Participants: David Asscherick
Series Code: EHE
Program Code: EHE000011
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00:17 Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome
00:19 back to Battle Creek, Michigan for another 00:22 installment of the Eleventh-Hour Evidence. 00:25 We're coming to you live right now from the 00:27 Urbandale Seventh-Day Adventist Church. 00:28 I am your host Pastor Jason Seiber and I want 00:31 to tell you folks, that before this series began 00:34 I was convinced that Jesus Christ was alive but 00:37 I have to tell you. I am ten times assure now that 00:40 I have heard some of the messages Pastor 00:42 Asscherick has been sharing, how about you. 00:44 Amen. God has been so good and I know that for years 00:47 to come I think the, I believe we can all safely 00:50 say that for years to come. These messages that 00:53 we've been watching night by night will be 00:55 going out to people and changing lives and you've 00:57 had a part. We have another message in store 01:00 for you tonight. And I believe it will have 01:02 something to do with what Pastor. 01:04 Or I shouldn't say Pastor but my good friend 01:06 Buddy Houghtaling has on store for us tonight, 01:09 Buddy is going to be singing "What Love." 01:26 He could have called us servants 01:29 and that would be okay, he could have said they're 01:34 just not worth the time it takes to save, 01:38 but his love is so much deeper 01:41 than we could ever see, when he said he is our 01:46 Father and we're his family. What love, what love the 01:52 Father has for us, that we should be his children, 02:01 I got to say what love, what love the Father has for us, 02:08 that somehow we could be his family. 02:23 Creator of the universe, ruler of it all. 02:28 Still I'm absolutely sure he's got our 02:32 picture on his wall. We're gonna live forever 02:37 in his genealogy, for the Father who Christ Jesus 02:43 made the cross our family tree. 02:46 What love, what love the Father has for us, 02:54 we could be his children. I've got to say what love, 02:59 what love the Father has for us, 03:04 that somehow we could be his family. 03:10 He could have left us to die here, 03:13 but he wanted us so near that he gave it all, 03:17 so he could call us home. What love, what love 03:24 the Father has for us, that we could be his children. 03:33 I got to say what love, what love the 03:36 Father has for us, that somehow we could be 03:41 his family, somehow we could be his family. 04:06 Amen, isn't that beautiful. You know Buddy, for a 04:09 guy who spends most of his time looking at molars. 04:12 How do you come up with these songs? 04:15 I am serious. Thank you very much ladies and 04:20 gentlemen. Buddy without words, straight 04:23 from Battle Creek, Michigan. Oh! What a good friend 04:27 he is. I've been aiming for that guy for a very long 04:30 time. Now, before we get started here tonight 04:34 I want to ask you some serious questions. 04:36 Who is the most dangerous person? 04:38 I want you to talk back with me for just a few 04:39 moments here? Who is the most dangerous 04:41 person that you can think of from history? 04:44 How many people would say Adolf Hitler. 04:46 Okay, raise your hands high okay, Adolf Hitler 04:48 about 20 million fatalities because of Adolf Hitler, 04:52 we should say probably put a little bit but more 04:54 bluntly, 20 million murders, in the Former 04:58 Soviet Union area alone, not to mentioned six 05:01 million Jews which was a full two third of European 05:04 Jew rate, which were completely annihilated by 05:08 Adolf Hitler, or you might think of perhaps 05:10 Mao Zedong, people don't think about him, but 05:13 he was out in China and he caused 40 million 05:16 people to die in his Great Leap Forward, a bloody 05:20 campaign to say the least, you could look at Joseph 05:23 Stalin, another 40 to 30 million people in the 05:26 Ukraine. What an amazing, amazing, horror 05:30 legacy he left behind. Maybe Pol Pot didn't 05:34 have as many people, but the killing fields of 05:36 Cambodia. Who was the most dangerous man in 05:39 history? Would you believe me if I told you 05:42 that the most dangerous man in history is alive 05:45 and working today and most people think, that he 05:49 is Christ representative. David Asscherick will 05:53 have more on that. Well, that was a sobering 05:57 introduction. Amen. Amen. 06:00 I tell you those numbers 40 million and 20 million, 06:03 they just role off the tongue so easily, but 06:05 when you realize those were souls for whom 06:07 Jesus died, it just staggers the imagination doesn't 06:10 it? We've become so callous to those numbers, 06:14 but I tell you it's remarkable. 06:15 Thank you for that sobering introduction Jason. 06:18 Well, did you have a nice day today? 06:19 Amen, Amen good day. What do you think of this 06:22 nice weather? I'm ready to go back to Florida. 06:27 For our television audience it's raining right 06:30 now, sort of a drizzly rain you didn't see the sun 06:34 most of today. So, whatever you are if it's 06:36 sunny you should be thankful, Amen. 06:39 Our message tonight is the first in a two part 06:41 series entitled "Does Jesus Christ have a twin? 06:45 Does Jesus Christ have a twin? And we are going 06:46 to be delving into the very serious and very 06:50 powerful subject of the Antichrist from a Biblical 06:53 Perspective. Now, this is I believe the Eleventh 06:56 Message in our 14 messages, we have just 06:59 four messages to go tonight, tomorrow and 07:02 then we'll have Friday and Sabbath evening as well. 07:04 Now, up to this point we've been working on a 07:07 very powerful evidentiary basis, asking questions 07:10 like does God exist? How can we be sure that 07:13 God exists? Is the Bible God's word? Is Jesus 07:16 uniquely qualified to represent God, questions 07:19 like this, we have been lying what I considered to 07:21 be a very powerful foundation. 07:23 What we're going to do now in the last four 07:25 meetings is moving in a more prophetic direction. 07:28 We're going to be addressing some of those 07:30 Salient Biblical truths that point to the fact that we 07:33 are living in the very last hours of Earth's history. 07:36 One of the most misunderstood and yet 07:38 most important topics in the Bible is the issue 07:40 of the Antichrist. And I appreciate so much 07:43 Jason's introduction, because he said 07:45 something there at the end if you caught it, that 07:47 was very provocative. He said that the Antichrist 07:50 is right now one of the most dangerous persons, 07:53 dangerous powers on this earth and yet he is largely 07:57 undetected. What we are going to do over the 08:00 course of tonight and tomorrow night is seek 08:02 to pull back that veil and pull back that covering 08:06 that causes him to be undisclosed and unexposed. 08:09 And so we will be unveiling and disclosing 08:12 exactly who and what the Antichrist is throughout 08:14 the course of tonight and tomorrow evening and 08:17 then we will advance into two more prophetic 08:19 messages. Does that sounds good yes or no? 08:20 Amen. Because even if it didn't we do it anyway. 08:25 Alright, how will we begin first of all? Prayer. 08:27 Prayer, let's do that together. 08:31 Father in Heaven, we thank you so much for 08:33 another day of life. A day that we do not deserve, 08:35 and yet you have given it to us freely and father for 08:39 that we are thankful. We recognize that every ray 08:42 of sunshine, which we didn't get much of today, 08:45 but all of the fresh moisture that comes to us 08:47 in the form of rain, the water that we drink and 08:50 the food that we eat, all of these blessings are 08:53 stamped with the cross of Jesus Christ. 