Who Is The Anti Christ
Sermon Notes
Today we’re getting back into our teaching series on a book of the bible called Revelation, and it’s a series about finding peace in our world of chaos. The reality is we live in a chaotic world, and many people aren’t at peace. Some of you aren’t at peace, because you’re concerned about current things happening in your life right now. Some of you are concerned about your marriage or family...Some of you are concerned about your career or finances, feeling the financial pain every time you go to the gas pump or the grocery store...Some of you are concerned about going back to school, fitting in with your peers, keeping up with your schoolwork and sports....Some of you aren’t at peace, because you’re concerned about current things happening in your life right now.
But some of you are also concerned about future things. Some of you are concerned about the political, economic, moral decline of our country...Some of you are concerned about the future of our country with the upcoming elections, and the possibility of conflicts or riots in response to whoever wins the election...Some of you are concerned about the future of our national security with our open boarders, our military decline, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, and so you’re stocking up on Lifestraws, MRE’s, ammo, getting ready for a Zombie Apocalypse...My point is both skeptics and believers have all kinds of current and future things we’re concerned about, and those things are robbing us of peace. The good news is Revelation is a book of the bible that addresses past, current, and future events in history, but it’s also a book that can help us find peace for every chaotic event in history. It can help us find peace, in our world of chaos. In today’s text we’ll learn one of the reasons why our lives and world is so chaotic, is because of Satan and the Antichrist. So let’s turn to Revelation 12 and get into it. You’ll find Revelation in the back of the bible, it’s the very last book of the bible, and we’ll be in Revelation 12:18-13:10. Title of the message is Who Is The Antichrist? The big idea is we need to persevere to the last hour, when the antichrist gets empowered...We need to persevere to the last hour, when the antichrist gets empowered.
Here’s your context. The book of revelation is about the 2nd coming of Jesus, and what will happen at the end of history when he returns. We divided the entire book into four major sections based on four major visions Jesus gives to John the author, and right now we’re in the 2nd vision which is of Jesus and the Cosmos. It’s of Jesus ruling over the entire cosmos, and his wrath against sin and evil. As we’ve studied this series we’ve learned there’s 7 stages in God’s final judgement, and ch 11 ends with the 7th stage beginning. But we won’t learn the effects of this 7th stage until ch 15. Instead we learn in ch’s 12-13, that Satan starts a war in heaven with God. Let’s check it out.
Revelation 12:18 states, “The dragon stood on the sand of the sea.” One of the things we learned when we studied vs 1-9 is that the dragon is a symbolic description of Satan. We learned Satan wanted to be like God, he wanted to be more powerful than God, so he built a demonic army and sparked a war in heaven against God. Satan and his demonic army fought, but they couldn’t prevail. In vs 9 it says Satan and his demonic army were thrown to earth, meaning the war that started in heaven is now here on earth. Satan knows he can’t prevail against God in heaven, so he’s trying to cause as much destruction as he can to God’s kingdom and people on earth. If you’re a skeptic you’re probably thinking all this sounds crazy, but what if that’s exactly what Satan wants you to believe?...What if the reason you think all this sounds crazy, is because Satan’s already been deceiving your mind?...C.S. Lewis states, “If devils exist, their first aim is to give you an anesthetic. It’s to put you off your guard. If that fails, that’s when you become aware of them.”
In other words it’s possible some of you are under Satan’s anesthesia...It’s possible some of you are under Satan’s anesthesia, he’s been deceiving your mind, because he wants to capture your heart and fight against everything Jesus says is good for your heart...It’s possible God brought some of you hear today, because he wants you to wake up from Satan’s anesthesia so you can see what’s really happening behind the curtains of your life and our world. Jesus gives John this vision in Revelation 12-13 so we’ll realize behind the curtains of our chaotic physical world, behind the anesthesia, there’s a war happening on earth where Satan and his demonic army are trying to cause as much destruction as they can to God’s kingdom and people. It’s a war for our hearts, and a war against everything Jesus says is good for our hearts. Ch 12 ends with the dragon Satan standing on the sand of the sea, thinking and strategizing the best way to attack God’s Kingdom and people. The plan he comes up with is to unleash an anti-trinity against humanity. As he's standing on the seashore, he’s getting ready to unleash an anti-Father, anti-Christ, anti-Holy Spirit against humanity. Satan’s the anti-Father, and he’s about to unleash the anti-Christ.
