New Year's Eve 2012

It's possible that Zechariah was indicating that the Antichrist will be wounded in the arm and right eye by a sword wound.

Revelation 13:3 tells us that someone will kill the Antichrist with a "wound to death."

Zechariah may call him the idol shepherd because the False Prophet will set up an idol or statue of the Antichrist in the rebuilt Temple to be worshipped by the people.
Revelation 13:14,15

In contrast to Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for His sheep, the Antichrist is called the 'idol shepherd.'

His purpose, as an evil shepherd' will be to use and destroy the sheep for his own benefit.

"For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened."
Zechariah 11:16,17

Ancient Assyria, the enemy of Israel, occupied the same area as Babylon until it was defeated in 608 B.C.

Possibly the prophet identified the Antichrist as "the Assyrian" because the world dictator will be the enemy of Israel just as Assyria was in the past.

The prophets identify the Antichrist as a Jew who will rule the Roman Empire, we are told of his connection with the Middle East and the rebuilt capital city of Babylon.

"Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: 'O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraide of the Assyrian.
He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt'"  
Isaiah 10:24

The coming Prince of Darkness will be a child of this age: of assertiveness, self-promotion and self-will.

He will exalt his own sinful desires against all opposition until he is defeated by Jesus!

In contrast to Jesus who came to "do His Father's will", the Antichrist will "do according to his own will."

"Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done"
Daniel 11:36.

Since "the prince that shall come", the Antichrist, will come out of the Roman people, scholars conclude that he will arise and take over the ten nations of the revived Roman Impire.

"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined"   Daniel 9:26

The verse reveals that the Antichrist will be a prince who will lead the revived Roman Empire.

The phrase, "when the transgressors have reached their fullness" reminds us that the fulfillment of these prophecies will not occur until man's sinful rebellion reaches the breaking point.

There is a final point where the Lord draws the line and He will not allow man to go any farther without receiving the judgment of God.

Genesis 6:3, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever."

Mankind's final appointment with destiny is quickly coming to pass!

"And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes"
Daniel 8:23

The Antichrist will be a 'king' [or prince] with 'fierce features.'

This prophecy indicates that he will have a striking appearance and will possess geat personal power.

Although given supernatural powers by Satan, the Anichrist will be a man.

He will be a great and powerful speaker, impressing people with his brilliant speech.

"I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots.
And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words"  Daniel 7:8

The prophet Daniel calls him 'a little horn' in compared to the ten horns that represent ten nations arising out of the boundaries of the ancient Roman Empire.

"Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord God: Because your heart is lifted up, and you say, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas,' yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god. . . "
Ezekiel 28:2

                     This prophet called the Antichrist the "prince of Tyre" saying that though he will be possessed by Satan 'yet you are a man, and not a god.'

       The Antichrist will oppose and exalt himself to be worshipped as God exactly as Satan originally tried to rebel and be worshipped by the fallen angels and man as god.

Both Isaiah and Revelation reveal that the city of Babylon will be rebuilt and finally destroyed by fire from heaven from God during the Great Day of the Lord.

The Iraqi government has spent more than $800 million in rebuilding the city.

The wicked city of Babylon will be burned at the same time the Antichrist is destroyed by Jesus when He returns.

"Take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: 'How the oppressor has ceased, the golden city ceased!'"
Isaiah 14:4

Isaiah addresses the Antichrist by the title, the "king of Babylon," because he will make the rebuilt city of Babylon one of his capitals during his brief reign.

The Lord prophecied about the Antichrist using the title 'your seed' because he will try to do the will of his father, Satan, the 'father of all lies.'

It describes the eternal hatred between Christ and Satan's seed.

The first prophecy in the Bible was made by God to Satan (the serpent) in Adam and Eve's presence.

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" Genesis 3:15

Throughout the Old Testament the prophets told of the conflict between God's Chosen People and Satan's world dictator.

From Genesis to Malachi the prophets described this enemy of God under a variety of names and titles that shows his rise, his career and his defeat at the hand of Jesus.

