Prophecy Update: Antichrist and his government!
God revealed an outline cataloguing the trend lines of the end times. Before the seven-year tribulation period, five trend lines will be prominent in the world before the rapture takes place. Normally, prophecy teachers use Matthew 24 to teach about the birth pangs and relate them to the trend lines. That is a great study; I am going to use another passage of scripture that does the same thing. It is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.
This passage reveals five different actions describing conditions prior to the rapture of the Church. They are apostasy, lawlessness, activity of Satan, deception of wickedness, and a deluding influence from God. The seven-year tribulation period will commence with the signing of a peace treaty. Peace between Israel and the world is in view. Therefore, Israel needs to be at war! Is Israel at war today? The temple of the Lord will be rebuilt by that time according to Revelation 11. Antichrist will come riding in on a white horse to save the day and the ultimate false peace will commence. Many other signs are in the making but I want to focus on these five from 2 Thess. 2.
Apostasy
Apostasy means falling away. The prophets teach us that Israel fell away from the truth of God and did not love the Lord. The Church will also fall away with increasing frequency and intensity, as we get closer to the rapture of the church.
God told Paul to tell us to look for the rise of false teachers and a falling away from the truth given us in the Word of God.
“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.”
2 Thess.2:3
America is included in the falling away of Western Culture; they rejected the Scriptures and the Judeo Christian worldview. Niall Ferguson wrote a fascinating book called, “Civilization: The West and the Rest.” In this book he detailed how the West, in five centuries came to dominate the world.
“Six hundred years ago the petty kingdoms of Western Europe seemed like miserable backwaters, ravaged by incessant war and pestilence. It was Ming China or Ottoman Turkey that had the look of world civilizations. How did the West overtake its Eastern rivals? And has the zenith of Western power now passed?” docuwiki.net
Ferguson is not a Christian but detailed how Judeo/Christian thought came to fruition in western society. He summarized the ascension of the West calling them the six killer apps. “The ‘killer apps’ of the West’s success – competition, science, the property owning democracy, modern medicine, the consumer society and the Protestant work ethic – the real explanation of how, for five centuries, a clear minority of mankind managed to secure the majority of the earth’s resources.” en.wikipedia.org
Ferguson’s book does not talk about the importance of the Christian worldview very much, but all six of the killer app’s came about because of Christianity. It was a Christianity rooted in all of the Bible, not just the New Testament. He explains that the protestant work ethic could rightly be called the protestant Word ethic. It was because the Word of God was central to life. He is right to point out that the West is failing because we have rejected these six views of life. He does not however, attribute the fall as apostasy.
My argument for the apostasy of the American government and the West in general goes back to 1215 and the writing of the Magna Carta. This document became the basis of all legal proceedings in the West. The ideas of government came from the Bible. The West has wrestled with this for nearly 800 years. Since 1930, we have been undercutting the biblical basis of government. Today, we have seen our enemies destroy Judeo/Christian thought, eliminating it from culture.
“Back in 1965, a scholar named Helen Silving wrote an article in the Harvard Journal on Legislation that brought to light the basis for the Magna Carta. Here is what she wrote: An old document such as the Magna Carta is not only that which it “was” at the time of its conception, but also that which it becomes in the course of history. In this sense, undoubtedly, the Magna Carta stands for the idea . . . of subjection of the King not to man but to God and the law, an idea rooted in the Bible which has dominated Anglo-American thought. At this time it may be sufficient to point out the strong possibility that historically controversial old documents of the Western world, as well as some quite modern constitutional ideas, have their origin in the Bible.” ponderingprinciples.com
Enter Lex Rex: Law before King “A man commanding unjustly and ruling tyrannically has in that no power from God.” When Lex, Rex was written, the Reformation in England and Scotland was in crisis. The English Civil War had just begun after Charles I tried to impose popish rituals on the church and asserted his divine right as king to overrule parliament. Against these grandiose claims the Scottish pastor Samuel Rutherford wrote a book and changed western political philosophy forever as it led to the thinking that enabled the American revolution. In his very learned work, Rutherford shows from Scripture, classical authors, and scholastic theologians that the king is not above the law; and that when the king violates it flagrantly, the people are right to resist him, even to the point of war.” canonpress.com
Unfortunately for America, since the 1930’s we have compromised our nation and the Lord by allowing antichristian thought to creep in and dominate the nation. Having presidents who hate the Bible and work against our Christian roots brings judgment from God! Our leaders have reversed Lex Rex, making themselves the law! The apostasy in government is also happening in the church. From Catholic to Protestant Christianity, we have seen a wholesale defection from the truth!
