Counterfeit (Part 1)

Have you ever noticed how quickly people are willing to abandon their morals and convictions? If troubled times can lead people to sell their conscience and their character to create some counterfeit money, there's little wonder in my mind how the world one day during the dark days of the tribulation will sell out to a counterfeit Messiah. They will literally sell their soul to a counterfeit king. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Supreme King of the universe. The Bible also tells us that Satan is just a copycat. He isn't original, he wants to be God, and he wants the power, position, and status that Jesus enjoys, but he can't have it and he never will. But that raises the question of why so many people fall for the counterfeit instead of worshipping the real thing. Satan is a counterfeit God with a counterfeit gospel and he has a counterfeit Messiah named Antichrist.

Stephen Davey will help you avoid the counterfeit right now. Well, at the outset, let me say I've caught this cold all over again and I thought I licked it. It's back for round two. So let me just say ahead of time, again, a categorical excuse me so that when I cough, I won't have to stop and say it again. We'll just keep moving on.

So you bear with me and I'll press on, okay? In one of my recent trips to Chick-fil-A, I thought I was going to say the mission field, didn't you? These trips are part of a well-balanced life, I believe. I go there with the added incentive of that newspaper that's free. You can eat it.

You can not eat it. You read it while you eat those nuggets. Well, a few weeks ago I was there and reading USA Today newspaper and these headlines caught my attention. Bogus money goes mainstream. The article went on to reveal how the economic downturn has created a whole new meaning for the words photocopy. Arrests for making counterfeit money instead of reached an all-time high. People are now evidently trying to pass off fake bills to pay for everyday expenses. In fact, if you can imagine it, this article said that in 2008 alone, some $64 million of counterfeit money was passed off in this country. The article read counterfeiters have taken advantage of technological advances in scanners and printers. Christmas, which is usually the worst time of the year when a federal agent reported now is ongoing.

The cashiers are overwhelmed. The article reported this problem is well beyond the Christmas season. One Secret Service agent who was interviewed said that this problem is no longer even the action of the criminal element in society like drug dealers and gangsters. This is now a mainstream problem.

This is your neighbor next door. People have now been caught trying to use counterfeit $20 bills to buy pizza and a tank of gasoline. One 15-year-old student in Michigan photographed currency on a scanner copier and tried to pass it off at his high school cafeteria. In one town in Georgia earlier this month, local banks found counterfeit $20s and $100 bills from respectable merchants. Authorities, in fact, from that same town in Georgia have already arrested one man in January of 2009, catching him in the act as he printed bills from a scanner on his kitchen table. One lawman said this is probably due to the economy, but I got a feeling there's a lot more going on that we haven't caught.

Just imagine the implications of this. The character of our citizens can be bought off and excused by a downward economy. Difficult times have caused ordinary, for the most part, law-abiding citizens to photocopy a $20 bill and risk everything to pass it off. My father used to say to us boys as we were growing up whenever somebody was caught stealing something, he'd comment that the amount stolen was too little certainly to sell out whether it was $100 or $1,000. He'd usually say something like this, my character is worth more than $100. Now from that perspective, imagine someone's character worth less than a pizza or a tank of gas or a lunch in a school cafeteria.

May I add a couple thousand dollars on a dishonest tax return. If troubled times can lead people to sell their conscience and their character, to create some counterfeit money, there's little wonder in my mind how the world one day during the dark days of the tribulation will sell out to a counterfeit Messiah. They will literally sell their soul to a counterfeit king. We've already been introduced in Revelation 13, and I invite you back there today, to the antichrist. In the first few verses of Revelation 13 along with a look that we took at Daniel's prophecy, we have learned several things that this antichrist will head up a revived Roman Empire, 10 European kingdoms matching the vision of Daniel's image with its 10 toes signifying this 10 kingdom coalition which forms a one world government. We've also learned that the antichrist will rise into power as a fairly insignificant European leader. Daniel calls him a little king that will rise up among them, Daniel 7-8.

