Is This Pope Going To Be The Last Pope?

Will the great apostasy start now that Pope Francis is here?

There are some that will make the case that this pope will be the last Roman Catholic pontiff – leading to what has been prophesied as the “great apostasy” and even the destruction of Rome. 

For more than 800 years, scholars have pointed to the dark augury regarding “the last pope.” The prophecy, taken from St. Malachy’s “Prophecy of the Popes,” is among a list of verses predicting each of the Roman Catholic popes from Pope Celestine II to the final pope, “Peter the Roman,” whose reign would end in the destruction of Rome.

First published in 1595, the prophecies were attributed to St. Malachy by a Benedictine historian named Arnold de Wyon, who recorded them in his book “Lignum Vitæ.” Tradition holds that Malachy had been called to Rome by Pope Innocent II. While there, he experienced the vision of the future popes, including the last one, which he wrote down in a series of cryptic phrases.

According to the prophecy, the next pope is to be the final pontiff, Petrus Romanus or Peter the Roman. Some Catholics believe that the next pope on St. Malachy’s list heralds the beginning of “great apostasy” followed by “great tribulation,” setting the stage for the imminent unfolding of apocalyptic events, something many non-Catholics would agree with.

This would give rise to a false prophet, who according to the book of Revelation leads the world’s religious communities into embracing a political leader known as Antichrist. In recent history, several Catholic priests – some deceased now – have been surprisingly outspoken about what they have seen as this inevitable danger rising from within the ranks of Catholicism as a result of secret satanic “Illuminati-Masonic” influences.

These priests claim secret knowledge of a multinational power elite and occult hierarchy operating behind supranatural and global political machinations. Within this secret society are sinister false Catholic infiltrators who understand that as the Roman Catholic Church represents one-sixth of the world’s population and over half of all Christians, it is indispensable for controlling future global elements in matters of church and state. The dark forces seek to fulfill a diabolical plan they call “Alta Vendetta,” which is set to assume control of the papacy and to help the False Prophet deceive the world’s faithful (including Catholics) into worshipping the Antichrist. Catholic and evangelical scholars have dreaded this moment for centuries.

Unfortunately, the time just ran out.

By wnd.com  Condensed from the book Petrus Romanus: The Final Pope Is Here

Pope Benedict Resigns!

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict shocked the world on Monday by saying he no longer had the mental and physical strength to cope with his ministry, in an announcement that left his aides "incredulous" and will make him the first pontiff to step down since the Middle Ages.

The German-born Pope, 85, hailed as a hero by conservative Roman Catholics and viewed with suspicion by liberals, told cardinals in Latin that his strength had deteriorated recently. He will step down on February 28 and the Vatican expects a new Pope to be chosen by the end of March.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Pope had not decided to resign because of "difficulties in the papacy" and the move had been a surprise, indicating that even his inner circle was unaware that he was about to quit.

The Pope does not fear schism in the Church after his resignation, the spokesman said.

The Pope's leadership of 1.2 billion Catholics has been beset by child sexual abuse crises that tarnished the Church, one address in which he upset Muslims and a scandal over the leaking of his private papers by his personal butler.

The pope told the cardinals that in order to govern "...both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

"For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter."

He also referred to "today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith."

The last Pope to resign willingly was Celestine V in 1294 after reigning for only five months, his resignation was known as "the great refusal" and was condemned by the poet Dante in the "Divine Comedy". Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415 to end a dispute with a rival claimant to the papacy.

"NO OUTSIDE PRESSURE," JUST ADVANCING AGE

Before he was elected Pope, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was known by such critical epithets as "God's rottweiler" because of his stern stand on theological issues.

But after several years into his new job Benedict showed that he not only did not bite but barely even barked.

In recent months, the pope has looked increasingly frail in public, sometimes being helped to walk by those around him.

Lombardi ruled out depression or uncertainty as being behind the resignation, saying the move was not due to any specific illness, just advancing age.

The Pope had shown "great courage, determination" aware of the "great problems the church faces today", he said, adding the timing may have reflected the Pope's desire to avoid the exhausting rush of Easter engagements.

There was no outside pressure and Benedict took his "personal decision" in the last few months, he added.

Israel's Chief Rabbi praised Benedict's inter-faith outreach and wished him good health. The Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Church, said he had learned of the Pope's decision with a heavy heart but complete understanding.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Pope's decision must be respected if he feels he is too weak to carry out his duties. British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "He will be missed as a spiritual leader to millions."

The pontiff would step down from 2 p.m. ET on February 28, leaving the office vacant until a successor was chosen to Benedict who succeeded John Paul, one of history's most popular pontiffs, the spokesman said.

Elected to the papacy on April 19, 2005 when he was 78 - 20 years older than John Paul was when he was elected - Benedict ruled over a slower-paced, more cerebral and less impulsive Vatican.

MEEK DEMEANOUR, STEELY INTELLECT

But while conservatives cheered him for trying to reaffirm traditional Catholic identity, his critics accused him of turning back the clock on reforms by nearly half a century and hurting dialogue with Muslims, Jews and other Christians.

Under the German's meek demeanor lay a steely intellect ready to dissect theological works for their dogmatic purity and debate fiercely against dissenters.

After appearing uncomfortable in the limelight at the start, he began feeling at home with his new job and showed that he intended to be Pope in his way.

Despite great reverence for his charismatic, globe-trotting predecessor -- whom he put on the fast track to sainthood and whom he beatified in 2011 -- aides said he was determined not to change his quiet manner to imitate John Paul's style.

A quiet, professorial type who relaxed by playing the piano, he managed to show the world the gentle side of the man who was the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcer for nearly a quarter of a century.

The first German pope for some 1,000 years and the second non-Italian in a row, he traveled regularly, making about four foreign trips a year, but never managed to draw the oceanic crowds of his predecessor.

The child abuse scandals hounded most of his papacy. He ordered an official inquiry into abuse in Ireland, which led to the resignation of several bishops.

STRING OF SCANDALS

Scandal from a source much closer to home hit in 2012 when the pontiff's butler, responsible for dressing him and bringing him meals, was found to be the source of leaked documents alleging corruption in the Vatican's business dealings, causing an international furor.

He confronted his own country's past when he visited the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.

Calling himself "a son of Germany", he prayed and asked why God was silent when 1.5 million victims, most of them Jews, died there during World War Two.

Ratzinger served in the Hitler Youth during World War Two when membership was compulsory. He was never a member of the Nazi party and his family opposed Adolf Hitler's regime.

But his trip to Germany also prompted the first major crisis of his pontificate. In a university lecture he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor as saying Islam had only brought evil to the world and that it was spread by the sword.

After protests that included attacks on churches in the Middle East and the killing of a nun in Somalia, the Pope later said he regretted any misunderstanding the speech caused.

[JoA: Which of course disproved the allegation!]

In a move that was widely seen as conciliatory, in late 2006 he made a historic trip to predominantly Muslim Turkey and prayed in Istanbul's Blue Mosque with a Turkish Mufti.

But months later, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami met the Pope and said wounds between Christians and Muslims were still "very deep" as a result of the Regensburg speech.

(Writing by Peter Millership; editing by Janet McBride and Ralph Boulton)





The Prophecies of Malachy?

