Faults with The Future Coming Antichrist Theory

Faults with The Future Coming Antichrist Theory

Published 20180304 -:- Revised 20250829

NB: I am dyslexic so please bear with me. Bible references are from MKJV unless noted otherwise.

AIM

I hope to show you, from scripture, various faults with the ‘Futurist Theory’ of a supposed ‘Future Coming Antichrist’.

Also I have NO wish to upset any one’s personal beliefs!

Reason

The Futurist Theory has numerous faults that can be proven by scripture! Ultimately with so many faults the theory becomes untenable. This then brings us to a frightening question! If the Futurist Theory is not of God then what ‘spirit’ is driving this false teaching deep into the foundational thinking of our church leaders? I believe our church leaders are commissioned by God with a grave responsibility to bring the truth to the body of Christ. If they fail in this commission, then what? Is this perhaps why church numbers are dwindling? The early Reformers preached against the Futurist Theory and their gatherings numbered in the hundreds of thousands! So I am hoping and praying that our church leaders would join us in diligently searching the scriptures for the truth.

References & Equipment

MKJ                 = Bible references are from the Modern King James Bible unless noted otherwise.

HCC                 = History of The Christian Church (by Philip Schaff) via e-Sword 1882 Edition

CN                    = e-Sword Commentary Notes by “NAME” on Bible Ref “BOOK CH: Vrs” e.g. [ref CN Clark on Dan 7:7]

WP                   = Wikipedia

Bren                 = Brenton Septuagint Translation via eSword

Recapping The Futurist Theory

Refer [HCC. Vol. 1, Ch. 12, §101] under the sub heading; “Interpretation”

[Ref WP Francisco Ribera (1537-1591)] “Francisco Ribera (1537-1591) was a Jesuit doctor of theology. He proposed the first few chapters of Revelation applied to ancient pagan Rome, the rest he limited to a future period of 3 1/2 literal years, just prior to the second coming. During that time, the Roman Catholic Church would have fallen away from the pope into apostasy. Then, he proposed, the antichrist, a single individual, would:

1- Persecute and blaspheme the saints of God. 2- Rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. 3- Abolish the Christian religion. 4- Deny Jesus Christ. 5- Be received by the Jews. 6- Pretend to be God. 7- Kill the two witnesses of God. 8- Conquer the world.”

The Secret Rapture

This was a later addition to the Futurist Theory. [Ref WP Margaret MacDonald (visionary) - Wikipedia] It was initiated in 1830 by Margaret McDonald, a 15-year-old Scottish girl who had a vision. She passed it on to Edward Irving. Irving then attended the prophecy conferences that began in Dublin Ireland in 1830 at Powerscourt Castle, where he promoted both Futurism and the Secret Rapture.

How Do We Prove The Futurist Theory Is False?

Basically the Futurist Theory hinges on the belief of a few main points. If we can “by scripture” prove those points to be unscriptural, then obviously the whole theory becomes unworkable, and it falls in on itself like a ‘house of cards’. The points I need to prove to be unscriptural are the following; -

1.      Will there be a Secret Rapture?

2.      Will the antichrist “sit as God in the temple of God” in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem?

3.      Will the Holy Spirit be taken out of the world?

4.      Is There A Rapture Mentioned In The Parables?

5.      Will a single individual ‘Antichrist’ come to power?

6.      Is Daniel’s 70th week still in the future?

7.      Is the Time times and half a time a literal 3 ½ years?

If the above points can be proven to be unscriptural, would that ‘shoot enough holes’ in the Futurist Theory for you? In true Mafia style I need to finish off the theory, with ‘Seven nails’ for the ‘Futurist Theory Coffin’. Seven is perfection! Lets start ---

Will There Be A Secret Rapture

The two books of Thessalonians are very useful tools to explain the second coming of Christ, and in turn blow apart the secret rapture theory. Bare in mind the Thessalonians were of a Greek heritage, so they seem to have very little knowledge of the Hebrew bible prophecy, particularly regarding the issue that the dead will be raised. They needed some knowledge of the basics. Job speaks of it, Job 19:26 “and even after they corrupt my skin, yet this: in my flesh I shall see God”. We have Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones. Ezekiel 37:5 “So says the Lord Jehovah to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.” And Martha knew full well of it, John 11:24 “Martha said…I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” So lets try to understand thing as the Thessalonians saw them. On the FLIP side, most young Christians today are in ‘the same boat’. They know about the resurrection but they have very little knowledge of old testament ‘type and shadow’, which reveals our past and future events.

1 Thessalonians

The Thessalonians initially thought that those who had died since Calvary would miss out on the resurrection. So Paul in 1 Thessalonians explains to them the sequence of events, all in one continuous explanation over the two chapters 4 and 5. In the original Greek there was no punctuation or chapters etc. So there is no reason to separate Chapters 4 and 5 of 1 Thessalonians. If you read them together as one statement, you will find they give a completely different meaning to the usual interpretation of a secret appearance of Christ (i.e. The Rapture or the Secret Rapture). Lets first read the relevant passages as one continuous statement.

‘The Coming of the Lord’

1Th 4:13 “But I would not have you ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, that you be not grieved, even as others who have no hope. :14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. :15 For we say this to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not go before those who are asleep. :16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. :17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord. :18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1Th 5):1 But of the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that I write to you. :2  For you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. :3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety! Then sudden destruction comes on them, as travail upon a woman with child. And they shall not escape.”

Now what points does Paul bring out?

1- The dead in Christ shall rise first
2- We, who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them,
3- So shall we ever be with the Lord

Then Paul continues with an, ‘Adjunct’, “But”, which joins the two chapters together.
4- But of the times and the seasons, (in other words when is this going to happen?)
5- The day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night, (meaning nobody knows when this will happen!)
6- then sudden destruction comes on them. (Who is destroyed? “The Wicked”, this is clearly mentioned in the parables)

It puts a completely different meaning on, 1 Thessalonians 4:16. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.” It has always been ridiculous to think that the Christians would be the only people to hear that LOUD announcement. But when we read both passages together it all makes much more sense. It is ‘The Loud Appearance’ of Christ when He sets foot on the Mount of Olives, and He will make judgement on the wicked! Also you have Act 1:10-11 [KJV] “:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; :11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” So when Jesus returns, we SHALL see Him physically in the natural!

