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The Beast Out of the Sea

Antichrist:

The Beast Out of the Sea

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FROM THE RESOURCES OF WStS

Compiled by Katie Stewart

DEFINITION OF "ANTICHRIST": the Man of Sin that will appear during the Tribulation Week, who will both oppose Christ and substitute himself for Christ, to be worshipped as God in the rebuilt Jerusalem Temple.

Antichrist Shall Come by Tom Stewart

  1. The lie that "ye shall be as gods" (3:5) or "like God", and thereby, to receive the worship that would be normally directed to the Almighty, has been the driving passion of Satan, and is the epitome of the ambition of the Antichrist .Antichrist must pervert the essential doctrines concerning the LORD Jesus Christ to hoax the world into worshipping him as the Living God.

  2. Antichrist will fulfill both meanings of the prefix "anti-" affixed before "Christ".
  3. In the Book of Isaiah, we find the account of the fall of the king of Babylon-- possibly Belshazzar-- that is transferred in a figure to Satan, i.e., "That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!" (Isaiah 14:4). We know that Satan will be finally defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire , after the Post-Millennial Rebellion has been quelled. "And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the Beast [the Antichrist] and the False Prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). The LORD Jesus painted a graphic picture of Hell-- which, we are told will be "cast into the Lake of Fire" (20:14).The destiny of Satan is the same as that of the Antichrist and the False Prophet-- the Pit, which is known as the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). "Yet thou shalt be brought down to Hell, to the sides of the Pit" (Isaiah 14:15).

  4. Antichrist must persuade the world that he has the power to rise from the dead -- as only Jesus can and did... he never actually dies, nor does he actually resurrect from the dead.When the Antichrist seemingly miraculously arises from the dead from a "deadly [head] wound" (Revelation 13:3), he will deceive the world into believing that he is the latest reincarnation of the "Christ Spirit".

  5. Antichrist must prevail upon the world to render to him the homage and worship that only belongs to God.

  6. When the LORD Jesus Christ testified to the Jews of their rejection of Himself as the Messiah, He noted the pattern for the ultimate acceptance of the False Christ , i.e., he will come "in his own name" .

  7. Sound Doctrine is more crucial to the health of the True Saints and to the identification of the Antichrist than has been emphasized by the shepherds of the Flock. "For the time will come when they will not endure Sound Doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears" (2Timothy 4:3)Antichrist must pervert the essential doctrines concerning the LORD Jesus Christ to hoax the world into worshipping him as the Living God. i.e., "Who changed the Truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen" (Romans 1:25).

  8. How can one impostor-- the Antichrist-- so completely deceive the world ? The world will be deceived because "they received not the Love of the Truth, that they might be saved" (2Thessalonians 2:10). The Judge of All the Earth (Genesis 18:25) will cause it to be so. "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2Thessalonians 2:11).

  9. Christ or Antichrist... The choice seems so stark by comparison, but the practicality is that the vast majority will not see the difference.

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The Battle of Armageddon by Tom Stewart

  1. Antichrist represents "the kings of the earth and of the whole world" (Revelation 16:14). The "kings of the east" (16:12) are a significant part of Antichrist's army from the Far East.

  2. The showdown between the LORD Jesus Christ and the Antichrist.

  3. The entire length of Israel will be a killing field -- but only for the dead bodies of Antichrist's troops.

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Deception: A Sign of the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ, and of the End of the World by Tom Stewart

  1. The Antichrist will claim that he -- and NOT Jesus -- IS the Christ. "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many " ( Matthew 24:5 ).

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Must There Be a Pre-Tribulational Rapture? by Tom Stewart

  1. Two things must occur: (1) the apostasy or "falling away" and (2) the revelation of Antichrist , the "man of sin... the son of perdition" .

  2. "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the LORD shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

  3. "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders " (2Thessalonians 2:9). Notice again that the "him" of verse 9 cannot refer to Satan, who is referred to in the latter portion of the verse. "Him" obviously refers to Antichrist.

  4. "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion , that they should believe a lie" (2Thessalonians 2:11). Antichrist is a deceiver.

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Babylon the Great (Part 1) The Purpose and History of Babylon the Great by Tom Stewart

  1. The purpose of Babylon the Great is to direct the world in worshipping the Antichrist , the Man of Sin (2Thessalonians 2:3); so "that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2:4).

  2. The Mystery of Iniquity (2Thessalonians 2:7) will finally be unleashed and unrestrained-- at the time of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture (2:7)-- to allow for the exaltation of the Antichrist , the Son of Perdition (2:3).

