And we shall reign with him a thousand years [Revelation 20:6].

(IX)      Christians cannot be made to experience the flagitious rule of the Antichrist, because His words are, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mat 16:18). The verbal ‘prevail against’ is the Greek word katischuo (kat-iy-schï ’-ō) ‘to have power over, to overpower, to overcome; to come to one’s full strength.’ The exhortatory words of Jesus say that Christians cannot be devastated by the force of the enemy. Amen!

The Holy Spirit filled Christians will be led to heaven in the rapture

                The Lord Jesus will show up twice in the seventh week. Not touching the earth, His first appearance takes place in the middle of the seven weeks, –to remove the Church at the rapture. The next thing would be a global broadcast from the capital of the world! It would be something like, “Enemies of a peaceful earth must be rounded up and be punished.” The Antichrist is the spiritual progeny of Satan, the father of lies, ergo, he will find it facilely colorable to blame perceived enemies from Mars or wherever. This will give birth to branding. The number of his name is 666. It will be borne by all, great and small. This will prove that he, the son of perdition, owns the world and all its inhabitants, fronting for Lucifer, the god of this world.

                The truth, however, is that he cannot exercise his evil force to receive latria from us –the born-again Christians. Why? “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” [2Thess 2:7]. The Lord Jesus is the ‘restrainer,’ the Greek word, katechō (kat-ekh’-o), for ‘letteth.’

This branding of 666 is for non-believers of soteriology

                The body of Christ will not allow the devil to have his branding of her. Abominable! The second time will be at the end of the seventh week, after the Antichrist has perfectly unleashed his terror of the tribulation. Then comes Jesus and His Bride, to fulfil the thousand years of true peace. The fulfilment of the seven remaining weeks are strictly eschatological. The Antichrist’s 3 ½ years peace treaty is an event that unveils the true identity of Satan’s son of perdition. He (the Antichrist) has not yet done that, ergo, he cannot give anyone the mark of 666. Adamic historicity is yet to record any global reign of peace, for forty-two weeks, by any man or woman on this earth.

                Using the Scriptures to buttress His teaching, Jesus maintained: “and the scripture cannot be broken;” in John 10:35. The word ‘broken’ is luo (lï ’-ō) ‘1. to loosen, release. Undo; repeal; annul; 2. (by usage) to break (a law or treaty). 3. (by extension) to tear down (break down into unusable parts). 4. (of bonds) to dissolve. 5. (maritally) to divorce. I have shown copiously from the word of God that the Christian can neither lose his salvation nor be forced to receive the 666 mark of perdition. If the divine afflatus, as couched by the hand of Daniel is of vaticinal accuracy, then it is pellucid enough to see that the giving of the mark of the Beast cannot be given to anyone now (10^th July, 2020). Jesus, the Word of God, made an asseverative, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt 5:18).

                What happens in 1Thessalonians 4:16, where it reads, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” is the time of His appearing, only for the rapture of the saints, born again Christians. The first verse of the second chapter of 2Thessalonians Pauline teaching speaks of the gathering of the Christians. Guess what ‘gathering together’ of 2Thessalonians 2:1 is? It is episunagoge (e-piy-sïn-a-ğō-ǰee’), meaning: ‘1. a complete gathering. 2. (especially) a Christian meeting (reoccuring for worship).’ Every true born again Christian must be removed. This is quite different from what obtains in 2Thessalonians 2:8, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:” where the Antichrist, his followers and the false prophets will go into annihilation.

The conquered foe

                Before the destruction of the lawless, son of perdition, Revelation 13:1-8 relates the evil activities of the ultimate Antichrist. Verse 7 reads, “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” And this verse marks the last or second 3 ½ years of the son of Satan’s seven allotted years. We the redeemed children of God would have gone to stay in heaven, enjoying the fullness of the Father’s joy.

Even the beast must play by the rules

                After the seventh year Revelation 19:19-20 reads, “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” This verse has a corroboration in the above 2Thessalonians 2:8.

Folks, this is why you just must be born again (John 3:7) before your earthly time is up! Pray the prayer of all prayers: the one that gets you born again. Are you ready? It must come from the core of your heart, and believing every word. Here we go; say:

Dear heavenly Father, I come to you now, in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe in my heart that Jesus died for my sins. I believe that You raised Him from the dead (for my justification). I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I receive Him as my Lord and Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!

(Concluded)

Read part 8 here

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