08:56 So, Father tonight as we open your word as we go 08:58 now into a deep and profound study of the 09:01 Bible on this misunderstood yet very important topic 09:05 of the Antichrist, we pray that your Spirit will be 09:08 right near us and next to us and Father even glory 09:12 inside of us. Come now and teach us we pray, 09:16 for we ask it in Jesus name and everyone can 09:19 say Amen, Amen. Alright, our message is 09:23 entitled does Jesus Christ have a twin? 09:24 And let's begin by going to the book of Matthew. 09:27 First book of the New Testament, we're going to 09:30 Matthew in the 12th chapter, Matthew what 09:32 chapter everyone? 12th, Matthew chapter 12. 09:35 Now, the title is designed to be provocative, it's 09:37 designed to evoke a sense of almost incredulity. 09:42 Does Jesus Christ have a twin? What kind of 09:44 ridiculous proposition is this? And as you look 09:47 here at the artist portrayal of Jesus on the screen, 09:50 a powerful portrayal, painted by one of our 09:52 own Michiganders here, a man by the name of 09:54 Nathan Greene. I find this particular painting to be 09:57 very powerful and very compelling. It's hard to 10:00 imagine that there could be anything like a 10:02 similarity between this beautiful paintings, this 10:06 representation of Jesus and this grotesque, 10:09 repugnant, amalgam beast found in Revelation 10:11 chapter 13. When John saw this beast, he said he 10:15 had the body of a leopard and the feet of a bear and 10:18 the mouth of Lion and he had 10 horns, and so it's 10:21 almost impossible to imagine that there could 10:23 be anything like a similarity or a harmony 10:26 between that beautiful picture that we saw there 10:28 of Jesus and this repugnant amalgamation 10:31 that we find in Revelation chapter 13. 10:34 Nevertheless, we're going to discover tonight that 10:36 there is in fact a very significant similarity, 10:39 a set of similarities between these two individuals. 10:42 Now, before we go one moment further let us 10:44 review something that we've already covered in 10:46 this seminar. And that is The Danger of Deception. 10:50 Remember friends that the essence of deception 10:52 is that you are, what's the next word? Unaware that 10:55 you are being deceived. And so, we should not 10:58 expect Satan to come or the Antichrist to come as 11:02 a violent opposer of Jesus, for who would fall 11:05 for that. We're going to discover tonight that the 11:07 Antichrist will be far more subtle and far more 11:10 clever and foxy than that. As we began let us note 11:14 in Matthew chapter 12, the Offices of Jesus 11:17 Christ, our message is entitled does Jesus Christ 11:20 have a twin and in trying to understand that we're 11:23 going to look at three very powerful and very 11:26 peculiar offices that Jesus Christ fills for the 11:29 Christian. Let's begin in Matthew chapter 12 11:32 and I am reading in verse 6. Matthew chapter 12 11:34 and verse 6, Jesus speaking and says, yet 11:37 I say to you that in this place there is one greater 11:42 than the what everyone? Greater than the temple, 11:45 Jesus here says, the temple is great but in this 11:48 place there is one greater than the temple. 11:50 What was the significance of the temple, not the 11:52 edifice itself friends, but the inter, inner workings 11:57 of the temple, the furniture that was there 11:59 and particularly the priests, each one of those 12:01 priests pointing forward to Jesus Christ as our 12:05 great high priest. Now notice what he goes on 12:08 to say remain in Matthew chapter 12 and go several 12:11 verses forward and I'm picking up in verse 39. 12:14 He answered and said an evil and adulterous 12:16 generation seeks after a sign and no sign will be 12:18 given except for the sign of the Prophet Jonah. 12:21 Verse 40, For as Jonah was three days and three 12:23 nights in the belly of the great fish. So, the Son of 12:25 Man will be three days and three nights in the 12:27 heart of the earth. Now, notice the next two 12:29 verses and note them very carefully with me. 12:31 The men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment with 12:33 this generation and condemn it; because they 12:35 repent it at the preaching of who everyone Jonah, 12:39 and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 12:42 Jesus here repeats that same grammatical 12:45 phraseology. He said there is greater than one, 12:48 one that is greater than the temple is here and 12:50 now he repeats that phrase and says a greater 12:53 than Jonah is here. Now, we might legitimately 12:56 ask who was Jonah? Listen very carefully, 12:59 even though Jonah is a small book in the 13:00 Old Testament, one of the minor prophets. 13:03 Jonah is unquestionably one of the single most 13:05 successful and potent prophets in the 13:08 Old Testament. Take for example the contrast 13:11 between Jonah and say Jeremiah. You read 13:13 the entire book of Jeremiah some 50 13:15 chapters approximately, and I can't find a single 13:19 place in the entire can, in the entire book of 13:21 Jeremiah where anybody paid any attention to 13:24 anything that Jeremiah said. And then contrast that 13:28 with Jonah who was after he was belched out 13:31 belly of that great fish he went and preached in 13:33 Nineveh and 60 thousand plus people repented and 13:38 all he did was preach for a few sermons. 13:40 Now I would call that very successful. Friends, 13:43 if all of Battle Creek repented at the preaching 13:45 of any prophet or any minister or any pastor, 13:48 we would call that a successful evangelist 13:50 endeavor. Amen. Amen. So, Jesus here points at 13:53 one of, one of history's unquestionably, the 13:55 Old Testament's unquestionably most 13:57 powerful and potent and successful prophet and 14:04 he says a greater than the greatest prophet is here. 14:05 Now notice what he says in verse 42, The Queen of 14:07 the South will rise up in judgment with this 14:09 generation and condemn it; for she came from the 14:11 ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon 14:14 and indeed he repeats that phraseology again, 14:16 a greater than Solomon is here. 14:21 Now who is Solomon? Solomon was the wisest 14:24 man that ever lived, he was also the King under 14:27 which Israel's, especially material prosperity and 14:30 some might argue in a sense spiritual prosperity 14:32 was at its peak. So, here he points to the 14:35 greatest King in the history of antiquity of 14:37 the nation of Israel and he says Solomon's reign 14:40 was grand and glorious, yet a greater than 14:43 Solomon is here. What is Jesus saying, he says 14:46 I'm greater than the temple, I'm greater than 14:48 the greatest prophet and I'm greater than the 14:50 greatest King. Jesus here outlines for us, his 14:54 three offices, the three roles that Jesus Christ 14:57 performs as the Incarnate God for the believer. 