In the 11th chapter of the book of Revelation the Bible tells us very clearly that the Antichrist will retaliate against God and the people of God and the things of God will make war on the Holy Ones of God for 42 months. That is a limited period of time, 1260 days, 3.5 years, or 42 months.
This is not a prophecy about something that happened in the past, as this is still yet to happen in the future. Again, take your Bible and turn to Revelation in the 11th chapter, and notice what it says in verse two. Verse two says that the court of the Gentiles, holy city shall be trod under foot for 42 months, then verse three goes on to say, “and I will give power to my two witnesses”. Apparently, two Jewish believers that are convinced that Jesus is indeed the Messiah the Christ, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, 3.5 years, 42 months.
In other words for the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period, these two witnesses are preaching to the people of Israel, that Christ is indeed the Messiah Jesus of Nazareth, that he is the promised Messiah, and that he is the savior, and people are getting saved and are coming to faith in Christ.
But, in the meantime, the Bible also makes it clear in the Antichrist is already to rise to power. He will be consolidating his control in Europe, and finally he will have had enough of the preaching of these two men. Why? Scripture goes on to say in verse 5, that, “they have power to call down fire from heaven”, and verse six, “they have power to pray and it will not rain”. Elijah performed these miracles in the Old Testament. They can also turn water into blood, and bring plagues on the Earth as much as they desire. Moses performed these miracles in the Old Testament. These two witnesses are coming “in the spirit” and like of Moses and Elijah. Then the Scripture says in verse seven, “and when they have finished their testimony, the Beast shall make war against them and overcome them and then kill them”. And their dead bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days, while all the world watches them obviously through satellite transmissions of television, and they're sending presents and gifts to one another, they are dancing in the streets, they are having a party because the two witnesses are dead. And then the shock comes, verse 11 in a Chapter 11, “after three and a half days, the Spirit of life from God entered into them and they start upon their feet and great fear fell upon all the saw them”.
I think I would personally love to be watching the News Reports on that day. I'd love to be watching Fox news on that day, when all of a sudden the camera zoom in on the dead bodies and some commentator will say, “they are moving around, they are getting up, they are alive”. Then in verse 12, there is a great voice from heaven saying to them, “come up here”, and then the ascended into heaven out of their sight as their enemies watch them depart in the clouds. Then, the Antichrist pours out his wrath in retaliation on the nation and people of Israel. Look again at the 13th chapter of Revelation; we see this same time period again. The Bible says in Revelation 13:4, “and they worshiped the dragon who gave power to the Beast, and they worshipped the Beast saying, “Who is like the beast, who is able to make war with him. There was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies”. The Antichrist will be an incredible orator, “and power was given to him to continue for 42 months”, this being the last 3 1/2 years of mankind’s history, as well as that of the seven years of the tribulation. “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven and there was given to him the power to make war with the Holy Ones, and all that dwell on the earth will worship him and those whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb of God”. What a powerful passage, so powerful that it should grip our hearts, and soul in life, to realize the retaliation of the Antichrist against the people of Israel will be worse than a that of the Holocaust, as Satan empowers him to try to destroy the Israel and the Earthly people of God.
So, now Antichrist turns his wrath against the earthly people, those being the tribulation believers that are coming to faith and the fact that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. And, as for the revolution of the Antichrist, “The Man of Sin” who is ultimately is determined to conquer the entire world and which eventually leads to the crisis out of his attack on a nation of Israel that ends in the battle of Armageddon and finally results in his destruction.
The powerful thing about the Bible as it tells us that we don’t need to be afraid of the future, as God is in control of the future, he understands what's going to happen, he sees the future, he knows the future, he controls the future. Evil only exists by his divine permission, he restrains it, he will judge it, and finally he will ultimately eliminate it.
Open your Bible at the 19th chapter of the book of Revelation, and notice a dramatic conclusion of that chapter where the stricture tells us in chapter 19 verse 11, “that heaven was opened, a rider comes out of Whitehorse who is called faithful and true”. This Christ himself, “the Word of God”, and, “with a sharp sword he will judge the nations with the power of his word, and with a rod of iron, he treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God Almighty”.
Then verse 20 says, “and when he comes to the battle of Armageddon, and the beast was taken, and the false prophet with him, and both of them were cast to a wide and the lake of fire burning with brimstone, and the rest were slain by the sword of his mouth”.
This passage tells us ultimately,that Jesus Christ will be the one that wins, and not the Antichrist, and that the power of God, and not Satan, will be the power that prevails in the end, and that God’s plan for the future is to bring the world ultimately to the kingdom of God on earth, when the King himself comes back to reign and to rule.
All of these passages are there to remind us, that trouble is coming in the future. They are there also to encourage us that we don’t have to be the victim of any of this, and any of that which is coming, for when you know Jesus Christ as your personal savior, then your heart and life belongs to the King of Kings and to the Lord of Lords, the one who is coming again, to reign and rule in righteousness, and the rise of the beast will ultimately be put down by the power of Christ himself.
Bible prophecies not written to scare us, it is written to prepare us, to invite us to come to Christ while there is hope, while there is still time.
Yes, the Scripture tells us very clearly that eventually an Antichrist figure, "the Beast", that he will rise to power in the world, but that's not something you and I need to be worried about , if you know and accept the lord Jesus as your personal savior. But if you don't, and you're concerned about the future in your eternal destiny and you never put your faith and trust in the Christ, then urge you to it today, do it right now.
Elijah Returns
