Let’s review the ten identifiers that the Bible gives us to identify the Beast power of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13.

Before we do, we need to look again at the point of 1260 days. Now here’s another key of prophecy. Remember in prophecy we are dealing with symbolisms. A “day” is also symbolic. It is symbolic of a year (Ezekiel 4:6, Number 14:34). Whenever God spoke prophetically as in these texts, the day for a year principle was followed. This is ONLY in prophetic Scripture. So this power will rule 1260 days or years.

Now you can probably guess what power it is already. The fact is that there is one and only one power that meets these ten requirements. God is precise.
Can you guess what the power is that the Bible is referring to?
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God also wants us to realize He is talking about a system, a kingdom, not sincere people who may be a part of the system. Truth is not against sincere people. Truth is against error. God does not intend to hurt anyone. He loves us and gives these ten points so we will not be deceived. It is indisputably clear that these points apply to one power only in the history of the world, and that is the Holy Roman Empire, the Vatican and the Papacy. Now notice God is not speaking of the Catholic Church in a derogatory way. There are many priests, nuns, and Catholic people, who love the Lord with all their hearts, and have dedicated their lives in service to humanity. There are good sincere people in all churches. God simply identifies the political kingdom of the Papacy because like all nations it had a very influential past history with the Christian church. Before we go into that though, let’s take a closer look at the ten points to be sure.

REVIEW OF IDENTIFYING POINTS

1, 2. Daniel 7:8, It “came up among” the other 10 horns or kingdoms, after 476 A.D. There is only one “little” kingdom that fits this description and that’s the Vatican City and the Holy Roman empire.
3. Daniel 7:8, It’s still to this day a “little kingdom.” The Vatican is only 109 acres in size, but it is a powerful kingdom and the wealthiest kingdom in the world. No other power fits this description.
4. Daniel 7:8, It “uproots three kingdoms.” Clearly documented in history is the eradication of the Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths by the armies of Papal Rome. The last to go were the Ostrogoths in 538 A. D. The same year, Roman Emperor Justinian gave the Bishop of Rome authority over the kingdom.
5. Daniel 7:8 (last part), There would be “A man at its head.” To this day the Vatican City is the only kingdom that has always had a visible man at its head, the Pope.

6. Daniel 7: 24, “It would be different.” All the preceding kingdoms had been simple governments set up in normal political manners. Papal Rome, however, was and still is unique and different because it is a CHURCH that rules. Policies are dictated by the Bishops and Popes.

7. Daniel 7: 25, It “speaks great words and blasphemy.” The Bible definition of blasphemy is composed of two things. 1. A man claiming to be God. 2. A man claiming to have power to forgive sins. There is only one power today that fits that description. The papal power. Let’s get documented proof of this from the pages of Catholic books. FERRARIS’S ECCLESIASTICAL DICTIONARY under THE POPE says:

“The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a man, but as it were, God, and the Vicar of God. The Pope is called “Most Holy” because he is rightfully presumed to be such. The Pope alone is deservedly called by the name “Most Holy” because he alone is the Vicar of Christ, who is the fountain and source and fullness of all holiness. He is likewise the divine Monarch and supreme Emperor, and King of Kings. Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions. Moreover the superiority, and the power of the Roman Pontiff, but by no means pertain only to heavenly things, to earthly things, and to things under the earth, but are even over angels, of whom he is greater. So that if it were possible that angels might err in faith, or might think contrary to the faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by the Pope. The Pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief kings of kings, having plenitude of power.”

From the CATHOLIC NATIONAL, July of 1895: “The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ, Himself, hidden under the veil of flesh.”

What about the forgiveness of sins? JOSEPH DEHARBE’S CATECHISM says, on page 279: “The priest does really and truly forgive sins in virtue of the power given to him by Christ.” Another from THE CATHOLIC PRIEST, pages 78, 79: “Seek where you will, through heaven and earth, and you will find but one created being who can forgive the sinner, who can free him from the chains of hell, that extraordinary being is the priest, the (Roman) Catholic priest. Yes, beloved brethren, the priest is not only declares that the sinner is forgiven, but he really forgives him. The priest raises his hand, he pronounces the word of absolution, and in an instant, quick as a flash of light the chains of hell are burst asunder, and the sinner becomes a child of God. So great is the power of the priest that the judgments of heaven itself are subject to his decision.” Truly no other power on earth can fulfill this.

