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We're going to, this morning, look at evil. Cruel, wicked people. "Hey pastor, are you talking about my boss?" No, I'm not going to talk about your boss, nor your mother-in-law, nor your neighbour. I'm really talking about real evil, wicked, cruel people.

I googled, "Most evil people", and the results came up such as this. Number 5 on the list, they say, is Pol Pot, the ruler of the Khmer Rouge regime, who was responsible for the millions of lives lost, responsible for the killing fields in Cambodia.

Then number 4 on the list is Vlad Tepes. You say, "Who is this guy?" Anybody knows? Vlad Tepes. He has a nickname given to him - Vlad the Impaler, and he is far more famous, because of a legend of a figure or a character that came after him. The name of the figure is? "Dracula", that's right. And of course, he conquered Transylvania and there's the Transylvania Castle. Interestingly, I saw on news this week, Transylvania Castle is available for sale, for $80-$130 million dollars, if you are interested. And we have Vlad Tepes, known for his extreme cruelty and torture of people.

Number 3 on the list is Ivan the 4th, or more popularly known as - Ivan the Terrible, that's right.

And number 2, this will not be a surprise to you, would be the German king Adolf Hitler, responsible for the Holocaust where some 6 million Jews were murdered and killed.

Number 1 on the list is Joseph Stalin, a ruler of Russia, or USSR.

Now, all these men are, according to this website, evil, cruel, wicked people. But the men we're going to look at this morning is far more evil, cruel and wicked than all these five.

This man is far more intelligent, far more powerful, far more aggressive, far more obnoxious, and proud, and arrogant. He is even able to perform great miracles, you say, "Who is this guy? What's his name?" The world has never seen anyone like this before, but let me tell you, he will come. And the Bible tells us a lot about this man.

So we're going to look today, at a man who is called several things in the Scriptures. He is called the Antichrist in 1 John. "The prince that shall come",  "the King", "the man of sin", "the beast in Revelation", "the little horn", "the son of perdition", "the lawless one" in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.

So we're going to look today at this guy who is the ultimate super villain of the world. I think this is the modern twist to this guy's character. We're going to look at the ultimate super villain.

The world has not seen anyone like this, but he will come, and the Bible, in Daniel chapter 8 is going to teach us and reveal to us more about this man.

Now, we sort of learned about this man, in Daniel 7, but there is more in Daniel 8, and God sees it fit that you and I will be familiar and recognizance or cognizant of this man, the Antichrist. Now, it starts with a vision that God has received.. Daniel has received from God.


In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first.
(Daniel 8:1 ESV)

So we begin in verse 1, "In the 3rd year of the reign of Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first." So it's very clear, this is a second vision. Daniel had the first vision about the beast nations, so this is a second vision on the third year of Belshazzar's reign. So this is two years after the first dream, or vision he had. Daniel at this point is still in Babylon. Babylon is still the ruling superpower of his day. But this vision takes us to a place called Susa.


And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal.
(Daniel 8:2 ESV)

The Bible says, "And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa are the citadel," Where is Susa? Well, at a time when Daniel had this vision, Susa was no man's land. It is some 250 miles away from the capital of Babylon, and it is no man's land. It is the backwaters, it is in the boondocks, nobody cares about this place.

But the vision in Susa is because the next superpower that will arise is the Medo-Persians, and the Medo-Persians will have the capital at Susa itself.

Now if you are a property developer, you wish you'll have such visions that God will tell you where is the next "in" place to buy your property and so on.

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Daniel had it, it's in Susa. The property price during the vision (was) very, very low, but in twelve years time when the Medo Persians conquered Babylon, property price will skyrocket all right. So that's just to set you in the context.

Now if you read the Bible, you remember Nehemiah will be in Susa. He calls it Shushan in that time, and that's because he is now the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, the king in Medo-Persia.

If you read the book of Esther, Esther will also be in this place. So this is the future centre of activity, and Daniel had a vision of the Capital.

Now, this is where the vision gets exciting, because besides seeing the backdrop, the setting, the place, he now sees an animal. And the animal is a ram, a ram who is rather unusual because it has two horns of unequal height.


I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.
(Daniel 8:3 ESV)

"I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal." You must be wondering what is this ram about.


As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia.
(Daniel 8:20 ESV)

I've already hinted to you, this is a vision about the next major world superpower, and so let me tell you without you guessing, right down in verse 20, Gabriel, the Angel revealed the meaning of this dream to Daniel, and he says, "As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia."

