 feet long, 15 feet deep, and 11.5 feet high. Consider the power required to “throw down”—never mind disintegrate!—a stone of this proportion. This and every stone will be cleared, no doubt by Satan’s power, to make way for the Antichrist’s world headquarters built with stolen funds. How long will this “house” take to complete? Without Satan’s extraordinary power at the storks’ disposal, demolition and excavation alone would take months—even years. And a temple fit for “god on earth” would certainly take years to construct. But Scripture reveals all of this must happen extremely fast. Many passages reveal the Antichrist’s reign is short—incredibly intense, but brief—meaning demolition and construction will be on a supernatural timeline. Recall he is sometimes referred to as the “seventh head.” This is because he leads the seventh resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. Notice Revelation 17:10: “There are seven kings [leading seven sequential revivals]: five are fallen [led by Justinian, Charlemagne, Otto the Great, Charles V, Napoleon], and one is [culminating with Hitler—this verse was first understood in the time of the sixth head], and the other [the Antichrist!] is not yet come; and when he comes [this is who Paul called “he that comes”—Heb. 10:37; II Cor. 11:4], he must continue a short space.” His reign is short—so temple construction is even shorter. All indications point to its completion at the 1,290 mark Daniel spoke of—meaning 45 days after the Antichrist’s 1,335 arrival. Spell-casting Sorcerers Of course the Antichrist does not operate alone. The devil-empowered religious hierarchy beneath him forms a veritable army, with the two chief cohorts at the top. Recall that Paul said the Antichrist is revealed “in his time” (II Thes. 2:6) and that the word for time is kairos—meaning “an occasion, that is, set or proper time.” The Man of Sin appears at a specific time—his time. The word kairos will now grow in importance. Now an extraordinary series of verses no one reads as God intended, building to knowledge of staggering importance that should make you sit bolt upright with hair on end. It opens with a warning: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times [kairos plural] shall come” (II Tim. 3:1). Perilous means “difficult, dangerous, or furious”—and “reduce in strength.” Continuing, “Men shall be lovers of their own selves [the Greek means selfish, so true today], covetous [so many now live to accumulate more], boasters, proud, blasphemers…” (vs. 2). Sinful, degenerate, decadent conduct now exists everywhere. Yet it will grow much worse when the Man of Sin arises. Paul continues, “…disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection…false accusers…fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (vs. 2-3). Now verse 5: “Having a form [or appearance] of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Paul quickly narrows the focus to leaders with a series of statements no one ever understood how or when to apply. Pay careful attention. Remember. Paul is not speaking generally—of bad leaders in every generation—but of the last days. Now, “For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins [ask: who has ever seen such a specific scenario occur? And], led away with [various] lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth [this describes thousands today!]. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses [these were two sorcerer/magicians who practiced under Pharaoh, making three men], so do these also resist the truth [a parallel coming three-man attack in the last days—stay with this!]: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” (vs. 6-8). Now another strange statement no one ever thinks about: “But they shall proceed no further [eventually this first duo is stopped, in fact, executed by Christ with swift destruction (II Pet. 2:1)—this is the swift witness of Malachi 3:5]: for their folly shall be manifest [made obvious] to all men, as theirs [Jannes and Jambres] also was” (vs. 9). Pharaoh and his two magicians were killed by God. Let this sink in. The ancient alliance of three evil men—Jannes, Jambres and Pharaoh—plainly types the Man of Sin and two others. Pharaoh sought control over God’s people and to prevent their leaving Egypt. Jannes and Jambres helped Pharaoh by working false miracles at his bidding. Read II Timothy 3:13, with the last days still the setting: “Evil men and seducers shall wax [grow] worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” This is a largely overlooked passage. The sobering discussion that follows is not pretty. It says EVIL men! Accept exactly what God said. Don’t alter it. The Greek meaning should hit like a sledgehammer: “Hurtful…calamitous…degenerate…derelict, vicious…malicious…wicked… grievous…of the devil.” But God also—and this is crucial—calls these men “seducers.” The Greek here should strike like a lightning bolt. It means “wizards—those able to mutter or cast a spell.” God selected this word! He