8. Daniel 7:25, “He would war against God’s people and persecute them.” Although this is now past, all people of the earth are aware of the millions of martyrs put to death during the Dark Ages by the Papal armies. The most conservative estimates are 50 million men and women who were put to death. One only needs to read the pages of hundreds of history books available to document this, Pope Innocent 111, 1198-1216 was responsible for thousands of martyrs. The Spanish Inquisition, the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and the history of the
Waldenses are a few examples. We do not cite this for the purpose of casting reflection, these things are past, however, we must discuss them to see the fulfillment of prophecy.
9. Daniel 7:25, “He would think to change times and laws.” In a future lesson we will deal with the “TIMES,” but what about “LAWS”? Again let’s quote from the Catholic Dictionary article under THE POPE:

“The Pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, change, or interpret even divine laws. The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man, but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth with most ample power of binding and loosing his sheep.”

In the CONVERTS CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC DOCTRINE, page 49, we find that God’s law has been changed. Exodus 20 contains God’s laws. However, the CONVERT’S CATECHISM law has omitted the SECOND COMMANDMENT and split the tenth in two. No other power on earth has done this.

10. Daniel 7: 25, It would rule 1260 years. This is a most dramatic prophecy! Beginning in 538 A.D. Papal Rome finally destroyed the Ostrogoths. Emperor Justinian gave the kingdom over to the Bishop of Rome that year. Add 1260 years to that and you come to 1798. The year of the French Revolution. In 1798 Napoleon’s armies overthrew the Papal power, confiscated all the property of the kingdom, declared a republic, and took the Pope off the throne where in France he died in exile. Exactly 1260 years as prophesied!

Now that the Bible has clearly established this, let’s go back to the beast kingdom of Revelation 13 and notice the comparisons. The little horn kingdom of Daniel 7 and the beast of Revelation 13 are one and the same. In Revelation 13, the beast who speaks great words and blasphemy, also rules 42 months, which equals 1260 days. In Revelation 13: 7, it also makes war with God’s people.  Revelation 13: 3 says it receives a deadly wound. Comparing the little horn and the beast, we see the same power. And it is this power God says not to worship, nor worship his image, nor receive his mark.

Notice something else now. The beast of Revelation 13 is made up of the four beasts of Daniel 7. It has the body of the LEOPARD, feet of the BEAR, mouth of the LION, and the 10 horns of the FOURTH BEAST.

Why does God represent this Papal kingdom as being made up of these four pagan kingdoms? And furthermore, notice Revelation 13:2, “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Who is the dragon? And what about Revelation 13: 18, Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six.” What does 666 mean? Who is this man?

God says in Revelation 13:3, 8 that ALL the world is worshiping the beast. God loves us and doesn’t want us to be deceived in these last days. That’s why he has given the warning of Revelation 14:9, 10, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”

Interesting Historical notes.
• Feb 10th, 1798 – Louis Alexandre Berthier invaded Rome, on February 15 proclaimed a Roman Republic and then on February 20 take Pope Pius VI as a prisoner.
• Feb 20th, 1798 – Louis Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.
• Mar 7th, 1798 – The French army enters Rome: the birth of the Roman Republic.
• May 24, 1814 – with the fall of Napoleon, Pope Pius VII returned to Rome
• The Papal states were taken by force in 1870, with the Vatican left without recognized status until the Lateran Treaty of 1929.
• April 18, 1929 – The Lateran Treaty was signed. The Catholic Advocate, “… and a crowd, tense with excitement, is here to witness the passage of these two men whose pens will heal the wound of 59 years. http://www.biblelight.net/lateran3.gif
• Feb 12, 1929 – San Francisco Chronicle, “In affixing the autographs to the memorable document, healing the wound which has festered since 1870, extreme cordiality was displayed on both sides.”
How did this happen?
Revelation 12:7-9, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great DRAGON was cast out, that old SERPENT, CALLED THE DEVIL, AND SATAN, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” The dragon is none other than the Devil and Satan himself! How can this be?

Let’s get a broader picture. Verse 9 says, “The Devil and Satan which DECEIVED THE WHOLE WORLD.” When did the Devil deceive the whole world? It was in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Let’s back up a bit to understand this. Verses 7-9 spoke of a war in heaven between God and Satan. Satan began to rebel against God. He desired to be like God, and sit on His throne Isaiah 14:12-14, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the side of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Also in Ezekiel 28: 14 we find that even though he was next to the throne occupying one of the highest positions in heaven he was not content. “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” Verse 17 says his heart was lifted up because of his beauty. Pride and covetousness got the best of him and he began to spread his rebellion throughout heaven. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou has corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

As it came to a conflict, God had to expel Satan and the angels that followed him down to this earth. Second Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” Since the devil had challenged God, and influenced so many angels, God in His wisdom decided to let evil run its course. As Satan was cast down to this earth, it was perfect, sinless, and untainted. God basically said, “Okay Satan, here is a perfect world. You run your program here, I’ll run mine up in heaven, and when it’s over we will let the people decide!” One only has to look at this present world of sickness, death, pain, war, crime, immorality, and heartache to see the devil’s plan is hell on earth!

