We have formally been introduced to the antichrist, Satan's evil-infused world leader who, in the spirit of the antichrists that have gone before him, will attempt to force everyone to follow him instead of God. Now we meet Satan's religious leader, the false prophet, who, like all false prophets before him, attempts to have everyone worship the antichrist, falsely substituting a counterfeit Christ for the real Jesus. There have been a myriad of false prophets before this one, but this seems to be the culmination of a long line of deceptive religious leaders. With politics and religion ultimately entwined in this apparently dynamic duo, in contrast to the two witnesses from chapter 11, the unbelieving world enthusiastically embraces their ruse (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). As John says, this calls for wisdom, and we thank God not only for his salvation through Jesus by his Spirit but for his protection and his promise to bring us all the way home.

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