Ch 13:1, “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.” That’s the Antichrist. The beast coming out of the sea, is a symbolic description for the Antichrist being somebody who’s wild, dangerous, and anti-Christ. Now sometimes when I think of the Antichrist I think of Satan. But the Antichrist isn’t Satan, instead the Antichrist is somebody sent by Satan. That’s why John the author gives separate descriptions for both, calling Satan a dragon and the Antichrist a beast. So behind the curtains of our chaotic physical world, is the dragon Satan unleashing the beast Antichrist to attack God’s Kingdom and people. But who is the Antichrist? A lot of people have tried figuring out who the Antichrist is by playing connect the dots with certain people throughout history. Some have tried connecting the Antichrist with people like the Roman Emperors Nero and Domitian. Some have tried connecting the Antichrist with people like Hitler, Stalin, the pope, even Obama and Trump. People have been trying to play connect the dots with the Antichrist for years, but the truth is we don’t know who the Antichrist is. I mean it’s not like the Antichrist is holding a sign saying “It’s me! Vote for me, because I’m the Antichrist!” So the truth is we don’t know who the Antichrist is, we just know the bible refers to the Antichrist as a person.
But the Antichrist can also entail the evil empire that the Antichrist is leading. For example, in this context it’s possible some of John’s readers viewed Caesar and the Roman Empire as the Antichrist, because they were being heavily persecuted and tortured by the Romans for their faith in Christ. The Romans at this point in history strongly opposed Christ and his followers, they were anti-Christ. So it’s possible some of John’s readers viewed Caesar and the Roman Empire he was leading as the Antichrist. What’s interesting is John says there isn’t just one Antichrist, instead there’s been many Antichrists throughout history. He says in 1st John 2:18, “As you’ve heard, that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.” Notice he says there’s an antichrist which is singular, but there’s also many antichrists which is plural. He says there’s an antichrist that is coming, but there’s also many antichrists that have come. The implication is that Satan sent many Antichrists, many people to lead evil empires throughout history, but he’ll send an even greater Antichrist with an even greater evil empire at the end of history. There’s an even greater Antichrist with an even greater evil empire that is coming, and they’ll be far worse than Hitler, Stalin, Mao, or any other Antichrist and evil empire in history. So the truth is we don’t know who the Antichrist is, we just know there will be many Antichrists before the final most vicious Antichrist. Revelation 13 is talking about the final most vicious Antichrist that’s coming, at the end of history.
Again vs. 1, “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns,, and on its heads were blasphemous names.” Once again John’s using some symbolisms to describe a few things about the Antichrist. He says the Antichrist has ten horns, which symbolizes great strength and power. A bull with two horns is strong and powerful, but a beast with 10 horns is even stronger and more powerful. The seven heads symbolize different successive leaders and empires leading up to the Antichrist’s greater global empire, and the ten crowns symbolize his greater authority and political influence over other leaders and empires in the world. So the Antichrist will be a strong, powerful, influential leader.
Vs. 2, “The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.” The leopard, bear, and lion are all characteristics representing three great empires in the past. The leopard represents the swift and destructive power of Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire. The bear represents the strength and devouring power of the Medo-Persian Empire. The lion represents the majestic and ferocious power of the Babylonian Empire. So what John’s saying is when the Antichrist is empowered and given authority by Satan, he’ll build a global empire that’ll be swift like the Greeks, strong like the Medo-Persians, and ferocious like the Babylonians.
Vs. 3, “One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?’” What’s happening here is people all over the world start worshiping Satan and the Antichrist in response to a false miracle, a false resurrection. John’s saying a time will come when the Antichrist will imitate the resurrection of Jesus. The text says he appeared to be fatally wounded, meaning he appeared to be dead, but he wasn’t really dead. So he didn’t literally die and rise again like Jesus, instead he appeared to die. It’s a false miracle, a false resurrection, but people all over the world will be amazed by it and start worshiping Satan and the Antichrist in response to it. They’ll start worshiping a false Messiah, a false Savior, the Antichrist whose false miracle makes them think he can resurrect their lives too. We need to remember this will happen when the 7th stage of God’s final judgement begins, which means these people would have already seen over 50% of humanity die from the other 6 stages of God’s final judgement. So at this point they’re desperate, which is a perfect time for the Antichrist to give the appearance of being their Messiah, their Savior, who has the power to resurrect their lives. This is one of the primary roles of the Antichrist! It’s to deceive people into thinking he’s a better Savior than Jesus. At the end of history people will be desperately seeking a Savior, a leader who’s strong, intelligent, charismatic, and appears to have the power to save the world from further death and destruction. They’ll find that leader in the Antichrist, and turn to worship him in response to his false resurrection.