So Daniel had a vision of an animal that represents Medo-Persia, and it has two kings. And the thing about these two kings, is that one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.

Now, this is very accurate because historically, we know that the Medo-Persian Empire is made up of a combination of the Medes and the Persians. Originally the Medes were the greater power, but somehow the Persians rose in powers so that it's higher and greater than the Medes now, and it was later on the scene.

The reason is because Cyrus the King was a Persian. So this is a dream, this is a vision about the Medo-Persians. Remember, we looked at the vision of Daniel about the bear, the bear-like structure, the bear was raised up on one side, and this is again an allusion to that.


I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
(Daniel 8:4 ESV)

It goes on, it tells us that the ram charged westward, northward, southward, and this parallels the three ribs in the bear's mouth. It refers to the three empires that they conquered, Babylon, Egypt, Turkey or Lydia for that matter, and no beast could stand before him.

This was a powerful empire, just like the bear at the peak of its prowess, it has some two million troops, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased, and he became great.

So what is the first animal a picture of? Very simply, it's a picture of the Medo-Persians. But the story, the plot thickens, because a second animal is coming on the scene, and the second animal is a goat with one horn.


As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.
(Daniel 8:5 ESV)

The Bible tells us, "As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground." Now the goat represents.. I'm sure you know, all right. Please don't disappoint me. The goat represents Greece.. very good, thank you so much. The first service I had a hard time, almost want to “tow huih” (dialect for vomit blood out of frustration). But.. the second animal represents Greece, because it is from the west, it's from Macedonia, and it is so fast, so rapid, that it moved as if without touching the ground. You know like Speedy Gonzales, without touching the ground, and this is appropriate, because you remember in Daniel's first vision, Greece was represented by a creature that is like a leopard with four heads and four wings, speaking of amazing speed, and so this is about Greece.

And just let you know, I'm not guessing because it goes on, "and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes", verse 5, and Gabriel then revealed that the goat is the King of Greece, and the great horn between his eyes is the first king.

The first king of the Greek empire is Alexander the Great, very clear historical fact. And so, God is showing Daniel about the future superpower. First up will be the Medo-Persians. That's twelve years from the time the vision took place, and another two hundred over years later would come on the goat- the Greeks, and so we have these two empires.


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By the way, for the horoscope or zodiac sign, you have the Aries right? Aries is the.. ram, and the ram is derived from Persian origin.

Then you have the Capricorn, and the Capricorn is a goat, and it is derived from the Greek origin.

Persian kings go out with rams' head. They have rams imprinted on their coins, and the Greeks are familiar with the goats, and so on. So this is a very appropriate vision. Two animals, Medo-Persians and the Greeks. Now, some movement would begin, because the Greeks will now attack the Medo-Persians.


He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath.
(Daniel 8:6 ESV)

"He came to the ram, that is, the goat came to the ram with two horns which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath."

From DreamWorks animation presents.. (picture on slide) okay not DreamWorks, JasonWorks all right? I didn't know how to do it, just cut and paste, cut and paste, cut and paste all right? And so it runs at the ram, there is fierce anger, and I saw him close to the ram, and was enraged against him, and struck the ram and broke his two horns, and the ram had no powers to stand before him.

Now, it is well known that the Medo-Persians and the Greeks are ferocious enemies. Recently there are shows that are called "300" right? There is great animosity between the two, and it's depicted in the battle here.

So who won? There is only going to be one victor, the Bible tells us the goat won. In fact, the goat won.. was so successful that it became exceedingly great.

Again, DreamWorks present you exceedingly great (picture on slide). See, it grew big, it grew strong. And it was able to move so fast, so powerful, overcame the Medo-Persians, and went all the way to the Indian nation.. to India itself.

But at its peak, when Alexander was 33 years old, at the prime of his power, when he has conquered much, the Bible tells us when he was strong, the great horn was broken. He died. Again, how he died was that history tells us, he died from a combination of alcoholism and malaria, but it is true that at the height of his power, he was broken and instead.. okay this one again, I don't know how it looks like (picture on slide), I just anyhow hum-tum (colloquial way of saying whack, or guess) four horns. So.. and instead of it, there came up four conspicuous horns, towards the four winds of heaven.

Now, we understand the ram, the goat, Alexander the great, as the big horn, now what is this four horns?