expects people to see this! It also means “imposter.” First, Jannes and Jambres were primarily sorcerers—magicians—they were wizards! Wizards cast spells. Ponder. God through Paul speaks first of ancient Egyptian sorcerers, and then of coming wizards. Why? Because that’s what He wants understood. GET this, and then believe it! “Resemblance through all the earth” Again, Jannes and Jambres functioning beneath the Antichrist form the three “women” of Zechariah 5, whose “resemblance [is] through all the earth” (vs. 6). “Resemblance” is translated from a word meaning “eye” or “fountain.” Something related to visibility is being described. These deceivers have the ability to manifest themselves to those the devil is attempting to win over in “the temple of God.” These projections into the lives of God’s people who must prove themselves faithful will provide opportunity for the Antichrist to personally “show” (II Thes. 2:4) [recall show off, exhibit, demonstrate] that he is God. Some “believe the lie” (II Thes. 2:11) and collapse. Others repeatedly turn to God under the almost unbearable pressure. A parable at the beginning of Luke 18 pictures this time. Before reading through the passage, note that it ends with a question: “…when the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?” (vs. 8). The Antichrist is destroyed at the precise moment of Christ’s Coming. Keep this context in mind as we read from verse 1: “He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” The trial ahead can only be endured by reliance on God. Continuing, “There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary” (vs. 2-3)—one of the Antichrist’s many names. This pictures Christians praying to God, the judge who fears nothing. Verses 4-5 show God allows the trial to continue—else there would be no test: “And he would not [avenge her] for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” Though a parable (God cannot be worn out), the plain message is that what is coming is so horrible it will require a seemingly excessive level of reliance on God. The parable ends: “The Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?” (vs. 6-7). The intensity of this trial cannot be underestimated—but God will cut it short: “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily…” (vs. 8). Malachi 3:1 says, “…the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple…” This “speedy, sudden” vengeance comes when Christ “destroys” the Antichrist “with the brightness [manifestation] of His coming” (II Thes. 2:8). A Satanic Hierarchy The Antichrist, Jannes and Jambres have at their disposal a large number of enforcers. A long terrifying passage from the start of Habakkuk requires little commentary. It sets up the Antichrist in chapter 2: “The burden [or doom] which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear! Even cry out unto You of violence, and You will not save! Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment does never go forth: for the wicked does compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceeds…For, lo, I [God] raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hastes to eat. They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity [of all nations and peoples] as the sand. And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every stronghold [or fortress]; for they shall heap dust, and take it” (1:1-4, 6-10). Origin and Downfall Daniel calls the Antichrist “a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, the east, and the pleasant land” (8:9). This is Judea—corroborating the Zechariah 5 “Shinar” reference. Traveling southeast to Jerusalem, this man obviously comes from the northwest, making his origin easy to know. Get a map. “And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven [God’s people]; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them” (vs. 10). Multiple Bible passages reveal that stars are angels. Some of these are apparently swallowed in this. Verse 11 shows he sets himself up as God: “Yes, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host [Christ]…” This closely parallels II Thessalonians 2. The archangel Gabriel explains the incredible vision to Daniel: “In the latter time of their kingdom [the four beasts introduced in chapter 7], when the transgressors [revolters] are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power [his source is Satan]: and he shall destroy [greatly], and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty [of the world] and the holy people [certain Christians]. And through his policy [intelligence] also he shall cause craft [fraud] to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of Princes; but he shall be broken [literally burst] without hand [by God not men]” (8:23-25). This is a man who is personally and supernaturally executed by Jesus Christ—the Prince of Princes. It should now be clear why Paul wrote, “…the Lord shall consume [him] with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy [burst him] with the [manifestation] of