by Bill Nugent
Article #156
“Something wicked this way comes” is a line from act IV of Macbeth but it could also have application to our own times. The Bible predicts future events. Bible prophecies are being fulfilled in our own time. One of the main proofs of the divine inspiration of the Bible is predictive prophecy. The Bible contains thousands of predictive prophecies that have been fulfilled or are being fulfilled. One prophecy that concerns us today is First John 2:18 “. . . ye have heard that antichrist shall come.”
Several prophecies contained in the Bible predict the rise of a great dictator who will literally rule the world. Several aspects of these prophecies were very perplexing to ancient and medieval Bible scholars. In our own day we see that modern technology makes possible a literal fulfillment of these bizarre aspects of prophecy.
The Bible often refers to the future antichrist as “the beast.” In The last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, it states no less than three times that this future world leader would have a deadly wound to the head that would be healed (see Rev, 13:3, 12 & 14). It says in Revelation 13:5-6 that he will speak blasphemy against God. Revelation 13:7 says that he will make war against God’s people and overcome them. The same verse says he will have power over all the world’s people. Revelation 13:4 & 8 predicts that people will worship him. Revelation 13:5 predicts that he will exercise this power for 42 months.
The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians also contains predictive prophecy concerning the antichrist. Second Thessalonians 2:3 states that there will be “a falling away first.” This falling away is the centuries long catastrophic falling away from Bible based faith in God. Western civilization, indeed the whole world, has been seduced by Darwinism, atheism and existentialism.
This passage in 2nd Thessalonians goes on to describe the antichrist as the “man of sin” and “son of perdition.” Second Thessalonians 2:9 predicts that the antichrist will come “after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” This indicates that the antichrist will gain sway over people by demonstration of occultic power. Space doesn’t permit me to discuss the prophecies of the antichrist contained in the book of Daniel and other Old Testament passages.
Finally in Revelation 13:16-18 it predicts that the antichrist will cause people to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead and that no one will be allowed to buy or sell without this mark. This passage was puzzling to ancient Bible scholars. Today, with the rise of microchip technology and implantable chips to act as credit cards that can’t be stolen we see the stage being set for the fulfillment of this predictive prophecy. People can be controlled with an iron grasp in a cashless economic system. Electronic chips containing credit information can be implanted under the skin of hand or forehead.
In Western Civilization and throughout the world we have seen atheistic existentialism act as a wrecking ball to demolish the Judeo-Christian worldview in the minds of many people. In its place has risen moral relativism (no real right or wrong), nihilism (no real purpose to human existence) and narcissism (self-love to the point of self-absorption).
However, despite its seeming dominance on the world scene, this relativistic, nihilistic, narcissism is collapsing because the human soul thirsts for meaning, direction and purpose. Moral relativism is as unstable as it is impractical and people are looking for a new absolute. They look for a new absolute that defines right and wrong and promises a just and prosperous society. This longing can be filled by Christianity or it could be filled by a great dictator making false promises.
The present barren philosophical landscape is fertile ground for the rise of a leader who trivializes democracy yet delivers fabulous economic results. In the 1930s we saw the example of Mussolini who destroyed Italian democracy but made the trains run on time. The Bible predicts the rise of a dictator even more sinister.
The new absolute taking shape in the US is benignly called “political correctness.” It claims to be broadminded and tolerant but unborn babies are approvingly mass murdered through abortion. Qualified people who happen to hold a traditional Judeo-Christian viewpoint are often denied tenure in academia or denied appointment to judgeships.
In an economic collapse or other worldwide crisis, power could quickly be concentrated in the hands of a few elitists. Political correctness could quickly morph into something more absolutist and hostile to God.
Christians will resist and reject the new anti-God absolute and will refuse to worship the powerful world leader who is attested by occultic miracles. Aided by high technology, the antichrist will take steps to force Christians to bend to his will. We will be forbidden to buy or sell because we will refuse his mark. Yet God will provide for us.
The Bible also prophesies the downfall of the antichrist in Daniel 7:11 and Revelation 19:20.
The time to decide is now. Who will you choose to follow — Christ or antichrist?
Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of over 300 Messianic prophecies written in the Old Testament hundreds of years before His birth. No other figure in all of human history can match this claim! Some of the clearest prophetic words are contained in the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 53 contains several clear references to the fact that Christ would be “wounded for our transgressions” and be “bruised for our iniquities.”
Jesus suffered for our sins so that we don’t have to suffer in hell. We can now receive forgiveness of sins through Christ. Call upon the name of Jesus today to receive the salvation He bought for us!
Steps to salvation:
Jesus said “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).
Prayer to receive salvation:
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:
“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!