Tag: Schoenherr

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Eschatology Video Commentaries

Who is the Antichrist?

Who is Antichrist?

JOHN

Likely written around 62 AD to an unnamed church in Asia Minor, John’s audience has suffered division and abandonment. As he counsels, notice John’s references to antichrist; this is a present reality his readers are experiencing, just as we’ve seen in our previous examples.

18 “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore, 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 it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:18-19; remember the false Christs and false prophets of Matthew 24:23-25.)

From verse 19, it seems members of this congregation abandoned the faith, deserting the Church and drawing others after them. In verse 22, John zeroes in on exactly what he means when he says “antichrist” (antichristos, Strong’s 500):

“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.” (1 John 2:22)

John writes these things concerning those “who seduce you” (1 John 1:26). He is confronting an active threat by those who would undermine this body of believers. Now John defines the difference between true believers and false:

1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:1-3)

Here we not only see a definition of what it means to be anti-Christ, but we also catch a glimpse of what it means to be in Christ. In his second letter to this church, John doubles down on his definition of antichrist:

“For many deceivers have entered into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” (2 John 1:7)

Throughout John’s three epistles, the author drives home several key themes including admonition to reject false teachings, how to identify true believers, and encouragement to stand firm in the faith.

Top Antichrist Theories

Next, let’s briefly discuss the top theories surrounding the identity of John’s antichrists… [See complete transcript at ProphecyCourse.org…]

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Eschatology Video Commentaries

Who is the Man of Lawlessness? (Man of Sin)

Who is the Man of Lawlessness (Son of Perdition)?
The only place we see the “man of lawlessness” title in Scripture is in 2 Thessalonians 2. Writing in the early 50’s AD, Paul shifts from discussing Christ’s return on the last day (sometimes called Judgment Day, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12) and now addresses a more immediate concern for the young church in Thessalonica. Time is running out: 20 years have passed since Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives and predicted a time of terrible tribulation.

In this lesson, Matthew Schoenherr takes a closer look at the man of sin and identifies a few candidates.
Session notes: https://prophecycourse.org/session/more/man-of-sin/

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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Eschatology Video Commentaries

Revelation, the Beast, and the Meaning of 666

Once again John Alley brings a message about “end times”, beginning with an examination of the meaning of the “coming” of Christ and then giving an overview of the book of Revelation. Revelation, John explains, is the most Jewish of all the books of the New Testament, drawing greatly on Jewish symbols, history, concepts and nuances of language. The book was written to the seven churches of Asia, at a time when there was a larger percentage of Jewish Christians in the Asian region, and there was a huge emphasis on Emperor worship. John examines events from history which all point to the book of Revelation being written in about 64 or 65 AD. With this understanding, then, it is very easy to see that most of the prophecy of the book of Revelation has been fulfilled in the great tribulation and suffering inflicted on the Church by the Emperor Nero. Therefore, the Beast referred to in the book would seem to most likely have been Nero himself. John explains many fascinating facts including the source of the number 666 and then goes on to say that as for the future, we have hope, a great calling, a great many promises and a Messiah King ruling in Heaven. We should be encouraged, says John, that although difficult times will come for some people, the Gospel triumphs over them all and we need to pour ourselves out in service to God for the furtherance of the Kingdom.

In any modern Bible study on the last days, a common practice for understanding the dark, end-times enemy known as the Antichrist is to mix together Paul’s man of lawlessness, John’s antichrists (plural), and John’s beast of Revelation 13, while sprinkling in a dash of Daniel’s 70th week for flavor. The result? A tyrannical dictator the likes this world has never seen. But is this apocalyptic amalgamation biblical?

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Amillennialism Video Commentaries

Daniel’s 70-Week Prophecy

foreign invading army

Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy

(Daniel 9:24-27, Leviticus 28:5)

Imagine being visited by an angel and receiving a promise foretelling a future king who would liberate your people and usher in an entirely new kingdom—a new way of life—free from the crushing burden of sin, shame and guilt. Amazing! But then this promise turns dark, tainted by war, desolation and the end of all you’ve ever known.

Oh, and did I mention this prophecy is wrapped in an exact timeframe so your people can know when all this is going to go down?

Welcome to Daniel’s 70-Week Prophecy.

TAKE-AWAYS FROM THIS LESSON

  • This prophecy gives a precise timeline
  • Announces the arrival of Israel’s Messiah
  • Predicts the Messiah’s death
  • Predicts the destruction of temple and Jerusalem by an army
  • Jesus reminds His first-century followers of this prophecy to warn them of the impending 70 AD judgment (Matthew 24:15)

Complete notes for this lesson can be found at prophecycourse.org.

John Alley’s message begins with an overview of Daniel Chapter 9:24-27, before focusing on verse 24 in particular. John observes that many people, preoccupied with their own view of end times, have unfortunately imported difficulty into these verses that was not intended by the Lord when speaking with the prophet Daniel. It was given to Daniel, the angel said, so that he would “understand.”

24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

John points out several items of great interest, including the amazing prophecies regarding Cyrus recorded centuries before he came to power as the world ruler and issued the decree to rebuild Jerusalem–which decree was the starting point for the 70 heptads (70 “sevens”), a period of 490 years. At the end of 69 heptads, the Messiah was to appear to Israel, and in the middle of the 70th week, he will be “cut off.” These events were fulfilled exactly–in the precise timeframe foretold–including the six things prophesied in verse 24 of Daniel 9. John presents both New and Old Testament Scripture to demonstrate all of these things have complete Gospel fulfilment.

John points out the judgements in the prophecy that were to come, and did come, upon Israel, who rejected and put to death their Messiah. One of these was the sealing up of vision and prophecy (as foretold by other prophets as well) so that from that time, no one in Judaism had any further access to seeing or hearing (for only in Christ is the veil taken away), but at the same time the Body of Christ became the newly anointed Most Holy Place (the temple of God), the anointing of which took place at Pentecost–again, precisely in the middle of the 70th heptad. John concludes with this devotional application: We believers in our Lord Jesus cannot take God, nor the grace we have, for granted. We must be humble before God, so that we will not by default suffer the same judgement as in this passage, but rather by the grace of God have ears that hear and eyes that see. This message is filled with Scriptural and historical truths and will bring light to the passage discussed.

Gary DeMar

A discussion of Bible prophecy with an emphasis on Daniel’s 70 weeks of years.

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Eschatology Video Commentaries

The Beast

A notorious figure listed in the book of Revelation is called “The Beast.” So who is the beast identified in the book of Revelation? Has he already come or should we still expect him? In this prophecy class, Dr. Sproul matches the biblical portrait of the beast with a man who fits the description right down to the name.

In any modern Bible study on the last days, a common practice for understanding the dark, end-times enemy known as the Antichrist is to mix together Paul’s man of lawlessness, John’s antichrists (plural), and John’s beast of Revelation 13, while sprinkling in a dash of Daniel’s 70th week for flavor. The result? A tyrannical dictator the likes this world has never seen. But is this apocalyptic amalgamation biblical?