THE CHRISTIAN APPROACH TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – GOOD OR BAD OR UNCERTAIN?

I can recall some decades ago (say, 50 or 60 years) we used to try to understand this verse – Revelation 13:15 “There was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast MIGHT EVEN SPEAK and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”

We did that with the knowledge of the time, and I suppose the most common idea was that it was satanic power that caused the image to speak.  We had heard of really powerful occult manifestations from missionaries among some of the most wicked people where they ministered.

None of us ever knew, of course, what AI was way back then – artificial intelligence.  Only in the last decade has this phenomenon come to be prominent, and it is suddenly now everywhere.  The readers of this article would have so many views on this matter.  In case you wonder, just to set the case straight, I have very mixed feelings about this.  Also, I am uneasy about it.

A couple of friends of mine put to me the idea that Antichrist will be AI, but I don’t think I could ever accept that.  If there are any sci-fi buffs among you, you might recall shows and movies where a computer controlled a spaceship, etc., where in the end, some of the computers turned mutant and took over the control of the ship, having their own wills.  HAL from 2001 Space Odyssey, Blake’s 7, and Zen.

What I am realizing is that AI is very powerful, but I have to share that I do not understand how it works.  I just know some things it can do.

How many have done recent searches on search engines only to find that you get the option of clicking on “AI-generated answer”? I have tried that, and most of the time, the results are fairly accurate and helpful.  That can be very useful, but at the same time, very disturbing.

I like to keep most of my TV watching to YouTube and not call up any of the legacy television stations on this LG TV of mine because it is too hard to do.  Not impressed with LG.  It is so difficult and illogical to use.  However, more and more videos are appearing on YouTube and are presented with catchy subjects, purported to come from Billy Graham and David Jeremiah, just to name two.  The trouble is, these are not real and have been generated by AI, and it is SO easy to do, apparently.  In fact, they can be so tricky that they are just like the real thing.

That is very dangerous because a person can be misrepresented.  That is one wary problem with AI.

Another problem is laziness.  I can understand ministers and researchers of topics resorting to aids like Internet searches for certain items.  I do it myself sometimes for background material.  However, if one wants a sermon suddenly in “the instant world of AI,” then one can go to one of those sites that generate an AI answer for you.  I will cover this later, but I tested it and asked AI to generate a 3,000-word sermon on the Rapture.  I will speak about that later on.

I wonder how many “sermon deliveries” are from AI searches and not from this biblical concept – 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be DILIGENT to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, HANDLING ACCURATELY THE WORD OF TRUTH.”  The NASB uses “diligent” where the KJV uses “study.”  Laziness is unacceptable in ministers who resort to AI to create their material.

Perhaps there is a place for AI searches to present ideas for you to draw upon, but even there, I have great reservations.

For me, there is nothing more satisfying than the Holy Spirit leading you into truth in the word of God and revealing lovely gems in the scriptures.  I don’t need cold, dead AI to do that for me.

In the past 10 years, as I intimated, AI has advanced enormously, so that now Governments want to have conferences and “think tanks” to determine what role AI has, with a view to regulation.  Personally, I don’t think it can be controlled now.  In these last days of the Church age, we are seeing movements in the world of more and more control and strange activities as the world lurches towards increasing wickedness and socialist control, and doctrines and legislation of demons.  My nation is full of them (Australia), with hate laws to muzzle speech and opinion, especially against Christians, and it will get very bad after December 2026 when a whole raft of new legislation will operate.

Check out this video on government control – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLzFO6iWm8k

I think one RR contributor had an article about this subject of AI some time back, but I cannot recall that now.

Getting back to the Revelation 13 verse, some see this image in the temple that is set up by the False Prophet as working through AI, but I am inclined to reject that.  Revelation 13:15 “THERE WAS GIVEN TO HIM to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”  “There was given to him” is satanic power from Satan, not AI.

The False Prophet gives breath to the image, something AI could never do.  This man is almost Satan in human form, so it is Satan that energizes the image and speaks through it.

We say that Antichrist will be the most wicked person ever to set foot on earth, and I won’t dispute that; though, as I look at it afresh, I think that position might belong to the False Prophet – Revelation 13:12-14 “and he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence.  HE MAKES THE EARTH and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose fatal wound was healed, and HE PERFORMS GREAT SIGNS, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.  HE DECEIVES THOSE WHO DWELL on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to MAKE AN IMAGE TO THE BEAST who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.”

