Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 9/6/2005

Question
hi,

do you know who is the antichrist? and how about mark of the  beast? i am studying prophecy regarding the two topic.................who has the number 666? please help . thank you and take care.  

Answer
Blessings and thank you for your question.

Antichrist
a false prophet and evil being who will set himself up against Christ and the people of God in the last days before the *Second Coming. The term is used only in the writings of John in the New Testament. It refers to one who stands in opposition to all that Jesus Christ represents (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). John wrote that several antichrists existed already in his day—false teachers who denied the deity and the Incarnation of Christ—but that the supreme Antichrist of history would appear at some future time.
The Antichrist's primary work is deception, which also characterizes *Satan in his attempts to undermine the work of God in the world. Satan's deception began in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3) and will continue until the end of time. The Dragon (or Serpent) of Revelation 12 is Satan, the Serpent mentioned in Genesis 3. Thus the thread of Satan's deceptive work may be traced from Genesis through Revelation. That work reaches its climax in the Antichrist—a kind of “incarnate evil”—who will receive his authority and power from the dragon, Satan (Rev. 13:4).
The idea of Satan working through the Antichrist is clearly rooted in the prophecies of Daniel. Daniel spoke of a dreadful beast with ten horns and one little horn (Dan. 7:7-8). The Ancient of Days will kill the beast and throw it in the fire (Dan. 7:11). Then, according to Daniel, one like the Son of Man will receive the everlasting kingdom (Dan. 7:13-14).
The Antichrist will be the sum total of the beasts referred to in Daniel 7 (Rev. 13:1-4). He will speak arrogant, boastful words; and he will be aided by a False Prophet, who will make the entire earth worship him (Rev. 13:11-12) and receive his mark (Rev. 13:16-17). The number of the beast, says John, is 666—a mysterious code name.
Those who worship the Antichrist will experience certain doom through the wrath of God (Rev. 14:9-11). The Antichrist makes war against Christ and His army, but he is captured and is “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20). He is later joined by the *devil; together they “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). The devil, the Beast (or Antichrist), and the False Prophet form a kind of unholy trinity, counterfeiting Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. After much wickedness and suffering have been loosed against Christ and His people, the satanic rebellion will be crushed by the power of God.
Although the apostle Paul does not use the term Antichrist, Antichrist seems to be in mind when he writes of the great “falling away” preceding the return of Christ (2 Thess. 2:1-12). The Antichrist is also called the lawless one (v. 9) who, empowered and inspired by Satan, will lead the final rebellion against God (v. 3) but will be destroyed at the coming of the Lord. Paul urges believers to stand firm in the faith and not be deceived by the Antichrist's counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders (v. 9). The Bible discusses Antichrist not to encourage idle speculation as to who he may be, but to avoid what he will do. Believers are warned not to be misled by his deceit (Matt. 24:4-5, 23-24). The times when the Antichrist will appear will be very hard for the faithful, and will require discernment and true devotion to Jesus—the true Christ.
1. This name has been applied to the “little horn” of the “king of fierce countenance” (Dan. 7:24, 25; 8:23–25).
2. It has been applied also to the “false Christs” spoken of by our Lord (Mt. 24:5, 23, 24).
3. To the “man of sin” described by Paul (2 Th. 2:3, 4, 8–10).
4. And to the “beast from the sea” (Rev. 13:1; 17).
5.  General scriptures concerning Mt. 24:5, 23,24, 26; Mk. 13:6, 21,22; Lk. 21:8; 2 Th. 2:3–12; 1 Jn. 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 1:7
6.  To be destroyed Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 15

Antichrist ;Satan's final opponent of Christ and Christians
A.     Called:
Man of sin     2 Thess. 2:3
Son of perdition     2 Thess. 2:3
Lawless one     2 Thess. 2:8
Antichrist     1 John 2:18, 22
Beast     Rev. 11:7
B.     Described as:
Lawless     2 Thess. 2:3–12
Opposing God     2 Thess. 2:4
Working wonders     2 Thess. 2:9
Deceiving the world     2 John 7; Rev. 19:20
Persecuting Christians     Rev. 13:7
Satan-inspired     2 Thess. 2:9
Denying Christ's incarnation     1 John 4:3; 2 John 7
A person and a system     2 Thess. 2:3, 7
Seeking man's worship     2 Thess. 2:4
One and many     1 John 2:18–22
C.     Coming of:
Foretold     2 Thess. 2:5
In the last time     1 John 2:18
Now restrained     2 Thess. 2:6
Follows removal of hindrance     2 Thess. 2:7, 8
Before Christ's return     2 Thess. 2:3, 8
By Satan's deception     2 Thess. 2:9, 10
D.     Destruction of:
At Christ's return     2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19:20
Eternal in lake of fire     Rev. 20:10


666
(The Mark of the Beast)

"And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six" (Rev. 13:16-18 NASB).
According to E.W. Bullinger's book, "Number in Scripture", the number three signifies God and the number six signifies man, so the logical conclusion is man (i.e., the beast) trying to be God. But this number has still a further meaning. In 2 Chronicles 9:13 we find that gold is an economic standard because "the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold. This number, 666, in the bible is not a coincidence. This confirms the economic importance of this number that the Antichrist beast "provides that no one should buy or sell , except the one who has the mark."
Now there's been much speculation as to what appearance this mark will be. Some have suggested an electronic IC chip that is implanted just under the skin. Or possibly an invisible "tattoo" of the bar code that can be scanned with a special ultraviolet or infra red light. Veterinarians already employ this as an identification and as a safeguard for lost or stolen pets. The same procedure is seriously being considered for children and the elderly. I just received my "check card" (debit card) from my bank in the mail last year (1996); now I no longer need to carry cash or to write a check! The convenience of this card and the safeguard against stolen cash makes it desirable. U.S.News & World Report, October 27, 1997 issue reports in the article, "The End of Cash and Carry," that Smart Cards are already being used in part of Manhattan as an experiment. This form of "electronic money" is already popular in Europe. These cards differ from the debit card in that they have no magnetic strip, but instead contain a micro-processor chip that can literally hold electronic "money" as well as unlimited information about the person carrying the card! Mondex is already "test" marketing this smart card in several areas of the U.S. Will the next step of a cashless society require a "mark on the right hand or on the forehead?"
Here's a couple of interesting facts to consider. If you closely examine each bar code on your grocery items you'll notice that with most bar codes they begin, end and are divided in the middle with the bar representing the number six. This is to make it so bar codes could be read both ways, so they added a beginning and ending code. This is easy to do by first finding a bar with the number six associated with it to familiarize yourself with that particular bar(s) in the bar code (see graphic at bottom of page). You'll soon discover that almost every grocery bar code already contains the numbers 666! Also of interest is if you add: 1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15 +16 +17 +18 +19 +20 +21 +22 +23 +24 +25 +26 +27 +28 +29 +30 +31 +32 +33 +34 +35 +36 = 666. Something to contemplate. Finally, the first six Roman numerals interestingly add up to exactly 666 (see: graphic just below). This numbering system was being used at the time of the writing of the book of Revelation by John.