As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.
(Daniel 8:22 ESV)

Again, I'm not letting you guess, because the Bible tells you clearly in verse 22, "As for the horn that was broken, in place of which was four others who arose, four kingdoms."

Now these four kingdoms are well-known. They are ruled by four generals after Alexander has passed away. They are Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. So this is the map.

The Greek empire was a rapidly progressing one, massive empire, but after Alexander died, 20 years after he died, four generals divided the land as such. Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy.

So, this is the story thus far. We have seen that the vision takes us to Susa, where it is the heart of the control of Medo-Persia, but some years later, 200 years later, there will arise another superpower- the Greeks, under the rule of Alexander the Great, will now have a battle with the Medo-Persians. He will come forth victorious, and he will grow to be great, but at its peak of its power, it will.. he will die, and there will arise the great, four kings.

Now, let me say a little bit about Alexander the Great before we move on in the vision God gave Daniel. I think it's fascinating to study about Jesus and Alexander, and the study is really given to us by a man who wrote to me, a brilliant poem, let me share this with you.

Jesus & Alexander
Jesus and Alexander died at 33.
One lived and died for self;
one died for you and me.
The Greek died on a throne;
the Jew died on a cross.
One's life a triumph seemed;
the other but a loss.
One led vast armies forth;
the other walked alone.

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One shed a whole world's blood;
the other gave His own.
One won the world in life and lost it all in death;
the other lost His life to win the whole world's faith.
Jesus and Alexander died at 33.
One died in Babylon, and one at Calvary.
One gained all for self;
and one Himself He gave.
One conquered every tongue;
the other every grave.
The one made himself God;
the other made Himself less.
The one lived but to blast;
the other but to bless
When died the Greek, forever fell his throne of swords;
but Jesus died to live forever Lord of Lords.
Jesus and Alexander died at 33.
The Greek made all men slaves;
the Jew made all men free.
One built a throne on blood;
the other built on love.
The one was born of earth;
the other from above.
One won all this earth,
to lose all earth and heaven.
The other gave up all,
that all to Him be given
The Greek forever died;
the Jew forever lives.
Jesus and Alexander died at 33.


I thought that this is a brilliant poem, and I ask you today, whose life is yours patterned after? Alexander the Great, who sought to gain the whole world, but lost his soul? Or Jesus Christ, who is like the corn of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, but brings forth abundantly?

Alexander the Great is a man who was thirsty for blood. He wanted to be the world's leading superpower, but he died a tragic death. In a way, he's going to be a foretaste, a foreshadowing of the Antichrist who is to come. In any case, we see the death of Alexander, then we see the rise of the four generals.

But the story continues. From DreamWorks again, out of them.. out of one of them came a little horn. Now this is bizarre, I don't know how it looks like now, but this is my imagination. There is a little horn that emerges from one of the horn. You see, there were four generals, and out of one of them came this figure.. this man who was called a little horn, and this little horn initially started small, but he will grow to be exceedingly great, and it will be great towards the South, towards the East, and towards the glorious land.

Who is this man? Now this is where people can zone out and be lost. Let me tell you, keep focused for a while, then I'll let you know the significance thereafter.

Who is this little horn? Most people won't know in Singapore, because we don't study Greek history as such, or world history as such, but his name is Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Woah.. "Who is this?", you say. Let me repeat his name again, Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Who is he? Well, he is the eighth king of the Seleucid dynasty. Remember the four kings, Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus and Ptolemy. He is from the Seleucid dynasty. He is the eighth king after Seleucus, and he lived some 150 years after Alexander the Great.

So this little horn did not come up immediately, this little horn came up some 150 years later, and he was a little horn because he originally had no right to the throne, but through bribery and flattery, he got his way right to the top and he grew exceedingly great. He was a powerful monarch in the Seleucid dynasty.

Now, the story of Antiochus is found in what we call the apocryphal books. This is where you can get lost again, the apocryphal books are not found in the Bible, they are books written between the Malachi's time and Matthews' time. So this is what we call the inter-testimental period between the end of the Old Testament and before the start of the New Testament. There is a gap of about 400 years, so people write about history, people write about what's happening. And this is what they call the apocryphal books. Again, this is not part of the Bible. These are historical records.

In one of the books is the book of Maccabees, and Maccabees chapter 1 gives you a lot about Antiochus IV Epiphanes, all that is for background knowledge, if you're interested to find out what this is all about.

