Essentials: Antichrist, Armageddon, and America

Notes: Essentials: Antichrist, Armageddon, and America
Thursday, October 16, 2014 — 7:00 p.m.
Revelation 13 and 16
Pastor Greg Laurie

Dominic Bali played and he was awesome.

Greg is talking about America, says he is happy to be an American.

Patrick Henry said it can't be denied that this country was found on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Greg is talking about how we had wars to get where we are now. He is saying through those wars we became a super power. That without America that the Nazis probably would of won. Then we had the Cold War. He is talking about how horrible Stalin was in Russia. How America stood up against Russians. How America has been the worlds police.

Now he's asking the question can you imagine the world without America? He says that there is no mention of America in the end times events of the Bible.

The Anti-Christ will be sent by the devil himself. He is saying we have real and fakes in everything. That the devil is going to hand us his fake version of Jesus Christ, he will be found to be the Anti-Christ.

The Anti-Christ will bring peace to the Middle East. A historian wrote, that by forcing us into fighting with such super weapons we are all going to be looking at a new Caesar.

If the anti-Christ is close, then the return of Jesus Christ is even closer.
1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 NKJV
[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 thus we shall always be with the Lord. [18] Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Revelation 13:1-4 NKJV
[1] Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. [2] Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. [3] And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. [4] So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

To understand the book of Revelation it is good to study the book of Daniel.

The dragon is clearly defined as the devil.

The devil is the god of this world. God is God of this universe, but has let the devil be the god of this world.

The devil will give the anti-Christ all the powers that the devil offered Jesus in the wilderness. The anti-Christ will be against Christ and instead of Christ.

Greg is talking about how Stephen had set up a fake Facebook page about Greg.

1. He is coming to deify Satan.

Revelation 20:2 NKJV
[2] He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

It was Satan's desire for worship that got him thrown out of Heaven in the first place. God tells us satan was an angel.

Isaiah 14:13-16 NKJV
[13] For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; [14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' [15] Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. [16] "Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,

2. He has come to take the place of Jesus.

Revelation 13:5-6 NKJV
[5] And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. [6] Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.


3. He comes to kill Christians.

Revelation 13:7 NKJV
[7] It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Instead of trying to figure out who is the anti-Christ figure out if you are anti-Christ

1 John 2:18-19 NKJV
[18] Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. [19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

4. Anti-Christ is coming to dominate the globe.

Through peace he will deceive many. He will bring world peace. With that he will be grabbing power.

The Tribulation will not start violently but will start peacefully.

He will succeed where others have failed in peace.

Revelation 13:2 NKJV
[2] Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

History teaches that man learns nothing from history.

It was said that all new news is old news happening to new people.

Revelation 16:12-16 NKJV
[12] Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. [13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. [14] For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. [15] "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame." [16] And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

We hear Armageddon a lot these days. Always describing the last battle.

Reagan once wrote in a diary asking if he was destined to witness Armageddon.

Armageddon is not a battle but the place of a battle.

King Saul was slain there, in Judges 4-6 there was a battle there.

Napoleon said that Megiddo is the most natural battle ground on earth.

Revelation 16:13 NKJV
[13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Satan came to steal, kill and destroy.

Satanic things are happening all around us. Without the power of America policing and the church around there will be killing everywhere around the world.

If God is not, then everything is permitted.

Moral absolutes come from the Bible. With e absence of it then you have chaos.

Greg was talking about the Euphrates, and how continents several continents meet there.

The Bible states the Kings of the East will march through the river Euphrates.

Now talking about America. Where is America in this scenario?

Some possibilities. We could be devastated in a nuclear attack. He is not saying probable, but possible. We simply may decline as a world power.

Rome lasted for nine centuries

Isaiah 40:15 NKJV
[15] Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

Greg says he loves that in America that when a crisis hits we know where to go. We turn to the church! Such as 9/11.

Lastly, we might not be in the scenario because of a great revival. The rapture could happen and the Christians could disappear.

Greg is praying that we experience at least one more revival.

Greg says register and vote from a Biblical world view.

The only thing that can turn this world around is to turn to God.

If the rapture occurred tonight would you be with the Lord or left here?