Pope No.	Name (Reign)	Motto No.	Motto (and explanation)
167	Celestine II (1143-1144)	1	Ex castro Tyberis (from a castle on the Tiber) Hist.: Celestin II was born in Citta di Castello, Toscany, on the shores of the Tiber
168	Lucius II (1144-1145)	2	Inimicus expulsus
169	Eugene III (1145-1153)	3	Ex magnitudine montis (Of the greatness of the mount) Hist.: Born in the castle of Grammont (latin: mons magnus), his family name was Montemagno
170	Anastasius IV (1153-1154)	4	Abbas Suburranus
171	Adrian IV (1154-1159)	5	De rure albo (field of Albe) Hist.: Born in the town of Saint-Alban
Antipope	Victor IV (1159-1164)	6	Ex tetro carcere
Antipope	Paschal III (1164-1168)	7	Via trans-Tyberina
Antipope	Calistus III (1168-1178)	8	De Pannonia Tusciæ
172	Alexander III (1159-1181)	9	Ex ansere custode
173	Lucius III (1181-1185)	10	Lux in ostio
174	Urban III (1185-1187)	11	Sus in cribo
175	Gregory VIII (1187)	12	Ensis Laurentii
176	Clement III (1187-1191)	13	De schola exiet
177	Celestine III (1191-1198)	14	De rure bovensi
178	Innocent III (1198-1216)	15	Comes signatus (signed Count) Hist.: descendant of the noble Signy, later called Segni family
179	Honorius III (1216-1227)	16	Canonicus de latere
180	Gregory IX (1227-1241)	17	Avis Ostiensis (Bird of Ostia) Hist.: before his election he was Cardinal of Ostia
181	Celestine IV (1241)	18	Leo Sabinus
182	Innocent IV (1243-1254)	19	Comes Laurentius
183	Alexander IV (1254-1261)	20	Signum Ostiense
184	Urban IV (1261-1264)	21	Hierusalem Campaniæ (Jerusalem of Champagne) Hist.: native of Troyes, Champagne, later patriarch of Jerusalem
185	Clement IV (1265-1268)	22	Draca depressus
186	Gregory X (1271-1276)	23	Anguinus vir
187	Innocent V (1276)	24	Concionatur Gallus
188	Adrian V (1276)	25	Bonus Comes
189	John XXI (1276-1277)	26	Piscator Tuscus
190	Nicholas III (1277-1280)	27	Rosa composita
191	Martin IV (1281-1285)	28	Ex teloneo liliacei Martini
192	Honorius IV (1285-1287)	29	Ex rosa leonina
193	Nicholas IV (1288-1292)	30	Picus inter escas
194	Nicholas IV (1288-1292)	31	Ex eremo celsus (elevated from a hermit) Hist.: prior to his election he was a hermit in the monastery of Pouilles
195	Boniface VIII (1294-1303)	32	Ex undarum benedictione
196	Benedict XI (1303-1304)	33	Concionator patereus
197	Clement V (1305-1314)	34	De fessis Aquitanicis (ribbon of Aquitaine) Hist.: was archbishop of Bordeaux in Aquitaine
198	John XXII (1316-1334)	35	De sutore osseo (of the cobbler of Osseo) Hist.: Family name Ossa, son of a shoe-maker
Antipope	Nicholas V (1328-1330)	36	Corvus schismaticus (the schismatic crow) Note the reference to the schism, the only antipope at this period
199	Benedict XII (1334-1342)	37	Frigidus Abbas (cold friar) Hist.: he was a priest in the monastery of Frontfroid (coldfront)
200	Clement VI (1342-1352)	38	De rosa Attrebatensi
201	Innocent VI (1352-1362)	39	De montibus Pammachii
202	Urban V (1362-1370)	40	Gallus Vice-comes
203	Gregory XI (1370-1378)	41	Novus de Virgine forti (novel of the virgin fort) Hist.: count of Beaufort, later Cardinal of Ste-Marie La Neuve
Antipope	Clement VII (1378-1394)	42	De cruce Apostilica
Antipope	Benedict XIII (1394-1423)	43	Luna Cosmedina
Antipope	Clement VIII (1423-1429)	44	Schisma Barcinonicum
204	Urban VI (1378-1389)	45	De Inferno pregnani(From the hell of Pregnani) Hist.: He was a town called Inferno in the region of Pregnani.
205	Boniface IX (1389-1404)	46	Cubus de mixtione
206	Innocent VII (1404-1406)	47	De meliore sydere
207	Gregory XII (1406-1415)	48	Nauta de ponte nigro
Antipope	Alexander V (1409-1410)	49	Flagellum Solis
Antipope	John XXIII (1410-1415)	50	Cervus Sirenæ
208	Martin V (1417-1431)	51	Corona veli aurei
209	Eugene IV (1431-1447)	52	Lupa cælestina
Antipope	Felix V (1439-1449)	53	Amator crucis
210	Nicholas V (1447-1455)	54	De modicitate lunæ
211	Callistus III (1455-1458)	55	Bos pascens (grazing ox) Hist.: Alphonse Borgia's arms sported a golden grazing ox
212	Pius II (1458-1464)	56	De capra et Albergo
213	Paul II (1464-1471)	57	De cervo et Leone
214	Sixtus IV (1471-1484)	58	Piscator Minorita
215	Innocent VIII (1484-1492)	59	Præcursor Siciliæ
216	Alexander VI (1492-1503)	60	Bos Albanus in portu
217	Pius III (1503)	61	De parvo homine
218	Julius II (1503-1513)	62	Fructus jovis juvabit
219	Leo X (1513-1521)	63	De craticula Politiana
220	Adrian VI (1522-1523)	64	Leo Florentius
221	Clement VII (1523-1534)	65	Flos pilæi ægri
222	Paul III (1534-1549)	66	Hiacynthus medicorum
223	Julius III (1550-1555)	67	De corona Montana
224	Marcellus II (1555)	68	Frumentum floccidum
225	Paul IV (1555-1559)	69	De fide Petri
226	Pius IV (1559-1565)	70	Æsculapii pharmacum
227	St. Pius V (1566-1572)	71	Angelus nemorosus
228	Gregory XIII (1572-1585)	72	Medium corpus pilarum
229	Sixtus V (1585-1590)	73	Axis in medietate signi
230	Urban VII (1590)	74	De rore cæli
231	Gregory XIV (1590-1591)	75	De antiquitate Urbis
232	Innocent IX (1591)	76	Pia civitas in bello
233	Clement VIII (1592-1605)	77	Crux Romulea
234	Leo XI (1605)	78	Undosus Vir
235	Paul V (1605-1621)	79	Gens perversa
236	Gregory XV (1621-1623)	80	In tribulatione pacis
237	Urban VIII (1623-1644)	81	Lilium et rosa
238	Innocent X (1644-1655)	82	Jucunditas crucis
239	Alexander VII (1655-1667)	83	Montium custos
240	Clement IX (1667-1669)	84	Sydus Olorum (constellation of swans) Hist.: upon his election, he was apparently the occupant of the Chamber of Swans in the Vatican.
241	Clement X (1670-1676)	85	De flumine magno
242	Innocent XI (1676-1689)	86	Bellua insatiabilis
243	Alexander VIII (1689-1691)	87	Pœnitentia gloriosa
244	Innocent XII (1691-1700)	88	Rastrum in porta
245	Clement XI (1700-1721)	89	Flores circumdati
246	Innocent XIII (1721-1724)	90	De bona Religione
247	Benedict XIII (1724-1730)	91	Miles in bello
248	Clement XII (1730-1740)	92	Columna excelsa
249	Benedict XIV (1740-1758)	93	Animal rurale
250	Clement XIII (1758-1769)	94	Rosa Umbriæ
251	Clement XIV (1769-1774)	95	Ursus velox
252	Pius VI (1775-1799)	96	Peregrinus Apostolicus
253	Pius VII (1800-1823)	97	Aquila rapax
254	Leo XII (1823-1829)	98	Canis et coluber
255	Pius VIII (1829-1830)	99	Vir religiosus
256	Gregory XVI (1831-1846)	100	De balneis hetruriæ (bath of Etruria) Hist.: prior to his election he was member of an order founded by Saint Romuald, at Balneo, in Etruria, present day Toscany.
257	Pius IX (1846-1878)	101	Crux de cruce (Cross of Crosses) Hist.:Pius XI was the last Pope to reign over the Papal States (the middle third of what is today Italy). He ended up being a prisoner of the Vatican, never venturing outside Vatican City. A much heavier burden than his predecessors.
258	Leo XIII (1878-1903)	102	Lumen in cælo<BR.>(Light in the Heavens) Hist.: Leo XIII wrote encyclicals on Catholic social teaching that were still being digested 100 years later. He added considerably to theology.
259	St. Pius X (1903-1914)	103	Ignis ardens (ardent fire) Hist.: The Pope had great personal piety and achieved a number of important reforms in the devotional and liturgical life of priests and laypeople.
260	Benedict XV (1914-1922)	104	Religio depopulata (Religion laid waste) Hist.: This Pope reigned during the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia which store the establishment of Communism.
261	Pius XI (1922-1939)	105	Fides intrepida (Intrepid faith) Hist.: This Pope stood up to Fascist and Communist forces lining up against him in the lead up to World War II.
262	Pius XII (1939-1958)	106	Pastor angelicus (Angelic Shepherd) Hist.: This Pope was very mystical, and is believed to have received visions. People would kneel when they received telephone calls from him. His encyclicals add enormously to the understanding of Catholic beliefs (even if they are now overlooked because of focus on the Second Vatican Council, which occurred so soon after his reign).
263	John XXIII (1958-1963)	107	Pastor et Nauta (pastor and marine) Hist.: prior to his election he was patriarch of Venice, a marine city, home of the gondolas
264	Paul VI (1963-1978)	108	Flos florum (flower of flowers) Hist.: his arms displayed three lilies.
265	John Paul I (1978)	109	De medietate Lunæ (of the half of the moon) Hist.: Albino Luciani, born in Canale d'Agardo, diocese of Belluno, (beautiful moon) Elected pope on August 26, his reign lasted about a month, from half a moon to the next half...
266	John Paul II (1978-2005)	110	De labore Solis (of the eclipse of the sun, or from the labour of the sun) Hist.: Karol Wojtyla was born on May 18, 1920 during a solar eclipse. He also comes from behind the former Iron Curtain (the East, where the Sun rises). He might also be seen to be the fruit of the intercession of the Woman Clothed with the Sun labouring in Revelation 12 (because of his devotion to the Virgin Mary). His Funeral occurred on 8 April, 2005 when there was a solar eclipse visible in the Americas.
267	Benedict XVI (2005-2013)	111	Gloria olivæ Proponents of the prophecies generally try to draw a connection between Benedict and the Olivetan order to explain this motto: Benedict's choice of papal name is after Saint Benedict of Nursia, founder of the Benedictine Order, of which the Olivetans are one branch. Other explanations make reference to him has being a pope dedicated to peace and reconciliations of which the olive branch is the symbol.
			In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, & Judex tremêdus judicabit populum suum. Finis. (In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people. The End.)

European Union In Prophecy

Stage setting for Bible prophecy yet future already moves forward at an electrifying pace. Even so, the end-time speedometer amazingly continues to accelerate, as is demonstrated by each hourly world news report. Developments involving the European Union are on the leading edge of Planet Earth's race toward the seven-year peace treaty Bible prophecy foretells will set in motion the tribulation era.

Europe will one day almost certainly be the heart of the Antichrist beast-system of governmental, economic and religious control prophesied to engulf the world. It will also be at the heart of a false peace process that will initiate the tribulation, which will culminate at Armageddon. Let's take a look at the European Union's development and growth in the twentieth century until the present. We will only make brief references to the prophecies, so far as where they are found in the Bible is concerned. This will be an examination of what is happening now in the development of that prophesied evil world government that Jesus Christ will destroy with His second coming to the earth.

Daniel, Chapter 2, presents the dream Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar had, which provides the basis for our understanding that history's final system of government will try to establish total global dictatorship.

Daniel, the young Hebrew prophet, asked for and received permission to interpret the king's dream of a gigantic metallic statue of a man. The prophet did so, after praying with friends to ask God for details of the dream and for the meanings of the dream. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the statue's head of gold represented the king's kingdom. The chest and arms of silver represented the second kingdom. The belly and thighs of bronze represented the third world kingdom. The fourth world kingdom to come upon the earth would be, Daniel prophesied, symbolized by the two legs of iron. The final world kingdom would be shown as the statue's feet made of iron mixed with clay.

History has proved, to the satisfaction of most Bible scholars who study prophecy in depth, that the first four world kingdoms prophesied through Nebuchadnezzar's dream have come and gone. Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian kingdom was the first. The Medes and Persians comprised the second world empire. The Greek Empire under Alexander the Great was the third. The Roman Empire, which split into two, with capitals in Rome and Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), was the fourth great world kingdom.

One is left to come upon the scene'the final world governmental system represented in Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream as the feet and toes made of iron mixed with clay. This final world kingdom, we believe, is far along in the process of coming together today in the form of the European Union (EU). The fifth world empire symbolized in the statue is prophesied to be an extension of the fourth kingdom. That is exactly what the EU is 'an extension of the ancient Roman Empire. It is, we are convinced, the feet and toes of the man-image, the reviving of the unity that was once Europe in all its power and glory. Yet, despite the tremendous power the final form of the Roman Empire will have, the clay mixed with the iron seems to indicate it will have significant weaknesses.

Again, we must, for the sake of proper focus, mention the given prophecies that have been already fulfilled, only briefly. The first of those is the king's dream of the tremendous metallic man-image, which the great prophet Daniel interpreted. The other prophecy most relevant to looking at the European Union as figuring into prophecy yet future is also found in the Book of Daniel:

'And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate'' (Dan. 9:26-27).

This all-encompassing prophecy foretells plainly that the final world ruler, Antichrist, will rise out of the Roman Empire. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD under the leadership of Roman General Titus. The future Roman leader ('the prince that shall come') is prophesied to be a dictator like no other in history.

This 'prince that shall come' will come as a peacemaker, confirming a covenant of peace with Israel. He will, at the halfway point in the seven-year peace agreement, invade the Jews' Temple and destroy their worship. Thus will begin the great tribulation, or 'Jacob's trouble,' the last three and one-half years of the seven years of Daniel's seventieth week (the tribulation era).

We must move forward now from the times in which the prophecies were given into the more recent past, the present, and the prophetic future in dealing with the matter of the European Union in prophecy.