15:00 Note them here on the screen, Jesus says I'm 15:02 greater than the greatest prophet, greater than the 15:05 greatest what everyone? Prophet, I'm greater than 15:08 the greatest priest, that was the allusion to the 15:10 temple and I'm greater than the greatest King. 15:12 Friends, Jesus Christ is a three fold minister for 15:16 you and I. He is our prophet, He is our priest 15:19 and He is our King, if that makes sense say amen. 15:22 Amen. Now let's take this a step further, 15:24 who is a prophet? A prophet is someone 15:27 who speaks for God, a someone who what 15:30 everyone? Speaks for God, so Jesus says, 15:32 when I'm greater than the greatest prophet, 15:34 he is saying I'm uniquely qualified to speak for 15:38 God. He also said I'm greater than the greatest 15:40 priest. Well who was the priest, but the one 15:43 who ministered for God, so he said I'm uniquely 15:47 qualified to minister for God and to minister to 15:50 fallen humanity. I'm uniquely qualified 15:53 to speak for God as prophet, I'm uniquely 15:55 qualified to minister for God as priest and then 15:57 he said I'm greater than the consummate King. 16:00 What does the King do for God? The King rules 16:03 and governs. Jesus here says I'm uniquely 16:06 qualified to exercise the government of God on 16:11 planet earth, the Kingdom of God. The priest is the 16:14 one who ministers for God, the prophet is the 16:16 one who speaks for God and the priest or pardon 16:18 me the priest is the one who ministers and the 16:21 King is the one who rules. Jesus says in these three 16:24 phases, in these three offices, I alone am 16:27 uniquely qualified to speak for God, to minister 16:29 for God and to rule for God, if this make sense 16:32 give me a hearty Amen. Amen. 16:34 Alright, we're on the same page. Let us then 16:36 continue as we try to uncover the mystery of 16:39 the Antichrist. Let's begin by noting the definition 16:43 of the prefix anti, anti is a prefix to any word, 16:46 we can take the word anti and put it in front of 16:49 the work thesis, so you have a thesis and then 16:51 you have an antithesis or an antithesis. 16:53 You can take the work Christ and put the word 16:55 anti in front of it Antichrist. 16:57 Now we frequently think of the word anti as 16:59 something that is over and against, as something 17:01 that is opposed to, that stands in opposition. 17:04 But, note very interesting here interestingly here 17:07 from strongest concordance and there 17:08 are other lexical aids that could be sighted. 17:10 Notice the definition of the prefix anti. It has new 17:14 answers that are very different from the new 17:16 answers we normally ascribed to it. 17:17 Note it with me on the screen, instead or because 17:21 of; in the room of. Often used in composition to 17:26 denote contrast, that's how we usually 17:28 understand it or requital and notice this word 17:31 here substitution, correspondence, etc. 17:35 Now there are three words that I want you to 17:37 notice here on the screen, instead in the room of; 17:42 or as a substitution. Friends, the very prefix, 17:46 the grammatical prefix anti does not necessarily 17:50 means somebody who stands over and against 17:52 as a violent opposer but as one who can stand in 17:56 the place of in the room of as a substitute more 18:01 than as an opponent. Does this make sense yes 18:03 or no? Now this will be very helpful for us as we 18:06 begin, remember what Melancthon said, we 18:08 discussed that the other day. The Bible must first 18:11 be understood grammatically before it can be 18:13 understood theologically. In other words, we must 18:16 first understand what the words are actually saying 18:18 before we make a determination about what 18:20 the words mean, if this make sense say Amen. 18:23 Amen. So, when we're looking for an Antichrist 18:25 we are not necessarily looking for some figure, 18:27 some violent opposer who will stand against 18:30 him and reject him and denounce him and 18:33 despise him. How could that be deceptive? 18:36 Pray-tell who would fall for that, that would be 18:39 hardly deceptive, nobody, no Christen in his or her 18:42 right mind would fall for somebody saying 18:44 I oppose Christ, I reject Christ, I have nothing 18:48 to do with Christ. Yet Jesus said that these 18:50 signs and these deceptions would be so 18:52 subtle, so cleverly crafted at the end of time, he said 18:55 that even if possible the elect would be deceived, 19:00 and friends the elect are the ones who are saved 19:02 when you read in Revelation chapter 13 19:04 it says, all the world wandered after the 19:07 Antichrist, beast. So, this must be a very 19:10 powerful cleverly crafted deception, not some 19:13 ridiculous proposition where Satan kind of 19:16 bounces on the scene and says I reject Christ and all 19:19 of these multitudinous horde of Christians bow 19:21 down and say we receive you as our Messiah. 19:23 That's just not sensical. Amen. Amen. 19:26 And yet many people have this idea of anti, 19:28 somebody who is against or opposed to, yet the 19:31 very word itself in the room of, in the place of as 19:35 a substitute, as a what word everyone? 19:38 Substitute, as a substitute. Now we're going to 19:40 continue to unpack this as best as we can and in 19:42 order to do that, I want you to go with me to 19:44 Second Thessalonians chapter 2, Second 19:46 Thessalonians chapter 2, the writings of Paul and 19:50 we go toward the end of the New Testament, 19:52 Second Thessalonians chapter 2, and here we 19:54 find the Apostle Paul writing about the 19:57 Antichrist. Who is he writing about everyone? 20:00 The Antichrist. Now remarkably Paul does not 20:02 ever refer to him as the Antichrist, that 20:05 phraseology Antichrist is reserved exclusively in 20:09 the writings of John, Paul does not use that term, 20:11 but he uses several other terms that make it crystal 20:13 clear as to what he is speaking about. 20:15 I'm in Second Thessalonians chapter 2, 20:17 beginning in verse 1, Second Thessalonians 20:19 chapter 2, and what verse everyone? 20:22 Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord 20:24 Jesus and our gathering together to Him we ask 20:27 you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, 20:30 either by Spirit or by word or by letter as if for 20:33 must as that the day of Christ had come. 20:36 The people in Thessalonica were concerned that Jesus 20:38 was going to come in the immediate future, that he 20:41 was already going to come, I mean instantaneously 20:44 and Paul writes and says no, no, no, no, don't be 20:46 confused about the coming of the day of the Lord. 20:48 Even if you get a letter, somebody reports its been 20:50 written from us, even if an angel came and said. 20:53 No, no, no, no that day cannot come in the 20:56 immediate present. Why not Paul? He tells 20:59 us in verse 3. Let no one deceive you by any 21:02 means for that day. What day is that day? 21:06 That's the day of the Lord, the second coming, 21:08 for that day, notice this will not come unless the 21:12 falling away comes, what's the next word, 21:15 first, the falling away comes first and the man 21:17 of sin is revealed the son of perdition. 21:19 Let's just stop for a moment and note the 21:21 importance of those words, the falling away 21:24 must come first. Now the word that is here 21:26 translated falling away in my Bible and in your 21:28 Bible is actually from the Greek word Apostasia, 21:31 from whence we drive our English word 21:33 apostasy. What word is that everyone, apostasy. 21:37 Now the word there you may or may not be 21:39 familiar with the English word apostasy, but the 21:41 Greek word from whence we derive this word 21:42 apostasy at it's most basic meaning, it's most basic 21:47 etymological derivation means to divorce. 21:52 It means to what did I say? Divorce. 