6-6-6
The Ultimate Antichrist

(Sermon Notes)
By Warren Zehrung – February 16, 2013

More and more, one by one, the details of end-time prophecy are falling into place.  God reveals that only His true saints will understand.

1 Thessalonians 5:

2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [for all the world]

1 Thessalonians 5:

4  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Watch” is our key word for today.  It means to “Keep awake” and be “vigilant!”

We are watching world events and being sober – knowing what lies just ahead for the brethren of the Church of God.

There is going to be an end-time persecution on most all the Saints of the true Church.

Revelation 12:

17  And the dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman [church brethren], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the Commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 24:

9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Luke 21:

10  Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

[Just this week alone we have seen a giant meteorite strike the earth and lightening strike St. Peter's basilica in Rome – Italy's Vatican City right after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation Monday – do not let these thing bother you.]

Luke 21:

12  But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

13  And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

Things are heating up.  There will be end-time martyrdom - as there was in the first century Church of God.

There is a Spirit of Iniquity at work in the world - and it is building up.

Revelation 6:

9  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Those brethren who have not yet learned to lay down their lives for one another at this time – which is the love of God, and the love of the brethren that we are called to – will have to physically lay down their lives to show God that they are willing and faithful to do so.

Revelation 12:

11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Slaughter is coming on the Church of God – are you ready?  Are you prepared?  Are you able to take a stand?  It is going to be horrific for some of the Saints of God.

We have seen wild mass executions around the world.

We’ve seen the Pol Pot killing fields in Cambodia where 2 million died in the mid to late 1970’s, Communist China, the French revolution, and the Jewish holocaust in WWII.

There is a spirit of iniquity in the world that raises its ugly head here and there.

The tribulation which is coming will be worse than anything the world has ever seen!  It will be the time of Jacob’s trouble - Jeremiah 30:7.

Jeremiah 30:

7  Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

What are we to do?

1 Peter 3:

15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Here is only one of the many world events that we should be watching.

On Monday this week, February 11, 2013, 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, effective February 28 at 1900 Greenwich Mean Time. 

*This resignation is important for us to watch because of who may be ushered into this very powerful and influential position.

All of the world’s prominent leaders immediately gave obeisance and honor to the former Joseph Ratzinger of German birth – no less.

United States President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and a host of political, business and religious leaders praised Pope Benedict for leadership and service, as well as his decision to resign.

By Passover time there will be an entirely new Pope over the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

Revelation 18:

16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city [Rome – of seven hills – Italy's Vatican City], that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

Brethren, if you have not noticed it already – you just watch how the purple and scarlet will be flowing in Rome over the next several weeks.  Notice the religious vestments trimmed in Gold.

What role will the next Pope have with regard to the Biblically prophesied Man of sin, the Antichrist, Son of perdition, Beast, Mystery of Iniquity, Wicked one, Abomination of Desolation, False Prophet, Spirit of Error or False Christ that the Bible speaks of?

Are we able to identify the characteristics of each of these entities and distinguish between them?  We need to know.

God has given us a great deal of information so that we can be forewarned of the coming trouble.

Over the years the Church of God has issued publications on “The Beast of Revelation,” “The Book of Revelation Revealed at Last, “The False Prophet” and so forth.

With what is going on in the world, right now would be a very good time to review that material and become very familiar with it.

What does a Pope’s resignation mean?  Is it important?

Why did so many influential non-Catholics rush to heap accolades on a retiring religious leader in far away Italy?

Should members of the Church of God take notice?  Yes, we should.

We need to be concerned because end-time events are rapidly unfolding as we speak.

Daniel 7:

3  And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

These four correspond to the four parts of the image in Daniel 2, representing the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman empires.

Daniel 7:

15  I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

16  I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

17  These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

18  But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.  [That is the good end of the story]

Daniel 8:

23  And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance [Paul calls him the “Man of Sin” – “Beast”], and understanding dark sentences [Satan’s power], shall stand up.

24  And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

[In this next verse we will see why John refers to the Man of Sin as the antichrist.]

