Steve Conover: Adolf Hitler's minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, once said, "A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth." Adolf Hitler's rise to power and desire for a global empire was built on a lie told a thousand times. The Bible says the same about the life of the antichrist, the great deceiver who will lead many astray in the end times. This is the Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover.

Chris Katulka: I'm Chris Katulka and today on our program we're going to be looking at our most recent issue of Israel My Glory. This is called Our Israel My Glory In Depth program and it's all about the antichrist. Bible teacher and Friends of Israel Church Ministries Representative, Tom Simcox, he'll be joining me today to talk about his article in Israel My Glory called The Ultimate Con. Then I'll share some of my thoughts about the rise of the antichrist. Also, I want to remind our listeners, if you've never subscribed to Israel My Glory, I want to share with you how you can get a one year free subscription, that's six issues of our award-winning magazine, later in our program, so stick around.

Steve Conover: We look forward to that, Chris. In the news last month, Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid al-Moualem said during the United Nations General Assembly that Israel is responsible for terrorism in Syria, the country north of Israel that's been devastated by years of civil war. He added that Syria vows to liberate the Golan Heights from Israel.

Chris Katulka: That's interesting, Steve, because the Golan Heights was actually annexed by Israel back in the 1980s. I'm sure they're going to have a hard time taking that back, especially under the conditions they have right now, being in a civil war. But this is my take, I think it's sad when Syria's Foreign Minister blames Israel for Syria's problems when it was Israel who was, one, trying to defend itself from terrorism on the border, and two, established medical camps on the border with Syria to help those Syrians suffering under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad. Friends, this kind of nonsense against Israel at the United Nations is the reason that U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has said publicly that under her watch there won't be anymore passes for those who bully Israel at the U.N.

Well everybody, in studio with me is a dear friend, Tom Simcox. He's a Bible teacher. He teaches for the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. He teaches for Word of Life Bible Institute and he's a Church Ministries Representative for the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. I like to call Tom my sensei, because when I started with the Friends of Israel back in 2004, Tom was my internship leader. Tom, great to have you in studio.

Tom Simcox: Chris, it's really good to be with you. Always a pleasure. Boy, I remember those days when we traveled up in that snowstorm to that church, yes. But-

Chris Katulka: We did a lot of traveling together.

Tom Simcox: Yes we did, yes we did.

Chris Katulka: I'm glad that we're here now and we're looking at our most recent issue of Israel My Glory. It's called the Great Deceiver. It's all about the antichrist. You wrote a great article in our most recent issue called The Ultimate Con. Why in this issue, which is all about the antichrist, do you call your article The Ultimate Con?

Tom Simcox: Chris, that's an excellent question. As I looked at the text as I worked through the scripture, I can't help but think the antichrist, who is ultimately going to be indwelled by Satan, is the ultimate charlatan. He is just conning them. He's deceived them. Why? Because Satan's a deceiver. They think they want peace. They think they're going to get it. Really, he's just pulling the wool over their eyes and offering them a big fat zero.

Chris Katulka: Let's talk about that for a moment. Let's talk about the world as it were leading up to the antichrist coming, is probably going to be in a place where it's tearing itself apart. I think even today people are looking, constantly looking for a leader that's going to solve the world's problems. Do you think that's going to be the set up for the antichrist as he comes onto the scene?

Tom Simcox: Yes, sir. Think about the world post-rapture, okay? Because we believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, so, pre-revelation of this man of sin, pre the con artist's appearance is going to be this event called the Rapture, which is going to totally change everything about Earth as we know it. The way it looks, the way it functions, the loss, devastation, destruction, financial collapse. It's going to be a totally different planet than what we know today. All the people that are left are going to try to pull together and they're going to look for someone who's going to lead them, guide them, who's going to be their inspiration and here he comes on the scene. He's going to look like he's got all the answers. He's probably going to be witty. He's probably going to be handsome. He's going to look great and he's going to have all the right answers that everyone's looking for and yet it's going to be the biggest lie. He's going to begin that lie, as we talked about in the article, with the peace treaty that he's going to guarantee Israel.

Chris Katulka: That's going to be the big kicker right there that starts this.

Tom Simcox: I think that's ... Yes. I think that starts the whole thing, Chris.

Chris Katulka: Anybody that can sign a peace treaty to solve Israel's problem in the world, which is that most nations hate Israel, most nations ... As Israel wants peace with all the nations, we know that. Most Muslim nations for the most part don't like Israel. Even European nations aren't friends of Israel.

Tom Simcox: That's right.

Chris Katulka: Anybody that can solve this "Israel" problem is definitely we know going to be a genius in some way.

Tom Simcox: Oh, yeah. He's going to be able to make peace and bring peace to those areas of the world that you've just named and it's going to stick.

Chris Katulka: Yeah.