His coming” (II Thes. 2:8). Daniel 7:11 says this man is slain and his body destroyed and burned. Remember, Daniel received this in vision. He saw, in horrific detail, what would come to pass and recorded it for our time. His reaction to things now just ahead? “I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days…and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it” (8:27). This suggests the great servant Daniel threw up and fainted at what you will soon see. No one then understood because Daniel’s book was “sealed till the time of the end” (12:9)—our time now. You are learning what Daniel never understood. Christ Warns After foretelling the destruction of everything on the Temple Mount in Mark 13, Christ’s disciples asked, “What shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (vs. 4-5). On the surface this appears to mirror Matthew. It DOESN’T! A long-overlooked difference changes the entire meaning. In Mark’s account, “Christ” is in italics—meaning it’s not in the Greek. Mark should read: “…Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in My name, saying, I AM; and shall deceive many” (13:5-6). Get your Bible. Read this for yourself. The word Christ is not there. The translators put it on Jesus’ lips, believing He must have meant to include it, probably because Matthew did. But Jesus intentionally omitted it! He is God. He knew exactly what He wanted to say. He understood the enormous difference between saying, “I am Christ” and “I AM.” Strike the word Christ from this passage. Rather than saying deceivers invoke Christ’s authority while acknowledging Christ is Christ, Mark’s account is a picture of imposters also claiming His authority but directing people to one they declare to be I AM! Recall Luke goes further: “[Jesus] said, Take heed that you be not deceived: for many shall come in My name, saying, I AM; and, The time draws near: go you not therefore after them” (21:8). Christ is again italicized. Again cross it out. It’s not there! Christ’s warning? “Go you not therefore after them.” The thousands who do will endure the horrors of prophecy—and loss of salvation. There is not space in one booklet to show that all true Christians who follow these men lose their salvation. The Bible is most specific about this. But it should be obvious just on its face that one cannot switch allegiance from the true Christ to follow a blasphemous, sorcerer, false Christ and be saved. Disagreeing Descriptions Some have believed the Prince of Tyre, the False Prophet and Man of Sin are the same man. There are parallels between their descriptions, but even brief inquiry reveals the facts. Just before referencing the King of Tyre (the devil), the prophet Ezekiel described the also-blasphemous Prince of Tyre: “Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God; because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, I am a God [this man is obviously Satan-possessed], I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet you are a man, and not God, though you set your heart as the heart of God” (28:2). Here’s how this man dies: “…I [God] will bring strangers upon you, the terrible of the nations: [other passages show this to be a powerful Gentile alliance] and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your brightness. They shall bring you down to the pit…Will you yet say before him that slays you, I am God? But you shall be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slays you. You shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it…” (vs. 7-10). This is a man executed by “swords” at “the hand of strangers”—called the “terrible of the nations.” Now the death of the False Prophet in Revelation 19: “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. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (vs. 20). Keep this simple. Death with weapons by Gentiles cannot equate with burned alive. To be the same men, they must die in the same manner. Now the Man of Sin. How does he die? Paul, in II Thessalonians 2, wrote this: “that man of sin…the son of perdition…that Wicked [or “lawless one”]…whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness [or manifestation] of His coming” (vs. 3, 8). This man is personally executed by Christ. That’s what it says! One man cannot die in three ways, never mind very different ones. Surely God left these clues for when they would be needed. Let’s summarize what was no accident. Matthew focuses on the first perilous time, Mark and Luke the second. Think from the apostles’ perspective. They knew Exodus 3: “Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers has sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham…Isaac, and…Jacob, has sent me unto you: this is My name forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations” (vs. 13-15). Remember. It was Jesus Christ telling Moses His name—that it is I AM. Before His crucifixion, Jesus asked those who came to take Him, “…Whom seek you? They answered…Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I