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Tribulation Timeline (Part 2) : When Shall These Things Be? by Tom Stewart

  1. The 1st Seal has a rider on a white horse going forth to conquer . He is the Antichrist conquering through political and economic treaty, while holding the threat of the force of arms.

  2. The shortage of food is a result of war, but it is also a tool of Antichrist to conduct war against what the New World Order calls 'unnecessary eaters'.

  3. Antichrist will kill them because they are troublesome.

  4. The stage is set for the Antichrist's " abomination of desolation" at the middle of the Tribulation Week.

  5. Israel has not only been reeling due to the Russian-Arab invasion, but the Antichrist-- who was supposed to be a friend as confirmed by his "covenant with many for one week" (Daniel 9:27)-- is now exploiting the opportunity of Russia's destruction upon "the mountains of Israel" (Ezekiel 39:2) to seize control of the Temple .

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Babylon the Great (Part 6) The Final Judgment of the Great Whore by Tom Stewart

  1. The physically frail Roman Pontiff, whose hands could be seen to visibly shake-- may make his neurological deterioration a factor in whether or not he will personally be the False Prophet partner of the Antichrist -- unless...

  2. The Holy Spirit described a Global Religion of this sort in the Revelation. " 11 And I beheld another beast [the False Prophet] coming up out of the Earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast [the Antichrist] before him, and causeth the Earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast [the Antichrist] , whose deadly wound was healed" (Revelation 13:11-12).

  3. Just as many in the Professed Church had been oblivious to the rise of Global Government in the form of the UN; even so, much of the Professed Church is also presently oblivious to the significance of the soon rise of a global One World Religion in the form of the UR... "power was given him [the Antichrist] over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."

  4. "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth [the Antichrist] , and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."

  5. The Antichrist turns against Babylon the Great.

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For the Elect's Sake by Tom Stewart

  1. "And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [the 70th Week].

  2. The Gentiles will tread under foot the city of Jerusalem (under the Antichrist) for 42 months.

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A Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Chapter 7) 144,000 Sealed on Earth and a Throne Scene of Delivered Saints by Tom Stewart

  1. Sealing protects the Righteous from the Judgments of God poured out upon the Earth; but, martyrdom at the hands of Antichrist may still be sovereignly allowed by the LORD-- or, disallowed, as in the case of the 144,000.

  2. Missing from this particular list of the twelve tribes of Israel is the tribe of Dan-- replaced by one of Joseph's sons, Manasses (Manasseh, Hebrew). Some account for this omission as an indication that the Antichrist will come from Dan . "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward" (Genesis 49:17).
  3. What is the benefit of sealing, if the Antichrist will kill them anyway? It appears that the 144,000 sealed Jewish Believers will be delivered from the Antichrist .
  4. Those that are martyred by the Antichrist have been sovereignly selected by Jehovah to bear witness for the LORD Jesus Christ by their death .
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    How to Identify a False Prophet by Tom Stewart
  1. The inability to discern a false prophet from a true prophet, will open the way for the deception of the False Prophet-- the beast "out of the Earth" (Revelation 13:11)-- who is the End Time co-worker of the Antichrist... Our LORD did not excuse the hypocites for their lack of discerning. "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

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An Earnest Appeal to Roman Catholics by Tom Stewart

  1. This claim of infallible governing of "faith and morals" of the "whole flock" befits an antichrist, for only Jesus Christ can rightfully say, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in Earth" (Matthew 28:18); thus, the LORD Jesus Christ alone is the Infallible "LORD of Heaven and Earth" (Acts 17:24)-- and, not the Pope. "Little children, it is the Last Time: and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the Last Time" (1John 2:18).

  2. To extend that claim of infallibility "as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself" (Catechism, 891) is certainly blasphemous, i.e., impious and evil speech against God... The Word of God is no less than the LORD Jesus Christ Himself. "And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His Name is called The Word of God" (19:13). For the Pope to claim infallibility over the "divine Revelation itself" (Catechism, 891) is paramount to claiming dominion and supremacy over Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

  3. Any who would attempt to supplant Christ's role as our Confessor , is Against Christ-- which would make them an antichrist... The LORD Jesus alone is our Mediator, "Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us" (Romans 8:34).

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A Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Chapter 6) Opening the First Six Seal Judgments by Tom Stewart

  1. " 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering , and to conquer."