That is a king among the European leaders who begin his rise to power as a fairly unimpressive and auspicious leader. Daniel also informed us that the antichrist will eventually rise to take the throne of that coalition becoming the world's last Caesar. He will eventually force everybody to take his mark and his oath of loyalty.

The mark of the beast is described later in chapter 13, which we'll study closely in a later session. The antichrist is the ultimate counterfeiter. Everything that God has done just about, everything that Satan can counterfeit, he will counterfeit in and through this man's life with his counterfeit agenda.

In fact, if you go through scripture and compare the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with the efforts of Satan to counterfeit him, it is uncanny. It is amazing. Let me give you some comparisons. In fact, let me give you 19 of them in this introduction. All right, we're going to really move quickly. Number one, don't panic by the way.

This is on the web, colonial.org. Everything's there. So just sit back if you want and listen. Jesus Christ performs miracles, signs and wonders in his ministry and of course the antichrist will perform with the same power or at least counterfeit power, signs and false wonders. Jesus Christ will appear in the millennial temple. The antichrist will make his appearance in the tribulation temple. The Apostle Paul in fact describes him as taking his seat in the temple, declaring himself worthy of worship in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Jesus Christ thirdly is the incarnation of God.

He is God in the flesh. The antichrist will claim to be God or at least the incarnation of God. 2 Thessalonians again in chapter 2 verse 4. Jesus Christ is seen in Revelation 5 with his lineage.

He is the lion from the tribe of Judah. The antichrist will have a mouth like a lion. Christ will make a peace covenant with Israel that will be enjoyed throughout the millennial reign. Ezekiel 37 informs us of that. The antichrist will begin his claim as Messiah by offering Israel a peace covenant. Daniel chapter 9 tells us that in verse 27. Christ motivates, provides the incentive, causes worship for the one true and living God which he embodies in physical form. The antichrist will actually encourage worship of the false god Satan.

7. Christ's followers during the tribulation will be marked and sealed as his and we've already studied that at length in Revelation 7. The antichrist will seal his followers with his own mark on their forehead or their right hand.

Revelation 13 verses 16 to 18. Christ has a worthy name. The antichrist has blasphemous names. Christ is married to a virtuous bride.

The antichrist is betrothed to a vile harlot. Christ is crowned with many crowns. The antichrist with ten. Jesus Christ is the king of kings. The antichrist will call himself king in Daniel 11. Christ will sit on a throne. The antichrist will sit on a throne. Revelation 16.

Christ will ride a white horse when he returns. Revelation 19. The antichrist rides on a white horse to begin his pseudo-reign in Revelation verse 2 of chapter 6.

Christ has an army as does the antichrist in Revelation 19. Christ died a violent death. The antichrist dies a violent death.

Revelation 13 verse 3. Christ is resurrected. The antichrist is resurrected as well.

We'll see that in a moment. Christ comes back to reign as does the antichrist come back to reign in Revelation 13 verse 3. The 18th comparison. Jesus Christ reigns from Jerusalem for a thousand years during the millennial reign or kingdom. The antichrist will reign as well from Jerusalem in his three and a half year worldwide kingdom. Finally, Christ is part of a holy trinity.

Father, son, and spirit. Revelation 13 introduces us to an unholy trinity. Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet. In every way possible, Satan will attempt to counterfeit the true Messiah. One of my former seminary professors, J. Dwight Pentecost, summarized it well when he wrote, and I quote him, Satan is seeking to give the world a ruler in place of Christ who will be in opposition to Christ so that he can rule over the world instead of Christ. What is it that causes such profound deception? So much so that the world will follow this counterfeit Messiah. Primarily two things. The first we've already discussed.

I'll review it. It's simply his management of peaceful reconciliation. We saw him fulfill the symbolism of the white horse. He came giving peace to Israel. He'll break that peace eventually in the mid part of the tribulation.