John MacArthur states, “In these chaotic times of confusion, uncertainty, and unrest the world will long for a leader...The Antichrist will appear at first to be everything people thought they were looking for, but he’ll turn out to be far more than the world bargained for. He’ll be a dictator more cruel and powerful than any other leader the world has ever known...What men like Alexander the Great, the Roman emperors, Hitler, Stalin only dreamed of doing, the Antichrist will actually do. He’ll rule the entire world, and receive their worship.” The Antichrist will eventually be worshiped all over the world, and his empire will grow into the greatest global empire in history. Some people think it’s impossible for somebody to achieve this kind of power and authority, but we’ve seen people achieve smaller scales of this throughout history! I mean look at what Hitler did! He took advantage of the chaotic economic and political conditions in Germany following World War I. People were desperate, so they believed Hitler’s message that he’d lead Germany back to power and prosperity again. People believed him, the Nazi party grew, and it eventually led to Hitler having full authority over Germany. History has repeatedly had mini Antichrists rise to power like this, and the Antichrist will be one of them, except on a much larger scale than Hitler. But his power and authority will be short lived, which the text mentions next.
Vs. 5, “The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority, for forty-two months. 6 It began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven.” Notice there’s an end date to the Antichrist’s power and authority. John says he’ll be allowed to have power and authority for forty-two months, which means his time is limited. His time is limited, because the Lord won’t let the Antichrist have power and authority forever. A time will come when the real Savior Jesus Christ, will return to put an end to the Antichrist. He’ll put an end to both Satan and the Antichrist.
Vs. 7, “And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. All who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name wasn’t written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. 9 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen. 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed. This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints.” Jesus gives John this vision to prep our hearts now, so we’ll remember to rely on him with great endurance and faithfulness in the tough times later. He gives John this vision to prep our hearts now, so we won’t be blindsided when the Antichrist rises in power and authority later. It’ll be a time when Christians will face heavy persecution, captivity, possibly even death, but we don’t have to fear that persecution because Jesus promises a real resurrection with a joyful eternal life. In vs 7 when it says the Antichrist will persecute and conquer the saints, it’s saying he’ll conquer them temporarily not eternally. He’ll be able to kill their body temporarily, but he won’t be able to kill their soul eternally.
So just like the Antichrist’s power and authority is limited, so is his persecution. Just like his power and authority has an expiration date, so does his persecution. His persecution won’t last forever, and on the other side of it is a joyful resurrection. The Antichrist’s persecution has an expiration date because the real Jesus Christ has a return date, and an eternal resurrection date. The Antichrist is coming, but so is the real Jesus Christ. Anyone who puts their faith in the real Jesus Christ, will get to enjoy eternal life in heaven with him. In the words of David Platt, “It is and will be, costly to follow Jesus Christ in this world. But don’t compromise! Even if it means you’re being slain, hold fast to your faith! Even if it means you lose your job and all your money, hold fast to your faith! Even if it means ridicule, oppression, isolation, imprisonment or death, follow Jesus! And one day you’ll stand with him, you’ll sing with him, and you’ll be satisfied completely in him.”
The big idea of the message is we need to persevere to the last hour, when the antichrist gets empowered...We need to persevere to the last hour, when the antichrist gets empowered...Like I said in the intro both skeptics and believers have current and future things we’re concerned about, and there will always be metaphorical antichrists, false saviors promising to give us peace and joy in life. But there’s only one, true, eternal savior named Jesus Christ. He’s the only one who lived, died, and rose again to prove he really does have the power to give us a joyful eternal life in heaven with him. It wasn’t a fake resurrection it was a real resurrection, because Jesus is a real Savior. So you can either turn to many different metaphorical antichrists and false saviors, or you can turn to the real Savior Jesus Christ. We need a real Savior for our current worries, and a real Savior for our future worries. We’ll need a real Savior when the final antichrist gets empowered.
Revelation 13 teaches us that the final antichrist isn’t a metaphorical person, instead he’s a real imposter who will deceive many. He’s a real imposter sent by Satan to deceive our minds because he wants to capture our hearts and fight against everything Jesus says is good for our hearts. But Revelation 13 isn’t just teaching us about the final antichrist that’s coming, it’s teaching us to find our peace in the real Savior Jesus Christ that’s coming. It isn’t just teaching us about the temporary dangers of the antichrist, it’s teaching us to find our eternal salvation through faith in the real Savior Jesus Christ. What Revelation 13 is really teaching us, is you don’t have to worry about who the antichrist is, when you know who the real Savior Jesus Christ is!