1 John 2:18  Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.

Antichrist: one who opposes Christ or who takes the place of Christ.

So someone who is ''antichrist'' (1) denies that Jesus is the Christ and (2) will deny that Jesus is God. And the world will listen to and follow them. That spirit is already in the world but there is one coming who will be an individual who is the personification of this spirit of error & of the world and the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah and God. In order to understand him we need to understand the spirit of the antichrist which is in the world even now.

Last week in Mt 16 Jesus asked His disciples ''Who do people say that I am?'' Peter declared that He was the Christ. So at this time many were looking for Messiah (Ed. comment: It is interesting that there are many of the religious Jews in Israel today who are also ''looking for the Messiah''!).

Matt 22:41  Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?" They (the Pharisees) said to Him, "The son of David."

What the Jews expected of the CHRIST (MESSIAH)

(1). HE WOULD RULE OVER Israel and Israel would rule over the world. They knew that Messiah was to be the Son of David, the king, who would have One Who would sit on his-David's-throne forever and ever.

(2). the Messiah would perform signs.

John 7:31  But many of the multitude believed in Him (Jesus); and they were saying, "When the Messiah shall come, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?"

(3). THE MESSIAH WOULD SUFFER, DIE AND RISE ON THE 3RD DAY:

Luke 24:45  Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, (Where? The OT was all they had...so Jesus was referring to Messianic prophecies) that the Messiah should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; (THE SIGN OF JONAH).

(4). THE MESSIAH WOULD REMAIN FOREVER:

John 12:34  The multitude therefore answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law (the PENTATEUCH, the first 5 books of the Bible) that the Messiah is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"

Jesus had been referring to His death and being lifted up on the Cross. They had heard that once the Messiah came He would remain forever.

In Mt 24 Jesus tells His disciples that there are many false Messiahs who have gone out into the world. He was warning them not to be MISLEAD. If there is one who is going to oppose Christ, then this can not be a system or a government, but it has to be an individual that is yet to come, the ''antichrist'', the personification of the ''spirit of antichrist'' which is in the world even now. Revelation gives us the DETAILS of this final antichrist. Revelation is the last book, the end. What started back in Genesis is now completely fulfilled by the time you get to Revelation. Sin starts in Genesis and comes to an end in Revelation. The Serpent appears first in the garden in Genesis. His demise is in the Lake of Fire in Rev 20. In Genesis man is shut off from the tree of life. In Revelation the tree of life is for the healing of the nations. So what you have between Genesis & Revelation is progressive revelation which centers around a people, the NATION OF ISRAEL, from whom David became a King and in turn from whom would come a Ruler Who would rule over the entire world. Revelation is an unveiling and in it we will see the culmination of all the prophecies that focus on this one antichrist.

 OVERVIEW OF WORLD HISTORY

God calls one man, father Abraham, from whom God will make a nation and through whom all the nations of the world will be blessed. At that time He preached the GOSPEL (Gal 3:8) not just to Israel but also to the entire world. The seed and the promise would come through Abraham's son, Isaac (the child of promise) and in turn through his son, Jacob (or Israel). So the Jews are a people of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jacob's 12 sons forming the 12 tribes of Israel (cp. the sealing of 12,000 from every tribe in Rev 7). So Israel is clearly in existence from Genesis to Revelation. Israel went down into the land of Egypt because of the famine in Canaan, the land God had given Israel. Israel remained in Egypt for 430 years.

1875BC the Jews went down to Egypt .

1445BC Israel came out of Egypt. So during this 430 years Egypt ruled over Israel, 30 of those years being in good favor until a pharaoh arose after Joseph who began to fear the multiplication of the Jews in his land. Israel is then delivered by God and after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years they go into the PROMISED LAND where they had 3 kings: Saul, David and Solomon.

  931BC  Kingdom split into a southern & northern kingdom the latter immediately falling into idolatry.

 722BC  Assyria took Israel (the northern kingdom's name at that time, the southern kingdom being called ''Judah''.).

