Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement; worship; and Bible study.
#Religion
#Antichrist
#Satan
#Evil
#Second Coming
#End Times
#Last Days
#Tribulation
#Greg Laurie
#Revelation 13:1-9
Closed captions
Show Timecode
Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Who Is The AntiChrist | January 17, 2022
- ...
- 00:00:00.633 --> 00:00:00.076
- Greg Laurie: Hi, I'm Greg Laurie, and I'm so glad you've
- 00:00:01.277 --> 00:00:02.379
- joined us, because God's Word is full of promises.
- 00:00:02.379 --> 00:00:07.250
- It's alive, it's powerful, and it can change your life.
- 00:00:07.250 --> 00:00:11.254
- So, let's get started.
- 00:00:11.254 --> 00:00:12.989
- ♪ This is the day, the day when life begins. ♪
- 00:00:12.989 --> 00:00:20.263
- ♪ This is the day, the day when life begins. ♪♪
- 00:00:20.263 --> 00:00:28.071
- Greg: Who is the Antichrist? He is a real person.
- 00:00:29.506 --> 00:00:32.776
- He is effectively the son of Satan.
- 00:00:32.776 --> 00:00:36.246
- If Satan ever had a son, this is him.
- 00:00:36.246 --> 00:00:40.283
- The only man even close to Antichrist in the Bible would be
- 00:00:40.283 --> 00:00:43.253
- Judas Iscariot, because we read that Satan entered Judas's
- 00:00:43.253 --> 00:00:48.525
- heart, but the Antichrist is even worse than Judas.
- 00:00:48.525 --> 00:00:53.730
- And I believe the coming of Antichrist is
- 00:00:53.730 --> 00:00:55.799
- getting much closer.
- 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:58.001
- So, if the coming of Antichrist is close, the coming of Jesus
- 00:00:58.001 --> 00:01:02.305
- Christ for his church is even closer.
- 00:01:02.305 --> 00:01:06.009
- You know when we see Christmas decorations?
- 00:01:06.009 --> 00:01:08.511
- When do we see them now, what, probably August?
- 00:01:08.511 --> 00:01:11.181
- It seems that way, doesn't it?
- 00:01:11.181 --> 00:01:12.649
- I mean, here come the Christmas decorations.
- 00:01:12.649 --> 00:01:14.851
- So, when I see Christmas decorations, it reminds me
- 00:01:14.851 --> 00:01:17.720
- Thanksgiving is close.
- 00:01:17.720 --> 00:01:20.123
- You say, "No, Greg, they remind you that Christmas is close."
- 00:01:20.123 --> 00:01:22.592
- Well, true, but if Christmas is close, Thanksgiving
- 00:01:22.592 --> 00:01:25.795
- is even closer, right, because it precedes Christmas.
- 00:01:25.795 --> 00:01:29.232
- And in the same way, if Antichrist is close, then the
- 00:01:29.232 --> 00:01:32.435
- coming of Jesus for his church is even closer, because
- 00:01:32.435 --> 00:01:36.573
- Antichrist cannot be revealed until the church, and
- 00:01:36.573 --> 00:01:40.643
- by the church I mean true followers of Jesus Christ, we
- 00:01:40.643 --> 00:01:44.514
- will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and then
- 00:01:44.514 --> 00:01:48.351
- this wicked world leader will emerge on the scene.
- 00:01:48.351 --> 00:01:52.889
- So, let's turn in our Bibles now to Revelation chapter 13
- 00:01:52.889 --> 00:01:55.992
- starting in at verse 1.
- 00:01:55.992 --> 00:01:57.360
- John, remember, he's on the Island of Patmos,
- 00:01:57.360 --> 00:02:00.396
- he's been given this revelation, which means the
- 00:02:00.396 --> 00:02:03.533
- unveiling of the future.
- 00:02:03.533 --> 00:02:06.169
- So, this is what John is seeing, and he writes,
- 00:02:06.169 --> 00:02:09.005
- "Then I stood on the sand of the sea.
- 00:02:09.005 --> 00:02:12.509
- And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having seven
- 00:02:12.509 --> 00:02:16.980
- heads and ten horns, and on his horns were ten crowns,
- 00:02:16.980 --> 00:02:20.717
- and on his heads a blasphemous name.
- 00:02:20.717 --> 00:02:24.220
- Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were
- 00:02:24.220 --> 00:02:27.724
- like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
- 00:02:27.724 --> 00:02:32.328
- The dragon gave him his power, his throne,
- 00:02:32.328 --> 00:02:35.098
- and great authority."
- 00:02:35.098 --> 00:02:36.432
- Verse 3, "And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally
- 00:02:36.432 --> 00:02:40.036
- wounded, and his deadly wound which was healed.
- 00:02:40.036 --> 00:02:43.406
- And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
- 00:02:43.406 --> 00:02:48.111
- And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast,
- 00:02:48.111 --> 00:02:51.181
- and they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast?
- 00:02:51.181 --> 00:02:54.450
- Who is able to make war with him?'
- 00:02:54.450 --> 00:02:56.786
- And he was given a mouth speaking great things and
- 00:02:56.786 --> 00:02:59.055
- blasphemies, and was given authority to continue for
- 00:02:59.055 --> 00:03:01.724
- forty-two months," that's three and a half years.
- 00:03:01.724 --> 00:03:04.961
- "He opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
- 00:03:04.961 --> 00:03:07.330
- blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and
- 00:03:07.330 --> 00:03:10.133
- those that dwell in heaven.
- 00:03:10.133 --> 00:03:12.068
- It was granted to him to make war with the
- 00:03:12.068 --> 00:03:14.170
- saints and to overcome them.
- 00:03:14.170 --> 00:03:16.105
- His authority was given to him over every tribe, tongue, and
- 00:03:16.105 --> 00:03:19.375
- nation, and all who dwell in the earth will worship him, whose
- 00:03:19.375 --> 00:03:23.213
- names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb
- 00:03:23.213 --> 00:03:27.550
- slain from the foundation of the world."
