Introduction: The Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition
Every serious study of the end times must begin where the apostle Paul’s warning begins. Speaking of the second coming of Jesus the Christ, the apostle writes to the Thessalonians:
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
It is important to notice how the apostle Paul refers to this figure: he calls him only the man of sin and the son of perdition. The one who uses the term antichrist is the apostle John. This distinction deserves our attention, because the word “antichrist” is very popular among believers in the contemporary church, and yet it is a definition that comes from a single writer, while Paul, writing about the same figure, never uses that term. Throughout this chapter we will continue to call him the antichrist, but understanding that it is John who uses that word, and that we are speaking of the same person whom Paul describes as the man of sin.
The Two Reasons He Is Called the Antichrist
Why is the word antichrist used? There are two reasons.
The first is the better known: he is against Christ. His actions are contrary to the Lord, and we see this already in verse 4 of the same chapter 2 of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, which we have read on other occasions. Everything this man does stands in opposition to Christ Jesus.
The second reason is one that is rarely mentioned in studies and teachings about the antichrist; in fact, we have never heard it in other sermons. The antichrist is the antithesis of Jesus. This means that when someone sees him, that person will believe he is Jesus: he is just like Him, but from the other side, the side of darkness. This second reason is precisely the one that should concern us most, because the Lord Himself warned that, if it were possible, he would deceive even the elect:
“…to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24)
And the elect are not just anybody. The elect are a select people, a group of men and women who walk very close to the Lord. Jesus is saying, then, that when the antichrist appears he will be able to deceive many people, and among them, the elect. That is why we need to have these two reasons for his name very clear in our minds.
The Big Picture: Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls
According to the prophetic writings of the book of Revelation, the antichrist corresponds to the first seal. We have not yet begun the unfolding of Revelation; that unfolding has not begun. But the times are moving very quickly, and in a short span of time we will see the antichrist manifested.
To understand what follows, we need the complete picture, an overview of what we are studying. The book of Revelation is divided into three sections: the seals (seven seals), the trumpets (seven trumpets), and the bowls of God’s wrath (seven bowls). What connects these three sections is this: the seventh seal opens the first trumpet, and the seventh trumpet opens the bowls; there the first bowl begins.
The seals represent the government of the antichrist. This government will last seven full years, and those seven years correspond to the seven seals. When the seventh seal is opened, the trumpets begin, and they announce the time of the tribulation, which will last exactly three and a half years. The last trumpet represents the coming of Christ Jesus, for the Word says, through the apostle Paul, that it is at the last trumpet that the Lord comes.
After Jesus establishes Himself, the millennial reign begins, the thousand-year reign of Jesus the Christ. At the beginning of that time the bowls of God’s wrath are poured out, which is His wrath against the whole world. We often lose sight of the fact that there will be many millions of people living in the world, since the population continues; that is why God pours out seven bowls of His wrath on all the nations of the earth. Meanwhile, the people of God will be gathered together in Jerusalem, and there, simultaneously, the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place. The marriage supper of the Lamb is in Jerusalem; it is not in heaven. Many people lose sight of the fact that we have not yet entered the time of the new heavens and the new earth. The marriage supper of the Lamb is celebrated, then, while the world is receiving the seven bowls of God’s wrath.
Three and a Half Years: A Prophetic Number
The figure of three and a half years has been repeated many times because it is a prophetic number; we find it again and again in the Holy Scriptures, in both the Old and the New Testaments. The last time we find it mentioned is in connection with Jesus when He was taken by His parents to Egypt: according to what is presented in this teaching, Jesus remained three and a half years in Egypt.
Let us see how that conclusion is reached. According to the account we read in Luke, Jesus was about two years old when Herod and the wise men from the East appeared. They did not arrive when Jesus was a newborn. That is an idea we have often embraced, and it comes from Catholicism: the picture of the newborn child in the manger. But the wise men from the East arrived when Jesus was about two years old, and we see this in the same account, because Herod ordered the killing of infants two years old and under. Why that age? Precisely because the wise men had given him the information of, more or less, how old the child was. Jesus therefore leaves for Egypt with His parents at the age of two, and spends a period of three and a half years there. He returns, then, to the land of Israel at about five and a half years of age, when His parents decided to go back and settled in Nazareth. That is the last time this term of three and a half years is mentioned.