  2. This Second Seal Judgment (6:4) shows us a red horse, which indicates the blood of warfare .

  3. The fact that the rider of this black horse "had a pair of balances in his hand" (6:5) denotes that the weighing out of the food to feed or starve the population of the world is given into the hands of the Antichrist.

  4. How are these Martyred Saints killed? They were evidently beheaded . "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the Beast

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Tribulation Timeline (Part 4) : When Shall These Things Be? by Tom Stewart

  1. And now near the End of the Week, just a few days earlier, "they" (16:6) rejoiced and made merry over the lifeless bodies of God's Two Witnesses -- Moses and Elijah-- for 3 1/2 days, that Antichrist had just slain (Revelation 11:7-10).
  2. The 5th Vial Judgment is a painful darkness that the 5th angel pours out upon the kingdom of the Antichrist. "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast"

  3. Antichrist represents "the kings of the earth and of the whole world" (Revelation 16:14). The "kings of the east" (16:12) are a significant part of Antichrist's army from the Far East.

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Tribulation Timeline (Part 1) : When Shall These Things Be? by Tom Stewart

  1. The Antichrist will have a career of one prophetic week of seven years . Each prophetic year stands for 360 days. His career lasts 2,520 days. The week begins when he confirms a covenant "with many for one week" -- the political foundation of Satan's New World Order, where he claims to be Christ.

  2. How much before the Tribulation Week begins that the First "Come Up Hither" takes place is open to conjecture. This writer believes that some type of gap must exist between the First "Come Up Hither" and Antichrist's "covenant with many" (Daniel 9:27) at the beginning of the Tribulation Week, because the removal of the watching believers along with the innocents will be probably attributed to alien abduction .

  3. The Rapture follows the resurrection of the two witnesses, Moses and Elijah, slain by Antichrist .

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Thy Hidden Ones by Tom Stewart

  1. The Thyatira period marks the center part of the Tribulation, where many choose to worship the Antichrist with the rest of the world.

  2. Though the Tribulation Week is primarily God's judgment of the world, it is a time of great persecution of the Tribulation Church by the world, Antichrist, and Satan.

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Why Tarry the Rapture? by Tom Stewart

  1. Jesus predicted that Israel would have a Temple when the End Time would draw to a conclusion. This is clear from His reference to the "abomination of desolation" [Antichrist] standing in the "holy place" [the Temple] (Matthew 24:15).

  2. After Israel has been taken over by the Antichrist at the Middle of the Tribulation Week (Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15), much of Israel will flee .

  3. The Sovereign God is Preparing Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet. These central figures must be prepared to do their part in the LORD's closing act of this drama. Time for preparation of the "way of the LORD" (Luke 3:4) is the reason why the LORD is tarrying the Pre-Tribulational Rapture.

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Babylon the Great (Part 4): Or, Love Alone Will Cause Us to Obey the Command to Separate From Babylon the Great by Tom Stewart

  1. Opposing the Antichrist During the Tribulation Week is Judging Righteous Judgment ... Refusing the Mark of the Beast During Daniel's 70th Week is Judging Righteous Judgment... For the Tribulation Saints, Blessing Will Come Upon Those Who Judged Righteous Judgment.

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The Seventy Weeks of Daniel by Tom Stewart

  1. In his book <a href="http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/The.Coming.Prince.html">The Coming Prince </a>(1895), Sir Robert Anderson carefully outlined the position that the Seventy Weeks could be taken as: (1) 69 weeks: adding together "seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks" (Daniel 9:25), plus (2) a disconnected and final 70th week, i.e., separated from the end of the 69th Week (April 6th 32 AD) by approximately 1,966 years until the beginning of the 70th Week (1998 AD): "he [the Antichrist] shall confirm the Covenant with many for one week [the 70th week] " (9:27).
  2. John Gill's Expositor (1760) commented on Daniel 9:25-- "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times" (Daniel 9:25)-- in agreement with Sir Robert Anderson. Incidentally, Gill did briefly state another position on the Seventy Weeks taken from Sir Isaac Newton's Observations on Daniel . John Gill summarized Newton's position: "Sir Isaac Newton thinks the seven weeks unto Messiah, which he detaches from the sixty two, respects the second coming of Christ [e.g., 7 weeks of years from May 14,1948 to May 14,1997-- a modern application by contemporary interpreters] , when he [Christ] shall come as a Prince, and destroy antichrist, and that it takes in the compass of a jubilee; but when it will begin and end he [Newton] does not pretend to say."