- 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:30.987
- Then John writes, "If anyone has an ear to hear, let him hear."
- 00:03:30.987 --> 00:03:35.692
- Wow, now you read this and it looks like something out
- 00:03:35.692 --> 00:03:38.761
- of a sci-fi movie, right?
- 00:03:38.761 --> 00:03:40.597
- Now, what John is doing here is he is speaking symbolically.
- 00:03:40.597 --> 00:03:44.667
- And for the Bible student, we've seen this before,
- 00:03:44.667 --> 00:03:47.136
- especially in the Book of Daniel.
- 00:03:47.136 --> 00:03:50.073
- To understand the beast, you need to understand
- 00:03:50.073 --> 00:03:52.475
- its father, and to understand the Antichrist, you
- 00:03:52.475 --> 00:03:55.979
- need to know more about Satan.
- 00:03:55.979 --> 00:03:58.514
- See, this is symbolic of different things that I'll
- 00:03:58.514 --> 00:04:01.784
- identify for you in a moment.
- 00:04:01.784 --> 00:04:04.053
- But this coming world leader, the Antichrist, is
- 00:04:04.053 --> 00:04:07.390
- empowered by the devil himself.
- 00:04:07.390 --> 00:04:10.627
- Second Thessalonians 2:9 says, "The coming of the lawless
- 00:04:10.627 --> 00:04:13.997
- one is based on Satan's working with all kinds of
- 00:04:13.997 --> 00:04:17.667
- miracles, signs, and wonders."
- 00:04:17.667 --> 00:04:20.903
- So, you might say like father, like son.
- 00:04:20.903 --> 00:04:24.707
- So, here in Revelation 13 we have a lion,
- 00:04:24.707 --> 00:04:28.044
- a bear, and a leopard.
- 00:04:28.044 --> 00:04:30.647
- If we go back to the Book of Daniel, we see
- 00:04:30.647 --> 00:04:32.515
- that this has been mentioned before.
- 00:04:32.515 --> 00:04:34.984
- Each of these creatures, the lion, the bear, and the leopard,
- 00:04:34.984 --> 00:04:39.122
- are representative of world kingdoms.
- 00:04:39.122 --> 00:04:41.858
- First there is the lion.
- 00:04:41.858 --> 00:04:43.726
- In fact, ancient Babylon was represented by a winged lion.
- 00:04:43.726 --> 00:04:48.398
- This is speaking of the kingdom of Babylon who were overcome by
- 00:04:48.398 --> 00:04:52.969
- the Medo-Persian empire represented by the bear.
- 00:04:52.969 --> 00:04:57.907
- The bear has massive strength, he was able to overcome Babylon,
- 00:04:57.907 --> 00:05:02.111
- and you remember the last of the Babylonian kings, Belshazzar,
- 00:05:02.111 --> 00:05:06.082
- saw the writing on the wall.
- 00:05:06.082 --> 00:05:07.750
- Remember that story?
- 00:05:07.750 --> 00:05:09.118
- He was having a big party, and they were mocking the God of
- 00:05:09.118 --> 00:05:12.121
- Israel, and there was a writing on the wall, a hand, a
- 00:05:12.121 --> 00:05:15.792
- disconnected hand writing on the plaster of the wall.
- 00:05:15.792 --> 00:05:20.196
- And the message was, "You've been weighed in the balances,
- 00:05:20.196 --> 00:05:23.299
- and you've been found lacking."
- 00:05:23.299 --> 00:05:25.435
- And right outside of the walls of the Kingdom of Babylon were
- 00:05:25.435 --> 00:05:28.237
- the Medo-Persians that came in and established their kingdom
- 00:05:28.237 --> 00:05:32.075
- and then their leader, Darius, was in charge, and Daniel
- 00:05:32.075 --> 00:05:35.978
- survived all of this, amazingly.
- 00:05:35.978 --> 00:05:38.381
- He was an old man at this point, and it was under King Darius
- 00:05:38.381 --> 00:05:40.983
- that Daniel was sent to the lion's den and he survived that,
- 00:05:40.983 --> 00:05:45.521
- but that's that kingdom, the Medo-Persian empire.
- 00:05:45.521 --> 00:05:49.592
- The Medo-Persians were overtaken by the Greeks under the
- 00:05:49.592 --> 00:05:53.663
- direction of the great military tactician, Alexander the Grape,
- 00:05:53.663 --> 00:05:58.868
- symbolized by--not the grape, the Great, ha-ha.
- 00:05:58.868 --> 00:06:02.071
- Alexander the Grape, he was the conqueror of the vineyards,
- 00:06:02.071 --> 00:06:05.208
- you see, but the conqueror of the Medo-Persians
- 00:06:05.208 --> 00:06:07.710
- was Alexander the Grape.
- 00:06:07.710 --> 00:06:10.179
- I said it again. The Great, the Great.
- 00:06:10.179 --> 00:06:12.615
- And so, symbolized by a leopard.
- 00:06:12.615 --> 00:06:15.318
- So, a bear is a powerful creature, a leopard is a fast
- 00:06:15.318 --> 00:06:19.389
- creature, and with great speed, Alexander and his forces just
- 00:06:19.389 --> 00:06:23.760
- spread across the planet.
- 00:06:23.760 --> 00:06:25.528
- The story is told that when he was still a young man,
- 00:06:25.528 --> 00:06:28.331
- he realized there were no kingdoms left to
- 00:06:28.331 --> 00:06:31.067
- conquer and he openly wept.
- 00:06:31.067 --> 00:06:34.604
- But now Daniel reveals one more kingdom from which the final
- 00:06:34.604 --> 00:06:39.275
- Antichrist would emerge.
- 00:06:39.275 --> 00:06:41.644
- He says in Daniel 7:7, "In my vision that night I saw a fourth
- 00:06:41.644 --> 00:06:45.214
- beast, terrifying, dreadful, and very strong.
- 00:06:45.214 --> 00:06:47.884
- It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth
- 00:06:47.884 --> 00:06:52.054
- and trampled what was left beneath its feet.