The First Seal: The White Horse and the Peace That Deceives
The antichrist establishes a government over the earth. In last week’s study we saw that the white horse represents a peace upon the earth: an impressive peace, established over the whole earth. This peace will bring prosperity to all the nations. And since the church has not yet been raised up (let us remember this: the church has not been raised up), it will also bring a prosperity to the churches.
I do not want to use the word revival, because it is not a legitimate revival. It is a prosperity of the churches that they themselves will understand to be a revival. Let us keep in mind that all the churches of the world, without exception and regardless of denomination, are waiting for an awakening, a revival; they are crying out for it. Well, something is going to happen: a prosperity. But that prosperity does not come from God, because it is established precisely by the antichrist. It is very important that we understand this so that we will not be deceived.
Let us keep in mind that there is a spirit of error. The apostle Paul says in the same letter to the Thessalonians:
“…and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11)
This time of the white horse, which corresponds practically to the first three and a half years of the antichrist’s government, will be a time not only of economic prosperity throughout the world, but also of prosperity in the growth of the churches, which as a whole will understand it as a revival. We know, brethren, that this is not a revival. Why? Because it does not come from God; it is the establishment of the government of the antichrist.
When we studied lying and deception (how many weeks was it, three or four?), we realized that every word uttered by a deceiver, even when it is the Word of God, becomes a lie. Not because the Word of God ceases to be true, but because every word uttered by a deceiver is considered deception. Humanly speaking it is not considered so, and that is why we devoted time to this subject: because it is important that we see things as God sees them, not as people see them, nor as the world sees them, nor as societies define them, but as God sees all things.
The Second and Third Seals: War and Scarcity
Chapter 6 of Revelation tells us about the emergence of the next seals. Let us read verses 3 through 6:
“When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword” (Revelation 6:3-4)
“When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine”” (Revelation 6:5-6)
Let us keep in mind that a denarius was the minimum daily wage. If a quart of wheat costs a denarius, it means that what a worker earns in a day will only be enough to buy that quart of wheat; and if he buys wheat, he does not buy barley, because three quarts of barley also cost a denarius. What we are seeing with this third seal is scarcity, a time of worldwide scarcity. And this, brethren, is part of the tribulation.
The Middle of the Week: When His True Purposes Come to Light
What is going to happen? Later we will go to the text of Daniel to understand it, but let us anticipate this much: in the middle of the seven years of his government, that is, at three and a half years, the antichrist’s true purposes come to light. By then everyone has already been deceived; no one has options for defending themselves; everyone has been overcome in their understanding. Then he changes his form of government, and from that moment a time of tribulation is established.
Jesus described it with these words. Let us read Matthew 24, verses 15 through 21:
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:15-21)
In last week’s teaching we studied that the first thing to unfold is a persecution upon Israel: it is the first to be persecuted, the first to be afflicted. Let us now look at Revelation 12, verses 13 through 17. I cited this text in the previous teaching, but it is worth seeing again, because here the agenda that unfolds in these last times is presented, beginning after the first three and a half years of the antichrist:
“Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent” (Revelation 12:13-14)
“So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus the Christ” (Revelation 12:15-17)
Let us observe the expression “a time and times and half a time”: there the period of three and a half years is repeated. We see how that span of time is repeated prophetically from the Old Testament and is repeated also in the New. And let us notice something more: verses 13 through 16 speak of Israel, while verse 17 speaks of “the rest of her offspring,” those who hold the testimony of Jesus the Christ, which is the church. The persecution begins with Israel, and that is why Jesus said: when you see the abomination of desolation, understand. What time is it that has begun?
I want to make a comment regarding verse 14. There are many people who see the rapture here, because the text says the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly into the wilderness, to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time. Based on this verse they say: there is the rapture; the church is lifted up, spends three and a half years in the heavens, and afterward descends at the coming of Jesus. But this is not speaking of a rapture. Here it speaks, as has happened every time this period is mentioned in the Old Testament, of a supernatural work: the people of God, the people of Israel, will be kept and fed supernaturally during this period of three and a half years.