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Babylon the Great (Part 5): Billy Graham: Christianity's Modern Balaam by Tom Stewart

  1. Though Billy Graham is only one of "many antichrists" (1John 2:18)-- for he opposes the necessity to "come out of" Babylon the Great (Revelation 18:4), which is the antichristian Church of Rome-- he does prepare the way for the False Prophet and the Antichrist. "For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds" (2John 11).

  2. If the Body can be somehow persuaded that Christian Love can be separated from Obedience, then the way of the Antichrist can be prepared so that no heed need be given to the warning that damnation will come to all those who receive the Mark of the Beast.
  3. The False Prophet and the Antichrist also have their Balaam to prepare their way into the Tribulation Week (Daniel 9:27).

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1998 Year of the Apocalypse (Part 3) by Tom Stewart

  1. For instance, the Antichrist is the opposite of our LORD Jesus Christ.

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Martyrdom: They Loved Not Their Lives Unto the Death by Tom Stewart

  1. The days of God's vengeance on earth occur when the Antichrist unleashes his final fury upon you in his attempt to steal the divinity of the LORD Jesus. Luke 21:22 "For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled."

  2. You have no better testimony than to be hated by Antichrist. Luke 21:17 "And ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake."

  3. Your opponent, the Antichrist, though he is willing to rid himself of you, cannot fully appreciate how "the wrath of man [his wrath against you] shall praise Thee [the triune God] : the remainder of wrath shalt Thou [Jehovah] restrain" (Psalm 76:10).

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Lest We Forget by Tom and Katie Stewart

  1. Those whose objection to Rome is based upon the Truth, endeavor to serve the LORD, and refuse homage to Rome's substitute christ. "Little children, it is the Last Time: and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the Last Time" (1John 2:18).

  2. When the cruelties of the Papal headship join forces with the monstrous deeds of the Beast (the Antichrist); our nation, nay the world, has yet to see the full impact of the coming nightmare-- only briefly touched upon in this following excerpt: "The nation awoke as from a horrible..."

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Tribulation Timeline (Part 3) : When Shall These Things Be? by Tom Stewart

  1. It is this very conceit of man that disqualifies him from pleasing God, while opening him to the deception of the Devil... The ultimate lie is that Antichrist is the true God.

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Absent from the Body by Jonathan Edwards

  1. "Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds;" i.e., in their separate state after death; compare Isai. lvii. 1, 2. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand: to execute vengeance upon the Heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all the saints." Accordingly when Christ appears riding forth to his victory over Antichrist , Rev. xix., the hosts of heaven appear going forth with him in robes of triumph, verse 14.

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Harpazo: The Scriptural Concept of Rapture by Tom Stewart

  1. The Good Shepherd teaches us that He cares for us as His sheep. "I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). Compare the LORD Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd to the Antichrist as an "hireling" (10:12) .

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The KING of Kings compiled by Katie Stewart

  1. It is in this fulness of time that men will elect themselves a new king , the Deceiver himself.

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The Coming Prince by Sir Robert Anderson

  1. What is true of all Scripture is specially true of prophecy. It is ours to assign to it a meaning; but he who really believes it to be Divine, will hesitate to limit its meaning to the measure of his own apprehension of it. The prophecies of Antichrist afford a signal and most apt illustration of this. Were it not for the prejudice created by extreme statements, prophetic students would probably agree that the great apostasy of Christendom displays in outline many of the main lineaments of the Man of Sin. There is, indeed, in our day a spurious liberality that would teach us to forego the indictment which history affords against the Church of Rome ... the real question at issue relates to the character, not of individuals, but of a system. It is the part, therefore, not of intolerant bigotry, but of true wisdom, to search the records of the past — terrible records, truly — for the means of judging of that system. The inquiry which concerns us is not whether good men are found within the pale of Rome — as though all the moral excellence of earth could avail to cover the annals of her hideous guilt ! Our true inquiry is whether she has suffered any real change in these enlightened days. Is the Church of Rome reformed? ... And if not, let but dark days come again, and some of the foulest scenes and blackest crimes in the history of Christendom may be re-enacted... They do good service, therefore, who keep before the public mind the real character of Rome as the present day development of the apostasy . But when these writers go on to assert that the predictions of the Antichrist have their full and final realization in the Papacy, their position becomes a positive danger to the truth. It is maintained at the cost of rejecting some of the most definite of the prophecies, and of putting a lax or fanciful interpretation upon those very Scriptures to which they appeal .

