The Antichrist

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Tradition expects al-Dajjal to appear in the East, possibly Khorasan, or in the West. In the meantime, he is said to be somewhere in the East Indies, on an island from which the sounds of dancing and beautiful music emanate, according to sailors' lore. An alternate version is linked with the Greek Prometheus legend. In this account, al-Dajjal is bound to a rock on an island in the sea and is fed by demons.

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The Antichrist is said to be the polar opposite of Christ and His ultimate enemy. According to Christian tradition, he will reign terribly in the period prior to the Last Judgment.

The Antichrist first appeared in the epistles of St. John, and the fully developed story of the Antichrist's life and reign is found in medieval texts. As applied to various individuals and institutions for nearly two millennia, the Antichrist and his precursor have been, and remain, terms of the most intense opprobrium.

The Christian conception of the Antichrist was derived from Jewish traditions, particularly in The Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible. Written about 167 BCE, it foretold the coming of a final persecutor who would speak great words against the most High and wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws.

Scholars agree that the author of Daniel was alluding to the contemporary Hellenistic ruler of Palestine, Antiochus Epiphanes, who attempted to extirpate Judaism. But because Antiochus was not named, later readers could apply the prediction in Daniel to any persecutor. Early Christians applied it to the Roman emperors who persecuted the church, in particular Nero.

The four books of the New Testament that fueled Christian belief in the Antichrist were the first two epistles of John, the Revelation to John, and the second epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians. The first three of these were written near the end of the 1st century CE. The last was written either by the apostle Paul or by one of Paul's immediate disciples some 20 or 30 years later. Neither II Thessalonians nor Revelation use the term Antichrist, but both works refer to a coming persecutor who is evidently the same person. The first epistle of John introduces an important distinction between "the" Antichrist who will come and the many antichrists who are already active in the world. This distinction not only enabled believers to denigrate contemporaries as "antichrists" without having to label a single individual as "the" Antichrist but also allowed them to identify the "body of the Antichrist" as a collectivity existing in the present but destined to have its day of triumph in the future.

Nevertheless, early Christians tended to emphasize the coming of the one great Antichrist. The Revelation to John refers to this figure as "the Beast from the Abyss" and "the Beast from the Sea". In the most sustained account of his appearance, II Thessalonians 2:1-12, he is called "the man of sin" and the "son of perdition." He will come at a time of a general apostasy, deceive people with signs and wonders, sit in the temple of God, and claim to be God himself. Finally, he will be defeated by Jesus, who will destroy him by "the spirit of his mouth" and "the brightness of his coming."

Because even II Thessalonians is sketchy about the details of Antichrist's person and the nature of his reign, a succession of biblical commentators and pseudonymous apocalyptic writers from the era of the Church Fathers and the early Middle Ages began to provide the missing features. Their work was integrated into a brief treatise in the 10th century by a monk from Lorraine, Adso of Montier-en-Der, in a letter to Queen Gerberga of France.

Adso's letter became the standard medieval reference work on the Antichrist. In the 13th century it was partially supplanted by several chapters on the Antichrist in Hugh Ripelin's extremely popular handbook, Compendium theologicae veritatis entitled the "Compendium of Theological Truth." Although it was more orderly, Ripelin's account differed from Adso's only in minor details.

The medieval view of the Antichrist communicated by Adso, Ripelin, and a host of other writers rested on the principle that the Antichrist is the parodic opposite of Christ in all things. Antichrist literally means "opposed to Christ." Thus, as Christ was born of a virgin by means of conception by the Holy Spirit, so the Antichrist will be born of a whore by means of conception by a diabolical spirit. Although opinions differed as to whether the Antichrist's father will be a man or a demon, in either case the Antichrist will be, as commonly noted in the Middle Ages, "full of the devil" from the time of his conception. Both Christ and the Antichrist are born of the Jews, but the Antichrist will be born of the tribe of Dan, "the viper in the road," rather than the tribe of Judah, and in Babylon, not Bethlehem. Like Christ, the Antichrist will grow up in obscurity and begin his open "ministry" at age 30, gaining followers by giving signs and performing miracles. The signs and miracles once more are polar opposites of Christ’s, because the Antichrist's supposed miracles will be only tricks.