The twentieth century began with Europe, the heart of what was the ancient Roman Empire, in decline. The upstart, America, was coming on strong as a world leader among nations. This circumstance, some historians propose, was a major factor in setting in motion movement toward World War I. Following that war, Europe was in chaos, but with great determination set about to put its house in order.

Despite fierce nationalism among Europe's nations, by 1954, the recovery was looked at as an economic miracle. Still, there was a major problem in ever achieving the much longed-for unity of purpose so many European thinkers elite coveted for the region. The nations had come together to fight in a common cause against Germany for the most part. However, each country continued to be completely independent from one another, and to maintain impenetrable economic trade-barrier walls. The situation made carrying on trade with other European nations difficult, if not impossible.

Powerful economic dynamics began to move Europe toward its prophetic destiny. The old Roman Empire, which had fallen apart but was never destroyed, began reforming on May 9, 1950.

French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman contacted West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, proposing that the two nations merge their steel and coal production. They would act, the proposal went, as one in dealing internationally in those matters. The governments, however, would remain independent. There would be no joint, intergovernmental authority in the pact. Adenauer and the Germans agreed the same night of the proposal. Six nations, by May, 1952, had ratified the European Coal and Steel Community. The glue that would begin putting the Humpty Dumpty, old Roman Empire, together again had been applied.

Europe's Coal and Steel Community experiment in economic reunification was successful. Other negotiations for further economic integration led to the signing of the Treaties of Rome in March, 1957. That established the European Economic Community (EEC), and the European Atomic Energy Commission (EURACOM).

Following another step toward reunification with agricultural integration in 1962, the stage was set for the Brussels Treaty of 1965, also called the Second Treaty of Rome. All previous treaties were merged into a four-fold structure. The structure consisted of a commission, council, parliament, and court.

The United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark joined the other six members of the EEC in 1973. Greece was admitted in 1981, and Spain, then Portugal, joined in 1986. The European Community (EC) approved the Treaty of Maastricht in December, 1991, the third foundational treaty of the drive toward European reunification.

It follows that a unified Europe needs a single currency, so the Maastricht Treaty established the European Monetary Union (EMU) in three stages. The stages took place in 1991, 1994, and 1997. The single European unit of currency, the euro, was created January 1, 2002.

Today, of course, many more nations have been accepted into the EU. Jack Kinsella, writing for The Omega Letter, Prophecy Update, 4/23/03, says: 'The European Union consists of more than 25 European nations today, but there are only ten full members. The rest are associate members or have observer status. The ten nations of the Western European Alliance have a distinct and separate status from the remaining associates.'

Where the number of countries that will ultimately constitute the EU will end is anybody's guess, but the figure that has long fascinated prophecy watchers is the number 10. This fascination stems in part from Daniel 7:7-8 and Revelation 13:1. Both passages describe a beast with ten horns. The prophets Daniel and John apparently saw the same beast in their visions, the beast symbolizing ten heads of ten kingdoms.

Further, a heavenly being tells John in Revelation, chapter 17, that the vision of (apparently) the same beast he saw in Revelation 13:1 and the woman riding upon its back symbolize a religious system riding (receiving its own authority to dominate) on the power and authority of a satanically empowered system headed by ten kings over ten kingdoms. These things are to occur during the future time just before Christ's return to earth to set up His Kingdom.

It isn't surprising, then, that the addition of 10 nations to the EU in 2003 sent some prophecy buffs into speculation orbit.  As Jesus said in Matthew 24: 6, ''the end is not yet''

That is not to say that we shouldn't get excited over things of obvious prophetic significance we see occurring. An abundance of signals indeed makes the diligent student of God's Word know that ours could well be the generation that will see fulfillment of all things prophesied for this earth age.

No prophecy seems more in view today than the foretelling about the beast that Daniel and John reported seeing in their visions. Nonetheless, we simply must proceed with caution in analyzing what we see happening. We must take care not to read into the events significance that isn't there. Truly, the facts involving current events are astonishing enough! It's not necessary for us to embellish.

The European Union is on the march as never before, despite its family feuding on occasion. For example, just before the recently concluded 'Operation Iraqi Freedom,' we recall that France, Germany, and Belgium threatened EU nations that sided with the U.S. and the United Kingdom. These three promised serious consequences if any EU partner joined the coalition that vowed to remove Saddam's dictator regime.

Yet, just as quickly as the U.S. and Great Britain, joined by a group of like-minded countries, swiftly dealt with Hussein and his henchmen, the EU, headed primarily by France and Germany, was back to business as usual.

It is more than interesting to note that these two, France and Germany, are the same two primarily instrumental in starting the drive toward unification with their Steel, Coal Community idea in 1950. It is likewise more than interesting that the French in particular now are declaring their commitment to good relations with the U.S. and the U.K. France offers its better-late-than-never largesse to, as they phrase it, 'contribute' all it can to the establishment of a viable Iraqi government.

The European Union, according to some of its primary players, is undeniably joined at the hip 'or somewhere'to the United Nations, so far as the whole Iraqi affair is concerned. It seems that they, together, consider themselves the true representatives of the 'international community.' The coalition, i.e., the United States and Britain, did the liberating, but France's Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, Germany's Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder, and the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, with nodding approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin, act as if their oversight of post-Saddam Iraq is a foregone conclusion. That anything less than their plans for the region will be illegitimate and unacceptable by nations of the region and around the world.

It is just that sort of arrogance that gave the Caesars of the ancient Roman Empire their lust and determination to try to conquer the world. Supreme arrogance will inspire Antichrist, 'the prince that shall come' out of the revived Roman Empire, to take charge of the ten-horned beast-government and do his deadly worst to enslave the world. If the EU's arrogant posturing in the Iraq matter is somewhat of an indicator that we might be witnessing the forming of the beast-government of Daniel 7, Revelation 13, and Revelation 17-18, then things on the geopolitical horizon surely are irrefutable signs that we are bumping up against the very end of the age.

The two preeminent entities of Bible prophecy yet future are emerging and will shortly collide with each other. These prophetic entities are Israel and the people of 'the prince that shall come' (Europe). Now that the conflict within the region where ancient Babylon once sat appears to be under control, all eyes, cameras, and microphones are turning 'as they always do'back toward Israel and Jerusalem.

The European Union is presently at the forefront of calling for Israel and the Palestinians to come to the peace table. It will be just such a peace negotiation, according to Daniel 9:26-27, out of which will come the ''covenant made with death and hell" (Isa. 28:15, 18). Antichrist, "the prince that shall come," will personally guarantee that covenant. But the prophetic Word says that ''when they shall say peace and safety, then, sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape" (1 Thes. 5:3).

The Islamic world's hatred for the Jews and the nation Israel is satanic at its core. No amount of negotiating for peace ever will change that. Israel's neighbors want the Jewish state forever done away with 'expunged from what they consider their land. The Arab leaders, all dictators to one degree or another, must keep the region in foment against Israel to assure their dictatorships stay in power. Kinsella writes:

'When the population [of Arab states] is demonstrating against Israel, they aren't demonstrating against their own repressive regimes. On the other hand, they've seen the price of defiance paid by Saddam Hussein.

In terms of Bible prophecy, this is significant on several levels. It is clear that the Islamic world will never accept the existence of Israel.

However, they are unlikely to directly challenge the US war machine that leveled Iraq in 21 days. The U.S. is pursuing, as part of the 'Quartet' of nations, a 'Road Map to Peace' which will, in essence, force a peace settlement between Israel and her neighbors.

The Quartet consists of the U.S. (Israel's only ally), the EU (Islam's most powerful ally) Russia, (Islam's most powerful patron) and the UN (Israel's most powerful enemy).

The Bible speaks to three of the four members of the Quartet. Daniel speaks of the ten kings who arise out of the ashes of the Roman Empire. Daniel says that out of this alliance will rise the antichrist, who will confirm a seven year peace deal between Israel and the many [Israel's enemies all around].'

America's part in pushing Israel toward the table of false peace and has declared that that nation must bring to the table the idea that a Palestinian state will be created. That future state must, the U.S. as well as the EU and the others of the Quartet demand, be formed out of land of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).

The European Union's influence is growing at a phenomenal rate. Soon its economy will, it is predicted, eclipse that of the U.S. in almost every category. It is a beast just about to be released upon an unsuspecting world.

Its key leaders gave a preview of coming attractions when they blocked at every turn America's attempts to get the nations of the UN to honor the resolution they had agreed to regarding the overthrow of Saddam's regime. Understanding that Europe has shed its former robes of Christianity to accept its prophesied economic and governmental role within the end-time Babylonian system of world domination is essential to understanding its beast nature. Those key EU leaders, in their callous deception, were willing to see the pitiful people of Iraq continue to suffer horrendously under Saddam Hussein's murder and torture rather than give up their oil deals and other profitable enterprises they enjoyed that were given them by the despotic Iraqi monsters. Same with the UN. It has come out that the food-for-oil program profited that organization tremendously, with billions of dollars paid the Kofi Annan-administered program.

Searches by our military forces have produced records of the economic collusion between Saddam's government and the governments of Russia, France, Germany and others. It is highly considered that this might well be the reason the leaders of these nations so adamantly opposed Hussein's being deposed. Perhaps they feared just such light of truth would be shed upon their dark dealings.

Out of this strange mixture of democracy and collusion with dictators, a man will emerge whom Bible prophecy says will be a genius at such underhanded dealings. That Scripture says: 'And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up' (Dan. 8:23).

Antichrist will understand exactly how to get the most for himself and his world-order elitists who assist him in his drive to enslave the world.

The European Union grows rapidly toward its full power that will produce a leader of unprecedented authority. Bible prophecy foretells that seven out of ten 'kings' will back a world leader, who will forcibly rip power from the other three and give it to himself. The great question of our time, prophetically speaking, might be: Is the European Union the prophesied governmental body that will eventuate in becoming the ten kingdoms that will provide Antichrist with his beastly power?

No one can say for certain, although some seem to have no problem making such declarations, as if they personally helped God give the prophets the prophecies. All we will say here is that with all other prophetic indicators seemingly in full view upon the immediate geopolitical horizon, another profound ingredient has just been added to the fascinating mix. If the EU is not the body that will evolve into that most evil of history's empires, it must be that biblically prophesied empire's twin.

The EU has now begun the process that will give it a leader like none other. 

The fact that the European Union is in prophecy is self-evident because of today's stunning headlines. The true importance of that, if the EU is in fact the forming of the beast-kingdom from which Antichrist will come upon the world scene.

By Terry James and Todd Strandberg

Paying With The Palm Of Your Hand

Student gets his hand scanned at York Dining Hall. The new biometric hand scanning technology allows students to access meal plans without having to use a MaineCard.

University of Maine Dining Services is testing a program for entry to its facilities that could replace the use of MaineCards with a “hands-on” experience for students with meal plans.