When the devil deceived Adam and Eve we find that God placed a curse on him, and then in Genesis 3:15 He gave a powerful prophecy. “And I will put enmity between THEE and the WOMAN, and between THY SEED and HER SEED; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Notice the differences. There is Satan, and the woman. Satan will bring forth a seed, so will the woman. Satan’s seed will get a death blow. The woman’s seed will get a temporary wound. When God speaks prophetically, a woman always represents the church, or God’s faithful people. Jeremiah 6:2, “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.” Jesus is the Bridegroom, His church is His Bride (Matthew 25:1-13, Isaiah 62: 5). So God is saying, “Devil, from now on there are only two sides!” Everyone is on one side or the other.

These two sides were immediately apparent in the first two children born, Cain and Abel. Abel obeyed God’s word, Cain substituted or used a counterfeit of God’s word. This has always been the trademark of the devil’s side, to counterfeit the word of God. After Cain murdered his brother Abel, his descendants began to corrupt the earth until there was an estimated seven billion people on this planet. The devil tried hard to destroy all of God’s followers, for if he was successful then the prophecy of the “seed of the woman” would never come. He almost succeeded! There were only eight people left on earth who were true to God: Noah and his family. So God had to intervene and preserve Noah’s family by having them build the ark. After destroying the earth and all its wicked people with a flood, we see the two sides emerge again. The wicked began to build the tower of Babel and then the great city of Babylon which we have already studied much about. Here in Babylon, Satan began a new plan for destroying the knowledge of God in the world.

He began a new system of worship, revolving around the planetary gods of the sun, moon, and stars. Here astrology was born. Idolatry began. The occult, pagan philosophies, and false teachings were created in Babylon, all for one purpose. To lead the world away from the truth of the Bible and the knowledge of God. This system of falsehood began to spread rapidly. The
next world ruling kingdom, Medo-Persia continued its spread, then Greece, and finally Rome ruled the world. By this time the devil had been so successful in spreading Babylon’s false teachings we find even God’s chosen people, the Jews, were greatly influenced by the pagan teachings and practices of Babylon. It was a dark hour, Satan was triumphant for he seemed to have the entire world in his control. It was then, at this dark hour, that God again intervened.

The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 was imminent. The seed of the woman was to come. Let’s see it happen.

Revelation 12:1-5, “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: Ana she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”

Let, see what this is. The dragon is Satan. The woman is the church. Notice though, the dragon has seven heads. What do these seven heads represent?  Revelation 17:9, “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.”  These heads represent seven mountains. The seven mountains of Rome. So we have Satan (the dragon) working through Rome, to kill the seed of the woman when He is born. The seed of the woman is obviously Jesus Christ. And true to the prophecy, a Roman authority named Herod did try to kill Jesus at His birth. However, Jesus was protected, He lived and then died on the cross of Calvary. This was the temporary wound or “bruised heel,” for on the third day Jesus rose from the tomb and ascended to heaven. Now the tables were turned. Jesus Christ had restored the truth long hidden by Babylon’s false teaching. Christianity began to spread rapidly and the knowledge of God and His Word was quickly carried to the world. The devil’s plan had again been thwarted, and he was angry. He had almost succeeded, but now that the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ) had come, all the devil’s efforts had failed. He tried to stop God’s truth by persecution, force, paganism, and idolatry. It all failed. Now what was he to do?
Well, he said, “If you can’t fight them, JOIN THEM!” Satan then began his MASTER PLAN.

If he could develop a universal church, based on old Babylon’s teachings, and disguise it with the cloak of Christianity, he could lead the whole world astray, all in the name of the Lord!
And thus the devil was forced to bring forth his seed. The seed of the woman was Jesus Christ. The seed of the dragon is the Antichrist Beast power! This is why verse 2 says “the dragon gave him his power, seat, and authority.”