21:55 Now let's think about that word divorce for just a 21:58 moment, just a quick moment. Now let's take 22:00 somebody here in the audience, I need a young 22:03 lady to help me out, I'm looking for somebody 22:04 whose name I know and I'm looking where is the 22:07 young lady, okay just last night I met you, tell me 22:09 your first name. Amy, Amanda, that's right, 22:12 okay, good. Now Amanda sitting here at 22:14 our audience and I'm gonna to have a little 22:16 question with you and you fill this in, 22:19 her husband is Ben, I remember that one 22:20 okay so, Amanda Ben's wife, okay here's the 22:24 question, could Amanda and I get a divorce? No. 22:28 Why not? You're not married. Why not? 22:31 You're not married. Because we had never 22:33 been married, now second question. 22:35 Could Ben, this would never happened God 22:37 forbid, but could Ben get a divorce from Amanda? 22:40 Yes. Chiefly because and listen carefully, because 22:44 they have already been married. 22:46 The whole concept of a divorce friends when you 22:49 speak about a divorce is that necessitates a prior 22:54 favorable relationship, you understand that yes 22:58 or no? To speak about getting divorced from 23:00 somebody to whom you were never married is a 23:02 non meaningful statement, I couldn't 23:04 divorce Amanda, but I could divorce Violeta, 23:06 heaven forbid. The idea here is just this when Paul 23:09 says that a divorce, a falling away must come 23:12 first what he is saying here is that whatever this 23:15 falling away is that will produce the Antichrist it 23:18 formally had been in a close favorable 23:22 relationship with Christ, but a falling away or a 23:25 divorce has transpired, if this makes sense say 23:28 Amen. Amen. Let me give it to you in 23:29 just one sentence so we can sort of wrap up here. 23:32 The word apostasy means divorce. The only way 23:36 you can speak intelligently about a 23:37 divorce is if you had a former prior favorable 23:42 relationship of love, trust and mutuality, Amen. Amen. 23:46 Now notice what he says, that day will not come 23:49 unless the falling away comes first and the man 23:52 of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. 23:55 The apostle Paul here gives two Monikers to 23:58 this Antichrist figure, number one is the man of 24:01 sin. Now that word sin is an interesting word 24:03 remember that at the heart of sin, SIN is I, it's the 24:07 same thing that's at the heart of pride, PRIDE and 24:12 Satan is the originator of sin and he is the 24:15 originator of pride. In fact, in Isaiah chapter 14 24:18 you have Satan with his almost intoxicating 24:21 enthusiasm, I will be like, I will exalt I, I, I and one 24:26 of theologian remarked accurately that Satan had 24:29 an 'I' problem. Now, follow this here very 24:34 carefully, the man of sin means then that he will be 24:37 walking in lock step with the very forces and the 24:42 very prideful intentions that actuated Satan 24:46 himself, Paul calls him the man of sin. 24:50 Then he calls him the son of perdition, the son of 24:54 perdition, what a remarkable phrase. 24:57 Now, that phrase son of perdition is used to refer 24:59 to only one other person in the cannon of scripture. 25:02 And why don't you keep your finger right here and 25:04 go with me to John chapter 17. 25:06 Keep your finger there we are going to come 25:07 immediately back go with me to John chapter 17. 25:10 John what chapter are we going to? Chapter 17 and 25:13 here we find Jesus praying that marvelous 25:16 prayer, just before his trial, that mockery of a 25:20 trial. Now, we're in verse 12 of John chapter 17 and 25:23 the Bible says, while I was with them in the 25:26 world I kept them in your name, those whom you 25:29 gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost 25:32 except the son of perdition that the 25:36 scripture might be fulfilled. Question for you in this 25:39 context is Jesus is praying and saying Father in all 25:42 that thou has given me, I have lost none but one 25:44 the son of perdition, to whom is he referring as 25:47 the son of perdition? Judas Iscariot. 25:51 Now go back with me to Second Thessalonians 25:53 chapter 12 and let's ask a salient question. 25:56 How was it that Judas betrayed Jesus? 26:00 Was Judas a violent opposer of the ministry of 26:03 Jesus from without yes or no? No. Did Judas stand 26:07 vocally over and against and deny the messianic 26:10 identity of Jesus, the answer is no. 26:13 Friends listen, when Judas finally betrayed 26:16 Jesus, when he came into the garden to betray him. 26:18 He didn't go up to him and say boom and betray 26:21 him with a punch, he betrayed him with a kiss 26:24 and friends and betraying with a kiss, he was giving 26:27 the outward appearance that he was on the same 26:30 side all the while he was working underhandedly 26:33 and surreptitiously to undermine the ministry 26:37 of Jesus. Judas came from the very inner sanctum 26:40 of the disciples. Not as an outward violent opposer, 26:44 but as an inward subtle betrayer. This is perfectly 26:49 harmonious with the whole idea of a divorce. 26:52 Could it make sense in a euphemistic way or in a 26:57 metaphoric way to say that that Judas was 26:59 divorced from the apostles and his 27:01 association with Jesus? The answer is yes. 27:04 How could he have been divorce, because he 27:06 formally had been in a favorable relationship, 27:10 making sense now yes or no? Now you say well 27:13 I don't understand help me to understand it 27:14 more clearly. When Paul uses that moniker, son of 27:18 perdition to refer to the Antichrist, what he saying 27:21 is, it's just like Judas betrayed form within the 27:24 camp, so to the Antichrist will come from within 27:28 and will betray suddenly with a kiss, not violently 27:33 with a strike, all of this coming together now, 27:36 yes or no? Yes. Now, friends think about that, 27:38 does that square with our definition of anti, 27:41 it squares perfectly with our definition of anti, not 27:44 as somebody who is violently opposed to 27:46 necessarily, but as somebody who, 27:48 remember those three words, in the room of; 27:50 in the stead of or as a substitution. 27:55 Now, we're beginning to get our fingers wrapped 27:57 around this idea of the anti and we are 27:59 disabusing our minds of this ridiculous notion 28:01 that the Antichrist must be somebody who is 28:03 outwardly opposed to Jesus for who pray-tell 28:06 would fall for such an egregious deception, it 28:10 wouldn't be a deception at all. Now, let us continue. 28:15 Judas Iscariot came from the very inner sanctum. 28:18 Now let's talk for a moment about the whole 28:19 idea of counterfeiting, I am told that when the FBI 28:23 and the CIA and others have their counterfeit 28:27 experts go over $100 bills and $20 bills they spend 28:32 no time. They spend what word did I say? No time. 28:34 No time going over the flatulent bills. 28:37 They spend no time looking at the fakes and 28:39 the counterfeits, they spend all of their time 28:42 investigating the true, looking at the true all of 28:46 it's new onsets and its subtleties, and when they 28:48 have in their mind the perfect picture of a true 28:52 $100 bill, then when something that is 28:54 counterfeit that is fake comes along, because 28:57 they have that template of the true in their mind. 28:59 They instantaneously are aware that this one is 29:03 false. It sticks out like a sore thumb. 