 605BC  Nebuchadnezzar takes the southern kingdom into exile for the first time and takes captives back to Babylon (including Daniel).

 586BC  Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the Temple and the Jews go into captivity.

 539BC  Babylon is conquered by Medes & Persians who rule over Israel. Cyrus the Medo-Persian king gives the Jews permission to go back to Jerusalem but some (actually ''most'') do not return.

 323BC  Greece becomes the dominant power over Israel as Alexander sweeps down to conquer the world. This Grecian empire lasts until 165BC: When Alexander the Great dies suddenly at age 33 his 4 generals divide the kingdom and 2 of those generals become significant in  Israel's history: The kings of the North, Syria (the Seleucids--see Dan 11). The kings of the South, Egypt, are referred to as Ptolemies.  There arises a conflict between the King of the North (Syria) and the King of the South (Egypt) but remember they are both still part of the Grecian empire (so in a sense Greece is ruling).

 165BC  Maccabean Revolt against the King of the North, a cruel, despicable king, Antiochus Epiphanes,  who sets up the statue of Zeus in  the Holy of Holies desecrating it by offering a pig on the altar, initiating the revolt by the Maccabees, with Judas the ''Hammer's'' sons liberating the Jewish homeland from the domination by Antiochus Epiphanes.

  63BC  Rome under Pompey becomes the dominant power and conquers Israel and thus Rome is ruling during the birth of Messiah in 4BC, during the death of Christ 29-30AD and they destroy Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD. Rome is still the ruling power while John is on the Isle of Patmos, having been banished there by a Roman ruler. When John writes the Revelation, Rome is ruling the world.

So we have 4 kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome. In  605BC Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel into exile to Babylon. In Dan 2 Nebuchadnezzar has a dream of a statue of a man with a head of gold, a chest of silver, a belly of bronze and legs and a trunk of iron. The two legs lead to 10 toes made of iron and clay. A Stone strikes the statue on the toes and it all crumbles. This Stone then becomes a Mountain that rules over the entire world. Messiah was to rule over Israel and the whole world. Has that happened yet? No, but it will happen because what God says will surely come to pass.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM OF A STATUE IN DANIEL 2:

So Egypt & Assyria ruled over Israel and then came 4 major kingdoms which would rule over Israel and then the Messiah would come. When? In the DAYS OF THE 10 KINGS, then God would set up a Kingdom which would never be destroyed. So from 605BC we can know that in respect to Israel until Messiah there would 4 kingdoms and no more! So as we look back on the book of Daniel to a book which was closed and could not be understood until the time of the end (Dan 8:17), & we see from our vantage point of history that what God said would take place has indeed taken place except for the 10 TOE STAGE. But we know that the DREAM IS TRUE AND ITS INTERPRETATION IS TRUSTWORTHY. We know that Messiah returns to set up His kingdom in Rev 19:11-21. So we are simply reading the Bible literally and not trying to force the Bible into history but watching and waiting for history to literally come to pass. Any other approach leads to all sorts of mental gymnastics trying to make it fit.

 AN OVERVIEW OF REVELATION

So  John clearly states Who Messiah is right at the beginning of the Revelation but as he goes on he shows us a beast who rises from the dead, who rules over Israel, who rules over the whole earth. So John shows us the true Christ and then the ANTICHRIST.

John was told to write the things that he saw (Chapter 1), the things which are (Chapters 2 & 3- Seven churches that existed at that time) and then the things which would come after those things. So in Jesus' message to the CHURCHES, He keeps repeating ''I am coming…Repent or I am going to come…hold fast until I come…I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour I will come.'' Secondly, He talks to the churches about their deeds and that they are to be good deeds. Thirdly, He talks to every church and says ''Blessed is the one who overcomes.'' Who is an OVERCOMER? The one that believes (if I really believe I will obey) that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The OVERCOMER is the one who does not go after the spirit of the antichrist that is in the world, the one who does not listen to the world but to God and the Truth, holding fast to that Truth. That one is an OVERCOMER.