Satan craftily combined both pagan and Christian ideas, and came up with a counterfeit system. This is why the beast of Revelation 13 is pictured as being made up of the four beast of Daniel 7, with the body of the leopard, feet of the bear, heads of the lion, and ten horns from the fourth beast. For, when it was formed, it drew part of its doctrines, beliefs, practices and teachings, from these four beasts or pagan kingdoms, not only from the Bible.

Now we see the big picture. God is simply pointing out the beast power was a vehicle used to bring in the errors of Babylon. During the 1260 years the beast ruled, it spread the same false teachings and practices to all the world, only under the guise of Christianity to be more deceiving. It is this that God warns us about in Revelation.

Let’s get a few examples to illustrate how a teaching from Babylon can walk into our homes and churches and we don’t even realize it. We’ll select two examples everyone can be comfortable with.
What about Easter? Did you ever wonder how the whole Christian world began to celebrate Easter as the resurrection of Jesus? We know it cannot be the day of His resurrection because Easter is seldom on the same DATE. Easter always comes the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the equinox.

Long before Christianity, Babylon had a goddess named “Ishtar,” the goddess of reproduction. In the spring she was honored as the giver of all new life. Eggs, a symbol of fertility, were worshipped, and rabbits, prolific reproducers, were also worshipped. That’s where we get Easter rabbits and Easter eggs! Ishtar’s day was always celebrated the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the equinox. As we progress through history, we come to Rome around 300 A.D. Constantine, the ruler, claimed he had become a Christian. He simply took Ishtar’s day and transferred it to honor JESUS CHRIST the giver of life, on EASTER. Papal Rome continued this, and during the following 1260 years spread it to the whole world. That’s why all Christians celebrate Easter. Now nothing is wrong with a celebration of the Lord’s resurrection, this is just one illustration of how a pagan teaching can easily come into the church, and no one even questions it!
What about Christmas on December 25? It too comes from Babylon. In Babylon the SUN was worshipped as the supreme god. This sun worship had even come into God’s church. As the year progressed and the days grew shorter the people feared the sun was leaving them. On December 22 the shortest day of the year, they began conducting long rituals and sacrifices to the sun god, appealing for it to return for another year. On December 25 they could determine the day was getting longer again and on this day they held a great celebration rejoicing in the re-birth of the sun! This was practiced right from Babylon up to Rome. Constantine did the same thing here. He substituted the birth of the sun in the sky for the birth of the Son of God – Jesus Christ. Papal Rome continued it, spread it to all the world, and that’s why many Christians celebrate December 25! Again, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of Christ, however, it should raise our conscious level to ask the question, “If these things slipped in so easily, could there be other things too? Teachings and practices that DO contradict the Word of God?

Yes! There is much more than you might ever imagine! God warns the world of it in these words of Revelation 18:2-3, “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” God says the whole world is drunk with the wine of Babylon and its false teachings.

And through this drunken stupor God’s Word shines giving the invitation of Revelation 18:4, “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Come out of her MY people. That’s very beautiful. God says HIS people are in Babylon, and He invites them to come out and worship in spirit and TRUTH. In the next lessons, we will learn more and more about what is truth so we can step by step come out of darkness into light.

Finally, let’s have one last mark of identification. Revelation 13:18, “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” – 666. Bible prophecy has told us the Antichrist beast has a man at its head. That man is the one who speaks for it – the Pope. The Bible says his number is 666. The Latin alphabet is used by the Church and Rome. Roman letters have numerical value. Every person’s name also had a number because of the Roman alphabet having numerical value. God is simply telling us it is the number of a man, and his number adds up to 666.

In the official Roman Catholic weekly magazine, OUR SUNDAY VISITOR, April 18, 1915, this question was asked in the question and answer column: “What are the letters inscribed in the Pope’s crown, and what do they signify if anything.” Here’s the answer given according to the Catholic magazine itself: “The letters inscribed in the Pope’s miter are these: VICARIUS FILII DEI which is the Latin for Vicar of the Son of God.”

