Greg Laurie Describes 'Charismatic' Antichrist, Rapture
Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, described in an end times message on Sunday what the antichrist will be like when he comes on earth.
"He is sent by Satan himself," Laurie said in his sermon, titled "America, Antichrist, and the End of Days," as he preached from the books of Daniel, 2 Thessalonians and Revelation.
"Satan is effectively an imitator, he always copies. Whatever God has, the devil will have his imitation," the California megachurch pastor continued.
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"There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and there is Satan who wants to be in the place of God, and if Satan had a son, that would be the antichrist."
He went on to describe the antichrist in more detail, saying, "When this man emerges on the scene, he may not be what you would expect. He will not be dressed in head to toe in black, with glowing red eyes and steam coming out of him, and the Darth Vader theme song playing when he walks into a room."
"In fact, he will be a very charismatic world leader. A great orator, very convincing, probably very handsome.
"Think 'The Devil Wears Prada,'" he quipped.
"He is going to do things that no world leader has ever done before. He is going to solve the Middle East conflict, and is he is going to rid the world at least temporarily of terrorism. He is going to be hailed as the greatest peace talker that ever lived," Laurie warned.
The antichrist, he said, will even "get the Jewish nations and the Arab nations to sign a peace treaty that will pave the way for the long awaited Third Temple. The antichrist will be a satanic superman. But it's all a mask hiding who he really is, [namely] the most evil man that ever lived."
Laurie pointed out that there are over 100 passages in the Bible that talk about the antichrist. Summarizing some of the most important things to know about the figure, he said that the antichrist "is coming to defy and to take the place of Jesus."
"The antichrist is coming to declare war on believers and to dominate the globe," he warned, stating that he will "get his powers from Hell," as he is "the devil's disciple, Satan's son."
He said that before all that will happen, however, Jesus Christ will first come for His church. The pastor urged believers to have hope in the rapture, when Christians will be caught up together in the air.
He insisted that the rapture is good news because it means that people living at the time will be brought up to Heaven and meet their loved ones who have passed away.
"The rapture will be faster than the twinkling of an eye. That's why we should study Bible prophecy. There is no theology without doxology. That's another way of saying 'how does this affect me,' (and answering) 'because I will see my loved ones again.' That's why there is a rapture," Laurie explained.
The pastor said that the rapture can come at anytime, and slammed those who claim they can predict an exact date.
"It could happen at any moment, we don't know when that will be. It will be a glorious day," he concluded. "Get right or get left. Get right with God."
Back in May, Laurie told The Christian Post that believers are capable of understanding Bible prophecy.
"Sometimes people will say 'Oh, we can't understand Bible prophecy.' Yet the Scripture says 'Let the reader understand.' And the fact of the matter is that the very word 'revelation,' as in the book of Revelation, means unveiling," he told CP at the time.
"It is not God's desire to conceal but to reveal. And there is even a blessing promised in Revelation to the person that reads, hears, and keeps the words of the Book."
Laurie's latest sermon can be viewed below:
