SUPERNATURALISM: MENTALLY PREPARING FOR THE TRIBULATION

Once upon a time our culture was thoroughly dominated by scientific materialism, a by-product of the evolutionary faith. Those who believed in supernaturalism were viewed as much too religious or even a bit unbalanced mentally. So, whether you were a devoted Christian who believed that Jesus of Nazareth worked many miracles and that He rose from the dead, or one who advocated for space aliens and UFOs, you were not in the mainstream of cultural thinking. But that thinking has experienced something of a transformation. Today, in the movies, on television, or on the internet, things supernatural and paranormal are on center stage. People are entertained with countless stories about those who possess amazing supernatural powers, whether they be heroes or villains. Believing in space aliens is no longer embraced by a “lunatic fringe” but is very mainstream, as even those in government express their belief in the existence of such beings. And “documentaries” are produced on supernatural/paranormal subjects. Zombies, vampires, monsters with extraordinary powers, and invading aliens are commonplace in movies and on television. It appears that minds are being re-programmed, so that the supernaturalism of the coming Tribulation period will be readily embraced. There is, in fact, much supernaturalism in the Tribulation.

Supernaturalism and the Antichrist. There is coming a very capable man (Antichrist), who will be given extraordinary power by Satan at the start of the Tribulation period. His ability to work miracles will both impress and deceive mankind. These supernatural works are not magic tricks but genuine miracles. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 speaks of the Antichrist “whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deceptiveness of wickedness…”  The three emphasized words show that Antichrist will be involved in many kinds of power displays. These miracles are designed to validate his claims (“signs”) of messiahship and deity. People will be amazed (“wonders”) and though the miracles are real enough, they lead to that which is false (“false wonders”). (It is worth noting that these same three words are used concerning the miracles of Christ.) 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us that his miracle working will not be an isolated event or two, but will be that which is part of all that he says and does. Perhaps the greatest demonstration of supernatural power is when the Antichrist is assassinated and then returns to life. Three times the Apostle John speaks of his demise and uses terms like “the wound of the sword” and “fatal wound” (Rev. 13:3, 12, 14). He returns to life (likely not a resurrection) which, according to Revelation 13:3-4, causes the whole world to worship him. The Lord apparently allows this event to take place, and this event is probably part of “the lie” that people, at that time, will believe (2 Thess. 2:9-12).

Supernaturalism and the False Prophet. Less known is the False Prophet. He is not mentioned in the O.T. and the first time he is mentioned in the Scriptures is in the last book of the Bible (Rev. 13:11; 19:20; 20:10). He will be the right-hand man of the Antichrist but will be a worker of miracles. Revelation 13:13-14 states, “And he performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform…” Pretty impressive. He gets his ability to work miracles from the Antichrist, who gets that ability from Satan.  The False Prophet is the key individual in leading the world in worship of the Antichrist. Surrounding that false religion will be a constant flow of miraculous signs; signs which are intended to prove that the Antichrist is the savior of the world.  

Supernaturalism and Many Agents of Satan. Supernaturalism is not confined to just the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Jesus stated that there will be many in Satan’s camp that will have the ability to operate in the realm of the supernatural. He said in Matthew 24:24: “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” There are three points to observe. First, Jesus uses the plural; that is, He says there will be multiple false Christs and false prophets who will be doing miraculous deeds. No number is given, but it seems that there will be a significantly large number of such. Second, the miracles will be “great” which reveals that they will be amazing power displays, and not some slight of hand. And third, these miracles will be deceptive. People will be fooled by them. Perhaps one of these false prophets will feed an assembly hall with 5,000 people using just three or four hotdogs, while another will delight a crowd by turning water into wine. Jesus observed that even God’s people could be fooled by these miraculous moments. Apparently, the Holy Spirit will keep that from happening. These miracles will resemble the miracles Jesus worked. 

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ: a Supernatural Event. The Tribulation will end on a supernatural note with the powerful, glorious, supernatural coming of the King. 