Over the next month, Dining Services will be testing a pilot program that uses a scan of an individual’s palm in place of his or her MaineCard. The program uses infrared technology to recognize the meal plan user’s palm and links that image to that person’s MaineCard account.

“Instead of swiping your MaineCard, the program is going to identify you by the palm of your hand,” said Benny Veenhof, director of technology management at UMaine. “It takes a snapshot of the veins and creates a black pattern that it then converts into an encrypted algorithm.”

Veenhof said each hand scanner will resemble a bucket and will be placed next to the cash register. Upon checkout, students will be asked to place their hands in the bucket, allowing the scanner to read their palms in seconds.

The computer will have access to all of a student’s meal plan information. Students with resident meal plans will have to sign up for the program and have their hand scanned into the database at no cost in order to use meal plans next fall.

Dining Services advertised times last week for students wanting to register early. The staff plans to offer more registration periods during new student orientations as well. Students who did not make last week’s sign-ups can get their hands scanned in the Student Service Center on the first floor of the Memorial Union.

Veenhof said the registration process should be easier than obtaining a new MaineCard. Students who scanned their hands into the database last week will be part of the pilot program for the rest of the semester.

“This is a pilot program, as we are testing its effectiveness out for the next month,” said Kathy Kittridge, director of operations for Black Bear Dining. “We anticipate it will be successful but want to be sure it will work for our needs, so we have introduced this now through the rest of the semester.”

She hopes the trial period this spring will help Dining Services work out any kinks in the system.

“We do have 650 people signed up to trial it through the semester,” Kittridge said. “If people have concerns, I welcome them to contact me so that I can address those.”

Veenhof said the purchase and installation of the hand-scan technology will cost roughly $5,000 — a relatively inexpensive cost, according to his calculations.

“It’s not as if Dining Services spent a lot of money on this,” Veenhof said. “We’re using our existing system as is. It is just a little addition which translates your palm into your MaineCard number at the register.”

In order to pick the right program, Veenhof said he and other staff members traveled to multiple universities to investigate what was being used at these locations. He pointed out most of the systems they looked into would require a new computer system. Along with installation expenses, the program could cost more than $15,000.

“This technology, believe it or not, is being used all over the country in middle schools in lunch programs for small kids,” Veenhof said. “It intrigued us that it is a middlewear solution, so we can just plug it into our existing [system] so it is a lot cheaper that way and it is as secure and safe as can be.”

The hand-scan program is one of several changes Dining Services will be making to its operations by next year. These changes include an unlimited meal plan that allows students to eat as many times as they like throughout the day at the Hilltop, York and Wells dining commons.

“We’re going to be changing to a new, unlimited meal plan for next year,” Kittridge said. “This program will help us with the speed of our service as well as accurately identifying students on meal plans.”

Student gets his hand scanned. The new biometric hand scanning technology allows students to access meal plans without having to use a MaineCard.

The new hand-scan program is being implemented in hopes of preventing students from passing MaineCards on to others so they can receive free meals. In the long run, ensuring a student’s meal plan is only used by that student will save Dining Services money and keep prices as low as possible.

“This system allows us to accurately identify the meal plan holder for this plan,” Kittridge said. “The more misuse of MaineCards and meal plans means the higher the cost for Dining Services, which eventually causes us to have to raise prices.”

Kittridge added that Dining Services plans to maintain prices for meal plans with no increase for next year. The hand-scan program is a major factor in making this financially possible. She explained that the misuse of a meal plan by one student could cost UMaine thousands of dollars.

“If the meal plan purchaser shares their meal plan for the full year with someone else by passing off their MaineCard, this potentially increases our costs by $4,100 just on this one misuse alone,” Kittridge said, adding that this system will help eliminate such misuse. “Those who purchase a meal plan will have three additional guest meals next year, which is the appropriate use for sharing a meal plan.”

She added that, along with the money the hand-scan system could save by helping to eliminate misuse, the speed of service and the convenience of the program helped make it an easy choice.

Kittridge said this program will not eliminate jobs for students because the cashier is still needed to validate the transaction at the register and MaineCards will still be needed for certain transactions involving Black Bear Bucks. She added that if for some reason a student cannot use the hand-scan system, a MaineCard would still be effective.

“The majority of the people I talked to saw how quick it was and thought it was kind of cool,” she said. “If you forget your MaineCard, you will always have your hand.”

Palm Vein Pattern Scan Technology

By mainecampus.com

The National Biometric ID Card

Sample

The Mark of the Beast or a foreshadowing of that system?

“This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.”--Revelation 13:18

As technology grows more sophisticated and the government and its corporate allies further refine their methods of keeping tabs on the American people, those of us who treasure privacy increasingly find ourselves engaged in a struggle to maintain our freedoms in the midst of the modern surveillance state.

Just consider the many ways we’re already being monitored and tracked: through our Social Security numbers, bank accounts, purchases and electronic transactions; by way of our correspondence and communications devices--email, phone calls and mobile phones; through chips implanted in our vehicles, identification documents, even our clothing. Data corporations are capturing vast caches of personal information on you so that airports, retailers, police and other government authorities can instantly identify and track you. Add to this the fact that businesses, schools and other facilities are relying more and more on fingerprints and facial recognition to identify us. All the while, banks and other financial institutions must verify the identities of new customers and make such records of customer transactions available to the police and government officials upon request.

In recent years, this information glut has converged into a mandate for a national ID card, which came to a head with Congress’ passage of the REAL ID Act in 2005. REAL ID requires states to issue machine-readable drivers’ licenses containing a wealth of personal data. However, because the REAL ID Act has been opposed by many states due to its cost and implementation, we have yet to be subjected to a nationwide implementation of a national ID card. That may all change depending on what happens with the immigration reform bill now before Congress.

A centerpiece of the immigration bill as proposed by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is a requirement that all U.S. workers, citizen and resident alike, be required to obtain and carry biometric Social Security cards (national ID cards under a different name) in order to work within the United States. Attempting to appease critics of a national ID card, Schumer and Graham insist that “no government database would house everyone’s information” and that the “cards would not contain any private information, medical information, or tracking devices.” However, those claims are blatantly false. Indeed, this proposed biometric card is nothing more than an end-run around opposition to a national ID card.

Civil and privacy rights advocates, as well as liberal-, conservative-, and libertarian-leaning organizations, have long raised concerns that a national ID card would enable the government to track citizens and, thus, jeopardize the privacy rights of Americans. President Reagan likened a 1981 proposal to the biblical “mark of the beast,” and President Clinton dismissed a similar plan because it smacked of Big Brother.

Most recently, The Rutherford Institute and the American Civil Liberties Union, along with a host of other organizations, voiced their opposition to the biometric ID card. In a letter to both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Judiciary Committees, Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee and the White House, this coalition of groups declared that such a national ID card would “not only violate privacy by helping to consolidate data and facilitate tracking of individuals, it would bring government into the very center of our lives by serving as a government permission slip needed by everyone in order to work. As happened with Social Security cards decades ago, use of such ID cards would quickly spread and be used for other purposes--from travel to voting to gun ownership.” And the national biometric ID card would “require the creation of a bureaucracy that combines the worst elements of the Transportation Security Administration and state Motor Vehicle Departments.”

At a minimum, these proposed cards will contain a memory device that stores distinct--and highly personal--physical or biological information unique to the cardholder such as fingerprints, retina scan information, a mapping of the veins on the top of your hand, and so on. Eventually, other information, such as personal business and financial data, will probably also be stored on these cards. For the cards to be effective, an information storage system and central database, which will be managed by the government and its corporate handlers, will be required. That means a lot of taxpayer dollars will be used to create the ultimate tracking device to be used against American citizens.

As journalist Megan Carpentier reports, “The federal government wants to spend hundreds of millions of dollars, and force employees and employers still suffering from a recession to do the same, to create and make accessible to every employer a national database of the fingerprints of all Americans from the time they are 14 years old. And they want to do it in order to keep an estimated 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants -- less than 4 percent of the total population of theUnited States -- from accessing the job market.” Under threat of substantial fines by the government and in what promises to be a cumbersome, bureaucratic process, employers will have to purchase ID card scanning devices (or visit their local DMV) in order to scan the cards of every individual they wish to hire before that individual can be employed. What this amounts to, essentially, is a troubling system in which all Americans would have to get clearance from the federal government in order to get a job.

Furthermore, the law’s requirement that machine-readable technology be incorporated into the card opens the door for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to be placed on the cards. RFID is a tiny, automatic identification system that enables data--in this case the private information of American citizens--to be transmitted by a portable device. This will provide the government with unprecedented access to American citizens’ personal information. In addition, RFID tags emit radio frequency signals that allow the government to track the movement of the cards, as well as the cardholders. In other words, wherever your card goes, so do the government monitors.

When all is said and done, the adoption of a national biometric ID card serves one purpose only: to provide the government with the ultimate control over the American people. As one commentator has remarked, this is a “naked government power grab.”

The time to resist is now. If we don’t, eventually, we will all have to possess one of these cards in order to be a functioning citizen in American society. Failing to have a biometric card will render you a non-person for all intents and purposes. Your whole life will depend on this card--your ability to work, travel, buy, sell, access health care, and so on.

What we used to call science fiction is now reality. And whether a national ID card is the mark of the Beast or the long arm of Big Brother, the outcome remains the same.

By John W. Whitehead
  

The False Prophet & The Mark Of The Beast

The False Prophet  

John saw political systems and leaders that he described using the term "Beast". John sees this beast coming up "out of the earth." Revelation 13 v.11 

Satan is a counterfeiter. So he has an "unholy trinity" that consists of himself, the Antichrist (the political) and the false prophet (the religious) The third member, of course is Satan himself. It is Satan that gives the false prophet his doctrine. Satan is the one who enables both members of the unholy trinity to "speak great things," perform "lying miracles, signs and wonders" and call down fire from heaven. 

Notice that the false prophet has horns as well: he has "two horns like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon." Rev. 13:11 Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world. The dragon is Satan. That gives us the religious perspective of the false prophet. He will be a counterfeit messiah, but his doctrine comes straight from Satan. 

The Antichrist will resent the true church and attempt to throw off these shackles is clear from the fact that he will destroy her in the middle of the Tribulation period and set up his own form of worship. To propagate that worship, the devil will provide a special man on the scene, the other awesome personage described in Rev. 13 as the "beast coming out of the earth." That these two beasts (the first beast that comes up out of the sea, the Antichrist, and this beast that comes up out of the earth) are men is clear from what will happen to them when our Lord returns at the end of the Tribulation.

 The greatest time of deception the world has ever faced or ever will face is the final 7 year tribulation period. Satan will go all out with deceiving spirits, signs and lying wonders potent enough almost to deceive even the very elect. Although that period has not come yet, it is highly probable that false teachers and deceivers committed to Satan are already in working their deceptive magic on the minds and emotions of people. 

