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Collierville First Baptist Church
Untitled - February 13, 2026
00:00:00 Speaker: Heavenly father, thank you so much for the Bible. Thank you that we can open the Bible tonight, and we can study about what's going to happen in the future. I thank you, Lord, that you know the future just as well as you know the past. Lord, everything that you prophesy in the Bible will come true exactly as you say it will come true. And we thank you for that. And, Heavenly Father, as we come tonight, we pray in the name of Jesus that you would give us rich insights into the the life and the character and the the the person of the Antichrist. Uh, Jesus told us to be on the alert and to be watching for his coming. And I think this is an important step in doing that. So, Lord, give us, show us what we need to know tonight. Help us to be ready when Jesus comes. In Christ's name. Amen. Now, I want to start out tonight, and I want to play a little excerpt from, uh, David Jeremiah about the Antichrist. Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought, what if everything I see happening around me, all the chaos, all the uncertainty is actually part of something much bigger? What if we're living in the very days that the Bible warned us about? It's a question that's been stirring in my heart lately, and I believe it's a question worth answering. You see, for years we've been hearing whispers, seeing the headlines, feeling the tension in the air. But there's something even deeper happening, something many of us might be missing. The Antichrist is not just a figure from some distant future, but someone who is walking this earth right now. Now, I'm not here to scare you. I'm not trying to sensationalize things, but I truly believe it's time to wake up to the reality unfolding before us. This isn't about wild theories or unsubstantiated fears. It's about seeing the signs in our world that align with prophecies written thousands of years ago. And here's the most shocking part. This system that will one day give one man control over every aspect of life, from what we buy and sell to how we live and breathe, is being built right in front of us. And it's happening faster than we realize. So I ask you, do you feel it too? The shift in the atmosphere, the way everything seems to be pointing to one inevitable conclusion. Today, I'm going to walk you through five unmistakable signs from the Bible that tell us exactly who and what to look for. But before we dive into those signs, I want to share with you something that's been heavy on my heart. There's a reason why we can't afford to wait any longer. There's a reason why this message right here, right now matters more than it ever has before. We're not just watching a movie unfold. We're living it. And the time to act is now. So stay with me. As we look at what the Bible really says about the coming of the Antichrist and how we can make sure we're not just waiting, but preparing. We are living in a time when the line between the natural world and the supernatural seems to be growing thinner by the day. Every day we wake up, we hear more news about turmoil, unrest, and things that seem to be spiraling out of control. But what if I told you that all of these things are not just random events? What if they are actually the very things the Bible warned us about thousands of years ago? The truth is, the Antichrist is already here. I know that sounds bold, even shocking, but it's not about fear or sensationalism. It's about understanding the reality of what is happening around us. The Bible speaks of a man who will rise to power, a figure who will have unprecedented authority over the entire world. And I don't believe we are still waiting for him to appear in some far off future. I believe he's already walking among us. The world is setting the stage for this man, and he won't come in the way we expect. He won't come as the villain. We imagine he will come with charm, with appeal, with promises of peace. And in that moment of desperation, when the world has nothing left to hope for, people will be ready to follow him. But here's the kicker it's not just about one man. It's about the system that will give him power. This system, the System, the infrastructure that will allow one person to control all buying and selling on Earth is being built right now. It's not in some far off secret lab. It's happening in plain sight. Think about it for a moment. We're seeing more and more of our lives being controlled by technology every day. Our finances are social media. Even the way we move through the world, everything is being monitored, tracked and controlled. And this is just the beginning. I'm not here to scare you, but to wake you up. Because this is what the Bible warned us about. A world that will be controlled by a single system. A system that will track every person, every action, every decision. And the only way to participate in that system will be to accept the mark of the beast. This isn't some science fiction story. It's happening right now. And what we need to understand is that it's not just about the man, it's about what he represents. It's about the coming of a system so vast, so powerful that it will make every individual feel like they have no choice but to follow. But here's the good news. God gave us a window of clarity. We