“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be…immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:27-30). 

This supernatural moment will far surpass what Satan and his forces could produce. At that moment, there will be no doubts where real power in the universe resides. It resides with the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. And at that time, all the nations of the earth will acknowledge His lordship (Psalm 2:8-9).

Some Concluding Thoughts

The Scriptures reveal an abundance of supernatural events during the Tribulation, showing that it is a unique period. In the past, there have been supernatural events, as in the days of Moses and Elijah and in the days of Christ and the Apostles. But there is nothing like this Tribulation time and it is a period unlike anything we have seen or experienced. We cannot interpret those coming days in light of today’s events and activities; the explosion of the supernatural makes it quite different from today.

In several ways, it does seem that the stage is being set for the coming drama of the Tribulation. And one of those pieces on the stage, that prepares the world for this unprecedented time, could well be the new openness and fascination with all things paranormal and supernatural. Today, people generally do not mock supernatural things but are quite open to them. This change in the mindset of people would appear to make acceptance of the supernatural in the Tribulation come easier.

Meanwhile, Psalm 2:11-12 admonishes all who live on this earth to be rightly related to the glorious, powerful King. “Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son lest He become angry and you perish in the way. For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are those who take refuge in Him.” The wrath of the Lamb truly is imminent, but we, who by faith belong to Him, will never experience His wrath. But others without Him, do face coming wrath. Jude once said, “save others, snatching them out of the fire….” (Jude 23). We have work to do.

2025 AND THE COMING APPEARANCE OF THE ANTICHRIST

Satan has a major problem. Perhaps it keeps him awake at night! The problem is that Satan does not

know when the Lord is going to commence end time events. These events will end the Devil’s

domination of planet earth, and apparently, the Lord is not going to give him any forewarning when the

time comes. This means that Satan must always have certain things in place, including a man groomed

and ready to immediately step into the role of “antichrist.” There is, therefore, a man right now, alive in

the western world, that will fulfill every detail about this dominant end time figure. As a reminder, here

are some basic biblical facts about this man and his career.

• The Name “Antichrist.” There are several descriptive names found in the Scriptures for this man such as the “lawless one” (2 Thess. 2) and the “beast” (Rev. 13). But it is the term “antichrist” that is most often used today to refer to this man. As the Apostle John discussed the real dangers of false teaching, he described false teachers as “antichrists” (1 John 2:18; 3:3). But he also spoke of “the” antichrist that would be coming (1 John 2:18). The Abbot-Smith Greek Lexicon notes that the word “anti” carries two basic ideas. One is that it means “against” or “in opposition” to something or someone. We speak of someone who is anti-establishment, or anti-war, meaning they are against those things. The second meaning of “anti” is that of “in place of” or a substitute. Both those meanings fit this future end time figure. He is against our Lord Jesus Christ, and he will also present himself as a substitute Christ. This second point indicates that he will disguise himself as being good and righteous, just like his mentor the Devil, who appears as an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). 

• The Emergence of the Antichrist. While there is a man who is now alive on earth, and who is potentially the antichrist, he is not yet identified as such. So, how will people know him as “antichrist”? Daniel 7:8, 19-26 reveals that this man (called the “little horn”) will come out of the territory of the old Roman empire. Therefore, many today do not qualify as the antichrist, such as Vladimir Putin (Russia), Xi Jinping (China), Kim Jong Un (North Korea), and a variety of dictators and ayatollahs. It would seem most likely that where Roman (western) culture prevails, as in Europe, that this would be the place to look. Also, Daniel 9:27 informs us that the event which reveals him to be the antichrist is a covenant that he makes with the leaders of Israel. That moment in time identifies him as the Antichrist and it also starts the Tribulation. This covenant agreement between Israel and this man strongly suggests that, at that time, he will be the leader of a nation that is militarily powerful, since he is affording Israel support and protection. That would probably eliminate nations like Luxemburg. 