The Antichrist's triumphant reign (never clearly distinguished from the start of his ministry) will last for three and a half years. Like Christ, the qAntichrist will come to Jerusalem, but, as the opposite of Christ, he will be enthusiastically hailed and revered by the Jews. During his reign he will rebuild the Temple and sit on the throne of Solomon in a sacrilegious and hideous inversion of just priesthood and just kingship. He will convert the rulers of the earth to his cause and persecute Christians dreadfully. All those who resist his wiles will be tortured, and - as Jesus prophesied in the book of Matthew. There will be "great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now." The two great prophets Enoch and Elijah, who never died but were spirited away to the earthly paradise, will arrive to preach against the tyrant and comfort the elect, but the Antichrist will slay them. At the end of the allotted three and a half years, however, the Antichrist will be destroyed by the power of Christ, whereupon, after a very brief interval, there will come the Last Judgment and the end of the world.

One important medieval thinker who departed substantially from the received teachings about the Antichrist was the 12th-century Calabrian monk Joachim of Fiore. Joachim formulated a view of successive past and future persecutions of the Christian church that inspired him to propose the appearance of a succession of "antichrists," for example, Nero, Muhammad, and Saladin, before the arrival of the great Antichrist. As for the great Antichrist, according to Joachim, he will not be a Jew from "Babylon" but rather the embodiment of the worst evils arising out of Joachim’s own society, preeminently the crimes of heresy and oppression of the church. Lastly, since Joachim expected the coming of a wondrous millennial era on earth between the death of Antichrist and the Last Judgment, he found himself obliged to foretell the coming of another enemy of God, a "final Antichrist." Although Joachim was vague about the nature of this last antagonist of God, he referred to him as "Gog," implying that the final Antichrist will be allied with, or identical to, the enemy forces of Gog and Magog, which will appear to do final battle with the saints after the millennium and before the Last Judgment.

The expectation of the imminent reign of the Antichrist in the later Middle Ages encouraged the belief among many that his forerunners were already in the ascendant or, indeed, that Antichrist himself had arrived in the person of a given ruler or pope. Such beliefs were attached in particular to the "antipapal" emperor Frederick II and to a persecutor of ecclesiastical dissidents, Pope John XXII. The tendency to identify a hated contemporary ruler as the Antichrist in some cases outlasted the Middle Ages. The Russian tsar Peter the Great, for example, was named the Antichrist by his opponents, the Old Believers. Even in the 20th century some commentators identified Benito Mussolini, the Italian fascist dictator, as Antichrist because of his attempt to revive the Roman Empire.

Nevertheless, beginning in the 16th century, the fixation on the Antichrist as a coming or present terrible individual gave way to the view of the Antichrist as a collective body of evil. This position had been accepted in the abstract by some medieval theologians, but it was made concrete and popular by Martin Luther, who insisted that the institution of the papacy, rather than any given pope, was the Antichrist. Modern Protestants have characteristically preferred to conceive of the Antichrist as whatever resists or denies the lordship of Christ, and Roman Catholics have become less inclined to identify the Antichrist as a specific coming individual.

Vestiges of the medieval Antichrist tradition can be found in contemporary popular culture, as in Hollywood films such as Rosemary's Baby, The Omen and its sequels. The view of the Antichrist as a diabolical institution is also reflected to some extent in the superstition that credit cards and electronic bar codes mysteriously mark innocent people with the Antichrist's sign, the number 666.

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One of the prominent events preceding the Day of Judgement is the appearance of Dajjal. We have been apprised of many aspects of Dajjal both in the Qur'an and the Ahadis. In fact, the Muslims have been more informed about the Dajjal by the Holy Prophet than previous nations by their respective prophets. Abdul Kareem bin Saleh al Humaid writes in his booklet entitled "Dajjal" that:

"The episode of Dajjal is most assuredly a crucial one. It would suffice to say that no event between Hadhrat Adam and the Doomsday is more awesome than this, as Our Nabi has informed us. What is apparent is that every Messenger of Allah had warned his nation of Dajjal but their information and warnings were less than those of our Nabi. This is due to the fact that, according to the knowledge of Allah and His Divine Will, Dajjal emergence will be within this fraternityof Nabi."