have the scriptures, we have the prophecies, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through this time. And though this prophecy is unfolding right before our eyes, we don't have to walk in fear. Instead, we can stand firm in our faith, anchored in the truth that Jesus has already overcome. We are not in this alone. And though the Antichrist and his system may seem overwhelming, we have a Savior who is greater than anything the enemy can throw at us. Amen. Amen. That's true, isn't it? Hey, listen, the Bible says that in the future, the Antichrist is going to create a one world government, a one world economy and a one world religion. That process is taking place before our very eyes. Now, he talked about the system and that system that is being built before our very eyes, and gaining more traction every day is AI. I'm telling you folks, it is a it's real. Now, I got to thinking about what Jesus said in Matthew twenty four where he said, we need to be on the alert. I think part of what we're doing tonight is creating a sense of alertness, that the timing of Jesus coming is not, uh, eons away. Uh, I believe that Jesus could come at any moment. Now, listen to me very carefully. Satan does not know everything. He's not omniscient. Too many people get the idea that Satan is like God, that he knows everything, that he has all power, that somehow there's a this great battle taking place between spiritual forces of darkness and light, and we don't know who's going to win. We know who's going to win. We know the end of the story, and you have to work from the end of the story backwards, okay? And you got to think about that. Well, look, I don't know when Jesus is coming. I don't I can't say for sure. Like, uh, Doctor Jeremiah did that, uh, the Antichrist walking the earth right now, but I would not doubt it at all. Okay. Remember this, uh, Satan, since he does not know when Jesus is coming, he's had to have, uh, Um, a man in the in in the queue ready to step into the role of Antichrist because he doesn't know when Jesus is coming. Now, in the past, back in the the days of Paul, they thought Nero was the Antichrist. And you go back and you study biblical history and and you see that many of the Puritans thought that the Pope was the Antichrist. Spurgeon thought the Pope was Antichrist. And you go on and on and on. I remember the day when when people thought Kissinger was Antichrist. You remember that Kissinger was Antichrist? Well, he wasn't. Now, let me say this to you. I believe that the coming of Christ is very, very near. I can't predict a date, But I do know that we're called by Jesus to be on the alert and to be ready when he comes. Now we're we're in Daniel chapter eleven. And last week we studied about Antiochus Epiphanes. We we had a a shot at it before and it was a miserable mess. And I came back and I clarified it last week and hopefully it helped you. And I know it helped me. It helped me a lot. And so Antiochus Epiphanes was like a preview of the Antichrist. Okay. Antiochus was not the Antichrist. It was not. But he he had a lot of the characteristics of the Antichrist. Okay. Now, there were some differences between Antiochus Epiphanes and the Antichrist. For instance, um, Antiochus Epiphanes worshipped the god Zeus. Antiochus Epiphanes. Not going to worship any god except himself. Okay, so there are differences. Now, tonight we're going to do part one because I don't think I can cover it all in one whack. So we're going to do part one. I'm going to try to stay about, uh, about fifteen thousand feet and not get down too far down into the weeds. And hopefully it'll help you understand. You got notes. You can take notes on the side. So in verses one through thirty five. Of chapter eleven, they were prophecy to Daniel, but history to us. Verses one through thirty five are historical things that have happened. But for Daniel they were things out in the future. Okay. The verses contain over one hundred specific predictions that have already been fulfilled. Right. They mostly describe war and intrigue in the Greek Empire following the death of Alexander the Great. When you come to verses twenty one to to thirty five, we look at the the anti Semitic actions of Antiochus the Fourth Epiphanes and his atrocities against the Jews were also delineated in Daniel chapter eight. Pritchard, uh, said this. He said, beginning in verse thirty six, we come to a section that was prophecy to Daniel. Now look. And it's still prophecy to us today. Thirty six to forty five, with prophecy to Daniel's out in the front. It's in the future, but it's also out in the future. For us, it has not happened yet. There are no boxes to check yet. Okay, the last ten verses of Daniel eleven describe events that have no parallel in world history. It's not happened yet since the early days of the Christian church. Most expositors going all the way back to Chrysostom have seen in these verses a description of the final end time ruler known as the Antichrist. So who is this Antichrist? Who is he? Well, David, Jeremiah made this observation. He said there are over one hundred passages of Scripture that describe the Antichrist, either directly or indirectly. And yet the word Antichrist itself, the word Antichrist, is only mentioned four times in the scripture. Just four times. Uh, take your Bible. Look at first John chapter two, verse eighteen, first John chapter two, verse eighteen, and keep your finger there in first John. Look at verse eighteen, children, it is the last hour. And just as you heard that Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared. For this we know it is the last hour. So he said there, the spirit of Antichrist is everywhere, and it's here today. The spirit of Antichrist is at work in this world today in a powerful way. And look at verse twenty two. Twenty two, the same chapter. First John chapter two. