Identifying the Man of Sin
The Name of the Man of Sin
Although the Bible gives many names for the man of sin, it is worthy to note that the Bible does not provide the name of the man of sin. Look what Isaiah said concerning Cyrus, a Persian king:
Isaiah 45:1 – “Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut.”
In the above verse, Isaiah prophesies concerning a king by the name of Cyrus. The time of this prophecy is at least 150 years before Cyrus comes on the scene. From the time of Isaiah’s prophecy to the fulfillment thereof was about 175 years! About 175 years before it happened, God told us through His prophet that a man by the name of Cyrus, a king of Persia, would rise up, and would command the city of Jerusalem to be restored. Listen to me very carefully. God Almighty gave us the name of the Persian king Cyrus more than 150 years prior to Cyrus’ coming on the scene.
Dear reader, we live in a time where people have tried, and continue to try, to name the man of sin. I am amazed that sincere people get caught up in trying to figure out who the man of sin is. Has it ever dawned on you, that the God who named King Cyrus no less than 150 years before he came on the scene could have given us the name of the man of sin had He wanted us to know? It would not have been any more of a challenge for God Almighty to put the name of the man of sin in the Bible than it was for Him to put the name of Cyrus in the scriptures! Before looking at this man of sin, this Antichrist, I want you to know this – naming him is not important! Down through the years, those who have tried to name the Antichrist have been wrong 100% of the time! Why are you so attracted to figuring out who the Antichrist is, when identifying the Antichrist has never once been successful?
As to the art of naming the Antichrist, I have heard some hilarious guesses! Of course, there are your classic examples – Mussolini, Hitler, and Franklin Roosevelt. Then, there are more modern examples. Ronald Reagan was supposed to be the Antichrist because his first name had six letters; his middle name had six letters (Wilson); and his last name had six letters! I know people who, at the moment of this writing, believe that Bill Clinton is the Antichrist, though Clinton is not currently in power. Some teach that the current president of the United States is the Antichrist. I have even heard it taught that Joe Biden is the Antichrist!
This kind of goofy nonsense originates from a perfectly blended combination of ignorance and foolishness! The fact of the matter is this: God did not tell us who the Antichrist is! Had he wanted us to positively identify the Antichrist, He could have identified Him as plainly as He did King Cyrus! Constantly, the New Testament Christian is admonished to be ready for the Christ, but never the Antichrist! You will never find the words, “wait,” “be ready for,” or “look for” in regard to the awful things coming upon the earth, or to the Antichrist. But many times, you will find that we are commanded to “wait,” “be ready for,” and “look for” the coming of the Son of man! Christ told us to “watch” for His coming repeatedly. Only ONCE do we find the word “watch” in reference to the Great Tribulation and the horrible things that will happen then:
Luke 21:36 – “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
The only time we are exhorted to watch with regard to the things coming upon the earth, we are commanded to watch and pray always, that we might escape them!
The Man of Sin vs. the Son of Man
It is striking to me that all of those who are interested in identifying the Antichrist seem to be equally uninterested in the promotion of the Christ. If I preach that Jesus is coming, and those who have rejected Him will be lost eternally, those who try to name the Antichrist are bored to tears. If, however, I preach that the Antichrist is coming, and hard times are coming, and you better be ready to suffer, these same folks who are trying to name the Antichrist would be moved to an altar of weeping and wailing! What if these people got as excited about Christ as they do Antichrist? We’d have such a revival we wouldn’t know what to do with all the revival fire! No matter how much we study prophecy, or the Antichrist, let us never give the Antichrist the place we ought to give the Christ!
TO BE CONTINUED…