But Antiochus Epiphanes will grow strong, especially towards the glorious land. The glorious land here refers to Israel, and let's look at the verses when Antiochus conquers Israel, and what he does with them.

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It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them.
It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.
And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper.
(Daniel 8:10-12 ESV)


So this little horn is significant because of what he will do towards the people of God. It grew great, even to the host of heaven, and some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them.

It depicts how he's going to persecute the Jews, and it became great, even as great as the Prince of the host, and the regular burnt offering was taken away from him.

So what he's doing now is that he is destroying the worship of God in the temple, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. "His" meaning God's sanctuary was overthrown by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. And a host will be given over to it so people will die, together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression.

The Jews lived in disobedience because they have absorbed a lot about the Greek culture and even style of worship, and so God allows all this to happen, and this Antiochus will throw truth to the ground and he will act, and he will prosper. He will succeed in persecuting and wearing out the Jews at this time.

Now, Antiochus IV Epiphanes is an absolutely arrogant and proud man. He has this coins inscribed after him. These are pictures. He's called Epiphanes because the word "Epiphanes" means the glorious one, the illustrious one.

He wants the people he rule to call him "the illustrious one", as if he is God. Of course, the people know that he is not God, and this is what he did against the Jews. Again, these are well-known historical truths. You can even find it on Wikipedia, attempts to mix Israel secular. These are some of the things he did, change their dressing, they wanted them to exercise in the nude, you know the Greek Olympics, and stuff like that where they exercise in the nude, and that's what the Greeks have been doing. And that is seen to be right at the bottom of the temple where everybody could see.

He is trying to eliminate Jewish religion and worship, and in 167 or 168 BC onwards, he became very direct. He destroyed or damaged the walls of Jerusalem. He burned the Scriptures. He prohibited these core practices of a Jew, who wants to worship God, and he desecrates the temple, he sacrificed a pig on the altar and placed an idol of Zeus in the temple.

So, putting it to greater detail for you, in 167 BC this man, after Alexander the Great, who in a sense foreshadows the Antichrist, he outlawed the Jewish religion, burned Jerusalem, killed multitudes of Jews, he forbade the Jews to make sacrifices to their God. He forbade circumcision and other Jewish observances, and when he found a mother who circumcised a child, he slew the baby, tied the baby around the mother's neck, marched her through the middle of the town to the edge of town, and threw her over a cliff to be crushed to death, absolutely cruel, wicked, evil King.

He desecrated the Scriptures by putting blasphemous drawings and Greek gods on them. So he doodled, he did graffiti on God's Word. He established prostitution in those temple chambers, and they became brothels. And on December 16th, 167 BC, Antiochus offered a giant swine, female pig, an unclean animal, and sacrificed it on the Jew's altar. This was the ultimate sacrilege for a Jew.

He sprinkled its blood in the Holy of Holies, and poured its broth, hokkien we call "zhap", over the sacred scrolls before cutting them to pieces and burning them.

The Syrian Army went even further, erecting altars in different cities, having Jews sacrifice a pig, and then commanding them to eat its flesh. They stuffed pork down the throats of the priests. And furthermore, Antiochus erected a statue of Zeus in the sanctuary, and this is what the Jews referred to as the abomination of desolation.

This is a term Jesus Himself used in Matthew chapter 24, when he said.. or when he described about the end times, the great tribulation. There will be the abomination of desolation again, but on a different scale. So, Antiochus did all that. Now of course, during Daniel's time, he has no clue what this is all about.

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But when we look back, we know that this is the fulfillment. The little horn is really Antiochus. The question Daniel had then is this, "How long?"


Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, "For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?"
And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state."
(Daniel 8:13-14 ESV)


"So, I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke," we do not know who exactly this is, is it God the Father, God the Son, it's speculation for now, but we do know this is what he heard. "For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, abomination of desolation, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?"

How long will this be? The answer came back, "For 2300 evenings and mornings." That works out to somewhere around 7 years. "Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state."

And it came true. On 25th December, very easy to remember, there is like Christmas Day, the 25th of December, 165 BC, there is a certain group of Jews called the Maccabean Jews, they staged a revolt against Antiochus, they succeeded and overthrew the rule of Antiochus.

Thereafter, this day is celebrated by the Jews right up to today. It's called the Hanukkah, or in the Bible it's called "the feast of dedication".

