Subscribe Daily Bible Study Mailing List Receive Daily Bible Studies directly into your email inbox.
You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
5 And [kai] there was given [didomi] unto him [autos] a mouth [stoma] speaking [laleo] great
things [megas] and [kai] blasphemies; [blasphemia]
and [kai] power [exousia] was given [didomi] unto him
[autos] to continue [poieo] forty [tessarakonta] and
two [duo] months. [men] KJV-Interlinear
5 And there
was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority
to act for forty-two months was given to him. NASB
We know several things
from our Bible study.
First, Jesus Christ
controls history. He controls history in three ways, by direct intervention (He
created the universe, He creates life), by indirect intervention (through Bible
doctrine in the souls of believers who do His will), and last by permission
(allowing the free will of man to function in both good and evil as man
chooses).
Second, Satan is the
father of lies. Satan is the author of evil. Satan has been directing history
through humanity since long ago, and he will continue directing history with
his last leader, the anti-christ.
This anti-christ will assume
rulership of planet earth immediately after the Rapture. The Tribulation is a
seven year period, which will follow the Rapture, and is divided up into two
halves. The first half is called Satan’s Failed Utopia, and the second half is
called the Great Tribulation.
In the first half, the
anti-christ will be seen as the white horse rider, the red horse rider, the
pale horse rider and the black horse rider. All of these point to a leader that
is perceived as the knight, the prince, the hero etc., through the white horse,
and then the leader of war, death and famine, all of which point to a failed
policy of human government and regulation. Recall that one-fourth of the world
population will die as a result of these human plans. Utopia fails big time.
Then we know that Satan wanted
to be ‘like the most high,’ since long before human history, Isa. 14:14. We
have just recently studied that Satan will be kicked out of heaven and down to
the earth.
Now, the anti-christ
will be the ruler for the entire seven year period of the Tribulation, however,
here, it is mentioned that he will rule for forty-two months, or
three-and-a-half-years. This is a reference to the last half of the
Tribulation.
When Satan is kicked out
of heaven, he will have no choice but to assume direct control over planet
earth. He will indwell the anti-christ, and assume control. Thus the
anti-christ will now begin to exhibit the same attributes as Satan. He will take
his seat in the Temple at the mid-point in the tribulation and presume himself
as god (like the most high), 2 Thess. 2:4.
In the last chapter, we
had a history brief of Satan and his war against Israel. Now we have a history brief
of Satan and the anti-christ trying desperately to rule the world prior to the
Second Advent.
The speaking of great
things (lies) and great power, will all come from Satan.