Antichrist, America & Armageddon | A Study of the Last Days

You're listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Pastor Greg Laurie brings a revealing look at the Antichrist. He uncloaks the real nature and identity of this mysterious being. Antichrist.

He's Lucifer's leader, the devil's disciple, Satan's son. Few of us have a real clear picture of the Antichrist. For that matter, our understanding may be a little foggy of the whole end times landscape. Well, we hope to clear that up for you today here on A New Beginning as Pastor Greg Laurie brings a close look at the drama of the last days according to God's Word. He'll answer the questions on the minds of many and reveal some things we may have never seen before.

It's the kind of study you'll want your friends to hear. More on that a little bit later. So let's start by talking a little bit about this Antichrist figure. Antichrist comes with overtures of peace, economic solutions, even rebuilding the temple for the Jewish people.

He wins the favor of so many. In fact, the Bible even says through peace he will deceive many. So he will establish a peace treaty that will hold.

War will effectively cease for a period of time. In reality, he's energized by the devil himself. So let's read about him. Revelation 13. Number one, the Antichrist is an imitator. Where does the power come from that he has?

From the devil. Verse two says the dragon gives him his authority. And Revelation 12 identifies the dragon as Satan. So the beast is set by Satan himself because Satan is effectively an imitator.

He always has been. So you'll have the genuine and you'll have the imitation from the devil. God has real miracles. Satan has his own version of miracles.

There are real followers of Jesus and there are fake followers of Jesus as well. God has his son, his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. And in effect, the devil has a son too, if you will. He's the Antichrist.

Point number two. Antichrist is coming to take the place of Jesus. Antichrist is coming to defy and take the place of Jesus. It says he has seven heads and 10 horns. Now, you read this and you go, what is this, like a Godzilla movie? You know, all these weird creatures.

That's not what this is at all. These are metaphorical statements in scripture. You see a lot of this also in the book of Daniel. And a horn in the Bible is a symbol of power. When it says he has 10 horns, seven centers of power, we know that there's a confederation of 10 nations that will unite behind the Antichrist.

Also, I would add this prefix anti can also be translated instead of. So it doesn't just mean that he's against Christ. It means he comes instead of Christ. He's a fake Christ. He's an imitation Christ. In Matthew 24, speaking of the last days, Jesus said, many will come in my name, saying I am Christ.

That's who this guy is. Number three, Antichrist is coming to take the place of Jesus. He's coming to declare war on believers. He'll declare war on believers. Revelation 13, seven, it's granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. As I said, first he comes as a man of peace. And after he rebuilds this Jewish temple, he erects an image of himself and commands people to worship it. And then he begins a persecution against believers. Number four, Antichrist is coming to dominate the globe. Dominate the world, Revelation 13, seven.

Authority is given. Him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. Again, he'll do it initially through peace plans. He'll come at economically difficult times with war in different parts of the world. There's some brilliant political moves along with an incredible charisma. He'll do what no other has ever done. He'll bring peace to the world temporarily.

He might say, how in the heck is he able to do it? His power is from hell. It's from Satan himself. He's totally energized and empowered by the devil. He's Lucifer's leader, the devil's disciple, Satan's son.

Revelation 13, two, says the dragon gives him his authority. The devil gives him his power. Number five, Antichrist is called the wicked one. He's called the wicked one. The wicked one will be revealed whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of his coming. The word wicked means lawless one.

The Antichrist opposes every law of God. And he forces this law on the rest of the world. There's historical precedent. Rome did much the same.

Coming with overtures of peace. They established something called Pax Romana, forced rule of Rome. Then they all of a sudden wanted the people to engage in Caesar worship. And you had to say Caesar is Lord.

And many of our Christian brothers and sisters would not do that and died in the Colosseum and in amphitheaters for sport and the entertainment of Roman citizens. Hitler did it in a similar way as well. He came at economically difficult times in the history of Germany. He promised a great Germany again in the future. And of course his real agenda was world domination and the elimination of the Jewish people as a race. And six million Jewish people died in the concentration camps that Hitler established.

Tragic thing. But again they come off initially with peaceful solutions but then show their true colors. Antichrist will do much the same. He will institute worldwide governmental control. That's how quickly government loves to overreach in control in our lives. Listen I don't know about you but I like less not more government in my life.

Okay. I think even with the COVID mandates, the COVID situation, we saw excessive government overreach. Especially in our own state of California. You know they told churches to shut down. And in some states, people couldn't even worship outside.

And they would let bars stay open, strip clubs stay open, telling the church to not be open. Remember when we were told we're not supposed to sing in church? We sang by the way that following Sunday. We always will. What we're simply saying is this, Antichrist is going to take the reins of control.

