Eschatology by Killigan
Disclaimer
Unlike every other "prophet" I have seen yet, pretty much, every single 'knowledgeable' 'teacher' on this subject I've ever met, has the idea that they in fact know everything. Sorry, but I have to scoff at such arrogance. Especially when I point out weaknesses and fallacies of argument, and the 'knowledgeable teacher' dances right past my objections and goes on to teaching others who are more easily persuaded. This gives people like me a bad name, so yeah, I do object to teaching ignorance as fact. If there is a logical problem with your prophecy, then there is a logical problem with your prophecy. Either back down and learn something or... yeah.
I am not going to claim to know everything. I don't know everything, but I do know some things.
Do not get trapped into the logic that says "if you don't know everything, then you don't know anything." That is a false teaching. One does not need to know everything. For example: I don't know how an engine works, but I can still drive my car. I don't know how the whole internet works, but I do know how to make a web page. Follow? Just because I can't play Yngvie Malmsteen songs doesn't mean I can't play anything at all.
So, I may not be able to definitively interpret every single solitary prophetic symbol in exquisite perfection, but I certainly do know some things. I will stick to what I can prove, and keep it simple enough for anyone to understand - which is better than 99% of what you will find elsewhere.
Intro
Lets simplify some things to begin with. When you first start reading about eschatology you will run into all this:
Well, that is a lot of different characters isn't it? How many are there? Which ones are which? Considering that there are millions of theories out there, isn't it interesting that almost no one begins by clarifying which one is which? How are you even to beging understanding? Maybe that is everyones intention... keep you confused enough that you aren't able to effectively argue with somebodys theory.
I fixes this for u, k?
There are a number of different places where these terms come from, where eschatology is the point of the discussion in scripture. I.e., Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, 2 Thess, 1&2 John, & of course Revelations.
As it turns out, ALL of these accounts have essentially the same scenario explained. There is a central figure who is fraudulently posing as the supreme deity, and a large group claiming that the aforementioned should be worshiped by all. Subplot mentioned in several places is the second figure/group creates an image or symbol with some power of life, and demands that everyone worship the image/symbol or the primary figure as originally mentioned.
Easy enough? That is the explanation that is common in all of the references. However the descriptive label changes in the different accounts. The relationships and actions and events do not change. Here is a handy table to help keep things sorted.
| Daniel 9 & 11 | Isaiah | Ezekiel | Mathew 24 |
2 Thess 2 | 1 & 2 John | Revelations 13 | |
Central Figure
|
One who makes Desolate | Abomination of Desolation Standing in the holy place |
Man of Sin Sits in the temple proclaiming he is the most high |
Beast from the Sea 666 All the world wondered after the Beast |
|||
Supporting Group Demands false worship of the central figure or his image |
wing of abomination | False Prophets who say either "I am he" or "he is here, or he is there" |
not named per se, but described as having: all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of wickedness | AntiChrist
|
Second Beast
|
||
| Image/Symbol | Great Image of Nebuchadnezzer (chapter 2,3) |
Living Image of the First Beast | |||||
| The Great Dragon | Satan the Devil | ||||||
Notice especially that in 1,2 John are the only references to "AntiChrist". It is important to understand that AntiChrist is not the primary figure fraudulently claiming worship as most high. This creates a lot of confusion, and prevents any constructive interpretation. Read 1 and 2 John for yourself. The AntiChrist is never described as assuming worship for himself, which is the essential component.
Where it starts getting complicated is looking each one individually. For instance the first beast can be seen as a) a man or b) a government. The second group, the "false prophets" could be seen as a) a man or b) a group. This is because at various times, the actions described only make sense in one or the other, depending on the context. Still, that doesn't stop us from being able sort out the various symbols from each other.
The beast aspect gets even more complicated because the description is vaguely familiar of the four beasts. So, is the beast really four beasts? Or are the four beasts just different aspects of the same man; or the same government? These are details I'm not going into. Same with the Four Horsemen. I have prayed for knowledge and wisdom to understand what the horses represent, and when I get that information I will share it with you.
Chapter two
Now that we have the dozen or so symbols sorted out, and understand that there are actually only two major players, we can look a bit closer.
The Beast, The Beast who came out of the Sea, whose number is 666, The Son of Perdition, The Lawless One, The Man of Destruction, The Abomination of Desolation, The One who makes Desolate.... WHEW!!!!
THAT GUY. By the way, remember we can tell that he isn't the Satan, the Devil himself, because the Dragon is explained to be the Devil, and it is the Dragon giving power to the Beast, and to the false prophet(s).
Now that we have a handle on some of what he is called, we can start compiling the attributes he is known to have.