Simple Keys to Understanding the Book of Revelation — Introduction
I remember sitting in a meeting a few years ago with John Paul Jackson when he told us that the person who would become the Antichrist was already alive and was probably in his late teens. He wasn’t just speculating. He was relating to us what he had seen in the spirit. He was giving us his approximate age according to what he had seen.
John Paul wasn’t the only one who has made such a claim. Others, including Neville Johnson, have said that the man who will become the Antichrist described in the book of Revelation is alive now and is being groomed for his position as you are reading this. In fact you can listen to Neville describe this in a message that is freely available (for now) on YouTube from a couple of different channels:
Session 7 Lancaster Prophetic Conference 2016 Neville Johnson (34:00 minute mark)
The Man-Child - Friends of God by Rev. Neville Johnson Aug.2016** **(34:00 minute mark)
Some people believe that the Antichrist will attempt to counterfeit the ministry of Jesus Christ in every way, so just as Jesus entered into His ministry at age 30, the Antichrist will rise to power at age 30. I don’t see any proof of that in Scripture, but it seems to make sense. If it is true, we may have very little time left before we see the rise of the Antichrist.
Others speculate that the history of man on Earth may be coming to an end soon because of the fullness of time. The number of man is 6. From Adam to Abraham was 2,000 years. Then from Abraham to the cross of Christ was 2,000 years. Now, the time from the cross of Christ to our time is rapidly approaching 2,000 years. Altogether, we may be coming to the 6,000 year mark in the history of man. When this happens, we may reach a fullness of time that will usher in the return of Jesus, who will then reign on Earth for 1,000 years. Jesus’ reign on Earth will bring the total time to 7,000 years with 7 being the number of perfect completeness.
Another sign is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 (AMP)
“Now as to the times and dates, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you.*** For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord is coming just as a thief [comes unexpectedly and suddenly] in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]”**** then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord].”*
It may be very significant that Israel is closer to a peace deal than at any time since it became a nation in the modern era. Arab countries are beginning to establish diplomatic relations with the nation of Israel. Could it be that Israel’s original borders will be restored as in Biblical times, and a peace deal will be agreed upon, leading people to declare peace and safety in the region after long last? When people begin to say “peace and safety” in describing the condition of Israel in the Middle East, could that signal the imminent mighty earthquake of Rev 6:12, ushering in the Great Tribulation period?
In the last message of his series on The End Times, Neville Johnson relates an experience of Brother Dhinakaran, a revered prophet of God from India:
“I think it was around 2002. The Lord took him to Heaven and spoke to him and showed him a lot of things while he was in Heaven. Just before he was sent back to the Earth, he said to the Lord, ‘Lord, when will you return again to the Earth?’ And the Lord said, ‘2022, no longer than 2025.’ We are running out of time. No man knows the day nor the hour, but we could know the year.”
It is more important than ever for us to understand the message of the book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible, and to align our lives with the will of God in preparation for what is coming very soon in these last days.