And he's going to use it aggressively. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hearing about listeners who find Jesus because of Harvest Ministries is so encouraging. Pastor Greg, I've watched the movie Jesus Revolution at least four times. I cried when it showed you getting baptized. I realized that if it wasn't for your salvation, I wouldn't have mine. God always has such wonderful plans. Do you have a story to tell?

If so, would you share it with us? Call 866-871-1144. That's 866-871-1144. Well, we're learning about the man of lawlessness today in Pastor Greg's message Antichrist, America, and Armageddon.

And you can recommend this study to a friend. Just invite them to hear the message online at harvest.org. Now that brings us to the so-called mark of the beast. Revelation 13 verse 16.

Look at that. He causes all small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead. No man can buy or sell except they have the mark or the name of the beast and the number of his name.

Here's wisdom. To him that is understanding, calculate the number of the beast. It's a number of a man. His number is 666.

Wow. Who would have ever thought such a thing as possible? Consider that John wrote this 2,000 years ago.

He's banished to an island called Patmos. And Jesus comes to him and gives him the revelation, the unveiling. It's almost as though John got into a time machine and was catapulted into the future. I don't know if it was a DeLorean or not, but he saw the future, which is our present and our future as well. And this is in an age when it was very unsophisticated.

There were no computers or tablets or smartphones or TVs or satellite tech or artificial intelligence, and yet he's describing a world in which a man gets control through a numbering system. And now today we see how that can happen in real time at any time. That's why you can believe the Bible. It's the one book that dares to predict the future.

Not once, not twice, but hundreds of times with 100 percent accuracy. It's not hard for God to predict the future, by the way. In Isaiah 46 God says, don't forget the things I've done through history.

I'm God alone. I am God and there's no one else like me. Only I can tell you what's going to happen before it happens and everything I plan will come to pass and I can do whatever I wish. I love that. I know it all. I can do what I want to do.

You don't need to vote on it. This is how it's going to go down. And he's given it to us in Scripture. Now some worry about this mark of the beast. Maybe they over worry, thinking maybe they've even taken it. Well, I went to Disneyland the other day. And I left the park and they put a stamp on my right hand as I recall. Have I received the mark of the beast? No, you've received the mark of the mouse, not the mark of the beast. You're okay.

Don't panic. So let's understand what this mark is. The mark is a visible, literal brand of some kind.

We don't know how it will be done exactly. The mark will be given as a sign of devotion to anti-Christ and as a passport to commerce. So if you take this mark, you take it knowingly, pledging your loyalty to anti-Christ. And again I want to emphasize don't worry about the mark of the beast. It's not going to happen in your lifetime. Nor will the anti-Christ be revealed because if you're a Christian you will be raptured before this all starts.

Okay. Again we're told in Thessalonians, he who now restrains will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that wicked one, anti-Christ, will be revealed whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of his coming. He who now restrains will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way. What does that mean? The restraining force in the world today, that which holds back evil, is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church. It's you and it's me.

It's us doing our job. When we're removed, then anti-Christ will be revealed. And so we know that this mark is given out and basically no mark, no merchandise, no seal, no sale. Now let's talk about the battle of Armageddon. Go over to Revelation 16. Revelation 16 verse 12. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and its water was dried up.

So the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon. So we know that's a devil. Unclean spirits would be demonic spirits. And out of the mouth of the beast, that's anti-Christ. Out of the mouth of the false prophet. So a religious sidekick, if you will, called the false prophet working in cahoots with the beast or the anti-Christ. And they are the spirits of demons, verse 14, performing signs which go out to the kings of the earth and the whole world to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.

So here's an interesting little thing. In the middle of all this talk of Armageddon, Jesus gives a personal word to you. A personal word to me. A personal word to believers living in the last days. Look at verse 15, Revelation 16. Jesus says, Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and see his shame.

Then we go back to the other topic. Verse 16, And he gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon. Armageddon.

What an ominous word it is. When General Douglas MacArthur stood on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Harbor signing a peace agreement with Japan, effectively bringing World War II to a close, he said, quote, We have had our last chance. If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door, end quote. Soon after he was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, trying to understand the complexities of the Middle East, wrote in his diary, quote, Sometimes I wonder if we're destined to witness Armageddon, end quote.

Now I wonder what General MacArthur and President Reagan would think of the world today. President Biden recently said, speaking of the conflict with Russia and Ukraine, We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Look, I don't like it when world leaders use the word Armageddon, especially world leaders that have access to that little red button. But it just shows you this is a reality. This is something that could happen.

And it's something that will happen eventually. And so the devil is behind this. The devil is in the details. The devil is the one moving these armies to this great conflict. Two superpowers engage in the valley of Megiddo. By the way, the word Armageddon comes from the root word harmageddon, which is simply speaking of the valley of Megiddo. So it's speaking of a location. The 10 forces of the Antichrist come and face off with the kings of the East.

Who are the kings of the East? They're identified as having an army of 200 million. Some have wondered if this is speaking of modern day China, with their military and economic expansion and aggression that they've shown. It's possible.

