Daniel 9:27
27 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.

In the 'midst of the week' (after 3 1/2 years of the total 7 year period) the antichrist will commit the abomination of desolation in the rebuilt temple in Israel. Right now Israel has plans to rebuild the temple but due to political pressures they are held back. The day is coming when Israel will have the chance to rebuild and they will quickly seize it. Plans are in the works to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and restore the daily sacrifice. Right now in Israel the temple priests are being trained in all aspects of temple ceremony and sacrifices. When they are able the daily sacrifice will be resumed. While the temple is being rebuilt the sacrifices can be performed. All this can begin quickly.

After the rapture of the Church, the antichrist will come to power and he will confirm a 7 year covenant with Israel. He will break that covenant by entering the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and stop the daily sacrifice. At this point he will sit down in the temple and claim to be god and demand that worship from all men. The Bible says:
 
 

2 Thessalonians 2:3
3. 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;
4 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.

The antichrist will claim to be God and try to exalt himself above everything that is worshipped while he seeks worship from men. Notice that the antichrist will oppose God and try to exalt himself above God. He will be sitting in the temple of God and claim to the world that he is God. There will be all kinds of satanic miracles to confirm these things. All who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ will accept the antichrist and will bend the knee and worship him.

Daniel 8:25
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify [himself] in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

During the days of the antichrist the occult will be everywhere. Today we are seeing a rise in the occult with the New Age Movement. There is really nothing 'new' about the New Age. It is just old fashioned occultism. In the days of the antichrist the godless, the vile, and evil will be greatly exalted. The antichrist will not have to wage war to conquer the world. He will do it through PEACE. He will be a master deceiver and negotiator and he: 'by peace shall destroy many'. At the end of his reign when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, the antichrist will stand up against the Lord. He will be quickly destroyed.

Matthew 24
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

God will not be silent when all these evil things are happening during the time of the antichrist. The abomination of desolation committed by the antichrist will cause the wrath of God to be poured out on the world. The next 3 1/2 years will be a time of 'great tribulation' on the world.

Through history men have come to power and claimed to be God. The Lord Jesus warned that men would make that claim. The goal is deception and many men have gathered followers unto themselves while they made crazy claims.

Matthew 24:4
4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

When the antichrist claims to be God, he is the climax of the above prophecy. All others who made that claim were only shadows or forerunners of the antichrist. Many men have gathered a following and made claims to be Christ. They are only antichrists. However the antichrist will make that claim one day and demand that men worship him or die.

 At this point the antichrist will demand worship and begin a massive killing holocaust to anyone who refuses worship. All men will be required to give their allegiance/worship to the antichrist by receiving the mark of the beast. To receive the mark of the beast a person must 'willingly' worship the beast. At that point he is lost forever and can never be saved.

 The antichrist, the false prophet, and the governments of the world will kill all those who refuse the mark of the beast. Those who refuse the mark of the beast will have their heads cut off. Notice the group below who are before God and they died by being beheaded. If someone does not worship the antichrist and take the mark of the beast, the penalty will be death.

Revelation 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto 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 WORSHIPPED 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.

Revelation 12
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Many have died for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They faced death knowing that the evil people can only kill the body and then they can do no more. Those who do the killing face a far worse fate. They will not only have their body destroyed but they will die spiritually being cut off from God for all eternity.

Matthew 10:28
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

So far we have seen how the antichrist will rise to power after the rapture and confirm a 7 year covenant with Israel. In the middle of that covenant he will break it. He will enter the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and claim to be God and demand all men to worship or die. This is the abomination of desolation and will trigger the 'great tribulation' when the final judgments will be poured out on the earth by God.

 Next lets look at at the rise of the antichrist as shown in the Bible in Revelation chapter 13.

Revelation 13:1
1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

After the rapture the antichrist will rise from the 'sea' of nations and come to power. The characteristic of his kingdom will be one of blasphemy. He will blaspheme God and those in heaven and those who belong to God. The beast will come to power very quickly. Look at verse 2. He is like unto a leopard which means that he will move very quickly and deadly. His feet were like a bear and will destroy any that stand in his rapid rise to power. He has a mouth like a lion and will have a 'roar'. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" (1 Peter 5:8)

 Finally who will give the antichrist his power, his seat (to rule the kingdoms of the world), and his great authority ----> the devil himself. The antichrist will be possessed by Satan and directly controlled during these closing days before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months.

The antichrist will be assassinated after 3 1/2 years of the 7 year covenant he confirms with the nation of Israel. It will be a satatanic miracle and he will come back to life. This 'resurrection' will cause the world to 'wonder' and be amazed at the beast. He will be like a superman to the world and will be loved and worshipped. Those who reject Jesus will be amazed by this man and think he is invincible. They will say 'who is able to make war with him?'

 He will speak 'proud' things and he will blaspheme God and everything that is sacred. He will have permission to continue his reign for 42 months (that is 3 1/2 years before Jesus returns).

