How do you find peace in a tyrannical world? When the whole world has lost its mind, and chaos is king, how do you deal with stress and anxiety? That’s why 2 Thessalonians 2 was written, so that we would not be easily shaken in mind or troubled! Even if in the midst of political chaos a godless tyrant arises who persecutes the church.
The Antichrist is Satan’s attempt to defeat God.
Political power is Satan’s attempt raise up the Antichrist.
#1 The Man of Sin – 2 Thessalonians 2:3
He will embody the philosophy “Sin doesn’t matter.”
The only thing that matters is that you win (and defeat God).
#2 The Son of Perdition – 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Son of Perdition – ἀπώλεια apoleia – utter destruction.
Antichrist will be the perfect atheist and the ideal secularist.
#3 The Lawless one -2 Thessalonians 2:8-10
Lawless one – ἄνομος anomos –man of apostasy.
He will not care about laws nor especially about God’s law.
#4 The Antichrist – 1 John 2:18 & 22
He will be a pretend Messiah.
He will be against Christianity.
#5 The Legs of Iron and Clay – Daniel 2:40-43
His will be the final earthly kingdom.
It will be strong as iron and weak as clay.
#6 The Willful King – Daniel 11:36–37
He will do what he wants.
Anyone who opposes him will be crushed.
#7 The Beast – Revelation 13:1-8
This is by far the most definitive statement on Antichrist.
He is θηρίον therion brutal, bestial, savage, ferocious.
#8 The Little Horn – Daniel 7:23-25
He will have humble origins.
He will have world conquering aspirations.
#9 The Prince that shall come – Dan. 9:26
He will revive the Roman Empire.
He will rule the world.
#10 The Four Horseman – Revelation 6
He will enter the stage in peace.
He will secure his kingdom by war.
How do you find peace in a tyrannical world? We must live as light in the kingdom of darkness. We must not be shaken and troubled when terrible things happen. God is well aware of the evil of this world. All of prophecy points to one fine day when Jesus the king of kings and Lord of Lords will put a stop to the craziness and end the rule of the satanic kingdom. We wait, prayerfully and patiently for that day!
Lately I’ve had repeated conversations with Christians that go something like this: “The times we live in are so unsettling! When I look at what’s going on in our country and our world, it is so disturbing to me. The bad guys are in power and chaos is spreading. It is difficult for me to find tranquility in the midst of tyranny.”
How do you find peace in a tyrannical world? When the whole world has lost its mind, and chaos is king, how do you deal with stress and anxiety?
That’s why 2 Thessalonians 2 was written, so that we would not be easily shaken in mind or troubled! Even if everyone else falls away. Don’t be shaken. Don’t let it ruin your tranquility. Even if in the midst of political chaos a godless tyrant arises who persecutes the church. Don’t be easily shaken or troubled.
The Bible says that the whole world lies in the lap of the wicked one! (1 John 5:19). The entire history of mankind since Satan’s failed revolt against God in heaven, has been characterized by His repeated attempts to mold and manipulate power hungry tyrants to take over the world. It has happened before, it will happen again.
In fact if you do a cursory study of the tyrants in history, you discover that ambitious, power hungry politicians have dominated recorded history. It seems like most of history is simply one evil dictator after another oppressing and massacring the masses. The serpent duped Adam and Eve, and the world has been littered with dead bodies ever since.
Let give you some examples of these dictators:
Nimrod – He’s the first world dictator that we know of. His name means נמרוד Rebel. Genesis 10:9 He was a mighty warrior and is considered the leader of those who built the Tower of Babel in rebellion against God. He was a tyrant.
Nebuchadnezzar – Despite being a man short in height, Nebuchadnezzar had soaring ambitions. He dreamed of dominating the world and made no attempt to keep it a secret. He rose to power with the ferocity of a roaring lion and struck fear into the hearts of men.[i]
Cyrus the Great – He was the founder of the first Persian Empire-the greatest Empire that the world has seen so far. His reign was marked by extreme cruelty, with numerous instances of torture, flaying, and beheading. His reign ended when he was assassinated by two of his own sons, who in turn were assassinated by his third son.[ii]
Alexander the Great – Conquered most of the known world, but died doing it. He was one of the greatest military strategists and leaders in world history. He was ruthless, dictatorial, and ambitious to the point of regarding himself as divine.