29:06 Friends in order to know what's true and false in 29:09 the world you don't have to do study every false 29:11 system amen. Amen. You just find what's true 29:14 and then you compare all of the other claims to 29:17 truth to the way of the truth and life, namely 29:21 Jesus Christ. You would exhaust your energies, 29:23 your resources and your mental powers if you try 29:26 to go and investigate every single system and 29:28 every single religion and every single book just 29:31 yesterday after the meeting Jason and I went 29:32 over to Barns and Noble bookstores, we purchased 29:34 a couple of books, and just being at a little book 29:36 store and this is only fraction of a fraction of 29:39 fraction of a percentage of all the books that have 29:41 been published in the English language much 29:43 less the world over. There is so much information 29:47 in there and much of it is just ridiculous friends. 29:49 To spend all of your time reading over every single 29:52 book and every single philosophy, ideology and 29:55 religion that would be a colossal waste of time 29:57 and you would have only scratch the surface by the 29:59 time you are 80 or 90 years old. So, the goal 30:02 then is to find that one thing that is true, that is 30:06 what word did I say? True, and then compare 30:08 everything to that and if it matches up, you can 30:11 accept it you can annex it, and if it doesn't match up 30:15 you discard it. Amen. I like to ask this question 30:19 have you ever seen a counterfeit $100 dollar 30:20 bill? How many people in this room have ever seen 30:23 a counterfeit $100 bill? Every hand should go up, 30:29 it's true, every hand should go up I heard an 30:32 NPR report that said, as many as four counterfeit 30:35 20s or $100 bills go through the hands of 30:38 every single American in a year. The problem is, is 30:43 that it came right into your wallet and guess 30:45 what else it did, went right out of your wallet. 30:47 See friends the fact that none of you raise your 30:49 hands, puts the finger on the very pulse of the issue 30:51 that I am trying to establish here, namely 30:53 that it came in, you didn't recognize it as a 30:55 counterfeit and it went right back out at your 30:57 wallet. And the people that you spend it with 30:58 didn't recognize it either. See friends what you'll 31:01 never see is a counterfeit $99 bill. 31:06 Can you imagine? Yeah, I just, do you have change 31:09 for a 99? Oh! You don't have change for 99? 31:13 How about 37? Right you just don't see counterfeit 31:16 99s and 37s, why? Because there is no 31:19 original article. Amen. Amen. But, you do see 31:22 counterfeit 100s except you don't know it, 31:25 and you do see counterfeit 20s, except 31:27 you don't know it. So, too in this Antichrist friends, 31:29 we are not looking for something that is so far 31:32 off, so egregious, so obvious that no same 31:35 person would ever fall for it, we're looking for 31:37 something that's subtle, something that's close, 31:40 but not quite there. Now, if the Antichrist is 31:44 going to stand not as a violent opposer, but as a 31:47 subtle imposter then we might be, it might be well 31:50 for us to ask ourselves an important question. 31:52 Now, note with me here on the screen, the 31:54 Antichrist will not appear as a violent opposer, but 31:58 as a subtle imposter. Why don't you read that with 32:01 me, the Antichrist will not appear as a violent 32:05 opposer, but as a subtle imposter? Imposter of 32:09 who? Of Christ, you got it, Antichrist. 32:14 Now, we have already discussed the three 32:16 offices of Jesus, the three offices of Jesus according 32:19 to Jesus own words in Matthew 12, I am greater 32:21 than the greatest priest, I am greater than the 32:23 greatest prophet, I'm greater than the 32:24 greatest King, I uniquely am qualified 32:26 to speak to God, speak for God, minister 32:28 for God and rule for God. So, an Antichrist then, 32:32 somebody who would stand in the place and 32:34 position of Christ would be a power or a person 32:37 that would claim to speak for God on earth, minister 32:41 for God on earth and rule for God on earth. 32:44 Is this all coming together now yes or no? 32:46 Now friends, just with that in mind, we could 32:48 close our Bibles right now and go home and we 32:50 know enough, I believe to already put our finger on 32:54 who this Antichrist power is. Friends, as far as I'm 32:58 concerned, we don't even need to go much further. 33:00 We're looking for a subtle power, who will seek to 33:03 stand in the place of Christ, not over and 33:06 against Christ, but in the place of Christ, in the 33:09 room of Christ, as a substitute for Christ, 33:11 who claims to be God's voice on earth, God's 33:14 priest on earth and God's kingdom on earth. 33:17 Now, friends just putting these precious few 33:19 scriptures that we've already put together, 33:21 it should be coming very clear to your mind 33:23 who we're talking about. Yet remarkably when we 33:26 go to the Book of Revelation we find 33:28 something very interesting. In the book of Revelation, 33:31 go with me to Revelation chapter 13 and what we're 33:33 going to do now in the last 20 minutes that we 33:35 have together. We're going to note a very 33:39 common and powerful theme that saturates the 33:43 book of Revelation, a theme that saturates the 33:46 Book of Revelation and this is the counterfeit motif. 33:51 The counterfeit motif, what kind of motif? 33:53 Counterfeit. Let me just give you a few of them, 33:56 for everything that God does in the book of 33:58 Revelation, not, I shouldn't say everything 34:00 but for many of the most significant things that 34:02 God does in the Book of Revelation. Satan has a 34:04 counterfeit. Let's just give a couple of examples, 34:07 God has a city in the book of Revelation and that 34:11 city is the New Jerusalem. Does Satan also have a 34:14 counterfeit city in the book of Revelation yes or no? 34:17 What city is that? It's Babylon the Great. 34:20 That's exactly right, we also find that in the book 34:22 of Revelation God has three angels' messages 34:26 and we talked about that just briefly last night. 34:28 In Revelation 14, streaking through the 34:31 midnight Heavens these three angels with their 34:33 powerful messages of potency, reproof and inspiration. 34:39 Yet when you go to Revelation chapter 16 34:40 you find that out of the mouth of the dragon and 34:43 the beast and the false prophet, these demonic 34:46 Spirits went out that look like frogs and then John 34:48 says these are the Spirits of Demons. The Spirits of 34:52 what words did I say? Demons, what's a demon? 34:55 It's a false angel. So, God has his one, two, three, 34:58 three angels messages that bring the true 35:00 message of hope and Satan has his three angels 35:03 messages that bring a message of deception. 35:06 Now, think about that for just a moment. 35:08 Just as there are three members of the God 35:10 head, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 35:13 So, too note this carefully with me in the book of 35:15 Revelation, there are three figures that Satan 35:19 works through. Number one is the dragon and the 35:22 dragon is Satan himself, he is corresponds with the 35:25 father. Number two is the Antichrist and we're 35:28 going to discover the Antichrist of course 35:30 corresponds with Jesus Christ, seeking to take his 35:33 place and number three the Holy Spirit is aped by 35:37 the false prophet. So, just as there is Father, Son 35:39 and Holy Spirit the true article so too in 35:43 Revelation we find a counterfeit trinity, the 35:46 dragon, the beast and the false prophet. 35:48 In instance after instance where God has the 35:50 genuine article, the true article in Revelation, 35:53 Satan is there to counterfeit and to ape. 35:57 Are you with me now yes or no? Now, this is a 36:00 powerful motif that saturates the entire book 36:03 of Revelation. What we're going to do right now is, 36:05 we're going to look at just one of these counterfeit 36:07 motives. Just one of them and that is the aping or 36:11 the counterfeiting of Jesus Christ by his 36:14 nemesis, advisory and imposter the antichrist. 