“Letter signed by more than 1,500 accuses Pope Francis of the ‘canonical delict of heresy’ May 1, 2019. “A group of Catholic scholars and priests has written an open letter to the College of Bishops accusing Pope Francis of heresy.” ncronline.org
“The Dangerous False Teaching of Andy Stanley. He claims that Christians should focus on the resurrection and not rely on the Bible. Stanley rightly emphasizes the resurrection as a core truth for the Christian life. But his rejection of the foundational place of God’s written Word corrupts his view of the Christian faith. In this series ‘Aftermath’, Stanley discredits what he labels, “a version of Christianity that relied on the Bible as the foundation of faith. Any Christian leader who questions the reliability and usefulness of God’s Word is either terribly confused or a false teacher.” g3min.org
Lawlessness
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”
2 Thess.2:7
“The Death of Law and Order Is Destroying America. April 19, 2021, In Portland, where Antifa has rioted almost nightly for nearly a year, the mob set fire to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building Sunday night with agents inside. Why has this lawlessness been permitted to continue for nearly a year?” dailysignal.com
I can tell you why such lawlessness prevails in America for one year. It is because of the rise of the antichrist system. It is prevalent in America because God is judging America and He needs to rearrange the nations to set up for the final kingdom coming on the earth. Whether it is congress, our courts, media, news, Hollywood, or intelligence organizations, lawless people now rule!
Activity of Satan
“That is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders.”
2 Thess.2:9
Satan is a liar and he infiltrates people’s minds and hearts. He is currently doing that to America. When our leaders defend mental illness, we are in a bad place. One current example is the battle over women’s sports.
“FL House Passes Bill to Ban Transgender ‘Females’ (Biological Males) From Girls’ Sports.”Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex,” reads the bill. That means no transgender “females,” who are biological males that “identify” as females. “ cnsnews.com
Problem is that the NCAA has declared that they will not follow the law of the states that ban men from participating in women’s sports as a woman. Huh!!
“NCAA Board of Governors Statement on Transgender Participation April 12, 2021 2:20pm
The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition.” www.ncaa.org
Deception of Wickedness
“And with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”
2 Thess.2:10
Jesus was very clear with us that Satan is always working to deceive people.
“See to it that no one misleads you.” Matthew 24:4
Jesus described for us in 2Thess.2 and Matt.24 false doctrines and false teachers who would come among the believers to confuse and contradict the truth.
“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Matthew 24:5
Our passage tells us that many will not receive the love of the truth. This is a very important point. It is not just receiving the truth, but we must love the truth. Ralph Drollinger has a ministry on Capitol Hill and said this recently:
“It is becoming more commonly accepted in our society to shade the truth, sidestep, use qualifying words, narrowly defined meanings, or other devious methods to mask the true meaning of what is being said. We have become a culture that is more and more accepting of, or at least more tolerant and perhaps desensitized to, deception than were past generations. It’s become part of our norm.” capmin.org
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight”
Proverbs 12:22
How often do our politicians and media invoke the Word of God in a deceptive manner? Quoting God’s Word for the purpose of deception is no light matter with God. Drollinger said, “Too often lawmakers use the Scriptures out of context during committee hearings or floor debates in order to “make their point.” This is a very serious form of lying and deception.” capmin.org
One of the big lies circulating in America is about climate change. Politicians are convincing us that if you deal with climate change it will heal such things as racism. Here is an article with that claim:
“BIDEN ADMIN BLINKEN SAYS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE CENTER PIECE OF AMERICA’S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY AND THE TOOL TO FIGHT ‘SYSTEMIC RACISM.’ Climate change would hit poor minority communities “the hardest,” Blinken proposed, adding that addressing the issue “offers one of the most powerful tools we have to fight inequity and systemic racism.” nowtheendbegins.com
Deluding influence from God
“For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.”
2 Thess.2:11
God describes how He judges people by turning them over to their sins. This is a step up in judgment when God actively sends them delusions so they believe what is false. This has happened to America, especially when our government thinks it can get away with killing babies and using their little bodies to make money. Here is an article about that…
“Federal agencies caught trafficking aborted baby body parts for profit. April 20, 2021 Judicial Watch has released a 600-page report exposing the United States government for trafficking “fresh” aborted baby body parts using American taxpayer dollars.” naturalnews.com
God has warned us that if we accept shedding the innocent blood of infants then we would face the wrath of God. Like the prophet Jeremiah, we need to keep praying and sharing the good news. Living during the time of judgment is a privilege from God, He has chosen us to stand for Him in a dying culture. We can say honestly to the world that God’s ways are great and lead to success. As we live a holy and righteous life in the abundance of God’s lovingkindness, we will shine as bright lights! Keep on shining the light this week!