Julius Caesar – he ruled the Roman world as dictator he proved himself to be a brilliant political schemer. He was brutal, ruthless and genocidal on a large-scale, as well as dishonorable, immoral, anti-religious and tyrannical. He massacred more than 400,000 people in his conquests of Gaul. His assasination was one of the most famous murders in history.[iii]
Genghis Khan – His name is always synonymous with tyranny and ruthlessness. Everywhere they went, the Mongols inspired terror, as they looted, destroyed and slaughtered civilians en masse without mercy.[iv]
Napoleon Bonaparte – He was one of the brightest military leaders to have ever graced the Earth. He used excessive force and violent aggression to conquer foreign lands, and then he plundered and pillaged those lands for resources.[v]
Vladimir Lenin – He was an evil figure who led the October Revolution. He inflicted revolution, war and famine, and demonstrated a chilling disregard for the sufferings of his fellow countrymen and mercilessly crushed any opposition.[vi]
Joseph Stalin – He was a ruthless leader and his brutality knew no bounds. He killed millions of his citizens who dared to oppose him. His record as a mass murderer must never be forgotten.
Adolf Hitler – He was undoubtedly one of the most devious and diabolical leaders of all time. Hitler plunged the world into a war that would leave millions of people dead, including the 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust.
Mao Zedong – founded the people’s republic of China and started a cult like following of his little red book. He was responsible for the disastrous policies of the “Great Leap Forward” and the “Cultural Revolution”, which resulted in the deaths of millions of people.
Antichrist – He will rise to conquer the world! The most ruthless, brilliant and satanically inspired leader of all time! He will eclipse the evil and brutality of all these men. If nothing else, they are Satan’s attempt at bringing the reign of Antichrist to the world before its time.
Why have we reviewed these world leaders, dictators and tyrants? Because for most of world history, people have lived under the crush of the iron boot of tyrants. And that day is coming again, whether it is the antichrist or some other satanically inspired strong man.
And we Christians need to discover how to live in perilous times! This the lesson of 2 Thessalonians 2:
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition
Do not be soon shaken or troubled. And yet the coming of antichrist will trouble the whole world. It is our goal today to describe to you the character of the antichrist. We are going to take a deep dive into the world of political tyranny. We are going to survey the main passages of Scripture dealing with this satanic figure, and then we are going to end by placing our trust in the coming King Jesus who will destroy Him with one little word.
What do you need to know about antichrist? The world is looking for a hero. But they are looking in the wrong place. They are enamored with worldly characteristics that speak of power and utopia. They are looking for a strong man who will save the world from insanity. Satan knows what we are looking for and is a master at deception. He baits us what we want, and then switches it to the worst of all possible outcomes.
Why do you need to know about him? Politics will not save us. Politics will destroy us! Only Jesus will save us. Don’t trust in men, trust in God.
Let’s begin our survey. Who is this man we call the antichrist?
#1 The Man of Sin – 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition
Man of Sin – ἄνθρωπος anthropos human male. ἁμαρτία hamartia – miss the mark, violate God’s law, sin.
Hal Lindsey calls this hostile person “the Future Fuehrer,” He will be Satan’s parody of the God-Man. The world today is looking for the Super-man. Christ of God was sinless; the Christ of Satan will not only be sinful, but the Man of Sin. He will embody the philosophy “Sin doesn’t matter, Character doesn’t count, Morality is meaningless. Do as you please. The only thing that matters is that you win.
#2 The Son of Perdition – 2 Thessalonians 2:3
This is from the same verse.
Son of Perdition – ἀπώλεια apoleia – utter destruction, one who will face the misery of hell. Not only a human degenerate, but the offspring of the Dragon. He is completely lost. Just as Judas Iscariot was lost, so too will he. He will be the perfect atheist and the ideal secularist. In the end his degeneracy will get him cast into the lake of fire for eternity.
#3 The Lawless one -2 Thessalonians 2:8-10
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
Lawless one (8) – ἄνομος anomos – wicked one, Lawless one, man of rebellion, man of insurrection, man of apostasy. departing from the law of Moses, violator of law. This man is a chronic liar. Jesus was the Righteous One; the Man of Sin will be the Lawless One.
Because he does not care about truth, he uses excessive force, violent aggression, along with supernatural signs as well as lies, disinformation, and deception to conquer and control the world. He is empowered by Satan and that makes him doubly dangerous.