Do you remember the case of Elijah? In the time of Ahab, Elijah said it would not rain for three and a half years, and it did not rain for that time. We have all read that account. What did the lack of rain bring? Drought. And there Elijah, who at first was by the waters of Cherith, was fed supernaturally by ravens. Afterward the Lord tells him to go to the land of Sidon, because there He has commanded a widow to feed him. We know the account: all the widow had was a little flour, and Elijah told her not to worry, because during the time there was no rain that supply would not run out. In the same way, verse 14 speaks of a supernatural work; it does not say that we will be raptured and spend three and a half years in the air, in the clouds. That is not what the Word of God says.
Verse 17 is very important and we must keep it in mind. It is the foundation for understanding what is coming, because many will come who will try to change our thinking, and we could be inclined, obviously, toward whatever does not produce anxiety or worry in us. But the verse says plainly that the dragon went to make war with the rest of the woman’s offspring, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus the Christ. We are speaking of a persecution, of a tribulation; and that tribulation will last three and a half years.
Daniel 9: The Seventy Weeks and the Middle of the Week
In Matthew 24:15 Jesus refers to the book of Daniel, so we must go there. It is in chapter 9, verses 24 through 27, that we are told of an abomination of desolation. To understand this part, let us read:
“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy” (Daniel 9:24)
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:25-26)
“Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate” (Daniel 9:27)
Verse 24 speaks of seventy weeks, and this had to do with the time that passed from when the people of Judah returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild, an event recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. They are seventy weeks, but weeks of years: if you multiply seventy by seven, we are speaking of four hundred ninety years, which is what passed from when the people of Judah came out of exile and returned to Jerusalem until the crucifixion of Jesus. The text tells us of seven weeks, of sixty-two weeks, and finally, in verse 27, of the last week, the seventieth week.
I want to mention something, brethren: the prophetic word has the capacity to repeat itself over the years. Time, as it is measured in the Bible, is cyclical and progressive; that is, it moves forward, but in a cyclical manner. Greek thought, which does not come from God but from the devil, establishes a line: this is my present, what lies behind is my past, and what lies ahead is my future. That is Greek thought. We do not think like the Greeks, even though we were taught to think as such; we must think as the Bible establishes that we should think. That is why, when we find a prophetic word, we must understand that it is repeated many times throughout history.
What Daniel saw has already had a first fulfillment: from the time the people of Judah came out of exile and returned to Jerusalem, four hundred ninety years were counted until Jesus was crucified. But verse 27 helps us understand why this repeats: in the same way it operated in the time of the Romans with Jesus, in the last times exactly the same thing is going to happen.
Let us read again: “he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week.” A week is seven years, because here we are dealing with weeks of years and not of days. The one who confirms the covenant is the antichrist, and this expresses the acceptance he will have throughout the world at the beginning of his government. The antichrist will establish covenants with practically all the nations, and all will agree with him, because, remember, Revelation 6 presents him as a white horse with a rider who goes out conquering and to conquer. This means he will have worldwide acceptance; for Christians and for those of Israel, many will see him as the man sent from God, as a messiah. Why? Because, as Second Thessalonians says, God will send them strong delusion.
But note what follows: “in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” This is the abomination of desolation. That is why we said that the government of the antichrist will have a period of seven years: it is established prophetically here, in the book of Daniel, where it speaks of weeks of years and not of days. The first half is the government of peace that he establishes; in the middle of the week he turns first against the Jews and afterward against the chosen people.
The Meaning of the Seals: What Is Hidden
Let us speak a little about the meaning of the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls. A seal means that something is closed off, something is hidden, and no one can open it or uncover it. That is what a seal means. For that reason not everyone will be aware of the seals: first seal, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh. It is not something visible; it is not something people can identify by saying, “This is seal number one, this is seal number two.” They will not be aware of them, because that is precisely the characteristic of a seal: it is hidden.
Scripture says so in the book of Daniel:
“And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:9-10)
The only ones who will understand, brethren, are the wise, the ones who understand. And the ones who understand are not everyone who has accepted Jesus; that is not what it means.
