STAND FIRM: The Great Deception Trap is Set (Part III)
Revelation 13 provides an overview of the end-time scenario hinted at throughout Scripture. In this chapter, the Apostle John shares a vision of a beast coming from the earth and a beast from the sea. It’s easy to get lost in the beast terminology, but the details are consistent with end-time prophecy elsewhere. The first beast, or beast from the sea, matches the details of the Antichrist, while the second beast introduces a new figure — the false prophet. Beyond his actions, the description of this second beast points to him being a deceiver, and I believe his role leads directly to the great deception.
Hopefully, you’ve caught the previous articles as we’ve been building toward this frightful possible end-time scenario. We began identifying through countless biblical evidence that the Antichrist will be from the Middle East and will likely be the leader of a revived Ottoman Empire or Islamic Caliphate. Then we examined how there would be a Great Deception at the time of his rise. There is ample scriptural evidence of those things, but they’ve led me to do something I try to avoid — speculate.
I’m speculating the possibility that the “one world religion” of the Antichrist isn’t something new that pops up in the final seven years. Instead, I believe it’s highly likely the religion of the Antichrist will be Islam. Therefore, the Great Deception would be related to Islam, and we may have insight into what this delusion could be through Islamic eschatology. Their end-times teachings present three figures like Christianity, but their figures are the exact opposite.
In Christianity, we have the Antichrist, the False Prophet and a returning Jesus. They have a Mahdi (their Messiah), a returning Jesus and the Dajjal (their Antichrist). In the last article, I shared how their Messiah matches the Antichrist. The matching is uncanny — an obvious counterfeit. You can see what a deception this would be if a man who was truly the Antichrist came, was received by the Muslim world as their Messiah and then non-Muslims would begin to think maybe Islam was the truth all along. Adding to this would be that non-Muslims would be beheaded for not converting, and there will be the greatest deception the earth has ever seen. Difficult indeed.
This brings me to what I believe is the most deceptive part of this scenario.
As stated, Revelation 13 is where we learn about the False Prophet. We read he will perform great miracles and wonders on behalf of the Antichrist. He’ll draw the world in to worship the Antichrist because of these wonders. Matthew 24 and II Thessalonians 2 point to the deception these counterfeit miracles will bring — even before the details of the False Prophet’s description gives his nature away.
“Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon” (Rev. 13:11 NIV). Think about what John saw in this vision representing the False Prophet. He saw it looked like or presented itself as a lamb. The lamb, of course, is what Jesus is referred to throughout Scripture, but especially in Revelation. Then John said, though he appeared as a lamb, he spoke like a dragon. Within Revelation, John refers to Satan as a dragon. At a minimum, we draw that the False Prophet will not be whom he claims.
John also reveals his actions: “It (the False Prophet) exercised all the authority of the first beast (Antichrist) on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast…And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth…” (Rev. 13:12-14). So this prophet who pretends to be good, but is really doing the work of Satan, performs miracles and leads the world to worship the Antichrist.
Now within Islam, Jesus is considered a prophet and is said to return. He returns at the end of the age, and he does exactly what John said the False Prophet would do. Check out this list from Joel Richardson’s Islamic Antichrist on Islam’s view of Jesus:
• Jesus is said to return to the earth in the last days near a mosque in Damascus.
• He will arrive at a time when the Mahdi and his army will be preparing to pray.
• The Mahdi will ask Jesus to lead the prayer, but Jesus will decline in direct deference to the Mahdi, whom Jesus declares to be the leader of the Muslims. He will then pray behind the Mahdi as a subordinate.
• He will be a faithful Muslim.
• He will make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
• He will visit Muhammad’s grave and salute Muhammad, whereby Muhammad will return the salute from the grave.
• He will destroy Christianity.
• He will repeal the jizyahtax, thus leaving Jews and Christians with the only options of conversion to Islam or death.
• He will establish Islamic shariahlaw throughout the entire
earth.
• He will kill the Dajjal (the Muslim Antichrist) and his followers, made up largely of Jews and women.
• He will remain on the earth for roughly 40 years, during which time He will marry, have children and then die.
Can you imagine if one believed to be the Muslim Messiah was accepted? Then he brought peace and prosperity. Then one believed to be Jesus appears and does miracles but declares the Mahdi to be the true Messiah. A great deception. Possibly, a trap that’s already been set.
Jake is the newest state missionary and would love to share about the work in Northwest Arkansas and encourage your church to stand firm. (standfirmministries.com)
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Jake McCandless
Jake McCandless authors a weekly column titled, Stand Firm and Live Epic, through which he seeks to encourage the modern church to not just survive, but thrive in current times. He also addresses many end-times topics.
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