  A NEW SEGMENT 
 THE THINGS THAT COME AFTER (Rev 2& 3)

In Rev 5 we see a 7-sealed scroll in the hand of God and they are looking for One Who is worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals and there is no one found worthy on heaven, on earth or under the earth. Then One steps forward Who is worthy…the Lamb that had been slain…

When Jesus takes the scroll from the Father, heaven praises Him. Then He breaks the first seal in Rev 6. When He breaks 7 seals out of the 7^th comes the 7 Trumpets, the 7^th Trumpet inaugurating the 7 bowls. When the 7^th Bowl is poured out the WRATH OF GOD IS FINISHED and Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. As we have studied it for the past 12 months we know that the seals, etc are chronological. At this point the beast and false prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire forever and ever. We first meet the beast in Rev 11. But Kay believes that the first time we meet the Beast is in REVELATION 6…

This can't be Christ as some have said. ''Was Given'' is an aorist passive indicative verb which means that this ''giving'' of the crown was something that he had no control over but it was allowed to him or bestowed on him. Kay believes that when the first seal is broken is when God starts a new thing in the economy of God. He is through with the churches and now what you see happening as the TITLE DEED TO THE EARTH (the 7-sealed scroll representing God reclaiming the earth which is His and which Satan has usurped) is broken a conqueror goes forth conquering and to conquer. So he wants to conquer more and more and he is allowed to do so…it is GIVEN TO HIM. So at this first seal we see a man come forth who has a goal…to conquer.

In Rev 11 we see the first mention of the beast. By the time you get to Chapter 9 you have the first 6 trumpets blown.

Rev 9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

In Rev 10:7 we see a preview of the 7^th Trumpet:

So when the 7^th Trumpet blows, the MYSTERY is over and we know.

The TEMPLE (destroyed in 70AD) is rebuilt. The city is trampled for 42 months (3 ½ years) which Kay believes is the 2^nd half of the 7 years.

 THE BEAST FROM THE ABYSS

So all of a sudden - A BEAST THAT COMES UP OUT OF THE ABYSS.

 ''ABYSS'' IN Scripture

Ro 10:6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
So we learn that the abyss is the abode of the dead.

Luke 8:31 And they (the demons) were entreating Him not to command them to depart into the abyss.
Here we learn that the abyss was a place for the demons.

Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit (ABYSS) was given to him.
So here we learn that the locusts come out of the abyss.

In Rev 11:7 we learn that the BEAST comes out of the abyss.

Rev 17:8 “The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come (NOTE THE PARALLEL WITH CHRIST) up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

Rev 20:1 "And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time."
Satan, the serpent of old, the dragon is cast into the abyss.

Now at this point after the 6^th Trumpet and before the 7^th Trumpet you have the BEAST appearing on the scene as someone that has died and come back (Rev 11:7). Out of the abyss (if that is what it means) here is one who has in a sense suffered death and risen from the dead.

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;4 and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

What makes the beast different? Kay believes it was because he was slain and rose from the dead. Think about it…this one who comes conquering and to conquer has not yet come to his full potential as being recognized for who he truly is…the ANTICHRIST. But he is part of the federation of TEN TOES in Daniel (Da2:41-42) and is coming into power and is part of a kingdom that is going forth conquering and to conquer. He comes up to a certain point and something happens to him and he is killed and goes into the ABYSS but then he comes out of the ABYSS and  the SIGN that he has the POWER and no one is able to make war against him is the fact that these two witnesses that no one else is able to kill him!

So the stage is set and the clock starts ticking for the last 3 ½ years because all your timing begins at the 7^th Trumpet with 42 months, Time, times, half a time and 3 ½ years. So ''AFTER THESE THINGS'' in Rev 4:1 you see a seal broken and this man is given a victor's crown and he is allowed to conquer because God has permitted him to conquer. Then something happens and he dies but he is raised from the dead (from the abyss) and walks in and puts the two witnesses to death and that is why the world says ''WHO IS LIKE THIS ONE?'' This one is one of the 7 heads of the beast that also has 10 horns. Remember the history of the 4 kingdoms and then the Stone comes.