“I sometimes feel quite weary to read all these questions about who the antichrist might be will. Are we waiting for Christ or for the antichrist?“

You make a very good point Brother! it’s like the book of Revelation, many Christians are obsessed with AntiChrist, when that book is the revelation of Jesus Christ

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Mike

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Ron Halverson

It's strange how these threads devolve so quickly into a false humility and pseudo piety that says, "we shouldn't study these things but rather focus on Christ".

Jesus is the one that commands us to study and know these things. Jesus rebuked people for not being able to discern the signs of the times...

I bet all of us can tell if it will rain based on the sky, but can we discern the signs of the times? If not, Jesus has scathing words for us.

I will bow out like Docs did now, as I see what he means.


Ron,
Pretty similar username before, evanschaible. If Greg could help with it, I would use that one (not sure why that is so important...)

2 thess 2
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

I have heard this argument but the thing is the antichrist is going to look like jesus. We need to focus on the Messiah as jesus the Messiah should be our focus
The problem that I find is that you get cleche sayings that people who believe in the pre tribulation rapture say we focus on jesus Christ rather than the antichrist

A counterfeit is alot like the real and as Christians we need to know are bible back to front , in greek and Hebrew
, we need to be in prayer

I bring the example of the silver chair as in the silver chair Jill pole is in the letters of the sign that she was given to by aslan and didnt know it

Most signs from the scripture we simply now know through hindsight but it was alot more harder for the people at the time
We know from the scripture that there will be many antichrists and false prophets before jesus returns

Matt 24
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

If scholars from Jesus time didnt get the fact that jesus was the Messiah , the chances are there are alot of things that we are going to get wrong and alot of prophetic timelines will be about as useful as newspaper is for fish and chips

I don't believe in a pre tribulation rapture and I don't want Christians getting fooled that the antichrist is jesus the Messiah

I want to know Jesus and I don't want jesus to say depart from me I never knew you , we are in a war , a spiritual one and we have an enemy

2 Timothy 2:4
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour

I like Denny Kensington anology when he spoke about a person who has been shot by the enemy is going to be alot more angry about the enemy than a person who hasn't because he has been wounded and understands .

When regarding the enemy the best way to attack him is to spend time in Jesus presence and with our bible and to press on towards that heavenly city like in pilgrim progress

Luke 14:31
Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

To me the as it says in the book of Thessalonians that the church will know the identity of the antichrist

There are different opinions

1.Roman Vs islamic
Joel Richardson Vs Thomas ice
https://youtu.be/lo-GZAxxfMw?si=HToduDf-6_TwV9h-

Jewish Vs islamic
Joel Richardson Vs Chris white
https://youtu.be/Uy2ytMSFvm0?si=rwmXzLyTlNtKSjap

I do not have a clue about the Greek gematria of 666 is

I am a wounded man spiritually who has faced the fiery darts of the evil one and knows we are in a battle and In a war

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Dominic Shiells

The strange thing is that evil seems to be more fascinating than what is good, true, right and pure.

I think it is time to say goodbye to the world as we knew it, goodbye to order, sanity, common sence, freedom, peace, justice and prosperity. All these wonderful things we enjoyed for a time and season, it will be taken from us only to enjoy something infinitely better!

Madness, hate, lies, fear, sin and iniquity will accelerate in intensity, we see it already before our own eyes!

Satan and the antichrist are only there to purify the bride and separate the unrighteous from the righteous.

He has no other purpose. Although they are Gods and our enemies they can only do exactly what God allows him to do.
They have very limited time, their days are numbered, their judgement already pronounced, they will bear the full wrath of God forever.
Whosover dies at the hand of the antichrist and his henchmen has a place of glory garanteed in God's kingdom.

Rev 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.

As Daniel was given Wisdom, because we sought God and interceded on his knees, so will we receive wisdom to work out the meaning and person related to 666.

God sealed Daniels vision, but in the end the seal will be lifted and the mystery revealed to to his beloved.
Psalm 25:14
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

We can join the heavenly host in praise and then return with Christ to earth to reign with him forever!

It is all about being faithful to the end.

I found it fascinating that passages that describe great devastation and cruelty are interlaced with the most glorious descriptions of heavenly praise found anywhere in the entire scriptures.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Dom,

I wanted to risk another reply to address what you said about the antichrist trying to deceive people into believing he is the return of Christ.

I just wanted to point out a couple things:

1. The Jews are still waiting for their Messiah, so for them it would be his first advent, or so they believe. Obviously Jesus is their Messiah (before anyone puts me on blast), but the Jewish people do not believe that.

2. Islam is also, technically, an Abrahamic religion. So the antichrist coming from Israel is not completely discounted just because he is Islamic.

3. Keep in mind we have much more information than even the first century believers, so like we are told by the prophets concerning deception, I believe this to is something we will consider more perfectly as the time grows closer. We have witnessed things they never dreamed of, even in our lifetimes.

We will never enter into God’s purpose for our lives which is Christ likeness by studying the antichrist, being an expert on the demonic realm.
The Word of God does tell us that we are not to be ignorant of the devices of the devil. We should have only one magnificent obsession, the Lord Jesus Christ, as we behold Him, we are changed into His image from glory to glory. The Father is looking for His Son in every believer and in the Church, the measure of Christ. Concerning the antichrist and debating about the rapture, there are many opinions, we would do well to give heed to the admonition in the Word of God to WATCH and PRAY.

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Mike

Mike,

It's to bad you weren't around to exhort Paul, Peter and especially John. The Revelation is where a lot of this comes from, was he not focused on Christ?

Was Daniel not focused on Jesus?

What about Jesus Himself? Are we to ignore His commands to know these things? Are we to ignore His words concerning these things?

When I study eschatology it is in obedience to Jesus, who Himself studied and taught it.

What would you have us do Mike? Give us your practical advice to proceed forward.

During the pandemic, this was something that intrigued me because of the world event. And what got me to do more research is when the government introduced the vaccine mandates. I almost believed it was the mark of the beast. But as I studied the Word, this was not the mark but seemed like a test run. Fast forward to today, the war in Israel and Ukraine is very concerning. Not only that, we see inflation everywhere and the economy is getting worst and at the same time, technology is rapidly advancing. Another thing I'd like to mention is how the media is distorting many things by lying and manipulating narratives. One more thing I'd like to add is how we have two powers fighting each other like the communist vs capitalist, Republicans vs democrats, conservatives vs liberals and so on.
The book of Revelation mentions about the beast that came out of the earth and how he had 2 horns like a sheep. Prophet Daniel mentions how the king of the north and the king of the south kept on lying to each other.

Also, the book of Revelation mentions about how the pit of the Abyss is opened and smoke came out.
‭Revelation‬ ‭9:2‬ ‭BSB‬
[2] The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

Currently, we are seeing so much confusion, so much distortion about the events happening. The smoke is rising and covering the light and making it hard to breathe. Out of that smoke from the Abyss, came the locusts which later on were the beast that waged war with the two witnesses. The Abyss is the deep and the sea is deep.
We don't know the identity of the antichrist but we know that the time is near and we know how the world is desperately waiting for someone to save them but they are not waiting for Jesus Christ.

And we know that the Day of the Lord Jesus is near. So we must get ready by bearing fruit and putting our hope in the risen Lamb of God who was slained.

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Yulboum Robert

Revelation 1
New King James Version
Introduction and Benediction

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must [a]shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

The book of revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ

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Dominic Shiells