This article is an attempt to inform the people about Dajjal: where he will appear, what he will do and how ultimately he will be killed by Hadhrat Isa.

Dajjal will appear somewhere between Iraq and Syria, after the Battle of Istanbul takes place. The name in the Ahadis is Constantinople, which is the former name of Istanbul.

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Busr, the Prophet said the time between the great war and the conquest of the city of Constantinople will be six years, and the Dajjal will come forth in the seventh.

Dajjal will be a Jew. His distinguishing feature is that he will be one-eyed and the word "Kafir" or "unbeliever" will be written on his forehead.

Narrated Anas, the Prophet said no prophet was sent, but that he warned his followers against the one-eyed liar. Beware! He is blind in one eye, and your Lord is not so. The Hadith is also quoted by Abu Hurairah and Ibn 'Abbas that he is a Jew, confirmed from another hadis, which says that his followers will be mainly of Jewish religion. Narrated by Anas ibn Malik, Allah's Apostle said the Dajjal would be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls.

Other non-believers and hypocrites will follow him as well. Ad-Dajjal will come and encamp at a place close to Madinah and then Madinah will shake thrice whereupon every disbeliever and hypocrite will go out towards him.

The main thing to note about Dajjal is that very few people will be able to recognise him. Even those who have been warned about him can easily be misled by his deeds. Therefore, every Muslim has been instructed in the hadith of the Holy Prophet to learn Surah Al-Kahf. The person who knows this surah by heart will be able to recognize Dajjal, by spotting "Kafir" written on his forehead. If someone cannot learn the whole surah, then the first and the last ruku should be learnt and they will suffice as well.

He who recites three verses at the beginning of al-Kahf will be protected from the trial of the Dajjal. Regarding the full appearance of Dajjal, Ubadah ibn as-Samit indicates that the Prophet had said:

"I have told you so much about the Dajjal that I am afraid you may not understand. The Antichrist is short, hen-toed, woolly-haired, one-eyed, an eye-sightless, and neither protruding nor deep-seated. If you are confused about him, know that your Lord is not one-eyed."

Here, I may mention that the Jews will view Dajjal as their "Messiah" whose advent, according to them, has been foretold in their religious books and traditions. Of course, most Muslims know that the person whose coming was foretold in their books was Hadhrat Isa. But since the Jews never accepted him as such, the Dajjal will be their "Messiah." Hence, his major followers will be the Jews.

The Dajjal will be a powerful personality in this world. He will attract loads of people. His voice will be heard in the East and the West. The latter, given the present day communication technology in the form of satellite television and internet, doesn’t seem surprising.

The main aim of the Dajjal will be to try and convince people that he is God Almighty. He will try and deviate people from the Right Path and join his ranks. To achieve that end and to convince people with true faith, he will kill and then re-create the same person. This will prove to be sufficient to gain him more followers, especially the ones who have weak faith. But we must remember at all times, that he will definitely not be anywhere near God.

Abdul Kareem bin Saleh al Humaid has mentioned in his booklet about Sheikhul Islam who writes about Dajjal as follows:

"Since Dajjal will claim divinity, Nabi had informed us of two clear differentiating factors. That Dajjal will be one-eyed, whereas Allah is not. And, that no one can see Allah until death. Even though Dajjal will be a kafir, Nabi mentioned this because such miraculous feats will be displayed by him, which will strengthen any doubts within the hearts of normal people (regarding him being Allah)."

All those who recognise Dajjal's true demeanour are warned to stay away from him. Let him who hears of the Dajjal go far from him for I swear by Allah that a man will come to him thinking he is a believer and follow him because of confused ideas roused in him by him.