- 00:06:52.054 --> 00:06:54.624
- It was different from all the other beasts and
- 00:06:54.624 --> 00:06:57.226
- it had ten horns."
- 00:06:57.226 --> 00:06:58.928
- This is a symbol of Rome. The Romans overtook the Greeks.
- 00:06:58.928 --> 00:07:05.034
- They took a lot of Greek culture, adapted it, even
- 00:07:05.034 --> 00:07:07.570
- a form of government, but Rome was a military machine
- 00:07:07.570 --> 00:07:11.641
- like the world had never seen before.
- 00:07:11.641 --> 00:07:14.177
- And no other nation really conquered Rome.
- 00:07:14.177 --> 00:07:17.647
- Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persians, the Medo-Persians
- 00:07:17.647 --> 00:07:20.383
- were conquered by the Greeks, but the Greeks were conquered by
- 00:07:20.383 --> 00:07:24.454
- Rome, but no one ever conquered Rome.
- 00:07:24.454 --> 00:07:26.489
- But Rome effectively collapsed beneath its own weight, and it
- 00:07:26.489 --> 00:07:30.660
- is from the ruins that this phoenix will rise,
- 00:07:30.660 --> 00:07:34.464
- if you wanna call it that.
- 00:07:34.464 --> 00:07:35.898
- It's from the ruins of this that the Antichrist, this coming
- 00:07:35.898 --> 00:07:39.535
- world leader, emerges on the scene in the last days.
- 00:07:39.535 --> 00:07:44.774
- The pharaohs, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, the
- 00:07:44.774 --> 00:07:48.444
- Caesars, Napoleon, even Hitler were all precursors to the most
- 00:07:48.444 --> 00:07:53.549
- evil man that has ever emerged on the scene, this Antichrist
- 00:07:53.549 --> 00:07:58.254
- who will harness economic and technological power.
- 00:07:58.254 --> 00:08:03.326
- He'll form a one-world government, a one-world economy,
- 00:08:03.326 --> 00:08:07.230
- and a one-world religion.
- 00:08:07.230 --> 00:08:09.799
- So, here's five things you need to know about the
- 00:08:09.799 --> 00:08:12.902
- Antichrist, if you're taking notes.
- 00:08:12.902 --> 00:08:15.071
- Number one, the Antichrist is energized and
- 00:08:15.071 --> 00:08:17.974
- empowered by Satan himself.
- 00:08:17.974 --> 00:08:21.911
- Verse 2 of Revelation 13 days, "The dragon gave him
- 00:08:21.911 --> 00:08:25.848
- his power, his throne, and great authority."
- 00:08:25.848 --> 00:08:29.252
- And we're already told in Revelation
- 00:08:29.252 --> 00:08:30.653
- that the dragon is Satan.
- 00:08:30.653 --> 00:08:32.522
- So, Satan gives to his son, if you will, Antichrist, the power
- 00:08:32.522 --> 00:08:37.693
- to do what he does, and it is the devil's to give.
- 00:08:37.693 --> 00:08:43.900
- You'll remember during the temptation in the wilderness,
- 00:08:43.900 --> 00:08:47.103
- Jesus was shown all the kingdoms of the world by Satan in a
- 00:08:47.103 --> 00:08:51.607
- moment of time, and Satan said, "All of this is mine, and I can
- 00:08:51.607 --> 00:08:55.912
- give it to whomever I want to give it to, and if you will
- 00:08:55.912 --> 00:08:59.649
- worship me, it will be yours."
- 00:08:59.649 --> 00:09:02.852
- This has always been Satan's issue.
- 00:09:02.852 --> 00:09:04.987
- This once beautiful, powerful angel in heaven
- 00:09:04.987 --> 00:09:09.592
- rebelled against God, why?
- 00:09:09.592 --> 00:09:11.460
- Because he wanted to be God.
- 00:09:11.460 --> 00:09:14.297
- Over in Isaiah, it says that he said, "I will be like God.
- 00:09:14.297 --> 00:09:19.235
- I will be like the Most High."
- 00:09:19.235 --> 00:09:21.137
- So, now he's saying to Jesus, "Why don't
- 00:09:21.137 --> 00:09:23.406
- you worship me right now?"
- 00:09:23.406 --> 00:09:25.107
- And of course Jesus resisted that temptation, but he's taken
- 00:09:25.107 --> 00:09:29.645
- now his authority, and he's giving it to Antichrist.
- 00:09:29.645 --> 00:09:34.784
- So, Jesus Christ wouldn't go with it, but Antichrist will.
- 00:09:34.784 --> 00:09:38.087
- So, Satan is authorizing and empowering this individual.
- 00:09:38.087 --> 00:09:42.792
- But understand, he's given permission.
- 00:09:42.792 --> 00:09:45.528
- Look at Revelation 13:5, "He was given authority to
- 00:09:45.528 --> 00:09:49.365
- continue for three and a half years."
- 00:09:49.365 --> 00:09:51.233
- So, the Lord says I'm gonna let you do this, but you have
- 00:09:51.233 --> 00:09:54.670
- three and a half years.
- 00:09:54.670 --> 00:09:56.472
- And God knows that Satan is gonna hang himself, and God's
- 00:09:56.472 --> 00:09:59.308
- given Satan enough rope to hang himself.
- 00:09:59.308 --> 00:10:02.044
- The same thing happened to the devil at the cross.
- 00:10:02.044 --> 00:10:05.147
- His plan backfired.
- 00:10:05.147 --> 00:10:06.749
- He filled the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus.
- 00:10:06.749 --> 00:10:10.419
- He orchestrated all these events to put an end to the ministry of
- 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:13.656
- the Son of God, and when it was all said and done, he helped to
- 00:10:13.656 --> 00:10:17.460
- bring about God's purpose, because the Bible says it
- 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:20.463
- pleased the Father to bruise the Son.
- 00:10:20.463 --> 00:10:24.200
- So, the devil was helping God accomplish his goal.
- 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:29.305
- Greg: You know, sometimes I hear people say, "The reason I
- 00:10:31.474 --> 00:10:34.243
- don't wanna become a Christian is because I will no longer be
- 00:10:34.243 --> 00:10:37.647
- in control of my own life."