36:19 We're going to note eight very powerful significant 36:22 elements from the ministry of Jesus, and 36:24 then show how they are counterfeited in the 36:26 ministry and mission of the Antichrist. 36:29 Let's begin by noting the first one here on the screen. 36:33 It says that Jesus Christ begins his ministry by 36:35 rising from the water, so too the Antichrist begins 36:39 his mission to deceive and to destroy by rising 36:42 from the water. Go with me to Matthew chapter 13 36:46 or Matthew chapter 3 pardon me, Matthew in 36:48 the 3rd chapter. Matthew chapter 3 and I'm reading 36:52 in verse 13. Matthew chapter 13 and verse, 36:55 what verse are we everyone? 13, it says 36:58 Then Jesus came from by Galilee by John, 37:01 by Galilee to John, at the Jordan to be baptized by 37:04 him. And John tried to prevent him, saying, 37:06 "I need to be baptized by you, and are you 37:09 coming to me?" Verse 15, but Jesus answered and 37:12 said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is 37:15 fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. 37:18 Then he allowed him." Verse 16, when he have 37:21 been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the 37:25 what everyone? Water. From the water and 37:27 behold the Heavens were open to him and he saw 37:28 the Spirit of God descending like a dove 37:30 and lighting upon him. Now, notice this is 37:32 Matthew chapter what? Matthew Chapter what? 37:34 3, in Matthew chapter 3, Jesus is now carried out 37:38 this baptism that will inaugurate his 37:41 public ministry. Amen. Jesus has left the 37:44 carpenter shop, he has left the side of Joseph and 37:47 now he has gone out to begin his public ministry 37:50 and to proclaim his messianic identity and the 37:53 coming of the kingdom of God. And the first place 37:55 that he goes to inaugurate and to initiate this 37:59 ministry is to the water of baptism and as he comes 38:02 up out of the water of baptism, his ministry to 38:05 save and to reconcile commences. 38:09 Now notice this remarkable counterfeit in Revelation 38:11 chapter 13, in Revelation chapter 13, in fact if you 38:15 want to keep a finger in Revelation 13, we'll be 38:17 flipping rapidly to and fro, so keep something 38:20 there so that we can come right back to it quickly. 38:22 In Revelation chapter 13, beginning in verse 1, 38:25 John here sees a vision of the Antichrist. 38:27 Now Revelation 13 is the Antichrist chapter in the 38:31 book of Revelation. And John sees two beasts 38:33 in Revelation. How many beasts? 38:35 In Revelation 13, and the first beast that he sees is 38:38 the Antichrist beast. Now notice how he describes 38:41 his Antichrist beast in Revelation chapter 13 38:43 and verse 1, then I stood on the sand of the sea, 38:47 and I saw a beast rising up out of the what 38:51 everyone? Sea. Notice it says, having seven heads 38:55 and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on 38:58 his head a blasphemous name. Isn't this remarkable, 39:01 as John sees this Antichrist beast rising up 39:04 to begin his mission to deceive and to destroy, 39:07 he begins it in the very same way that Jesus 39:10 began his ministry to save and to reconcile by 39:13 rising from the water. Now we recognize that 39:18 the water that the beast rises from here. 39:19 In Revelation 13 is not literal water, but it's 39:22 symbolic water, peoples, multitudes, nations and 39:24 language, but the point is not lost. Jesus begins his 39:28 ministry by rising from the water, the Antichrist 39:30 begins his mission to deceive and destroy by 39:32 rising from the water. Notice number two, Jesus 39:36 Christ resembles the Father and so too the 39:39 Antichrist resembles Satan. Since you're right there 39:43 in Revelation chapter 13, notice with me how he is 39:45 described again in verse 1, this is the Antichrist 39:48 beast. It says, he has seven heads and ten 39:51 horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his 39:53 heads a blasphemous name. What kind of a name everyone? 39:57 Blasphemous. Now, go with me to Revelation 39:59 chapter 12, be right there in Revelation 13, notice 40:01 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 3, Revelation 12 40:04 and verse 3, And another sign appeared in Heaven 40:07 behold a great fiery red dragon, having what? 40:11 Seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems 40:15 on his heads that is to say crowns. Notice also verse 40:20 9, so the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of 40:22 old called the Devil, and Satan, so there is no 40:24 doubt as to who this dragon is. 40:26 The dragon is Satan or the serpent and when we 40:29 see the beast in Revelation 13 he is 40:31 described as having seven heads, ten horns and 40:34 crowns on those horns and that is exactly how 40:37 the dragon is described. Seven heads, ten horns 40:40 and crowns on those horns. Do you see a remarkable 40:43 similarity here yes or no? Yes, now the perfunctory 40:46 student, the surface student of scripture might 40:48 say Oh! Well those are the same beast; they are 40:50 not the same beast at all friends. In Revelation 12 40:52 you're dealing with the dragon and in Revelation 40:54 13 you're dealing with the beast, and yet they have 40:57 resemblances between the two to see one is to see a 41:01 chip off the old block. Now, Jesus then said 41:06 remarkable things like this in John chapter 14, he 41:09 said, if you've seen Me you've seen the Father. 41:14 What did Jesus mean by that? In fact, he actually 41:17 protested I believe it was to Philip, he said Philip 41:19 have I been so long with you that you don't know 41:21 that if you've seen me you've seen the Father, 41:24 I quote for you again, in Second Corinthians 41:26 chapter 4 and verse 6 for God who commanded the 41:28 light to shine out of darkness had shown in 41:30 our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of 41:33 the glory of God, where? In the face of Jesus. 41:37 Now why would he say in the face of Jesus? 41:39 For the same reason that Jesus said if you've seen 41:41 me you've seen the Father, what Jesus. 41:43 What Jesus here is saying is, there is a remarkable 41:45 resemblance between me and my Father. In fact in 41:49 other place in the New Testament says, he is the 41:51 express image of the Father. The express image of the 41:55 Father, I believe that's Hebrews chapter 1, 41:57 the express image. In other words, to see the 42:01 Son is to see the Father. There is resemblance 42:04 there, so too with the Antichrist and Satan, 42:07 to see the Antichrist is to see his Father Satan with 42:11 his seven heads, his ten horns and his seven 42:13 diadems. And so we refer you to number two again, 42:16 just as Jesus Christ resembles the Father, 42:19 so too Satan is represented or resembles 42:25 the Antichrist. Are you with me yes or no? 42:28 A significant similarity. But, notice now number 42:30 three, horns and crowns, in post resurrection 42:35 appearances, Jesus is depicted as having 42:39 horns and crowns. Note with me several passages, 42:43 actually we'll just look at two, I'm in Revelation 42:45 chapter 19, Revelation chapter 19. 