Tom Simcox: They're going to accept it. Whether they like it or not, we don't know. But he's going to have the power to back it up and to make it happen. Israel will be so thrilled, because they will get shalom. They will get what they wanted since their inception in 1948. They just wanted to live at peace with their neighbors and this guy's going to make it happen. Yeah, he's going to look like ... I mean, this is the kind of Jesus, which is why he's antichrist.

Chris Katulka: He's antichrist, yeah.

Tom Simcox: Yes, sir.

Chris Katulka: You wrote in your article that people will receive the antichrist with open arms, when in actuality he could care less about peace and humanity. One of the aspects of The Ultimate Con is his reception. I think we were just talking about that with his signing of the peace treaty, but let's talk about that attitude that he has. It's a boastful arrogant attitude, wouldn't you say?

Tom Simcox: Absolutely. I mean, let's face it. Satan is not about people. As I look at the word, as you look at the word, we see that God created us. He loved us. We were created by Him, for Him. He really doesn't need us, but He wants us. He's loved us with an everlasting love. Satan hates God and he hates everything that God's made. He hates every man, woman, child that has ever lived, is living, and will live. The only reason he's doing this is to try to thwart God and to destroy people and to deceive them and to lie to them and to give them something that's totally contrary to what they're really looking for. They're going to buy into that hook, line, and sinker.

Chris Katulka: I think it falls right in line with your title, The Ultimate Con. A con artist doesn't care about anybody. A con artist isn't thinking about the well-being of the person that they're taking the money from. The only thing they care about is themselves and they're willing to sacrifice other people for that and you see that come across in the antichrist arrogance boastfulness selfishness over and over again.

Tom Simcox: Absolutely. I could not have said it better. Excellent.

Chris Katulka: Let's talk about this idea of the antichrist deception. Let's highlight this first. The rapture of the church happens. We enter into a seven year tribulation period. It's called Daniel's 70th Week from Daniel chapter 9. We have this seven year period of tribulation. We know that for three and a half years the antichrist deceives people. They love him, what we've been talking about. But there's a moment in that seven year period where his deception is realized. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Tom Simcox: Excellent question. From really the beginning with that peace treaty I think right off the bat Israel is going to just love this guy. He's going to walk on water as far as they're concerned because he has accomplished something they've wanted for all those years, peace. I think the end of that's going to come in the midpoint when he shows up at some point, in the midpoint, and he says, "Look, I'm your god. Worship me." Well, Jewish people aren't going to do that. Israel's not going to do that. They will see him as a leader. They'll see him as a political figure.

Now they might even see him as a savior of sorts figuratively in the physical sense, but not God. You being a man make yourself out to be God is still a problem that they face, then they're not going to worship him. Well then his true colors are going to be revealed. He wanted Israel to worship him, they're going to refuse, and then he is going to totally change. It's going to be an abrupt about face and he's going to go from protecting Israel to actually trying to eradicate every Jewish person off the face of the Earth.

Chris Katulka: For our listeners, we're talking about this concept that in the middle of the tribulation 2 Thessalonians, Paul writes that the man of lawlessness will be revealed and he will step foot in the temple of God and declare himself god. Actually fulfilling what Daniel talks about when it comes to the antichrist, that he would actually even lay bare and curse the names of the gods of their fathers. The fact that the antichrist would consider himself actually God. This is the moment where Jewish people realize, "We've been duped."

Tom Simcox: That's exactly right. By then, it's too late because they made peace, they've surrendered their weapons of war, they've beaten their weapons into plowshares. There's no Mossad, no Air Force. They've totally depended on him for their protection. Now all of a sudden, they're back in a situation not unlike the Holocaust where they're trapped with no means of defending themselves against a superiorly armed foe who's bent on their destruction.

Chris Katulka: The antichrist will try to do everything Jesus Christ does. That's why he's called the antichrist. Satan is a created being, he's not a creative being. God's the ultimate creator, so Satan can only mimic what God does and he even mimics Jesus' death and resurrection. Can you share a little bit about that with the antichrist?

Tom Simcox: Yeah. It's very interesting, because there's a couple things that stick out to me. Number one is the resurrection. If Jesus didn't rise again from the dead, why is Satan trying so hard to copy that? He's a pseudo. He's an imitator. It says in the book of Revelation that the beast, who's the antichrist, is going to suffer a fatal wound, and that then he is going to miraculously come back to life again from this fatal wound. It's a pseudo resurrection. He's also ... Satan really wants to be God, and if God isn't triune, why is Satan trying so hard to create an unholy triunity with Satan taking the place of God, the antichrist taking the place of Jesus, and the false prophet taking the place of the Holy Spirit? He's a copy. He said, "I want to be like the most high God." He's not God, he's a created being, so everything he's doing is to ape, to cope, to try to be what he's not.

