edit: tldr: people are gonna be obsessed with the antichrist like they are with celebrities today. but in a much worse way
IShowSpeed is a young man who has become one of the number one streamers on the planet. A guy who has done nothing out of the ordinary and, in my opinion, is not very interesting; he is simply funny and charismatic. In recent months, IShowSpeed has wanted to travel around the world while being on camera, and it has been a success. In several countries people welcome him in crowds, and in Peru they even made him deputy mayor of a town. He was in PR less than a week ago and had a good reception. A very common, ordinary guy today arrives somewhere and people go crazy just to see him. Speed in Peru: (link removed because of the subreddit's rules)
Michael Jackson, in his time, would simply make appearances on stage and people would faint. Women and men would cry just from seeing him. After the film about him that came out these days, his music broke records again. Even after his “death,” he is still number one. Bad Bunny has not yet reached his legacy. Michael Jackson very likely had ties to the occult to reach where he did, but he never performed a miracle or anything other than dancing and singing. Examples of MJ: (link removed because of the subreddit's rules)
If someone as normal and ordinary as these people can provoke chaos and drive people crazy, taking them to a point of idolatry and collective euphoria where people cried and fainted just from seeing them, is it really that hard not to fall into the clutches of the antichrist?
The Lord, when he was here on earth, performed miracles and wonders at a local level. The Bible does not record extreme miracles like the opening of the Red Sea by Jesus; however, the crowds would press against him simply to touch him. It was not only the wonderful works, but also what people felt just by seeing him. The “aura” that the Lord carried moved masses and masses. Even so, he restrained himself in terms of displaying his power.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:9 it says: “The lawless one, whose coming (apocalypto/unveiling or appearance) is according to the working of Satan, with great power (dunamis, meaning supernatural power) and signs and lying wonders (teras/portentous signs) (pseudo; I understand that in this translation it would be better rendered as ‘deceptive’), and with all deception of unrighteousness among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God sends them a deluding power (in this case, energeia in Greek, which is energy), so that they may believe the lie, in order that all may be condemned (krino/judge) who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness.”
I strongly doubt that after reading this passage one could think that the antichrist (which literally means anti-anointed one) will hold back even a little with his power. Satan is going to give him every last drop of supernatural power he has and will fully display himself. I would not be surprised if things like the following are seen: (link removed because of the subreddit's rules) or these: (link removed because of the subreddit's rules)
Is it really that hard to believe that people will not fall straight into his clutches? No need to be a genius, 2+2=4. I think we have not yet fully grasped how supernatural what is coming will be.
And yes, I believe the church will go through this. The bible makes no separation between the wrongly called "rapture" and Christ's second coming.
>2 Thessalonians 2
>Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
Notice how the gathering and the coming, are put as the same event. No separation.
>That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
>Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
>Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.