People are warned to stay away from him mainly because he will create havoc in this world. He will shake the faith of many, so only those who are firm in their basic Islamic beliefs will be the ones saved from his doings, which have been described in part of Sahih Muslim as follows:

Thereupon he said, "Like cloud driven by the wind. He will come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion). They will affirm their faith in him and respond to him. He will then give a command to the sky. There will be rainfall upon the Earth and it will grow crops. Then in the evening, their pasturing animals will come to them with their humps very high, their udders full of milk and their flanks distended. He will then come to another people and invite them. But they will reject him so he will go away from them. They will have a drought and nothing will be left with them in the form of wealth. He will then walk through the desert and say to it: Bring forth your treasures. The treasures will come out and gather before him like a swarm of bees. He will then call someone in the flush of youth, strike him with the sword, cut him into two pieces and (make these pieces lie at the distance which is generally between the archer and his target. He will then call (that young man) and he will come forward laughing with his face gleaming (with happiness)."

The same hadis mentions that Dajjal will stay in this world for forty days. One day out of these forty will be equal to a year, one day equal to a month and one equal to a week. The rest of the days will be like our normal days.

Other ahadith tell us that Dajjal will offer to people a choice between a fire and a river. What will appear as a fire to people will in fact be the river and vice versa. Hence Muslims are instructed that if they encounter Dajjal, to select the fire and not the river. The river is going to be the real fire.

Dajjal will travel the whole world. The only place where he will not be able to enter is Makkah and Madinah. And there will be no entrance but the angels will be standing in rows guarding it against him, and then Madinah will shake with its inhabitants thrice (three earthquakes will take place) and Allah will expel all the non-believers and the hypocrites from it.

Dajjal will ultimately be killed by Hadhrat Isa at a place called Ludd which is a few miles from Tel Aviv, Palestine. Some of us may have heard of the 'Ludd International Airport.' The appearance of Hadhrat Isa and his subsequent killing of Dajjal has been mentioned in part of the Sahih Muslim as follows:

"It will at this very time that Allah will send Christ, son of Mary. He will descend at the white minaret on the eastern side of Damascus, wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, there will fall beads of perspiration from his head, and when he raises it up, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every non-believer who smells the odour of his body will die and his breath will reach as far as he is able to see. He will then search for Dajjal until he catches hold of him at the gate of Ludd and kills him."

So this is what basically the Ahadith tell us about Dajjal. What we should do now, is let other people know about Dajjal. And of course start learning Surah Al-Kahf. There is a supplication which the Holy Prophet used to recite and so should we.

Narrated by Abu Hurairah, Allah's Apostle used to invoke Allah:

"Allahummah inni a'udhu bika min 'adhabil Qabri, wa min 'adhabi-naar, wa min fitnatil mahya wa-lmamat, wa min fitnatil masih ad-dajjal."

"(O Allah! I seek refuge with you from the punishment in the grave and from the punishment in the Hell fire and from the afflictions of life and death, and the afflictions of Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal)."

It is important to remember that the vices of Dajjal and his acts of misleading people are not confined to the era in which he will exist. Rather, as Ibn Taimiyyah said the evils of Dajjal will not be confined to those of his period since the basis of his evil is it's contradiction with the Shariah Law associated with extraordinary feats. Therefore, any person who acknowledges opposition to the Shariah due to something extraordinary, has been afflicted by a branch of this great evil of Dajjal. This is prevalent to a large extent in every time and place. However, the specific evil and anarchy (in Dajjal’s time) will be the severest of all. So whosoever Allah protects from the evil of Dajjal will remain protected from all evils of a lesser degree, whether he is present in Dajjal’s time or not. It has been established that Nabi had instructed his companions to recite the following supplication even out of Salat:

"O Allah we seek your protection from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the evils and tribulations of Dajjal and those of life and death."

Further Ibn Taymiyah writes:

"This Du'a (supplication) is reported to be recited both within salaat and without. It is a known fact that the things mentioned with protection from Dajjal in this Du'a, like protection from the punishment of Hell and the grave and from the trials of life and death, are things which every person performing salat has been ordained to seek protection from. This is because these things affect every person, and salvation cannot be achieved except by being saved from them. This indicates that the trials and vices of Dajjaal are also similar."

- Taken from 'DAJJAL' by Abdul Kareem bin Saleh al Humaid

Dajjal is a subject many people hesitate to talk about. Yet, it is something vital which is a sign of the nearness of the Day of Judgement. Whatever we learn, we should pass on. And start from today, to further our faith so as to not let it weaken from the fallacies of the Antichrist.

