The end times started to develop since the first coming of Jesus on the earth. These final days will have a final hour and that final hour will mean that one day a worldwide empire will arise with a figurehead on top of it that the Bible calls the antichrist, or the beast or the lawless one. It is only God who can make it happen that someone will be in authority. Revelation 13, talks about this expression which is also a consolation, a comfort for the people of God.
There it says that “to him was given” and it is repeated several times. How long will his empire last and will all the inhabitants of the earth worship the beast? If so, which inhabitants will not? What does the Bible have to say about all of this? Pontius Pilate thought that he had the authority and the power to set Jesus free or to crucify him.
Will the beast think too that he has the power to do what he wants? But Jesus already told Pontius Pilate that he would not have any authority and power, unless given to him by the Father in heaven. So nothing is outside of His control. What does this all mean for us? What must we do? How will He lead us? Rev Willem Glashouwer explains about all of this in this week’s episode (7) of “Focus On the Future”.