VICARIUS FILII DEI is one of the most exalted titles of the Roman pontiff and is the official name of the Pope. Computing the value of the Roman Numerals, we discover an amazing fact:
V = 5
I = 1
C = 100
A = no value
R = no value
I = 1
U = 5
S = no value
112
F = no value
I = 1
L = 50
I = 1
I = 1
————–
53
D = 500
E = no value
I = 1
————-
501
If you add up the numerical value, you’ll find out Vicarius = 112, Filii = 53, Dei = 501 – and it equals the number 666. He has four morenames in Latin – official titles given in Catholic literature – every one of them adds up to 666; he has three names in Greek, two names in Hebrew, all adding up to 666. Here in Greek and Hebrew transliterations are other names or titles of the Pope.
LATEINOS in Greek means Latin man or Church.
L = 30 lambda
A = 1 alpha
T = 300 tau
E = 5 epsilon
I = 10 iota
N = 50 nu
O = 70 omicron
S = 200 sigma
————
666
ROMIITH in Hebrew means Roman Kingdom.
R = 200 resh
O = 6 waw (vav)
M = 40 mem
I = 10 yod
I = 10 yod
TH = 400 taw
————–
666
The Greek HE LATINE BASILEIA, means the Latin Kingdom.
H = 0 (transliterated)
E = 8 eta
L = 30 lambda
A = 1 alpha
T = 300 tau
I = 10 iota
N = 50 nu
E = 8 eta
B = 2 beta
A = 1 alpha
S = 200 sigma
I = 10 iota
L = 30 lambda
E = 5 epsilon
I = 10 iota
A = 1 alpha
————
666
Here is the Papal Church in Greek with its numeral values. ITALIKA
EKKLESIA, which means Italian Church.
I = 10 iota
T = 300 tau
A = 1 alpha
L = 30 lambda
I = 10 iota
K = 20 kappa
A = 1 alpha
E = 5 epsilon
K = 20 kappa
K = 20 kappa
L = 30 lambda
E = 8 eta
S = 200 sigma
I = 10 iota
A = 1 alpha
————-
666
One of the early names for the Pope was PONTIFEX MAXIMUS. This in Latin means Supreme Pontifex. The Pope has had a number of titles down through the centuries. Here are two in Latin with their meanings:
DUX CLERI – Captain of the Clergy.
LUDO VICUS – Chief Vicar of the Court of Rome.
Here are the titles of the Pope with numerical values for the Roman numerals:
D = 500
U = 5
X = 10
C = 100
L = 50
E = no value
R = no value
I = 1
——————–
666
L = 50
U = 5
D = 500
O = no value
V = 5
I = 1
C = 100
U = 5
S = no value
——————–
666
Now friends, God’s Word is clear! As the Word has exposed error and shown the light we see how important it is to KNOW the truth and not follow a counterfeit. We’ve just begun to scratch the surface. Jesus appeals to us in Matthew 15:9, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,”
Let’s not worship in vain. God has revealed that the devil has brought in HIS counterfeit system to change God’s truth and has mixed truth with error. God’s question to us is, “Are you following
the Word, or baptized paganism?” As we continue on, we’re going deeper. Don’t miss a link in the chain as we lead up to the chapter on the Mark of the Beast, it’s so important! Revelation 14: 9-10, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”
In closing I invite you to read Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” God wants our path to grow brighter and brighter as we go on. Thank God for truth, and for His mercy.

The post Prophecy 9-2 – Identifying AntiChrist first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

This subject is one of the most important in the Bible. Who is the Antichrist? What does it represent? Is the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation 13 the same?  How can we be sure we are not deceived by it?

What exactly does the Bible say about the Antichrist?  The term is only found in 4 places in the entire Bible.

1 John 2:18-19 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.”

1 John 2:22-23 “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.”

1 John 4:2-3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”

2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

The Greek word from which our English word “antichrist” is translated is very simple to understand. It is a simple compound word and means “anti” + “Christ” = “antichrist”. We use the same compound-styled words every day. We have people who are “anti-smoking” or “anti-gay” or “anti-hunting” or “anti-Semitic” or “anti-abortion”. There really is no big mystery as to what the word means. “Anti-Christ” is anyone who opposes Christ.

“The “antichrist” then, has no horns or red glowing eyes. Neither is the “antichrist” some demon possessed super-intelligent human clone. Rather, the “antichrist” is that sweet elderly lady named “Mrs. Jones” living next door who openly teaches the neighborhood kids that Jesus just was a myth.” Steve Rudd. (http://www.bible.ca/D-AntiChrist.htm)

Is this too loose an understanding of what it means to be Antichrist?

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Getting a full understanding of what the Bible is talking about is important.   So let’s again go to the Bible for answers.

The most serious warning God sends to His people in the last days is found in Revelation 14:9,10, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” All who worship the beast, or worship its image, or receive the Mark of the Beast will be lost. We know that God loves us, and if He has sent such a serious message, He has also made it abundantly clear who and what this beast represents. It is a life and death matter.

Is the beast also Antichrist? And why?

We spoke before about the Mark of the Beast and that there are plenty of wild speculations about who the beast is, what the beast represents and what the mark of the beast will look like.  As we study, I hope to build your faith in the Bible as we let the Bible speak for itself.