The False Prophet will have worldwide power and continues in it – Revelation 13:16-17 “AND HE CAUSES ALL, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and HE PROVIDES THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BUY OR TO SELL, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”

The False Prophet is as Satan walking among men.  I think the wickedness of that man outstrips Antichrist, who is ruler and organizer and controller of the most evil system ever devised.  Nevertheless, he is the man of lawlessness.

AI AND THE RAPTURE

That is enough of that.  I want to get back to what AI told me about the Rapture.

THE SECOND PART OF AI

In capturing the Rapture created by AI, I used two of the AI platforms to obtain two results on the same question: “What is the Rapture?”  I asked for 3,000 words in a sermon, but neither site gave 3,000 words (the first gave 2,800 words.  I wish to share what these results were.

THE FIRST AI PLATFORM:

This first platform wanted to title the message as “Living Ready for the Rapture” and took the texts from Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58.

The Introduction said this – A Blessed Hope in a Shaken World.  “We are living in a world that is shaking – morally, politically, economically, spiritually.  People are anxious about wars, pandemics, disasters, and the future of their children.  In the midst of all this uncertainty, God has given His people a sure and steadfast hope: the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the catching away of His church, commonly called the Rapture.  The Rapture is not a fairy tale for the weak-minded.  It is a biblical promise for the blood-bought.  It is not meant to scare the believer, but to comfort, purify, and motivate us to holy living and urgent evangelism.”

Well, I cannot fault that.  It is factual and very similar to what I would say.  I have written a lot on the Rapture, and I suspect some of my wording and comments have been picked up by these AI captures, as in this one with a few familiar expressions.  Not in this case, but one danger is that what you have said can be used in a wrong conclusion, a wrong context, even a false teaching.  If people were writing against the Rapture, that is most likely to be included as well.  I certainly don’t want my material supporting a non-Rapture.

In another section of that AI message, it said this – A biblical event, not a modern invention.   “The word “rapture” itself is not in the English Bible, but the concept is clearly there.  In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul says, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.”  The phrase “caught up” in Latin is rapturo – from which we get “rapture.”  Jesus Himself spoke of this in John 14:2-3:… The Rapture is that moment when Jesus comes for His saints, to receive them to Himself.”

Again, this second section is sound, and the remaining material in this section that I did not copy is also sound.  It addresses a common criticism of the Rapture, which is that the word is not in scripture.

The next section is headed – Distinguishing the Rapture from the Second Coming.  Scripture presents Christ’s return in two phases: ….  At the Rapture, the church is caught up.  At the Second Coming, the church comes down with Him.   At the Rapture, He comes as a Bridegroom for His bride.   At the Second Coming, He comes as a Warrior-King to judge the nations…. (I think this could be mine that I wrote once.)

That is important to point out, and AI did that.  Then it continues with the description of events at the time of the Rapture, and they are all correct.  But one section is wrong.  Then in a sub-heading called “The suddenness and surprise (Matthew 24:36–44) – the article reverts to the very often misunderstood events of those Matthew verses that do not relate to the Rapture, but to the Second Coming.  The whole of Chapter 24 answers the question asked by the disciples about the signs of His coming, and the end of the age in Matthew 24.  Matthew 24:3 “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and WHAT WILL BE THE SIGN OF YOUR COMING AND OF THE END OF THE AGE?’”

DO NOT MISS the significance of the last verse in Matthew 23 that initiated the disciples’ question in Matthew 24:3! Matthew 23:39 “for I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me UNTIL YOU SAY, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”  It was that coming the disciples asked about – the Second Coming.  NOTHING to do with the Rapture.

In Matthew 13, the disciples knew NOTHING of the Rapture, for it was a mystery revealed through Paul – 1 Corinthians 15:51 “Behold, I TELL YOU A MYSTERY.  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”  It was the Kingdom for Israel and the coming to set up that the disciples wanted to know.  Acts 1:6-7 “When they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time YOU ARE RESTORING THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL?’”  He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.”  There was no disputing the fact that it would happen – the timing was not for the disciples to know.

The ones taken away (in the field; at the mill) in those Matthew 24 verses are the tares, the wicked, while the ones remaining are the righteous of the Tribulation who enter the Millennial Kingdom.  All of Matthew 24 is the Tribulation and Second Coming, NOT the Rapture.  The “days of Noah” is when the wicked were taken away in judgment, while the righteous, those remaining, entered into the new age on Earth after judgment.