42:50 In Revelation chapter 19 and I'm beginning in 42:52 verse 11, Revelation chapter 19, and we're in 42:56 verse 11, now I saw Heaven opened, and 42:59 behold a white horse; and he who sat on him was 43:00 called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he 43:02 judges and makes war. Verse 12, His eyes were 43:05 like a flame of fire and on his head were many, 43:08 what's the next word? Crowns, he had a name 43:11 written that no one knew except himself. 43:12 What is that name? Verse 13, he was clothed with a 43:15 robe, dipped in blood: and his name is called the 43:17 what? The Word of God. Who is the word of God? 43:21 Jesus. Jesus, in the beginning was the word 43:22 and the word with God and the word was God. 43:24 Now notice in this post resurrection appearance 43:26 here, Jesus is described as having many crowns. 43:30 Now what does a crown represent? 43:33 Kingly authority. Friends presented George 43:36 W. Bush does not wear a crown and if he did there 43:38 be riots in the streets, because we do not 43:40 subscribe to a monarchy or to an oligarchy here we 43:44 are a democracy or better yet we are a Republic. 43:48 Our administrators and our officers etc, 43:51 representatives don't wear crowns. 43:53 This is a representation of nobility and 43:56 Kingly authority. And yet we've already seen that 43:59 the Antichrist is depicted as having crowns on his 44:01 horns. Now there you say what about those horns? 44:05 Go with me to Revelation chapter 5, and notice here 44:08 in this remarkable representation, this post 44:11 resurrection appearance of Jesus. 44:13 A symbolic representation admittedly, but notice it 44:16 in verse 6, Revelation chapter 5 and verse 6, 44:19 Jesus here is depicted as having horns. 44:23 Revelation chapter 5 and verse 6, and I looked and 44:24 behold in the midst of the throne, and of the four 44:26 living creatures and at the midst of the elder stood a 44:28 lamb as though it had been slain, having seven, 44:32 what's the next word? Horns and seven eyes 44:35 which are the Seven Spirits sent out into all 44:36 the earth. Now what does that mean seven horns? 44:40 Friends, listen very carefully a horn in this 44:42 context represents strength or potency or power. 44:47 Now this is not easy to, it's not difficult pardon 44:50 me, to understand where this kind of idea would 44:52 have come from? Put yourself back 2000 years 44:55 ago, and many of the people in ancient 44:57 Palestinians were Shepherds, and they 45:00 would see when the certain season would 45:01 come around and the males were hankering for 45:04 the mating season, and they wanted a female they 45:06 would have to go into battle with one another, 45:09 and they would see these rams and sometimes they 45:11 would see the wild rams up in the cliffs, what are 45:13 known as Ibex, and they would come and they 45:16 would smash their heads together and whoever 45:19 would prevail got the female. You understand 45:21 how this works. Now, as the shepherds would 45:24 watch this and as the people of those times who 45:26 watched this, it dawned on them that most often, 45:29 the animal with the larger horns was the one that 45:33 prevailed. If he had big robust rack of horns he 45:37 could overcome and dominate somebody with, 45:39 an animal with smaller horns. And so then in this 45:41 context these horns came to represent strength and 45:45 power and potency and so when you take a crown 45:50 and a horn and you put them together you have 45:53 Kingly, that's the crown and you have potency or 45:56 power, that's the horn, a claim to Kingly power. 46:01 Now that fits perfectly with what we saw in 46:03 Matthew chapter 12 doesn't it? 46:04 He says, you've heard you know the Wisdom 46:07 of Solomon and the queen of the south raised up 46:09 hear the Wisdom of Solomon and then she 46:10 said but a greater than Solomon is here. 46:12 Jesus has already told us that one of offices is as a 46:16 King, and so too in the post resurrection 46:18 appearances here, horns and crowns on Jesus 46:21 representing Kingly authority, which he has 46:23 a legitimate right to, Amen. Amen 46:25 Yet the Antichrist power as a counterfeit also 46:29 depicted symbolically with horns and crowns 46:32 claiming as his own Kingly power. 46:37 Notice now in number four, authority from the 46:40 Father, Jesus receives his authority from the Father, 46:43 and Satan receives or pardon me the Antichrist 46:45 receives his authority from Satan. Notice with 46:48 me in Revelation chapter 13, Revelation chapter 46:52 13, remember keep something right in there 46:54 so we can come right back to it quickly. 46:55 Revelation chapter 13, and I'm reading now in 46:59 verse 2, now the beast which I saw was like a 47:02 leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear and his 47:04 mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon, who is 47:06 the dragon everyone? Satan gave him his 47:09 power, his throne and great authority. 47:12 Question? Who gives the Antichrist his power, his 47:15 throne and his great authority? Satan. Satan, 47:18 now let me remind of Matthew chapter 28, 47:20 where Jesus was just about to ascend to 47:22 Heaven and he said these words I quote them for 47:24 you verses 18 to 20, he said, "all authority in 47:28 Heaven and in earth has been given to me." 47:33 Then he says go ye therefore and baptize and 47:35 etc, etc. Now the point here is just this, when 47:37 Jesus says all authority in Heaven and on earth has 47:39 been given to Him, who pray-tell has the ability 47:43 and the authority to give all authority under 47:46 Heaven and earth to Jesus? Only the Father. 47:49 So, notice this remarkable similarity here on the 47:51 screen number four, just as Jesus Christ received 47:54 his seat, his power and his authority from the Father, 47:58 so too Satan receives his potency, his authority, 48:01 his power from his Father, symbolically Satan. 48:06 Understand now yes or no, so notice this, it needs 48:08 four instances just as Jesus would do 48:11 something, begins his ministry, he resembles 48:13 the Father, acclaim to Kingly authority, receives 48:15 authority from the Father, so too the Antichrist. 48:18 One, two, three, four, counterfeits or apes Jesus 48:21 at every turn, Jesus zigs he zigs, Jesus zags, 48:24 he zags, you have this counterfeit motif. 48:27 Now let us note four more of them. 48:29 Note with me number five, Jesus Christ's 48:31 ministry lasts for 3 ½ years and the Antichrist's 48:34 mission to deceive lasts for 3 ½ prophetic years. 48:38 I'm in Revelation chapter 13 again, Revelation 48:41 chapter 13 and I'm noting verse 5, it says and he 48:44 was given a mouth speaking great things 48:46 and blasphemies and he was given authority to 48:49 continue for 42 months. How many months 48:53 everyone? 42, alright who is the Math student that 48:56 wants to divide 42 by 12 how many times does 12 48:59 go into 42? 3 ½ times. 3 ½, that's exactly right. 49:03 3½ years, now the significance here is just 49:06 this. Now, in Revelation 13 we're dealing with 49:09 prophetic years, okay we'll talk more about that 49:11 maybe in a future night. That is to say, a literal 49:15 year is represented by a prophetic day, I wish we 49:18 had to time to go into the significance of that we 49:19 just don't. The point here is just this, when John 49:23 describes the Antichrist mission to deceive and to 49:25 destroy, he says that it lasts for 3 ½ years. 49:29 3 ½ what everyone? Years. Now, note with me 49:32 and watch my fingers here, this might be the 49:33 easiest way to do it. Jesus was baptized in the Fall, 49:37 the Autumn of 27 A.D, 27 A.D. So, notice this 49:41 28 A.D. one year, 29 A.D. two years, 29, 30 A.D. 49:47 three years and then you would have what comes 49:49 after the Fall? What comes after the Fall? 49:52 Winter, and then what comes after the Winter? 