- 00:10:37.647 --> 00:10:39.949
- Hey, everybody, I'm Greg Laurie, talking to you about
- 00:10:39.949 --> 00:10:42.785
- who's really in control here.
- 00:10:42.785 --> 00:10:44.787
- You know, actually, you're not in control of your own
- 00:10:44.787 --> 00:10:47.289
- life if you're not a Christian.
- 00:10:47.289 --> 00:10:49.025
- I hate to break this to you, but someone else
- 00:10:49.025 --> 00:10:51.460
- is in control, and it's the devil.
- 00:10:51.460 --> 00:10:53.996
- The Bible says that the devil, called the god of this
- 00:10:53.996 --> 00:10:56.799
- world in Scripture, blinds the minds of those that
- 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:00.202
- do not believe, and holds people captive.
- 00:11:00.202 --> 00:11:02.738
- In fact, we're told we should pray they would be taken out of
- 00:11:02.738 --> 00:11:05.875
- the captivity of the devil.
- 00:11:05.875 --> 00:11:08.177
- The reality is, it's only when you become a Christian
- 00:11:08.177 --> 00:11:10.813
- that you are really set free.
- 00:11:10.813 --> 00:11:13.616
- So, you may be saying you're in charge of your life,
- 00:11:13.616 --> 00:11:16.719
- and you say, "I am the captain of my ship.
- 00:11:16.719 --> 00:11:19.288
- I'm the master of my destiny," actually, you aren't.
- 00:11:19.288 --> 00:11:23.225
- Let Jesus be the captain of your ship, and you'll experience the
- 00:11:23.225 --> 00:11:26.328
- freedom you've wanted all along.
- 00:11:26.328 --> 00:11:29.331
- Greg: I heard a story about a man who owned a palatial estate
- 00:11:31.867 --> 00:11:34.937
- on a huge piece of land.
- 00:11:34.937 --> 00:11:37.339
- He was so wealthy, he had his own personal forest.
- 00:11:37.339 --> 00:11:41.143
- And in the midst of that forest was a towering redwood tree,
- 00:11:41.143 --> 00:11:45.815
- taller than all of the others.
- 00:11:45.815 --> 00:11:47.750
- He loved that tree.
- 00:11:47.750 --> 00:11:49.085
- He would come down and visit that tree every day
- 00:11:49.085 --> 00:11:52.154
- and just look at it and admire it.
- 00:11:52.154 --> 00:11:54.590
- Well, this guy had a neighbor who was jealous.
- 00:11:54.590 --> 00:11:57.560
- He wasn't as successful as that wealthy man, and he hated that
- 00:11:57.560 --> 00:12:01.363
- wealthy man for all of his success.
- 00:12:01.363 --> 00:12:05.067
- So, one day that jealous neighbor decided he was gonna
- 00:12:05.067 --> 00:12:08.404
- climb over the fence and cut down that towering tree.
- 00:12:08.404 --> 00:12:12.274
- So, as night fell, he climbed over with the saw and he began
- 00:12:12.274 --> 00:12:15.277
- to saw the mighty redwood, and he was shocked by how thick it
- 00:12:15.277 --> 00:12:18.748
- was and how long it was taking.
- 00:12:18.748 --> 00:12:20.950
- Sweat was pouring down his face, but he was determined to cut
- 00:12:20.950 --> 00:12:23.953
- that tree down, and now the morning has come, and the sun is
- 00:12:23.953 --> 00:12:27.623
- rising, and this jealous neighbor is still cutting away
- 00:12:27.623 --> 00:12:30.693
- at this tree, and he looks in the distance, and here comes the
- 00:12:30.693 --> 00:12:33.729
- owner of the great estate with some other people with him, and
- 00:12:33.729 --> 00:12:37.199
- he's thinking, "This is perfect.
- 00:12:37.199 --> 00:12:38.868
- He's gonna see the tree fall."
- 00:12:38.868 --> 00:12:41.270
- And just as that wealthy man and the people with him
- 00:12:41.270 --> 00:12:44.540
- approached, the tree began to topple, and the
- 00:12:44.540 --> 00:12:47.276
- jealous neighbor yelled, "Timber!"
- 00:12:47.276 --> 00:12:50.079
- But he wasn't paying attention, and the tree fell on
- 00:12:50.079 --> 00:12:52.348
- the jealous man, and he was beneath the weight
- 00:12:52.348 --> 00:12:56.018
- of the tree, clearly dying.
- 00:12:56.018 --> 00:12:58.921
- But he was happy because he cut down that tree.
- 00:12:58.921 --> 00:13:03.125
- But that man who owned the estate looked at him and said,
- 00:13:03.125 --> 00:13:06.128
- "Oh, friend, this is so tragic.
- 00:13:06.128 --> 00:13:07.930
- I don't know why you've done this.
- 00:13:07.930 --> 00:13:09.732
- You see, these men are builders and we're gonna build new houses
- 00:13:09.732 --> 00:13:14.403
- out here, and we were trying to figure out how do we cut down
- 00:13:14.403 --> 00:13:17.506
- that one tree that towers above all the others, so you've
- 00:13:17.506 --> 00:13:21.143
- actually helped to accomplish my purpose."
- 00:13:21.143 --> 00:13:24.413
- That's what happened at the cross.
- 00:13:24.413 --> 00:13:26.415
- Satan accomplished the purpose of God because the Scripture
- 00:13:26.415 --> 00:13:29.819
- said Messiah would be crucified, and in this same way, the tree
- 00:13:29.819 --> 00:13:33.355
- effectively falls on Antichrist, and the dragon, or Satan,
- 00:13:33.355 --> 00:13:38.160
- who gives him his power.
- 00:13:38.160 --> 00:13:39.995
- You can see how some would think he is the Messiah.
- 00:13:39.995 --> 00:13:42.431
- Oh, he's doing all these wonderful things, but he
- 00:13:42.431 --> 00:13:44.200
- hasn't revealed who he really is yet.