2 Thessalonians

In this passage it appears that the Thessalonians were now satisfied with the knowledge that those who passed away would not miss out on the resurrection. But they seem to have the impression that Christ could return any day now! “as if the Day of Christ is at hand” Consider 1 Thessalonians 4:17 above. “We, who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them”.  That was the very next thing that the Thessalonians expected to see happening. Is that any different to what Christians think today. These days Christians expect Christ will unexpectedly, “sneak in”, in a secret Rapture and we will all be gone! Think again, the Thessalonians were basically expecting what we today would call ‘The Rapture’. So Paul puts their minds at rest with the following passage from 2 Thessalonians 2. See if you can see anything that resembles what we today would call ‘The Rapture’? Lets read 2 Thess 2.

‘The Man of Lawlessness’

2Th 2:1 “Now we beseech you, my brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, :2 that you should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word or letter, as through us, as if the Day of Christ is at hand. :3 Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, :4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God. :5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? :6 And now you know what holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time. :7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. :8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming, :9 whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, :10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved. :11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, :12 so that all those who do not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned.” …..Where is the secrete rapture described in this passage above? There is NO mention of it!

Some would say that 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is describing “the rapture”, and this passage is talking about when “Christ returns in His power and glory”. They are catch phrases used in many books regarding the return of Christ. So let us assume there is a secret rapture, followed 7 years later with the glorious return of Christ. So if the Thessalonians where expecting a rapture, that is they were saying, ‘as if the Day of Christ is at hand’. Why doesn’t Paul tell them about the future coming rapture? Why does he skip the rapture altogether and talk about when Christ retunes and destroys the antichrist? Can you see the fault with the assumption of a rapture?

But it is clear from this scripture that the Thessalonians were asking about, “what is the very next thing on Gods agenda? When is Christ coming back?” So Paul describes it to them in clear and simple steps. “Your asking about, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him? Then Paul says of those two events, ‘That Day’ shall not come unless there is: -

First comes a falling away 

Then the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, 

He opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped,

He sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.

Remember I told you who is holding him back, for him to be revealed in his own time.

Eventually the Lord shall consume the man of sin with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Come Up Hither?

We have the well known passage in Rev 4:1 “…a door was opened in Heaven..And the..voice..saying, Come up here”. Often you hear this passage is a reference to “the rapture of the church”. The futurists conclude the church is taken out of the world at that point in time in the Revelation. The rest of Revelation from that moment onward is referring to the seven-year tribulation. Can I ask you another question? Paul tells the Corinthians, 2Co 12:2 “I know a man in Christ fourteen years before (whether in the body, I do not know; or outside of the body, I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught up to the third Heaven.” That man obviously came back to talk about it! John on Patmos also returned to earth. So does that constitute another rapture? Or refer to the Old Testament, we have 2 Kings 2:11 Elijah went up to heaven, and in Gen 5:24 “And Enoch walked with God, and then he was not, for God took him”. ‘Tong in cheek’, but does that mean there are “FOUR raptures” referred to in the bible? It is a ridiculous thought. Ah yea I forgot, in Heb 8:5, Moses was shown a pattern of the heavenly tabernacle? Was he taken up in a symbolic rapture as well? If God wants to take someone up to heaven for a briefing, He is allowed to! You know the old phrase ‘Do not take one scripture and make a doctrine out of it. So someone being caught up to heaven does not constitute a rapture!

Conclusion: It is very simple to explain using 2 Thessalonians 2; There Is No Rapture! Secret or otherwise! …..Nail #1

Other Points In Thessalonians

There are a few more interesting issues in the two books of Thessalonians, they are: -

1Th 4: 14 The phrase, “Bring With Him”

2 Th 2:4 “he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.”

2 Th 2:6 “only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst.”

Bring With Him

That phrase is in 1Th 4: 14 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep through Jesus” 1Th 4: 13-18 is usually used as a reference to the ‘secret rapture’. So that kind of wording is completely wrong if that passage is implying that Jesus “sneaks in”, in a secret rapture, and TAKES all the saints out of the world! You would expect the wording to be as follows: - “even so God will also TAKE with Him all those who have fallen asleep through Jesus” Take them where? Take them to heaven for some fictitious 7 years? Think of another example. General Custer will Bring With Him the whole 7^th cavalry. Or General Custer will Take With Him the whole 7^th cavalry. They have two completely different meanings.

So the words, ‘God will also bring with Him’, quite clearly means that Christ is coming to earth, (the second advent), and the dead in Christ will come with Him. Refer to the following commentary notes you can obtain through “eSword”.

[Ref CN by Albert Barnes on 1 Thes 4:14] “Will God bring with him - This does not mean that God will bring them with him from heaven when the Saviour comes - though it will be true that their spirits will descend with the Saviour; but it means that he will bring them from their graves, and will conduct them with him to glory, to be with him; compare notes, Joh_14:3.”

[Ref CN by John Darby on 1 Thes 4:14] “Upon this the apostle gives some more detailed explanation of the Lord's coming in the form of express revelation, shewing how they would be with Him so as to come with Him when He appears. The living will not take precedence of those who sleep in Jesus. The Lord Himself will come as the Head of His heavenly army, dispersed for a time, to gather them to Himself. He gives the word. The voice of the archangel passes it on, and the trumpet of God is sounded. The dead in Christ will rise first, that is to say, before the living go up. Then we who shall be alive and remain shall go with them, all together, in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we be for ever with the Lord.” This I find very interesting because John Darby was a Futurist?

[Ref CN by David Guzik on 1Thes. 4:1-18] “i. For the Thessalonian Christians, their troubled minds were answered by the statement, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. “It is best to understand the words to mean that Jesus will bring the faithful departed with Him when He comes back. Their death does not mean that they will miss their share in the Parousia.” (Morris)”

[Ref CN by F.B.Meyer on 1Thes. 4 :9-18] “These disciples anticipated the speedy return of the Lord and feared lest those who had died would be worse off than they: The Apostle bade them dismiss such fears, because they who remained alive until the coming of the Lord would have no precedence over others who had died. Paul assures them that they who had fallen asleep were with Jesus, and that they would accompany Him when He came again;”

[Ref CN by Preacher’s Homiletical 1Thes 4:13-14 par III] “2. That the dead in Christ will be roused from their holy slumber and share in the glory of His second advent.—“Will God bring with Him” (1Th_4:14).”