Daniel 8:

25  And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against [anti] the Prince of princes [Christ]; but he shall be broken without hand.

Revelation 17:

11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.

12  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.

13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast [antichrist – notice next verse].

14  These shall make war with the Lamb [Jesus Christ], and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful. [the saints.]

We cannot trust the news media.  Who can we trust to look out for our interests?

Many people are being misled, and we wish to watch and not be taken in.  We are told in:

Matthew 25:

13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

*Luke 21:

36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

What is the sequence of events that will take place at the end-time?

What are we to watch for?

Nearly 2000 years ago God has made this antichrist material a part of the bible for His purposes.  We should know and watch.

How are things shaping up?  Few people in Europe are practicing Catholics – they are outnumbered by Muslims 2 to1 worldwide.

What is the significance of 666?

St. Peter of Rome is not the same man as the apostle Peter.  St. Peter of Rome is Simon Magus, Simon the Sorcerer, or Simon the Magician of Acts 8:9-24.

*RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) tags inserted in hands or head is not the Mark of the beast - they may be incorporated by the beast - but 666 is rejection of all things Godly.

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI opens the way for a younger charismatic pope to take the reins and begin to deceive the world’s people into regarding him as an ultimate moral authority.

Brethren, are we watching for that Wicked [one]?  Do we know how to recognize it when it comes on the scene – while the entire earth is deceived?

Revelation 12:

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.

There is a dreadful tyrant coming on the scene.  God warns us not to be deceived by him:

2 Thessalonians 2:

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 opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as god [he’s not] sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

2 Thessalonians 2:

6  And now ye know what withholds [restrains this from taking place] that he might be revealed in his time.

7  For the mystery of iniquity is already working: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way [when the restraining power on Satan is let go].

8  And then shall that Wicked [one] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:

We absolutely do not want to be in danger of falling for this son of perdition’s deception and lies. 

The antichrist will be so convincing.  “He will have the solution to all the world’s ills.” Poverty, joblessness, war, debt, illnesses, GM (genetically modified/engineered foods) … He will appear to be the Man of Peace.

Remember that we are warned:

1 Thessalonians 5:

3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Will we be able to distinguish between the ultimate antichrist and Jesus Christ by the miracles that will be performed?  Those miracles are going to fool the majority of mankind because no man can do those things unless empowered by a strong spirit being.

2 Thessalonians 2:

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.

Who is the authority and the power behind the beast?  Who is it that supports the Beast’s [antichrist’s] efforts?

The Bible speaks about two wicked leaders.  The “beast" and "False Prophet."

We need to distinguish between the two evil leaders  -even though they will undoubtedly be working closely together to set up the Abomination of Desolation and establishing and enforcing the Mark of the Beast – worldwide control of labor and religion.

There will be an interaction between the false prophet and the antichrist / Beast.

If we are able to identify the False Prophet – that will show us who the Beast or antichrist is.

Revelation 19:

20  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.

Revelation 13:

1  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.

2  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 [Satan] gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

A miraculous recovery takes place.

Revelation 13:

3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast [antichrist / Man of Sin].

4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9  If any man have an ear, let him hear.

10  He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

The False Prophet also becomes a Beast.

Revelation 13:

11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth [False Prophet]; and he had two horns like a lamb [the counterfeit religious leader], and he spoke as a dragon [spirit of Satan in him to give him his power].

12  And he exercises all the power of the first beast  [the Man of Sin] before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. [Worship belongs only to God – not a short lived political/economic system]

13  And he [False Prophet/miracle worker] doeth great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14  And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he [False Prophet] had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Brethren, we keep our eyes open because this image to the beast is verse 14 may be a reference to the Abomination which makes desolate.

Europe is in terrible financial trouble – and Europe is almost devoid of Catholicism.  Catholic churches are being turned into Muslim mosques.

German Church Becomes Mosque.  "The New Normal" publication jokes: "Do not worry, the muezzin will not shout from the minaret." — Daniel Abdin, Chairman, the Al-Nour Center.