But that's just a warm up. Not only will his management of a peaceful reconciliation bring him to the attention of the world, but most impressively, secondly, his miracle of physical resurrection will sort of cement his rise to world power. No wonder they will turn to him in worship.

No wonder their early excitement over him will turn to an exaltation of him as their crowned prince, their Messiah, their God. Let's take a closer look at that, picking it up where we left off with verse three in Revelation chapter 13. John writes, and I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain. This is the empire, one of the heads, one of the kings, rulers.

And his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast, a reference to that individual king we know as the antichrist. Remember, the title beast can refer to both the kingdom of the antichrist and the antichrist.

It is used interchangeably. Because of that fact, there are some who believe here that the resurrection spoken of in verse three is not referring to the antichrist, but to the resurrection of his kingdom, the reviving of that European world movement Daniel speaks of as the revived Roman empire. The major problem as I have studied all of you is that you have simple personal pronouns in the Greek language used for the wounding and dying of this one, which limits it to one king, not the entire kingdom. In fact, if you look down at verse 12 in Revelation 13, John writes of this first beast whose fatal wound was healed. Again, this is personal.

This is a personal event experienced by one of them. He's called here the first beast. The first beast introduced to us in chapter 13 is the antichrist. The second beast, which will be introduced to us later on in another study, is the false prophet. Evidently, at some point in the rise to power of this beast, the antichrist, he is assassinated. Now, the question obviously comes up, was he really dead? Well, if you look further at verse 14, the latter part where the false prophet, you'll see he orders the world to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. At some point in his amazing rise to power, the antichrist is assassinated by a wound to the head.

We have no reason to believe that this is anything other than a literal application of the text. He is literally killed. He's literally brought back to life. It certainly raises some interesting questions.

And again, let's go back to the first one. Are you sure he really died? Some believe he faked it.

It was one of his lying wonders. I, along with other Bible teachers, believe the antichrist actually physically died. In fact, it is one of the strongest claims of his to his rule as false messiah. The text in Revelation chapter 13 verse 3, look back there again, it says, John says, I saw one as if it had been slain.

Literally, the word is slaughtered. If you go back, hold your finger there and go back to chapter 5 of Revelation, you discover the English translation of the exact same Greek phrase, only now it is used of Jesus Christ. Look at verse 6.

And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a lamb standing as if slain. That doesn't mean that Christ faked it. It doesn't mean that it was sleight of hand. It doesn't mean that he didn't really die. What it means is he is standing as if, literally, he's bearing the wounds of that dying event. And we know from his resurrection appearances, he retained some of the wounds of his crucifixion as evidences of the lamb of God who came to die for the sins of the world. So that now is the exact same phrase used of this false messiah who is as one having been slain or slaughtered. Evidently, you could, I guess, call this the 20th mark of his false messiahship. He bears in his body, even after resurrected, some mark on his head to show that he was invincible, that he defeated death. It's only one more way he will masquerade as the messiah. So the Antichrist's slaughter, we have every reason to believe with the text of Scripture, was as real or will be as real as the lamb's slaughter. The Antichrist is in faking death. He's really dead. Now, you're saying at this point, Stephen, wait a second.

Maybe that cold has influenced you a little too much, too many medications. If you're saying what I think you're saying, that means the Antichrist has to be literally resurrected from the dead. Are you saying that Satan can resurrect someone from the dead? Great question.

You're dismissed. Oh, well, wait a second here. Let me ask an answer first, a lesser question, okay? It's this one. Can Satan perform miracles?

The short answer is yes. Now, just think back through Scriptures that may come to your mind as they did to me as I thought through this. We know from Scripture that Satan is given delegated, limited miraculous power. He is on the leash of God, but that leash has allowed him delegated power. You remember how with God's permission, Satan was allowed to control the winds of nature, creating that cyclone that slammed into the home where Job's children were feasting, and they died. He also was able to influence the minds of those pagan warriors so that they mounted up and attacked Job's servants, killing them. You may remember with further permission from God, Satan affected the body of Job, giving him the diseases that covered his body with sores and boils. That is significant delegated power.