  2. "WHAT is it that all Europe is looking for?" — the words are quoted from a leading article in the Times newspaper, on the recent finding of Agamemnon's tomb. "What is it that all Europe is looking for? It is the KING OF MEN, the great head of the Hellenic race, the man whom a thousand galleys and a hundred thousand men submitted to on a simple recognition of his personal qualities, and obeyed for ten long years…The man who can challenge for his own the shield of Agamemnon, now waiting for the challenge, is the true Emperor of the East, and the easiest escape from our present difficulties." The realization of this dream will be the fulfillment of prophecy. True it is that popular movements characterize the age, rather than the power of individual minds. It is an age of mobs. Democracy, not despotism, is the goal towards which civilization is tending. But democracy in its full development is one of the surest roads to despotism. First, the revolution; then, the plebiscites; then, the despot. The Caesar often owes his scepter to the mob. A man of transcendent greatness, moreover, never fails to leave his mark upon his times. And the true King of Men must have an extraordinary combination of great qualities. He must be "a scholar, a statesman, a man of unflinching courage and irrepressible enterprise, full of resources, and ready to look in the face a rival or a foe." The opportunity too must synchronize with his advent. But the voice of prophecy is clear, that the HOUR is coming, and the MAN .

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Sir Robert Anderson and the Seventy Weeks of Daniel by Tom Stewart

  1. ...but a nation which will have a Temple to be prophetically desecrated by the " prince that shall come" (the Antichrist) .

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Fifty Years in the Church of Rome by Pastor Charles Chiniquy

  1. Antichrist means "against Christ" or "in place of, or substitute for, Christ" .
  2. The first thing to be done was, then, to demolish that huge, illogical, unscriptural, unchristian church restored by the English Reformers. Dr. Newman bravely set to work, under the eye and direction of Dr. Pusey. His merciless hammer was heard almost day and night, from 1833 to 1843, striking alternately with hard blows, now against the church of the Pope, whom he called Antichrist , and then against his own church, which he was, very soon, to find still more corrupted and defiled than its anti-Christian rival. For as he was proceeding in his work of demolition, he tells us that he found more clearly, every day, that the materials and the foundations of the Church of Rome were exceedingly better than those of his own. He then determined to give a coup de grace to the Church of England, and strike such a blow that her walls would be for ever pulverized. His perfidious Tract XC. aims at this object.
  3. One day he goes to the Holy Fathers. But what will he find there? Will he see how St. Cyprian sternly rebuked the impudence of Stephen, Bishop of Rome, who pretended to have some jurisdiction over the See of Carthage? Will he find how Gregory positively says that the Bishop who will pretend to be the "Universal Bishop" is the forerunner of Antichrist ? Will he hear St. Augustine declaring that when Christ said to Peter, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church," He was speaking of Himself as the rock upon which the Church would stand? No. The only thing which Dr. Newman brings us from the Holy Fathers is so ridiculous and so unbecoming that I am ashamed to have to repeat it. He tells us (page 78), "I have an idea. The mass of the Fathers (Justin, Athenagoras, Ireanaeus, Clement, Tertullian, Origen, Ambrose) hold that, though Satan fell from the beginning, the angels fell before the deluge, falling in love with the daughters of men. This has lately come across me as a remarkable solution of a notion I cannot help holding."
  4. Thus, as the unexpected contradictions of the Holy Fathers to the tenets of my church, and their furious and uncharitable divisions among themselves, were striking me, I plunged deeper and deeper in the deep waters of the Fathers and the Word of God, with the hope of getting rid of the deadly darts which were piercing my Roman Catholic conscience. But, it was in vain. The deeper I went, the more the deadly weapons would stick to the flesh and bone of my soul. How deep was the wound I received from Gregory the Great, one of the most learned Popes of Rome, against the supremacy and universality of the power of the Pope of Rome as taught today, the following extracts from his writings will show: "I say confidently, Whosoever calls himself Universal Priest, or desires so to be called, is in his pride the forerunner of Antichrist , because, in his pride, he sets himself before the rest... Is it my fault if one of the most learned and holy Popes, Gregory the Great, has called by the name of Antichrist, all his successors, for taking the name of supreme Pontiff, and trying to persuade the world that they had, by divine authority, a supreme jurisdiction and power over the rest of the church? "

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The History of Protestantism (Vol.1-Bk.3) by J. A. Wylie

