Chapter 7: The Antichrist

TEXT: Revelation 13:1-18; 14:9-11

OBJECTIVE

The students will be able to relate the fact that the spirit of antichrist will culminate in a person known as the Antichrist, who will be revealed during the Tribulation. He will deceive the nations and cause “all . . . whose names are not written in the book” to take his mark—a mark which will seal their eternal doom.

REFERENCE INFORMATION

The word “antichrist” comes from the Greek word “antichristos.” The prefix anti has two meanings; “against” or “instead of.” Thus, the word antichrist may mean either an enemy of Christ or one who usurps Christ’s name and rights.

The Old Testament gives evidence of a general Jewish belief in a hostile person or power who in the end time would bring an attack against God’s people—an attack which would be crushed by the Messiah. Paul gives a full description of the working of the Antichrist, the “man of sin,” in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. The Thessalonian Christians may have been under the erroneous impression that the “day of Christ” was at hand, for Paul tells them that before that day could come two things would have to take place—an apostasy and the revelation of the man of sin, the son of perdition.

The idea of marking people has been seriously proposed. The September 20, 1973 “Senior Scholastics” magazine suggested this in an article titled “Public Needs and Private Rights—Who Is Watching You?” “All buying and selling in the program will be done by computer. No currency, no change, no checks. In the program, people would receive a number that had been assigned them tattooed on their wrist or forehead. The number is put on by a laser beam and cannot be felt. The number on the body is not seen with the naked eye and is as permanent as your fingerprints. All items of consumer goods will be marked with a computer mark. The computer outlet in the store which picks up the number on the items at the check stand will also pick up the number on the person’s body and deduct the amount from the person’s ‘Special Drawing Rights’ account. . . .” Years have passed. How much closer we are to having this idea in operation today!

QUESTIONS

The name Antichrist introduces to us one who is absolutely opposed to Jesus Christ. The spirit of antichrist is already in the world, working in the children of disobedience. As Jesus Christ is the express image of God, so it appears that the Antichrist is the culminating manifestation of Satan. Also known as the Beast, his coming is through Satan who gives him power to work signs and lying wonders. His reign during the Tribulation will be ushered in by flatteries, prosperity, and a call for peace, but he will cause all, both small and great, whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, to take a mark which seals their doom.

1. What is another name given for the Antichrist? Using 2 John 7 as a reference, explain the purpose of the Antichrist.
   
   Response: The students, no doubt, will give the name as “Deceiver.” As you continue the discussion, bring out the fact that the object of the Antichrist is to deceive and to persuade those he can to deny Christ. Also mention that the spirit of antichrist is now working in the world to deceive those who will pay heed.
   
2. Since the spirit of antichrist is in the world today, how can we avoid being deceived? The answer can be found in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.
   
   Response: We can see from the Scripture references that we must have a love for the truth of God’s Word. Discuss what having a love for the truth entails. Why is this love for truth vital? Bring out that it is necessary in order to receive salvation. Encourage your students to cite specific examples of cults and false beliefs which take parts of Scripture and twist them to their own purposes. Zero in on why it is important to love and seek an understanding of God’s Word that we may be protected from “strong delusions.”
   
3. Using Matthew 24:24, tell how the spirit of antichrist will work, and the schemes that will be used.
   
   Response: The students can discuss the recent groups of people who have fallen for false teachers, false prophets, and false christs. Many people will follow a spectacular leader because of sensational promises. But they forget to consider the end result which consists of standing before God alone and being judged for their actions on earth.
   
4. As the Antichrist gains control of the world during the Tribulation period, those who follow him will wear an identifying mark. What are the consequences of having the mark?
   
   Response: Ask your students to name specific consequences that will fall on those who take the mark. While discussing the finality and severity of the judgment, bring out that the most horrible of all is the knowledge of being forever separated from God and His people.
   
5. Anyone who does not take the mark will not be allowed to buy or sell. The Antichrist will have complete control of all the world’s economy: commercial, political, and religious. Name some specific aspects of your own life which would be affected by such control.
   
   Response: Allow time for your students to offer their suggestions, based on their own individual situations: in school, on the job, as a parent, etc. Help them to see that because of the complex structure of our society, it would be virtually impossible to function as a citizen under the control of the Antichrist without taking his mark.
   
6. What role does the false prophet perform during the Tribulation period? See Revelation 19:20.
   
   Response: He deceives many by great miracles, gives power to the image of the Beast to speak, and causes all to receive a mark in their right hand or forehead. In comparing the verse in Revelation 19:20 with our text in Revelation 13:11-17, the students should realize that the false prophet mentioned is the same as the second beast.
   
7. What will be the end of the Beast (Antichrist), the false prophet, and the devil? See Revelation 20:10.
   
   Response: Revelation 20:10 reveals that the wicked trinity will be cast into the lake of fire. Help your students realize that this is the second death, a place of eternal torment.
   
8. What can we do each day to be accounted worthy to escape all these things and to be ready to stand faultless before the Son of Man? See Luke 21:36.
   
   Response: Watch and pray. It is important to conclude this lesson with the positive thought that we can be prepared to escape the events of the Tribulation. These preparations should be made today!

CLASS ACTIVITIES

Role Play: A store clerk and a father with a hungry child. The father does not have the mark and wants to buy something. Have two people take sides.

Plan to show a movie such as, “Thief in the Night,” during the time your Sunday school class is studying this series of Sunday school lessons.

Take a credit card or UPC symbol to class and discuss how these might lead into the mark of the Beast.

Have a brainstorming session, using an overhead projector or chalkboard to record ideas regarding what restrictions might be placed on those who refuse to take the mark of the Beast. Your list might begin with not being able to buy or sell, and should move on to explore possibilities such as no privilege to attend school, travel, or receive emergency care, or governmental benefits. The point of the exercise should be to make plain the nearly impossible situation one would face by refusing to take the mark.

Bring a baby’s I.D. bracelet from the hospital, a “dog tag” bracelet giving name and address such as children wear, and an I.D. card or driver’s license. Point out that those methods of identification can be lost or forged. An invisible mark on a person would be so much more efficient. Use these objects to stimulate a discussion on how logical and practical the mark will seem when it is presented to people.