End-Time Imitation

The Bible contains a number of names for Satan, such as Beelzebub ("lord of the flies"), the adversary, the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the father of lies, the accuser of the brethren, and a number of others. My own personal favorite has long been the Great Wannabe.

During the Tribulation, however, another one of Satan's devious attributes will be on full display, and that is his propensity to imitate whatever God does—so much so that I am tempted to add "the Great Imitator" to the list. As I have pointed out on a few occasions in the past, Satan may possess superhuman intelligence, but it strikes me that he's not all that creative. Many of the things that Satan does are in fact little more than lame attempts to imitate things that God has already done to world-shaking perfection.

Now, if you have studied the end-time scenario to any substantive degree, you may already be kicking around the idea in the back of your mind that during the Great Tribulation the role of the Antichrist is Satan's way of imitating Christ—and you would be 100 percent correct. But it occurred to me recently that Satan's imitation of things God has done—especially in the end times—is deeper and more multilayered than that. During Daniel's 70th Week, Satan is going to pull out all the stops to establish his kingdom in place of Christ's kingdom, and in the process there's gonna be a whole lotta imitatin' goin' on...more than I ever realized.

2B or not 2B: Note that the Antichrist is not really the Antichrist until he is "revealed" at his coming out party at the midpoint of the Tribulation. Only then does he truly become Satan's man the Antichrist. In the run-up to and during the first half of the Tribulation, he is just a charismatic world leader who is jockeying for position to take control of the global government that is congealing. I want to maintain this distinction, so throughout this article I will refer to him as the AC2B if I want to emphasize that I'm talking about him prior to the midpoint of the Tribulation. If I'm emphasizing the second half of the Tribulation or referring to his role in general, he's the Antichrist.

The first thing we're going to do here is back up and briefly cover a bit of Old Testament ground, and some of this is stuff I've discussed in other articles. But we need to pull a few things together to get the full prophetic spectrum of the different ways in which Satan is going to imitate God in the run-up to and during both halves of the Tribulation.

So with that said, let's take a quick trip to Mount Sinai.

Moses

While the Jewish people were enslaved down in Egypt, God chose Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask for the release of the Hebrew people. God hardened Pharaoh's heart, and proceeded to unleash a series of ten plagues on the Egyptians. After the 10th and final plague, which involved the death of the firstborn male child in every family that failed to have the blood of a lamb on their doorposts (which gave rise to the Jewish moed of Passover), Pharaoh wasn't just ready to let them go—he was ready to send them packing:

This was the first major mission that God had for Moses: to be the tool He used to deliver His people from bondage. But as soon as Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, God had another job waiting for him.

Not long after the people of Israel left Egypt, Moses received the Law at Mount Sinai. The next mission God had for Moses was to establish the foundation for Israel's Old Covenant relationship with Him: obedience to His Law.

Moses spent the last 40 years of his life struggling to get it through the heads of a stiff-necked people what God required of them under the Law, and arguably succeeded about as well as anyone could have. When they finished their 40 years of wandering through the desert as a judgment for their faithless refusal to enter the Promised Land the first time, the Jewish people finally entered the land God had Promised them...but without Moses:

Moses had disobeyed God at Meribah Kadesh by striking a rock twice instead of speaking to it to obtain water as God had instructed (Num. 20), and as a result God told him he would only get to see the Promised Land from a distance—but not enter it. God led Moses to the top of Mount Nebo and let him have a panoramic view of the Promised Land, and there he died with no one ever knowing what became of his body.

The point I want to highlight here, however, is simply this:

It was through Moses that God established
the fundamental basis of the Jewish people's
Old Covenant relationship with Him—the Law.

Hold that thought.

Now let's take a spin through the Northern Kingdom.

+ Elijah

Not long after the reign of King Solomon, the Jewish people split into two major groups: two tribes to the south known as the Kingdom of Judah and the remaining ten tribes to the north known as the Kingdom of Israel. Sadly, throughout both regions idol worship had become a festering problem that was steadily growing worse.

In the ninth century BC, an evil king named Ahab had taken power in the Northern Kingdom (ruling from 874 to 853 BC), and he openly and brazenly promoted the worship of false gods, Baal in particular. But like they say:

God always has a remnant.

The prophet Elijah prophesied a drought on the entire region in response to Ahab's evil, and after three and a half years without rain (James 5:17) God used Elijah to confront Ahab at full throttle and bring the issue to a head in a classic showdown that would have a major impact on the spiritual condition of the Jewish people (not to mention make a killer movie script).

