Man making himself god is the ultimate blasphemy—the abomination that produces desolation. Whenever man usurps the place of God, desolation follows. Because of this blasphemy of blasphemies the accompanying desolation and tribulation will reach a level that will endanger the survival of mankind.

The Lord Jesus Christ declared that the Father dwells in Him and that he who has seen Him has seen the Father.

Antichrist will make a similar claim because he is an imitator of Christ. He will claim to be the God of Heaven now come down to dwell among His people.

There is a difference in claims here in that the Lord Jesus always points toward His Father in Heaven as being the true and only God, and Jesus serves and worships His Father. Antichrist, however, will not serve or worship anyone other than himself and will continue to point toward himself as being the only god just as mankind is doing today.

Today it is difficult for us to conceive of such outrageous blasphemy. But we of the churches, as well as the peoples of the world, are paving the way for this man of sin when we reject the personal lordship of Christ over our lives.

The Prophet Daniel spoke of Antichrist:

And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. (Daniel 8:9,10)

And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every God, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. (Daniel 11:36)

And in the Book of Revelation:

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. (Revelation 13:5,6)

We are not as far from this ultimate blasphemy as we might think. It is but a few short steps from the Christ-rejecting civilization of today to the acceptance of such an extraordinary statesman and administrator—the warm, personable human being who will inspire our longing to be our own god.

Antichrist will be more appealing than Christ because he will "bring god" to us without making the severe demands on us that the Lord Jesus does. He will inspire success, creativity, self-fulfillment, whereas Jesus has much to say that is painful and distressing.

Antichrist will teach that God is good and loving, that He no longer is a consuming fire. Since Antichrist is an enlightened gentleman of modern times he will not talk about Hell, the Lake of Fire, or gnashing of teeth. Rather he will have "positive" and "good" things to say, showing us how to be helpers in our community and in the world at large.

His kindliness and helpfulness will win the hearts of young and old alike. How different from the cutting words and actions of Jesus who referred to people as a generation of vipers!

To be continued.