Jesus, on the day of feast of dedication in John chapter 10, was in the temple, so this is a well-known fact, that's why when you know all these things, when you read the Bible in the New Testament, it comes again with a different light and understanding. So, at the end of 2300 days, the Judean Maccabees people - the Maccabean revolt managed to overthrow Antiochus.

Now eventually, the Bible also tells us that Antiochus would die, he shall be broken. How did he die? It is said that his abdomen burst, his bowels spilt out, the worms feasted on his bowels, he could not die for 7 days. That was the misery he was in, and he was so stinky that none of his soldiers would want to even carry him or get near to him, but I don't think, of course, that's all the punishment this defiant, blasphemous man would have gotten.

But this is the summary so far. Daniel had a vision about the Medo-Persians, the next superpower in about 12 years time. Add another 200 years; there will come the Greeks. They would conquer the Medo-Persians, Alexander would be victorious, become super in his powers, but at the pinnacle of his success, he dies. And after he dies, 20 years after that, will arise four generals as we have mentioned, and from one of the generals- Selucas, in the eighth generation, will arise Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He would become great as a ruler, and he will reign with cruelty, but eventually, he also will die.

So we've seen that Daniel 8 is telling us about the ultimate super villain Antichrist, I will show you why later on. But before that, there is a foreshadowing, there's a foretaste of kings who are like him, but maybe not as terrifying and as horrific as him. One may be the bloodthirsty Alexander the Great, who spent his life enriching himself, growing in his power, thinking he's God. And after Alexander the Great will be Antiochus, and Daniel 8 tells us, coming up next will be the Antichrist.


When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision."
So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, "Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end."
(Daniel 8:15-17 ESV)

And this is what.. why we think it will be like Antichrist, and Daniel, I.. or "I, Daniel, when I've seen the vision I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, and it called, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision." So Gabriel is the.. of course, the Angel that God has sent to make this vision clear to Daniel. In the Bible, there are two main angels, one is Michael, one is Gabriel, and if you want to add one more, Lucifer the devil, but two good angels named Michael and Gabriel.

Michael is the one who is the warrior. He is seen in the Bible to be conquering dominions. He is the one who is always on the battlefront.

Gabriel is the messenger. He is the comms (communications) person. He is the PR guy, marketing.. you know you want to tell something, get Gabriel to say it. And so there is Gabriel, who is sent to speak to Daniel and to make this clear to him.

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And when he came near, he.. Daniel was of course frightened and fell on his face, because Daniel like all of us, we are sinful people, but Gabriel said to him, "Understand, O son of man that the vision is for the time of the end."

Now, this is where you can either take it to be.. it will refer to Antiochus in the end, or as most commentators, if not all commentators, they believe this is not just referring to Antiochus, but it has a double fulfillment with referring to the Antichrist at the end of times.


He said, "Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end.
(Daniel 8:19 ESV)

This is not just once, because the next verse we read, "Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation," the great anger, and I think he refers to the great tribulation, "for it refers to the appointed time of the end."


The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now."
(Daniel 8:26 ESV)

And again in verse 26, for all these things, "refers to many days from now". So again, most of the commentators agree, there is a double fulfillment. First during Antiochus' time, and then at the end of times where the Antichrist will appear during the time of great tribulation, and this is the text that describes both Antiochus and the Antichrist.


And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.
His power shall be great-but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.
By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken-but by no human hand.
(Daniel 8:23-25 ESV)


"And at the latter end of the kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great - but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken- but by no human hand."

I think, even by the simple reading of these three verses, you do sense it's more than Antiochus. Someone else is in mind, and we think it is the Antichrist.

So this is a passage I think that has a double fulfillment, Antiochus and the Antichrist, and let's put this.. or push these verses to one side, alright, let's put it all right here, and look at the characteristics of both Antiochus and Antichrist.

Number 1: Both will come during times of great sin. Transgressors have reached their limit. The end times when Jesus comes, will be a time like the days of Noah, where there will be great sin. So this, number one is the first point we know in common between the two.

Number 2: Both will be cruel and malicious leaders. The word "boldface" is not courageous. The word "bold" is fearsome, or fierce. That's the meaning of the word. So both will be cruel, malicious rulers.

Both are highly intelligent. There is an added twist to that, I think for the Antichrist. The word “understand riddles” can be "understand dark sayings", meaning, he can be familiar with the occultic, and that I don't think refers to Antiochus. It will refer to the Antichrist. But in any case, both are likely to be intelligent people, highly intelligent people.