- 00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:46.335
- He's a fake Christ.
- 00:13:46.335 --> 00:13:48.504
- He is Satan's ultimate masterpiece, the crowning
- 00:13:48.504 --> 00:13:51.407
- counterfeit, a forged replica of Jesus.
- 00:13:51.407 --> 00:13:55.744
- What is the agenda of the Antichrist?
- 00:13:55.744 --> 00:13:58.314
- He's coming to deify Satan. He's coming to deify Satan.
- 00:13:58.314 --> 00:14:03.752
- Verse 4 of Revelation 13, "They worshiped the dragon,"
- 00:14:03.752 --> 00:14:07.623
- that's Satan, remember?
- 00:14:07.623 --> 00:14:09.024
- "Who gave authority to the beast, and they worshiped the
- 00:14:09.024 --> 00:14:11.293
- beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast and who is
- 00:14:11.293 --> 00:14:14.496
- able to make war with him?'"
- 00:14:14.496 --> 00:14:17.233
- And this is what the devil, of course, has always wanted.
- 00:14:17.233 --> 00:14:21.003
- Also, Antichrist is coming to defy and
- 00:14:21.003 --> 00:14:24.306
- take the place of Jesus.
- 00:14:24.306 --> 00:14:26.342
- So, he's coming to defy and take the place of Jesus.
- 00:14:26.342 --> 00:14:30.446
- Revelation 13, verse 5, "He was given a mouth speaking
- 00:14:30.446 --> 00:14:33.916
- great blasphemies and things, and he was given authority to
- 00:14:33.916 --> 00:14:37.553
- continue for three and a half years."
- 00:14:37.553 --> 00:14:41.090
- He opposes Christ and also he's coming to kill
- 00:14:41.090 --> 00:14:45.527
- believers, to kill Christians.
- 00:14:45.527 --> 00:14:48.864
- Look at verse 7, "It was granted to him to make war with the
- 00:14:48.864 --> 00:14:51.767
- saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him
- 00:14:51.767 --> 00:14:54.570
- over every tribe, tongue, and nation."
- 00:14:54.570 --> 00:14:57.506
- Now, you're probably thinking, "Wait, kill Christians?
- 00:14:57.506 --> 00:15:00.276
- I thought Christians would be caught up to meet
- 00:15:00.276 --> 00:15:02.678
- the Lord in the rapture."
- 00:15:02.678 --> 00:15:04.380
- Well, they will be, millions of them, but other people are gonna
- 00:15:04.380 --> 00:15:09.018
- come to Christ in the tribulation period.
- 00:15:09.018 --> 00:15:11.420
- Some have falsely thought that the Holy Spirit is
- 00:15:11.420 --> 00:15:13.822
- gonna be removed from the earth during the
- 00:15:13.822 --> 00:15:15.624
- tribulation period, not true.
- 00:15:15.624 --> 00:15:18.294
- The Bible says, "He who now restrains will continue to do so
- 00:15:18.294 --> 00:15:21.764
- until he is taken out of the way, and then the wicked one
- 00:15:21.764 --> 00:15:25.434
- will be revealed whom the Lord will destroy with
- 00:15:25.434 --> 00:15:27.970
- the brightness of his coming."
- 00:15:27.970 --> 00:15:29.872
- So, the restraining force in the world today is the Holy Spirit
- 00:15:29.872 --> 00:15:33.842
- working through Christians.
- 00:15:33.842 --> 00:15:36.845
- After Christians are caught up to meet the Lord in the air,
- 00:15:36.845 --> 00:15:39.949
- thousands, even millions, are gonna come to Christ.
- 00:15:39.949 --> 00:15:43.252
- Some of the greatest outpourings of the Holy Spirit will
- 00:15:43.252 --> 00:15:46.889
- happen in the tribulation period.
- 00:15:46.889 --> 00:15:50.092
- So, these believers will be persecuted by the Antichrist.
- 00:15:50.092 --> 00:15:54.930
- Antichrist is also coming to dominate the globe.
- 00:15:54.930 --> 00:15:58.634
- Verse 7, "Authority was given to him over
- 00:15:58.634 --> 00:16:00.903
- every tribe, tongue, and nation."
- 00:16:00.903 --> 00:16:04.506
- How is he able to do this? He's energized by the devil.
- 00:16:04.506 --> 00:16:09.311
- He's called the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
- 00:16:09.311 --> 00:16:14.049
- He's called the wicked one in 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
- 00:16:14.049 --> 00:16:18.520
- And by the way, Antichrist does not act alone, he has
- 00:16:18.520 --> 00:16:22.458
- a partner in crime, a sidekick if you will,
- 00:16:22.458 --> 00:16:26.295
- identified as the false prophet.
- 00:16:26.295 --> 00:16:29.965
- Revelation 13:11 says, "Another beast that looks
- 00:16:29.965 --> 00:16:34.069
- like a lamb and speaks like a dragon."
- 00:16:34.069 --> 00:16:38.140
- So, this is another evil man, different from the Antichrist.
- 00:16:38.140 --> 00:16:43.612
- So, you've heard of the dynamic duo of Batman and Robin,
- 00:16:43.612 --> 00:16:47.850
- this is the demonic duo of Antichrist and his religious
- 00:16:47.850 --> 00:16:53.288
- leader, the false prophet.
- 00:16:53.288 --> 00:16:56.592
- Now, you add Satan to the mix and you have an unholy trinity.
- 00:16:56.592 --> 00:17:00.796
- Just as there is a holy Trinity, a Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
- 00:17:00.796 --> 00:17:05.501
- there's an unholy trinity as Satan in the place of God,
- 00:17:05.501 --> 00:17:09.138
- Antichrist in the place of Jesus Christ, and this false prophet
- 00:17:09.138 --> 00:17:13.876
- in the place of the Holy Spirit.
- 00:17:13.876 --> 00:17:17.346
- But listen to this, this false prophet that emerges on
- 00:17:17.346 --> 00:17:20.883
- the scene will actually be able to do miracles.