AM…” (John 18:4-5). These words struck fear into His listeners: “As soon…as He had said…I AM, they went backward, and fell to the ground” (vs. 6). Also read John 8 verses 28 and 58. Get this. The coming deceivers will endorse a human being claiming to be I AM—the one who “as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he IS God” (II Thes. 2:4)—that He is I AM! This would make such a man the greatest single imposter of all time. The other two wizard/sorcerers would rank with him. Arrival Imminent! The biggest remaining question is how close is the Antichrist? When will he arrive? Does the Bible offer one or more specific metrics to watch that signal his rise is near? It does. Return to Luke and notice what immediately precedes this period of deception! In the very next verse, Jesus says, “But when you shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified [Mark adds “troubled”]: for these things must first come to pass…” (21:9). Matthew 24 and Mark 13 add “rumors of wars” to the list. The wise person is watching for wars, rumors of them and commotions (meaning “instability or disorder”)! These have been steadily worsening—but have recently grown much more serious. Wars, rumors, instability and disorder now dominate the headlines every day! There are more problems, coming more often and that are increasingly bigger and more intense, more complicated and more insoluble. This is why Christ told His followers not to be frightened. People will soon be terrified and troubled in great numbers—and in a growing number of places already are. Fear will become much more widespread. Now think of today’s escalating scandals, protests, division on an unprecedented scale, the rise of populism and collapse of the old political order, Brexit, immigration crises, the fake news phenomenon, leaks of all kinds, surveillance and alleged surveillance, crises in Sudan, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Turkey, Russia, China, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine, terror spread by ISIS, Al-Qaeda and lone wolf attackers hitting the U.S. and many European nations like France, Belgium, Germany and Sweden—plus diseases like Zika and Ebola, the new heroin epidemic, social-media-videotaped rape and murder—think “Facebook killers”—as well as gang violence, televised manhunts, and the list goes on. Of course the American government, leading the most powerful nation in the world, is under the worst siege in its history. Also think of 59 Tomahawk missiles fired into Syria, war there and 500,000 dead, and the “mother of all bombs” (MOAB) dropped in Afghanistan. Heads of state increasingly speak of potentially devastating war, with many now almost routinely speaking of World War III. The Israeli prime minister said, “Those who threaten to destroy us risk being destroyed themselves.” The American vice president warned, “We will defeat any attack and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective American response.” Russia, Iran and Syria have issued warnings to the West. North Korea now routinely threatens the United States and other countries with attacks, including they “will completely and immediately wipe out…the U.S. mainland.” These have been new and terrifying developments—far more serious than threats of recent decades. The sudden worsening of world conditions that is now happening is being seen by the confused, frightened masses who will come to believe that the even worse conditions of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 are occurring and that Jesus Christ’s Return is imminent. Instead, these conditions will invite the Antichrist—a fraudulent savior to come fix the world and set up “God’s kingdom.” Expect trends to culminate in terror across the globe—setting the world up for this figure’s arrival. “Revealed in his time” Another critical “metric” springs from the Man of Sin being “revealed in his time” (II Thes. 2:6). This phrase unlocks one of the major keys to knowing the proximity of his arrival. “Time” here is the very specific word kairos and again means “an occasion, that is, set or proper time.” The Antichrist appears at a set time—in “his season!” Paul wrote the Thessalonians, “But of the times and the seasons [kairos, plural], brethren, you have no need that I write unto you” (I Thes. 5:1). God’s people knew there were certain set, appointed times—seasons—that would be fulfilled as prophecy played out at the end of the age. The most important season to occur before the Return of Christ (which verse 2 also defines as a season) is what the Bible essentially refers to as the season of the Antichrist. This is the same time spoken of at the end of Revelation. Several crucial verses build to this “season” reference. John recorded, “The Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done” (22:6). The word “shortly” means “in haste.” The next verse says, “Behold, I [Jesus Christ] come quickly”—meaning “shortly, that is, without delay, soon, or (by surprise) suddenly.” Get