Conclusion: Again it’s clearly from the commentaries it is the Second Advent, and Christ will BRING WITH HIM the dead in Christ.

Sits As God In The Temple Of God

Lets read the passage complete. 2 Th 2:3-4 “Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, :4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.” How do the Futurist believers interpret this passage? Usually you will find they say something like this. The man of sin, or son of perdition, is the antichrist. He will stand in the newly built temple at Jerusalem and declare that he is ‘God’ and he will demand that the whole world must worship him.

Now I have covered this in another talk, Rebuilding The Temple Of Jerusalem. But this Futurist line of thinking is very easy to pull down. Simply as yourself, “Who is going to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem?” The antichrist? Or would the Jews rebuild the temple in order to restart blood sacrifice? Now ask yourself another question. “Would God be happy with a New Temple in Jerusalem; built by the antichrist or by the Jews for blood sacrifice?” Of cause not. So read the passage again, and remember that the Holy Spirit is dictating this to Paul. God is saying, “antichrist will stand in THE Temple Of God.” A new Temple, erected by the antichrist, would hardly be referred to by God as, “THE Temple Of God”. The ‘Temple of God’ must be referring to the church, the body of Christ. Paul wrote Thessalonians, and he also wrote the following passages in which he again refers to ‘The Temple of God’

1Co 3:16 “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

1Co 3:17 “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God shall destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which you are.”

1Co 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God?”

2Co 6:16 “And what agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God,”

Eph 2:21 “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:”

Then Peter takes it one step further to show that we all together as one body form individual parts of the Temple of God. 1Pe 2:5 “you also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Another scripture; Christ showed John many years later, in Rev 3:12 an example that each of us forms part of the ‘Temple of My God’. Rev 3:12  “Him who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will go out no more. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven ….”

Conclusion: “the Temple of God” in 2 Th 2: 4 is NOT referring to a physical rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. So the antichrist will Never stand in a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. …..Nail#2

Will The Holy Spirit Be Taken Out Of The World? 
“He is now holding back” Lets read the passage. 2Th 2:5 “Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? :6 And now you know what holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time. :7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. :8 And then the lawless one will be revealed,” Lets first look at some commentary notes.

[Ref CN by John Wesley on 2 Thessalonians 2:6] “And now ye know - By what I told you when I was with you. That which restraineth - The power of the Roman emperors. When this is taken away, the wicked one will be revealed. In his time - His appointed season, and not before.”

[Ref CN by Matthew Henry’s Concise Com. on 2 Th 2:5-12] “These prophecies have, in a great measure, come to pass, and confirm the truth of the Scriptures. This passage exactly agrees with the system of popery, as it prevails in the Romish church, and under the Romish popes. But though the son of perdition has been revealed, though he has opposed and exalted himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; and has spoken and acted as if he were a god upon earth, and has proclaimed his insolent pride, and supported his delusions, by lying miracles and all kinds of frauds; still the Lord has not yet fully destroyed him with the brightness of his coming; that and other prophecies remain to be fulfilled before the end shall come.”

[Ref CN by Jamieson Fausset & Brown on 2 Thessalonians 2:6] “— that which holds him back; “keeps him in check”: the power that has restrained the man of sin from his full and final development, is the moral and conservative influence of political states [Olshausen]: the fabric of human polity as a coercive power; as “he who now letteth” refers to those who rule that polity by which the great upbursting of godlessness is kept down [Alford]. The “what withholdeth” refers to the general hindrance; “he who now letteth,” to the person in whom that hindrance is summed up. Romanism, as a forerunner of Antichrist, was thus kept in check by the Roman emperor (the then representative of the coercive power) until Constantine, having removed the seat of empire to Constantinople, the Roman bishop by degrees first raised himself to precedency, then to primacy, and then to sole empire above the secular power.”

[Ref CN by W.B. Johnson on 2 Thessalonians 2:6-10] “Ye know now what withholdeth. They knew because Paul had told them when with them. We have not that advantage, but I believe that he told them that this development could not take place until pagan imperial Rome fell. We know that it did withhold, or prevent it.”

These scholars all agree that Paul was inferring that it was the Roman Empire that was holding back the development of the antichrist. Paul is using a descriptive method called “valid speech”. It is used in military radio communications all the time. For example I could say over the radio, “ I want to speak to your SUNRAY”. ‘Sunray’ means your person in charge; it could be a corporal in charge of 5 men or a general in charge of a whole army. The enemy are always listening to you, but they have no idea of what rank that ‘Sunray’ might refer to. In the case of Paul, he used valid speech to hide the description of the power that was holding back the antichrist. Also he had apparently previously talked to the Thessalonians about that subject. He reminds them about that in verse 5. By using valid speech the only people he would be trying to hide the message from would be the Romans. Imagine if Paul had written in plan language something like the commentary notes above. If the Romans had found the letters it would be death to all.

What If It Was The Holy Spirit That Was Holding Back?

So let us assume for the moment Paul did mean the Hole Spirit is holding back the antichrist. And lets say Paul didn’t use valid speech but he wrote to the Thessalonians ‘In Clear Greek’. It would sound something like this, (translated to English of cause): -

2Th 2:5-7 [REVAMPED] “You remember what I told you when I was with you? :6 Now you know the Holy Spirit holds back, till the antichrist be revealed in his own time. :7 For the antichrist is already working, only the Holy Spirit is now holding back until it comes out of the midst.” Imagine if that letter got into the hands of a Centurion who handed it to the Roman Governor. What do you think the Governor would say? “You bring me a Christian letter, talking about a fictitious Holy Spirit and a fictitious antichrist? GET OUT OF MY COURT YOU IDIOT; BEFORE I HAVE YOU CRUCIFIED!” See it makes no sense thinking that Paul was trying to hide the idea that the Holy Spirit is going to be taken out of the world!

The Holy Spirit CAN NOT Be Taken Out Of The World!

Why? Consider the following passage in which Jesus says He will send the Holy Spirit into the world; For WHAT purpose? John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter, (The Holy Spirit), will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you. :8 And when that One comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment. :9 Concerning sin, because they do not believe on Me; :10 concerning righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; :11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” So if the Holy Spirit was taken out of the world for some “fictitious 7 year tribulation”, nobody in the tribulation would be convicted of sin, nobody would be saved!

