Signs of the Coming Antichrist- the Dark Knight Rising

The Dark Knight Rising

Like the recent notorious Batman movie, the Dark Knight Rises, the coming Antichrist will be a harbinger of doom for the whole world. The recent massacre of 12 people and the wounding of 58 others in a movie theater in Aurora, CO showing the movie Dark Knight Rises reveals that Satan is actively working in this world. Indeed, one day the Antichrist,the man of sin, the son of perdition will arise that will be even more diabolical and evil than the movie’s Joker, or the demon-possessed young man that did all the wanton killing and wounding.

The Antichrist is the personification of Satan. Everything that Satan can be in a human being will be embodied in the Antichrist 2Th2:9. He will rule the world after all the economies of the world collapse and all paper money becomes worthless. Unlike the Dark Knight, a fictional person, the Antichrist will be REAL, an absolute dictator Re13:7, who will demand worship of himself Re13:15, or else suffer death by beheading Re20:4! We will now look into the Word of God to learn who this Person is!

The Antichrist- A False Christ; Another Saviour, Messiah, and Deliverer

Today the world is looking for ‘another Messiah or another Christ’; someone to deliver us from our economic and financial problems, or to protect us from our enemies. The world is looking for a leader to lead us out of our economic malaise that we are in. Americans are looking for a leader to save our economy. Israel is still looking for a messiah to deliver her from the many nations that seek to destroy her. As can be seen, many people are looking for a Messiah who will come one day and supposedly liberate them financially or physically. This would be the Antichrist, the false Christ.

Many today are more interested in being saved from economic disaster than in the personal salvation of their own soul. Many do not believe in the need for Jesus Christ to be saved Jn3:16, and that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. People are just looking for someone to save the economy and to maintain the good life for them, or to protect them. So the kind of messiah the world is seeking is very different from Jesus Christ, the Saviour! The Bible tells us the Antichrist will indeed come, deceive and destroy many people wonderfully Da8:24, and will take them to hell and eternal damnation!

What is Anti-Christ?  Who is Anti-Christ?  Who is the Antichrist?  When will the Antichrist appear?

With America in very deep financial troubles, mega banks going bankrupt and requiring huge Gov’t bailouts, with oil prices gyrating sharply, fuel and food prices inflating higher due to the weak US$ and now a severe drought, the stock markets in convulsion, unemployment still very high, a new president soon to be elected, great concerns and uncertainties are on the people’s mind. Some are even asking if one of the presidential candidates may be the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible.

Many are looking for clues. Is that person very articulate and charismatic, one who arose from nowhere?  Background investigations are being made to check on their past life, roots, activities, education, religion, belief, associations, etc., even birth certificates and social security number. Books have already been written on both presidential candidates. The spirit of suspicion is running rampant in many Christian circles. What does it mean to be anti-Christ? Who is the Antichrist and what does the Bible say about the Antichrist!

The Meaning of Anti-Christ- A System of Rule as Well as a Person or Persons

The word antichrist can either mean in opposition to Christ or in place of Christ. However way one looks at the Antichrist– one who opposes Christ and his teachings or another Christ not found in the Bible, the word antichrist encompasses both meanings. The word antichrist appears only five times in the Bible and only in the epistles of John.  In those passages, it explains who an antichrist is, and about antichrists.

The Antichrist can also be considered a system of rule – a government full of controls, a police state under martial laws, confiscation, high taxations, depredation, and the loss of all personal freedom– of speech, movement, worship, possession, right to bear arms, and the pursuit of happiness.  Thus, the Antichrist is also an absolute system of dictatorial rule, devoid of God and the Bible, as well as a living Person!

The Antichrist is Satan Personified

As Jesus Christ is God personified Co1:15, Heb1:3, the Antichrist is Satan personified 2Th2:9, Re13:4.  John wrote  ‘Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?  He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son’ 1Jn2:22. 1Jn4:3 further states ‘.. every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is in the world’.

All those denying the divinity of Jesus Christ are antichrists. 2Jn1:7 states that an antichristis a deceiver and that there are many deceivers in the world: ‘who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.  This is a deceiver and an antichrist’. An antichrist is one that denies that Jesus Christ is God who came in the flesh.  The five verses in the epistles of John, speak only of antichrists and the spirit of antichrist, but not the Antichrist. Though the Bible states there are many antichrists 1Jn2:18, in the endtimes there will be One Antichrist. Many rightly believe that this Antichrist will be extremely powerful, a very diabolical person who will one day rule the whole world and will destroy all those that oppose him, especially Christians.

The Antichrist- the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, 2ndThessalonians Chapter 2

The Bible speaks of a great deceiver who will come to deceive the world. 2Th2:1-12 state ‘Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him1, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand 2.  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition 3; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God 4..  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 8 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders 9,  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved 10. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 11 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness12’.

