Page 129 - Satan in the Sanctuary

The Antichrist—"War I Give unto You" 131
He does demonstrate seemingly supernatural powers, but
they are not from above. The best that can be said of him
is "the devil made him do it."
Our Lord lamented in John 5:43 that the world would
receive this "messiah" who would come, not in the name of
God, but in his own name.
That name is "Antichrist," signifying his contrast with
our Lord.
This chapter is mainly for unbelievers, who will have to
deal with the Antichrist and his system of world domina-
tion. The believers will be gone via the rapture (see next
chapter) before his appearance.
Perhaps God's people will watch the world events as the
Antichrist dominates, but they will be watching from
heaven, not earth. The best seat for this particular play is
in the balcony.
If you are an unbeliever and you do not come to the
Lord before the rapture, you might as well know whom to
watch for. There are many world leaders these days, each
with his own brand of egomania, but the Antichrist has cer-
tain definite characteristics.
The key is his "seven-year plan" for the Middle East.
Daniel tells us, "He shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week [of years]" (9:27). Another main characteris-
tic is that the Antichrist is European—from out of a re-
vived Roman Empire. Daniel 7:23-24 specifies the "fourth
kingdom," which is Rome, the fourth world-dominating
power in biblical history.
For other details, let's consult the biblical seers.
We find out, from the intriguing description of the Anti-
christ in Revelation 13:1-8, that he is a ten-headed beast
and that he recovers from an apparently fatal wound.
The ten heads represent the last conglomeration of politi-