Then Jesus continues with; John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come. :14 He will glorify Me, for He will receive of Mine and will announce, (show) it to you.” So if the Holy Spirit is ‘supposedly’ taken out of the world at a secret rapture, then what? Those ‘left behind’ would certainly have bibles, but they would be useless with out the Holy Spirit to, “guide you into all truth”! The futurists haven’t told you about that “Catch-22” have they?

Conclusion: ‘He Is Now Holding Back’ could NOT be referring to the Holy Spirit holding back the antichrist. The Holy Spirit will NOT be taken out of the world. …..Nail#3

Is There A Rapture Mentioned In The Parables?

The parables are a wealth of information regarding the ‘End Days’. Jesus Himself is telling His disciples what signs to look for to indicate the “Coming of the Son of Man”. You have the parables like ‘The Parable of the Weeds’, ‘The Net’, ‘The Example of the Lightning’, ‘The comparison to Noah’ and ‘One Taken and one Left’. Jesus speaks of many more parables but these in particular are directed at describing the Second Coming of Christ. Lets work through them and see if any of them give a hint of a rapture?

The Parable of the Weeds

Mat 13:24 “He put out another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. :25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel, (called weeds or tares in other translations), among the wheat and went his way. :26 But when the blade had sprung up and had produced fruit, then the darnel also appeared. :27 So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where have the darnel come from? :28 He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them up? :29 But he said, No, lest while you gather up the darnel you also root up the wheat with them. :30 Let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the darnel and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my granary.”

Then Jesus explains it to the disciples. Mat 13:36 “Then sending the crowds away, Jesus went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the darnel of the field. :37 He answered and said to them, He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; :38 the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom; but the darnel are the sons of the evil one. :39 The enemy who sowed them is the Devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. :40 Therefore as the darnel are gathered and burned in the fire, so it shall be in the end of this world. :41 The Son of Man shall send out His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who do iniquity, :42 and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. :43 Then the righteous shall shine out like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” …..No indication of a rapture here!

The Parable of the Net

Mat 13:47 “Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered some of every kind; :48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. :49 So it shall be at the end of the world. The angels shall come out and separate the wicked from among the just, :50 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” …..No indication of a rapture here!

Lightning or The Secret Rooms

Mat 24:23 “Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, There! Do not believe it. :24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect. :25 Behold, I have told you beforehand. :26 Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the secret rooms! Do not believe it. :27 For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.” This parable has always intrigued me. Imagine if there was a rapture? And suppose you were left behind, you would be asking these same questions! And get answers like, “Jesus has been and they are all in ‘The Secret Rooms’ in heaven!” Then you could legitimately answer, “Rubbish! Mat 24:27 says “The coming of the son of man will be like the lighting etc etc” That would mean, this passage of scripture in Mat 24:27, would becomes a lie! You cannot say Jesus would come secretly, and then in another scripture say his coming is as unmistakable as a flash of lightning. Make up your mind! Christ does not come in a secret rapture!…..No indication of a rapture here!

As In The Days Of Noah

Mat 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father. :37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man. :38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark.” (In other words life will be going on as normal!) Mat 24:39 “And they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of Man. :40 Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. :41 Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. :42 Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.” Then Luke adds a bit more to the answer from Jesus.

Luk 17:34 “I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. :35 Two shall be grinding together, one will be taken, and the other left. :36 Two shall be in the field, one will be taken, and the other left. :37 And they answered and said to Him, Where, Lord?” (in other words where will they be taken?) And He said to them, Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

Think about it, Jesus is using the analogy of the flood, which TOOK away the Wicked! Then at the coming of Christ, who is TAKEN? Again it is the wicked that are TAKEN! How many times do you hear the, “reverse twisted lie”, that the righteous are taken away in a supposed rapture? …..No indication of a rapture here!

Conclusion: There is no reference to a rapture in any of these parables! …..Nail#4

Will A Single Individual ‘Antichrist’ Come To Power?

Well for this I suggest we go back to 2 Thessalonians 2 and have a serious ponder over Paul’s comment in verse 5. What could Paul have been referring to when he said, “remember that I told you these things”? Lets read 2 Thessalonians 2:3-6 again.  2Th 2:3 “Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, :4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God. :5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? :6 And now you know what holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time.”

Humour me for a moment with this line of thinking! What could Paul have previously mentioned to the Thessalonians? What ever Paul said, it must have been some thing regarding the future fall of Rome and the rise of the ‘man of sin’. Because he follows up with the words, “now you know what holds back” etc. Remember I said they seem to have little knowledge of Hebrew prophecies. Now Paul was methodical in his line of discussion. He never seemed to talk about anything unless he gave scriptural backing. That’s why I have often thought that Paul could have talked to them about Daniel’s prophecies. Paul’s conversation could have unfolded like this: -

Imagine Paul speaking. “In Daniel chapter 2; The legs of iron are Rome, it will give way to the ‘Ten Toes’ representing Ten Kingdoms that will take over the Roman world, also they are also partly iron meaning they are partly from the old Roman world. In Daniel chapter 7 we find out what will happen during these Ten Kingdoms. (Dan 7:23) ‘The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth, and shall trample it and crush it.” Paul could add. “THIS IS Rome!” Then Paul continues. Dan 7:24 “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise.” Paul could say, “See these TEN Kings will come up from and after Rome, like the Ten Toes in Daniel chapter 2! Then another shall arise after them. And he shall be different from the first, and he shall humble three kings. :25 And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and plot to change times and laws, and he will do many more wicked things. This is the man of sin who will rise up amongst the Ten kingdoms.”

Paul could have used these passages to show that Rome will fall and soon after a little horn will rise, which is the man of sin. In light of this plausible conversation, it makes sense that Paul would say to the Thessalonians, “remember that I told you these things”. Now lets go back to 2 Thessalonians 2:5 “Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? :6 And now you know what holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time.” We know the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, happened in 476AD. We know from history that Ten kingdoms rose up in Europe with in only a few decades, that was represented by the Ten Toes. We know from Daniel chap. 7 a ‘Little Horn’ came up amongst these Ten horns. This is the antichrist who was no longer ‘held back by Rome’, and then, revealed in his own time. Pure logic tells us the antichrist came to power about the same time as the Ten kingdoms of Europe.