Here we see in these verses that day of the Rapture shall not come, except there will be a falling away first of many church believers, and the man of sin and the son of perdition will be revealed v3, who will come against and exalt himself above all, even God.  This very wicked person empowered by Satan, shall be revealed and will deceive the world with all power and signs and lying wonders, whom the Lord shall consume with fire from His mouth and destroyed him with the brightness of his coming vs8,9.  The Antichrist will deceive many people because they received not the love of the truth that they may be saved v10!  God shall send strong delusion that they should believe a lie v12.  This will happen after the Rapture Jn14:3, during the great tribulation Mt24:21.

The Dark Knight Rising- World Domination and Slavery

Satan’s surrogate, the Antichrist, will soon have worldwide domination and bring slavery to all mankind.  Re12:12 states ‘for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time’.

One of the main signs of the coming Antichrist is that he ‘will weaken the nations’ Is14:12.  That this is happening today is so very obvious as we hear the daily news of great economic and financial distresses of the major countries of the world such as America, Japan, and the PIIGS nations namely Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain.  The eventual collapse of the PIIGS nations in Europe due to their huge sovereign debts will also cause the demise of other countries such as Germany and France. Then China, the rising economic dragon, will falter greatly because ‘there is no one (no money) to buy her goods’ Re18:11.

The now ubiquitous ‘Made in China’ label will one day become a byword as the world’s economy gravitates into a period of ‘zero trade’ because of the specious weakening paper currencies such as the US$, €, £, ¥; till we all come into a ‘cashless society’, and into the mark of the beast 666 system.

Can you imagine 7  billion thirsty, hungry, desperate, and angry people in this world? This is part of the coming Great Tribulation spoken by Jesus, coupled with wars, droughts, famines, and great natural disasters! Jesus said ‘For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved..’ Mt24:21,22. We will continue to examine who the Antichrist is from the books of Revelation and Daniel, and look into the Antichrist system!

The Antichrist- the Beast, and the False Prophet Revelation 13

Revelation Chapter 13  further metaphorically reveals the Antichrist; a beast rising out of the sea, with the name of blasphemy written on his heads¹, who is given great power and authority by Satan².  This beast, the Antichrist, will cause people to worship him⁴ and all that dwell upon the earth ‘whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ ⁸.  He will be so powerful and feared that no one would want to fight against him⁴.  He will blaspheme against God, and the name of Jesus Christ⁶.  The Antichrist will war against God’s people, the saints, and will overcome them⁷.  He will be an absolute ruler over the whole world- all kindreds, and tongues, and nations⁷– for 42 months⁵.  The Antichrist will have a partner, another beast¹¹, called the False Prophet Re16:13, also having great powers like the Antichrist, who will promote worship of the Antichrist¹².

The False Prophet will have powers to do great wonders, to call down fire from heaven¹³, do deceiving miracles¹⁴, and to make an image of the Antichrist and give life to it.  Anyone who would not worship this image should be killed¹⁵.  By deception¹⁴, the False Prophet will also cause all to receive the mark of the Beast in their right hand, or in their foreheads¹⁶– the number of the Antichrist, the number 666¹⁸.

The mark of the Beast system will be tied into a New World Order, in an electronic monetary system in a ‘cashless society’¹⁷, because all the major currencies of the world such as the US$, €, £, ¥, etc., will fail and become worthless under extreme national debts!  Without the mark of the Beast, no will be able to buy or sell, make transactions, get access or withdraw from their personal accounts, or receive their pay or pension checks- their social security and Gov’t entitlements. This identification mark will be an implanted computer chip, with all ones personal vital information stored in a chip the size of a grain of rice.  

To survive, you must have the mark of the Beast. But the Bible also states that any man who worships the Beast and his image, and takes his mark, will suffer God’s wrath, and ‘be tormented with fire and brimstone.. forever’ Re14:9-11. Those believers refusing the mark of the Beast will be beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God Re20:4.  Do you know which ethnic group today still does execution by beheading?

The book of Daniel chapters 7,8,9,10,11, also speaks of the Antichrist, a beast rising out of the sea with ten horns Da7:3,7. The Antichrist is described as a king with fierce countenance Da8:23, who will rail against God Da7:25, war against the saints Da7:21,25 and will prevail and overcome them Da11:7.  He will be a great speaker Da7:8,11, a great intellectual Da8:23, and a great political strategist Da8:23-25.  He will be a world dictator Da7:23, and a raiser of taxes Da11:20.  At first the Antichrist will be known as a man of peace Da8:25, but then through deceit, he shall destroy wonderfully Da8:24; making a peace covenant with Israel and later turning against her Da9:27.  He will exalt himself even above the Almighty God Da11:36. Though there are other references in the Bible to the Antichrist, the books of Daniel, 2Thessalonians and Revelation give a good composite of this coming Antichrist, who will one day rule the whole world with great power Da7:7,19, Re13:5,7.