this! Christ is saying He is coming without delay. But you just saw from Paul that the Antichrist comes first! This can only mean this deceiver’s arrival is coming very “quickly.” John continues, “Blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (vs. 7). Recall that those who make it to the 1,335 and escape are blessed. Now verse 10, “Seal not”—meaning in the Greek don’t keep secret and instead attest to—“the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time [kairos]”—the Antichrist’s season—“is at hand.” This phrase means “to squeeze or throttle, near!” Understand what is being said! This prophecy is imminent. Of course, one would logically ask: If the book of Revelation was written almost 2,000 years ago, why is the season of the Antichrist only now at hand? This is answered by studying a similar passage at the beginning of the book: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass…Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [again, season] is at hand” (1:1-3). The word “reads” here does not carry the intended meaning in the Greek. It comes from the word anaginosko, meaning “to know again, that is, (by extension) to read.” The prefix ana not only connotes repetition, but also greater intensity. Many who think they know Revelation must know it again! Only within the last year has Revelation been truly understood—in terms of context and correct time setting. If you doubt this, read my booklet Revelation Explained at Last! This very recent “knowing again”—of knowledge that The Restored Church of God has sealed not—started the very short clock on the Antichrist’s arrival. But as close as it is, Mark warns, “Take you heed, watch and pray: for you know not when the time [season] is” (13:33). God uses the uncertain timing of this man’s arrival to keep His servants alert! God’s Great Purpose In all this we must ask: Why would God send the devil in a Man of Sin unleashed upon all nations? Yes, why? What purpose could He be serving? The nations of Earth have rejected the God of the Bible and chosen to serve sin and the “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4) instead. Mainstream Christianity, really Churchianity, is no exception, with its “the law is done away” theology. So God is going to ram the devil and sin down the throat of a world that is in love with both. He is saying, “You want the devil and you want sin? Here is the devil unleashed through a man who will force you into sin.” This man’s coming is the second of several stages of world punishment—the first being the lesser time of wars and commotions setting him up. Notice Christ’s words in Luke 12: “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?” (vs. 49). This devastating “trial by fire”—the Man of Sin—afflicts everyone on “the earth,” but to varying degrees. One category of Christians knows better, but says “…My lord delays His coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for Him, and at an hour when he is not aware [he will be caught unawares by the very snare that reveals Christ’s Return is close], and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” (vs. 45-46). A second category is described in verse 47: “That servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.” People of this category know better, but do not meet the high standard of Christianity set by God. They must endure the coming monster. A third category did not know better—most of Earth’s more than 7 billion inhabitants. They are however still deep in sin and must be punished, though with far less severity: “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes…” (vs. 48). Only the “faithful and wise steward” of verse 42 is “blessed” (vs. 43) and will be “made ruler over all that He [Christ] has” (vs. 44). I repeat: What is coming is a counterfeit unlike anything mankind has ever experienced. The Hollywood disaster movies that depict outer space invasions always end well. So will this one but not of men’s efforts. The Antichrist’s power will be unimaginable—infinitely beyond what most can even begin to grasp. His arrival will slam head on into unsuspecting billions. Do not be fooled by events and trends that beg a strongman savior, but actually one who will enslave billions. Remember Paul’s words about the Antichrist: “Let no man deceive you by any means…” (II Thes. 2:3). Will you be deceived? The TRUTH—obeying God and relying on Him for protection—is your only defense against the Antichrist’s violent, mesmerizing power. World trends and events fairly thunder his coming is soon. You may wish to read: Read Now   Read Now My RCG Requests Finish free literature order My Bookshelf Continue reading, organize Login General About Us Library Browse by subject, format News 9+ Help Language  More Press Resources Donation Information Privacy Policy Contact UsJoin our free newsletters today!SubscribeCopyright © 2017 The Restored Church of God. All Rights Reserved. The Restored Church of God is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.