Elijah asked Ahab to gather the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of the groves to Mount Carmel for one of the greatest spiritual face-offs in biblical history:

God 1 — Baal 0

The point of what Elijah did is stated in verse 37: It was to give God an opportunity to turn the hearts of the Jewish people back to Him again after they had essentially abandoned Him in favor of false gods (a lingering legacy of their days in Egypt). The rains returned in short order, and history confirms that this dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel marked the beginning of the end for widespread idolatry among the Jewish people.

Elijah was ultimately taken alive up into heaven in a chariot of fire, in the presence of his successor Elisha:

But as with Moses, there is one key point I want to highlight here:

It was through Elijah that God turned the hearts
of His people from their rebellious, idolatrous
ways and back to worshiping the one true God.

God used Elijah to utterly thrash the false gods the Jews had been foolishly worshiping and give them a stark reminder of who they never should have stopped worshiping in the first place. And as I mentioned, the Jews' burgeoning idolatry began to go into decline after this incident, although it could be argued that it wasn't completely extinguished until their Babylonian captivity in the sixth century BC.

So, these are two key points I want you to stick in your back pocket:

1. Moses led the Jews into their Old Covenant relationship with God.

2. Elijah turned the hearts of the Jews back to worshiping God.

With those two ideas in mind, let's fast forward to the last days and check in with two characters who will figure prominently in what transpires in the first half of the Tribulation.

= the Two Witnesses

I wrote an article about the Two Witnesses a few months ago, and in that article I went into some depth about who they are, what they will do, and how and when they will do it.

I ultimately argued for the view that the Two Witnesses would be two Jewish men that God would raise up in the last days in the spirit and power of Moses and Elijah to minister primarily to the Jewish people. But what I somehow managed to miss was a compellingly clear reason why Moses and Elijah are the biblically quintessential pair to connect to the Two Witnesses:

The major thrust of the ministry of the
Two Witnesses combines the major thrusts
of the ministries of both Moses and Elijah.

In other words, what Moses and Elijah did in the Old Testament foreshadows what the Two Witnesses will do in the end times. The Two Witnesses will begin their ministry at the beginning of the Tribulation, and for one thing they will encourage Israel in the rebuilding of the Third Temple. But they will do much more than that—something much more important.

Recall that God placed a partial hardening on the Jews after the ministry of Christ, whom they rejected and crucified:

After the Church is removed at the Rapture and we get to the launching of the Tribulation, it is time for God to remove the hardening He placed on Israel so He can bring a remnant of them to faith in the atoning work that Christ accomplished for them two thousand years ago. This is the message they have been too hardened to hear for the last two millennia, but God will remove that hardening and turn their hearts back to Him, and introduce them to the covenant that will remove their sin (the New Covenant), rather than merely cover their sin temporarily as did their previous one (the Old Covenant).

That is, after the Church is removed, God will begin to do something with His people Israel that was prefigured by what He did through Moses and Elijah. Only this time He will do it through the ministry of the Two Witnesses. As the Tribulation begins, God will use the Two Witnesses to:

1. Draw His people into a New Covenant relationship with Him.

2. Turn the hardened hearts of His people back to worship Him.

So, in a sense the Two Witnesses imitate Moses and Elijah. Also, notice some of the methods they use: They use fire and drought (much like Elijah):

Not only that, but even the grand finale of the Two Witnesses is foreshadowed to some degree by what happened to Moses and Elijah.

At the midpoint of the Tribulation, the ministry of the Two Witnesses will draw to a close. The now satanically possessed and controlled Antichrist will be able to kill the Two Witnesses, and their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three days. Then they will be resurrected, and will be taken alive up into heaven in full view of a stunned world (no doubt thanks to the mainstream media). This is prefigured by what happened to both Moses and Elijah:

• Moses went to the top of Mount Nebo, up and away from the people, where he could view the Promised Land before he died and was never seen again.

• Elijah was taken straight to heaven in a chariot of fire as Elisha looked on.

A little advance planning, perhaps? You may have wondered what Moses and Elijah might have been talking with Jesus about at the Transfiguration:

People have speculated about this for two thousand years. But at this point, I'd be willing to bet my bottom New Taiwan Dollar that their conversation was in some way connected to the future ministry of the Two Witnesses:

"All right, men, listen up: As soon as you see them getting ready to confirm that treaty Daniel talked about, double-check your gear. Got it?"

"Roger that, Lord. So...you want us to use fire and drought like last time?"

