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Antichrist! The mark of the beast. The tribulation period. Armageddon.

Hollywood has gotten involved in an attempt at biblical education, and the results are, in a word, interesting.

You know the basic script. It has ten basic points:

1) The world is at war
2) A charismatic political leader arises from a reformed Roman empire, possibly ten United States of Europe.
3) The charismatic political leader fashions a seven year treaty to bring peace.
4) The Christian church vanishes in a secret event known as the rapture.
5) The charismatic political leader allows the Jews to rebuild God�s temple in Jerusalem, and to restart animal sacrifice.
6) Half way into the seven year treaty, the charismatic political leader stops the sacrifice in God�s temple.
7) The charismatic political leader sets up a statue of himself in God�s temple and commands that everyone worship him. This is the abomination of desolation as prophesied by the prophet Daniel. Now, anyone who is �left behind� with knowledge of the bible knows who this man is: the Antichrist! The mark of the beast is implemented. Christians are killed.
8) The final 1260 day great tribulation commences
9) The two witnesses of God appear, prophesying for 1260 days.
10) Jesus returns with the church to overthrow this antichrist.

Everywhere you turn in Christian circles, you can hear these ten points preached as though they are established biblical fact. Is this the truth?

There is a new movie out now, called Left Behind II, that advances these basic points, and Christians are taking it up as doctrine. How much of it is doctrine?

POINT NUMBER THREE-The Seven Year Treaty/Seven Year Tribulation This point hangs upon the interpretation of one single scripture: Daniel 9:27. Anyone who has done any Hebrew study knows that the English translation of these verses from 9:24 to 9:27 is very tricky, and there are many variants. Furthermore, bible students know how dangerous it is to base a doctrine on one single scripture. Take a look at 1 Corinthians 15:29, and then use it to justify baptism for the dead.

If there is no seven year treaty, there is no seven year tribulation period. It is not otherwise mentioned in the bible. Most people ignore the obvious interpretation of verse 27. Let�s look at it.

�And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.�

Who has already fulfilled this? Jesus! He ministered for 3 and � years and was crucified. Jesus ushered in the new covenant, which is a more perfect and literal fulfillment of this scripture than any treaty could ever be. He caused the animal sacrifice and oblation to cease.

Will there be a secondary, end time fulfillment by a charismatic political leader? Perhaps. But it certainly is not an established biblical fact that such a treaty must come, for the prophecy has already been fulfilled by Jesus. Jesus will then have another 3 and � years to fulfill at a later date, perhaps in the great tribulation, ministering through His church.

POINT NUMBER FOUR-The Secret Rapture

There is most definitely a rapture, or a catching away of the Christian church. The tricky part is to determine just when that event occurs.

There are a couple of big problems scripturally if this event is to occur before the great tribulation begins.

Revelation 20:4-5 �And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and the lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."

As point four teaches us, a rapture is a resurrection of the church, changed in the twinkling of an eye. Then, when Jesus returns at the end of the great tribulation, there is another resurrection of those who were �left behind�, but who die in Christ. That makes TWO RESURRECTIONS. But, this verse above says that the first resurrection includes those who refused to take the mark of the beast and who refused to worship the beast or his image.

This scripture is the strongest biblical argument for a late term rapture of the church, at the time of the return, or parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Earth. All scripture speaks of one �coming� of our Lord, not two. Matthew 24 places his coming as late in the time of great distress, in fact, after that time.

To believe in an early rapture, in accordance with point four, you must adopt a belief that the rapture, where believers are changed in the twinkling of an eye, is not really a resurrection. The bible says very clearly that the dead in Christ will rise first, before the church is caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and that is a resurrection, any which way you look at it.

POINT NUMBER FIVE-The Rebuilt Temple of God in Jerusalem

This one is really problematic. On the one hand, scripture seems to be quite emphatic that the temple of God will be rebuilt. And yet, there is the troublesome, dual meaning of the word for temple in the Greek: NAOS. This word, used to denote a shrine or a sanctuary, is also used to describe our bodies as the temples of the Holy Spirit. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 has this word NAOS, translated as �temple of God�, in the authorized version. The same word NAOS is utilized in 1 Corinthians 6:9 where it is rendered as �your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost�.

I look at it from this perspective: If the temple is rebuilt on the temple mount in Jerusalem, will it be God�s temple? Will God receive the sacrifice of animals on that altar as worship unto Him? Will anything that is done in that building rise to the level of being an abomination in the sight of God, that might cause desolation? To me, the mere reinstitution of animal sacrifice will be an abomination in God�s sight. What a man might do there in erecting a statue would seem to be of very little importance in comparison to that.

I�m not really offering a solution here. All I have are questions. To me, it is a bit of a stretch to teach that the bible definitely says that the temple will be rebuilt, it will be God�s temple, and antichrist will defile it.

POINT NUMBER SIX-Sacrifice stopped

This point hangs on point number three. If there is no treaty, and no rebuilt temple, then there is obviously, no stopped sacrifice, and the antichrist still appears, to all the world, as a charismatic political leader and nothing more.

POINT NUMBER SEVEN-Statue set up, Antichrist worshipped, mark of the beast implemented, Christians killed.

Many points of this item will definitely happen, but who will be there to confront it? Not the church, if you listen to what is taught today.

Consider this: This point may be the very first, recognizable point, and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ may be here to face it.

Now read this, in this different light: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

�Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (the day of Christ) shall not come, except there come a falling away (apostaseo) first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.�

AN ALTERNATIVE TEN POINTS-Presented as hypothetical conjecture, and not doctrine.

1) The world is at war.
2) A charismatic political leader arises from a reformed Roman empire, possibly ten United States of Europe.
3) The charismatic political leader comes in by intrigue and flattery, and perhaps as a great peacemaker.
4) The Christian church continues on earth as the effort to establish a United World Religion also continues.
5) The charismatic political leader enters into a symbiotic relationship with the Catholic Church in Rome to share power.
6) The false prophet, connected with Catholocism, begins to do great miracles, directing people to worship the charismatic political leader. There is a great falling away, or apostasy from the true faith as many people are swayed by the awesome signs that are performed by the false prophet. The antichrist is now revealed, and remnant Christians now know of his true identity.
7) The charismatic political leader is killed, but is raised from the dead, and issues a command that everyone worship him in their churches. This is the abomination of desolation as prophesied by the prophet Daniel. The mark of the beast is implemented. Christians are killed.
8) The final 1260 day great tribulation commences
9) The two witnesses of God appear, prophesying for 1260 days.
10) Jesus returns on the clouds, the church is caught up, and then comes to earth to overthrow this antichrist.

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Stephen L. Bening

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