In Bible prophecy we are dealing with symbols, and therefore all things must be correctly interpreted. Second Peter 1:19 tells us, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” This is important.  A sure word of prophecy. That means if it’s Bible prophecy it will be clear, simple, and sure. No guessing, no speculating, and then verse 20, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” The Bible must be its own interpreter. With that background we can safely go into this critical subject.

Let’s go to Revelation 13 and read about this Beast power God has warned us about. Revelation 13: 1-3, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and the great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Now this is a strange beast! Is this a literal animal? No, it’s symbolic, it represents something. The Bible tells us what it is. Let’s get the Bible interpretation of each part.

First it comes from the water or sea. What does water symbolize? In Revelation 17:15 we get the answer. “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” The sea in prophecy always symbolizes many nations of people that speak different languages.

Now what about those other strange parts? The body of the leopard, feet of a bear, the head of a lion, and the 10 horns? We must go to the book of Daniel in the Old Testament to understand.

Daniel and Revelation explain each other. You cannot understand either book without the other. Keys are in each. So we will spend a little time in Daniel, and you will see something amazing when we go back to Revelation 13. Let’s turn to Daniel 7. Here we have another prophetic vision. Daniel 7: 2, 3, “Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.”

Then verse 3 says, “Four great beasts came up.” What do beasts represent in prophecy? The answer is in verse 17, “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.” Then verse 23 says, “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.”

That means the first four beasts represents the first four kings and their kingdoms.

We still follow this practice today – animals representing kingdoms. There is the American eagle, the former Russian bear, the Japanese dragon etc.

God says then that four kingdoms will come up. And it’s a fact today that since the days of Babylon when Daniel penned his book there have been only four world kingdoms impacting Gods people. Let’s look closer.

FIRST KINGDOM

Daniel 7:4, “The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” Who was this first world empire? Babylon, represented by the king of beasts. Wings, in prophecy mean speed (Habakkuk 1:8). Babylon began to rule in 606 B.C. The prophecy begins where our last chapter did, with Babylon, the kingdom Daniel is living in. In the Bible Babylon is referred to as a lion.

Compare 2 Kings 24:1, Jeremiah 51:37-38. Also as the ruins of Babylon have been excavated we see still today many winged lions carved on the walls of that ancient city.

 SECOND KINGDOM

Daniel 7:5, “And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.” Here is the second world empire of Medo-Persia, “raised on one side.” It came up as a joint empire, however, the Persians were stronger than the Medes. The three ribs no doubt symbolize the three Babylonian provinces it conquered of the then known world – Babylonia, Egypt and Lydia. Media-Persia ruled from 538-331 B.C.

THIRD KINGDOM

Daniel 7:6, “After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.” In 331 B.C. the third beast arose. It had four wings representing double speed, a fitting expression of the swiftness of Alexander the Great who quickly conquered the world, and established the empire of Greece. The four heads represent the four temporary kingdoms after Alexander’s death, divided by his four top generals. To the Northern territory went Lysimachus; to the South, Ptolemy; to the East, Seleucus;  and to the West, Cassander. Greece ruled from 331 – 168 B.C.

FOURTH KINGDOM

Daniel 7:7, “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” The fourth beast was strange, Daniel had never seen anything like this! He knew a lion, a leopard, and bear, but this was unique! The dreadful iron kingdom was the fourth (verse 23), “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” It represents Rome, which ruled from 168 B.C. to 476 A.D.

What about the 10 horns on this fourth beast? Let’s see what they represent.

Daniel 7:24, “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.” The 10 horns were 10 kings. We discovered last week, when Rome fell, it divided into 10 parts as the Barbarian tribes swept in. Those 10 tribes were Alamanni (Germany), the Visigoths (Spain), the Franks (France), the Suevi (Portugal), the Burgundians (Switzerland), the Anglo Saxons (England), and the Lombards (Italy). Three no longer exist, the Ostrogoths, Vandals and Heruli.

Ostergoths – The weakness of the Ostrogothic position in Italy now showed itself. The Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I always strove to restore as much of the Western Roman Empire as he could and certainly would not pass up the opportunity. In 535, he commissioned Belisarius to attack the Ostrogoths. Belisarius quickly captured Sicily and then crossed into Italy where he captured Naples and Rome in 536 and then marched north, taking Mediolanum (Milan) and the Ostrogoth capital of Ravenna in 540.

Vandals – Their kingdom collapsed in the Vandalic War of 533–4, in which Justinian I managed to reconquer the Africa province for the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.