  1. Shocked at what he saw in Rome, he wrote over the door of one of the cardinals, " Antichrist is now come , and sitteth in the Church,"and departed. The Pope, Gregory XI., sent after him a bull, addressed to the Archbishop of Prague, commanding him to seize and imprison the bold priest who had affronted the Pope in his own capital, and at the very threshold of the Vatican.
  2. There were at that time three Popes reigning in Christendom . The Italians had elected Balthazar Cossa, who, as John XXIII., had set up his chair at Bologna. The French had chosen Angelo Corario, who lived at Rimini, under the title of Gregory XII.; and the Spaniards had elected Peter de Lune (Benedict XIII.), who resided in Arragon. Each claimed to be the legitimate successor of Peter, and the true vicegerent of God, and each strove to make good his claim by the bitterness and rage with which he hurled his maledictions against his rival. Christendom was divided, each nation naturally supporting the Pope of its choice. The schism suggested some questions which it was not easy to solve. "If we must obey," said Huss and his followers, "to whom is our obedience to be paid? Balthazar Cossa, called John XXIII., is at Bologna; Angelo Corario, named Gregory XII., is at Rimini; Peter de Lune, who calls himself Benedict XIII., is in Arragon. If all three are infallible, why does not their testimony agree? and if only one of them is the Most Holy Father, why is it that we cannot distinguish him from the rest?" Nor was much help to be got towards a solution by putting the question to the men themselves. If they asked John XXIII. he told them that Gregory XII. was "a heretic, a demon, the Antichrist;" Gregory XII. obligingly bore the same testimony respecting John XXIII., and both Gregory and John united in sounding, in similar fashion, the praises of Benedict XIII., whom they stigmatized as "an impostor and schismatic," while Benedict paid back with prodigal interest the compliments of his two opponents. It came to this, that if these men were to be believed, instead of three Popes there were three Antichrists in Christendom; and if they were not to be believed, where was the infallibility, and what had become of the apostolic succession?
  3. Waxing bolder as his [Huss] views enlarged , he proceeded to stigmatize many of the ceremonies of the Roman Church as lacking foundation, and as being foolish and superstitious. He denied the merit of abstinences; he ridiculed the credulity of believing legends, and the groveling superstition of venerating relics, bowing before images, and worshipping the dead. "They are profuse," said he, referring to the latter class of devotees, "towards the saints in glory, who want nothing; they array bones of the latter with silk and gold and silver, and lodge them magnificently; but they refuse clothing and hospitality to the poor members of Jesus Christ who are amongst us, at whose expense they feed to repletion, and drink till they are intoxicated." Friars he no more loved than Wicliffe did, if we may judge from a treatise which he wrote at this time, entitled The Abomination of Monks, and which he followed by another, wherein he was scarcely more complimentary to the Pope and his court, styling them the members of Antichrist.
  4. Huss had been burned ; his ashes, committed to the Rhine, had been borne away to their dark sepulcher in the ocean; but his stake had sent a thrill of indignation and horror through Bohemia. His death moved the hearts of his countrymen more powerfully than even his living voice had been able to do. The vindicator of his nation's wrongs — the reformer of his nation's religion — in short, the representative man of Bohemia, had been cruelly, treacherously immolated; and the nation took the humiliation and insult as done to itself. All ranks, from the highest to the lowest, were stirred by what had occurred. The University of Prague issued a manifesto addressed to all Christendom, vindicating the memory of the man who had fallen a victim to the hatred of the priesthood and the perfidy of the emperor. His death was declared to be murder, and the Fathers at Constance were styled "an assembly of the satraps of Antichrist." Every day the flame of the popular indignation was burning more fiercely. It was evident that a terrible outburst of pent-up wrath was about to be witnessed in Bohemia. .

  5. The Rubicon had been crossed. The Bohemians must now go forward into the heart of the conflict, which was destined to assume dimensions that were not dreamed of by either party. The Turk, without intending it, came to their help. He attacked the Empire of Sigismund on the side opposite to that of Bohemia. This divided the emperor's forces, and weakened his front against Ziska. But for this apparently fortuitous but in reality Providential occurrence, the Hussite movement might have been crushed before there was time to organize it. The prompt and patriotic Hussite leader saw his advantage, and made haste to rally the whole of Bohemia, before the emperor should have got the Moslem off his hands, and before the armed bands of Germany, now mustering in obedience to the Papal summons, should have had time to bear down upon his little country. He issued a manifesto, signed "Ziska of the Chalice," in which he invoked at once the religion and the patriotism of his countrymen. "Imitate," said he, "your ancestors the ancient Bohemians, who were always able to defend the cause of God and their own... We are collecting troops from all parts, in order to fight against the enemies of truth, and the destroyers of our nation, and I beseech you to inform your preacher that he should exhort, in his sermons, the people, to make war on the Antichrist , and that every one, old and young, should prepare himself for it. I also desire that when I shall be with you there should be no want of bread, beer, victuals, or provender, and that you should provide yourselves with good arms... Remember your first encounter, when you were few against many, unarmed against well-armed men. The hand of God has not been shortened. Have courage, and be ready. May God strengthen you! — Ziska of the Chalice: in the hope of God, Chief of the Taborites."