- 00:17:20.883 --> 00:17:24.486
- I'll put that word in quotes, "miracles," signs and wonders.
- 00:17:24.486 --> 00:17:28.323
- Romans 13:13 says of the false prophet,
- 00:17:28.323 --> 00:17:32.428
- "He performs great signs.
- 00:17:32.428 --> 00:17:34.096
- He makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight
- 00:17:34.096 --> 00:17:37.399
- of men and deceives those who dwell on the earth by those
- 00:17:37.399 --> 00:17:40.235
- signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast."
- 00:17:40.235 --> 00:17:44.073
- Here's a real twist in the story.
- 00:17:44.073 --> 00:17:46.942
- Antichrist is gonna have a mock death and
- 00:17:46.942 --> 00:17:50.079
- resurrection, a mock death and resurrection.
- 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:54.249
- Look at verse 3, John says, "I saw one of his heads as if it
- 00:17:54.249 --> 00:17:57.786
- had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed, and
- 00:17:57.786 --> 00:18:02.291
- all the world marveled and followed the beast."
- 00:18:02.291 --> 00:18:06.361
- So, it appears from this text that there will be an
- 00:18:06.361 --> 00:18:09.098
- assassination attempt on Antichrist, and it will even
- 00:18:09.098 --> 00:18:13.268
- appear that it is successful.
- 00:18:13.268 --> 00:18:17.139
- But then, somehow, the Antichrist survives it.
- 00:18:17.139 --> 00:18:20.375
- Imagine if when President Kennedy was shot in Dallas,
- 00:18:20.375 --> 00:18:24.046
- if he survived that horrible shot, or multiple shots,
- 00:18:24.046 --> 00:18:29.518
- that hit his head.
- 00:18:29.518 --> 00:18:31.019
- Or if John Lennon had somehow survived the shooting that
- 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:33.889
- happened in the Dakota Hotel there, or
- 00:18:33.889 --> 00:18:37.159
- apartments in New York City.
- 00:18:37.159 --> 00:18:39.328
- Wow, it'd be like a dead person had come back to life.
- 00:18:39.328 --> 00:18:42.431
- That's exactly what's happening, and what
- 00:18:42.431 --> 00:18:43.999
- story does that remind us of?
- 00:18:43.999 --> 00:18:45.868
- It reminds us of the resurrection of Jesus.
- 00:18:45.868 --> 00:18:49.605
- And what is the results of this so-called
- 00:18:49.605 --> 00:18:51.507
- "resurrection" of Antichrist?
- 00:18:51.507 --> 00:18:53.509
- Revelation 13:4, "So they worshiped the dragon.
- 00:18:53.509 --> 00:18:57.146
- They gave authority to the beast and worshiped the beast, saying,
- 00:18:57.146 --> 00:18:59.948
- 'Who is like the beast?'"
- 00:18:59.948 --> 00:19:02.417
- So, incredible, it's such an imitator.
- 00:19:02.417 --> 00:19:06.221
- He will deceive people that don't know better.
- 00:19:06.221 --> 00:19:09.224
- Let me close with this.
- 00:19:09.224 --> 00:19:11.160
- I titled this "Who is the Antichrist?"
- 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:14.096
- Now I'm gonna give you the answer, ready?
- 00:19:14.096 --> 00:19:15.998
- Who is the Antichrist? I don't know.
- 00:19:15.998 --> 00:19:18.800
- By the way, nobody knows, so don't waste
- 00:19:18.800 --> 00:19:21.203
- your time looking for Antichrist.
- 00:19:21.203 --> 00:19:25.541
- Again, Jesus said, "When you see these things begin to
- 00:19:25.541 --> 00:19:27.609
- happen, look up, for your redemption draws near."
- 00:19:27.609 --> 00:19:33.115
- You know, if an earthquake is coming, you will have
- 00:19:33.115 --> 00:19:35.184
- foreshocks, and I think we're seeing foreshocks of Antichrist,
- 00:19:35.184 --> 00:19:40.489
- foreshocks of Armageddon, foreshocks of end-times events
- 00:19:40.489 --> 00:19:45.494
- right now as they get closer and closer together, not unlike
- 00:19:45.494 --> 00:19:49.064
- labor pains a woman experiences when she's ready to give birth.
- 00:19:49.064 --> 00:19:54.203
- So, as we see these events get closer together, things I've
- 00:19:54.203 --> 00:19:57.806
- talked about in this message, it says Antichrist is coming,
- 00:19:57.806 --> 00:20:02.277
- but it also says Jesus Christ is even coming sooner,
- 00:20:02.277 --> 00:20:07.349
- because again, Jesus will come for his people
- 00:20:07.349 --> 00:20:10.285
- before Antichrist is revealed.
- 00:20:10.285 --> 00:20:13.088
- Now, let me close with this, kind of a provocative question.
- 00:20:13.088 --> 00:20:17.459
- Are you an Antichrist?
- 00:20:17.459 --> 00:20:19.695
- You say, "Now Greg, I'm confused.
- 00:20:19.695 --> 00:20:21.363
- I thought you said it's a coming world leader."
- 00:20:21.363 --> 00:20:23.432
- Yes, but that phrase, Antichrist, is used
- 00:20:23.432 --> 00:20:25.834
- elsewhere in the Bible.
- 00:20:25.834 --> 00:20:27.703
- First John 2:22 says, "Who is the great liar?
- 00:20:27.703 --> 00:20:30.606
- The one who says Jesus is not the Christ.
- 00:20:30.606 --> 00:20:33.575
- Such people are Antichrists, and they have denied
- 00:20:33.575 --> 00:20:37.012
- the Father and the Son."
- 00:20:37.012 --> 00:20:39.581
- You know, it comes down to this: I have a choice.
- 00:20:39.581 --> 00:20:41.783
- I'm gonna either follow Jesus Christ, or I'm gonna
- 00:20:41.783 --> 00:20:45.854
- follow, in effect, Antichrist.
- 00:20:45.854 --> 00:20:49.458
- It's really up to me. It's Emmanuel or Jezebel.