Heruli – They were defeated by the Romans in 269 AD at or near Naissus (modern Niš in present-day Serbia)

To find out why they do not exist let’s read Daniel 7:8, “I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were THREE of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn (little horn) were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Suddenly there comes up another “little horn” or little kingdom.

These three kingdoms were destroyed by another “little kingdom” arising. Now, who is the little horn? If you really wanted to know, you could ask your history teacher and he could probably tell you what kingdom destroyed the Ostrogoths, Vandals, and Heruli. But we’re going to discover a lot about the little horn as we go on. You will see that this little horn kingdom is the Antichrist beast power – the same as the beast power God warns us about in Revelation 13.

Now we must be very careful and clear in identifying this little kingdom and power. And God has done just that. In the next few verses God will give us ten marks of identification as to who this power is so we won’t speculate, or guess at all.

TEN IDENTIFYING POINTS

1. Daniel 7:8. This power comes up “among them.” So now we have it located geographically. The other 10 horns, or kingdoms, were in Western Europe. So if it comes up “among them” it would have to be a little kingdom that comes up somewhere in Western Europe.

2. If it came up “among them” it had to come after the year 476 D., because the 10 kingdoms were not there till 476 A. D., after Rome, the fourth beast fell.

3. It would be a “little horn” verse 8 or a “little ” Not a big empire like the others, but a little one.

4. Daniel 7:8. “it uproots three kingdoms.” We already established that the Ostrogoths, Vandals, and Heruli were these three

5. Daniel 7:8. (last part). It has a man at its head and this man SPEAKS FOR IT. Unlike the other horns.

6. Daniel 7: It was “diverse” or different. How? He would not only be a government like the others, but different from any systems ever before.

7. Daniel 7: It would speak “great words” or “blasphemy.” Revelation 13: 5 says “great words and blasphemy.” Let’s get two Bible definitions of blasphemy. John 10:31-33 says blasphemy is when a man claims to be God. Mark 2:5-7 says blasphemy is when a man claim to have the power to forgive sins. So this “man” at the head of this kingdom would do this.

8. Daniel 7:25. He would “wear out the saints.” This power would fight against God, against God’s people, and be a persecuting God’s people would be martyred and slain by it.

9. Daniel 7:25. He would “think to change times and laws.” This power would think and try to do away with God’s holy times and That can’t be done, but this power would “think to” and try to change them.

10. Daniel 7:25 tells us how long it would rule. It would rule for a “time, times, and dividing of time.” Now that’s a prophetic The Bible tells us how long it is though. Compare Revelation 12: 14 and 12:6 and it equals 1260 days. That means Time is one year, Times is Two years and the Dividing Of Time is a Half A Year, the total is three and a half years. How many days are in three and a half years using the Bible calendar of 30 days to a month? Twelve hundred and sixty days.

Now here’s another key of prophecy. We will unpack this key in the next lesson but remember in prophecy we are dealing with symbolisms. A “day” is also symbolic. It is symbolic of a year (Ezekiel 4:6, Number 14:34). Whenever God spoke prophetically as in these texts, the day for a year principle was followed. This is only in prophetic Scripture. So this power will rule 1260 days or years.

Understanding that this power will want to be worshipped and the whole world is wondering after this beast power, it is probably easy to tell who the beast power is.  When you consider our studies over the past few lessons and the ten bible points that we have listed above, it should not be difficult.

The post Prophecy 9-1 -Identifying Antichrist first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

Will there be a judgement day?  Notice Acts 17:31, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”  God has “appointed a day,” now that’s significant!  In our next chapter, we will discover how close we are to that “day”.  To stir your imagination  a bit though, let’s read a fascinating scripture.  Revelation 14:6-7, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”  In other words, the everlasting gospel which is to be preached to all the world will say God’s judgement is come (present tense) before Jesus comes.

God’s Word has a court summons for all of us as we face this judgement, more serious than any summons we might receive here on earth.  2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”  We all must appear before the judgement seat.  No one can escape it.

In the book of Daniel you will find a brief description of the judgement taking place.  Daniel 7:9-10, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”  Revelation gives a similar picture of what will take place.  Revelation 20:12-13, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”

At this point there may be a sincere question in your mind.  In the last few verses in the Bible states we will be judged according to what we have done, good or bad, and judged according to our “works”.  Yet in the last chapter we read that we are saved by grace and it’s not works.  How do we reconcile that?