  6. THE Bohemians were now divided into two strongly marked and widely separated parties, the Taborites and the Calixtines. This division had existed from the first; but it widened in proportion as the strain of their great struggle was relaxed. The party that retained most of the sprint of John Huss were the Taborites. With them the defense of their religion was the first concern, that of their civil rights and privileges the second. The latter they deemed perfectly safe under the aegis of the former. The Calixtines, on the other hand, had become lukewarm so far as the struggle was one for religion. They thought that the rent between their country and Rome was unnecessarily wide, and their policy was now one of approximation. They had secured the cup, as they believed, not reflecting that they had got transubstantiation along with it; and now the conflict, they thought, should cease. To the party of the Calixtines belonged the chief magnates, and most of the great cities, which threw the preponderance of opinion on the side of the Compactata. Into this scale was thrown also the influence of Rochyzana, the pastor of the Calixtines. "He was tempted with the hope of a bishopric," says Comenius, and used his influence both at Basle and Prague to further conciliation on terms more advantageous to Rome than honorable to the Bohemians. "In this manner," says Comenius, " they receded from the footsteps of Huss and returned to the camp of Antichrist ."

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The History of Protestantism (Vol.1-Bk.7) by J. A. Wylie

  1. Lord Cobham Read More About It: <a href="http://whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/History.Protestant.v1.b7.html">The History of Protestantism (Vol.1-Bk.7)</a>

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The History of Protestantism (Vol.1-Bk.9) by J. A. Wylie

  1. Philip Melancthon, the dearest friend of all, was absent. We can guess the reason. The bold step of Luther had staggered him. To marry while so many calamities impended! Philip went about some days with an anxious and clouded face, but when the clamor arose his brow cleared, his eye brightened, and he became the warmest. defender of the marriage of the Reformer, in which he was joined by not a few wise and moderate men in the Romish Church.

The union was hardly effected when, as we have already hinted, a shout of indignation arose, as if Luther had done some impious and horrible thing. "It is incest!" exclaimed Henry VIII. of England. "From this marriage will spring Antichrist," said others, remembering with terror that some nameless astrologer of the Middle Ages had foretold that Antichrist would be the issue of a perjured nun and an apostate monk. "How many Antichrists," said Erasmus, with that covert but trenchant irony in which he was so great a master, "How many Antichrists must there be then in the world already."

Big Chart TOPIC LOCATIONS

Start of the Tribulation / The Peace Pact - Beginning of the Tribulation

  1. Antichrist Violates Peace Pact with Israel. No one needs to be surprised to find Antichrist defaulting on his covenant with Israel .

  2. Antichrist Confirms Peace Pact . This peace pact will certainly involve the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on Jerusalem's Temple Mount.

  3. Start of the Tribulation . The confirmation of the covenant by Antichrist (Daniel 9:27) will give those who are watching the certainty that the Tribulation has actually begun.
  4. Antichrist Makes Covenant "With Many" . Antichrist will not only make a covenant with Israel, but "with many" (Daniel 9:27).

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Daily Sacrifice Stopped / Russia Invades Israel - 30 Days Before the Middle of the Tribulation

  1. Daily Sacrifice Taken Away . Antichrist also invades Israel, and sets up the Abomination at Mid Week.

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Abomination of Desolation - Middle of the Tribulation

  1. Antichrist Desecrates the Temple . "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)" (Matthew 24:15).

  2. Antichrist and the Abomination of Desolation . For a mere man to call himself God is abominable.

  3. Abomination of Desolation . Will the Abomination of Desolation (Daniel 9:27) be idol worship?

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Mark of the Beast - Middle of the Tribulation- 7th Seal

  1. Antichrist 's Mark: The Attempt of a Thief . 666. Antichrist's Mark is only the attempt of a thief to change labels on stolen goods.