Chris Katulka: He sounds like the ultimate con. Sounds like-

Tom Simcox: It is.

Chris Katulka: It sounds like the ultimate con artist, Tom.

Tom Simcox: Yeah. It's good that this magazine has been able to come out to let people know we have to be careful. We have to have our eyes open. That's why Jesus said just really watch-

Chris Katulka: That's right.

Tom Simcox: Because otherwise you could be deceived.

Chris Katulka: Folks, I want to encourage you, if you're not already a subscriber to Israel My Glory, if you've never subscribed before, I want to encourage you to go to foiradio.org and there you can get a one year free subscription to our award-winning magazine that highlights events that are happening in Israel, trends that are happening in Israel, trends that are happening in the Christian world. If you love Israel, if you love the Jewish people, if you love studying scripture, I encourage you to go to foiradio.org and there you can sign up for your one year free, folks, free subscription to Israel My Glory. Tom, thank you so much for being with us and sharing with us about your article, The Ultimate Con.

Tom Simcox: My privilege, Chris. It's always a pleasure.

Steve Conover: If you're familiar with our ministry, you know that we emphasize the need for solid Biblical teaching and accurate analysis on the news of the day. One of the best resources for great Biblical teaching that I know is the Friends of Israel's magazine, Israel My Glory.

Chris Katulka: Yeah, I'll tell you, I travel the country speaking in churches, churches in big cities and small rural towns, and no matter where I go I always meet people who read our magazine and trust it as a resource for Middle East news and great Biblical teaching.

Steve Conover: To order your free one year trial subscription to Israel My Glory Magazine, visit foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.O-R-G.

Chris Katulka: Hi everybody, welcome back. I think the discussion that we had with Tom was so good. We were talking about the idea that the antichrist is the physical outworking of Satan's agenda on Earth, the ultimate con artist who is looking to trick and deceive as many people as he possibly can. Satan's goal, even today, is to convince you that you don't need God, you don't need the truth of God's word in your life, and that you're not good enough to receive God's forgiveness. That's why 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 8 tells us to be sober and alert. "Your enemy, the devil," he says, "Is like a roaring lion." He's on the prowl looking for someone to devour. Even today, Satan is roaming around seeking to take out a believer's life, to deceive and trick them into believing they don't need God, or even worse, that they're the gods of their own lives. Well, the antichrist will be the outworking of Satan's deception on Earth, pulling off the ultimate con job, as Tom Simcox mentioned earlier.

See, the antichrist will successfully con the whole world into believing he can actually bring heaven to Earth. Remember, Satan isn't creative. We just mentioned this. He just copies what God has already purposed. The antichrist will offer peace, and stability, and try to provide a global power that will wipe out corruption and greed. The antichrist will stand for what many, I believe, nonbelievers wish we could have right now apart from God. The prophet Daniel gives us an introduction to the antichrist. In Daniel 7 we have a series of beasts that appear that represent empires of the past. A beast to represent Babylon and Persia, Greece, and Rome. But that last beast that represent Rome has an interesting thing that happens to it, 10 horns grow out of it. Then one horn pops up and uproots three of those other horns. These horns represent future rulers. Eventually, that little horn usurps the rest of those horns, taking all of the power, and it's this little horn that actually causes Daniel distress.

If you read through Daniel 7, the vision of the four beasts, Daniel is extremely concerned about the fourth beast. Listen to what Daniel says in Daniel 7:19, "Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all of the others. It was very dreadful with two rows of iron teeth and bronze claws and it devoured and crushed and trampled anything that was left with its feet. I also wanted to know the meaning of the 10 horns on its head and of that other horn which came up and before which three others fell. This was the horn that had eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant things whose appearance was more formidable than any others. While I was watching, that horn began to wage war against the holy ones and was defeating them until the ancient of days arrived and judgment was rendered in favor of the holy ones of the most high. Then the time came for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom." See, Daniel, he notices that this beast is unlike anything he has ever seen.

It was dreadful to him. It devoured, it crushed, it trampled anything that was left with its feet. This is a worldwide trampling that Daniel sees. Meanwhile, Daniel catches a vision of that horn that appears and this horn had eyes like the eyes of a man, which means that this horn was intelligent. The horn had a mouth speaking pompous, arrogant, boastful words. The horn represents the antichrist and the vision Daniel has emphasizes the arrogant behavior of the fourth kingdom and especially that final king. Daniel 7:21 also indicates that the antichrist will wage war against the saints. Daniel asked an angelic bystander, probably Gabriel, to explain the meaning of this beast and the little horn. He was told that this kingdom shall be different from all other kingdoms and shall devour the whole Earth, trample it, and break it into pieces. Scripture seems to even indicate that this fourth kingdom will be the revised form of the Roman Empire.