Number 4: Both will be powerful.

And they are empowered not by themselves. There is someone behind it, and especially for the Antichrist, it will be clear he is empowered by the devil himself.

Number 6: They will cause fearsome destruction.

Number 7: They will persecute God's people.

Number 8: They are both masters of deceit.

Number 9: They are both arrogant.

And number 10: They are both blasphemers and defiant to rise up against God.

And number 11: They will both be destroyed by God.

So let me put these verses away and just, very simply say, these will be the characteristics of the Antichrist.

You say, "Pastor, zhun bo?" (Colloquial way of saying accurate or not). "Are you sure?" Well, let's verify that a bit with the New Testament, all right? You say, "Daniel 8 so long ago. Are you sure it's talking about Antichrist?"

Well, let's look at a New Testament passage. Do you know of a New Testament passage that describes the Antichrist? Anyone, beside the book of Revelation, Revelation (is) too long to put all the slight verses here. But is there a passage in the Bible that talks about the Antichrist? Very good. 2 Thessalonians and chapter 2.

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So let's refer to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and let me read these verses to you put side-by-side, all right? This is 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 3 to 10.


Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
(2 Thessalonians 3:10 ESV)


It's in two portions; first half is shown here first, "Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come," so what is this day? Jesus Christ coming again.

Paul is saying to the Thessalonian church, "Jesus will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction."

So when is Jesus going to come? He's not going to come until this takes place. It is very congruent with Daniel's teachings that there will first be ten horns, then one horn or rather, there'll be ten toes before the rock that comes from the mountain smashes everything up, that is the Son of God.

So there is this consistency in 2 Thessalonians 2, and this Antichrist, who is called man of lawlessness, son of destruction, he opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Abomination of desolation that will be seen in Matthew 24 as well.

"Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things." Paul, the pastor, saw it fit to teach the Thessalonians about the end times, even though they were about 2000 years from now. It was like 1950 years ago, he saw that it was necessary that they were taught. What more for us today?

It goes on to say, "And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time." But looking at just the first half of 2 Thess(alonians), there are some similar characteristics with Daniel 8's teachings.

For example, the Antichrist will come in a time of great rebellion, sinful era. Number 2, this Antichrist opposes and exalts himself. He's arrogant, blasphemous, and defiant. So these are characteristics we see in first half.


But let me move on to the second half of 2 Thess(alonians) chapter 2.

"For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out off the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved."

So let me add to you characteristics number 3, 4, 5, and so on.

Number 3, is that both passages tell us the lawless one will be destroyed. And then it tells us that the Antichrist is powerful, not because he is powerful, but because he's energized by Satan. And he's energized to such an extent that he is able to perform signs and wonders. So, people today always talk about Obama or whoever.. Antichrist. Well, let's be fair, I think he's got to fit these descriptions all right?

I'm not saying anyone of us couldn't be, or anyone in the world today couldn't be, it's just that it is, I think, wrong to speculate when we do not have these signs obviously shown towards us.

Next one is that both are.. both passages tell us, they are masters of deceit. The Antichrist comes with all wicked deception.

I think the rest of the points can be proven from other passages, I wouldn't want to belabour that.

So, the Antichrist is seen with these characteristics, and if you're not already lost, let me help you be more lost. Remember Daniel 7? About the ten horns. In Daniel 7, we know a little bit more about the Antichrist already, because we.. remember we talked about how the Antichrist will come from a revived Rome Empire, and he will come from a ten king confederacy. He will start as a little king, but he will soon topple three kings and grow to be the most significant one. He will wear out the saints; he will be successful for a season.

Today, looking at 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, we realize he may perform miracles, and he will also perform the abomination of desolation. These are the characteristics of the ultimate super villain.


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We do not know his name, we do not know exactly what he looks like, but these are the checks you can have. You take it on your iPhone; keep it, because if he appears, you can counter-check.

So we've seen wicked people. We started with Pol Pot, Vlad Tepes, Ivan the Terrible, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin. The Bible includes for us Alexander the Great, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and the ultimate one - the Antichrist.

The question I'm sure you have in mind is, "Pastor, you spent 40 minutes, telling us all about this and what's your point? Why? How is this relevant for you and for me? This passage being studied, what's the purpose? Couldn't we just keep it?"

