Who is the Anti-Christ?
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LESSON 4: WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST?
“Now we beseech you, brethren,
by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and our gathering together unto him,
that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled,
neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us,
as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;
so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” [14] II Thessalonians 2:1-4.
The power of apostasy, the second most wicked force in the Bible right next to Satan,
which was called “Anti-Christ” by the apostle John ([23] I John 2:18),
who, or what is it?
Some people believe the rise of this “Anti-Christ” is still in the future,
others believe the Anti-Christ had come and gone a long time ago.
However the Bible plainly declares
that this power has been working for a long time even until NOW,
and it will still be around until the last day.
This lesson, according to [27] Daniel 7,
will clearly and unmistakeably identify the Anti-Christ.
BUT, it is just the intro.
The coming lessons will unfold terrible events
that are about to happen to the world before the close to time through this power,
by the sure word of prophecy.
The information you are about to receive can cause fear and despair.
But do not forget, [27] Daniel 7 comes from the Lord who loves us,
which means He will always have to send us the plain Truth,
even when it is often bitter.
Pray for more strength and courage
to face the Truth that is about to be revealed to you,
and read through [27] Daniel 7 before you proceed.
1. At the start of the vision, Daniel saw 4 beasts coming up from the sea.
In the prophetic language of the Bible,
what does “sea”, or an area of “waters”, represents?
[27] Revelation 17:15 And he saith unto me,
The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth,
are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
In the prophetic language of the Bible,
the “sea”, or an area of waters in general,
is a symbol for a populated area,
with various races of people and languages.
2. What does a “beast” symbolize?
[27] Daniel 7:23 The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth.
The four beasts in this vision are four kingdoms,
the very kingdoms that were mentioned in the prophecy of [27] Daniel 2
that we have examined in the lesson “The Vision of Ages“.
They are: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
However, this vision of chapter 7 had expanded
and provided lots of extra information compared to chapter 2.
We will see in a minute.
3. The first beast, the empire of Babylon,
how was it described and what are the meanings of those descriptions?
[27] 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.
“Wings” or “eagle’s wings” represent speed ([24] Jeremiah 4:13),
especially the speed of conquest.
Babylon did conquer the nations around it with an incredible speed,
but then king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,
eventually after a series of events,
had come to realize that our God is the Most High God,
and thus have returned to Him in humility ([27] Daniel 4:34-37).
That’s why the savage lion described in this vision
stood up in two feet as a man,
and a man’s heart was given to it.
4. Next, the bear, the empire of Medo-Persia,
how was it described and what are the meanings of those descriptions?
[27] 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.
After Babylon, Medo-Persia ruled the ancient Middle East
and was comprised of two people: the Medes, and the Persians.
The Persians rose later, but became stronger (the bear raised up itself on one side).
The three ribs in its mouth
symbolize the three major empires that were conquered by it:
Babylon, Egypt, Lydia.
Another interesting thing to notice
is that the vision of [27] Daniel 8
is parallel with this one in chapter 7 which we are studying.
So comparing them can even bring forth further useful information.
5. The leopard, the empire of Greece, how was it like?
[27] 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.
The leopard itself is already a fast animal,
and this one even has four wings instead of two like the lion.
That signifies the unimaginable speed of conquest that Greece had
under the leadership of Alexander the Great.
The four heads of the leopard are his four generals:
Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus,
who divided the vast empire of Greece
after Alexander passed away at the age of 33.
6. The Roman empire – the fourth beast – how was it described?
[27] 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.
Unlike Greece which uses bronze gears,
the Romans knew how to forge iron weapons
that were absolutely superior in strength,
and also much cheaper.
They devastated every enemy that stood in their way,
and none could resist them.
At the zenith of their rule,
they dominated the European continent,
to Turkey and Syria in the east,
with Egypt and North Africa also within their territory.
7. Does the Bible tell us what the ten horns are?
[27] Daniel 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise.
Lo and behold, ten tribal kingdoms had indeed arisen
in the European territory of the Roman empire
along with its declension.