In Revelation 13:12 the prophet John tells us that the False Prophet, "causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed."

Just as the Holy Spirit directs men to worship the Father through Jesus Christ, the False Prophet will force men living during the Great Tribulation to worship Satan through the person of the Antichrist.

The Bible declares that Jesus Christ, though He is truly God, came to "do the will of His Father."

The Antichrist will be a man totally possessed by Satan's power. His purpose will be to serve his father Satan.

The Bible reveals that Satan, the great enemy of God, will present himself in the same manner.

The Satanic trinity is made up of Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

The mystery of God's nature is present throughtout the Bible as a Trinity.

The Old and New Testaments say repeatedly that God manifests Himself in the form of three persons, the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ came to serve mankind, to help others and to save the lost.

His servant spirit stands out in stark contrast to the proud and boastful attitudes of our day.

The spirit of this age is self-exaltation.

The song 'I Did It My Way' tells of the self-indulgent attitude of our generation.

This and the spirits of selfishness and lawlessness are spirits of the antichrist manifesting itself in our world today.

It is helpful to consider our own spiritual life and goals in light of the "spirit of Antichrist" that prevails in the world.

Are we seeking to exalt ourselves or are we modelling our lives after Christ.

The Antichrist will fail, in every single area.

Jesus Christ and the Antichrist are basically opposed to each other.

The Antichrist will try to counterfeit the bible prophecies about the coming Messiah in his attempt to deceive Israel and the nations about his true identity.

There is a mystery involved in why God allows Satan to continue when He could destroy him at any time [God will not violate His own rules].

But Jesus Christ will finally destroy Satan 'by the brightness of His coming'.

The contrast between them is summed up:
Feature     Christ      Antichrist
Origin      Heaven      Bottomless Pit
Nature      Good        Idol
            Shepherd    Shepherd
Destiny     To be       To
            exaled on   cast down to
            High        Hell
Goal        To do His   To do his
            Father's    own will
            will
Purpose     Save the    Destroy God's
            Lost        God's people
Authority   His         His own
            Father's    name
            Name
Attitude    Humbled     Exalts
            Himself     himself
Fruit       True Vine   Vine of
                        the earth
Response    Despised    Admired

Jesus represents the mystery of godliness demonstrating the Father's mercy for mankind.

The Antichrist is the mystery of iniquity.

The Antichrist is known as the son of perdition because his career will be marked by destruction of his enemies.

Jesus, the Son of God, came to do the will of His Father.

Jesus was known as the man of sorrows bearing the weight of our sins to the Cross while the title, the man of sin, shows the Antichrist's rebellion.

Every action that Jesus Christ took showed His holiness while the man of sin, the Antichrist will despise God's holy laws.

Every characteristic and title of Jesus Christ is from His holy nature as our righteous Lord.

The Antichrist's character and titles are from his origin as the 'seed' of Satan.

The nature and purpose of Jesus and the Anitchrist are just the opposite.

The characterists show the differences between them:

Christ                Antichrist
Truth                 Lie
Holy One              Lawless one
Man of Sorrows        Man of sin
Son of God            Son of Perdition
Mystery of            Mystery of
Godliness             Iniquity

In the last battle of the age, Satan will do battle with Christ Jesus as a satanically possessed man known as the Antichrist, the Prince of Darkness.

Behind every battle and war on earth there was a spiritual battle against "the rulers of the darkness of this age."

This "ruler of the darkness" is Satan.

From the moment Satan fell, a spiritual battle has affected everyone on earth.

We are often unaware of this battle, the Bible says that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
   against principalities,
   against powers,
   against rulers of the darkness of this age,
   against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12

As we come to the end events of the Great Tribulation, the Bible warns that Satan will soon offer the world his counterfeit messiah, the Antichrist.

The greatest conflict in history will end with his spectacular defeat at the hands of Jesus Christ.

John says that Jesus was, "the true light which gives light to every man who comes into the world", John 1:9

Explaining the continuing battle with Satan, John states, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil", John 3:19.