Well, number 1, I said, it's always worth studying what God puts in the Bible, that's the fundamental understanding we have.

But let me try to make this relevant and helpful to you at the same time.

Remember Y2K? I don't know about you but when it is 1999, 31st of December, 11:50PM, did you have a sense of panic? Hey.. people all talk about Y2K, Y2K, what is going to happen to us, will that be really the Armageddon? Will this world end when the clock strikes? Year 2000.

First of all, I thought about it, but it cannot be because what time is supposed to be the right time? Is it in London or Singapore? What is the measure? Maybe we.. I don't know, but when it's Y2K, don't you have a sense of panic? Time magazine reports the end of the world!?!

You see, we live in a world that is so uncertain. People don't know what is going to happen. We all instinctively sort of think there'll be an end of the world, but we do not know when, we do not know how. In fact, last week we looked at Harold Camping's prediction that Jesus is going to come on May 21st 2011. And of course he didn't come.

Or more recently, we read about the Mayan prophecy, right? There's this study about 2012 was there a show.. a movie about 2012? About apocalypse as well? And so the world is fascinated about when the end of the world is coming.

And even more recently, I've even had questions from some of our members about the four blood moons. Remember just a few weeks ago, there was an astrological.. astronomical.. thing about the eclipse that results in the blood moon appearance, and people were looking at the four blood moons over history and say, "Jesus is coming again. This man says so."

Woah, there's so much uncertainty and speculation today, but let me say this. Keep calm, there are zero end-time prophecies regarding four blood moons. The exegesis to come up with the theory of the hypothesis of the four blood moons is very flawed. You can study it; I think that's plenty of materials on the web, but basically what I'm trying to say is what the Scriptures have described.

Why does Paul spend time as a pastor, teaching the church at Thessalonica about the coming of Jesus and the antichrist? This is the reason. Verses 1 to 3.


Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 ESV)

"Now concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed," Don't be easily shaken or shocked or be in panic.

"Let no one deceive you in any you way." You see, there is a possibility that if we do not know the prophecies that God has given in the Scriptures that can be understood, we can be shaken in our faith and we can easily be deceived to believe in someone else who is not Christ, and to believe the Antichrist.

Let me give you an illustration of someone who said this, anybody knows who this man is? Anyone? Isaac Newton! Excellent. You're British, that's why (Pastor laughs) Isaac Newton, that's right.

Isaac Newton, besides being a brilliant scientist, is a believer of God. This is what he says about the Antichrist.

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"If God was so angry with the Jews, all right, about the Jewish leaders, who should have studied the Bible about Jesus coming, and because they didn't- if God was so angry with them not searching so diligently into those prophecies which he gave them to know Christ by, why should we think he shall excuse us for not searching into the prophecies concerning Antichrist by?

For certainly it must be as dangerous and easy an error for Christians to adhere to Antichrist as it was for the Jews to reject Jesus Christ." What a forceful argument!

The Jewish leaders, when Jesus came, could not recognize Jesus. They could not! They couldn't believe that Jesus was a carpenter's son. They missed it. And so he's saying, if they could have missed it, don't you think we could have missed it if Antichrist comes today?

That's the danger, we may be deceived, and therefore it is as much our duty to endeavour to know him, the Antichrist, as be able to know him.. sorry, I think this is a double.. that we may avoid him, as it was theirs to know Christ that they might follow him. So it was necessary for the Jews to know about Jesus that they may follow him, and it is necessary for us to know about the Antichrist that we may avoid him.

Antichrist was to seduce the whole Christian world, and therefore he may easily seduce thee if thou beest not well prepared to discern him. Thou seest therefore, that this is no idle speculation, no matter of indifference but a duty of the greatest moment.

Here is the wisdom of a man who I think understands Scripture, and puts it forth in a very cohesive and persuasive way.


So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
(2 Thessalonians 2:15 ESV)

And so Thessalonians tell us, "So then, brethren, stand fast and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us." So, the description of the Antichrist is sandwiched between the admonition from Paul to the church at Thessalonica.

"Don't be deceived!" and then at the end, he says, "Stand fast, according to the teachings that you have received." Well, let's look at what Daniel felt at the end of this vision.


And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.
(Daniel 8:27 ESV)

"And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days. Then I arose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision." The word here is literally "the color flowed out from my face". "The color faded from my face". He was so horrified with what he saw in the vision.