Supernatural Powers of the False Prophet - Every false religious teacher and false prophet has tried by magic, trickery, or demonic power to deceive people by a display of supernaturalism. Religions of the world are bound by superstition. Only Jesus Christ is able to give us peace and confidence before God, and this is not dependent on supernatural displays or signs. None of the false teachers to the present time has ever possessed the supernatural powers that will be exhibited by the False Prophet on behalf of the Antichrist during the Tribulation period.

"And he performed great and miraculous signs" (Rev. 13 v.13) The word translated "miraculous signs" is the same word used by the Apostle John in his Gospel, describing the ministry of Jesus. This leads us to believe that the False Prophet will be equipped by Satan and the Antichrist with authority and power to do such supernatural miraculous signs as to "deceive the inhabitants of the earth." (Rev. 13 v.14) This should come as no surprise for the devil has great power. 

During the Tribulation period that Antichrist will have the power to perform "counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders." (2 Thess. 2 v.9) It does not seem surprising that the False Prophet will be able to reproduce everything that the special witnesses of God will be able to do, even to the point of "Maketh Fire Come Come From Heaven". Revelation 13 v.13

This predicted demonstration of supernatural, miraculous power should warn us of the significant truth that the mere display of supernatural power does not suffice as evidence that a matter or practice originates with God. All supernatural power is for the purpose of giving credentials to a person or a teaching. We have something far more important to stand as a test of all teaching, regardless of its accompanied signs - the Word of God. If a teaching is not in accord with that Word, it is false!

As we approach the end of the age and these signs in their initial stages begin to occur, we should not let miraculous power deceive us, but judge everything according to God's word.

"But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. Revelation 13 v.16 - Mark of the Beast The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur." (Rev. 19 v.20) This verse can apply only to the two beasts described in Rev. 13. This first is the governmental leader, called the Antichrist, who will set himself up as God; the second is his religious leader, who will incite men to worship Antichrist.


By discoverrevelation.com




The Mark of the Beast

Everyone Will Be Required to Take the Mark of the Beast - 666

Satan is the author of the phrase, "If you can't beat em, buy em". If he's learned anything from history, he's learned this equation: Healthy economy plus Really big Lie plus Weak, but Plausible Excuse plus Someone Else to Blame equals Social Control. It worked for Hitler. It seems to be working even better in the global arena. 

John describes it this way. "And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name." (Rev. 13 v.16-17)

The US government in WW2 furnished a device of this kind in the form of food rationing. It was not enough to have money sufficient to pay for an item, for one had to have food stamps. The same will be true during the 2nd half of the Tribulation, for the Antichrist will so control the economy that no one can live if he or she does not worship him.

The Mark of the Beast - Rev. 13 verses 13 -18 teaches that after the midpoint of the Tribulation, all men and women will be ordered to bow down before the image of the Beast and worship him. Those who do will receive "a mark on their foreheads" that is "the name of the beast, or the number of his name", later identified as the "Mark of the Beast" or 666 number. This will identify them as worshipers of the Beast. All those without that mark will be killed. Scripture makes it clear that receiving the mark of the Beast is no accident but the result of a deliberate choice made during the Tribulation.  Revelation 13 v. 16-17

That choice involves rejecting of the teaching of the 2 witnesses, the 144,000 Jewish witnesses, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2 v.28-32), and the angel with the everlasting gospel. (Rev. 14 v.6-7) Twice in chapter 14 an angel warns that "if anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on their forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God."

Those who accept the mark will be cast into hell "and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone .. And the smoke of their torments ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, (those) who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name" (v. 9-11) Fire and Brimstone

The aforementioned verses show that the mark is obtained only by those who sell their soul to the Beast, and the devil who gives him his power. This involves a willful rejection of God. 

The mark of the Beast does not appear until the middle of the Tribulation. 

People should be concerned if they go through the Tribulation. If they live into the Tribulation, they had better be prepared to make a choice. But they should understand this: Once the choice is made, it is eternal.

By discoverrevelation.com

Nebuchadnezzar's Vision

The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar About the Beast

It is very important to note that more than 250 years before the time of Ezekiel's vision, a civil war had taken place that divided the Jewish nation into two kingdoms. The Assyrians conquered the Ten Tribes of the Northern Kingdom, called Israel in 722 BC. This was the result of a long period of unbelief and apostasy. The Ten Northern Tribes were hopelessly dispersed among the nations by the time of Ezekiel.

It wasn't until 606 BC that God's patience became exhausted with Judah's unbelief. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered the Southern Kingdom, known as Judah for the first time in 606 BC, exactly as God had forewarned through His Prophets. He left a token number of Jews there and had the rest carried off to Babylon as slaves. When the appointed king Jeconiah rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar returned in 586 BC and utterly destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. All survivors were carried off as slaves, including Ezekiel.

From Empire to Empire (Beast) - John tells us that the 7 heads of the beast also represent 7 kingdoms;  "five have fallen, one is, and the other is still to come. The Other is Not Yet Come." Revelation 17 v.10 Here he is referring to those great world empires from the time of the original Babylon of Nimrod's day which have been dominated by the false occultic religion of Babylon. Beast with Seven Heads Revelation 13 v.1

The first kingdom was Assyria, with its occult mad capital city of Nineveh (see Nahum 3 v.4). The second was Egypt, which devoted much of its total wealth to the construction of the pyramids, all built according to astrological specifications. Egypt was also given to black magic (see Exodus 7 v.11, 22; 8 v.7, 18; and 2 Tim. 3 v.9). The third was the neo-Babylonian religion of Daniel's day, which really perfected the black arts. The fourth was Medo-Persia, which conquered Babylon but was in turn enslaved by the Babylonian religion.

The fifth was the Greek Empire. One visit to Greece and her ancient temple sites will convince you of the sway which idolatrous religions held there. Running through the culture of all these great past empires was an underlying belief in astrology. This was the cohesive force that bound together all the witchcraft, sorcery and magic. Kings would seldom make a move without consulting advisors steeped in the ancient art of Babylonian religion. The ancient priests enjoyed royal stature and power, especially in Egypt.

When John speaks of the "five kingdoms that have fallen," he means the five just mentioned. But then he says, "One is". This has to refer to the great empire of his day, Rome, which was filled with the same occultic beliefs that had originated on the plains of Shinar in ancient Babylon. This was the sixth kingdom of John's vision. John looks to the future when he says of the seventh head (kingdom), " the other is not yet come; and when it comes, it must continue a short while" (Rev. 17 v.10c) This refers to the future revival of the Roman empire.

The Kingdom According to Daniel - In Daniel 2 v.31-35 we find the vision of Nebuchadnezzar recalled by Daniel, the great prophet. He sums up this description of the four world empires with these words: While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. (Dan 2 v.34-35)

The interpretation of this vision is provided by Daniel in 2 v.36-45. After describing the parts of the great image as four world kingdoms - the head of gold as Babylon, the breast and arms of silver representing the Medo-Persian Empire, the belly and thighs of bronze representing the Greek Empire, and legs or iron signifying the Roman Empire.  Daniel describes the ten toes and the feet of iron and clay as representing the ten kingdoms that will cooperate in establishing the Antichrist in power during the Tribulation period.

Daniel's four beasts in chapter 7 represented future kingdoms, beginning with the lion, which represented the Babylonian Empire. Then he saw a bear, which represented the Medo Persian Empire, followed by a leopard, representing the Grecian Empire, and a nondescript beast, portraying the Roman Empire. These 4 animals, representing the four world kingdoms, are most interesting, for no world powers have existed other than the four described by Daniel, who wrote at the beginning of this chain of conquests.

John writes his description when the last government beast is in control; therefore his description is in reverse order. Whereas Daniel began with the lion, John ends with the lion Because these 2 prophets lived some 600 years apart, Daniel was looking forward to what would come to pass in relationship to these world kingdoms, but John is looking backward, for the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman Empires have already appeared on the world scene.

From this prophecy and its interpretation we see that God Himself will "set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed." Will pulverize all the known kingdoms of the world, and will expand His Kingdom until it will "crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end." This can be none other than the Kingdom of God. This, then, is the Kingdom of God ruled over by Christ, who is symbolized in the Bible as a rock.

His Kingdom will be firmly established, filling the whole earth. We have already seen in Rev. 17 and 18 that nothing is more detrimental to humanity than religion and government. Humanity tends to look on government as a panacea to solve all of its ills. By contrast, the Bible teaches that a government without a benevolent despot of supernatural origin as its leader cannot be a happy experience, but a source of human misery.

The seven heads described here probably refer to the 7 heads of the Roman government, the epitome of human evil, that would appear through history. Five emperors had come and gone by the apostle John's time; one ruled during his time; and the 7th represents the Antichrist to come.

A rather interesting side note regarding the Holy Spirit's description of the beast to represent kingdoms appears in the contrasts in the book of Daniel.  The world governments described in Nebuchadnezzar's image in Dan. 2 take the shape of an statue. Each section of that image represented one of the four coming world kingdoms. However, when God describes the coming world kingdoms, He uses beasts to symbolize them.

The ten horns symbolize the ten kings at the time of the end who would rule the world under Antichrist. When John tells us that the devil's tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to earth, he is probably describing the original demonic uprising against God. Satan somehow managed to convince a third of all God's angels to join him in his rebellion; these beings we now call "demons" or "fallen angels". They serve Satan and play an important role in the judgments of the Tribulation. We are given a glimpse into the future of the devil and his evil forces starting in verse 7.

Daniel was the first prophet to write about the Antichrist's one world government. The prophecy was given in a dream to the man whom historians consider the most absolute dictator in world history, king Nebuchadnezzar.

The Historical Accuracy of Daniel - Daniel wrote his book long before this prophecy came to pass; yet here we are, 2500 years later, and it has been fulfilled exactly as he predicted. In fact, his prophecy was so specific that for many years it was fashionable to suggest that an unknown author wrote it long after the four world governments were in place. Skeptics said the reason the prophecies where so accurate was that the writer was merely writing history, not prophecy.

Unfortunately for those skeptics, archaeologists have discovered copies of Daniel's prophecy dated from well within the period of the 2nd or Medo-Persian kingdom. There is no question today that Daniel's prophecy was accurate history written in advance. And that, of course, can happen only by divine revelation.

It is important to note that many have tried to conquer the world and become a 5th world leader. Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and many others have tried, all to no avail. The Bible said there would be four world governments and history reveals there have been only four.

Today, even though Rome is no longer an empire, virtually all western nations have taken their basic principles of government from Rome. The laws, statutes, senate, and other debating bodies have continued in what is called "Cesarean imperialism."

In the 13th chapter of Rev. the apostle John describes Daniel's ten kings as "horns" on the seven heads of a "beast". Don't let the imagery confuse you; while Nebuchadnezzar saw the future governments of man as a image or statue, God in parallel descriptions found in Rev. 7 & 8, saw them as beasts.