The Bible separates the roles of Jesus as the "light of the world" with the spiritual "darkness" that represents our sinful rebellion against God.

Just as Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer to Ruth in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ will return in the last days to redeem the earth from its curse and bondage under the control of Satan.

The Old Testament law provided for a kinsman redeemer to repurchase a relative's property that had been forfeited to a lender.

This principle is illustrated in the Bible when Boaz, an ancestor of Jesus, redeemed Ruth.

Man's transfer of his dominion allowed Satan to become the prince of this world and the king of the evil kingdom.

From that moment man has been living in enemy-occupied territory and waiting for the return of our Messiah.

Man joined in Satan's rebellion against God when Adam and Eve sinned in  the Garden of Eden.

God gave the stewardship of the planet to man.

In a sense, man's sinful rebellion had the effect of mortgaging the dominion of earth to Satan.

When Jesus rose from the grave, openly triumphanting over Satan, He defeated death.

He resurrected a great group of Old Testament saints to prove His victory over death and sin (Matthew 27:52-53).

From the standpoint of eternity, the victory over Satan was won by Jesus two thousand years ago at Calvary.

The spiritual battles over the last two thousand years will come together in a great victory of Jesus Christ at the Battle of Armageddon.

The final judgment of this world and the defeat of Satan, the prince of this world, was made sure when Jesus spoke the words,
          "It is fininshed."

The Bible tells us that at the very moment of Christ's apparent defeat on the cross He won the battle for the earth and the souls of man.

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself"  John 12:31-32

Jesus promised that the war for the planet earth will end with His total victory over evil when He returns to setup His Kingdom.

But the prophets warn that the Antichrist and Satan will unleash spiritual warfare against the tribulation saints during the Great Tribulation

"And it was granted to him [Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue and nation...He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed."
Revelation 13:7,15

The gates of Eden were closed to man, but God's love wouldn't abandon man.

The Lord prophesied that he would send His Messiah to defeat Satan and restore man's relationship with God.

Satan offered Eve the chance to know good and evil just as God if she would rebel against God's command.

The result of Adam and Eve's rebellion was the loss of innocence and the promised blessing that God had intended for His people.

When God created man in the Garden of Eden all of creation, including man was good.

But because the Lord valued our freedom so much ,He allowed Satan to tempt man to rebel against God.

This is the same temptation that ensnared Satan to become as god.

In Ezekiel 28, God called Satan as
"the prince of Tyre"

Ezekiel assures us that despite Satan's wisdom and power, he will finally be defeated by Jesus when he makes his great attack against God using the Antichrist.

Throughout Europe millions of underground believers held on to the true faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ during the centuries of persecution.

Only heaven knows the total record of the courageous faith of the believers who stood against all the attacks of Satan.

The Waldenses focused on the larger issues dealing with Satan's attack on the true church and connected the biblical prophecies of the Antichrist and Babylon with the great evils they were facing during their struggle for religious freedom.

The Waldenses' interpretations were conditioned by their experiences of torture and murder under the Inquisition.

They thought the Antichrist and the Great Whore of Babylon from the Book of Revelation were identical, though now are understood to be two different things.

The group called the Waldenses had a manuscript called "A Treatise concerning Antichrist".

It contained their understanding of Bible prophecy.

Martin Luther declared the recovery of the first truths creating the Protestant Reformation.

He acknowledged that he was simply carrying on the true faith of earlier underground Christian groups such as the Waldenses.

The Waldenses and their fellow believers were pre-reformation Protestants long before Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at Wittenberg.

The ancient "Waldenses" were Christians that had continued in the faith since separating from the corrupt official state church in the seventh century.

They lived in the high mountain valleys in inaccessible areas where they could worship Christ as the New Testament commanded.

Reading the Bible was illegal according to official church law.

It remained illegal for a layperson to have a Bible until 1870.

Many groups of Bible-believing Christians held to the faith despite centuries of trials, torture and death.

They secretly copied manuscripts of the Bible and smuggled them from city to city to share with the underground church.

