What Precipitates The Rise Of Antichrist?}

What Precipitates the Rise of Antichrist?

by

David Sell

What Precipitates the Rise of Antichrist?

By Pastor Sell, Dean of Northern Calif. Bible College

One of the most amazing end-time predictions is that one man will eventually rule the world. He is primarily referred to as the Beast; although, 1 Jn. 2:18 refers to him as the Antichrist, by which most of the church has come to label him. Understanding the governmental structure of today, its inconceivable to think that the time is coming when countries like the United States would surrender their reigns of government to a single man, who most likely wont even live in America. What could possibly cause such a radical transition?

One of the most troubling verses in all the Bible is Rev. 9:13-18 which reads:

Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million, and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed”by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.

Since much of this prophecy remains veiled in symbolism, we are unable to present a definite prediction; however, the following clues prompt us to at least draw a preliminary conclusion:

Prepared for the hour and the day and month and year

This phrase has an unusual way of pinpointing an exact hour, of a particular day, of a selected month, of an appointed year for a cataclysmic event to occur. The timing of the blowing of this sixth trumpet is precisely and firmly established upon Gods calendar.

To kill a third of mankind

At this precise moment one out of every three individuals on the earth will suddenly die as the result of the sixth trumpet. Apart from a sovereign touch of death, we know of only one other means by which this could be humanly possible”annihilation from a nuclear explosion and resulting fall-out.

Never before in the history of the planet will more people have died at once. Assuming the population of the earth could climb to nine billion within the next 30 years, this could mean the sudden death of three billion people. This far exceeds all those ever killed by disease and conventional warfare throughout human history.

This nuclear exchange could very well be the fulfillment of the coming battle between Gog and Magog prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39. It could also fulfill the ominous prophecies in Zech. 14:12-14; verse 12 reads, And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.

The riders upon the horses had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow

To an observer, a nuclear explosion resembles a display of fire, smoke, and brimstone, displaying each of these colors.

The Positional Context of the Sixth Trumpet:

Shortly following the sixth trumpet found in Rev. 9 we begin to read of the events of the final 3 years. Rev. 11 speaks of the two witnesses who prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days (Rev. 11:3); Rev. 12 explains the events of the church which last for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (Rev. 12:6); Rev. 13 describes the Antichrist who reigns for forty-two months (Rev. 13:5).

The timing of the sixth trumpet seems to occur before the final 3 year tribulation described in chapters 11-13. Consider the following possibility. The clues rendered among the above five phrases lead to a strong possibility of a nuclear war at a global level. Three billion die, most of which would probably come from the large metropolitan centers scattered throughout the earth. In such a war, there are no winners; no single country emerges as the victor.

After such a global catastrophe the world would be left in total chaos. Whatever government power bases had been in control would no longer be the same. Countries would be left without the infrastructure of leadership, natural resources, and the ability to just get back to business. Economies along with their social structures would be in near collapse. Cities in rubble remain clouded with nuclear fall-out for months. Most of all, the pressing question on everyones mind would be, What can be done to keep this from ever happening again?

It is against this backdrop that a ten-unit world power emerges with Antichrist at the helm (Rev. 17:12). Their platform is never again will this occur if the nations will release the reigns of their government and economic bases over to us. Humbled by the enormous devastation, the nations of the earth willingly relinquish their remaining resources and authority to this new leadership in exchange for the hope of peace. Without realizing it, however, they have made a grave mistake”1 Thes. 5:3 reads, For when they say, Peace and safety! then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

Realistically, it will take something cataclysmic to motivate the super powers of the world to turn over their entire governments and economies to some foreign organization which doesnt even share their own land. Only the promise of peace and safety, on the heels of a nuclear catastrophe, will convince them to do so.

Dan. 11:21-23 shows the emphasis upon the tool of deceit used to gain the worlds credibility: And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor or royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.

The next article

In the next article on eschatology we will examine the question of whether the tribulation is 3 years or 7 years. Stay tuned.

This particular study comes out of a course entitled, Understanding End-Times, offered at Northern California Bible College. The entire course is available in a textbook written by Dean David Sell, entitled, Understanding End-Times, and is available for purchase. For more information write your request to info@ncbc.net

The study of end times is conducted by many different Bible Colleges in states like Texas, Michigan, Alabama, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado that also teach various approaches to studies on eschatology.

Northern California Bible College (NCBC) believes that each serious Bible student needs to develop their own personal belief on eschatology. The purpose of this school is to offer advanced biblical instruction to those of us who are pastors, lay-leaders, or common parishioners”to those of us who simply want to know the Bible at a level that currently is not being offered in our adult Bible study class in Sunday School. Some of the courses available include: The Life of Jesus, the Book of Acts, Romans, Revelation, Genesis, the Books of Moses, the Life of David, The Christians Mental Health, Hermeneutics, Old and New Testament Survey, and the list goes on.

Classes can be taken for full college credit if we want to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies. Or, if we want we can take classes at the Certificate Level which allows us to earn a one-year Bible diploma. This is not an official college degree, but a systematic survey of the important books of the Bible. If we only wish to attend and receive the information we can also take classes on the Audit basis.

Graduates from Northern California Bible College are scattered over the globe pastoring churches, serving as staff ministers, or becoming strong contributors at their local church. What each student from Northern California Bible College has in common is a love for the Bible and a better understanding of what it actually says.

Classes are offering on-line, or through distance learning by listening to CDs of actual recorded lectures. For those who learn best by sitting in a live classroom, each quarter live classes are offered in San Jose or Dublin, California. For those who prefer studying in the comfort of our own home, or while driving in the car, the same courses are offered through on-line or distance learning. Each live class is recorded in the classroom (DVD, CDs, Audio Cassettes, MP3) and made available to students. Student from all over the United States are currently enrolled in this user-friendly program”from Florida to New York to Arizona to Oregon, and of course California.

If you would like a free information packet on how you might benefit from courses offered at Northern California Bible College, you can call 925 846-6464 or find the school on the web at

NCBC.net

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com}