Jesus’ Prophecy About the Antichrist’s Reign

For many years there was a great deal of emphasis placed on signs such as wars and natural disasters as indicating the when the Lord will return.   Our modern media makes us aware of so many of these kinds of events that Christians have become overwhelmed and many say they are no longer looking for sigh, but are just waiting for the trumpet to sound.  As we saw in the previous post, the signs they were looking at indicated nothing about when Christ would return, but only reminded us how wicked this world is. 

Jesus did warn about one sign Christians should look for, in Matthew 24:15-22.  “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” 

The event Jesus warned about is described in more detail in Daniel 9:26-27, when the Antichrist breaks the treaty with Israel and bans all worship of God.  Daniel 7:20-21, Daniel 8:23-25, and Daniel 11:31-39 all describe events during that period.  Although those who worship god, both Christians and Jews have been persecuted throughout history, Persecution in the Antichrist’s day will worse than ever before, and it will start in Jerusalem.  Those who are there will have no warning and will be forced to flee with just the clothes on their backs.   They will not have time to go home to get even minimal supplies so if it happens in winter or when they are away from home, they will be even more unprepared.  An infant or a baby born during this time will have little chance of survival. 

During the same period, Daniel 11:40-45 describes wars and political unrest, while Revelation 6-10 describes a series of plagues and natural disasters that wipe out half of the world’s population.  It will be so bad that in Matthew 24:22, Jesus said, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”  If God didn’t intervene, all life on earth would be wiped out. 

People will panic as they see what is happening and be looking for anyone with answers. Just as we see right now with the Corona virus pandemic, and this will result in a great many experts claiming to have answers, hoping to capitalize on the panic.  Some of them will be unbelievably persuasive.  Christians must not allow themselves to be fooled, as Jesus warns in Matthew 24:23-26.  “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  Behold, I have told you before.  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.”

When the Lord does come, it will not happen in a secret place, but will be obvious to everyone, as Matthew 24:27-28 describes.  “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” The very fact that it is being whispered in secret is a clear indication it is not real.  We need to remember that Jesus warned us about this. 

Jesus warned that the Antichrist’s ascension would be the beginning of extreme persecution for those who worship God, but as he said, God will intervene to prevent the end of all life.  Matthew 24:29-31 tells us a little about what will happen when he intervenes.  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Revelation 14:14-16 gives a little more detail about the angels gathering God’s people.  “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.  And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”