The Western World was spiritually going through the Dark Ages.

Despite these centuries of satanic attacks on the truth, millions of Christians in Europe resisted the inquisition and religious corruption.

Laws were passed forbidding any Christian layperson to possess the Bible or to worship as the New Testament commanded.

The Western world spiritually entered the 'Dark Ages' for many centuries.

Evil church officials increased in political and financial power in an unholy alliance with secular leaders, including kings and other rulers.

Corruption and pagan practices entered the official state church at all levels during the Mediaeval Period.

Satan almost smothered the truth that survived from the early faith of the first century Christians.

The transformation of the state church was so significant that a believer from the first century wouldn't have recognized it as Christian.

Many believers who held to the true faith were forced to go underground.

Over the centuries the Roman state church adopted many Babylonian mystical religious features to appeal to the new pagan converts.

False pagan practices were introduced including worship of images, false miracles, lifting of clergy above the worshippers and corruption.

Under the previous persecution, only true believers joined the church.

Once it became a state church, thousands of unrepentant pagans joined for a potential social, financial and political advantage.

Satan then tried to bring down the Church from within by infiltrating it.

This subtle attack was a far greater threat than the former open attacks by the pagan emperors.

After the Emperor Constantine became a follower of Christ in A.D. 300, he transformed the church from an outlaw organization to the official state church.

The brave deaths of the martyrs forced the world to examine what inspired them to such profound faith.

As a result of their faithful witness almost half of the Roman Empire became followers of Jesus.

Satan used the emperors and his pagan followers in Rome to oppress and persecute the Christians.

Millions of Christians were tortured and killed for their faith.

The truth of Christ's resurrection is basic to God's plan to redeem man from the curse of sin and death.

The Church was transformed by the resurrection of Jesus.

It immediately began to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ.

On Good Friday it appeared that Satan had won.

Jesus was dead, His followers were scattered.

But Resurrection Sunday came.
The grave opened and all could see
Jesus' victory over death and sin.

The Lord used "the foolishness of the cross" to confound the wise and defeast Satan's plan to snare men's souls.

Satan thought he had defeated God's plan to redeem mankind when Christ was crucified.

The devil was unable to realize that the Cross which appeared to represent Christ's defeat, actually won salvation for all who would trust in Jesus.

John recorded in his vision in Revelation 12:10, "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."

In the New Testament we are told that the devil accuses us to God daily and will continue until he is cast out of heaven.

When that happens the angels will rejoice!

When Satan is cast out of heaven to the earth, he will totally possess the soul of the wicked dictator who will take over the Revived Roman Empire.

    At that point this man will become the Antichrist, Satan incarnate.

       He will force men to whorship him as god.

John prophecied that when "war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer"
Revelation 12:7

Satan's access to the heavenlies will end half-way throught the seven-year treaty when he and his angels are cast out of heaven by Michael, the archangel.

Since his fall, Satan has kept access to some parts of heaven and earth.

He doesn't rule in hell.

He will not descend to hell until Jesus casts him into the Lake of Fire after his final battle at the end of the Millennium [Jesus' 1000 year reign].

Ephesians 6:12 warns Christians,
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Daniel 10:13 refers to demonic fallen angels that are associated with kingdoms on this planet as kings of Persia.

Jesus referred to Satan as a king of an evil kingdom in Matthew 12:24-30.

The Bible calls Satan "the prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2 because he had great power over the earth since the fall of Adam and Eve.

Satan was present with the other "sons of God" at the moment of this world's creation.

Satan was created as a "son of the morning" or "morning star" without sin.

But because of his pride in his beauty and wisdom, he rose in rebellion against God.

The prophet Isaiah tells us about the fall of Satan.

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart:
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne about the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north."
Isaiah 14:12-13

Satan attempted to take the place of God in the universe when he claimed "I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods."

This began his war that was destined to drag all of mankind into thousands of years of rebellion against our Creator.

The Bible says that Satan succeeded in taking a   third of the angels of heaven with him when he rebelled.