How long will it be before they put up a minaret with loud speakers blasting out the multiple calls to prayer every day?

This Muslim plan to convert a former Lutheran church in the city of Hamburg into a mosque is generating more and more controversy across Germany.

From Berlin to Dortmund to Mönchengladbach, the gradual proliferation of mosques housed in former churches, Catholic and Protestant, reflects the rise of Islam as the fastest growing religion in post-Christian Germany.

In the most recent case, the church would be the first converted into a mosque in the second-largest city in Germany – Hamburg.

The False Prophet is going to turn things around!

Unlike the world’s Catholics, the Muslim world of Islam does not have a single world ruling leader like a Pope.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in Iran is the strongest leader that I am aware of.

Daniel 11:

40  And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

Revelation 13:

15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Here we come to the Mark of the Beast.

Revelation 13:

16  And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

God's people will reject the Mark of the Beast. They will "have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name."

We have here  a glimpse of the Wedding Supper of Jesus Christ and His Bride – the Church brethren – standing before God the Father:

Revelation 15:

2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass [before the throne of God in heaven] mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Revelation 13:

17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

To what extent will the next Pope be directly involved in end-time events?

Brethren, do you remember what 6-6-6 means?  Are you able to count the number?

Revelation 13:

18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

6-6-6 it is the number of a man.

6-6-6 is gotten from adding together the numerical equivalents of the letters in the word ‘Lateinos’, the Greek language for "Roman."  “Rome – the Pope” is the seat of the Beast Empire.

There are so many details about the antichrist in the Book of Revelation, Daniel, throughout the Bible.

Brethren, familiarize yourself with all the references on the antichrist so that when they come to pass you will recognize what is going on.  The nightly news will not help you one bit.

One last caveat: Be warned that it is dangerous to supply actual names to prophetic verses.  The problem is that we do not know for sure – until it comes to its fulfillment.

Ministers taught, and I still have references to GTA being Joshua because of the “filthy garments” - Zechariah 3:3)

Ministers taught in the Worldwide Church of God, and I still have references to Archduke Otto von Habsburg of Austria, the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary being the Beast.

Otto von Habsburg's death officially marked the end of a 640-year dynasty of Europe's once most powerful royal family that supplied the continent with a nearly uninterrupted stream of rulers.

From 1452 the Habsburg family dynasty held the title of Holy Roman Emperor almost continuously until the Empire was dissolved by Napoleon in 1806.

The Habsburg Empire reached its greatest extent in the early 16th century under Charles V Habsburg, who, through diplomacy, marriage, and conquest, ruled one of the largest empires ever created.  Otto von Habsburg died on the 4 July 2011.

Filling in names can greatly throw you off in your study of Prophecy – because prophecy is seldom fulfilled as we expect it to be.  Keep your eye on this next Pope – but do not say, “He’s the one.”

England and America have been greatly blessed with exceptional wealth and religious freedom for longer than any of us can remember.

As we collectively turn our backs on God and His laws our blessings are evaporating right before our eyes – and we are about to be rigorously tested.  The world has gone mad!

Immorality, evil, depravity, injustice and dishonesty are becoming the norm.  And as a direct result of our iniquities our world is being turned upside down.  It is crazy!

Every day as we hear the news we find ourselves saying of world events and politicians, “This is just plain ludicrous.”

Isaiah 59:

3  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

4  None calls for justice, nor any pleads for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

Brethren, let us make sure that we call for justice and plead for truth.  Let us make sure that we demonstrate a Godly love for the brethren.

It is only God’s people who will have a unique understanding.  We look to no man or Pope.  God will show us the way.

Revelation 22:

6  These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done.

The world is on the brink of destruction – they do not see it coming.  Almost everyone is going to be confused and believe the counterfeit opposite of the truth.

Only the spiritually wise will understand.  Not the intelligentsia, not the educated nor the elite.

Daniel 12:

10  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

***

Sermon:  "6-6-6 The Ultimate Antichrist"

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