The next verses in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 tells us when and how the antichrist will be destroyed! 2Th 2:7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. :8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming,”. That is pretty clear-cut! Antichrist Will Be Destroyed When Christ Comes Back! So what can we deduce from these verse, 2Th 2:5-8?

1- The antichrist came to power some time after 476AD

2- The antichrist will be destroyed at the Second Advent!

Conclusion: The antichrist has been in existence for some 1400 to 1500 years! The antichrist must be an on going head of a political/religious power. Hence The Antichrist Is Not A Single Individual! …..Nail#5

Is Daniels 70th week still in the future?

This is one of the key issues regarding the Futurist Theory. It is based on Daniel’s ‘Seventy Weeks’ prophecy in Dan 9:24-27. The Futurists will refer to verse 27, and they claim that the person, ‘he’, is the antichrist who will make a covenant with many for ‘one prophetic week’, (7 literal years), then break the covenant half way through the week. Personally I think that is a ludicrous interpretation! If the Futurists are right; and God knows the beginning from the end. Wouldn’t God say, “he would make a covenant for half a week”? I have covered this passage in another talk entitled, When Did Jesus Become The Messiah. In that talk I used the Septuagint translation. The Septuagint clearly indicates it is Christ who “shall establish the covenant with many” You might like to look into the origin of the Septuagint Translation. [Ref WP]. It is also called the ‘LXX’, meaning 70, because 70 Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew text into Greek. It is reputedly one of the best translations of the Old Testament. Lets have a look at the Septuagint version of Daniel chapter 9.

‘The Seventy Weeks’

[BREN] Dan 9:24 “Seventy weeks have been determined upon thy people, and upon the holy city, for sin to be ended, and to seal up transgressions, and to blot out the iniquities, and to make atonement for iniquities, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal the vision and the prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy. :25 And thou shalt know and understand, that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks; and then the time shall return, and the street shall be built, and the wall, and the times shall be exhausted. :26 And after the sixty-two weeks, the anointed one shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in him: and he shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: they shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed he shall appoint the city to desolations. [:27] And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week MY sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation.” (Just a side bit here, ‘MY sacrifice’? would God call a sacrifice by the antichrist, MY sacrifice?)

Remember I said there was no chapter and verse in the original Greek! Well remove the verse number [:27], then how does it read? “he shall appoint the city to desolations, and one week shall establish the covenant with many and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away.” The Septuagint makes it so much clearer! Christ is the anointed one who will appoint the city to destruction; and will establish the covenant with many; and in the midst of the week the need for sacrifice was done away with by Christ’s once and for all sacrifice on the cross. That seems like sound logic to me! Now try this question….

Question: “In the middle of which week was Christ crucified?” This is where the Futurist Theory really comes UNSTUCK! Because according to their theory the 70^th week is still in the future! So the only week they leave you with is the 69^th week. So they say in the middle of the 69^th week, Christ is sacrificed. But Verse 26 says, “after the sixty-two weeks”, meaning the 69 weeks in total is finished. NB: it does not say, ‘At the 62 weeks’! So some time after the total of 69 weeks; “the anointed one (Christ) shall be destroyed”. So go back to the Question: In the middle of which week was Christ crucified? It could only be during the middle of the 70^th week. So there is no need to ‘mystically transport’ the 70^th week of Daniel of into the distant indeterminate future!

Besides if the Futurist’s still wish to SPILT Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy into two separate parts. Meaning, 69 weeks is in the past, and one week is still in the distant future. Then according to Deu 17:6, Deu 19:15, Mat 18:16, 2Co 13:1, 1Ti 5:19 and Heb_10:28 “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” You are entitled to ask them to show you “two or three” other prophecies, which have been split into two or more separate events. And you know yourself there are no other prophecies that are split!

Conclusion: Daniel’s 70th week is NOT in the future. Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy in chapter 9 is one continuous event of 490 literal years, and it is now in the past! …..Nail#6

Is Time Times and Half A Time A Literal 3 ½ Years?

[Lets refer to it as 3 ½ times]. We now know Daniel’s 70^th week has been fulfilled, and not still awaiting fulfilment! Also the antichrist has been here for some 1500 years, and he’s not a single individual yet to arrive in the future. So why should we still think the 3-½ times is a literal 3 ½ years? It appears in scripture in three verses; Dan 7:25, Dan 12:7 and Rev 12:14, and there are other equivalent phrases expressed as 42 months or 1260 days. The commentaries below show the older scholars applying the day-year principal. They do their calculations on the following basis. In a prophecy in which a time period is mentioned be it, “time, seasons, months, weeks or days”, everything is reduced to ‘prophetic days’, then ‘a day for a year’ is applied. So ‘time’ equals 360 days, a ‘times’ is plural time, interpreted as twice time etc. So we have, 3-½ x 360 = 1260 prophetic days, at a day for a year, it equals 1260 literal years. I have already published a talk on this day-year principal, entitled, The Day For A Year Conundrum. In that talk I have shown that God uses the word ‘year’, once in Rev 9:15, in which it has a prophetic meaning similar to the word ‘time’, that is it should be interpreted as 360 prophetic days = 360 literal years. In all other occasions the word year is interpreted as literal time, as in the 70 ‘years’ exile etc.

But can I ask you a question? Why is it that when we read Daniel 9:24-27, the ‘Seventy WEEKS’ prophecy, we automatically say it means 490 literal years? The word “weeks” is word number; H7620; “Properly passive participle of H7650 as a denominative of H7651; literally sevened, that is, a week (specifically of years): - seven, week”. That is obviously the day for a year principal. So why do we happily apply the day-year principal to this prophecy, and not to the rest of Gods prophesies? Lets look at some commentaries. YES, I am sure you could find many more commentaries claiming the literal 3-½ years, but lets see what the “OLD folks” used to say.

[Ref. CN by Adam Clarke on Dan 7:25] “Until a time and times and the dividing of time - In prophetic language a time signifies a year; and a prophetic year has a year for each day. Three years and a half (a day standing for a year, as in Joh 9:24) will amount to one thousand two hundred and sixty years, if we reckon thirty days to each month, as the Jews do.” [NB: The reference to Jon 9:24 must be a typo in the original, that scripture makes no sense. I have checked the reference ‘9:24’ in every book, It could refer to Dan 9:24?]

