OPENING PRAYER: Father, help me to have a deeper understanding of who the antichrist is in Jesus’ name.
PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE: The teacher should review the previous week’s lesson.
BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (KJV)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
MEMORY VERSE: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” – 1 John 2:22 (KJV)
LESSON INTRODUCTION: Antichrist implies opposition to Christ. The Bible does not say anything specific about where the Antichrist will come from.
Many Bible scholars speculate that he will come from a confederacy of ten nations and/or a reborn Roman empire (Daniel 7:24-25; Revelation 17:7).
Others see him as having to be a Jew to claim to be the Messiah. All of these are just speculations since the Bible does not specifically say where the Antichrist will come from or what ethnicity he will be.
However, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 tells us how we will recognise the Antichrist. His appearance is one of the eschatological events.
LESSON AIM: To show believers the mission and end of the antichrist.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES: Through this study, students should be able to:
a. Know what the ‘antichrist’ implies. b. Mention the other names of the antichrist.
c. Understand the mission of the antichrist. b. Explain the end of the antichrist.
TEXT REVIEW: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Apostle Paul, while admonishing the Thessalonians to avoid being deceived, drew their attention to the events that will culminate into the end of this present world.
One of which will be the appearance of the person of the antichrist and how believers can identify him through some of his actions. It states that:
Let no man……………………………………………..…V3.
Who opposeth……………………………………………V4.
LESSON OUTLINES:
His Other Names
His Mission And End
1. HIS OTHER NAMES
There are many speculations about who the Antichrist is/would be: some people think he is currently one of the popular world leaders, and some even believe he is/would be one of the world’s richest men.
The Bible has other names for him:
The little horn (Daniel 7:8).
Man of Sin and son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
The Beast (Revelation 13:2-8).
The king who sets up the abomination of desolation (Mark 13:14; Daniel 9:27).
The man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
The rider on a white horse – representing his claim to be a man of peace (Revelation 6:2).
The vile Person (Daniel 11:21).
The Wicked (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
CLASS ACTIVITY 1: The class should give instances of speculations about the antichrist and how many of the speculations have proven to be false.
2. HIS MISSION AND END
HIS MISSION
The antichrist will be empowered to rule the world (Daniel 7:25-26).
He will work great miracles to deceive people (Revelation 13:11-13).
He will position his images in strategic and holy places and force people to worship them (2Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15).
He will speak great things and blasphemies (Revelation 13:5).
He will make war with the saints (Revelation 13:7).
He will speak and prophesy lies to confuse people (Daniel 11:21).
He will persecute the remnant that will be faithful to God (Revelation 12:17).
He will take control of both the political and economic powers of the world (Revelation 13:16-17).
He will give an identification number to those who will accept him.
The number is ‘666’ – this number will allow people to buy and sell.
Those who reject the number will be killed.
HIS END
At His second coming, Christ will bind the antichrist and cast him alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20).
Those who accept the mark of the beast (the antichrist) will be “…slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse…” and their corpse fed to the birds (Revelation 19:21).
The Ancient of Days will take away the kingdom from the antichrist and establish His Holy Kingdom forever (Daniel 7:26-27).
CLASS ACTIVITY 2: The class should discuss some of the innovations and policies that suggest a preparation for the coming of the antichrist.
CONCLUSION: Believers must be watchful to avoid missing the rapture and fall prey to the antichrist.
EVALUATION: Mention at least five missions of the antichrist.
CLOSING PRAYER: Father, please take me with You when You come to take the saints from the world and do not let me witness the days of the manifestation of the antichrist.
ASSIGNMENT: Search the Bible and write out five (5) major activities of the Antichrist after the rapture with reference to each (2X5=10 Marks).
Action Point
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