Ezekiel 28 reveals Satan's creation as an "anointed cherub" who was "perfect in your ways" until his pride led him to rebel against God.

He may once have guarded the throne of God with the other cherubim described in the book of Revelation.

Unlike the ugly discriptions of Satan found in art he was created as the "seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect beauty."

"Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord God:
"Because your heart is lifted up, and you say, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas,' yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god. . .You were the seal of prefection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of god . . .The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. . .You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in You" ' "
Ezekiel 28:2,12,13-15

Jesus Christ created Satan in the past [dateless] as an angel.

In Ezekiel's prophecy Satan appears under the prophetic title of the "Prince of Tyre".

The description clearly reveals that he is not and earthly prince.

Ezekiel 28 details Satan's career from his creation in heaven, his rebellion, his possession of the soul of Antichrist and his ultimate doom.

Though some cults believe that Satan is an evil god, this prophecy tells us that he's not a god.

Genesis 3:15 implies that the Antichrist will present himself as a counterfeit messiah as indicated in other prophecies.

The first prophecy of the Messiah shows the age-long conflict between Satan and Jesus.

It also predicts the long struggle between Satan and Israel, represented by the woman.

Just as Jesus, the son of Mary, was uniquely the "seed" of the woman,
the Antichrist will in some mysterious way be the "seed" of Satan.

The first prophecy about the Antichrist appears in Genesis 3:15,
"And I will put emnity between you [Satan] and the woman and between your seed [Antichrist] and her [Mary's] seed [Jesus]; He shall bruise your head [Satan's] and you shall bruise His heel [Jesus]."

The rebellion during the Great Tribulation will produce the most appalling evil, violence, blasphemy and persecution in human history.

The mystery of iniquity that has worked in secret for thousands of years will finally, in the last days, openly manifest its spirit of lawlessness in the 'man of sin,' the coming Antichrist.

Since God gave man stewardship of His Paradise, we have polluted the environment, poisoned much of the water, and eroded the fertile topsoil.

Most of this is due to thousands of years of normal use and wear from living.

For the first time in history, man has developed doomsday weapsons capable of devastating large areas of planet earth.

The Bible indicates that the final apostasy will be the most conspicuous and openly sinful rebellion against the will of God.

During the Great Tribulation the majority of people will not only reject Jesus Christ as God's promised Messiah, but they will knowingly accept Satan's Antichrist in the place of Christ.

Historical events appear to occur by chance.

The Bible reveals history unfolding according to the plan of God outlined thousands of years ago.

From the first prophecy in Genesis to the last book of the Bible, there is a parallel in the series of predictions about the coming Messiah and the future Antichrist.

The first prophecy in the Bible tells about both: the coming of the Messiah and His victory over the Antichrist.

"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."
Genesis 3:15

"Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever"
Isaiah 9:6,7

Christ's victory over Satan will establish true justice and righteousness forever.

The prophecy of the coming Messiah will finally be fulfilled.

When the Messiah reigns, the torture chambers will be destroyed; there will not be wars ever again; nor violence or starvation; no more guns.

People will finally have love, beauty and peace.

God has promised to send His Messiah to establish His Kingdom on earth.

After the Great Tribulation, God promises that man will finally enjoy the peace, justice and joy that man was to have in the Garden of Eden.

Many in the Church view prophecy negatively believing it is "doom and gloom".

We must look at it positively and with great hope because it contains God's greatest promise to man.

The nature of most Bible prophecy is that some predictions will only be understood when they have been fulfilled.

Prophecy presents to us the Bible's coming of redemption of the earth from the curse of sin.

And its prophecies relating to the Antichrist, his rise and fall and the coming of the Messiah to set up His Kingdom on earth.

Fulfilled prophecy is proof that the Bible is God's inspired revelation to man.

Prophecy reveals God's purposes from creation to eternity enabling us to understand our part in His developing plan.

Despite clear warnings in the Bible to heed the warnings of prophecy, many still aren't interested.