[Ref. CN by Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge on Dan 7:25] “a time: That is, three years and a half, or, reckoning thirty days to a month, 1,260 days, equal to the same number of years in prophetic language; which, dated from the decree of Phocas constituting him the supreme head of the church, A.D. 606, terminated in 1866. Dan 4:25, Dan 4:32, Dan 12:7, Dan 12:11-12; Rev 11:2-3, Rev 12:6, Rev 12:14, Rev 13:5, Rev 13:7”

[Ref. CN by F B Meyer on Dan 12:7] “Three and a half probably stands for three and a half prophetic years, which, on the year-day system, gives 1260 days or years, and is therefore equivalent to the forty-two months of Rev 11:2; Rev 13:5. ”

[Ref. CN by Mattew Henry’s Conc. Com on Dan 12:7] “One of the angels asking how long it should be to the end of these wonders, a solemn reply is made, that it would be for a time, times, and a half, the period mentioned Dan 7:25, and in the Revelation. It signifies 1260 prophetic days or years, beginning from the time when the power of the holy people should be scattered. ”

[Ref. CN by Preacher Homiletical on Dan 12:7] “(chap. Dan 7:27), “a time, times, and a half,” or three and a half times. From chap. Dan 11:13 (margin) we may gather that the term “time” was understood to indicate a year; “at the end of times, even years,” was the language of the angel. A year was usually reckoned as containing 360 days; so that the period in the text would be that which we twice meet with in the Revelation, a thousand two hundred and sixty days (Rev 11:3; Rev 12:6); or, according to prophetical reckoning, each day being considered a year, 1260 years; a period also spoken of in the Revelation as a time, times, ½ a time (Rev 12:14).”

[Ref. CN by John Gill on Dan 12:7] “that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; that it would be so long to the end of these wonderful things; or that the troubles of the church would last so long, and, at the end of that date here fixed, a glorious scene would open, and amazing things appear, to the great joy and comfort of the saints. "Time" signifies a prophetic year, or 360 years; and "times" two prophetic years, or 720 years; and half a time half a prophetic year, or 180 years, in all 1260 years; which is the exact date and duration of the reign of antichrist, of the church's being in the wilderness, and of the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth, and of the treading under foot the holy city, expressed both by 1260 days, and by forty two months, which are the same; see Rev 11:2, ”

[Ref. CN The Cambridge Bible on Rev 11:12] “forty and two months] So Rev 13:5. This period is apparently identical with the “1260 days” of the next verse, and Rev 12:6 : and with the “time, times, and half a time” (i.e. 3½ years) of Rev 12:14. In Dan 7:25; Dan 12:7 we have this last measure of the period given, and the time indicated by Daniel must be either identical with or typical of that indicated by St John. It is to be noted, that in Dan 12:11-12, we have the period extended to 1290 and 1335 days. The key to these prophecies, that speak of definite periods of time, is generally sought in Eze 4:6; it is supposed that each prophetical “day” stands for a year, and by consequence a “week” is equivalent to seven years, a “month” to 30, and a “year” to 360. This gives an approximately satisfactory explanation of the one prophecy of the “70 weeks” in Daniel 9 : they would naturally be understood to extend from b.c. 536 (the decree of Cyrus) to b.c. 5 (the Nativity), a.d. 29–30 (the Crucifixion), and a.d. 70 (the fall of Jerusalem); ”

[Ref. CN by Albert Barnes on Rev 12:14] “For a time, and times, and half a time - A year, two years, and half a year; that is, forty-two months (see the notes on Rev 11:2); or, reckoning the month at thirty days, twelve hundred and sixty days; and regarding these as prophetic days, in which a day stands for a year, twelve hundred and sixty years.”

Who Is The Antichrist?

I believe the key to understanding the ‘3-½ times’ is to first understand who is the antichrist. We know form Dan 7:24-25 the antichrist is called the ‘little horn’; and the saints “shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time.” Also from Rev 13:1-7, he is called ‘the beast', and then in Rev 13:5, “authority was given to it to continue forty-two months.” And Rev 13:7 “And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them.” These two passages show the duration of the antichrist power. If we can work out who the antichrist is in history, then the 1260 years should fall into place around him as proof.

Firstly what scriptures show us the characteristics of the antichrist? Daniel chapter 7 gives us NINE distinct characteristics to identify him. Read also Revelation 13 and compare it with Daniel, you will find the same characteristics plus a few more. Dan 7:23 “And he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth, and shall trample it and crush it.” The fourth kingdom was the Pagan Roman Empire, all commentaries will agree on that. And ‘the whole world’ is referring to the Roman world as in, Luke 2:1 “..decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” It does not mean the entire planet! Lets first read Daniel 7:24-26, in which I have underlined each of the characteristics. Then we will study each identifying characteristics of the antichrist.

Dan 7:24-26 “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise. And another shall arise after them. And he shall be different from the first, and he shall humble three kings. :25 And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and plot to change times and laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time. :26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his rulership, to cut off and to destroy until the end.

(1)- And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise. We can see here the ten kingdoms will immediately stem from Pagan Roman after its fall in 476 AD. Daniel chapter 2 verifies this, ‘the legs of iron, which was Rome, run straight through into the feet of iron and clay’. Also the toes were ‘partly iron and partly clay’, indicating there was an element of Rome mingled with the clay. Suggesting a Roman and Gothic mix. So these ten kingdoms would have to be the TEN medieval European kingdoms, and NOT a future ten kingdoms. There is an excellent map freely available which shows the Ten Kingdoms. [Ref eSword/ Graphics Viewer/Historical/Map 34. ‘The Germanic Kingdoms and The Eastern Roman Empire in 486’]. This establishes the period of time in history into which the little horn arose!

(2)- And another shall arise after them. Meaning another Horn, which is the antichrist, shall come up AFTER the Ten Kingdoms of Europe are established. Refer to the map above, some monarchy rose up some time after 486 AD. What kingdom was it?

(3)- And he shall be different from the first, Different from the first Ten Horns. The difference is this ‘Little Horn’ demanded it should be worshiped! Compare Rev 13:4 “And they worshiped the dragon, (the Old Pagan Roman System of government), who gave authority to the beast, (the beast is the antichrist…this will make sense when you read Rev 13:5 refer below). And they worshiped the beast..” There IS only one monarchy in Europe that demanded it should be worshiped! What kingdom was it?