• The Career of the Antichrist. There are four distinct periods to this man’s life. First, he is the leader (president, prime minister, king, etc.) of a powerful nation. It is in that capacity that he makes the treaty with the leaders of Israel. Second, during the first half of the Tribulation period he is seen as a man of war. He “deprives of sovereignty” three nations, which point to military dominance. These would be nations which were found in the old Roman Empire. Then seven others, from the Empire, will acquiesce to his leadership forming a union of nations. (Dan. 7:19-26; Rev. 17:12-17). So, during the first half of the Tribulation he heads an eleven-nation union (10 nations plus his own nation which is not one of the ten). The third phase of his career will be in the second half of the Tribulation where he becomes the ruler of the entire world (Rev. 13:3-5; 2 Thess. 2:4). Globalism is finally achieved by the Evil One. The text of Revelation specifically states that this phase lasts for 42 months. In league with Satan, he will be worshipped by multitudes in this world. No doubt they see him as the Anointed One (Christ). The fourth and final phase of his career begins when he is captured alive by the Lord Jesus at Armageddon and cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:19-20). From that point on, he eternally resides in the Lake of Fire.

• The Successes of the Antichrist. His powers and his abilities are truly amazing. He is unlike anyone else. The Apostle John reveals that his various powers and abilities come directly from Satan (Rev. 13:4). For example, he will have unusual oratorical skills which enable him to sway millions to believe in him and follow him (Rev. 13:5-6). He has insights and powers which enable him to be victorious in the wars he conducts (Rev. 13:4, 7; Dan. 11:41-44), which includes successfully targeting the followers of Jesus (Rev. 13:7; Dan. 7:21). He will understand economics and will effectively control the world’s finances (Rev. 13:16-18). He is a powerful personality and his skill set will include the mastering of political maneuvering. Because he gets his powers from Satan, he will be absolutely unique.

• Supernaturalism and the Antichrist. The Apostle Paul notes that this one will work amazing miracles; miracles that are both powerful and deceptive, and these will be used to validate his claims and deceive those living in the Tribulation (2 Thess. 2:9). Jesus made the same basic points in His prophetic discourse (Matt. 24:24), observing that even the elect might be deceived by the power and deceptiveness of the miracles, if it were not for God’s protection. These works of supernaturalism are not magic tricks but are genuine suspensions of natural law, just like those done by the Lord Jesus when He was on earth. Perhaps the greatest demonstration of supernatural power will be seen when the Antichrist is assassinated but then returns to life. Three times John speaks of his demise by means of the “sword” and then his return to life (Rev. 13:3, 12, 14). His is a “fatal” blow and his return to life causes the world to worship him (Rev. 13:3-4). It is not that he is just badly wounded. It is “fatal.” It should be noted that he is apparently not “resurrected;” that is, not given a resurrection body. He simply returns to life; something that the Lord apparently allows. This is likely a key to “the lie” that multitudes of people at that time will believe concerning this man (2 Thess. 2:9-12).

Therefore, at this moment, somewhere on this planet, there is a man “ready to go” as the Antichrist.

• Taking Away Truth for Today.

1. The potential antichrist is alive and is in a position of political power (or could quickly come to power). He already belongs to the Evil One, even though presently he would not be identified as such but probably appears quite virtuous.

2. We will not know who he is because we believers will not be here on earth when he signs the treaty with the leaders of Israel. Church age believers will have been raptured. But that covenant signing is what reveals him as the Antichrist.

3. The reality that such a person is presently “ready to go” is another reminder that the coming of our Lord Jesus to take us home really is imminent. It is another “prop” in place on the stage. We simply await the raising of the curtain. 

4. 2025 could be the year. With all that is going on in our world, and with the way that events and alignments can so quickly change and emerge, we need to wisely follow Paul’s example and keep one eye on the heavens as we live our lives (Phil. 3:14-21). Our redemption really is closer now than when 2024 began. 2025 might be the year when faith becomes sight. Even so, come Lord Jesus.