One section of the AI response ends with – “Church activity is not the same as saving faith.  Religious language is not the same as a new heart.  The question is not, “Do you know about Jesus?” but “Does Jesus know you as His own?”   A personal examination –  If the trumpet sounded today, would you be taken or left?  This is not a question for your neighbor, your spouse, or your children alone. It is a question for you.

• Have you repented of your sin?
• Have you put your trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross and His resurrection?
• Is there evidence of new life—hunger for God, love for His Word, desire for holiness?

That is extremely good coming from AI, for often the gospel challenge is not made in preaching.  Throughout the whole article, the gospel is presented very clearly and convincingly.  To be honest, I did not expect the article would be so well structured, clear about the Rapture, and so gospel-oriented.

There is so much more in this article, but I don’t want to over-quote it.  What I will do is to provide a number of sub-headings from the article –

It comforts the grieving
It purifies our lives
It energizes our service
It fuels our evangelism
Indifference: “I’ll think about it later.”
Mockery: “Where is the promise of His coming?”
Fear: “I’m scared of the Rapture.”
Be sure of your salvation
Walk in holiness
Stay spiritually awake
Invest in what lasts
Encourage one another with this hope

Right near the end of the Rapture article, there is a sample prayer after a gospel explanation is given – Invitation (Sample Prayer and Call) If the Spirit of God is dealing with your heart, I urge you not to delay.  You can pray something like this – not as a magic formula, but as the honest cry of your heart: “Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God.  I believe You died for my sins and rose again.  I confess that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself.  Today I turn from my sin and put my trust in You alone.  Forgive me, cleanse me, make me new.  Be my Savior and my Lord.  From this day forward, I belong to You.  Help me to live ready for Your coming.  In Jesus’ name, amen.”

The conclusion is always an important aspect of any presentation.  The conclusion for this one is what follows – Conclusion.  The Rapture is not just a doctrine to be discussed.  It is a reality to be prepared for.  Jesus is coming.  The question is not if He will come, but when – and whether you will be ready.  “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Then the final words come from the AI site itself – I can now expand any section (for example, the practical applications or the exposition of 1 Thessalonians 4) to bring the total closer to 3,000 words and tailor it to your denomination or audience.

That is a very broad coverage of the first search that was done.  Honestly, apart from the misapplication of the days of Noah to the Rapture in Matthew 24 that is so commonly done, there is nothing here I would object to.  In fact, if I heard that message delivered, I would be fully accepting of it (except the Noah part).

Well, what do I say about all this?  As AI picks up on all the material it can assemble to generate the request asked of it, in only a matter of seconds, it can result in what is good and what is in error.  Remember, it taps into all data content stored all over the world, and as you know, much of this can be questionable and absolutely wrong.

I did this exercise out of curiosity after looking into AI a bit more and did not know what to expect.  In this first article, I was really pleased.  However, all the warnings I have given must be valid ones to heed.  I will never go to AI to get messages I present.  All mine have come from waiting on the Lord and from what He gives me.

I decided I would do a second capture from AI, and this time used Jotform AI to produce the results (there are about 4 or 5 platforms that can be used).  I asked for 3,500 words, hoping the shortened versions would end up closer to 3,000 words, but I got 1,833 words this time.

I was a bit surprised to see that the results this time were rather similar to the first results but presented differently.

I wonder what thoughts you have on AI.  These are very early days with this technology.

mycenapink@gmail.com

 

I was recently asked a very interesting question that I had not given much thought to previously (or, actually, I had never noticed before). The question was, “If the fourth ‘beast’ mentioned in Daniel 7 is the same ‘beast’ in Revelation 13 (and it is), why is there only one ‘head’ mentioned in Daniel 7:20, and there are seven ‘heads’ mentioned in Revelation 13:1?” Before I attempt to answer this question, let’s get some background information on these scriptures.

Daniel had been taken captive and deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC. There, he served in the governments of Babylon and Persia for about 70 years during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus. God gave Daniel numerous prophetic visions during these years concerning future historical events.

The visions began when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a series of troubling dreams. None of the wise men of the king’s court could interpret the dream (of Daniel 2), as the king couldn’t even remember what it was even about. Finally, after God revealed it to Daniel in a “night vision” (probably a dream), he told the king what he had dreamed and what it meant.

THE FOUR PARTS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S GREAT STATUE

Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar he had dreamed of a large image – an enormous, dazzling statue, “and the form thereof was terrible” (Daniel 2:31). He further explained that the head of the statue was of pure gold, and the upper part of the body was silver. The lower body and thighs were made of bronze. The legs were made of iron, and the feet were part iron and part clay. Daniel then recorded how in the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw “a rock was cut out, but not by human hands: and that it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them” (v.34).