  2. Mark of the Beast . To oppose the mark is to oppose the unity of the world, not just Antichrist.

  3. 666 is the Number of Antichrist 's Name . 666 is recorded in Revelation 13:18 as the "number of his [Antichrist's] name" (13:17).

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Worship - Middle of the Tribulation

  1. Antichrist Demands World Worship . This is the same as Daniel's Abomination of Desolation (Daniel 9:27).

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Israel Hidden in Wilderness - Middle of the Tribulation

  1. 1,260 Day Flight from Antichrist . Elect-but-lost Israel flees from the Abomination of Desolation of Antichrist.

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Death of Moses and Elijah - 3 1/2 days Prior to the 7th and Last Trump

  1. Two Witnesses Die . Death at the hand of Antichrist.

  2. Antichrist Kills the Two Witnesses . Antichrist killed them, but God will demonstrate the superiority of His power by this magnificent resurrection.

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The Resurrection and Pre-Wrath Rapture - About 8 Days Before the End of the Tribulation

  1. Rapture and Resurrection . Moses and Elijah (slain by Antichrist) will resurrect (Revelation 11:12).

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Armageddon - After the Tribulation

  1. Battle of Armageddon . The LORD Jesus Christ, the rightful heir to the throne, versus Antichrist, the usurper and pretender.

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Start of the Tribulation / First Seal Judgment - Conquering- White Horse

  1. First Seal Judgment and Antichrist . The 1st Seal Judgment is Antichrist's imitation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ-- "behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11).
  2. Antichrist Conquers . Antichrist has a "bow" -- the force of arms-- and a "crown" -- the recognition of governmental authority (Revelation 6:2).

  3. The Tribulation Starts When Jesus Says So . The 1st Seal Judgment's rider of the white horse (Revelation 6:2) and Antichrist are one in the same.

  4. White Horse is First Seal Judgment . Signifies Antichrist's confirming "the covenant with many for one week" (Daniel 9:27).

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Second Seal Judgment - War- Black Horse

  1. Antichrist Takes Peace from the Earth . 2nd Seal Judgment. The Living God will allow the Antichrist "to take peace from the earth" .
  2. Antichrist: the Inevitable Next Step- War . 2nd Seal Judgment. The same Antichrist who confirmed peace pacts with the world is now proceeding to the inevitable next step-- war.

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Third Seal Judgment - Famine- Red Horse

  1. Antichrist:Famine is as Effective as Bullets . Theoretically, even the Antichrist will want everyone to feel that he loves them and wants to deliver them from hunger.

  2. Red Horse: Red is the Color of Satan . Scarlet is the color of the beast-- Antichrist's New World Order-- as well as it's rider-- the harlot religious system (Revelation 17:3-4).

  3. The Third Seal Judgment . Antichrist will promote famine.

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Fourth Seal Judgment - Death- Pale Horse

  1. Fourth Seal Judgment is Death . How can anyone speak of the death of 1/4 of mankind without emotion? Yes, Antichrist is the instrument.

  2. Death is the Rider of the Pale Horse . Antichrist is not exhibiting any great love for mankind.

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Fifth Seal Judgment - Martyrdom

  1. The Fifth Seal Judgment . Though the 5th Seal Judgment is the hand of Antichrist against the Saints, it is the Hand of God upon His Own.

  2. Fifth Seal Judgment of the Tribulation Week . The hand of Antichrist against God's people. Why would God allow it?

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Sixth Seal Judgment - Wrath of the Lamb

  1. Sixth Seal Judgment: Moses and Elijah Enter . The destruction of Russia's armies will be used by Antichrist as his opportunity to set up the Abomination.

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First Trumpet Judgment - Hail, Fire, Blood

  1. First Trumpet Judgment . Danger! This impostor-- Antichrist-- is only a man, who will lead you to destruction!

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Last 8-9 Days of Tribulation / First Vial Judgment - The Vials of the Wrath of God

  1. Wrath of God . What Antichrist will do is not of primary importance.

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Fifth Vial Judgment - Curse of God

  1. Antichrist's headquarters Targeted . The 5th Vial Judgment is poured out upon the "seat of the beast" (Revelation 16:10).

  2. Beast's Kingdom Darkened .

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Sixth Vial Judgment - Demons Unleashed

  1. Demons Unleashed from Satan and Antichrist . 6th Vial Judgment. Demons are unleashed from Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet (Revelation 16:13).