Catholics, Anglicans and Muslims Join Forces...

[zekesnack]

What is the basis for that? Which verses say that?

for EG.
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Rev. 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

[ChickenSoup]

So, there will be multiple antichrists who will do what you were talking about? (referring to 2nd John reference)

[Bruce_Campbell]

I've got a more secular view of all this, so take what I say with a grain of salt if you wish, but there's good evidence to suggest that the antichrist that Revelation is referring to was Nero. Apocalypse stories were a very common genre during that point in history, and there were a lot of them around, many claiming to be written by different people within the OT (there's one supposedly written by Adam, for example). Nero, of course, was a heavy persecutor of the church. The Hebrew alphabet had a numerical value attached to each letter, and there were two ways to spell Nero's name. If you added the numerical values of Nero's name, you get 666. And if you use the alternate spelling, you get a different value (which was 626, if I'm remembering correctly). Now, the thing that makes this suspicious is the fact that there are some texts of Revelation that have 626 instead of 666.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw that in there. Feel free to ignore it.

[ChickenSoup]

That's be fascinating, actually. Regardless, I'm starting to think Christianity would be of more use to the world if a large portion of them didn't believe it was all "gonna burn anyway."

[zekesnack]

So, there will be multiple antichrists who will do what you were talking about? (referring to 2nd John reference)

there will be many false prophets. that is what the begining of this verse was referring to. there will only be one antichrist but there will be false prophets who will deceive people.

[ChickenSoup]

The verse referred to multiple antichrists, or rather, multiple deceivers, who will each be labeled an antichrist.

[Djents]

The verse referred to multiple antichrists, or rather, multiple deceivers, who will each be labeled an antichrist.

While there may be many "antichrists" in Revelation, it speaks about AN antichrist and A false prophet. So that being 2 people, Satan soon joins them in the lake of fire after he is released from his millennial prison in the bottomless pit. Remember what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2 "Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." So this is the "one" whom Satan will be using specifically to his own plans. I don't believe in a pre tribulation rapture, because God calls us to be triumphant, and that those who are victorious will receive the crown of life, and that He will never blot their name out of the Lambs Book of Life. And let's not forget about the "great apostasy" which comes before the Antichrist.