Onward Christian Soldiers

He will, when he comes to worldly power, most likely have a personality that will attract people, he will be eloquently spoken, good looking, signs and wonders will be performed.  Just the right ingredients to appeal to people who fail to look past the cover of the book and practice discernment.  This person will rise up in power with all the answers to the earth’s problems and unite the world under a one world government.  He will appear to people as being squeaky clean, even passing himself off as Christ, but at the same time oppose Christ.  Later on, during his time in power, this man will dictate that everyone worship him and take his mark, the mark of the beast, on their right hand or forehead in order to buy and sell.  Anyone who refuses will be put to death.  The Tribulation lasts for 7 years and three and a half years into it, this man will show his true colours.  The devil will form his unholy trinity – devil, antichrist and false prophet.  The antichrist will persecute, torture and kill God’s people, the ones he can get to, from three and a half years into the tribulation (the half way point) until the end of the 7 years tribulation.

Let’s have a look at Bible scripture from the Book of Daniel.  Daniel has a vision/prophecy, which is interpreted by an angel.  This passage of scripture lines up with scripture in the Book of Revelation.

Read also chapter 8 of the Book of Daniel.

Daniel 7:1-14 (CSB)
In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mind as he was lying in his bed.  He wrote down the dream, and here is the summary of his account.  Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea.  Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.  The first was like a lion but had eagle’s wings.  I continued watching until its wings were torn off.  It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.  “Suddenly, another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear.  It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth.  It was told, ‘Get up!  Gorge yourself on flesh.’  After this, while I was watching, suddenly another beast appeared.  It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back.  It had four heads, and it was given dominion.  After this, while I was watching in the night visions, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth.  It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left.  It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.  While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it.  And suddenly in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly.  “As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.  His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire.  A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence.  Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.  The court was convened, and the books were opened.  “I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking.  As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire.  As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time.  I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven.  He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.  He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:15-28 (CSB)
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was deeply distressed within me, and the visions in my mind terrified me.  I approached one of those who were standing by and asked him to clarify all this.  So he let me know the interpretation of these things:  ‘These huge beasts, four in number, are four kings who will rise from the earth.  But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever, yes, forever and ever.’  “Then I wanted to be clear about the fourth beast, the one different from all the others, extremely terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, devouring, crushing, and trampling with its feet whatever was left.  I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell – the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that looked bigger than the others.  As I was watching, this horn waged war against the holy ones and was prevailing over them until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.  “This is what he said:  The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms.  It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.  The ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom.  Another king, different from the previous ones, will rise after them and subdue three kings.  He will speak words against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High.  He will intend to change religious  festivals and laws, and the holy ones will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time.  But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away, to be completely destroyed forever.  The kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the holy ones of the Most High.  His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey him.’  “This is the end of the account.  As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

When we read these passages of scripture, the image of horns was often used in the Hebrew Bible to symbolize royal power, the rule of kings over kingdoms.   

The four beasts symbolize four major world empires from Daniel to the second coming of Jesus Christ.  The first beast was the Chaldean or Babylonian Empire, the second beast was the Medo-Persian Empire, the third beast was the Greco-Macedonian Empire and the fourth beast was the Roman Empire.  In the End Times/Last Days it is believed there will be a revived Roman Empire, a powerful government which is predicted in biblical prophecy, which will rise to power and form a dominating one world government.  As Christians, our focus must be on spreading the Gospel to all corners of the world, for when this prophecy in the Bible comes true, and to keep on spreading the Gospel.

We’ll now have a look at scripture from the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 13:1-10
And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.  It had ten horns and seven heads.  On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names.  The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth.  The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.  One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed.  The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.  They worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast.  And they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast?  Who is able to wage war against it?”  The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies.  It was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.  It began to speak blasphemies against God:  to blaspheme his name and his dwelling – those who dwell in heaven.  And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them.  It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.  All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.  If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes.  If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed.  This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints.

Revelation 13:11-18
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.  It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.  It also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people.  It deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that it is permitted to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.  It was permitted to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.  And it makes everyone – small and great, rich and poor, free and slave – to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark:  the beast’s name or the number of its name.  This calls for wisdom:  Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a person.  Its number is 666.

Notice that in Revelation, a bear, lion and leopard are spoken of again, as in Daniel, but this time the image of the animals which each symbolize a nation in Daniel, with their separate empires, now in Revelation the beast looks like all three animals.  This is a symbol of several nations coming together to form a new world power or new world order.  The beast coming up out of the sea is symbolic of the raging of many nations.  The beast has ten horns with ten crowns which symbolize ten kings over ten kingdoms. The seven heads are seven mountains, a reference to Rome being built on seven hills.  The seven heads also symbolize seven kings.  The beast or antichrist will therefore be a person who rises up to control this new empire, having all the solutions to the world’s problems and taking control of the world.  His time will be short though, seven years during the tribulation.  Some of the traits of the antichrist will be;  he will blaspheme God, he is a man of lawlessness, he will claim that he is God, he will control the world’s economy and form a one world religion.

After the seven years of tribulation our Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth at the Battle of Armageddon with his great armies of heaven to battle with the antichrist and to claim victory over him. Jesus then begins his thousand year reign over the earth, while the devil is chained for a thousand years and the antichrist and false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.  

Read Revelation, chapters 19,20,21,22.

Hebrews 9:27-28 (CSB)
And just as it is appointed for people to die once – and after this, judgment – so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

2 Peter 3:1-18 (CSB)
Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to stir up your sincere understanding by way of reminder, so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles.  Above all, be aware of this:  Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised?  Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.”  They deliberately overlook this:  By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water.  Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded.  By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.  Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact:  With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.  Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming.  Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat.  But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.  Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.  Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him.  He speaks about these things in all his letters.  There are some things hard to understand in them.  The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.  Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position.  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.