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

His blasphemies are repeated again and again in Scripture. What we see today with the rock groups blaspheming God in their lyrics is only a forerunner of the soon day when the antichrist will reign. Those days will be great days of blasphemy against God and his people. Not only will the antichrist blaspheme but also will those of his kingdom. Blasphemy will be transmitted over the airwaves by TV, radio, news shows etc.. Again the mockery of God we see today in music, TV, movies etc is only a forerunner of the day when the antichrist will rule. At that time there will be no restraint and godless filth direct from hell will be readily available for all.

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

The antichrist will start a killing campaign and kill as many of God's people as he can. He will literally rule the world and impose his laws and morality throughout the world...killing all he can who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

ALL, ALL, ALL, I repeat, ALL who reject the Lord Jesus will openly embrace the antichrist. There is no middle ground. A person either accepts the Lord Jesus Christ OR he will accept the devil and his antichrist.

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

This is a direct warning from God. Listen and be saved or face perdition in the lake of fire. Hear what God is saying or be lost and spend your eternity in hell.

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Many will die during the 7 year reign of the antichrist. The world population which is currently at about 6 billion will be reduced to only a few million (if that) when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth. During those days it will be a literal holocaust on believers. They will be 'open season' for killing in those days by those who willingly accept the mark of the beast.

11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Above we have the introduction to the companion to the antichrist. He is known as the false prophet. He is sort of a satanic John the Baptist who will perform miracles and cause men to worship the beast. He will not seek his own worship but rather will force men to receive the mark of the beast and worship the antichrist.

 Those days will be days of great deception. In fact if anyone rejects the Lord Jesus then he is already deceived. The devil wants to take people to hell and he does that be deceiving them to reject the free salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ.

15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

An image of the beast will be setup and it will have supernatural power to speak. Again the goal is to get people to worship the beast. If a person refuses to worship the image of the beast they will be killed.

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Here we have the fulfillment of the one world government and the one world economic system. It will be a cashless system driven by computers. Today the world is rapidly putting in place all the tools needed to implement the mark of the beast, one world government, and cashless society.

 A person without the mark of the beast will not be able to transact any business transaction. He will not be able to work, to buy goods (food, rent etc), or sell goods without the mark of the beast. The only catch is to get that mark a person must worship the beast.

Matthew 16
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Many will exchange their eternal soul for the mark of the beast. By taking the mark people will have their physical needs TEMPORARILY satisfied...but they will be lost eternally.

 What will happen to those who receive the mark of the beast by worshipping the devil's antichrist? Once they have received the mark they have sealed their eternity. They are lost and cannot ever be saved. They will burn forever in the lake of fire. Keep in mind that in order to receive the mark of the beast a person must willingly worship the beast. No one will be tricked into secretly accepting the mark. They will have to make a open, willing decision to bend the knee and worship the beast.
 
 

See the verses below:

Revelation 16:2
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which HAD THE MARK OF THE BEAST, and [upon] them which worshipped his image.

Revelation 14:9
9 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,
10 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:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

The above verses are pretty clear as to what will happen to all who receive the mark of the beast and worship him. They are forever LOST and have nothing to look forward to except judgment!

 What will be the end of the antichrist, his kingdom, and his mark? Look what happens when the Lord Jesus returns:

Revelation 19
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 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 worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

2 Thessalonians 2:8
8 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:

When the Lord Jesus returns the antichrist and false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire. His kingdom will be destroyed and the Lord Jesus will setup His millennial Kingdom bringing in a time of great peace and prosperity to the earth.
 
 

What will happen to the devil, Satan when the Lord Jesus returns?

Revelation 20:1
1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

The devil will be bound and thrown into the pit for the duration of the 1000 year Kingdom that the Lord Jesus will setup. He will be allowed out of the pit at the end of the 1000 year millennium to deceive those on earth who have rejected the Lord Jesus. Even though the Lord Jesus will be physically present on earth for all to see, many will still reject Him. The devil will deceive those people and the rebellion will be quickly destroyed and Satan will then be thrown forever into the lake of fire.

 What about those who refuse the mark of the beast during the 7 year reign of antichrist? Most will be killed for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God encourages them with the following promise:

Revelation 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto 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 worshipped 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.

When the Lord Jesus returns to earth He will setup His earthly Kingdom and reign for 1000 years. Those few believers who survive will go into the millennium and repopulate the earth. God will lift the curse and people will again live for 1000 years during the Kingdom. The millennium and will be a great time of blessing on the earth. However before the blessings of the millennium, the world has to go through the 7 year reign of the antichrist. These will be the darkest days in human history.

 These days will begin sometime after the rapture of the church, when Jesus removes the Church from earth and takes her home to heaven.

Luke 21
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Be encouraged...as we can see the coming 'shadow' of these days coming we should be encouraged. Soon and very soon the Lord Jesus will rapture His Church from earth to be with Him in heaven. What a blessed hope for the Spirit-reborn Christian!

1 Thessalonians 4
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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