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.