In Dr. Richard Emmons article in our most recent issue of Israel My Glory, he says this, "The final Gentile king shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High. He shall persecute the saints of the Most High and shall also intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time times and half a time." Talking about that last half of the tribulation that Tom and I were talking about. This king is the antichrist and he will rule the entire Earth for the final three and a half years of the future seven year tribulation. His blasphemous arrogance will far exceed that of any other figure in history and is especially directed at the Most High God, God. His entire action on Earth is going to be an outworking of his arrogance and boastfulness against God Himself. He will persecute Daniel's people, the Jewish people until his worldwide dominion is taken away from him by God.

Folks, the antichrist is a figure whose sole aim is to make a kingdom for himself on Earth before God can establish his kingdom with Jesus Christ as King. Now when the antichrist first appears he'll be seen as a peacemaker, a knight in shining armor who goes out conquering to conquer, as Revelation chapter 6 verse 2 says. He rides on a white horse and receives a crown and will probably be hailed by Israel and the world as a hero when he makes that covenant with Israel and signs a peace treaty. But halfway through that seven years his true nature emerges. In addition to being pompous, arrogant, and deceitful, he will be the man of sin, the lawless one, as 2 Thessalonians 2:3 says. This is a part of his deception. He disguises himself as someone with good and right intentions, but midway through the tribulation he'll reveal his true nature. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 calls the antichrist, "A man of lawlessness." Again, Dr. Emmons in his article in Israel My Glory writes, "Lawlessness in Greek describes people who reject God and his principles and do as they please, do what's right in their own eyes."

The prophet Daniel was told this man will intend to change times and laws. Daniel 7:25. The apostle Paul picks up on that and says something interesting about the antichrist. Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says that he opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he sits as God in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. Now the rejection of God and His laws has already begun today. You don't have to go far, you just go to open up the newspaper and see God has been pushed out of our schools, God is being pushed out of our government, but this is only the beginning. When the antichrist comes it will be inflamed as the antichrist rises to power. The antichrist's arrogant boastful attitude will be the very thing that also leads to his demise. Let me end with this. Whenever I speak of the antichrist, I always like to remind my listeners that the antichrist needs to be held in contrast to Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, the true Christ.

See, the antichrist wants that power and authority that's given to Jesus, but doesn't recognize how Jesus received that power and authority. Listen to Philippians chapter 2 where Paul explains the nature of Jesus Christ and then I want you to contrast that with the nature of the antichrist. See, Paul begins this section of Philippians chapter 2 by explaining that Christians should have the same mind and attitude as Christ. Listen to this, "Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity," Paul says, "Each of you should in humility be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself." The total opposite than what we've been learning about the antichrist. "Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests," Paul says, "But about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had."

He goes through this ancient hymn here. Listen to what he says, "Who though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped but instead emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. As a result, God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on Earth and under Earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father." Listen, the antichrist is motivated by selfish ambition and Paul is saying, "You don't want to be like that. You don't want to follow the model of the antichrist and live a selfish life. No, no, no. Instead," he says, "You should live a life that is modeled after Christ."

Christ's motivation was driven by humbling himself and taking on the form of a slave. We're talking about Jesus Christ who sat at the right-hand of the Father, who lived within the Godhead, experienced the glory and majesty of God, but left that glory and majesty, emptied himself to take on the form of man. Why? So that he could obediently follow the Father right to the cross for us. He thought of us before he thought of himself and because of that obedience, because of that, God exalted him. That very thing the antichrist is looking for, that exaltation, that power, that authority, he took it with arrogance and pride. That will be his demise. But for Jesus Christ, he took it in humility and obedience and love for others, not thinking selfishly, not being motivated by selfishness but being motivated by loving others and thinking of others. Because of that, God exalts him to a place of authority. The antichrist longs for power, but in the end everybody, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Steve Conover: Thank you for joining us today. I'd like to thank Tom Simcox for being on the show. Again, just a reminder for our listeners, you can get a one year free subscription to our magazine, Israel My Glory. Go to foiradio.org. That's foiradio.O-R-G. The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry has been sharing the love of the Messiah and supporting Israel and the Jewish people since 1938. You can financially support the Friends of Israel Today Radio Ministry, visit foiradio.org. That's foiradio.O-R-G. Call our listener line at 888-343-6940. Again, that's 888-343-6940. You can write to us at FOI Radio, P.O. Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey, 08099.

Again, that's FOI Radio, P.O. Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey, 08099. Let us know where you're listening when you call or write. Our host and teacher is Chris Katulka. Today's program was produced by Tom Gallione, co-written by Sarah Fern. Our theme music was composed and performed by Jeremy Strong. I'm Steve Conover, Executive Producer. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. We are a worldwide Christian ministry communicating Biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah while fostering solidarity with the Jewish people.