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, the one who denies the father and the son. Remember I told you that in every generation, it's like Satan had to have somebody ready to step into the role of Antichrist. Okay. And everybody that was in the role in the queue to be an Antichrist would would reject the notion that God is real. God the Father and God the Son are real. Now look at, uh, chapter four, verse three of First John. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is all ready in the world that was written two thousand years ago, basically, he said, it's already in the world and it's everywhere, and it's like a tidal wave. It's just growing and growing and growing. Pointing to the day when the Lord Jesus is coming. Look at second John seven. Second John seven for many deceivers have gone out into the world. Those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh is this is the deceiver and the Antichrist. So those are the the four times that the actual word Antichrist is used in the Bible. Now, there are many allusions to Antichrist that we're going to look at tonight. And the word look at the word Antichrist. Just a minute. Anti means it's a person who is against Christ. Okay. It means anti means instead of. And both the meanings here, uh, um, will apply to this coming world leader. He will overtly oppose Christ and at the same time pass himself off as Christ. Remember Jesus said that that he will present him. He said, there's going to be false Christ. Remember that in Matthew twenty four false Christ, and they will. Many people will be deceived by these false Christs. And this spirit of Antichrist that's going to be prevalent in the world at the very last of the last days. Now, I can't identify the Antichrist Right now I can't. But trust me, we will be able to at some point in the future, he will be identifiable. Okay, I'll tell you how. We will know. He will make his appearance in the world in the seven years of tribulation. That's when he's going to come to the forefront. Now, obviously, let me say this. The Antichrist is not a manifestation of a demon. The Antichrist is a man. He's a human being that is possessed by the devil. Okay, let me make that very, very clear. Now, when he shows up, when he shows up, he'll begin to, to to manifest some of these characteristics that we're going to look at tonight and I want you to to really zero in on what we're, we're doing tonight because I think it's so important. Now, remember the Bible said, Jesus said, there's coming a seven year of tribulation. And the last three and a half years of that tribulation is called the Great Tribulation or the time of Jacob's trouble. If you think anti-Semitism is really bad today, you haven't seen anything yet. In fact, John MacArthur says that when Antichrist in the the Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years of the tribulation, John MacArthur said that two out of every three Jews will be killed. Two out of every three Jews will be killed. Just let that sink in for just a moment. Have you noticed how the world hates the Jewish people? I mean, sometimes I scratch my head, and even people who claim to be Christians who exhibit a hatred and a disdain for the Jewish people. Do we not realize that our Savior was a Jew? Jesus was a Jew. He was a Jew who loved us so much that he sacrificed himself on the cross of Calvary so that we could be saved and our sins could be forgiven once and for all. Do we not realize that, uh, many of the writers, most of the writers of the Bible were Jews who were Jews. So, uh, I think it's very important that we don't buy into to this spirit of Antichrist that has already begun to manifest himself in the world today. Now there's a gap of undetermined time between verses thirty five and thirty six. Remember, verse thirty five is about Antiochus Epiphanes back during the the Greek Empire. Okay. Now, when you come to verse thirty six, it's an unknown period of time because the Antichrist has not manifested himself yet. So there's a huge gap in time between verse thirty five and verse thirty six. Now remember last week we talked about the repetition of the two words appointed times. Look at verse twenty seven. As for both King, remember we're talking about Antiochus Epiphanes here. As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil. And they will speak lies to each other at the same table. But it will not succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed time. And then look at verse twenty nine. At the appointed time he will return and come into the south. But this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. So the appointed time is a key for us in understanding that. It's a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes. Back during the Greek Empire, before the Roman Empire really came to full fledged