#4 The Antichrist – 1 John 2:18 & 22
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
Antichrist 1 John 2:18 ἀντίχριστος antichristos – ἀντί anti – against, or in place of. a false Christ, a pretended Messiah, who sets himself up to be the one to be worshiped instead of Christ, proclaiming that he is Christ. The book of 1 John is the only book that uses this name: It is used 4 X in the book of 1 John. That’s what makes him so dangerous. He has a messiah mentality, and people buy it!
Antichrist accords with the two stages in his career. At first he will pose as the true Christ, masquerading in the guise of religion. But, later, he will throw off his disguise, stand forth in his true character, and set himself up as one who is against God and His Christ.
#5 The Legs of Iron and Clay – Daniel 2:40-43
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will attempt to merge his kingdom with all of humanity; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
#6 The Willful King – Daniel 11:36–37
36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all
The willful king – King who shall exalt himself – Dan. 11:36–37 רצון ratsown – will, desire, pleasure, self-will. He will have so much power he will be drunk with it. He will do whatever he wants. He will have an incredibly cultic personality that will draw people into his schemes, and anyone that opposes him will be crushed. He is a Bloody and Deceitful Man.
#7 The Beast – Revelation 13:1-8
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life
This is by far the most definitive statement on him. While we don’t know exactly who he is, we do know that he rises from the sea. The sea usually indicates the Mediterranean Sea, or the gentile nations that surround the sea.
That he is the The Beast – חֵיוָא cheyva’ beast, animal / θηρίον therion a wild animal, wild beast, brutal, bestial, savage, ferocious. The Beast is the title by which he is most frequently designated in the Revelation: there are at least thirty references to him under this name in the last book of the Bible. “The Beast” contrasts him with Jesus who is like a “the Lamb;”
#8 The Little Horn – Daniel 7:23-25
‘The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. 24 The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings. 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.
The Little Horn – Daniel 7 – “Little Horn” refers to the lowly political origin of the Antichrist, and describes him as he is before he attains supremacy with the ferocity of a lion.
#9 The Prince that shall come – Dan. 9:26
“And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Dan. 9:26).
This title connects the Antichrist with the Roman Empire in its final form, and presents him as the last of the Caesars.
#10 The Four Horseman – Revelation 6
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the [a]seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
When He opened the second seal, Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth,
5 When He opened the third seal, So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he brought famine.
When He opened the fourth seal, I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth,
The four horseman – Some have confused the rider of the white horse in verse two with Jesus, but the rider is actually the Antichrist. A conqueror bent on conquest
These are the main passages on the Antichrist, the Beast of the book of Revelation. There is coming a day when the future fuehrer will arise and conquer the world. It is always a terrible day to live when evil men rule. But it will be worse still.
He will be an intellectual genius, He will be an oratorical genius, He will be a political genius, He will be a commercial genius, He will be a military genius, He will be a governmental genius, He will be a religious genius.
An old writer has said the name Devil is most suggestive of his character. If “d” is taken away, evil is left. If “e” is taken away vile is left. If “v” is taken away ill is left. And if “i” is taken away and the next letter be aspirated, it tells of hell. [vii]
How do you find peace in a tyrannical world? We must live as light in the kingdom of darkness. We must not be shaken and troubled when terrible things happen. God is well aware of the evil of this world and evil only has a short life span.
All of prophecy points to one fine day when Jesus the king of kings and Lord of Lords will put a stop to the craziness and end the rule of the satanic kingdom. We wait, prayerfully and patiently for that day!
[i] https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4451665/jewish/Nebuchadnezzar.htm
[ii] https://alltrades.substack.com/p/cyrus-the-great
[iii] https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-05-11/brutal-and-genocidal-dissecting-julius-caesar-to-warn-us-about-trump-and-other-strongmen.html#:~:text=In%20the%20series%2C%20Julius%20Caesar,in%20violation%20of%20Roman%20laws.
[iv] https://www.q-files.com/history/famous-leaders/famous-leaders-a-z
[v] https://www.thecambridgelanguagecollective.com/current-affairs/iy7g8fn9ua8td6y2uw1ic640k28sod#:~:text=Napoleon%20used%20excessive%20force%20and,slavery%20in%20the%20French%20colonies.
[vi] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/people/10-most-ruthless-leaders-of-all-time/vladimir-lenin/slideshow/52120234.cms
[vii] https://ccel.org/ccel/pink/antichrist/antichrist.chap04.html
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