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In Revelation 11:15, we read of the blowing of the seventh trumpet, beginning the wrath of God, but John does not write about the judgment until chapter sixteen. In chapters twelve through fifteen, the Lord wants to prepare His people for Satan's wrath against the saints. The Antichrist shall "wear out the saints of the Most High" in Daniel 7:25, and make war on them: "the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring - those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus" in Daniel 12:17.

These are believers in Christ who are on earth during the second half of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, the time also called the Great Tribulation "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall" in Matthew 24:21. God's desire is for His Church to be forewarned about the events of the second half of the seven-year period that will take place against believers in Christ. He gives us this warning so that His people are aware and spiritually prepared to endure the onslaught. Knowing these things before they take place will be an encouragement amid a dark time.

How do we know that this time is still ahead for all believers in Christ? After all, some believe that the Book of Revelation events happened in the first century A.D. and culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The answer is that there has never been any person or time in history when one man has gained control of the whole earth. This man, the Antichrist, will have authority over "every tribe, people, language and nation" in Revelation 13:7. The world system ruled by Satan "the ruler of this world," in John 14:30, is preparing for the time when one man will control the whole world through decades of manipulation of the resources of the world as a whole, for example, its currency, energy, education, food, health and drug system, armed forces and political systems. but what happens after the devil and his angels are cast to the earth?

In Revelation 13:1-4, "The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, 'Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?'".

When John the Apostle wrote what the Lord was showing him in A.D. 95, he didn't write any chapter divisions. John wrote this account as it came to him, in a swiftly flowing vision. The chapter divisions came about nearly a thousand years after he wrote. In chapter thirteen, John describes the events that unfold after Satan is cast down to earth. When Satan realises he only has a short time before his kingdom reign will be brought to an end, he has already prepared a man and a political structure to use as the means for one last demonic defense of his kingdom of evil. Satan has to try and stop the growth of God's kingdom throughout the world. In this final assault, Satan calls up his two prepared vessels that he can work through to exercise full dominion over the earth - an unholy trinity of Satan, seen as the dragon, the Antichrist, and another whose focus is to use religion to manipulate humanity. One that theologians call the False Prophet (found in Revelation 13:11).

In verse one of chapter thirteen, we read of Satan (the dragon) standing beside the sea, and a beast comes up out of the sea. Why the sea? In Revelation 17:15, the political system of the beast, Mystery Babylon the Great, is seen sitting on many waters, interpreted by holy writ to be "peoples, and multitudes, and nations and tongues." here the Lord is showing us that the Antichrist will arise during a time of great social upheaval: "On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea" (Luke 21:25). A leader will arise out of the storm-tossed sea of Gentile nations in turmoil to take advantage of the situation to grab power, such as Adolf Hitler did in Germany's early 1930s. This will be a literal world power and a literal individual who will arise. A climate of fear will be released by the controlled media to allow this power to thrive so that the beast of a man will be allowed to control the political and world system.

The Antichrist is described in verse two as having the same characteristics as the three beasts about which Daniel spoke in Daniel 7. This likely means that the Antichrist will be a composite of the preceding three kingdoms in history. Babylon was likened to a lion in Daniel 7:4, and this man, the Antichrist, will have an ability to speak great things that will sway people just as Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did. The second beast is likened to a bear, which we know to be the Medes and Persians in Daniel 7:5, which perhaps symbolises the Antichrist's ferocity and power. The third beast, represented by the leopard, is a picture of the Greek empire under Alexander the Great in Daniel 7:6. Perhaps, it is indicative of the speed by which his army travelled to conquer the Middle East and Western Asia in just over three years. Similarly, the Antichrist and his kingdom will have an ability to react with speed to world events.