In the Bible there is a simple balance between faith and works.  It’s like  two oars on a row boat.  If you use the left oar of faith only you go in circles.  Or if you use the right oar or works you do the same.  But use them both and you go in a straight line.

We are not saved by works.  We’re saved alone by God’s grace.  But if we truly have been saved by grace through faith then God is in control of our life.  As we “watch and pray” the Spirit controls us and therefore our works are of God.  Our works give evidence that our faith is genuine.   So we’re not saved by works, but we are judged by our works.  Keep that balance and you are safe.  James 2:14,17, 18, 24, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Romans 3:28 – Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

These two verses seem to contradict each other.  Faith, the first verse says, without works is dead.  And the other says that we are justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

How does  Romans 6:14-18 help to shed light on this question?  ” For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

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In every trial there are three phases.  1. The investigation of the evidence.  2. The decision or verdict of the court.  3.  The punishment or reward.  We already discovered that the first part, the “investigation, ” would take place before Jesus comes, because it will be preached “the hour of judgement is come” prior to His coming.  Revelation 14:7, “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Revelation 11:18, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”

Now how is this part of the judgement to be done?  We just read in Revelation 20 that “the books” were opened.  There are several books used in the judgement.  The first one is called the Book of Life.  It has the names of all the saved, Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

There is another book called the Book of Remembrance where the saints record.  Malachi 3:16-17, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”   From these and other books, God begins the judgement.  And, the Bible declares that God Himself will judge.  Psalm 50:4-6, “He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.  Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.  And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.”

This is serious business.

When the investigating part of the judgement ends in heaven, the second phase of the judgement begins which is the verdict.  Christ declares it in Revelation 22:11-12,  “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”  In other words, when Jesus comes, every case is already decided. All whose names are in the Book of Life have been reviewed.  And because their lives have been covered by Jesus’s blood and righteousness, they are worthy of eternal life.  This is just before the second coming of Christ.  Now that brings us to the obvious question.  The saints have been judged, they are saved.  Jesus comes at His second coming to take them to heaven.   So, when will the wicked who are not in the book of life be judged?

Revelation 20:4, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

The wicked will be judged during the 1,000 years which follows.  Therefore, you and I, if we claim the blood of Jesus and are saved, will be the ones who actually judge the wicked to see if God was fair.

Is that surprising?  Notice 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”

We will judge the fallen angels.  Second Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”  God has a reason for doing it this way.  Satan has accused God of not being fair, and God is going to say, “Okay, I wont judge, I will let my people judge.  Those men and women on the earth, under Satan’s program of sin and rebellion.  Those people that went through the temptation and trials of life.  Let them check and see if I was just and fair.”

The last part of the judgement will be the reward or punishment.  The punishment is found in Revelation 20:15.  “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”  The wicked are cast into a lake of fire.

In Canada, we are ideally judge by certain standard. The law.  If I break it and go to court, they will read from the book of the law. By my obedience or disobedience to that law I am guilty or not guilty.  In heaven it’s the same, God’s law will also be the standard by which we are judged. James 2:10-12, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.”  This is God’s ten-commandment law.

Why does it seem to surprise people today that God’s Ten Commandment Law is still binding?  Review each Commandment quickly to see that every command of God is reasonable and is based upon love.  Love for God, and love for your neighbor.

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Let’s read another text to establish this thought. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man, For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” God will bring all into judgment.

This brings me to an important subject.   It seems the Law of God, or the Ten Commandments are in question.

It is argued that Jesus gave us different or NEW commandments.  Some say that God’s Law was against us and Jesus came to lift the burden of the law.

Could this be possible?  Did Jesus change God’s Law of Liberty to something else?  Discuss?

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Does this distinction make sense in the context of the many other Bible verses covered?  Discuss:

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Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”

First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The moment He does that you are justified and your name is written in the Book Of Life.  And as your name comes up in the judgment, God the Father looks at you and standing before you is His Son Jesus. Jesus says, “My blood covers his sin. I present him faultless before your throne!” First John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not, And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Revelation 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”

Jesus is our “advocate” our lawyer! Christ longs to represent you! When we look at ourselves we can’t see how we could ever be saved, but when we look at Jesus we can’t see how we could ever be lost!

When the judgment is over, and God comes for you and me, the text of Philippians 2:10-11 will be fulfilled. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Every knee will bow, and all will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Today the door of mercy, swinging on the hinges of grace is still open. Jesus lovingly invites us to let Him cover our life of sin, so when our name comes up in judgment, He can confess us before the Father.

The post Prophecy 7 – Judgement Day – Faith and Works first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.