- 00:20:49.458 --> 00:20:54.896
- It's Antichrist or Jesus Christ. It's really God or Satan.
- 00:20:54.896 --> 00:21:00.502
- You wanna make the right decision, because you are
- 00:21:00.502 --> 00:21:02.971
- following the living God or you're following a false god.
- 00:21:02.971 --> 00:21:07.643
- And by the way, everybody has a god.
- 00:21:07.643 --> 00:21:09.711
- No matter who you are, you have some altar you bow before.
- 00:21:09.711 --> 00:21:13.715
- It might be the altar of you.
- 00:21:13.715 --> 00:21:15.851
- You worship yourself, effectively.
- 00:21:15.851 --> 00:21:18.954
- Or it might be the altar of materialism, or it might be the
- 00:21:18.954 --> 00:21:22.491
- altar of pleasure, or some other thing that you bow before.
- 00:21:22.491 --> 00:21:26.828
- But you wanna make sure you bow before the Lord, because if you
- 00:21:26.828 --> 00:21:30.365
- do, your name will be written in the Book of Life.
- 00:21:30.365 --> 00:21:34.369
- Look at Revelation 13:8, "All who dwell on the earth will
- 00:21:34.369 --> 00:21:38.340
- worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of
- 00:21:38.340 --> 00:21:40.976
- Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
- 00:21:40.976 --> 00:21:45.914
- Is your name written in the Book of Life?
- 00:21:45.914 --> 00:21:47.482
- You say, "What is that?"
- 00:21:47.482 --> 00:21:48.917
- It's a book in heaven, a scroll, and if you believe in
- 00:21:48.917 --> 00:21:52.754
- Jesus Christ, your name is there.
- 00:21:52.754 --> 00:21:55.691
- And if you don't believe in Jesus Christ,
- 00:21:55.691 --> 00:21:57.292
- your name is not there.
- 00:21:57.292 --> 00:21:59.227
- And there's coming a final judgement, spoken of in
- 00:21:59.227 --> 00:22:01.496
- Revelation, when people will stand before God, great people,
- 00:22:01.496 --> 00:22:06.535
- unknown people, famous people, every person who doesn't know
- 00:22:06.535 --> 00:22:10.572
- God, and the Bible says if their name is not found written in the
- 00:22:10.572 --> 00:22:13.809
- Book of Life, they're cast into the lake of fire.
- 00:22:13.809 --> 00:22:18.013
- God doesn't want anyone to face judgement, that's why he poured
- 00:22:18.013 --> 00:22:21.016
- his judgement on his Son, Jesus Christ, who died in our place.
- 00:22:21.016 --> 00:22:26.121
- As I said before, God treated Jesus as if he had lived your
- 00:22:26.121 --> 00:22:30.125
- life, so he could treat you as though you had lived his life.
- 00:22:30.125 --> 00:22:34.629
- Christ died in your place, and I love this phrase that
- 00:22:34.629 --> 00:22:37.833
- is used here in Revelation, "The Lamb slain from
- 00:22:37.833 --> 00:22:40.235
- the foundation of the world."
- 00:22:40.235 --> 00:22:42.704
- That means back in the counsels of eternity.
- 00:22:42.704 --> 00:22:45.374
- Before there was as Garden of Eden.
- 00:22:45.374 --> 00:22:48.110
- Before there was a planet called earth.
- 00:22:48.110 --> 00:22:50.512
- Before there was anything, God decided that one day his Son
- 00:22:50.512 --> 00:22:54.282
- would come to this earth and be born in a manger in Bethlehem,
- 00:22:54.282 --> 00:22:58.186
- and then die on a cross and rise again from the dead.
- 00:22:58.186 --> 00:23:02.290
- He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
- 00:23:02.290 --> 00:23:05.360
- Consider this, if you're a parent, you'll know what I'm
- 00:23:05.360 --> 00:23:09.030
- talking about, even a grandparent.
- 00:23:09.030 --> 00:23:11.366
- If anything happens to one of your kids or your
- 00:23:11.366 --> 00:23:13.635
- grandkids, if they're sick, or they fall, you can
- 00:23:13.635 --> 00:23:16.972
- almost feel the pain, can't you?
- 00:23:16.972 --> 00:23:19.708
- It was harder for the Father to send the Son than it would have
- 00:23:19.708 --> 00:23:23.612
- been for the Father himself to have come to this cross.
- 00:23:23.612 --> 00:23:27.983
- He had to watch his beloved Son suffer and die,
- 00:23:27.983 --> 00:23:31.253
- but what did Jesus tell us?
- 00:23:31.253 --> 00:23:32.888
- "For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son."
- 00:23:32.888 --> 00:23:39.461
- What a gift.
- 00:23:39.461 --> 00:23:41.163
- "And whoever believes in him should not perish,
- 00:23:41.163 --> 00:23:43.698
- but have everlasting life."
- 00:23:43.698 --> 00:23:46.067
- Greg: Maybe God has spoken to your heart, and you have seen
- 00:23:47.936 --> 00:23:51.840
- your need for Jesus Christ.
- 00:23:51.840 --> 00:23:54.543
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came from
- 00:23:54.543 --> 00:23:58.013
- heaven to this earth.
- 00:23:58.013 --> 00:23:59.781
- He was born in a manger. He died on a cross.
- 00:23:59.781 --> 00:24:03.919
- He rose again from the dead. Why?
- 00:24:03.919 --> 00:24:05.320
- Because he loves you, and he wants a relationship with you.
- 00:24:05.320 --> 00:24:09.357
- Listen, I'm not talking about religion.
- 00:24:09.357 --> 00:24:11.293
- I don't want to be a religious person, I don't think
- 00:24:11.293 --> 00:24:13.829
- you wanna be one either.
- 00:24:13.829 --> 00:24:15.230
- I'm talking about relationship with God.
- 00:24:15.230 --> 00:24:18.533
- Jesus, who died and rose again, stands at the
- 00:24:18.533 --> 00:24:22.037
- door of your life and he knocks.