Daniel then explained the meaning to the king. He told Nebuchadnezzar, “You are that head of gold” (v. 38). He then explained that the upper part of the body represented another kingdom inferior to Babylon’s, and that it would be followed by a third kingdom of bronze that would rule the whole earth. Later, in another vision, these two kingdoms are named Medo-Persia and Greece (Daniel 8:20-21).

The fourth part of the statue is described as “strong as iron” and “subdues all things.” However, because of the feet and toes being made of iron and clay, “the kingdom shall be divided” (v.41), and “the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken” (v.42). In historical hindsight, we know the world empire that followed Greece was the Roman Empire. It was eventually divided into two regions: the Western region was governed from Rome, and the Eastern region from Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople (and eventually Istanbul, Turkey).

The Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD when the German tribes deposed the last Roman emperor. The center of world power then shifted to Constantinople (dedicated in 330 AD), which eventually became known as the Byzantine Empire. In the West, the power of the Roman Catholic Church would replace the power of the state. Constantinople (and the Greek Orthodox Church) eventually fell to the Muslim Ottoman Turks in 1453 AD. “After Constantinople fell in 1453, Moscow became the only independent Orthodox power, and its leaders soon advanced the claim that Moscow was the successor to the Byzantine Empire.” {1} History of the Russian Orthodox Church – Wikipedia

Daniel then made known the meaning of the rock that destroyed the image and grew into a mountain. “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold” (vv. 44-45). Of course, we know this kingdom is the Millennium Kingdom of “the Rock,” Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the rock/stone in 1 Corinthians 10:4, Matthew 16:18, and 21:42. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). Paul was referring to the exodus of the children of Israel when Moses was leading them in the wilderness, as per Exodus 17:6.

Jesus said, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

“Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?  Therefore, say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

“The passive voice marks God as the unseen cutter, the architect of history who needs no human tool. The stone’s violent collision with the statue seals the demise of every Gentile empire and prefigures the eternal kingdom of the Messiah (cf. Matthew 21:44; Revelation 11:15).” {2} Strong’s Hebrew: 1505. גְּזַר (gezar) — To cut, divide, decree

THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL 7

Daniel 7 records the first of four apocalyptic visions Daniel received while serving as an advisor to Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus. These visions revealed a glimpse of God’s plan for mankind throughout the ages, including a direct prediction of the Messiah, “the Son of man” (Daniel 7:13-14).

Daniel 7 is similar to the vision God gave Daniel in Daniel 2, which enabled him to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a great statue symbolic of four successive world empires (starting with Babylon). Daniel 2 covered the political aspects (their economic and military prowess) of these Gentile empires, whereas Daniel 7 depicted their moral aspects as vicious beasts.

The four beasts (kingdoms) are said to come out of the sea (vs. 7). The sea represents the Gentile nations. The first beast (vs. 4) was like a lion (the king of beasts), with the wings of an eagle (the king of birds). This beast represents the regal splendor that was Babylon. Statues of winged lions have been recovered from Babylon’s ruins. “I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it” (Daniel 7:4). The “heart of a man given to it” refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s experiences in Daniel 4 when he was humbled before God.

The second beast was like a bear, “and it raised itself up on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it” (Daniel 7:5). The greater power of Persia as compared to the Medes is the meaning of the bear raising itself up on one side. The three ribs represent some of the kingdoms they conquered, such as Babylon, Egypt, and Lydia.

The third beast was like a leopard and represents Greece, which conquered Persia. Daniel 7:6 describes this third beast, “which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.” Its wings show the swiftness of Alexander the Great’s campaign as he conquered much of the civilized world in four years. The leopard’s four heads are the four divisions of the Greek Empire after Alexander’s death. The empire was divided into four regions by four of Alexander’s top generals, who became kings of their territories.

The fourth kingdom was unnamed but historically fulfilled by the Roman Empire. It was not an empire that Daniel would have recognized, as Rome was not a world power at the time of Daniel’s writings. “After this, I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it:” (Daniel 7:7a). The Romans conquered the Greeks (and most of the known world) and became the fourth world empire.

The fourth beast, Rome, described as exceedingly strong, is also associated with a future end-time “Roman kingdom.” This kingdom will emerge from the same territory as the ancient Roman kingdom once controlled, be it the east leg or the west leg, or both. It will devour the whole earth. Some Bible scholars call it the “Revived Roman Empire.” The rest of verse 7 describes this end-time beast, “and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns” (Daniel 7:7b). It is diverse from the others, as it is ruled by ten horns or kings/kingdoms (regions or nations).

Daniel ‘sees’ this end-time beast as having only one head. In this vision of the fourth beast, Daniel only sees the Roman kingdom (both ancient Rome and the “revived Roman empire”), according to these scriptures, “And of the ten horns that were in his head...”(Daniel 7.20a) and “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise…” (Daniel 7:24a).

The diversity will be even greater when another horn (the “little horn”) arises and subdues or kills three of the 10 kings. “I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things” (Daniel 7:8). Eventually, the “little horn” (the Antichrist) will replace three of the 10 horns of this end-time kingdom.

THE END-TIME BEAST OF REVELATION

They say, “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.” I believe this is undoubtedly true, as it would be almost impossible to discern that the last part of Daniel 7:7 refers to an end-time form of the old Roman Empire without its counterpart in Revelation 12, 13, & 17 giving much more detail.

The first mention of a creature with seven heads and ten horns is found in Revelation 12:3, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” This ‘dragon’ is identified in verse 9. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

At the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation (Daniel’s 70^th week), Satan will be cast out of heaven unto the earth. According to verse 12, this is great news for the inhabitants of heaven, but terrible news for the inhabitants of the earth. He will persecute Israel and the Tribulation saints for 3.5 years (vv. 13-14). “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). Satan will accomplish this by controlling the Beast (the Antichrist) and his Beast System, as described in chapter 13.

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy” (Revelation 13:1). Here we see the ten-horned beast described with seven heads, which differs from the one-headed beast in Daniel 7:20, 24. Horns in Scripture symbolize strength and kingship (Psalm 75:10; Zechariah 1:18–21), while heads denote ruling centers or realms (Isaiah 7:8; Revelation 17:9).

“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Revelation 13:1-2). Notice in this verse how this end-time empire has the characteristics of the Gentile empires mentioned in Daniel 7: the speed of a leopard (Greece), the power of a bear (Persia), and the fearlessness of a lion (Babylon). It will also have the backing of the dragon, Satan, as mentioned in Revelation 12:3 and 13:2, 4.

Verse 3 begins the transition from the beast system to the actual person of the beastly Antichrist. “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. 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?’” (Revelation 13:3-4). This head wound is mentioned in Zechariah 11:17, “Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded!” The Antichrist will recover from this deadly wound but will be physically impaired.

According to Revelation 13:5, the Antichrist will have sole power over the world for 3.5 years (42 months) as he will, at this point, have killed three of the ten kings, and the remaining seven will have relinquished their power and authority to him. “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. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:7-8). Daniel also prophesied about this in Daniel 7:24-25.

The Antichrist will have an accomplice in his evil reign. “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). As the earth represents Israel, this second beast could be a Jew. He is called a “false prophet” in Revelation 16:13 and 19:20, as he will preach a Satanic gospel as if it’s from the Lord. “And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:12).

The false prophet receives power from Satan to perform great signs (which is what the Jews wanted to see from Jesus during his first advent), “so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast” (Revelation 13:13). This replicates Elijah calling down fire from heaven (three times, in 1 Kings 18:38 and 2 Kings 1:10, 12). Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet are the unholy trinity from hell.

The false prophet commissions an “image” to be made of the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Revelation 13:15). I believe this will be easily accomplished with the technology of artificial intelligence.

“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17). We now have the technology to insert a chip or a digital tattoo to fulfill this prophecy. “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666″ (Revelation 13:18).

God’s punishment for anyone taking the mark of the beast is found in Revelation 14:9-11. “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.”

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND THE SEVEN-HEADED, TEN-HORNED BEAST

In this vision of the end-time beast given to John, the “seven heads” aren’t explained until Revelation 17, where a ‘woman’ of ill repute is also mentioned. “I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great amazement” (Revelation 17:3-6).

Mystery Babylon is the apostate religious system that originally began in Babylon at the Tower of Babel. The ancient city of Babylon was the originator of idolatry and, therefore, of spiritual fornication. Revelation 17:1-2 describes it as “the whore that sits upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Revelation 17:15 adds, “the waters where the whore sits are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”  During the first half of the Tribulation, this apostate religious system will be the state-sponsored religion for the 10 Kings and the Antichrist. It is pictured as a harlot sitting upon a beast.

The angel (one of the seven angels who had the seven vials) then told John that he would explain to him the mystery of the woman and the beast, with seven heads and ten horns, that carried her. “The beast that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8).

“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition” (Revelation 17:9-11).

Many Bible scholars believe the five fallen kings or kingdoms in the ancient past (who worshipped idols and prayed to false gods) are from the empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. The one kingdom present in John’s day (“and one is”) was Rome, which was also enamored with the “Mother of Harlots.” Ancient Rome was the sixth head (king/kingdom). The ‘head’ that hasn’t come yet is the kingdom of the 10 kings, which will also be a customer of the “Great Harlot.” The Antichrist is considered a “little horn” or an eleventh horn. That is the seven heads (kingdoms or mountains) of Satan’s Beast System.

The Antichrist’s kingdom will be the eighth kingdom. “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. And the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast” (Revelation 17:11-12). 

Towards the midpoint of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will subdue or kill three of the ten kings and usurp their authority and power. If they are killed, they will be replaced by three men loyal to the Antichrist. If they are only subdued, they will be delegated to mere figureheads, with the A.C. in total control of their kingdoms. Either way, there are still 10 horns (kings) within the Beast Kingdom. However, soon after the three kings are subdued, all 10 kings will give their authority and power to the beast, as mentioned in Revelation 17:17.

Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum believes Daniel 11:40-45 describes the Antichrist’s war with the ten kings, in which three of the kings will be vanquished. “He is seen moving against the north (vv. 40, 44), the south (vv. 40, 42-43), and the east (v. 44). The three kings he will succeed in killing (Daniel 7:8, 20, 24) will be the king of the north (Syria), the king of the south (Egypt) and the king of the east (Mesopotamia). His conquest of Egypt opens the door for his conquest of Africa (vv. 42-43). He will also invade Israel, the glorious land (v. 41 and also mentioned in Revelation 11:1-2), setting the stage for the Abomination of Desolation.” {3} Footsteps of the Messiah – pg. 240.

Of course, we know the Abomination of Desolation occurs at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70^th week. See Reckoning Daniel’s 70th Week From the Gregorian Calendar. The A.O.B. is mentioned in Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:11, and Matthew 24:15. The midpoint of Daniel’s 70^th week is also prophesied in Revelation 12, where the last 3.5 years are seen as “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (v. 6) and “time, and times, and half a time” (v.14).

The judgment of the harlot, who sits upon many waters, is given in Revelation 17:16-18. “And the ten horns which thou saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman whom thou saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

Many Bible scholars believe that “great city” refers to Rome (or, more specifically, Vatican City), the home of the Catholic Church. They also believe that a one-world religion, based on apostate Christianity mixed with the other religions of the world, will be formed after the Rapture of the Church, and it will be based in Rome. The home of Mystery Babylon (Ecclesiastical Babylon) will be burned and destroyed at the midpoint of the Tribulation.

At this point, the Antichrist will relocate his headquarters to Babylon, which will become the political and economic capital of the Antichrist’s empire. This relocation is found in Zechariah 5:5-11. “Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it a house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established and set there upon her own base” (Zechariah 5:9-11).

The ephah was a standard measure of weight and became the symbol of the economy. This symbol in these verses represents a corrupt economy, as seen in the addition of lead, which gives a false measure. This ‘ephah’ will be taken to the land of Shinar, which is the same as Babylonia (modern-day Iraq).

So, to recap, this end-time world empire will initially have 10 kings who will rule the earth. This kingdom is the ultimate fulfillment of Daniel 2:41-42, regarding the feet and 10 toes (kings) made of iron and clay. This end-time kingdom will be divided by many factors, such as politics, economics, religion, etc., leaving it partly strong and partly broken.

Another powerful individual will arise in the end times (at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, aka the Great Tribulation) and subdue three of the 10 kings. Sometime after this happens, the remaining kings will cede their power and authority to the ‘beast’ (the little horn or the Antichrist). At this point, he will become the Magnus Maximus of the world.

THE LAST HALF OF DANIEL’S 70TH WEEK

The Antichrist’s absolute reign as king of the world will last only 3.5 years, according to Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:7, and Revelation 12:14. This is the last half of Daniel’s 70th week, as mentioned in Daniel 9:27. Both Daniel and Revelation record the Beast’s (Antichrist) inevitable end.

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame” (Daniel 7:9-11).

“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:19-21).

“But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 9:26-27).

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Randy Nettles

rgeanie55@gmail.com

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