(4)- and he shall humble three kings. Refer Dan 7:8 [Bren] “three of the former horns were rooted out”, three of the Ten Kingdoms of Europe were completely obliterated by this ‘Little Horn’! [Ref CN by TSK on Dan 7:24] or [Ref CN by Adam Clark on Dan 7:8] Go back to your history books to work out which monarchy destroyed these three kingdoms? What kingdom did this?

(5)- And he shall speak words against the Most High, Refer Rev 13:5-6 “And a mouth speaking great things was given to it, and blasphemies…:6 And it opened its mouth in blasphemy toward God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those dwelling in Heaven.” By this stage you should be starting to work out by elimination, which monarchy in Europe IS guilty of “blaspheme”? The Jews charged Jesus with “blaspheme”, because He clamed He was equal with God! Which monarchy has always claimed equality with God?

(6)- and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, Refer Dan 7:21 “I watched, and that horn made war with the saints and overcame them” Also Rev 13:7 “And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation.” What monarchy was for centuries at war with the Christian reformers? And it CANNOT be Islam, because Islam rose up from the old eastern Roman region! Islam did not rise up, (start up) amongst the Ten Kingdoms of Europe, which were in the old western Roman region! So again what monarchy in Europe was for centuries at war with the true saints of God?

(7)- and plot to change times and laws. I often wondered about how this could be possible, until I heard a preacher say this. ‘How do we measure time?’ We would say from ‘midnight to midnight is a 24 hour day’. Yet throughout the bible a day is always measured from ‘sunset to sunset’. Also we have numerous ‘Christian’ feast and festival days that never existed 2000 years ago? Example; [Ref HCC Vol 3 Chap 7:077] “The Christmas festival was probably the Christian transformation or regeneration of a series of kindred heathen festivals — the Saturnalia, Sigillaria, Juvenalia, and Brumalia — which were kept in Rome in the month of December,” So ‘time’ and festival occasions have been changed. As for the law, you only need to look at the Ten Commandments. Deu 5:8 “You shall not make a graven image”, that is the second commandment! But what religious organization ignores that and fills its churches with statues of ‘Jesus and Mary’. If you look into it in detail you will find that same organization has their own edited version of the Ten Commandments. They leave out the second commandment and split the last commandment into; #9 ‘thou shall not covet your neighbours wife’ and #10 ‘thou shall not covet your neighbours property’. Thus with the second commandment removed, and splitting the tenth commandment, they still having Ten Commandments? Other laws have been changed, such as periodically forbidden foods, and forbidding to marry! What religious group still does that?

(8)- And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time. Verse 25 says he will wear out the saints, and here we have the time span of how long they shall be given into his hand! Match this up with Rev 13:5 “…And authority was given to it to continue forty-two months.” They are the same lengths of time, equal to 1260 days. But do these two events happen concurrently? One verse says, ‘authority was given to him’, the other verse says, ‘they shall be given into his hand’. I will discus this later.

(9)- But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his rulership, to cut off and to destroy until the end. NB: It does not say the ‘Ancient of Days’ or the ‘Son of man’ has anything to do with the antichrists downfall! It is clear from Daniel 7 verses 18 and 27 as to who pulls down the antichrist. Dan 7:18 But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. Dan 7:27 “And the kingdom and rulership, and the greatness of the kingdom under all the heavens, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all kingdoms shall serve and obey Him.” So somewhere in our history the antichrist has suffered a major downfall!

THAT’S NOT ALL. Keep going and you will get a free set of ‘steak-knives’… If you refer to Revelation 13:11-18 you will find there is ‘The Second Beast’ with two horns. I don’t wish to go into that too deeply, because it adds little to my target, which is to understand the 3-½ times. This is ONLY my opinion, and I am yet to have the Lord show me I am wrong. But horns in scripture have always represented a dynasty or an ongoing ruling power.  Consider Hitler; he could never have come to power with out his ‘Brown Shirts’ and his ‘SS’. The Two Horned beast has much the same role, it does not demand worship of itself, but it enforces worship of the first beast of Rev 13:1. If we then read, Rev. 13:11-18 we find it adds the following additional characteristics: -

Rev 13:12 ‘Head of the ‘first beast, whose deadly wound was healed'.

Rev 13:13 ‘And it does great wonders, so that it makes fire come down from the heaven’ etc.

Rev 13:15 ‘make an image to the beast’ and kill those who would not worship the first beast.

Rev 13:16 ‘And it causes all.. to receive a mark on their right hand, or in their foreheads,’

Rev 13:17 ‘No one may ‘buy or sell except those having the mark’

Rev 13:18 ‘And the old favourite ‘the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. And its number is 666’

I will discuses these points and more in a separate talk entitled, ‘Who Is The Antichrist?’

Who Was This Monarch?

To what power and authority that has been in existence for centuries could you apply all the above-mentioned characteristics? It came to power some time after 500 AD, and it was know as the antichrist? There is really only one power in Europe that has existed for centuries that has ever been historically referred to as the antichrist. Over the past one hundred years there have been dozens of people or things that have been referred to as ‘the antichrist’. We have had Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and in the 1970’s a BIG computer in Belgium, along with a host of many more recent names. All of which have ‘fizzled out’ and proven to be a bogus prediction. Not one of them has fulfilled ALL the characteristics listed above. The futurist view of Revelation has been the cause of all the ‘PANIC and HUMBUG’ about a ‘supposed future coming antichrist’. If you still need a hint, then go to ‘Fox’s Book Of Martyrs’ or ‘History Of The Christian Church’ by Philip Schaff, [Ref HCC]; then do a word search for “antichrist”. In ‘HCC’ you will find over 50 references to the POPE as the antichrist! Back then everyone knew who was the antichrist! But the Futurist view has blotted out our historical knowledge.

Back To The Time Times And Half A Time

If the pope is the antichrist then the 3-½ times should fit in neatly around his time of power, true? The church body itself had always appointed the bishops or popes of Rome. But in 538 AD a pope came to power by political appointment with a military escort.