Daniel reveals that the ten kings pictured in Nebuchadnezzar's dream will not always obey every whim of the Antichrist. In fact, three of them rebel against him and are quickly crushed. Here is how he describes their rebellion and defeat: I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots, And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. (Daniel 7:8).

An amazing footnote of history which is enormously important: When Alexander began his conquest southward toward Egypt, he conquered most of Israel and besieged Jerusalem. The High Priest requested an audience, and showed Alexander that his whole life and career had been fore known and predicted by Israel's God more than 200 years before. He taught Alexander from the 2nd, 7th, and 8th chapters of Daniel. It is said that Alexander fell down and declared Yahweh, the Lord of Israel, the God of gods.

Also he spared Jerusalem and took with him many of the royal family of Judah and made them royal administrators of his conquered kingdoms. Jews were spread throughout the empire. Because of this, it later became necessary for the Hellenized Jews to have a Greek translation of their Hebrew Bible. The translation, known as the Septuagint (or LXX) for the seventy translators, was completed in 165 BC in a city founded by and named for Alexander, Alexandra, Egypt.

Thus, long before His birth, there were now available for the Gentile world the prophecies of the Messiah's coming as a humble servant who would provide a way to God for all peoples.

By discoverrevelation.com

Who Is The Antichrist?

Although the Bible does not specifically name who the antichrist will be, it does give us some clues as to what he will be like.

Bible Names for Antichrist:

By taking a look at the different names for the antichrist in the Bible, we can gain a better understanding of the kind of person he will be.

Antichrist

The name "antichrist" is only found in 1 John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3, and 2 John 7. The Apostle John was the only Bible writer to use the name antichrist. Studying these verses, we learn that many antichrists (false teachers) will appear between the time of Christ's first and Second Coming, but there will be one great antichrist who will rise to power during the end times, or "last hour," as 1 John phrases it. He will deny that Jesus is the Christ. He will deny both God the Father and God the Son. He will be a liar and a deceiver.

1 John 4:1-3 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world."

By the end times, many will easily be deceived and embrace the antichrist because his spirit will already dwell within the world.

Man of Sin

In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, the antichrist is described as the "man of sin," or "son of perdition." Here Paul, like John, is also warning believers about the antichrist's ability to deceive:

"Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."

A time of rebellion will come prior to Christ's return and then the "man of lawlessness, the man doomed to destruction" will be revealed. The antichrist eventually will exalt himself above God to be worshiped in the Lord's Temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Verses 9 and 10 say that the antichrist will do counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, to gain a following and deceive many.

The Beast

In Revelation 13:5-8, the antichrist is referred to as "the beast."

"Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered."

We see this name "the beast" used for antichrist several times in Revelation.

The antichrist will gain political power and spiritual authority over every nation on the earth. He will most likely begin his rise to power as a very influential, very charismatic, political or religious diplomat. He will rule the world government for forty-two months. According to many eschatologists, this time frame is understood to be during the latter half (3.5 years) of the tribulation. During this period, the world will endure a time of unprecedented trouble.

A Little Horn

In Daniel's prophetic vision of the end of days we see "a little horn" described in chapters 7, 8 and 11.

In the interpretation of the dream, this little horn is a ruler or king, and speaks, of the antichrist. Daniel 7:24-25 says, "The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time."

According to many end times Bible scholars, Daniel's prophecy interpreted together with verses in Revelation, specifically point to a future world empire coming from a "revived" or "reborn" Roman Empire, like the one in existence at the time of Christ. They predict that the antichrist will emerge from this race.

Joel Rosenberg, author of fiction (Dead Heat, The Copper Scroll, Ezekiel Option, The Last Days, The Last Jihad) and non-fiction (Epicenter) books about Bible prophecy, bases his conclusions about the antichrist on extensive Scripture study including Daniel's prophecy, Ezekiel 38-39, and the book of Revelation. He says that at first, the antichrist won't appear to be evil, but rather a charming diplomat. In an interview on April 25, 2008, he told Glenn Beck of CNN that the antichrist will be "somebody who understands the economy and the global sphere and wins people, a winsome character."

Rosenberg went on to say, "No commerce can be done without his approval. He will be ... seen as an economic genius, a foreign policy genius. And he will emerge out of Europe. Because Daniel chapter 9 says, the prince, who is to come, the antichrist, will come from people who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple ... Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans. We are looking for someone of a reconstituted Roman Empire ..."

False Christ

In the Gospels (Mark 13, Matthew 24-25, and Luke 21), Jesus warned his followers of the terrible events and persecution that will occur before his second coming. Most likely, this is where the concept of an antichrist was first introduced to the disciples, although Jesus does not refer to him in the singular:

"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." (Matthew 24:24, NKJV)

Conclusion

Is the Antichrist alive today? He could be. Will we recognize him? Perhaps not at first. However, the best way to avoid being deceived by the spirit of the antichrist is to know Jesus Christ and be ready for his return.

By Mary Fairchild

The Antichrist, The Image, And The Mark Of The Beast

One of the major events to occur just before the return of Christ as Conquering King is the appearance of an individual called the Antichrist. Most people who have studied the personality and deeds of this individual have totally misunderstood the essential factors associated with this person.
Many view the Antichrist, the image, the mark of the Beast, and the Beast's alliance of nations as things that will be easily recognized as evil and sinister. The reality is that the Antichrist and his religious system of government will look like the greatest and most wonderful religious, political, and economic system the world has ever seen. The leader of this alliance of nations will appear as a dynamic and charismatic individual who will lead his alliance of nations and the world into a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity.

A Great Deception

Jesus said that the deception surrounding the Antichrist will be so clever that only the elect of God will recognize him and understand his true intent and purpose:
"And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, seeing the beast, that it was a thing, and is not and yet now is" (Rev.17:8 Para.). See also Dan.12:9-10; Rev.1:1-8.
All others on earth will be deceived into thinking that this person is indeed a savior of humanity. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to recognize some of the characteristics and powers that this person may exhibit as he imposes his will on the world.
One must realize that deceived people do not know that they are deceived, and that a person will remain deceived unless they diligently and honestly put forth the effort to search for and accept truth. No one on earth is immune to being deceived or causing deception. In fact, the Bible says that the whole world has been deceived except for the elect of God.
The truth is that, there is not a person alive who knows every biblical truth in exact detail. Therefore, no one can totally rely upon another person for their understanding of God's word. This is why the elect are instructed to study to show themselves approved before God and to work out their own salvation in fear and trembling. See 2.Tim.2:14-16; Eph.2:12-13.

Who is the Antichrist?

First let us remove some of the mystique about the name Antichrist. Simply put the Antichrist is an individual who is against the true Christ and/or is attempting to pass himself off as the true Christ. In either case this individual is in opposition to God the Father and Jesus Christ and their teachings.
The Antichrist is the same dynamic and charismatic individual described elsewhere in the Bible as the Beast who is the leader of a powerful religious governmental system that controls an alliance of nations called the Beast. The Antichrist is the individual who has absolute authority, power, and control over all religious, philosophical, economic, and political aspects of people who live under his control.
It is very important to understand that this individual called the Antichrist and the Beast is not Satan the Devil, but is in Satan's service and is a representative of Satan's demonic spiritual government, just like the False Prophet (Rev.16:13; 20:10). The Bible clearly states that Satan the Devil is a master at the art of deception: “He is that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9). He has been a liar from the very beginning (Jn.8:44). The Antichrist is one of his most cleaver deceptions of all time, which will deceive all but the elect of God.

Signs and Miracles

The Antichrist, who is the leader of the alliance of nations called the Beast, will ascend to power accompanied by supernatural signs and miracles and will be accepted as a god in the flesh by most people on earth. Notice what Jesus says about the false christs and prophets who will precede his arrival as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Matthew 24:23-31 Paraphrased
"Then if anyone says to you, Behold, here is the Christ; or, Here he is! Do not believe it. For false christs will rise up, and false prophets. And they will give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I tell you beforehand. Then if they say to you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; do not go out. Behold, he is in the inner rooms; do not believe" (vs.23-26). See also Mk.13:21-22.
Throughout the centuries, many false Messiahs and false prophets have come and gone. During the time of trouble, at the end of the age, religious deception will be so intense that the only ones who will not be deceived are the elect of God who diligently follow the true God. In the following scriptures Jesus describes the major events that will accompany his arrival on earth.
Jesus says that his return will not be a silent or inconspicuous occurrence; it will be as lightning, which is always accompanied by a loud thunderous noise:
"For as lighting comes out of the east and shines as far as the west so also will be the coming of the Son of man" (v27).
Jesus also describes the cataclysmic celestial events that will take place before his return and the gathering of the elect:
"And immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the land will wail. And they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds; from one end of the heavens to the other" (vs.29-31).
The signs that precede Christ's return are awesome events that will occur in the heavens. The sun will become dark (Mk.13:24-26), the moon will not reflect sunlight to the earth, and the stars (Greek 'aster') will be moved out of their orbits. These signs will be apparent to everyone on earth. When Jesus returns in all his glory and power, his very presence will disrupt the physical universe. See Ex.19:16-18; 24:17; Isa.13:9-13; 24:1-5; Joel 2:10-12, 30; Hag.2:6-7.
Every person alive on earth at the time of Christ's return will be aware of these events that will occur in the heavens. Most people will be terrified and fear for their lives. Some will be terrified because they know that Christ is returning to destroy them, and others will be in fear because they think that the world is coming to an end.
The magnitude of the events that will accompany Christ's return will be far from secret or silent; they will be terrifying! All of the scriptures that speak of the appearance of the Beast leader and his Beast alliance of nations tell us that he will arrive before the events that precede Christ's coming. He will be alive as Christ pours destruction upon the earth and its inhabitants for their great wickedness and rebellion against God.

John, Peter, and Paul

The apostles John, Paul, and Peter warned of teachers and prophets who would come teaching heresies and they foretold that many people would follow these people and their lies.
At the time John, Paul, and Peter were inspired to write their letters, most of the elect of God thought that the return of Christ was imminent. Because this was not the case, the things these apostles said concerning people and conditions that would exist just before the return of Christ were mostly prophetic.