Seven of these ten kingdoms still survive until today
and became the seven nations of western Europe.
Anglo-Saxons: England
Franks: France
Alammani: German
Bergundis: Switzerland
Lombards: Italy
Visigoths: Spain
Suevi: Portugal
Heruli, Vandals and Ostrogoths: rooted up.
8. In the vision, what happened next?
[27] 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 were eyes like the eyes of man,
and a mouth speaking great things.
Next, a very special horn arose.
This is the Anti-Christ power
that was mentioned repeatedly throughout the Bible,
that we need to identify.
9. What are the identifications of this “little horn”, which were provided in [27] Daniel 7?
<1>. It is a “horn”, which is a “king” or “kingdom” (verse 24).
<2>. It sprouted up from the fourth beast – the Roman empire (verse 7-8).
<3>. It sprouted up among the ten horns, which are the ten kings of western Europe (verse 8).
<4>. Three of those ten horns are plucked up by the roots before it, meaning,
three of the above ten kings will be destroyed permanently before it (verse 8).
<5>. It will be “different” compared to the other kingdoms (verse 24).
<6>. It has a mouth of a head person to be its spokesman (verse 8).
<7>. It will wage wars with the saints and prevail against them (verse 21, 25).
<8>. The saints will be delivered into its hands for “a time and times and the dividing of time” (verse 25).
<9>. It will speak blasphemous things against the Most High God (verse 25).
<10>. It will think to change times and laws (verse 25).
Please remember that all these descriptions come DIRECTLY FROM THE BIBLE,
not some fantasized personal opinions of anyone.
From this list, we can easily compare with history
and identify precisely
that the only power in the history of mankind that fits these descriptions,
so shockingly and mournfully,
is the very Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican in Rome!
Let us take a close look.
10. Does the Roman Catholic Church really fit all these descriptions?!
Let’s go through all the descriptions one by one.
<1>. It is a “horn”, which is a “king” or “kingdom” ([27] Daniel 7:24).
Vatican is not just a mere religious organization.
It is an actual state, an independent country.
It obviously matches point <1>.
<2>. It sprouted up from the fourth beast – the Roman empire ([27] Daniel 7:7-8).
Vatican does not just lie in Italy,
but in the very capital Rome of this country.
It of course fulfills point <2>.
<3>. It sprouted up among the ten horns, which are the ten kings of western Europe ([27] Daniel 7:8).
Italy IS a country of Western Europe,
one of the ten nations in the list mentioned above in question 7.
Vatican therefore matches point <3>.
<4>. Three of those ten horns are plucked up by the roots before it, meaning,
three of the above ten kings will be destroyed permanently before it ([27] Daniel 7:8).
Most, if not all of the kings in Europe were Catholic Christians,
under the rulership of the Catholic church,
except three kings: of the Ostrogoths, Heruli and Vandals.
So, the Catholic kings under the influence of Rome,
have decided that those three nations have to be exterminated.
First, king Zeno (474-491) arranged an agreement with the Ostrogoths,
which led to the destruction of the Heruli in 493.
Then king Justinian (527-565) exterminated the Vandals in 534
and finally the Ostrogoths in 538.
Thus “the three horns” have been “plucked up by the root” before the little horn.
<Mervyn Maxwell, God Cares, quyển 1, trang 129>
<5>. It will be “different” compared to the other kingdoms ([27] Daniel 7:24).
Vatican is unique among all the nations of the earth:
it is not just a political power, but also a religious power.
Because of that, although it has such a small territory,
it still wields a tremendously powerful,
if not the most powerful influence
among the nations of the earth.
It permeates and controls even the mighty USA to a very large degree.
Its special agents, the Jesuits
– trained to infiltrate all governments, political parties, churches, religions… even since youth –
are ready to spend decades to slowly climb up to positions of influence
in the organizations they infiltrated,
to submit them to the will of the Catholic church.
Even the US President Joe Biden is a Catholic Christian under the Pope.
The Roman Catholic church truly is a very special and powerful nation.
<6>. It has a mouth of a head person to be its spokesman ([27] Daniel 7:8).