49:54 Spring. The Spring of 31 A.D. Now, did any 49:58 significant event take place in the Spring of 31 50:00 A.D yes or no? Jesus was crucified, that's exactly 50:03 right. So, note it again, Fall of 28, Fall of 29, 50:06 Fall of 30, Spring of 31, how much time is that? 50:09 That's 3 ½ years. Friends, a careful comparison of 50:12 the Passovers and the feasts that Jesus follows 50:14 in the Gospel of John particularly, but if you 50:16 harmonized the Gospels, Jesus ministry is 50:18 recognized just being 3 ½ years. Now, what a 50:21 remarkable co-incidence, or is it a co-incidence? 50:24 No, no, no, it's a counterfeit. Just as Jesus 50:27 ministry lasted for 3 ½ years, so too the 50:30 Antichrist mission to deceive and destroy last 50:33 for 3 ½ years. Now, what happened to Jesus at the 50:36 end of those 3 ½ years? This is number six; Jesus 50:39 was slain, then resurrected Amen. Amen. 50:43 He was slain then resurrected, is there a 50:47 counterfeit in the mission of the Antichrist, the 50:50 answer is yes. And notice with me in Revelation 50:53 chapter 13. I am reading in verse 3, Revelation 13 50:56 in verse 3, John says, I saw one of his heads, 50:59 as if it had been mortally wounded. The King 51:02 James says wounded to death. It was wounded to 51:05 what everyone? To death. To death and his deadly 51:07 wound was healed, and all of the beat world 51:10 marveled and followed the beast. Now, let's ask a 51:11 simple question here, if you are wounded to death 51:14 what has happened? You've died. If you're 51:17 mortally wounded friends you've died. 51:18 Now, if you've been wounded to death and 51:21 then you're healed what has happened? 51:24 You've come back to life, you have got it. 51:26 So, just as at the end of Jesus Christ ministry of 3 51:29 ½ years, he was slain and resurrected, so too the 51:32 Antichrist raining for 3 ½ prophetic years is 51:35 wounded to death and then his deadly wound is 51:40 healed. It's the equivalent of saying, the grammatical 51:43 equivalent of saying he was slain and then 51:46 resurrected. Are you beginning to see the 51:48 similarities? Yes or no? Yes. This is fitting in 51:51 perfectly with our picture of what we're looking for 51:53 in the Antichrist. Not as a violent opposer friends, 51:55 but as a subtle imposter who comes in like Judas 51:58 did, deceitfully and surreptitiously to 52:01 undermine from inside not to oppose 52:04 from outside. Notice now number 7, Jesus Christ 52:08 receives worship following his resurrection. 52:11 Yes he does, so too the Antichrist receives worship. 52:15 Note with me here in Revelation chapter 13, 52:18 Revelation chapter 13 and I'm reading in verse 3, 52:21 Revelation 13 and verse 3, And I saw one of his 52:24 heads as it had been mortally wounded and his 52:25 deadly wound was healed: and all the world 52:27 marveled and followed the beast. Verse 4, so they 52:30 worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the 52:32 beast: And they what? Worshiped the beast, 52:35 saying, who is like the beast, who is able to 52:37 make war with him? Notice the same in verse 52:40 8, all who dwell on earth will worship him. 52:46 Did the Antichrist beast after his deadly wound 52:49 was healed, did he receive worship yes or no? 52:52 Yes or no, absolutely, now notice this in 52:54 Matthew chapter 28, go there with me quickly. 52:57 Matthew chapter 28, notice this, we just quoted 53:03 for you a moment ago verses 18 to 20, but notice 53:05 with me the verse immediately proceeding 53:07 verse 18 that is verse 17. Matthew chapter 28 and 53:11 verse 17, we'll actually pick it up in verse 16 then 53:14 the 11 disciples went away into Galilee to the 53:17 mountain which Jesus had appointed them when 53:18 they saw him they what worshiped him. 53:22 But, some doubted. Verse 18, and Jesus came and 53:25 spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been 53:27 given to Me in heaven and on earth. 53:28 Go therefore and make disciples of all the 53:30 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father 53:32 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching 53:34 them to observe all things that I have commanded 53:35 you; and lo, I am with you always even to the 53:37 end of the age. Amen, Amen. Now, this is 53:39 absolutely remarkable, the Antichrist receives 53:42 worship after his deadly wound was healed, so too 53:45 Jesus Christ receives worship after his deadly 53:47 wound. He's being slain on the cross was healed, 53:52 similarity yes or no. Yes. Remarkable similarity 53:54 and the last but not least, number eight we just read 53:57 it, Jesus claims universal dominion, does Jesus 54:01 claim universal dominion after his resurrection yes 54:03 or no? We just read it, all authority has been given 54:06 to me in Heaven and on earth. Friends that's the 54:08 universal dominion, does the Antichrist also claim 54:12 universal dominion? Revelation chapter 13 54:15 and notice verse 7, Revelation chapter 13 and 54:19 verse 7, the Bible says and it was granted to him 54:22 to make war with the saints and to overcome them. 54:24 And authority was given him over every tribe, and 54:28 tongue and nation. Now, friends if authority is 54:32 given to you over every tribe, tongue and nation is 54:33 that universal yes or no? Amen. Exactly, so as you 54:37 go down these eight points of counterfeit 54:39 friends, what you are finding is, just as Jesus 54:41 ministry was 3 ½ years, so too the Antichrist. 54:44 Jesus was slain and resurrected, the Antichrist 54:46 deadly wound was healed. Jesus receives 54:48 worship after that experience, so too the 54:49 Antichrist. Jesus is given universal dominion and 54:52 the Antichrist makes a claim to universal 54:54 dominion. Are you seeing that they are powerful 54:56 points of contrast and aping here yes or no? 55:00 Remember again, the Antichrist will appear not 55:03 as a violent opposer, but as a subtle imposter and 55:07 this squares perfectly with our picture of what 55:11 we're looking for in an Antichrist. 55:14 Remember in the room of, in the place of, as a 55:18 substitute. Well, then we legitimately ask who is 55:21 this Christ that will be impersonated? 55:23 Who is this Christ that will be aped and 55:25 counterfeited? He is prophet, one who speaks 55:28 for God. He is priest, one of ministers for God. 55:31 He is King, one who rules for God. So, when we're 55:34 looking for the Antichrist friends what we're 55:35 looking for as a power who will say, I speak for 55:39 God on earth, I minister for God on earth, I rule 55:44 for God on earth, I am the prophet of God, I am the 55:47 priest of God and I am the King for God. 55:51 Is all of this coming together now yes or no. 55:53 Friends, I hope that you've seen in our 55:56 contrasting Revelation 13 with a life and ministry of 55:58 Jesus that the Antichrist will be aping, he will be 56:01 counterfeiting, he will be impostering if that is a 56:04 word. The very acts, and potency and power of the 56:09 true Christ Jesus Christ. Now, question for you as 56:14 we close, has this message made sense 56:16 yes or no? Amen. How many of you've 56:18 given the choice to decide right now would say as 56:20 for me and my house, we would serve Jesus Christ 56:24 and not the Antichrist. Amen. Brothers and 56:26 sisters, tomorrow night we will launch off 56:28 into part two and what has been clear 56:30 tonight will be clearer still tomorrow. |
Revised 2014-12-17