This beast has ten horns. In the Scriptures, horns are symbols of power, demonstrated in nature by animals using their horns to fight. There have been many theories put forth to interpret the ten horns throughout church history. Some commentators see these ten horns as representing individual rulers in the Roman Empire. Others have suggested that these horns represent separate countries that arose out of the Roman Empire through time. The ten horns could even symbolize ten trading blocs being created in the year 2020 with leaders over each of them such as the 3 countries of North America, calling it the North American Free Trade Union (NAFTA). This trade agreement President Trump renegotiated calling it the USMCA. There is also the ASEAN trading bloc (Association of South East Asian Nations), the European Union, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and others, which this writer believes will become ten trading blocs covering the whole world. We will not know until we see this stage finally set. We have seen the spirit of the Antichrist at work throughout history, arising again and again during the last several centuries. Still, in this last and final battle, the Antichrist will be revealed for who he is, the incarnation of evil who violently opposes all that is good and even God Himself. Daniel, the prophet, also wrote of a powerful beast with ten horns:

"After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast - terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth. It crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. 'While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them. And three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.'" (Daniel 7:7-8).

This reference to a little horn speaks of the Antichrist. but what does Daniel tell us this man will do when he comes to power?

"I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell - the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favour of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.'" (Daniel 7:20-23)

This more imposing little horn (the Antichrist) will wage war against the saints and defeat them. What do you perceive is happening here? Who is spoken of here, and what does defeat look like for them?

This writer's opinion is that this fourth beast is represented as a remnant of the Roman Empire, which arises in a similar political form, as a ten trading bloc structure whose ten leaders will give their authority to the one called the Little Horn. These ten trading blocs are also symbolized as the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s image in Daniel 2:44: "in the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed." It is not clear in Daniel 2:44 above what kings or leaders are mentioned, but the ten kings are symbolized by the ten toes of the image, the last stage of the fourth kingdom. The vision concludes with a Rock crashing on the image's feet and destroying Satan's series of evil empires' last vestiges. These ten leaders of nations or trading blocs will be in power when the Antichrist comes on the scene:

"The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb." (Revelation 17:12-14)

The beast has one head that seemed to have a fatal wound (13:3, 14), and many believe he will die; instead, his wound is miraculously healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. The Greek word used here, thoumazo, means "to wonder, have in admiration and marvel." The emphasis in this verse certainly seems to be when the whole world admires what this man can accomplish through his overcoming of death and his utilization of power. Passages like this are why I believe this passage and associating passages are still future. Those who are Preterists have difficulty interpreting this passage at face value. (Preterists believe that this passage was fulfilled in the first century A.D.). Rome in the first century could not make the whole world astonished at any of Rome's Caesars.

This deliverance from death causes a great wonderment and a growing belief by unbelievers in Christ that the Antichrist is a god and can bypass death's claims. This healing will likely be a powerful deception and could be the lie for which many will fall: "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:11). The definite article is on the words the lie, indicating that the lie he tells is a big one. With the power of technology behind him, he will be able to listen in on conversations and track people's every move with the Internet of Things. With 5G technology being introduced, your T.V.'s, phones, and many gadgets in the home listening to the words we say, the Beast will seem like a god, and one to be greatly feared. All those outside of Christ will be coerced to worship Satan and the Antichrist because all food will be controlled. It will be easier to compromise and give in rather than stand against him. His military and financial power will be such that people will conclude that no country can resist his migh.

Satan will give this man his power and authority over the whole earth (Revelation 13:2), and as Daniel 7:21 above says, he will wage war against the saints, the Body of Christ. Perhaps, many will die at his hand rather than bow the knee and acknowledge the Antichrist as God. Three of the horns, according to Daniel 7:20, will fall, which leads us to believe that three of the ten leaders of the ten trading blocs will be deposed from their positions as leaders, perhaps killed as the Antichrist gains power. We can’t be dogmatic about such things, though.

The second passage in chapter 13 reads as follows:

"The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. Whoever has ears, let them hear. 'If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.' This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people." (Revelation 13:5-10)

Like Adolf Hitler was able to speak charismatically under the power of the evil one, this man will influence many people with blasphemous words and slanderous sentences against the Lord. I would not be surprised if one can only access the internet's power by using an icon on their phone or device with the user's face bowing down to the Antichrist on their phone or device. Only believers in Christ will say no, which will be why the Antichrist will make war against them. To the Antichrist, there can only be one god: him.