The Beast: The Center of the Antichrist’s Government
To conclude, let us go to Revelation 13. In this chapter we find the general content of who the antichrist is and exactly what he establishes. Let us read the first verses:
“Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority” (Revelation 13:1-2)
“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)
“And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 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 13:5-8)
When the beast is spoken of here, the reference is in a double sense: to a group of nations and, at the same time, to the antichrist. Not only the person we are studying, called the antichrist, is mentioned, but also the gathering of nations to which he belongs. In verse 1 we are told that the beast rises out of the sea, and the book of Revelation itself teaches that the many waters represent nations; that is why this man emerges from among the nations. At times the beast designates the group of nations, and at other times it represents the government of the antichrist himself.
Here we must understand what place the text refers to: the center of the antichrist’s government. If you have not read the book of Daniel, I urge you to read it. There we are told of a fourth beast with very similar characteristics: ten horns, seven heads, a horrible beast that tore to pieces everything it found in its path. The fourth beast of the book of Daniel represents Rome: seven heads, seven nations; ten horns, ten kings, that is, ten emperors, from Caesar Augustus until ten kings later, which was the maximum duration of the Roman Empire. What does this mean? That the antichrist will arise within the same setting as Daniel’s fourth beast. And what was that setting? Europe. If you look at a map of the region the Roman Empire took, you can identify the seven nations there.
His base of operations is, therefore, Europe. Many people become confused: they say Russia, they say China, they even say the United States. Brethren, the prophetic Word is pinpointing for us the place, the area where the antichrist will operate, and that area is Europe; for present purposes, what we know today as the European Union, which is taking more and more shape, making physical money disappear and controlling all the nations under its jurisdiction. There is total control in the European nation.
Verse 2 tells us that the government of the antichrist will gather the most outstanding characteristics of the empires of the past. In Daniel we were told of a leopard, of a ram, of a bear, and, of the fourth beast, an exceedingly horrible beast, which was Rome. Those characteristics of past empires will be represented in the government of the antichrist.
Verse 3 speaks of a head mortally wounded whose wound was healed. A head represents a nation. There is, then, a nation that receives a deadly wound, that is practically about to disappear; but through the intervention of the antichrist it does not disappear, but on the contrary, it flourishes and prospers even beyond what it was before. At present there is a nation that can be classified with these characteristics, and it is precisely Ukraine. You know everything that has happened over approximately the last two and a half years; and yet the European Union has not allowed Ukraine to succumb, but rather it seems to be rising up. We say this so that we may understand the picture that is unfolding. When we state, brethren, that we are near to seeing the manifestation of the antichrist, we are not boasting or speaking merely to make an impact; we say it because we are seeing what is happening at this time in the whole world.
In verse 5 it says he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. How many is forty-two months? Exactly three and a half years. That is why that first stage of the antichrist’s government, which we pointed out from the beginning will be an atmosphere of peace, of prosperity, of great advantage, is precisely what is prophesied here, and it is what speaks to us of the operation of error that will be established over the whole earth. Many people, and I am speaking of many of God’s people, will be confused.
Let Us Not Walk by Signs
For this reason, brethren, we cannot base ourselves on signs. Listen well to this. Signs can be repeated arbitrarily, and a person who is thinking in terms of signs can be deceived. Jesus, speaking of this very matter, gave a teaching:
“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near” (Matthew 24:32)
Summer, according to Jesus’ teaching in this passage, speaks of persecution. Here Jesus presents an apparent contradiction: the fig tree, with its tender branches and leaves sprouting, that is, flourishing and beginning to bear fruit; and what is coming is summer. What is coming, Jesus is saying, is not production or benefit: you must understand that what comes next is persecution. Jesus presents this contradictory parable so that no one will be deceived.
We do not walk by signs, brethren; we walk by the Word that has been given to us and by the discernment of the Holy Spirit. If today we become accustomed to asking for signs (“Lord, give me a sign; if it is right for me to take this trip, give me a sign that I will have all the money available to do it”), we are walking wrongly. That is called divination by omens, and it comes from the world. “Give me a sign: if I sell this and obtain the profit, it means that is what You are telling me to do”: no, that is divination by omens. We walk by the discernment of the Holy Spirit and by the Word that establishes for us the purpose of God’s work. If right now we have learned to walk by signs, we must discard that attitude, because what it will truly lead us to is perdition.