I think Daniel saw the horrific effects of sin. He saw the Antichrist, and the destruction, and the loss of lives that would come, and he's shocked.

But at the end of the day, the story ends well isn't it? Because Jesus will come and right all that is wrong. I hope as you study about the Antichrist.. you study the prophetic passages of the Bible like Daniel 8, it will fortify your faith in that you know that God's Word is secure.

I think if there's anything I get away from this, is that number 1, I need to know the Antichrist, so that I will not be deceived in my life, and number 2, I have that assurance, once again, that the Word of God is firm. It is true, it is unshakable.

History can be wrong actually. Man's discoveries can be inadequate or insufficient, but the Word of God always stands. That's the Word you have in your hands today.

Why did God allow all this? What a mess! What tragedy! What massacre? Why did God allow all this?

I think the answer is that number 1, the world has to be judged for sin, sin has to be dealt with, but I suggest to you, in Zechariah 13 again, another reason about the salvation of souls.


In the whole land, declares the LORD,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
and one third shall be left alive.

(Zechariah 13:8 ESV)


In Zechariah 13, "In the whole land, declares the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish." Now, this is about the time of a great persecution of the Jews. Hitler killed 6 million Jews, but this will surpass Hitler's massacre and Holocaust. The Antichrist will be responsible for two-thirds of the Jewish people being killed off, one-third left behind.


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And I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested
They will call upon my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, 'They are my people';
and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"
(Zechariah 13:9 ESV)

And then, for this one-third, I'll put this third into the fire and refine them as one refines silver. So they're left behind, but they are not having an easy life. It's going to be tough. "And test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name," but the purpose of it all is that eventually they will call upon my name, "I will answer them. I will say they are my people, and they will say the Lord is my God."

It takes a lot for the nation of Israel to turn back to Jehovah, to Jesus Christ. They will look upon me whom they have pierced, finally.

So why all this? Is it that God is cruel? No. God is gracious, and even through all this mess and apparent perplexities; he's working out his plan of salvation for his people whom he has chosen a long time ago. My friends, I do not want you to end with thinking about Antichrist. I think it's scary to think about him.


he who is in you is greater than _he who is in the world.
(1 John 4:4 ESV)

It's maybe depressing to think about him, but for all of us, I put it big big for you, all right, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

The devil is no match for the Lord. And today, if you follow the Lord, you don't have to fear. He is your mighty conqueror. I say to all of us today, if you look at the passages and they are real, I hope it causes you to be awake, sober and ready for his coming. I hope it helps you to pursue godliness in a way like never before. I hope it helps you to look at your resources, your time, your talents, your treasures, and to steward it for God's glory.

I pray today, you have a deeper sense of urgency to bring the Gospel message for all, because the end is coming near. The Antichrist will come. The world will be plunged into a time of darkness and tragedy we have not seen before.

But beyond it all, we need to remain steadfast to look forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know this has been a tough sermon, I pray it will have blessed your heart in a way God has intended it to be.


Let's bow for a word of prayer together. Father, we thank You for this morning, thank You for the ability of your people this morning to even absorb and listen to your word. I pray even right now, as we still our hearts, that Your Spirit will continue to minister to us.

I pray for those today who are suffering, going through difficulties. It's so hard always, to look at.. to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But may we draw encouragement from the Scripture today.

For the Jews, it must have been really, really hard to be in Babylon and then in Medo-Persia, and going through the great tragedy. But we thank You, that always; You have a purpose and a plan. And I pray this sovereign aspect of Your rule will comfort each and every heart.

I do pray today for a church that loves the Scriptures because the Word is so robust. It is certain, it is true, and every jot and tittle is from You. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not a jot or tittle shall pass.

Give us, therefore, a deeper confidence in the teachings of the Bible. I do pray today, for a church that will be ready. Each one of us seeing the things that ought to come to pass, it will cause us to be sober, to be ready, to be stewards of Your resources given to us. To be people who will pursue holiness and purity in life. That dear God, we would be not found wanting when You should come again.

I pray these truths today will fortify the hearts and minds of Your church. And dear God, I pray for those who today may not know Jesus. Seeing the sins, the horrors, the destruction that sin brings, would You turn their eyes now to Jesus, our fairest Lord Jesus, who came to die, to pay for sin and to bring all that is wrong to become right. Help them to repent, help them to believe. So dear God, bless Your Word to Your people this morning. We ask this humbly now in Jesus' Name, Amen.

 

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