The precise fulfillment of prophecy provides solid proof that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

In one passage, Paul indicated that the Jews rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah because they failed to understand the prophecies.

Read Acts 13:27

Many religious leaders today are as unconcerned about prophecy as the rulers in Jerusalem two thousand years ago.

Peter points out that "prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit"
2 Peter 1:21

Jesus Christ commands us to "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the Word of truth"
2 Timothy 2:15

Since one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy, this is an important part of God's message to us.

If we want to understand our role in this generation we need to become familiar with the prophetic message of the coming Kingdom of God.

The word "inspired" in the original language means "God-breathed."

This shows us that these prophecies were supernaturally given to the writers of the bible by the divine will of God.

The Holy Spirit says that "all Scripture is given by inspiration [by God] and is profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness"
2 Thimothy 3:16

The purpose of Bible prophecy is to
show God's plan of redemption for
man through His Son Jesus the Messiah.

The prophets revealed God's plan to redeem man by the victory of Jesus.

The Bible proves the nature of prophecy.

"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:"
2 Peter 1:19

For thousands of years the Bible prophecies have foretold of the rise and fall of nations and empires.

All of these prophecies have proven true.

So as we watch the fulfillment of the prophecies in our generation, we need to take them seriously.

The greatest problem for us (christians) today is not only understanding the prophecies about Israel and the other nations; but to know what we are to do.

Jesus Christ was a prophet, He offered the evidence of the fulfillment of His predictions as proof of His claim to be the promised Messiah.

"And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe."
John 14:29

An examination of prophecies outside of the Bible proves that these predictions are almost always vague and incorrect.

Studies reveal that an average of 98 percent of secular prophecies were wrong.

Only the Bible contains accurate predictions because only God can prophesy the future.

Satan, himself, cannot prophesy accurately.

If the devil could predict the future, he would inspire his New Age followers to do it so as to impress a lot of people.

The prophet Isaiah declared that God alone knows the future: "Behold, the former things have come to pass and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them"
Isaiah 42:9.

No other religious book contains predictions of the future events, because no one but God can predict the future accurately.

From Genesis to Revelation the Word of God reveals the past, present and future.

From the first prediction of the Messiah's virgin birth in Genesis 3:15 to the prophecies of the book of Revelation; the main role of Jesus Christ is revealed through the old prophets.

The fulfilled prophecies should motivate us to carefully examine the predictions that relate to our immediate future.

For thousands of years, only one book has claimed to exclusively and accurately predict the destiny of man.

That book is the Bible, the Word of God.

Any serious seeker of truth must face the fact: Is the Bible true?

The fulfilled prophecies in the Bible are the strongest proof that the Bible is what it claims to be.
It is the inspired Word of God.

The Great Tribulation will end in the battle between the worldwide dictator, the Antichrist and the coming Messiah Jesus Christ.

Christ's victory over Satan will bring about a realization of all our hopes and dreams of a heaven gained under the rule of the Messiah and King.

The Bible says that man is coming to a crisis beyond anything he has ever experienced before.

Only God can save the planet from this disaster!

The prophets promise that this crisis will be solved by the coming of Jesus the Messiah who will save mankind from destruction and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

The awecome weapons and the overwhelming surveillance powers
of such a government would leave people without hope or the possibility of escape.

This nightmare will become real if those who seek this one-world goverment succeed in getting their New World Order.

The history of this century shows that there isn't a shortage of candidates that would prove to be dictators.

Once an evil person gets into power there would be no opposing nations left to resist a totalitarian world government.

There would be no place to turn from such a worldwide ruler.

It is unimaginable what life would have been like had Adolph Hitler succeeded in establishing a worldwide Third Reich!

Even if the first few leaders of
the New World Order/One World Government are good hearted, eventually an evil individual will arise who will use this absolute power to create a world-wide totalitarian dictatorship.

Current trends are leading us toward a New World Order in which all power on the planet will be possessed in one huge national institution led by one supreme leader.