The Antichrist System- Very Evident in America Today

Has it ever occurred to you that America is already in the Antichrist system today?  Earlier, it was mentioned that the Antichrist was as much a system of rule, as it is a person. From the Y2K scare that all computers will go bonkers in 2000, to the 911 attacks in New York and the Pentagon on Sep 11, 2001, to the long-drawn Mar 2003 Iraqi war on the false pretext of Iraq having WMD- weapons of mass destruction, to great inconveniences to travel due to terrorism, the serial massacres at the Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood TX, and recently in a Colorado movie theater, these events have greatly helped to usher in the Antichrist system in America– a system of fear, suspicion, control, intimidation, deprivation, and loss of personal freedom.

Before the Antichrist is eventually revealed, the apostle John already said ‘even now are there many antichrists’ 1Jn2:18.  So some in the world are still looking for the Antichrist to appear, the Bible states that there are already many antichrists today- those that are anti-God, anti-Bible, anti-Christ, and anti-freedom; seeking to enslave mankind for their own diabolical purpose, and this system is already in its incipient stages here in America!

America is no longer a Christian nation, having rejected God, and the biblical principles that made her great. Instead, the Antichrist system has slowly transitioned into our once great democratic nation. We have kicked God out by removing prayers and the Bible from our public schools. The 10 Commandments were removed and no longer grace the US courthouses.  Others sought to remove God from the Pledge of Allegiance, and from our coinage. Since 1973, over 50 million babies have been killed in legalized abortion. Pornography runs rampant today. Sodomy laws were gradually removed in all 50 states beginning 1971 and finalized by the US Supreme Court in 2003, allowing for widespread homosexuality today.  Thirty-six states have already passed laws allowing for same-sex marriages, and the rest will soon follow suit. Some churches even allow their ministers to perform gay marriages and some ministers are also gay homosexuals.

With the death in 2007 of Jerry Falwell, the founder of the Moral Majority, America lost a very strong voice for God’s righteousness. Instead we now have leaders like Pres. Obama, who earlier stated that the federal Gov’t will no longer defend DOMA, the Defense of the Marriage Act in court, a law passed by Congress in 1996. Last year, Obama also removed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell rule in the US military, and recently, Obama became the first president to openly declare his support for gay marriages.  For the first time in history June 2012, the Pentagon has allowed for the celebration of gay pride week.  (On June 26, 2013, the US Supreme Court struck down DOMA, and declared that Same-Sex Marriage is now legal in America).

Also, uncontrolled spending by Congress, and gov’t leaders have brought America to the brink of bankruptcy and thereby, future enslavement. Of late, we also had a rash of ‘flash mob riots and lootings’, flesh-eating Zombies, teenage vampires, and demon-possessed massacrers. But this is only one side of the decline and degradation of America.  Another side to the encroaching Antichrist system in America is the curtailment of our personal freedom.

In America, we are slowly losing our personal freedom by new laws, legislation, presidential executive orders, and US Supreme Court decisions. The freedoms referred to are that of the freedom of speech, movement, religion, possession, conscience, privacy, due process, and the right to bear arms.  An example is the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) passed by Congress in Dec 2011, allowing for the indefinite detention by the military of anyone who is suspected of terrorism, without charge or trial, or the Mar 2010 passing of the healthcare law, mandating US citizens to purchase healthcare insurance under the Affordable Healthcare Act, or face heavy tax penalties. It was recently upheld by the US Supreme Court as constitutional.

It has been reported that this law will require everyone to have a RFID (radio frequency ID) microchip implanted in his body in 2013 http://www.newswithviews.com/McGuire/paul135.htm.  It is also rumored that Medicare payments will double by 2014 to pay for the new program; thousands of IRS agents hired to insure compliance, and healthcare availability may be even far less for many, giving rise to ‘death panels’ for older folks or those deemed hopeless!  The Gov’t and Congress have taken our country down a road that we have never gone before, abridging our freedom and turning America into a totalitarian state; an Antichrist system of fear, control, constraint, confiscation, manipulation, and penury.  The godless Antichrist system is now alive and transforming America right before our very eyes!

The Worldwide Antichrist System- What Will Happen Next

Many antichrists today, archetypes of the coming Antichrist, must first engineer a total collapse of the present world’s economy before the Antichrist is fully revealed 2Th2:3,6, and assume world domination.  This will happen soon as nations will be falling like dominoes due to excessive spending, debt, and taxation; when hyperinflation sets in, such that just a loaf of bread will cost a day’s wages Re6:6.

The 7 seals of the book of Revelation will be opened- of conquest, war, inflation, famine, death/hell, martyrdom, and a great earthquake. Then the sounding of the 7 trumpets of cataclysmic disasters and the pouring out of the 7 vials of God’s wrath will ensue before the unveiling of the Antichrist. In all this, the Antichrist and False Prophet will rise up to take control of the world for 42 months, force people to worship the Antichrist or be killed, and issue out the infamous mark 666 in order to buy or sell. Jesus will then return from heaven with His army to war against, defeat and cast alive both the Antichrist and False Prophet into the lake of fire Re19:11-15,19,20. Jesus will then establish His 1000-year kingdom on earth Re20:4! ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ Re22:20.