THE
APPEARANCE OF THE ANTICHRIST
By J. E.
DAVIDSON, M.A.*
[* First published in Dawn
Magazine, April, 1947.]
The crisis for Christendom will reach its climax when the Man of
Sin, the son of perdition, will make his appearance. He will challenge Christendom to transfer its
religious worship (2 Thess. 2: 3-10). His appearance will be the performance and
great success of Satan. He will be an
outstanding personality, and be in a position to command obedience. His power will not be acquired, but it will be
delegated to him (Dan. 8: 24). The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great
authority (Rev. 13: 2). He will not be
limited to any one country, but be a world personality.
The World seems ready for such a personality to appear. A world government is being shaped and formed.
First individual countries demand that life in all its forms and details should
be subject to the State. The States then
are beginning in turn subject to a
His first act will be the demand to be worshipped, and in this
demand he will be successful. And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book
of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13: 8). He will have
convincing credentials by which he will establish his claims. He doeth
great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the
sight of men (Rev. 13: 13). An imitation of
the miraculous work of Elijah (1 Kings 18: 36-38). He will have power to give life to inanimate
metal. He will order that an image be
made, that is a statue, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make
an image to the beast ... and he had power to give life unto the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as
would not worship the image of the beast should be killed (Rev. 13: 14-15).
This will be a crisis hitherto un-experienced by Christendom. In the face of such practical demonstrations
and powerful signs who will be able to withstand? Certainly not men and women who are
indifferent and barely call themselves Christians, but have never had their
names registered in the Lambs Book of Life. But amid great and deep darkness there will be
some light, for even in this period there will be those of whom it is said These are
they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 8:
14). This will be the time for innumerable individuals but not for mass Christendom.
To give ones life for a cause
voluntarily there must be powerful conviction of its value: mass Christendom is
not convinced of its Christian profession.
At all times and in all places God has His people who are
ready to give their lives for the faith and the truth. Hundreds of thousands of
Christians have given up their lives for the faith in the anti-God movement,
during the Russian revolution and since, but not the millions who nevertheless
were once bedecked with ikons. Thousands went to German
concentration camps and prisons, who refused to worship the beast, but not the
millions. Masses always succumb to the
popular movements of the day.
The challenge to Christendom, by the
man of sin, will be all the more impressive, because he will have the world
government at his disposal. It is easily
seen how this is being prepared. In
democracy, the individual mattered much and private enterprise was encouraged. To-day the way is being prepared for a
terrible autocracy, and the little man is
being crushed out of existence in favour of large combines, and these in turn
to be controlled by the state, and the states by the world government, and the
world government by the man of sin. With
industry, capital and labour, at his disposal on a world-wide scale, he will be
able to enforce his will very effectively.
Already every aspect of life is under strict control, it is impossible
to buy or sell without a permit, licence or coupons. No one can go to a shop without a ration book,
no one can move about without a passport, identity card, or to distances
without a permit. All this and more, is
preparatory and working towards the great climax, and the great crisis. Presently the world ruler will make his
appearance, and this need not be interpreted as idle speculation, for the world
secretary is already in existence; when he took office he took the oath, not to
any country but to the world, the
Secretary of the United Nations Organisation. When the world ruler will appear, this will be
the way in which he will enforce his will upon the world and he
causeth all, both small and great ... to receive a mark ... that no man might buy or sell, save he
that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name ... and his
number is 666 (Rev. 13: 16-18).
In the past many people enjoyed fanciful speculation on the subject of
this number, but came short of the solid solution of the problem. But when it will come to pass it will be
clear to all, yea, painfully clear. Already
to-day, there is no need for wishful thinking or speculations, but calm
observation of the trend of events and clear prayerful thinking, and it will be
seen that that which has been promised in the Word of God thousands of years
ago, is being brought to pass before our eyes. Rapidly the world is being prepared for the
great and terrible event, the government of the man of sin. Events and impressions succeed so rapidly that
the individual fails to note and register them.
Limitations of freedom commenced with the commencement of the
tribulation in 1914, and ever since then, liberty has been lost to the world,
and this limitation continues to narrow down, till life is becoming the
experience of the Grand universal prison cell. Gently but surely, even the very figure spoken
of is beginning to make its appearance. Some
months ago we received two documents from a foreign government source, then
resident in this country, and with no little surprise we noticed on the top of
the sheet, in the left hand corner, the number 666. We were impressed and left it. The other day, a friend bought some articles
of clothing and the trade mark bore the number 666 printed on the goods and
written on the little card that was appended. Some might say it is a mere coincidence.
Be that as it may, but are we not gently
being introduced to the number, so that when it comes to be printed on all our
documents, legal and civil, that it will almost be printed on all human life,
that it may not come with a shock, but be accepted as a normal fact. Therefore, what I say unto you, I say
unto all, Watch (Mark.13: 37).
- Immanuels Witness.