Let us not expect that, when we reach this time, we will be able to say: first seal, second seal, third seal. We will not be able to see it. Discernment is needed to see it and understand it. Nowadays you have noticed the kind of interpretation of the Word that is being proclaimed within the Christian world; you see it even if you may not be inside a church, and you notice how people walk and the interpretation they give to things. If we do not abandon that way of being, we will be deceived. We read it in Second Thessalonians: God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie.
The Patience and the Faith of the Saints
Let us return to the end of the passage in Revelation 13, because what it says next is truly very serious:
“If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:9-10)
The Lord spoke to us with a very similar text in the book of Jeremiah:
“And it shall be, if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for famine, to famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity”’” (Jeremiah 15:2)
What do I mean by this, brethren? That there will be many who, in spite of receiving teaching, will not walk according to the teaching: he who is for captivity, to captivity; he who is for the sword, to the sword. That is why the time in which we are living is so important. Now is the time that will truly determine our position in the face of these events. It is not when we get there; it is now, when we are not yet facing anything great or scandalous like what is spoken of in the Holy Scriptures. Now is when we must establish turnarounds and corrections for our lives.
All the teachings we share are not meant to be filed away; they are meant to be lived by, to be kept in mind. If we expose ourselves to this kind of teaching and all we do is take notes, put the notebook away, and file it so as never to look at it again, taking notes was of no use. If notes are taken, it is to review them, to go over them from time to time. But if we take notes, put them away, and never look at them again, the note stayed there, but we removed it from here (from the heart), and that is not honor in the presence of the Lord. Therefore, when the situation arrives, we will not be able to see it.
You have noticed that when I pray, I always pray in almost the same way: “Lord, give us eyes to see.” But if right now we do not honor what the Lord is giving us, do we think we will have eyes to see? We will not. And it is in vain to say, “Give me the sign,” because there will be no sign. There will be no notice saying, “Here, before and after; this is the sign; good grief, here the first seal began.” That will not be seen. That is the reason we went to the book of Daniel, chapter 9: first, because Jesus mentioned it in Matthew 24; and second, because verse 27 speaks to us of the middle of the week, when the antichrist will change his form of government. All of this shows us that the first three and a half years are a time of peace and prosperity that will give the antichrist acceptance, so that Christians and those of Israel will believe he is the man who should govern, the one sent from God.
And what verse 10 says means, at bottom, this: if you take things into your own hands, you yourself are submitting to what you are taking in your hands. That is why it says: “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” A man of God must know how to wait on God; a woman of God must know how to wait on God. Do not take things to resolve them by yourself, because if you kill with the sword, you will be killed with the sword. That is what the text is saying.
Conclusion
In general terms, we have seen, according to various texts, who the antichrist is and where the influence he will have over the whole world will operate. He is the man of sin and the son of perdition of whom Paul spoke; he is the antichrist of whom John spoke, opposed to Christ and, at the same time, His antithesis, like Him but from the side of darkness. His seven-year government corresponds to the seals; its first half will be a time of peace and prosperity that many, even within the churches, will understand as a revival, and in the second half his true purposes will be revealed through persecution and tribulation.
Let us not think, brethren, that if the center of this government is in Europe, we are far away and that, surely, this city or this town will not be attacked. Let us not walk that way. If in ancient times, in the time of Nebuchadnezzar and of Alexander the Great, when there were no airplanes, they conquered so much territory in a matter of months, how much more today, when all electronic means exist to get from one point to another? We must walk in the fear of God, understanding, as chapter 13 says, that the beast “was granted to make war with the saints and to overcome them.”
Therefore, let this teaching not be filed away: let it be lived. May the Holy Spirit, who instructs, corrects, and directs, lead us along a good path, a straight and level path, so that when the time comes, we will have eyes to see.
Review Questions
1. The apostle Paul calls this figure “the man of sin, the son of perdition,” and the apostle John calls him “antichrist.” What are the two reasons he is given this latter name, and why should the second concern us more?
2. According to the chapter, the first three and a half years of the antichrist’s government will be a time of peace and prosperity that many will understand as a revival. Why does that time not come from God, and what place do the discernment of the Holy Spirit and the Word hold in our lives as opposed to the search for signs?
3. “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” What does it mean to wait on God instead of taking things into our own hands, and what changes or corrections must I establish today in my life so that I do not merely take notes on this teaching and file them away?
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