Human freedom can only exist for a long period of time in a political system that divides power among different groups to create checks and balances between competing interests.

The New World Order could easily become a totalitarian government that would put out all hope of human freedom forever.

The world is moving towards unimaginable destruction.

This apocalytic disaster would mean the end of history on this planet.

Nationalism and ethnic hatreds along with the devastating power of nuclear and biological weapons could lead to horrors that would exceed World War II.

We are quickly approaching the greatest crisis in human history.

The choices we are facing are awesome in magnitude and consequence.

Social scientists, military strategists and physicists have begun to think about the unthinkable.

One even commented about the change in people's perceptions of the possibility of Armageddon.

Since 1945 it began to be technologically possible to end life on this planet.

Added to the Scriptural prophecies, many non-biblical predictions have appeared during the last few years that point to the coming crisis of the human race.

There is still no antidote to the bubonic plague that struck Europe six hundred years ago.

Bubonic plague, anthrax and many other deadly plagues are now in the weapons laboratories of over 40 countries.

We stand in danger of disasters and plagues far worse than the Black Plague of the fourteenth century.

The thought of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons being in the hands of terrorists and unstable regimes have produced nightmares for the intelligence agencies here in America.

The collapse of the Soviet Union has loosed forty-five thousand nuclear weapons into the hands of unknown individuals in potentially irresponsible countries.

Some scientists are afraid that these technologies, they call "doomsday", will put an end to human history.

Every deadly weapon system that has been developed to date, no matter how horrible, has been used in war.

Our generation has witnessed the horrible reality of the Holocaust, thermonuclear weapons. biological warfare and decades of totalitarian control over half of the human race.

For the first time in history we possess the technologies and weapons that can destroy life on this planet.

These innovations have changed history forever.

Surely, they wondered if the prophecies were to be interpreted literally; were they referring to actual events or were they prophecies of only spiritual symbols of the war between good and evil.

Students of the Bible have studied the old prophecies about the Antichrist and the apocalypse for thousands of years.

It was hard to visualize how prophecies such as attacks from the air, the poisoning of one-third of the planet and the deaths of billions of people could actually be fulfilled.

If we are to have a clear understanding of the amazing times we are living in, we need to examine the prophecies about the revival of the Roman Empire and its coming dictator - the Antichrist.

The Bible tells that anyone who receives the Mark of the Beast will be damned forever to hell.

The martyrs who reject the Antichrist's claims and worship Jesus Christ will receive the gift of eternal life in heaven.

The people who live under the rule of the Antichrist will face a terrible choice when he claims to be "god on earth."

He will demand that everyone worship him and
receive the Mark of the Beast
[his mark of their allegiance].

The man known as the Antichrist will control the political, military and religious events of the last days.

It is important to understand what the Bible reveals about him.

Both Jewish and Christian literature
and various secular and cultural prophecies
have predicted the earth will undergo a terrible period
of persecution under a Satanic leader
before the arrival of the Messiah.

The final world dictator will rule the earth during its final crisis just before Jesus returns as the true Messiah.

Hundreds of prophecies about this terrible person are found throughout the Old and New Testaments.

The Bible foretells a miraculous revival of the Roman Empire in the last days that will be led by the final world dictator.

His identity and character was revealed through many prophetic titles including, "the man of sin","the prince" and "the "son of perdition".

For a thousand years the ancient Roman empire moved across the world like an iron giant crushing all opposition beneath them.

Its emperors ruled their conquered lands with absolute dictatorial power.

The giving ear to the Prophets is a fundamental character of the true Church.

For God has ordered the Prophecies so that in the last days the wise may understand, but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand.

Our belief in the imminent Second Coming of Christ should motivate each of us to a renewed love of Christ and a willingness to witness to others about His salvation.

This hope will also purify our walk before the Lord, as John said, "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."
1John 3:3

Those who believe the truth of the Bible are called to be "witnesses" of Christ's message to the world.

Our role as a Christian witness demands an active, not passive, involvement in the lives of our fellowman.

