Sermon Supplement, Lord’s Day, July 23, 2006
Kihei Baptist Chapel, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii
THE BIBLICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF GROWING CENTRALIZATION, Daniel 8:23-25
Glenn Armstrong, D.D. Pastor
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THE BIBLICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF GROWING CENTRALIZATION
INTRODUCTION:
When current world events are studied with the Bible in hand, it becomes clear that fewer people and organizations are getting more and more power. The world once was comprised of many countries working in a sovereign independent manner. Now every action, even seemingly insignificant ones, have global consequences. The sociological, political, financial, theological and educational programs of the world are now interwoven into a multi-causal interacting system, which threatens the safety and security of everyone. In fact, it threatens civilization itself
The world is looking for leadership to solve the global hostility. It is looking for leadership that simply is not there! In this vacuum, a leader will certainly come to the top. He will be the biblical antichrist.
For one individual to assume universal domination the infra-structure of the world can be expected to be centralized under the control of fewer and fewer people and programs. God gave the Old Testament prophet Daniel an overview of futuristic events.
I. THE PROPHETICAL PRONOUNCEMENT OF THE WORLD LEADER, Daniel 8:23-25
A. The leader will be functional at the "end times", 8:19. While the immediate fulfillment of this passage fits Antiochus Epiphanies who destroyed Israel and desecrated the temple 167 BC, it is also clearly futuristic in describing the antichrist.
B. The leader will be fierce and severe, 8:23.
C. He will understand hard situations by supernatural and satanic
aid.
II. THE PROMISED PROTECTION OF THE WORLD LEADER, Daniel 9:27
A. The antichrist will come to power by proposing a solution to the Middle East conflicts with a protection of Israel from its enemies. (The world is looking for a person with such a plan as I write this paper.)
B. The peace plan will be for a seven-year period, but it will be broken by the antichrist in 3 -1/2 years.
C. The covenant will constitute the time known as the tribulation.
III. THE PSEUDO PEACE OF THE WORLD LEADER, Daniel 11:21-24
A. The whole world is currently looking for a leader who will form a covenant that promises protection to Israel and peace in the Middle East, even if it is only for a seven-year period.
B. The antichrist is by nature a liar who works in deception through flatteries and deceit.
C. He will have unlimited financial resource to pay for peace.
D. The antichrist is known by several titles, such as:
1. the willful king
2. the man of sin
3. the antichrist
4. the prince of Rome
5. the beast
IV. THE PUBLIC PROSPERITY OF THE WORLD LEADER, Daniel 11:36-45
A. The Leader will have the power to do as he wants. (politically)
1. He will promote himself as a god, 36. (religion, II Thessalonians 2:4)
2. He will pronounce decrees against God, 36, (mass communication systems, satanically empowered, Revelation 13:1-8)
3. He will prosper politically, Revelation 13:7-8.
4. He will profane the historical God of Abraham, 37 (Judaism and historical religious and family heritage).
5. He will present himself as God, 37 (religion)
6. He will promote power, 38 (world military control)
7. He will prosper financially, 38 (world marketing control)
8. He will present a strange god, 39 (worldwide religion)
9. He will profit by control of nations, 39 (redistribution of property)
10. He will push a Middle East war, 40, and 42 (Israel/Arab conflict)
11. He will have power over oil money, 43 (energy control)
APPLICATION: With world tensions as they are today every believer should be busy sharing the gospel of God’s redemptive grace to those who do not know the Lord. About four billion of the world population is living in societies where the Christian religion is either illegal or unknown. Ask God to give you boldness in your life to witness to the lost, Ephesians 6:19,20.
GAA/Thursday, July 20, 2006
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