The fact of the matter is China is the only nation on earth that could field an army of 200 million and actually have spoken publicly about that. Others have thought it could be speaking of demonic forces at work. I'm not sure.

But here's the thing I wonder about. Where is America in all of this? Some nations are spoken of specifically in Bible prophecy. Israel clearly spoken of.

Iran is clearly spoken of in Scripture. China perhaps. Russia perhaps.

Many think that Magog could be a description of modern day Russia to the extreme north of Israel. We don't know with certainty about that. But here's what's really missing. Where's America? We are still the reigning superpower on planet earth at the moment. Where are we?

I don't know the answer to this. We need another spiritual awakening. America needs Jesus.

It's our only hope. And they realize they haven't made their peace with God. They can do that today, can't they? In fact, you could help them take care of that right now.

That's right. The Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So think of it this way. Maybe you're out on a riptide in the ocean and you can't get your footing and you're in trouble and you see a lifeguard. Call out for help and the lifeguard will rescue you.

The same is true spiritually. You're drowning in your sin. You need help. Jesus will save you. He will rescue you. But you must call out to him.

And you know how you do that? You do it in prayer. So let me just lead you in a simple prayer. And you can pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like. And this is where you are calling out to Jesus to save you.

Just pray this. Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I know you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. Now Lord, I turn from my sin and I put my faith in you. Be my Savior, my Lord. Be my God and my friend. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. Hey, if you just prayed that prayer, I want you to know that Christ himself has come to live inside of you. And I have a resource I want to send you. It's called the New Believers Bible. So the New Believers Bible is the New Testament in the New Living Translation with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you are making to follow Christ. There's some other materials included as well in what we call the New Believers Growth Pack. But let me get this New Believers Bible into your hands as quickly as possible.

Here's Dave to tell you more. Yeah, we'll be glad to send it all your way free of any charge if you prayed along with Pastor Greg today. Just ask for the New Believers Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us any time 24-7 at 1-800-821-3300.

Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. Well Pastor Greg, we're excited about your new book. It's a Christmas devotional book, brand new, called Heaven's Light Breaking. And you know, about the holidays, I've always found it quite ironic that we celebrate Jesus' birthday by giving presents to each other.

And then people often completely forget it's Jesus' birthday. This is a strange thought, but if we could get Jesus on the phone and we asked him how he wants us to celebrate his birthday, what do you think he would say? Well, you know, it's sort of like when you get older and you become a grandparent and your grandchildren say, you know, what can we get you for Christmas? And what I say is, I just want you.

I want to spend time with you. If you want to make me a little card, that's great, because I'll keep every one of those cards, Dave. I have boxes filled with cards for my children and grandchildren.

They're treasures to me. And I think the Lord would effectively say the same thing. I mean, what do you get for the God who is everything, right? There's nothing you can give him that he doesn't effectively own already, but here's what God wants. He wants us to voluntarily give our love to him. The apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 12, I urge you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present yourselves to him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is your reasonable service.

Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God wants you. He wants your time. He wants your attention. He wants you to give an ear to what he has to say, and he wants to show his love to you. He wants to embrace you. He wants to guide you. He wants to provide for you. He wants to bless you. So I would encourage you to just give yourself to the Lord in this Christmas season.

Give your time to him. In fact, what a great way to start your day by reading a Christmas devotional, and I've got a resource for you. It's a brand new Christmas devotional from us here at Harvest that's called Heaven's Light Breaking.

Twenty-five devotions for every day of the month of December that you can read or you can read with friends or family members to get you on the right track where you're thinking about the real message and the real meaning of Christmas. So we'll send you this brand new devotional called Heaven's Light Breaking for your gift of any size to us here at Harvest Ministries. And you see, we'll use those resources you send to continue to bring you this radio ministry. And yes, it is a ministry because I hear from you.

You write me letters, and you comment on my social media posts, and you talk to me when I run into you here, there, and everywhere. And you tell me how God has used this broadcast to bring you to Christ or to help you through tough times or to use as a tool to share the gospel with someone. So we're thankful we can be on the air, and we want to continue to do so. And with your help, that will happen. So order your copy of our brand new Christmas devotional that we're calling Heaven's Light Breaking for your gift of any size.

In advance, let me say thank you and Merry Christmas. And you can make those arrangements right now. Call any time 24-7, 1-800-821-3300. And we'll only be able to mention this resource a short time longer. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. Or just request Heaven's Light Breaking when you send your donation to A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.

Or go online to Harvest.org. Many have wondered where America is in the pages of Bible prophecy. It seems to be conspicuous by its absence.

Well, we'll discuss that next time. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins. Hey everybody, thanks for listening to A New Beginning. This is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners. So for more content that can help you know God and equip you to make Him known to others, or to learn more about how you can become a Harvest Partner, just go to Harvest.org.