And it requires a willingness to pay the price of a personal commitment to our Lord.

The Word of God declares that the only hope for man lies in leaving our sinful rebellion and returning to a loving relationship with God.

If the Bible is truly the Word of God, as the prophetic evidence proves it is; the question of who Christ is will determine our eternal destiny.

Jesus asked His disciples an important question,
"Who do you say that I am?"
And Simon Peter answered and said,
'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'"
Matthew 16:15-16

Each of us must answer that
question about Christ for ourselves.

We need to consider the words of Jesus:
"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him"
John 3:36

We are challenged to examine the Bible's prophecies and compare them with recent history and the current unfolding of events in our world today.

It's impossible that these historical events have precisely followed the prophecies of the Bible by chance.

The odds against these prophecies being fulfilled by chance are simply unreal.

If the bible's prohecies are truly being fulfilled, then it must be the inspired Word of God.

These warnings of impending catastrophe cannot be ignored.

The prophecies of the Bible helps us understand the rapid unfolding of events in our generation.

They indicate that we are entering the time that the old prophets called the "footsteps of the Messiah."

The incredible fulfillment of bible prophecies in our day demands more of a response than just an intellectual curiosity.

Who is the Antichrist?
Will we see him in our life time?
Where will he come from?
Where does he get his power?
What is the purpose of the Mark of the Beast?

We have been interested in answers to these questions for thousands of years.

King of David

Psalm 103:1

Victory

The man called the "Antichrist" will lead the world during the period of time called the Great Tribulation.

His actions will alter the lives of every man and woman on the earth in the coming years, ending in the Battle of Armageddon.

We are living in the generation that the old prophets call the "birth pangs of the Messiah."

Somewhere in Europe, a man is working behind the scenes to gain absolute power over the coming New World Order.

Someday this man will sell his soul to Satan to "receive the kingdoms of this world".

The Old Testament Prophets of the bible call this coming world dictator the "Antichrist."

Babylon is in today's Iraq and is one of the world's mightiest cities.

The name Babylon comes from the Babylonian word, Babel, which means "gate of god."

The Tower of Babel represents the building of a one world government.

The coming one world government will be in rebellion against God.

One world governments fail because God will judge them for not being His will.

In disobedience to God, the descendants of Noah built the Tower of Babel.

God judged them for their failure to spread out and because of their attempt to eastablish a human government apart from Himself.

Nimrod, who was a descendant of Ham, who was a son of Noah, built the Tower of Babel.

He was a mighty hunter; but seen as a type of a future Antichrist.

Read Genesis 10:8 and Genesis 11:1

Babel or Babylon is the birthplace of the kingdom of man, rather than the kingdom of God.

Babylon represents the commercial and spiritual system that is against God's kingdom throughout human history.

There are millions of Christians in America who support the nation of Israel.

But there is a greater number of professing Christians who do not support Israel.

The Bible says that God will gather "all" nations against Jerusalem.

That would imply that America will turn its back against Israel.

The prophet Zechariah says, "I will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem. The city shall be taken, the houses rifled and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city."

America may be part of the Revived Roman empire.

We have come full circle.

America now controls Babylon.

America just may turn its back on Israel and join the other nations to invade Israel if she refuses a Palestinian state.

Jesus said in the book of Luke, "They will fall by the sword and be taken prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled."

The Gentile powers went from Nebuchanezzar's Babylon through Persia, Greece and then Rome.

In 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took over Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was under the control of a Gentile world power [around 2,500 years] until the Six Day War in 1967.

It's looking like America could be one of the nations that comes against Israel in the last days.

America could be part of the Revived Roman empire or part of a ten region one world government that makes up the Revived Roman empire.

America is an heir to the Roman form of government and culture.

Britian was taken over by Rome and our ancestors came from Rome.

These ten toes or horns are leaders appointed by the Antichrist to govern the world.

They could also refer to a coming one world government headed up by the Antichrist.

The world is divided into ten separate regions.

The ten horns in Revelation 17:12-13 match the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue in Daniel 2.