Make no mistake about it. You may remember or recall the same thing occurring earlier, this demonstration of power in Exodus where pharaohs, magicians are able to copy several of the miracles of Aaron and Moses. You remember Aaron threw the rod down and it turned into a wiggling live serpent. Now, had I been pharaoh, I would have climbed up on my throne and hollered.

But what happened? By their dark arts, pharaohs, magicians threw their rods down and they what? Turned into serpents as well. Never mind that Moses ate them up, but don't overlook the fact that those are real wiggling living snakes. He was also, Satan was through these magicians, able to match the miracle of turning water into blood in Exodus chapter 7 verse 22, which only further hardened the heart of unbelieving pharaoh which was one of God's purposes in displaying his power and his wrath. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ informs us that there will be false teachers who will one day stand before him, who during their lifetime in the name of Jesus Christ performed miracles, exercising demons, healing, prophesying.

And as they stand before Christ, there is no word of, that was all fakery, no. It was simply you were empowered by someone else. Why? Because I never what?

Knew you. Just as Jesus Christ and the apostles to whom he delegated power could raise people from the dead, you remember Peter did as well as Paul authenticating the claims that they gave through the gospel, so also then God will allow this delegated authority to Satan who will be empowered to raise from the dead the Antichrist and that moment will cement the moment of the false Messiah and he will lead, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, the whole world astray. God will, he wrote, send such strong delusion so that the world will believe the lie.

2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 11. I believe personally that this resurrection of the Antichrist is a major part of Paul's words being explained and fulfilled. He who was dead has now come back to life. This helps us understand how the world at this moment will consolidate not just their wonder at him but their worship of him. He is, he must be God. He has power over the grave and over death. God will allow I believe Satan to perform this miracle and the world will fall at the Antichrist's feet. Now based on what we do know from John's revelation and from Daniel's vision, from Revelation chapter 13 which confirms the resurrection, I believe, of the coming Antichrist.

Imagine that scene. The world would be grieving somewhere around the midpoint of the tribulation over the loss of its greatest peace negotiator. A brilliant genius of a man who has led some European country to a place of national prominence, international prominence. His policies are being copied.

His advice is being pursued on every hand. Only recently he would have solidified a European coalition taking the reigns of three countries whose leaders died perhaps mysteriously or disappeared. But he masterfully strengthened that coalition, that revived empire by taking over and the other kings have willingly and gladly granted him the highest rank in the coalition. His skill at leadership and diplomacy would be breathtaking, mesmerizing, reassuring. In a world that is going mad with the outpouring of what we have learned to be the wrath of God, the tsunamis, the earthquakes, the diseases, the epidemics.

His presence will seem to calm everyone as if he is in fact capable of riding above it. But an assassin has gotten through. A madman with a sword who struck this great leader, perhaps it was someone acting in revenge. We're not told who or why. We're only told that the antichrist will be killed in cold blood. Now the world is mourning as he lies in state in some European embassy or castle.

Your guess is as good as mine. No doubt television cameras from networks around the world are trained on the coffin and other cameras are trained on the tear-streaked cheeks of mourners who've lined up for miles to come and pay their last respects. Just imagine the literal fulfillment of this text suddenly, his eyes open and he takes a breath and he sits up and maybe clambers over and out of the coffin and walks calmly to one of the cameras and announces to a stunned world that he is indeed their Messiah. He has defeated death. He has defeated the grave. He is the one who was dead, but now forevermore is alive.

Thanks for joining us today here on Wisdom for the Heart. This is the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey. Stephen is working his way through a series from Revelation entitled Antichrist and the Many Faces of Evil. The lesson you just heard is called Counterfeit. Actually we're not all the way through this lesson, but we're just about out of time, so we're going to pause here for today.

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