This is none other than the Pope himself.
<7>. It will wage wars with the saints and prevail against them ([27] Daniel 7:21, 25).
That the Vatican had persecuted and massacred multitudes of Christians
is an obvious fact, well-known across the world
and is acknowledged even by the church itself.
Historians estimated around 100 MILLION people
have been murdered for their faith by this organization,
while the church misunderstood
that it was destroying heretics for God.
Pope John Paul II later on had even raised his voice in apology
for the crimes the church committed,
and beg for forgiveness.
But by that time, the fact has already been seared into history:
the Roman Catholic church had persecuted and martyred multitudes of saints.
<8>. The saints will be delivered into its hands for “a time and times and the dividing of time” ([27] Daniel 7:25).
A time is a year.
Times are two times, meaning two years.
A dividing of time is half a year.
“A time and times and the dividing of time” is 3,5 years in total.
This time period is mentioned again and again many times in Bible prophecy
as 42 months, and 1.260 days
(according to the Jewish calendar,
that has 30 days a month, and 12 months a year,
these three time periods are exactly the same).
The key to solving this prophecy is here:
by looking up the Bible,
we can find out that in prophetic language,
a day in visions is a year in real life ([26] Ezekiel 4:6; [04] Numbers 14:34).
Understanding this point thoroughly,
we can exchange the 1.260 days in this vision
into 1.260 years in real life.
Contrast this with history:
Vatican ascended to its throne in 538 AD.
Eventually in 1798 AD, the Pope was captured alive by general Louis-Alexandre Berthier of Napoleon,
and exiled to France, where he died (*).
The period from 538 to 1798 AD, is exactly 1.260 years!
Even this point <8> is unimaginably fulfilled!
(*) Joseph Rickaby, “The Modern Papacy,” Lectures on the History of Religion, (London: Catholic Truth Society, 1910), Vol. 3, Lecture 24, p. 1.
<9>. It will speak blasphemous things against the Most High God ([27] Daniel 7:25).
The Bible defines blasphemy
to be not just when someone insults God directly,
but also when someone who isn’t a God-being:
– Claims to be God or to be equal with God ([04] John 10:33).
– Claims the authority to forgive sins ([03] Luke 5:21; [19] Hebrews 5:9).
Vatican claims their Pope to be equal with God.
Pope Leo XIII said: “We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.”(1)
Another statement made about the Pope: “Thou art another God on earth.”(2)
In addition to that, does the Vatican claim the authority to forgive sins?
Take a look at the Catholic church’s own catechism:
“Does the Priest truly forgive the sins,
or does he only declare that they are remitted?
The Priest does really and truly forgive the sins
in virtue of the power given to him by Christ.”(3)
This false claim of the authority to forgive sins even puts the priests,
who are mere sinful human beings like the rest of mankind,
into the extremely stressful position of Lord Jesus Christ:
having to take His place to listen
to all the wicked deeds done by the people as they make their confessions.
While this is the kind of position that none could bear
other than the Great Savior Himself,
who was not just a human being,
capable of empathizing with our infirmities and weaknesses,
but also a God-being, having the power and grace
to strengthen and uplift us from the degradation of sins,
and finally, He has a perfect character,
holy, sinless, full of love and justice,
worthy of all our admiration and absolute confidence.
The human priests,
even those who live the most godly lives possible,
with a clean conscience, not partaking in any wicked work of religious organizations,
where are they going to get the divine power that our Lord has
to impart to repentant sinners, to recreate them inside out?
Claiming to have the power to forgive sins,
in fact, even load upon the church and its clergies
a burden impossible for them to bear.
So this point, “blasphemy”, also matches the Vatican.
(1)Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter “The Reunion of Christendom,” dated June 20, 1894, trans. in The Great Encyclical letters of Pope Leo XIII (New York: Benziger, 1903), p. 304.
(2)Christopher Marcellus, Oration in the Fifth Lateran Council, Session IV (1512), manuscript SC, Vol. 32, col. 761 (Latin).
