word sight: newsroom

The word Antichrist in Scripture.
1. The word antichrist is used only four times in Scripture [1st and 2nd John]. Often the word "anti" means "against" or "opposed to", but in Scripture it means "instead of" or "in the place of."
  1. 1 John 2:18
  2. 1 John 2:22
  3. 1 John 4:3
  4. 2 John 1:7
2. Two types of Antichrist:
  1. Someone who denies Christ [which could be anyone]
  2. Antichrist that is coming and is already in the world.
    1. This cannot be a person. People do not live that long.
    2. A power beginning in John's day lasting to the end of the world.
3. Paul's reference to the Antichrist.
  1. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
  2. 2 Thessalonians 2:7-11
Daniel identifies the Antichrist through prophetic symbols.
1. The principle of repeat and enlarge.
  1. It means that God repeats major prophetic messages and each time enlarges upon what was presented before.
  2. In the book of Daniel, four great world powers are portrayed four times by different symbols. Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Daniel 8, and Daniel 11.
2. Four World Powers. Daniel 7:1-3
  1. First beast, a Lion,
    1. Daniel 7:4
    2. First kingdom Babylon [609-539 B.C.]
  2. Second beast, a Bear.
    1. Daniel 7:5
    2. Second kingdom Medo-Persia [539-331 B.C.]
  3. Third Beast, a Leopard.
    1. Daniel 7:6
    2. Third kingdome Greece [331-168 B.C.]
  4. Fourth beast, Dragon.
    1. Daniel 7:7
    2. Fourth kingdom Pagan Rome [168 B.C. - 457 A.D.]
  5. Ten horns on the fourth beast.
    1. The tens horns had to come out of Pagan Rome
    2. Daniel 7:24 - Ten Germanic Tribes
3. The Little Horn represents the Antichrist. God uses more words to describe it than the other four comined. There must be no mistake in identifying the Antichrist.
4. Seven points to identify the Little Horn. Daniel 7:8, 24-25
  1. "Shall arise from this kingdom." [Daniel 7:24]
  2. "Shall arise after them." [Daniel 7:24]
    1. Then ten kingdoms came into power in 476 A.D..
    2. Papacy came into power in 538 A.D..
  3. "He shall be different from the first ones." [Daniel 7:24]
    1. The ten kingdoms were political powers
    2. Different because it is primarily a church ( religious power)
  4. "Shall subdue three kings." [Daniel 7:24] The papacy uprooted three of the Germanic powers.
    Heruli - 493 A.D.,
    Vandals - 534 A.D.,
    Ostrogoths - 538 A.D..
  5. "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High." [Daniel 7:25]
    1. Papacy claims two things that belong only to God.
    2. Forgiveness of sins. "Does the priest truly forgive the sins or does he only declare that they are remitted? The priest does really and truly forgive the sins in virtue of the power given to him by Christ." [A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion, Joseph Deharbe, New York, page 279]
    3. Claiming to be God. "The pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ, Himself, hidden under the veil of flesh." [Catholic National, July 1895]
  6. "Shall persecute the saints of the Most High." [Daniel 7:25]
    1. European history clearly states that the papacy persecuted from the dates of 550 A.D. to 1600 A.D..
    2. "That the church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history." [History of the Rise and Influence of the Sprit of Rationalism in Europe, W.E.H. Lecky, New Your Braziller, Vol. 2, pp 40-45]
  7. "Shall intend to change times and laws." [Daniel 7:25] In the catechism, the papacy has omitted the second commandment against veneration of images, shortened the fourth commandment from 94 words to 8, and divided the tenth commandment, making it commandments nine and ten.
  8. "The saints shall be given into his hands for a time and times and half a time." [Daniel 7:25]
    1. In the Bible, a day represents a year in prophetic time. Numbers 14:34
    2. Time=360 days, Times=720 days, Half a time=180 days = 1260 days. In prophecy, a day represents a year. This totals 1260 years. The papacy came into power with the overthrow of the Ostrogoths in 538 A.D.. Adding 1260 years to this date takes us to 1798.

Jesus tells us why we are given prophecy. John 14:29

In Daniel 7, Christ repeats the same prophetic message three times to make sure we understand it.
Daniel 7:

Verses 8-14	Verses 20-22	Verses 24-27
8 - Little Horn	20-21 - Little Horn	24-25 - Little Horn
9-12 - Judgment	22 - Judgment	26 - Judgment
13-14 - God's New Kingdom	22 - God's New Kingdom	27 - God's New Kingdom

Jesus has left no room for doubt. The divine sequence is:
1. Little Horn Power [538 A.D. - 1798 A.D.]
2. Judgment
3. God's New Kingdom
The purpose of this series of meetings is to see where we are in the stream of time and to prepare for the coming of Christ.