"He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

daniel the prophet continued to speak of this man and the blasphemies that come out of his mouth.

"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." 'But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him'" (Daniel 7:24-27)

Along with the blasphemies, there will be oppression of believers in Christ. This beast of a man will change the set times and laws.

What do you think the scripture means when it says he will change the set times and laws? What laws and set times do you think will be changed, and how are such things already leaning towards this time?

This change of the law will probably be a complete abandonment of all Christian holidays where the name of Christ could be mentioned. Laws that allow ungodly sins will be introduced, and hedonism will be practiced openly.

The saints being handed over to him refers to the persecution of biblical Christianity that will take place during the second half of the seven-year period, the time about which Jesus warned us, of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-30). Persecution has never defeated Christianity. It has only stimulated the Church to grow deeper roots in Christ and grow numerically. I believe the Church will go through persecution, but the defeat about which the passage is talking refers to the Church losing the culture war. In Scripture, the Church, or called out ones, are called to be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16). As the days get increasingly evil, the influence of the godly upon society gets weaker.

Scripture also warns us of this spiritual sleep in the ten virgins' parable in Matthew 25:1-13. Even though five were wise (they took oil in their lamps) and five were foolish (and brought no oil), it records that the Bridegroom was a long time coming, and they ALL fell asleep. When the Antichrist comes to power, this battle for our culture will intensify. Many in the Church today are asleep and unaware that they are in a spiritual battle.

Scripture tells us that there is coming a time when many who have a form of godliness but lack the power of a holy life (2 Timothy 3:5-7) and, will fall away from the faith. They will fall away because they have never been part of the true Church. To many today, going to Church is just a formal occasion for a Sunday morning. Jesus said, "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other." (Matthew 24:10). Paul the Apostle also wrote about this event that will take place when many shall rebel against the faith of Christ: "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed." (2 Thessalonians 2:3). This war against the saints will not overcome the true Church of Christ. They will stand for Christ even though they are being killed for their faith. The saints will be delivered before God pours out His wrath on a sin-loving world:

"For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

Throughout history, Satan and his demons have sought the worship that is reserved for God. Demonic spirits will sometimes possess people and manifest in objects to be worshipped. Paul the Apostle wrote, "What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things that the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to become sharers in demons." (1 Corinthians 10:19-20)

Do not fear that you will unwillingly or unknowingly take the mark of the Beast. There will come a time when the Antichrist arises and requires sworn allegiance and servitude. You will have to make a conscious choice as to whom you will serve. Those who choose the Antichrist will be required to worship him as well as Satan.

When you think of the last days leading up to the Second Coming of Christ, what is your greatest fear? How do you think Christ would answer your concern?

Whatever your fear is, you do not face it alone. Jesus said, "Surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 24:20). Don't spend time worrying about that time and how you will provide for yourself and your family. When you take the train, you buy a ticket before you board. God will give us the grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Expect that God will show up in power to provide and keep us as He did the Israelites in Egypt during the ten plagues. The Lord has promised to be with us and will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). When Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace, there was a fourth One in the fire with them (Daniel 3:25). The enemy will not have everything his way, many are awakening to the cosmic war's reality being fought on earth and becoming believers.

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life. The Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

During the second half of the seven-year period, all of society's structure will revolve around the Beast and his mark. The whole world's commerce will have an identifying mark, which identifies each person as a worshipper of the Antichrist and a part of his system. At that time, those who are Christ’s must stand in obedience to the Lord. At no other time in history will the identity of Christians be so clear. Refusing the mark will demonstrate faith in Christ. Those whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life will worship the Beast.

God has never promised us that He will keep us from all harm (1 Peter 4:12-14). He promises that everything that happens, He will use for our good (Romans 8:28) and that nothing can separate us from Him. Nothing! Not even death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, or things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).

How do you know for sure that your name is written in the book of life? Have you chosen Christ and trusted Him for salvation? Here is a mystery. We choose Christ, but He also chooses us. Paul addresses the Christian believers in Ephesus, those who are faithful to Jesus Christ, in this way:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." (Ephesians 1:3-5)

On that great day, may you be found in Him, lest you descend into eternal damnation.