THE CHURCH DURING THE REIGN OF THE ANTICHRIST

John S. Torell

The Holy Spirit woke me up on the morning of October 7th at 4:00 AM to show me a vision about the end times. For some time I have been asking God to show me why He gave the great revelation to the apostle John, which we know today as the Book of Revelation.

THE FIRST SIXTY YEARS

From the  day of Pentecost until 90 A.D., a time period of about 60 years, the apostles, including Paul, had not been instructed by Jesus as to how the world system would be closed down. They had been given some glimpses like the references to a period of tribulation when Jesus referred to a person as the “abomination of desolation” standing in the temple in Jerusalem. When this happened it would be time to flee. The apostle Paul referred to the man of sin but there were no details of what would happen during the most turbulent period in the history of mankind. The apostle Peter said the earth and the entire universe would be dissolved with a new creation following afterward. These were future events but the sequence in which they would come was not revealed.

It must have come as a shock to the Christians when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D., even though it was prophesied by Jesus.

In order for the generation who is going to live during the tribulation period, a written record had to be written down so that God’s people could prepare themselves and not be surprised by the world dictator, who would rule over a world federation with total economic and religious control. The people also needed to know that this ruler will be defeated by Jesus and about the judgments of God and when the new creation would take place.

PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH

Jesus was persecuted from the day He was born in Bethlehem until the day He died on the cross. From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus prepared the disciples to expect persecution when proclaiming the Gospel message instead of being received with great joy. (Matthew 10:16-39)

With the exception of John, every apostle died a violent death at the hands of men who hated Jesus.

The church was birthed in a time of persecution and there will be much persecution before Jesus comes back. (Revelation 13:4-9)

THE MARK OF THE BEAST

Never before in the history of mankind has such a financial, industrial and commerce network existed that controls individuals in every nation on the earth; but Jesus predicted this exact scenario. (Revelation 13:11-18)

There will be a mark of loyalty for people to be part of this global system but no one will be forced to take it. Every person who takes this mark on their forehead or right hand will voluntarily pledge their loyalty to the Antichrist. (Revelation 13:14-15)

THE PENALTY FOR TAKING THE MARK OF THE BEAST

Jesus also made it clear there are eternal consequences for the person that takes the mark; eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire, with no possibility of repentance. In other words, you cannot undo this action; not even the blood of Jesus will wash away this sin. (Revelation 14:9-13)

WHAT SHOULD CHRISTIANS DO?

The warning has been given by Jesus; it is up to each individual to take action. We will do well if we listen to the Holy Spirit and learn how He led the early church through their time of persecution. (John 16:7-15)

PUBLIC CHURCHES ARE COMING TO AN END

When the time of the Antichrist begins, it will become unlawful to be a professing Christian, church buildings will be closed; pastors and church leaders who insist on preaching the true Gospel will be arrested, sent to labor camps or executed. This is the life of Christians in China today.

Christians will no longer have access to the Internet, which will be purged of all websites that include Christian content or opposes the new world government. Christians who have smart phones will find themselves cut off from service.

There will be no more stores that sell Bibles and you won’t be able to find them for sale except on the black market.

HOW DID THE EARLY CHURCH SURVIVE?

The early church survived because of the following factors:

1. There was no central leadership for the first 200 years.
2. There were no church buildings; instead, Christians met in small home groups and were lead by an elder. Every city or a rural province would have a bishop, who instructed the elders from the Bible. (1 Timothy 3:1)
3. To be accepted into a home group, an individual had to repent of his sins, receive Christ as Lord and Savior and submit to water baptism through immersion. Once he had proved himself to be a disciple, he was accepted into the fellowship. (Acts 9:26-27)
4. Jesus had set up the different offices in the church. (Ephesians  4:11-16)
5. In order to gain access to a local fellowship, a letter of recommendation was required. (Acts 15:22-27)
6. The written word of God was used by the Holy Spirit to keep the churches spiritually healthy. (2 Peter 1:13-21)

PREPARE FOR PERSECUTION

It is possible to prepare for a natural disaster such as an hurricane, tornado or earthquake but it take careful planning. In much the same way, Christians need to take stock and get ready as we see the end times approaching.

1. Prepare yourself mentally to trust in God alone, not in men or the government. (Matthew 6:24-34)
2. Be ready to die for your faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
3. Maintain a close fellowship with Jesus or you will not be able to hold up during the pressure that is coming. (John 15: 1-8)
4. Find Christians in your community who you can trust and start building a local Christian fellowship where you meet for worship, prayer and Bible studies.
5. Buy some extra Bibles and build up a stockpile for future believers in Christ.
6. Find a good source of Christian material that will teach you church and secular history, doctrine and customs from ancient Israel.
7. Study to prepare yourself to pray for the sick, to cast out demons and to be used by God to work miracles. Prepare yourself to live in the supernatural, not in the flesh.
8. Affiliate yourselves with other like minded groups in other areas and be ready to aid people in need.