"Affirmative...let 'er rip. But lay off Satan's Stooge—he's all mine!"

Now let's turn our attention to a couple of the crude ways Satan will attempt to imitate what God did through Moses and Elijah.

Imitating Moses...again

The Tribulation is officially launched by the confirmation of a seven-year treaty with Israel, and it is presumably a treaty with the surrounding Arab nations—nations that have been Israel's sworn enemies since the days of the Patriarchs and who desire to see Israel wiped off the face of the earth:

Some folks take issue with the interpretation of the word "many" in this verse, but there is agreement among a number of excellent commentators that it refers to the Jews. Daniel uses the same Hebrew word in Daniel 11:33, 39, and 12:3, where it clearly refers to the Jews. So, rather than taking a scalpel and surgically removing that one single word from verse 27 and examining it under a microscope, what say we let Scripture interpret Scripture as usual. With no context clearly suggesting otherwise, that alone is sufficient to tell us verse 27 is most likely referring to a treaty made with the Jews. Of course, there will be a number of other nations on the other side of the table, but it's reasonably clear they are making a treaty with Israel.

No? Consider: If this treaty is made with "many" nations and not Israel, read the rest of verse 27 and ask yourself one simple question:

Why does Daniel mention this seven-year treaty, and then in the very next clause and without missing a beat go on to say he's going to cause the sacrifices to cease in the middle of that treaty?

Straight up: If this treaty isn't with Israel, this takes non sequiturs to a whole new level—this is a leap that would make Evel Knievel green with envy. We know the sacrifices are made in a rebuilt Third Temple because when Daniel says "he shall make it desolate," the it refers to that temple, or at least the Holy Place contained within it.

Also, the way verse 27 is worded makes it sound very much as if allowing the sacrifices to begin in the first place was part of that treaty—you almost have to want it to mean something else. Hence one basic question is this:

Q. If this treaty is not with Israel, then how much sense does it make to have the Antichrist breaking this treaty at its midpoint and then causing sacrifices to cease and desecrating a rebuilt Third Temple. In Jerusalem. In Israel?

A. Only as much as you can deliberately read into it.

Steady as she goes: Now, I am keenly aware that a lot of people are gripped with excitement these days due to Satan's useful idiots at the U.N. and their grand plan for "seven years of accelerated, transformative action" that kicks off this September, but this doesn't change the inconvenient fact that Daniel's treaty is made with Israel. Of course, Daniel's treaty could come to fruition more quickly than many realize, and it may even grow out of the chaotic aftermath of the Rapture itself (which means we might not be here to see it coming anyway). It's possible that Daniel's treaty is an outgrowth of or an addition to this agreement that gets hammered out in the wake of Gog-Magog. But the fact remains that in its current form without Israel, this ain't it...at least it ain't it yet. So...let me just say that it might be wise to refrain from leaping to conclusions in regard to this U.N. agreement and the Rapture. Oh, and if you think the Rapture is inextricably linked to the Feast of Trumpets, feel free to take a look at something I wrote in 2020. (Warning: Don't balk at the title—you have to read the whole article to understand what I'm actually saying.)

So the Tribulation is launched when the AC2B confirms the treaty of Daniel 9:27 with Israel, and as he does so we have the first case of Satan imitating what God did through Moses and Elijah that I want to mention.

Recall that Moses led the Jews into their Old Covenant relationship with God, which was based on obeying His Law. However...

At the outset of the Tribulation, Satan will
have the AC2B imitate Moses by leading
Israel into a very different covenant.

Remember that God will have just recently supernaturally intervened to save Israel from annihilation in the battle of Gog-Magog, and as a result their Muslim enemies will be weakened and won't be in a position to say no to this treaty—a treaty that will do something that is unthinkable in the Muslim world: give Israel permission to start rebuilding their anxiously anticipated Third Temple, and start rebuilding it on what the Muslims see as their property.

I also believe that Israel will be magnanimous in victory, just as they were after their victory over the Arabs in the Six Day War in 1967, when Moshe Dyan charitably allowed Jordan to maintain control over the holiest site in Judaism: the Temple Mount. They will give the Palestinians some kind of state, and the whole shebang will be hailed as World Peace at long last.

And the AC2B will be hailed as
the world's Great Peacemaker.

The AC2B will deceive Israel and lead them into a covenant with their sworn enemies that the Jews will foolishly enter into in the vain hopes they will be able to live in peace with people groups that seek their death and destruction (not to mention their land). But arguably the juiciest worm on that hook will be the chance to finally rebuild their (pant...drool...) