Chapter 4: Signs of Christ's Return

IN THIS CHAPTER, you will discover:

· The end-time relationship between the Spirit and evangelism.

· Ancient and modern expressions of the antichrist.

· The nature and identity of the “man of sin.”

· The “two beasts” from the book of Revelation.


AS A RESULT, you will be able to:

· Appreciate the eschatological significance of the renewal movement.

· Guard against spiritual deception and apostasy.

· Comprehend the central misconception of counterfeit spirituality.

· Glimpse prototypes of the “beasts” in history and in the church.

Reading: Renewal Theology 3, pp. 317-26.

Key Scripture: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).

Key Words: Oikoumene, Ethne, Mysterion.

In reply to the disciples’ question, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3), Jesus spoke of various marks or tokens of His parousia. We have seen that much of Jesus’ apocalyptic dialogue focused on the imminent destruction of Jerusalem. But in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus also spoke of signs that will foreshadow the final, eschatological climax of history. We must be familiar with these evidences if we are to discern effectively the “signs of the times” (Matt. 16:2-3).

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

In our last teaching we examined Joel 2:28-32, which foretold that “in those days” God would pour out His Spirit upon all people, and “your sons and daughters will prophesy.” Peter witnessed the initial fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy at Pentecost. He interpreted what happened there as an indication that the last days had begun. The New Testament records subsequent outpourings of the Spirit at Samaria, Caesarea, and Ephesus. The pentecostal phenomenon spread outward from Jerusalem, and signs and wonders accompanied and confirmed the spread of the gospel, as Jesus had promised.

History has continued to record the ebb and flow of pentecostal phenomena in the life of the church. But the most explosive growth of pentecostal experience ever to occur has taken place in our own century. Incidents such as the Topeka Revival in 1901 under Charles F. Parham and the Azuza Street Revival in 1906 under William J. Seymour sparked movements that have become major denominations today. Since the 1960s the charismatic movement has influenced Christianity across all denominational boundaries.

More spectacular still has been the flowering of Pentecostal Christianity worldwide. Church growth has mushroomed in Korea, Africa, Australia, Latin America, and many other countries. By 1985, Pentecostal Christianity had become the largest Protestant family, with more than 247.2 million adherents. The growth rate of Pentecostal/charismatic groups within Christianity for the decade of 1975-85 was an incredible 157 percent! According to church growth analyst C. P. Wagner, this represents “what would undoubtedly prove to be one of the highest if not the highest recorded rate of growth of a nonpolitical, nonmilitaristic human movement across history” (quotation and figures from the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, pp. 183-84).

Christ is present in His Spirit, and this presence is made tangible in the manifestation of pentecostal charismata — the “powers of the coming age” (Heb. 6:5). The greatly increased manifestation (Gk. phanerosis) and presence (Gk. parousia) of the Holy Spirit in the church in our era may be a sign that the full inbreaking of the “world to come” is drawing near.

The Holy Spirit’s increasing activity also may be considered a sign of the last days because it accords with the end-times prophetic scenario. Dr. Williams suggests that God is pouring out His Spirit to prepare Christians to face the onslaught of satanic supernatural power that will occur as the present world system collapses. The Spirit also is needed to empower believers to endure the persecution that will accompany widespread satanic influence. But most important, the Spirit is being manifested so that Christians may complete their task of spreading the gospel to the unreached corners of the earth — the most telling and definite sign that the end is at hand (see the Key Scripture).

The Gospel to All the World

We must keep in mind that the “sign” is not the conversion of every nation nor of every individual; it is the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world. The phrase “whole world” in Matthew 24:14 is a translation of the Greek word oikoumene, meaning “the inhabited world.” “Nations” is a translation of ethne (sing. ethnos), meaning primarily racial or cultural groupings of people. Are we close to having proclaimed the gospel to every ethne? It is difficult to say because no one is sure how many ethne there are. Previously undiscovered people groups continue to appear as anthropologists and missionaries penetrate the unexplored wildernesses of Africa and South America. But it is possible that we are within sight of achieving the Great Commission mandate.

A question that is of considerable interest when considering the missionary endeavor is: What should be our attitude toward Israel, God’s original chosen people? In answer: Ethne is often used in the New Testament to refer to Gentiles, as opposed to Jews. Paul stated that salvation, in the form of the Messiah, came first to the Jews (Rom. 1:16). Because of their rejection of Jesus, it passed to the Gentiles (11:11; cf. Matt. 21:43). But Paul wanted to make us understand that there is far more going on than meets the eye. Israel has not simply been rejected of God (Rom. 11:1). Using a horticultural metaphor, Paul implied that, in some sense, Israel, her Scripture, and her patriarchs, remain the “natural branches” (v. 21) that support the new, ingrafted branches of Gentile believers.

More fundamentally, Israel’s hardening and her rejection of Christ is a mysterion, a word Paul used to speak of the hidden outworking of God’s sovereignty, particularly with respect to His universal plan of redemption. “Because of [Israel’s] transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles . . .” (v. 11). But after “the full number of the Gentiles has come in . . . all Israel will be saved” (vv. 25-26); for “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (v. 29). The former disobedience of the Gentiles is the same as Israel’s present disobedience in God’s eyes: “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all” (v. 32).

Many have questioned what Paul meant when he said that “all” of Israel will be saved. Three main interpretations of Paul’s statement have been put forth. The first proposes a literal interpretation wherein every Jew on earth will be saved. The second assumes that “all” means the total number of the elect of the Jews; a “fullness” of Jews (v. 12) comparable to the “full number” of the Gentiles (v. 25). The third view understands “Israel” as referring not to ethnic Israel, but to the “Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16), i.e., to believers, both Jewish and Gentile. This view emphasizes that the church is, in some sense, a “new Israel” not composed of those who are natural children of Abraham, but of “children of the promise,” saved through faith (see Rom. 9:6-8).

Although it is true that ethnic boundaries such as Jew and Gentile have been done away with in Christ (Gal. 3:26-29), Paul seemed to hold the two perspectives of ethnic Israel and the “Israel of God” in creative tension in his discussion in Romans. It is therefore wisest to interpret Romans 11:25-26 as predicting a sweeping conversion of Jewry to Christianity (see RT3, p. 323ff.).

In light of centuries of misunderstanding, animosity, and bloodshed, how will Israel finally come to accept her Messiah? We can only stand in wonder at God’s plan — His mysterion — and affirm His promise that “this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins” (v. 27). Paul, persecuted almost to death by his Jewish brethren, had every reason to doubt that they could ever be turned from unbelief. And yet, contemplating the salvation of Israel, he wrote: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out! . . . For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (11:33, 36).

Key Concepts:

1. The outpouring of the is a basic sign of the “last days.” [317]

2. With the dawn of the twentieth century the “ Reality” has increasingly been breaking in upon churches. [318]

3. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit may be described as “powers of the _____________ to come.” [319]

4. True or False. Satan is having his own “counterfeit Pentecost.” [319]

5. True or False. The “sign of the end” will be the universal proclamation of the gospel. [320]

6. True or False. Christ said that all nations must be converted before the end of the age and His return. [321]

7. The word translated “nations,” (oikoumene, ethne) means a people who are cohesive socially, culturally, or racially. [321]

8. The end (will, will not) occur without Israel’s coming to salvation. [323]

9. True or False. “All Israel” — every individual Jew — will be saved through accepting Jesus Christ. [324]

10. Many Jewish believers in Christ prefer to call themselves “ ” or “fulfilled” Jews. [325 fn. 33]

Further Study: Review the scriptures under “Nations; B. God’s intentions for the nations,” p. 118 and “Sign; C. Signs of the end times,” p. 156 in the NIVTSB Topical Index; also read “Gentiles,” pp. 382-83; “Heathen, Pagan,” p. 424; “Mystery,” p. 685; and “World,” pp. 1069-70 in the NIDB.

Life Application: Do you have any Jewish friends? How has your perspective on witnessing to Jews been changed by what you have learned? What can you do to present Christ to these friends in a more meaningful way? One helpful approach is to learn more about the richness of Judaism and to gain a deeper respect for the common roots it shares with Christianity.

Reading: Renewal Theology 3, pp. 326-34.

Key Scripture: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12).

Key Words: Apostasia, Gnostic, Pseudochristoi.

In this lesson we will examine three signs that Scripture identifies as indicators of the last days: evil increasing, great religious apostasy, and the presence of the antichrist.

The Increase of Evil

Reading the chroniclers of ancient times such as Tacitus and Suetonius, or classic works such as Edward Gibbon’s History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, it is clear that there is nothing new under the sun in terms of human cruelty and debauchery. The catalog of sinful character traits given by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 would find representatives at any given time in history.

Why, then, did Paul speak of evil increasing in the last days? First, we must understand the historical context of Paul’s message in 2 Timothy. Paul was writing from a dungeon in Rome from which he would never emerge alive. The church was being mercilessly persecuted by the emperor Nero. False teachers were infiltrating the church and perverting the gospel. The Neronian persecution, like the destruction of Jerusalem a few years later, was a “mini-apocalypse”; a foretaste and foreshadowing of what will happen on a worldwide basis before the return of Christ.

As we come closer to the time of the “harvest” (Matt. 13:30), good and evil will grow side by side in the world. But Scripture suggests that near the climax of history there will be an acceleration and polarization of both forces. The outpouring of God’s supernatural power will be met by a corresponding rise of satanic and occultic manifestations. The true gospel will be sounded against the din of heretical teachers within and without the church. Some will cry out for a return to morality while skepticism, moral chaos, and unbridled sensuality become the norm for a society “without love” (2 Tim. 3:3).

Are we living in “the last days” now? Technically, yes — the Christian dispensation is itself “the last days” (RT3, p. 326). Are these also the “end times?” Many have argued that there is a “hole in the moral ozone” in Western culture that is leading toward an unprecedented religious, social, and economic breakdown. Whether this situation will worsen or not, only time will tell.

Religious Apostasy

The Greek word apostasia means a “falling away” or rebellion. Religiously, it denotes a disavowal of belief in Christ and the central tenets of Christianity. Apostasy instigated by false teachers was a concern of many New Testament epistles. The book of Revelation, for example, contains warnings concerning the influence of the Nicolaitans (2:6, 15), the teaching of Balaam (2:14), and the prophetess Jezebel (2:20-25).

As Dr. Williams indicates, many mainline Protestant denominations, particularly at the seminary level, now advocate theological positions that they would have considered heretical in the past. The impact of scientific materialism, secular humanism, and Darwinism during the last two centuries has bred deep skepticism into European and American philosophy and theology. “High” views of Scripture and the Incarnation have often been watered down to accord with the prevailing naturalistic worldview. Transcendence and miracles are explained away psychologically.

To understand the relationship of apostasy to the end times accurately, we need to examine Paul’s concept of the final apostasy in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (see also Matt. 24:10-12; 1 Tim. 4:1). In these passages Paul refuted the rumor — propagated by false prophecy, hearsay, and forged letters — that the day of the Lord had already come (2 Thess. 2:1-2). He countered that this was impossible, since “the rebellion” (apostasia) led by the “man of lawlessness” had clearly not yet occurred (v. 3).

According to Paul, there will be nothing ambiguous about this apostasy or its leader: “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (v. 4). The Greek word used to describe his appearing or “revealing” (v. 3) has the same root (apocalyp-) as that used to describe Jesus’ dramatic appearance (1:7). Paul reminded his readers he had previously taught them that this telltale sign must occur before Christ’s return (2:5).

The Antichrist

The discussion of apostasy brings us naturally to the topic of the antichrist. For the spirit of antichrist — the spirit that denies that Jesus Christ was God come in the flesh for the redemption of humanity — is the spirit of apostasy. In 1 John 2:18 we read: “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.” These “antichrists” were primarily gnostic “Christians” (see IBC, pp. 1571-72 for background information on gnosticism). Some taught that Christ was only a spirit who appeared to have a body. Others — notably Cerinthus, a contemporary of John — taught that the “divine Christ” joined with the human Jesus at His baptism and left Him before He died. From John’s point of view such teachers were “anti” (i.e., opposed to) the truth about Christ and the authentic gospel of suffering love and atonement. In fact the gnostics were elitists who exalted knowledge above love. They became notorious for their haughtiness, unbridled sensuality, and destructive lawlessness.

Another type of antichrist mentioned in the New Testament is the pseudochristoi or “false Christs.” They are “anti” Christ in that they are “false” Christs who put themselves in the place of Christ. Jesus predicted their appearance (Matt. 24:23-27), and we know of several figures that claimed to be the Messiah and led insurrections against the Romans or started religious movements not long after Jesus’ death.

The spirit of the antichrist is very much alive today as well. The very doctrine that Cerinthus taught is virtually a dogma in New Age circles (see RT3, pp. 332-33 fn. 65). Spiritist medium Edgar Cayce, the famous “sleeping prophet,” taught it, as do many current New Age “channelers.” Pseudochristoi are also with us in new forms. Dr. Williams mentions the hidden “Lord Maitreya” (see RT3, p. 332 fn. 62). The leader of the Unification Church, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, has left little doubt in the minds of his followers that he is the “Lord of the Second Advent” — Christ come again. And Helen Schucman, a New York psychologist, claimed to have channeled a series of teachings from Jesus entitled “A Course in Miracles,” which have become immensely popular.

But perhaps the most insidious modern pseudochrist is the New Age concept of “the Christ within.” In the words of “Ramtha,” an entity supposedly channeled through medium J. Z. Knight on the “Merv Griffin Show”: “What is termed God is within your being. . . . And that which is called Christ is within your being. . . . And when you know you are God, you will find joy” (quoted in Another Gospel by Ruth Tucker, p. 338). This crude deification of the ego is not only contrary to Christianity, but even to Eastern religion, correctly understood.

Does the present dilution of orthodox doctrine and the widespread acceptance of an occultic worldview mean that we are in the end times? Perhaps, but we cannot say with certainty. As with “the apostasy” we must heed the scriptural warning to watch for an unmistakable and climatic manifestation of these signs and forces. In considering this issue you might find it helpful to reread 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 carefully along with the Topical Note “Antichrist” found in the NIVTSB, p. 1405.

Key Concepts:

1. The return of Christ will be preceded by both the wide extension of the gospel and a corresponding growth of . [326]

2. Paul wrote that in the last days there would be many “having a form of godliness [or religion] but denying its .” [326]

3. True or False. Historically, the Christian dispensation is itself “the last days.” [326]

4. “ ” means a “falling away” from the truths of the faith. [327]

5. The departure from is the core of apostasy. [327]

6. The is the one who deceives others by denying that Christ is God come in the flesh. [330]

7. True or False. Apostasia also may be translated “departure” and may be understood as a reference to the rapture. [330 fn. 52]

8. The “ ” are actually “antichrists” because they presume to be Christ. [331]

9. When John spoke of it being “the last hour,” he was expressing a truth rather than making a chronological reference. [331 fn. 56]

10. New Age thinking stresses that Jesus was simply an embodiment of the universal and impersonal “Christ .” [332-33 fn. 65]

Further Study: Read “Antichrist,” p. 64 and “Apostasy,” p. 70 in the NIDB. Review the scriptures under “Antichrist,” p. 11 and “Falling away,” p. 54 in the NIVTSB Topical index.

Life Application: We, like the churches addressed in the book of Revelation, must strive to keep our “first love” (2:4) so that we do not fall away. Do you need to “repent and do the things you did at first” (v. 5)? Do you have a “form of godliness” (2 Tim. 3:5) nominally, while denying its power in your life? Are there traces of apostasy in your conversation, in what you read or see, or in your church, which need to be addressed?

Reading: Renewal Theology 3, pp. 334-39.

Key Scripture: “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction” (2 Thess. 2:3).

Key Words: Anomia, Secular Humanism, New Age Movement, Apotheosis.

In our last lesson we discussed two closely related signs of Christ’s parousia — the great apostasy and the man of sin, or man of lawlessness. According to Paul, the parousia of the man of sin is a certain indication that the final advent of Christ is at hand. In this lesson we will take a closer look at the nature and identity of the man of sin.

In Greek the man of sin is the man of anomia. The word anomia consists of the prefix a, meaning “without,” and nomia, from nomos: “law” or “what is proper.” Thus the character of this figure is revealed as one who is essentially lawless, sinful, and without natural affection. He is the embodiment of evil and of the spirit of apostasy for which he serves as a figurehead. He is often equated with the Antichrist, though for technical reasons Dr. Williams declines to do so here (RT3, p. 335 fn. 75).

The man of sin is not Satan himself (see 2 Thess. 2:9) but is empowered supernaturally by Satan to become an utterly pure expression of satanic pride and ambition. This is most apparent in his desire to “oppose . . . and exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (v. 4). This act is perfectly in accord with Satan’s pride, hatred of God, and desire for worship as revealed elsewhere in Scripture (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:2ff.; Matt. 4:9).

The coming man of sin is prefigured in the Old Testament, most notably in the book of Daniel (7:8-14; 11:36-45). As with other apocalyptic figures and motifs, there have been preliminary “partial fulfillments” of the parousia of the man of sin. In 167 b.c. the Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes attacked Jerusalem on the Sabbath, desecrated the altar, and installed an image of Zeus in the temple to which sacrifice was made regularly (the “abomination of desolation” mentioned in 11:31; 12:11).

During the reign of Caligula (a.d. 37-41) the Jews were pressured to sacrifice to the Roman emperor as a god. Roman religious tradition maintained that selected emperors became deities after death. Caligula, however, claimed to be a deity in the flesh, dressing and behaving like Zeus and other Roman gods. When the Jews destroyed an altar that had been erected to him in Judea, he became furious and ordered that all Jewish places of worship be converted into shrines for the imperial cult (see RT3, p. 336 fn. 83). The resistance of his generals and his subsequent assassination prevented this from occurring. About two decades later (c. 64-65) Nero began to persecute the church bitterly. Revelation 13:1-8 and 17:10f. may be references to Nero, who was so hated that many feared he would return from the grave to bring more calamity.

As Peter Cousins notes in the IBC on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (pp. 1469-70), none of the figures discussed above exhaust the reality of the man of sin. Subsequent historical characters such as Hitler or Stalin also may be seen as vehicles through which the “secret power of lawlessness” now at work in the world (v. 7) has manifested itself. But the final manifestation has yet to occur.

How will it occur? Will the man of sin install an image of himself upon the altar of a reconstructed Jewish temple in Jerusalem like his forebears? Or will he command the worship of the world in a more subtle manner?

There are persuasive reasons to believe that the man of sin will fulfill the prophetic scenario in a less literal, more profound way. Consider: why should a secular world (for which the traditional concept of “God” lacks meaning) worship the man of sin as God? The probable answer lies not in the supernatural signs and wonders that he will perform, but in the “powerful delusion” accompanying them (v. 11) — a delusion whose conceptual framework may be seen emerging today.

The Roots of Deception

The ascendence of scientific materialism as the dominant worldview has set the stage for the establishment of secular humanism as the new orthodoxy of Western culture. At the heart of this belief system is the assumption that human beings are morally autonomous and free from any interference from a theistic “God.” In the words of the Humanist Manifesto II: “We believe . . . that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions . . . do a disservice to the human species. . . . [W]e can discover no divine purpose or providence for the human species. . . . [H]umans are responsible for what we are or will become. No deity will save us; we must save ourselves” (pp. 15-16). In dethroning God, secular man “takes his seat in the temple of God” (RT3, p. 339).

But just as nature abhors a vacuum, human nature abhors a spiritual vacuum. Any self-understanding or understanding of the universe that is devoid of spiritual reality leaves us hungering for transcendence. Humans are homo religiosi — naturally religious — and however secularized we claim to become we cannot escape the intuitive knowledge that God exists (Eccl. 3:11; John 1:9; Rom. 1:20). To fill this vacuum, Western culture has begun to turn to alternate religions, particularly to the blend of psychology, paganism, Eastern religion, and occultism popularly known as the New Age Movement.

The “God” of New Age theology is a god graven in the image of naturalism and humanism; a monistic god whose body is nature, and who, rather than being sovereign and transcendent, tends to be pictured as an impersonal, holistic “sum of the parts” of the universe. But if all is God, is anything really God? New Age spirituality is skewed in that it invites man to worship himself in the mirror of his own consciousness — in essence taking his own God-likeness (Gen. 1:26) and confusing it with God Himself. This confusion of image with reality is the fundamental misconception at the root of the human bondage to sin: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised” (Rom. 1:25).

It must be understood that this misconception — this “lie” — is not merely an intellectual miscalculation; a trick of the light; a mental mistake. It is a matter of the heart and the will. We are idolatrous because we choose to be. Why do we make this choice? Because idols must be tended — not obeyed. All idolatry is really a form of self-worship. Through it, the idolater is emancipated to serve his or her appetites and desires.

We need further to understand that all self-idolatry is anti-Christ, anti-God, and by that account satanic. It is no accident that Satan’s “lie” to Adam and Eve — “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” (Gen. 3:5) — is the same as the “lie” discussed by Paul in Romans. Will this lie, resurrected in a modern form of counterfeit spirituality, be the basis for the “delusion” and “the lie” (2 Thess. 2:11) that will accompany the parousia of the man of sin?

It is interesting to compare the devastation wrought by the “lies” described in Genesis and Romans with that described by Paul in 2 Thessalonians. Acceptance of the lie in Eden brought physical death and the estrangement of humanity from God, nature, and self. In Romans the “foolish hearts” of those who “suppress the truth by their wickedness” are “darkened” (Rom. 1:18, 21). As a result God “[gives] them over to shameful lusts” (v. 26) so that their wickedness rules over them, destroying them. In 2 Thessalonians those who “refused to love the truth” (2:10) become powerless, and are “condemned” because they “have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (v. 12; cf. John 3:19-21). Moral and civil chaos and finally complete destruction are the common legacy of “the lie” in each case.

If love is “the greatest of these” (1 Cor. 13:13), “the delusion” is its opposite. It is deliberate blindness in the face of truth. It is a hatred; a “looking-away” from the reality of God to shadows and idols. It is the apotheosis — the “making into god” — of our own lust. It is just this willful blindness in the face of the plain testimony of God’s Spirit that Jesus earmarked as the unforgivable sin (Mark 3:28-29). This ultimately destructive lie will be persuasively embodied in the man of sin as the apostasy of Israel was embodied in the golden calf at the foot of Mt. Sinai (Ex. 32:1ff.).

Key Concepts:

1. True or False. When the man of wickedness is revealed, the final advent of Christ is at hand. [334]

2. The title “the son of perdition” suggests that he is the offspring of all that is evil and his destination is eternal . [335]

3. When the man of wickedness enters the temple, he will attempt to realize Satan’s one vast ambition — to call for of himself. [336]

4. The “mystery of wickedness” (is, is not) now present. [336]

5. “The temple” may be viewed as a literal temple, but more likely is a metaphor for the usurpation of God’s . [336 fn. 83]

6. “The restrainer” possibly refers to the who “cements” society and empowers the state to maintain moral order. [336-37]

7. The coming of the man of wickedness will be with false wonders and “with all of wickedness for those who perish.” [337]

8. The revelation of the man of sin as totally evil could correspond to the “loosing” of in Revelation 20:7. [337 fn. 90]

9. True or False. The parousia of the man of sin is the final counterfeit appearance of Christ. [338]

10. Because of the ever-growing secularity of America, we are experiencing a freedom (for, from) religion. [338-39]

11. Secular declares that there is no God. [339]

12. thinking views man as one with God in his true, inner identity. [339]

Further Study: Read “III. Events Preceding the Parousia (2 Thess. 2:1-12),” IBC, pp. 1469-70.

Life Application: Do you detect the influences of secular humanism or New Age spirituality impinging on your work, life, or family? Can you articulately respond to the challenges they present? If not, become more informed about these two movements. Note the bibliography given by Dr. Williams (RT3, p. 332 fn. 64), especially the works by Douglas Groothius and Ruth Tucker.

Reading: Renewal Theology 3, pp. 339-53.

Key Scripture: “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast — all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13:8).

Key Words: Sebastos, Kurios, Charagma.

Over the centuries Bible scholars have puzzled over the complex imagery and unique interpretive problems of the book of Revelation. Martin Luther felt it unfit to be included in the canon of Scripture. Its cryptic nature (to modern readers anyway) has confused many. But as biblical scholarship has illuminated the nature of apocalyptic language in recent years, our understanding of Revelation has increased.

We now turn to the book of Revelation in our study of eschatology; specifically to the subject of the two beasts in Revelation 13 and to the question of their relationship to the “man of sin” discussed in the previous lesson. The Study Guide will only attempt to sketch an overview of some main points about this subject. Careful reading of the textbook is necessary to understand thoroughly the arguments and conclusions Dr. Williams sets forth.

The Beast out of the Sea

Both the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth are symbolically identified as aspects or minions of the great red dragon (12:3). Like him, they have seven heads and ten horns. The dragon himself is explicitly identified as Satan (v. 9). In the ancient Near East the adversary of God was often portrayed as a great serpent or monster (cf. Gen. 3:1ff.). The image of Behemoth or Leviathan in the Old Testament (Job 41:1; Ps. 74:12-14; Isa. 27:1; 51:9) is both an echo of this image and a type of Satan. Like Satan, the dragon is cast down from heaven with his followers (Rev. 12:7-9; cf. Luke 10:18) after which he sets about tormenting the community of faith — represented by the “woman” in Revelation 12 — and all who follow Christ (v. 17).

The “sea,” according to Dr. Williams, represents the nations of the earth (cf. Isa. 17:12). It also may refer to the abyss, the traditional abode of Leviathan, who was often pictured emerging from a watery chaos (note Dan. 7:2f. and Rev. 12:15). The beast from the sea receives great power (horns) and authority (crowns) from the dragon (Rev. 13:2). In appearance, he is an amalgam of the four terrible beasts pictured in Daniel 7:3-7, which represented the great world powers of that period — Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (see RT3, p. 345 fn. 126); or, alternately, Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greco-Syria (see the chart of the various positions in IBC, p. 850).

Unlike the dragon, who had crowns upon his heads, the beast has crowns upon his horns, indicating that, as in Daniel, the horns symbolize kings. Since the number ten suggests completion in Revelation, the ten kings represent the bestowal by Satan of the authority of “all the kingdoms of the world” (see Matt. 4:8).

That each head had a “blasphemous name” (Rev. 13:1) may refer to Roman emperor-worship (see RT3, p. 347; cf. p. 343 concerning 17:9-11). The “name” may have been the imperial title sebastos (“sacred” or “holy”). Roman emperors were also called “God,” “Son of God,” “Savior of the World,” and kurios — the Greek word for “Lord” used for both God and Christ in the Bible. Countless Christians died rather than confess that “Caesar is Lord.”

John said that the world is astonished because “one of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed” (13:3). Many commentators feel that this refers to the beast as Nero redivivus — Nero resurrected (IBC, p. 1615). Dr. Williams’ opinion inclines more toward the view that the wound represents the mortal injury inflicted by Christ upon Satan at Calvary (RT3, pp. 340-41; cf. fn. 101). The beast’s “resurrection” represents the “coming up” of Satan from the abyss for its final onslaught against God and His people at the end of time (Rev. 17:8; RT3, pp. 342-44).

Dr. Williams concludes that the man of sin and the beast from out of the sea “represent the same malign reality” (RT3, p. 346). As history has shown, the darkest side of human nature tends to emerge in phases of “collective evil” during war or through the atrocities perpetrated by totalitarian states. Rome represented such a collective evil for John. It is possible that, after the restraining power of the Holy Spirit is removed, the fundamental anti-god orientation of secular society will serve as a channel for satanic malevolence on an unprecedented scale. The man of sin and the beast from out of the sea symbolize this diabolically animated leader or system.

The Beast out of the Earth

The beast out of the earth had “two horns like a lamb” but spoke “like a dragon” (13:11), that is, with the seductive power of Satan, the arch-deceiver (v. 14; 20:8). John probably had in mind the priestly organization set up to enforce emperor worship. Rome had done much to improve conditions in the ancient world and pagan priests could argue persuasively that Christians should compromise with the imperial cult. They were also trained in sorcery, trickery, ventriloquism, and other theatrical devices to inspire religious awe before the images on their altars (13:15).

The “mark” (Gk. charagma) of the beast (v. 16) may have its background in ancient customs. Slaves were sometimes branded with the mark of their owner. Roman soldiers sometimes branded themselves with the mark of their general. Business transactions were validated with contracts that bore the charagma of the emperor (v. 17). Most telling, after citizens made their obligatory offering of incense to the emperor they received a certificate of worship. Without this, Christians could be put to death for sedition (v. 15).

Dr. Williams concludes that the man of sin is a composite of the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth. These two respectively represent the political and religious aspects of any anti-God coalition. Anti-Christian Rome, with its religious system of emperor worship, is one historical example of such a coalition. Nazi Germany and those who colluded with the Nazis to form the German Christian Church is another. This group portrayed Hitler in messianic terms and substituted the swastika for the cross — a kind of abomination of desolation. In this scenario, we might see Hitler allegorically as the beast out of the sea and Ludwig Muller, his puppet bishop, as the beast out of the earth.

Western history since the advent of Christianity has shown that when a society abandons its belief in God, the state — in a fascist or totalitarian form — effectively becomes the New Idol; the new God. The final, eschatological appearance of the man of sin may coincide with the emergence of a global totalitarianism. This does not necessarily mean that all national boundaries will be dissolved and a single leader will assume power. More likely a system or ideology with political and religious ramifications hostile to Christianity will come into being, undergirded perhaps by a cosmic humanism similar to that expressed in New Age thinking. The ensuing tendency toward personal and political self-deification will create a lawlessness and hatred of God. The world will see an unprecedented demonstration of blasphemy and wickedness that will precipitate the final clash between the forces of good and evil.

Key Concepts:

1. The beast “out of the sea” is a full representative of , the “great red dragon” who also has ten horns and seven heads. [340]

2. “Out of the sea” probably signifies out of the peoples and of the world. [340 fn. 97]

3. In apocalyptic language, the ten horns and ten kings represent the completeness of __________________. [340 fn. 98]

4. True or False. Authority will be given to the beast over everyone on earth. [341]

5. The phrase “earth-dwellers” in Revelation refers to (believers, unbelievers). [341 fn. 106]

6. John called for persecuted Christians to respond to persecution with (swords, endurance and faith). [342]

7. That the seven heads of the beast equal seven hills and seven kings identifies the beast in part with the Empire. [343-44]

8. The beast out of the earth, like Christ, has the appearance of a but also has the voice of a dragon. [346]

9. The second beast is also “the false ” who promotes worship of the first beast. [347 fn. 136]

10. Everyone on earth will (symbolically) receive the “mark” of the beast or the “ ” of God upon their forehead. [349 fn. 146]

11. The man of sin is a kind of “composite beast”; the two beasts of Revelation represent the secular and components of his power. [351]

12. The “holy city” in Revelation is best understood as the . [352 fn. 157]

Further Study: Read “Revelation,” IBC, pp. 1593-95; also read “Revelation, Book of the,” NIDB, pp. 859-61.

Life Application: History and the second beast’s role in the book of Revelation show that the church must beware of losing its prophetic identity by compromising with the world. Do you feel that your church or denomination has compromised on doctrinal or moral issues? Have you made any such compromises yourself? What can you do to reverse the effects of such choices?