power. Alright, now, when you come to verse thirty six, then I want you to notice verse forty, verse forty. Look at verse forty at the end time. That's a time stamp. It's a time stamp for us to understand what the Holy Spirit was inspiring Daniel to write about. He's writing about end time events. Okay, not and not the the historical times of Antiochus Epiphanes. Alright. And then you go over, you see the same thing in chapter twelve. Look at chapter twelve. Uh, let me find it. Well, it's there in chapter twelve somewhere. It talks about the end time against the same time stamp. Now let's look at verses thirty six and thirty seven. Just a moment. Then the king. Now that King is not referring to Antiochus Epiphanes, that king is referring to the Antichrist. Okay, then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods. And he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. Now understand this when the Antichrist comes on the scene in the first part of tribulation, he will make a peace. Deal with it. What is Israel looking for today? More than anything else? Looking for peace. They're looking for protection from their enemies, who cry out from the river to the sea all the time. Right. We hear it in, in on the streets of America. From the river to the sea. Well, I want you to understand That Israel is looking for peace, and the Antichrist is going to present himself at a time when the world is in absolute turmoil, and he'll have some answers for the world's troubles that will get the attention of the entire world, and it will get the attention of the Jewish people. And he will make a covenant with the Jewish people. Okay, and a covenant of peace. And then at the three and a half year mark, three and a half year mark, he will break that covenant, and he will unleash his fury upon the Jewish people and upon the world. So he's not going to present himself at the beginning as a diabolical, devil like figure. He's going to present himself as the answer to all your problems. A man of charisma. A man of wisdom. A man who has answers instead of questions. A man who is appealing to the entire world. Okay. And he's going to gain a tremendous following. Okay. That is, until he reveals his true colors at the three and a half year mark. Now look at this. He will prosper until the indignation is finished. Now what? What? What does that mean? The indignation. That's talking about the tribulation period. That's talking about the seven years of tribulation. I want you to understand that Jesus has the Antichrist on a leash. He's on a leash. He's not free to run and do everything he wants to do. He can only do what the Lord allows him to do. Now the Lord allows the Jewish people to suffer. We saw this last week. He allows the Jewish people to suffer so that they will be purified. He's purifying the Jewish people. He's getting the people ready for his coming. Now, um. The the indignation, the finishing of indignation is a time when the battle of Armageddon. When when the armies of the Antichrist meet the the armies of the East in Megiddo and they battle it out, and Jesus comes and he destroys, he destroys the Antichrist and those who are following him. Okay, now. look at this. Verse thirty seven. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers. That the heritage that you and I value, the anti-Christ will have no no value placed upon the heritage of the religion that's been passed down by his forefathers. Okay. Or for the desire of women. Now, that's an interesting little phrase. Okay. He has no regard for the desire of women. Now, some people think that he will be a homosexual. I'm not sure. That's right. Could be. I'm not sure about that. But some people believe that. Remember, it's a Jewish context here. Everything revolves around Jerusalem and Israel and the Jewish people. And so Jewish young ladies, young virgin Jewish ladies grew up. And I'm sure Mary had maybe had this same desire. They wanted to give birth to the Messiah. They had studied prophecy. They knew that that the Messiah would come. They had read Isaiah seven fourteen, and they knew that it could be them, and they longed to give birth to the Messiah. And some scholars think that that's what he's referring to. And basically what what this when he says he has no regard for the desire of women, it's that he has no no regard for Messiah, the Messiah at all. And some people think that he's referring to that, that he's not a family man. That that family is absolutely means nothing to him. Okay. In fact, in the last days, the Bible said Jesus prophesied. The Bible prophesies that husbands will turn on their wives, and wives will turn on their husbands, and children will turn on their parents, and parents will turn on their children, and they will be killed. They'll be persecuted and and martyred. Now, whatever that means. It ain't good. Okay, let me just say it like that. It's not good. Okay. No regard for the religion of his forefathers and no regard for for, um, uh, the desire of women. Nor will he show regard for any other God. No regard for any other God. Look at this. It says it's twice. It says it in verse thirty six. It says in verse thirty seven, for he will magnify himself above them all. Now the Antichrist will be an egomaniac. He will be the narcissist of all narcissists. He's going to magnify himself. He's going to at the three and a half year mark in the Temple in Jerusalem. He's going to present himself as God, and he's going to demand that all the world worship him. Okay, now take your Bible. Look at Matthew twenty for just a minute. Matthew twenty four. Let's begin with verse eight. Well, verse nine, then they will deliver you to tribulation, will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. Then he goes on in verse fifteen, he talks about the abomination of desolation. That's what I want you to see. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of. Through who? Daniel the prophet. Can I just be honest with you? You really can't get a grip on prophecy if you don't study, Daniel. You can't do it. It's the primer that leads you into an ongoing, deepening understanding of prophecy. So therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, let the reader understand. Now how could the reader understand in the New Testament days, because they had the book of Daniel. They could go back and they could read about the abomination of desolation that that Daniel wrote about in his prophecy. Now, what is that abomination of desolation? The Bible says that the false prophet. Take your Bible. Look at revelation thirteen. Just a minute. Revelation thirteen. Look at verse one. And the dragon. That's the devil. Do you realize that Satan is creating an unholy trinity? We got a holy trinity, and Satan is creating an unholy trinity. The dragon. The devil himself is like God the Father. And then he. Then the Bible said, then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. That's the Antichrist. That's the Antichrist. And notice he's coming up. Where? Out of the sea and the sea. In the first century represented the Gentile nations. Okay. That's why most scholars believe. Most prophecy experts believe that the Antichrist will be a Gentile. Now, some believe he could be a Jew living in a Gentile land. Now, I don't know which it will be, But I do believe that he's going to come out of the Gentile world. Because I tell you why. Because if you go back to just hold your place right there at revelation thirteen, go back to Daniel seven. Daniel seven. Look at verse seven. After this I kept looking in the night visions and behold a fourth beast. Now the first beast represents Babylon, the eagle. Verse four. The second beast, a bear represents the Medo-persian Empire. The. The third beast, a leopard represents the Greek Empire. And then you come to verse seven, and it's referring to the Roman Empire. And I kept looking in the night visions. And behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong, and had large teeth. Large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. Now look at this. While I was contemplating the horns, behold another horn! A little one came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it. And behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boast. Now that's the Antichrist. That's. And he's coming out of the room. The revived Roman Empire. Remember, if you. We don't have time to do this. But if we had time, we would go back and we would look at Daniel chapter two. You remember the great vision, uh, of the of that Nebuchadnezzar had, and he wanted Daniel to interpret it for him. The great great statue, the golden statue. And and he got down to the feet, feet of iron mixed with clay. And the toes were brittle iron and clay. Do not mix. Right. And in the vision, in the interpretation that Daniel had, he said that these toes are brittle. And it's a picture of a revived Roman Empire. The stone came. Remember the stone, by the way? The Roman Empire had an eastern part and a western part. And where did the stone came? Where did it come from? And where did it hit? When it hit the great statue and destroyed the statue? It hit. Hit the legs and the feet. Right. The revived Roman Empire. So I do believe that the Antichrist will come out of the revived Roman Empire. Now look at this. Go back to revelation thirteen. Just a minute. Now, in verse two. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. So he had characteristics of all these different empires. See? And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. So where does Antichrist. Remember, he's a man. But who gives him his power and his ability? Satan. Satan empowers him to do what he does as the Antichrist. Notice this. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain and his fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. So evidently the Antichrist is going to have some kind of wound or something, and it will appear to to die and have a, a a pseudo resurrection. Now why why is that? Because he's emulating and imitating Christ. You see, he's the second person of the unholy Trinity. He he's the Antichrist. Now notice this. The whole world, the Bible says us will worship the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. Now look at verse four. They worshiped the dragon Satan because he gave his authority to the beast. Who's the beast? Who's the beast? The Antichrist, okay. And they worship the beast. They worshipped Antichrist saying who is like the beast who is able to wage war with him? There was given him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and to act for forty two months was given to him. Forty two months is three and a half years, three and a half years. I'm telling you, Jesus has the Antichrist on a leash. He can only do what Jesus will allow him to do. Well, I could go on, and I'd love for us to read the whole chapter. Chapter thirteen, but I can't. But hey, look at verse eleven just a minute. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. Now where did the first beast come from? The sea. Represent the Gentile nation. And the second beast came out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. And he exercised the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth look at this. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, the Antichrist, whose fatal wound was healed. Now, who is this second beast that came up out of the earth? Well, it's the false prophet. It's the false prophet who points people. Now who does the false prophet emulate? The Holy Spirit who points us to Jesus, the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit who draws us to Jesus and helps us to understand who he is and what he has offered for us, the Holy Spirit. And the false prophet will do for the Antichrist. Exactly what the Holy Spirit does for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now go back to Daniel chapter eleven. Go back to Daniel chapter eleven. And look. Now we're looking at different name, different names and different, uh, pictures of the Antichrist in, in, in Daniel chapter seven, verse eight, he's called the little horn. We saw that a minute ago in Daniel chapter nine, verse twenty six. He's called the prince who is to come. And then in second Thessalonians chapter two, verse three, take your Bible, look at Second Thessalonians chapter two. Second Thessalonians chapter two. And the second chapter of Second Thessalonians, all about the Antichrist. Revelation thirteen is mostly about the Antichrist, the unholy trinity. Now look in, in in verse, beginning with verse one of chapter two of Second Thessalonians. Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure, or be disturbed, either by a spirit or a message, or a letter, as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. See the Thessalonians. They they got so Into prophecy that they thought that Jesus was coming and they quit their jobs and and they put on white robes and they went up on mountain waiting for Jesus to come. And Paul had to correct them and rebuke them and tell them, if somebody doesn't work, they don't eat. Don't, don't feed people who quit working looking for Jesus to come. That's basically what Paul said. And so he says here that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed, either by spirit or a message or a letter, as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. You know the interesting thing about this AI stuff? Have you noticed that AI stuff looked real? I mean, it looks real. And I'm going to tell you something, and I believe this with all my heart. If we don't know our Bibles and we don't have a spirit of discernment. We're going to be set up to fall for all kinds of mess. I'm telling you. So if ever you studied your Bible, if ever you've prayed for anything, you pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to understand the Word of God and give you a spirit of discernment so you can tell what's true and what's false. Okay, that that's why in this church, we say the Word of God is our final source for faith and practice. Listen, you you don't need to come to me and ask me about something. You look at the Word of God. Look at the word of God. If some Yahoo with slicked back hair gets on TV and he preaches some garbage, take your Bible and find out if what he's saying is true or not. I tell you, it's a great protection for you. It's a great protection for your family. Now look at verse three of chapter two of Second Thessalonians. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first. There's going to be a falling away of believers. There's going to be a falling away of people in churches. That's a scary thing, isn't it? Don't be in that crowd, okay? And the man of lawlessness is revealed. The son of destruction. So right here in chapter two, verse three of Second Thessalonians, the Antichrist is called the man of lawlessness. Look at the lawlessness in our nation today. Where do you think that's coming from? It's the spirit of Antichrist. And then he's called the Son of destruction. The son of destruction. So we're adding to the references to Antichrist not using the name Antichrist, but these, these other, other references to him, the son of destruction and a man of lawlessness who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying Himself as God, that is, the abomination of desolation when he presents himself in the Jewish temple, and he claims to be God and he demands to be worshipped. Now, what did Antiochus Epiphanes do? You remember Antiochus Epiphanes? Follow the same pattern, didn't he? So he put up a statue of Zeus. And he. He sacrificed a soul on the altar in the temple. And it took the Jews a long time to cleanse the temple. And that's why the Jews celebrate Hanukkah today. Alright, look at verse seven, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. That was written two thousand years ago. Ladies and gentlemen. And it has not slowed down. It has, it has. It is peaking right now. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Look at verse eight. Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming. I want you to understand that when the Lord Jesus comes his second coming, he will destroy the Antichrist. He will take the Antichrist, the false prophet, and the the dragon himself and throw them into the lake of fire. Okay. And bound them in the lake of fire. Now, in revelation thirteen one, he's referred to as a beast coming out of the sea. Now, let me give you some characteristics of the Antichrist. I've got them listed for you here. This coming world ruler will be charismatic, cunning and cruel. He's not going to be some some, um. When he presents himself to the world, he's not going to present himself with a with two horns, with a pitchfork and with a tail. He's not going to do that. He's going to. He's going to be he's going to be one of the sharpest guys imaginable. And he's going to be cunning and charismatic, and he's going to be he's he's going to have the answers to the world's problems. He's going to have the answers for the Jewish Jewish people. He will be notice, he will be an anarchist. The Bible says he will do as he pleases. Well, there's a lot of anarchists in the world today, isn't it? He will exercise political power given to him by ten kings. Take your Bible. Look at revelation chapter seventeen. Revelation chapter seventeen. Verses twelve and thirteen. The ten horns Which you saw are ten kings in in the the revived Roman Empire who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. Who's the beast? The antichrist. Okay. Now. He will exert power in the religious realm. Look at Daniel seven twenty five. Just a minute. Daniel seven twenty five. He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the highest one. and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law. He's going to. He's the Antichrist going to try to change the moral law of God. But we see that happening today. That's a spirit, let me tell you. When our nation, when our nation redefined marriage, that's exactly what the the spirit of Antichrist is going to do in the last days. He's going to make some moral changes. He will speak out against the Most High, will wear down the saints of the highest one. He will intend to make alteration in times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time. Three and a half years. But the court will sit for judgment. I'll tell you. He's got he's got, he's got he's got him on a leash and his dominion will be taken away. And annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, the dominion, the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the highest one. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey him. That's Jesus. We're on the winning side, ladies and gentlemen. The world will be persuaded to worship him by the miracles the false prophet will perform in his name. And that's revelation thirteen eleven fifteen. Read that when you get home, the Antichrist will be the final ruler in the Roman world. The final one, last one, the little horn of the fourth beast. Therefore, he must be a Gentile. He will demand that the whole world worship him alone. Remember, the Antichrist will be. Doctor Jeremiah taught about how the the whole world system is a system of control. Let me tell you, with AI, if you take a trip to Kroger, somebody's going to know it. They're gonna know it. What you watch on your TV, they're going to know it. They're going to know everything about you. And so if they're going to know everything about it, let's make sure that we let them know that we're followers of the Most High God. Amen. Alright. So he's going to demand the whole. Remember, he's not going to you cannot buy any food. You cannot buy gas. You cannot do anything unless you have what? The Mark of the beast. If you get the mark of the beast, you're done for. It's going to be a tough time. Ladies and gentlemen. He will succeed in spreading his influence around the world, both politically and religiously. We're going to have to pick up with verses thirty eight and thirty nine, in part two and in finishes chapter next week. Um. I did put a a table for you on the last page comparing the Antichrist and Jesus. Just look at that. Now, if you study that, which side are you going with? I know where I'm going. I'm going with Jesus. Amen. Oh, man, I'm so glad that. The Bible talks about the Book of life. You know who has the book of life? Not the Antichrist. Jesus got the book of life. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad that the Antichrist can't get his filthy, little slimy fingers on the Book of Life? Amen. Alright, now, next week we will finish chapter eleven. And next week I want to share some things, uh, some some truths that I want you to really bear down on as we, we move forward in time. Alright. So let's pray. Heavenly father, thank you for our time. Lord, help us to to understand biblical prophecy. Help us to understand how we can be alert when Jesus comes. Help us to understand this, this figure, the Antichrist. Lord, we're we're not looking for the coming of Antichrist. We're looking for the coming of the Blessed One, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I pray that every day that we wake up, that we'll look for Jesus to come that day because Jesus said he's going to come at a time we don't expect. So, Lord, help us to be ready. Help us to serve you with all of our hearts. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you and God bless you.