| September 5, 2001 |
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| "Why boastest thou thyself in mischiel, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah." Psalm 52:1-5 Psalm 52 begins a prophetic picture of the coming of Antichrist, the Man of Sin, who will be a world dictator and dominate Israel during the Tribulation. Our Lord referred to him in the Olivet discourse. The prophet Daniel and the apostle Paul both speak of him. Here we see a man who is boasting of his sin. When David sinned, he kept quiet because he was under deep conviction. When the man of the world sins, he loves it and boasts about it! A mark of the Antichrist is that he will brag about his sin. This is a big difference between the child of God and the child of the devil. The child of God may sin just like the man in the world, because they both have an old nature. However, the difference is that the man of God will not boast about it. He will (or better) hang his head in shame. He should depise himself for his sinful actions. But the sinner who is not a man of God will brag about what he does, and the Man of Sin, the Antichrist, will be the epitome of that type of man. And all sinners will love him for it. God will tolerate the Man of Sin for a short period of time. For seven year's the Antichrist tongue will devise mischief. Have you ever heard someone say that they would rather tell a lie even when it would have been easier to tell the truth? That will be true of the Antichrist. In verse 52:1 he is called "mighty man." In verse 52:4 he is called a "deceitful tongue." You will not be able to believe a single word he says! In verse 52:5 the word destroy means "to beat down." The Antichrist will be a world dictator whom no one can stop ~ no one except GOD! When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth, He will beat down the Man of Sin!! Application: Until Christ returns, we must live in the strength of the new man, to overcome the sinful desires arising from the sin nature. We cannot eradicate our sin nature, but we can allow the Holy Spirit to control us so that we do not give in to temptation. Have a blessed day in the Lord in all you do, bringing glory to His Wonderful Name! Love in Christ, Sandy |