John

At the close of the first age of the church and before he was shown the things that pertained to the end of the age, the apostle John spoke about those who opposed Christ and what he taught about his relationship to God the Father and the elect children of God. As we review what John says about the Antichrist, notice that he says the Spirit of God residing within the children of God will separate a child of God from the world, make a child of God sinless, and reveal those who oppose and reject Christ and the Father:
"Young ones, it is the last time: and as you have heard that the Antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but were not a part of us, if they had been one of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that it should be known that they were not a part of us" (1.Jn.2:18-19 Para.).
John speaks of a prophecy that those to whom he was writing already knew about. He tells the elect of God that the fulfillment of this prophecy was already in progress at that time. He goes on to say that those who were against Christ at that time were never true sons of God, and that they had revealed their true nature and purpose by leaving the true body of Christ.
"And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I did not write to you because you did not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth" (1.Jn.2:20-21 Para.).
John confirms that those who have the spirit of God have the knowledge and ability to discern truth from error in spiritual matters, and that those who are liars and deceivers will be known by those who have the spirit of God within them, because the spirit of God reveals truth. See Jn.14:17, 15:26, 16:12-13; 1.Cor.2:12-13.
Because the spirit of God reveals truth, it is extremely important that each child of God during the end of this age listen very carefully to what the spirit says concerning the Antichrist and his religion and governmental system.

Who is a Liar?

Those who oppose Christ do not teach the truth concerning Jesus as the Creator God and Savior of humanity. These people also deny the individuality of the Father and the Son and they are liars in the eyes of God. The scriptures clearly show that the Antichrist will not teach the truth of God, but he will teach a lie:
"Who is the liar, but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son. Every one that denies the Son does not have the Father. The one who confesses the Son, truly has the Father also" (1.Jn.2:22-23 Para.).
The truly converted of the first age of the church understood exactly what John was saying concerning the Father, Christ, and the spirit of God, because they were taught the mysteries concerning the plan of God by the apostles. However, this knowledge was lost when the early church disappeared shortly after the apostle John's death.

The Seed

"Everyone being begotten of God [the Father] does not sin, because his [the Father's] seed [spirit of God] abides in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the Devil are revealed: Everyone failing to practice righteousness or love his brother is not of God" (1.Jn.3:9-10 Para.).
It is impossible to understand what John is saying here, unless one understands that the spirit of God within a child of God keeps them in a sinless condition before God the Father. As long as a child of God is seeking to live a righteous life and does not willfully and habitually practice sin, no sin is imputed to him. It is this same spirit of God that reveals to the elect of God who is and who is not of God. One of the major signs of the Antichrist/Beast is that he is a sinner according to the biblical definition of sin; therefore, it is necessary for all who are called of God to fully understand what sin is and is not, so that they will not be deceived by the Antichrist or his state religion which is led by the False Prophet.

Good and Evil Spirits

In the first three verses of 1. John, chapter 4, John speaks of testing for evil influence and he shows that a major key in this testing process is the understanding that Christ's spirit resides within the children of God:
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world. By this know the spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus has come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit which does not acknowledge that Jesus has come in the flesh is not from God: and this is the antichrist which you heard is coming, and now is already in the world" (1.Jn.4:1-3 Para.). See also 2.Jn.v.7; Matt.24:4-5.
Almost all opposition to God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the children of God comes from the evil influence of spirit-beings. Therefore, it is extremely important for God's children to be able to discern the difference between a good and an evil spiritual influence.
John says that a child of God can determine if a spirit (i.e., a spirit being or spiritual influence) is from God or not. If a spirit acknowledges that Christ has come in the flesh, it is good. If this acknowledgment is not made, this spirit or spiritual influence is evil and it is in opposition to God the Father and Jesus Christ.
On the surface it seems that the formula John gives to determine the character of a spirit-being or spiritual influence is simple and direct, and it is. However, the key to understanding John's instructions is to understand what he means when he says, "Jesus Christ has come in the flesh."
Most people will admit that the person Jesus lived and was a religious leader. Some will acknowledge that he was a prophet, and some will acknowledge him as the prophetic Savior of humanity. However, very few truly understand or will acknowledge him as the Creator God who became the Savior, died, was resurrected, and now lives in the flesh of the children of God.
Another important identifying sign of the Antichrist is that he will not acknowledge that Christ has come in the flesh in the same manner as the scriptures teach.

Peter

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who shall privily bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many [the majority of people] shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of" (2.Pet.2:1-2 KJV).
There are many things that people consider to be truth; however, what God reveals as the way of truth is not what most people believe as truth. It is God's way of truth that most people hate and ridicule. A number of prophecies tell us that the Antichrist will speak blasphemous things against God and his teachings.

Paul

2. Corinthians 11:3-4; 13-15
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. If anyone comes preaching another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit[an evil, lying spirit], which you have not received, or a different gospel, than the one you accepted" (vs.3-4 Para.).
During the lifetime of the apostle Paul, those who opposed Jesus Christ were preaching another Jesus and another gospel. This same false Jesus and message is still being preached and taught today. The Antichrist as the leader of the Beast alliance of nations will exist just before Christ's return and he will promote himself as a savior of humanity, but he will have his own deceptive good news message for humanity.
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" (vs.13-15 KJV).
Although verses 13-15 speak of those who are counterfeit ministers of Christ, the same basic concepts apply to the Antichrist/Beast, the False Prophet, and those who are in service to them as their representatives.

The Man of Sin

2.Thessalonians 2:3-11 Paraphrased
"Do not let anyone deceive you in any way: because that day will not come unless there first comes a falling away [departure from the faith], and the man of sin is revealed, who is the son of perdition" (v3).
An interesting thing about this man of sin is that Paul also calls him the son of perdition. The word translated into English as'perdition' is from the Greek word 'apoleia' which refers to an everlasting state of torment in this context. The being who inhabits the physical body of the Man of Sin (Son of Perdition) is not human. It is a spirit-being who will try to deceive people into believing that he is a god-being.

Deception and Arrogance

"This is the one who opposes and exalts himself over everything being called God, or object of worship; and he is to sit in the temple of God, as God; in order to show that he is a god" (v4).
In his arrogance, this powerful spirit-being masquerading as a human will desecrate the temple of the true God in Jerusalem by entering into it and sitting there in defiance of the true God in order to prove to the world that he is indeed a god, and that the true God is no god.
"Do you not remember, that, I told you these things when I was with you? And now you know the thing holding him [Man of Sin/Son of Perdition/Antichrist] back from being revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness already works: only he is holding back[being held back] now, until it comes out of the midst" (vs.5-7).
Paul had already talked with them about the Antichrist and told them that this individual was being restrained from coming out of the middle of something. The thing that this individual comes out of, according to visions of Daniel and the apostle John, is the alliance of nations symbolized by the beast that came out of the sea.
Therefore, it is very clear that wherever this powerful and fierce beast-like alliance of nations is located in the end of the age, the Antichrist will be there as its supreme leader.
"And then the lawless one [Man of Sin/Son of Perdition/Antichrist] will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and he will be brought to nothing by the brightness of his [Christ's] coming" (v8).
Christ will remove this lawless individual from power when he comes to rule the earth. This is the same evil spirit mentioned in Daniel 7:11 who will have his physical body destroyed and will be cast into a lake of fire in his spirit form.
"His [the Antichrist's] coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and miracles and lying wonders, And all deceit of unrighteousness of those being lost; because they did not receive the love of the truth in order for them to be saved. And because of this God will send to them, a working of error, for them to believe a lie" (vs.9-11).
Based on God’s word, those whom God has called to salvation should know the difference between good and evil; however, many have already been deluded by a false Christianity and many will be deceived by Satan's Antichrist and his religious and political system of government.
Paul gives a dire warning not to allow one's love for the truth of God to erode. Make no mistake, the message of the Antichrist and Satan's religious and political system is not truth; it is great deception designed to destroy one's opportunity to enter the Family and Kingdom of God. His miracles, signs, and wonders will not be from the Sovereign God; they will be from Satan the Devil and are designed to deceive humanity.
The majority of people will believe the Antichrist's message and his great supernatural works, thinking that they are a part of God's plan for the salvation of humanity; however, just the opposite will be true.

Ten Religious Deceptions

It is highly likely that the Antichrist will come as a savior of humanity and attempt to counterfeit some or all of the things that are prophesied about the coming of the true Messiah. Listed below are ten things he may do to attempt to deceive humanity:
Demonstrate that he is the prophetic descendant of King David who is supposed to come to rule the world as described in Psalm 2
Send a false Elijah to speak of his coming (Mal.4:5, 6).
Appear to gloriously return in the flesh after being fatally wounded(Matt.25:31, 32; Acts 1:11; Rev.1:7).
Return in the clouds of heaven accompanied by other beings (1.Thes.3:13; 2.Thes.1:7).
Attempt to make Jerusalem the capital of his world-ruling government (Isa.11 & 12).
Establish his rule with deceptive miracles and wonders (Psa.69).
Attempt to make an alliance of nations out of the modern ten tribes of Israel and the Jewish nation of Israel (Ezk.37).
Institute his own interpretation of the Mosaic Law (Isa.66: 22,23).
Proclaim that he has come to bring world prosperity (Isa.11;12).
Proclaim that he has come to bring world peace (Psa.96;98).

These are all things that would add validity to his claims in the religious circles of quasi-Christians and Jews. The Antichrist may attempt to counterfeit some or all of the real prophetic signs of the return of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, in order to deceive these people and accomplish his goal of world domination for his master Satan the Devil.
Because Satan appears as a glorious righteous angel and his evil servants mimic this same false righteousness (2.Cor.11:14-15), the appearance of the Antichrist will fool those who do not understand the true meaning of the scriptures that speak about the return of Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.
Because the central focus of Satan's plan is to deceive people into giving their allegiance and worship to him, his servant the Antichrist will claim to be god in the flesh (2.Thes.2:4). Another servant of Satan, the False Prophet, will force those who are under the control of the Beast's alliance of nations to worship the Antichrist/Beast and his image; thereby, they will actually be worshiping Satan the Devil by proxy.
There is little doubt that on the surface Satan’s religious and governmental system under the leadership of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will look very good to most people. This is why they will be very unhappy when they see it being destroyed by Jesus Christ (Rev.18:4-20).

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE ANTICHRIST

This section shows a number of ways by which anyone who understands the worship system of the true God will be able to identify the Antichrist and his worship system.
Oppressive Rule and Forced Idolatry
Although Jesus Christ and the elect of God will rule from Jerusalem with a rod of iron and exercise judgement upon the rebellious nations of the world (Rev. 12:5), the Kingdom of God will not be cruel or oppressive, nor will Jesus or those who serve him force anyone to worship God by bowing down before an image or representation of himself or God the Father.

God the Father's Worship System

The scriptures clearly show that, after Jesus Christ returns, he will establish his Father's true worship system. Conversely, the Antichrist and the False Prophet will oppose any attempt of the Jews or anyone else to worship God as instructed under his covenant with national Israel and the elect of God. See Jer.31:30-37 and our studies concerning the various covenants and the commanded observances of God.
In regard to the Father's worship system, there are some biblical facts that will help one to understand God's new agreement with national Israel:
The prophecies of Ezekiel and Zechariah clearly show that, during Christ's rule, a temple worship system with a priesthood and animal sacrifices will exist in Jerusalem and will be officiated over by the male descendants of Zadok who is descended from Eleazar, Aaron's third son. See Ezk.40-46; Zech.14:16-20.
The sacrificial system contained within the agreement with national Israel and the rest of humanity will be performed in a way that is similar to how it was performed under the first agreement with Israel.
The commanded observances and holy convocations of God will be observed by all the people on earth.
The Antichrist will do just the opposite of what the Creator God promises to do when he returns as the Messiah to institute a new agreement with national Israel. The Antichrist will stop the Jews from sacrificing at the temple in Jerusalem and will attempt to change and/or eliminate the commanded observance and holy convocations of God.

THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST

In order to understand the worship of the image of the Antichrist/Beast we need to keep in mind that the Antichrist/Beast and the religious leader (the False Prophet) of the alliance of nations are both servants of Satan the Devil and are both committed to the goal of subjecting all humanity to his absolute control.

The Wounded Head

"And I saw one of its heads as if it had been wounded to death; and its fatal wound was healed. And the earth admired the beast. And worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?"(Rev.13:3-4 Para.).
After the Beast alliance of nations has been solidified, its power base has been established, and the Antichrist/Beast has secured his position of authority as the undisputed leader of this alliance, something extraordinary will happen to either this alliance of nations or its leader. One or the other will sustain a fatal wound.
The circumstances surrounding the death and resurrection of the alliance of nations or the Antichrist/Beast will be an incredibly deceptive event. When people see this resurrection they will be astonished and believe that the Antichrist/Beast is a god in the flesh.

Editor's Note:

It is difficult at this point in time to determine exactly what or who the head in Revelation 13:3 symbolizes, because the heads of the beast represent both a system of government as well as the evil spirits who control the system through individuals.
What is important to recognize is that an extraordinary event will occur surrounding the fatal wound of either the Antichrist/Beast or the Beast's alliance of nations. When this happens, the leader of the state religion who is the False Prophet will initiate and enforce the worship of Satan the Devil (the dragon) through the Antichrist/Beast and his system of government.

A State Religion

"And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and it had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. And it executes all the authority of the first beast before it. And it makes the earth and those dwelling in it to worship the first beast, that was healed of its deadly wound" (Rev.13:11-12 Para.).
There are a number of important things revealed in verses 11-12 concerning the relationship between the Beast alliance of nations, its supreme leader (the Antichrist/Beast), and its religious leader (the False Prophet):
The two horns like a lamb are symbolic of religious authority.
Its religious teachings and policies are that of Satan the Devil, because it speaks like the dragon.
The second beast is symbolic of an evil state religion and its leader.

Supernatural Power

"And it [the False Prophet] does great signs and even makes fire to come down out of heaven upon the earth before men "(Rev.13:13 Para.).
It is important to understand that the False Prophet and the religious system that he leads will have tremendous supernatural powers with which to deceive people and counter the supernatural works that the elect of God will be doing as they proclaim God the Father's good news message.
"And it [the False Prophet] deceives those dwelling on the earth, because of the signs which were given to it before the beast; saying to those on the earth to make an image of the beast who has the wound of the sword, and lived. And it was given authority to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could speak, and might cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed" (Rev.13:14-15 Para.).
The False Prophet has an image made that is either symbolic of the alliance of nations (the beast), its leader (the Beast), or both. This religious leader empowers the image so that it has the ability to speak. Then, he forces people to worship it or suffer death for disobedience. This enforced worship is reminiscent of king Nebuchadnezzar's forced worship of the image that he had made.
There are many reasons why intelligent people will worship this image. The first is that if anyone does not worship it they will be killed. The second is that people will actually believe that the image is a god, a representation of their god (Antichrist/Beast), or a method through which they may communicate with their god (who is really Satan the Devil).
It is interesting that, when one carefully reads Daniel 3:1-30, it appears that only the leaders of the people were compelled to worship Nebuchadnezzar's image. However, in John's vision, it seems that everyone under the control of the beast alliance of nations must worship the image.

The Plagues and the Image

"And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor walk" (Rev.9:20 KJV).
One of the reasons that Christ pours out plagues upon humanity is to bring them to the realization that they are rebelling against God as they practice their idol worship, and that they must stop this practice and worship the true God.
Anyone who seriously studies the Bible should understand that the forced worship of the image(s) of the Antichrist/Beast constitutes idolatry. Upon seeing or hearing of this forced idolatry, the elect of God should understand that this alliance of nations and its worship system is indeed the Beast of the books of Daniel and Revelation.

THE MARK AND NAME OF THE BEAST

Many who study the Book of Revelation are overly concerned with knowing exactly what the mark and the name of the Beast is and how one will receive this mark and name. However, this information is not essential for salvation from eternal death. It really does not matter whether the mark or name is a computer chip implant, a tattoo, or some other thing. The important thing is to be able to recognize the Antichrist/Beast and his state religion and governmental system for what it is.
It must be clearly understood that those who are called of God cannot accept the mark or give their allegiance to the Beast so that they can participate in the economic benefits of the Beast system, because this authorization requires a religious commitment to worship the image of the Beast.

THE MARK, NAME, AND NUMBER

"And the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the slaves, allow it [the Antichrist's state religion] to give them a mark on their right hand, or on their foreheads: so that none can buy or sell, except they have the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name. Here is wisdom. Let him having reason count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and its number is six hundred and sixty-six" (Rev.13:16-18 Para.).
Throughout history, many who have studied the Bible and secular history have tried to determine the name of the individual that is represented by the number 666. The number 666 is even recorded as being associated with king Solomon and the amount of gold that he received as tribute during the height of his reign (1.Kgs.10:14; 2.Chron.9:13). There seems to be no end to the individuals and things that have been found to have this numerical reference attached to them.
Even though the number 666 can be attached to people, places, and things in the past, present, and future, is a full understanding of the prophetic number 666 necessary before the appearance of the Antichrist and his religious and political form of government? Actually, it is more important to understand the prophetic events surrounding the Antichrist and to be prepared to be loyal to God and his way of life to the very end.
People have assumed that, because verse 18 says that the number 666 is the number of a man, this number can only be attached to an individual. The reality is that in the Greek language, "the number of a man" can also mean "a human number" or "a number of humanity". Although the number 666 may very well identify a specific individual, it may also identify and be associated with the Beast's system of religion and government. The number 666 could very well represent the apex of human perfection, because under the leadership of the Antichrist/Beast, the magnificent religious, governmental, and economic system of the beast alliance of nations will appear to be the best system ever devised.
In the study of the numerical symbolism of the Bible, the number 6 is clearly associated with humanity; therefore, the number 666 appears to be the number of humanity. Because God the Father allows an evil global system to exist before his Son's return, the number 666 could very well be viewed in the context of the entire religious, economic, and governmental system that is led by the Antichrist who is in the service of Satan (2.Thes 2:4).

WHAT IS IN A NAME?

It is well known in biblical and rabbinical teachings that the phrase, "in the name of," is used to connect the one having authority to the one from whom the authority comes. It is also used to connect a teacher with the authority and respect of his own teacher. Therefore, it is logical to assume that this same meaning is attached to the name of the Beast and its religious governmental system. The same association will exist between the Antichrist/Beast and those having its name or mark. See our study paper concerning the phrase "in the name of," for details about those who have the name of God the Father and Jesus Christ.

A Sign of Allegiance

Refusal to take the mark of the Antichrist constitutes rebellion against him and his religious and governmental system, and this will not be tolerated. All who are found guilty of this type of rebellion will be put to death. Everyone must comply with the worship system that the Antichrist will institute through the False Prophet, and they must worship the image of the Beast. In addition, everyone will have to register with the system and receive the mark or name of the Beast. Without the identifying mark, a person will not be able buy or sell or participate in the economic system of the Antichrist's alliance of nations. Therefore, the mark or name of the beast is a sign of one's allegiance to this evil person and his religious governmental system.
It is obvious that there will be many undesirable physical consequences for not accepting this mark. For those who worship the true God, the threat of physical punishment and hardships for not accepting the mark are minimal compared to the loss of eternal life for accepting it.

Only Two Options

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascends for ever and ever: and they shall have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name" (Rev.14:9-11 KJV).
When the mark of the Antichrist/Beast is instituted, there are only two options that a person who is living within the geographical areas controlled by the beast system will have concerning the taking of this mark. Either one takes the mark and worships and serves the Beast and his image, or one does not take the mark and does not worship the Beast and his image. Any who are in the situation of making a choice concerning the mark must consider the following:
If one does not worship the Beast and his image, he will be persecuted and probably killed.
If one does worship the Beast, God will persecute him and probably kill him. And if a child of God worships the Beast and his image, he will lose his eternal life.
Most of the world will be deceived by the power and charisma of the Antichrist/Beast and the obvious benefits of his religious system of government. Therefore, most will willingly worship his image, and take his mark that will signify their allegiance to him and his system of government. This will be especially easy to do because the death penalty will hang over the heads of any who refuse to worship him and take his mark.
Although the prospect of one surviving the refusal to worship the image and take the mark seems minimal, there is hope for those who place their trust in the true God and seek his protection. See Rev.3:7-13; 7:1-17; 12:6, 14-16.

God's Punishment

"And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out your vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men that had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image" (Rev.16:1-2 KJV).
Remember that, during the rule of the Antichrist and his religious system, the people of God will be proclaiming the true gospel and Jesus Christ will be sending devastating plagues upon those who take part in the Antichrist's alliance of nations and have his mark and worship his image.
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that had worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev.19:20 KJV).
The two evil spirits that enforce the worship of the image and the marking of those who consent to be marked as a sign of their allegiance to Satan's system of worship and government will be cast into a lake of fire after the return of Jesus Christ.

The Victorious Elect

"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God" (Rev.15:1-2 KJV).
Those who are called of God to salvation during the terrifying times of the Antichrist's rule and remain true to their great calling will receive tremendous rewards in the Kingdom of God:
"And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgement was given to them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev.20:4 Para.).

The Important Names

During the end of the age, there are two extremely important names that will have a more dramatic impact on the lives of the children of God than the name or mark of the Antichrist/Beast. These are the names of the Father and his Son. Notice what is said about these two names:
"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads" (Rev.14:1 KJV).
There are only a certain number of people that will have the name of the Father written in their foreheads when Christ returns.
"And to the angel [messenger] of the church in Philadelphia write; These things says he [Jesus Christ] that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens; I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name " (Rev.3:7-8 Para.).
Notice the emphasis upon having kept Christ's word and not denying Christ's name. It is for this reason that God will empower and use those of the Philadelphia church to perform a great work for him in the end of the age.

SUMMARY

Although it is extremely important to be able to recognize the Antichrist, his image and mark, the False Prophet, and the religious governmental system which they administer for Satan the Devil when they appear on the worlds scene, it is even more important for one to be committed to making the right decisions concerning one's allegiance to God the Father.

By B. L. Cocherell and Charles E. Barrett