[Ref. HCC vol.3 chap.5 :064] “With the conquest of Italy the popes fell into a perilous and unworthy dependence on the emperor at Constantinople, who reverenced, indeed, the Roman chair, but not less that of Constantinople, and in reality sought to use both as tools of his own state-church despotism. Agapetus (535-536) offered fearless resistance to the arbitrary course of Justinian, and successfully protested against the elevation of the Eutychian Anthimus to the patriarchal see of Constantinople. But, by the intrigues of the Monophysite empress, his successor, Pope Silverius (a son of Hormisdas, 536-538), was deposed on the charge of treasonable correspondence with the Goths, and banished to the island of Pandataria, whither the worst heathen emperors used to send the victims of their tyranny, and where in 540 he died — whether a natural or a violent death, we do not know.

Vigilius, a pliant creature of Theodora, ascended the papal chair under the military protection of Belisarius (538-554). The empress had promised him this office and a sum of money, on condition that he nullify the decrees of the council of Chalcedon, and pronounce Anthimus and his friends orthodox. The ambitious and doubled-tongued prelate accepted the condition, and accomplished the deposition, and perhaps the death, of Silverius”

What if we add 3-½ times, that is 1260 literal years to 538 AD, we get the year 1798! What happened in 1798? [Ref. CN by Adam Clarke on Dan 7:25] “In 1798 the French republican army under General Berthier took possession of the city of Rome, and entirely superseded the whole papal power.” Or [Ref. CN by Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge on Dan 7:25]  “a time: That is, three years and a half, or, reckoning thirty days to a month, 1,260 days, equal to the same number of years in prophetic language; which, dated from the decree of Phocas constituting him the supreme head of the church, A.D. 606, terminated in 1866. Dan 4:25, Dan 4:32, Dan 12:7, Dan 12:11-12; Rev 11:2-3, Rev 12:6, Rev 12:14, Rev 13:5, Rev 13:7”. Do the maths 606+1260 years =1866. They are not both just a coincidence! It is a clear message that God has a schedule and on occasions He tells us, ‘who how and when’, just so that we have something to look forward to with joy and hope. The pope was marched off into captivity! Rev 13:10 ‘He who leads into captivity will go into captivity. If anyone will kill with the sword, he must be killed by a sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.’

The Time Scale In Revelation

Go to Daniel chapter 12; the date is 534BC, (according to my KJV centre column reference). Daniel receives a vision in chapter 12, he sees what appears to be Michael involved in the battle of Armageddon and the resurrection? He is trying to understand; but he is told twice it is not for you or anyone to understand this book as yet! Dan 12:4 “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end:” Then also in Dan 12:9 “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” He is witnessing a vision some 2500 years into the future, and the book is sealed! Then the book of Revelation comes along; and  “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” Suddenly Dan 12 and Revelation fit each other like ‘hand in glove’! Revelation is the witness that unseals the book of Daniel!

John was given the ‘Revelation’ and he was told at the start and at the finish of the vision, things are going to start to happen soon! Rev 1:1  “things which must shortly come to pass” then Rev 22:6 “things which must shortly be done.” And in Rev 22:10 “Do not seal the Words of the prophecy of this Book; for the time is at hand.” Put your self in John’s shoes, you have just been given, “God’s BIG PLAN for the future”! Then He says to you, it is going to start to happen soon! Would you think God means in 2000 years time it will start to ‘come to pass’? Of cause not, He has just said “DON’T SEAL” these word! So the Revelation has obviously been unfolding throughout our 2000 years of history as of when John received it in 90AD. But doesn’t the Futurist view say the Revelation from chap 4 onward, happens some 2000 years after John received the vision? This is completely opposite to what Christ has told John!

Now regarding the time scale in Revelation. Doesn’t the Futurist view state that all the periods of time in Revelation are literal? So what happens if we ‘tally-up’ all the periods of time in Revelation that ‘remotely’ have something to do with a prediction of prophetic time? It comes to just over 25 years? So BANG goes the idea that Revelation chapters 4 to 18 only goes for 7 years!

Lets say the Futurists are correct; and we take the times in Revelation as literal; and God said to John, ‘the Revelation is going to start happening as of NOW’; then the whole of Revelation would have been finished by the year 116AD? That sounds quite ridiculous really? We know that the antichrist came to power after 500AD and he persecuted the Christians for centuries, and that period of time he persecuted them is referred to as the ‘3-½ times’. So how could 3-½ times be a literal 3 ½ years? Christ told John; “the time is at hand, things...must shortly come to pass; don’t seal the book! Therefore the Book of Revelation started to unfold as of 90AD, and is still unfolding and revealing God’s secrets to us right up to NOW!

Conclusion: The periods of time expressed in scripture as, ‘time, times and half a time’ or ‘Forty Two months’ or ‘1260 days’ Are NOT to be interpreted as a literal 3-½ years! …..Nail#7

SUMMING UP

From the start I said I hope to show from scripture, various faults with the Futurist Theory of a supposed ‘Future Coming Antichrist’. I listed seven points. Then I set out to prove, “by scripture” that those points were unscriptural! I metaphorically called each point a ‘Nail’, to be used in the ‘Futurist Theory Coffin’! I trust I have proven the following points to be unscriptural: -

Nail#1                         There Is No Rapture! Secret or otherwise
Nail#2                         The antichrist will NOT ‘sit as God’ in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem!
Nail#3                         The Holy Spirit will NOT be taken out of the world!
Nail#4                         There is no reference to a Rapture in any of the parables!
Nail#5                         The Antichrist Is Not A Single Individual!
Nail#6                         Daniel’s 70th week is NOT still in the future!
Nail#7                         The ‘time times and half a time’ is NOT a literal 3-½ years?

Now dearly beloved we are gathered here to see this Futurist Theory ‘RITIR’! Not for it to R.I.P. as is the usual writing on a head stone. But for it to ‘RITIR’, that is to ‘Rest In The Infernal Regions’ from whence it came, where it can wait for its companions, ‘The Beast’ and the ‘False Prophet’!

On A Very Serious Note!

I hope you have found this discussion informative and enjoyable. I have no wish to upset any one’s personal beliefs. If you have found this information difficult to accept or hurtful; I sincerely apologise for any undue levity. But I earnestly hope and pray that some day God will lead you back to this talk, and that some or all of the points will come to light in your spirit.

GBY, (God Bless You), Yours Adrian Deacon.

You might find some interest in some other talks: -

British Israel - 1.01 [For Beginners] 

The Future Antichrist Is A Myth

The ‘Futurist Interpretation’ Automobile