(3)Joseph Deharbe, S.J., A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion (New York: Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss, 1924), p. 279.
<10>. It will think to change times and laws ([27] Daniel 7:25).
Vatican did indeed change the law of the Ten Commandments of God:
they omitted the second commandment about forbidding idolatry,
and then split the tenth into two commandments to make up for the decrease in number,
finally, they cut short the fourth commandment regarding the weekly rest day from 94 words to 8 words.
Readers can compare the Catholic church’s ten commandments
with God’s Ten Commandments in [02] Exodus 20:2-17 to easily find out.
Without any doubt left, Vatican matches every single description
of the little horn in [27] Daniel 7, the Anti-Christ.
That of course, does not mean
that the believers and the clergies of the church must be wicked people.
On the contrary, in the Catholic church are numerous children of God,
true to their conscience and the limited light they received,
and have accomplished a tremendous amount of good for mankind.
However, the ORGANIZATION of the church
was, and is still filled with errors and wrong-doings,
with lots of power struggles and corruption,
causing miseries and weariness
to even the believers and clergies who are honest and true in it,
and is condemned by the Word of God.
Not only so, the fact that the Catholic church turns out to be the Anti-Christ
isn’t even some hot latest news.
The Reformers who founded the Protestant churches from hundreds of years ago,
“John Wycliffe, William Tyndale (translated the Bible – Tyndale Bible),
Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer;
in the seventeenth century, Bunyan, the translators of the King James Bible
and the men who published the Westminster and Baptist Confessions of Faith;
Sir Isaac Newton, John Wesley, Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards;
and more recently Spurgeon, Bishop J.C. Ryle and Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones;
these men among countless others,
all saw the office of the Papacy as the antichrist.”
{Michael de Semlyen, All Roads Lead to Rome, Dorchestor House Publications, p. 205, 1991}
The light of this bitter truth
resulted in the Protestant Reformation that gave birth to Protestantism,
as many realized the Catholic Church is indeed the antichrist power.
Many Reformers, who were even the very priests and clergies of the church,
have stood up and fearlessly called for the church to reform.
11. Many Christians nowadays have been misguided about the identity of the Anti-Christ.
Believing what is false can make the reception of truth becomes more difficult.
To guard against that, what did the Bible teach us to do
when we encounter a doctrine we have not previously heard?
[05] Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
[13] I Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
All doctrines must be compared with the Bible
with an open mind and a teachable spirit,
to determine whether it is true.
And all truths must be received.
12. Are you ready to follow the Lord Jesus Christ wherever He leads?
Many prophecies in the two books [27] Daniel and [27] Revelation
will be expounded in the coming lessons.
The Lord has given these prophecies for the purpose of:
a. Reveal the final events that will come to pass before the end of the world.
b. Identify the main players in the grand finale of the controversy between Christ and Satan.
c. Expose the scheme of the devil to deceive and destroy the souls of us all.
d. Point out the safe hiding place for the saints on Judgment Day
and unite all the true children of God under one banner of the Truth.
e. Glorify God and His Son, their love, their justice, their salvation,
their all-knowing wisdom
and absolute sovereignty over the future of the universe.
Appendix
The “a day for a year” principle in expounding prophetic time of Bible prophecies.
Normally, a symbolistic prophecy can only be understood after it came to pass,
however, in history a rare case had happened.
In the year 1838, an evangelist named Josiah Litch
had used the prophecy expounding principle “a day for a year”
to pinpoint exactly the termination of the power of the Ottoman Empire mentioned in [27] Revelation 9:13-15,
even before it crumbled.
Josiah Litch exchanged the “an hour, a day, a month, a year” in verse 15
to precisely 391 years 15 days in real life,
and from that predicted that the power of the Ottoman Empire would crumble
exactly on August 11th, 1840
after reigning for 391 years 15 days.
And lo and behold, it had happened exactly thus.
In the next lesson, we will take a deeper look
into the Ten Commandments of God,
which the Anti-Christ power attempted to alter.
Written by the finger of God,
and spoken by His own voice:
some words will NEVER FADE.
Click “Next” to find out.