- 00:24:22.037 --> 00:24:24.072
- And he says if you'll hear his voice and open the
- 00:24:24.072 --> 00:24:26.641
- door, he will come in.
- 00:24:26.641 --> 00:24:28.376
- Question, have you asked Jesus Christ to come and
- 00:24:28.376 --> 00:24:30.979
- live inside of you?
- 00:24:30.979 --> 00:24:32.447
- You might say, "Well, I think so, I'm not sure."
- 00:24:32.447 --> 00:24:34.583
- Hey, if someone moved into your house in the middle of the
- 00:24:34.583 --> 00:24:36.952
- night, do you think you would be aware of it?
- 00:24:36.952 --> 00:24:39.688
- I'm sure you would.
- 00:24:39.688 --> 00:24:41.022
- And in the same way, if Christ has come to live
- 00:24:41.022 --> 00:24:43.592
- inside of you, you will know.
- 00:24:43.592 --> 00:24:45.293
- And if you don't know, maybe he has not come in yet.
- 00:24:45.293 --> 00:24:49.130
- He's just a prayer away.
- 00:24:49.130 --> 00:24:50.699
- All you need to do is say, "Jesus, I want
- 00:24:50.699 --> 00:24:53.034
- this relationship with you.
- 00:24:53.034 --> 00:24:55.136
- I want you to forgive me of my sin.
- 00:24:55.136 --> 00:24:57.239
- I want to go to heaven when I die."
- 00:24:57.239 --> 00:24:59.307
- Would you like to do that?
- 00:24:59.307 --> 00:25:00.709
- Would you like Christ to come into your life?
- 00:25:00.709 --> 00:25:02.744
- If so, why don't you just pray this simple prayer with me.
- 00:25:02.744 --> 00:25:06.581
- You could pray it out loud, or you can pray it
- 00:25:06.581 --> 00:25:08.783
- in the quietness of your heart.
- 00:25:08.783 --> 00:25:10.819
- But this is a prayer where you're asking Jesus Christ
- 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:13.355
- to be your Savior and Lord.
- 00:25:13.355 --> 00:25:15.657
- Pray this with me now.
- 00:25:15.657 --> 00:25:17.125
- "Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that
- 00:25:17.125 --> 00:25:21.029
- you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and
- 00:25:21.029 --> 00:25:25.367
- rose again from the dead.
- 00:25:25.367 --> 00:25:27.102
- Now come into my life.
- 00:25:27.102 --> 00:25:29.304
- I choose to follow you from this moment forward.
- 00:25:29.304 --> 00:25:33.575
- Thank you for hearing this prayer and
- 00:25:33.575 --> 00:25:35.911
- answering this prayer.
- 00:25:35.911 --> 00:25:37.712
- In Jesus's name, amen."
- 00:25:37.712 --> 00:25:40.248
- Did you just pray that prayer with me?
- 00:25:40.248 --> 00:25:42.651
- If so, I want you to know on the authority of Scripture that
- 00:25:42.651 --> 00:25:45.754
- Christ himself has come to live inside of you, and I would love
- 00:25:45.754 --> 00:25:49.724
- to send to you, at no charge,
- 00:25:49.724 --> 00:25:51.626
- something called the New Believer's Bible.
- 00:25:51.626 --> 00:25:54.529
- It's a very friendly translation of the New Testament you'll find
- 00:25:54.529 --> 00:25:57.732
- very understandable, and it's filled with hundreds of notes
- 00:25:57.732 --> 00:26:01.536
- that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you've
- 00:26:01.536 --> 00:26:04.739
- just made to follow Jesus.
- 00:26:04.739 --> 00:26:07.042
- Let me send that to you at no charge, and let me
- 00:26:07.042 --> 00:26:09.844
- be the first to say to you
- 00:26:09.844 --> 00:26:11.546
- congratulations and welcome to the family of God.
- 00:26:11.546 --> 00:26:17.052
- male announcer: In his brand-new book,
- 00:26:17.919 --> 00:26:19.854
- pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie recounts the godly life
- 00:26:19.854 --> 00:26:22.791
- of America's preeminent evangelist,
- 00:26:22.791 --> 00:26:25.226
- Billy Graham.
- 00:26:25.226 --> 00:26:26.628
- Drawing on insights from his personal experiences with Billy,
- 00:26:26.628 --> 00:26:30.432
- Pastor Greg reveals the history, humanity,
- 00:26:30.432 --> 00:26:32.934
- and humor of a unique and inspiring life.
- 00:26:32.934 --> 00:26:36.338
- Read more in the compelling biography,
- 00:26:36.338 --> 00:26:38.173
- "Billy Graham: The Man I Knew."
- 00:26:38.173 --> 00:26:40.375
- You can receive this book when you make your gift of any size
- 00:26:40.375 --> 00:26:42.811
- today to Harvest Ministries.
- 00:26:42.811 --> 00:26:45.213
- In his book, Pastor Greg sheds light on Graham's lesser known
- 00:26:45.213 --> 00:26:48.116
- struggles, such as a broken heart before he met the love
- 00:26:48.116 --> 00:26:51.152
- of his life, and a crisis of faith from which he emerged
- 00:26:51.152 --> 00:26:54.956
- stronger than ever.
- 00:26:54.956 --> 00:26:56.858
- From private challenges to public successes,
- 00:26:56.858 --> 00:27:00.128
- "Billy Graham: The Man I Knew" provides a vivid portrait of
- 00:27:00.128 --> 00:27:03.064
- one of history's most remarkable Christian lives.
- 00:27:03.064 --> 00:27:06.434
- It's an evangelist's portrait of an evangelist.
- 00:27:06.434 --> 00:27:09.471
- "Billy Graham: The Man I Knew" is out now.
- 00:27:09.471 --> 00:27:11.840
- Request your copy when you donate today.
- 00:27:11.840 --> 00:27:14.075
- ♪ This is the day, the day when life begins. ♪
- 00:27:14.075 --> 00:27:20.415
- ♪ This is the day, the day when life begins. ♪♪
- 00:27:21.783 --> 00:27:21.783
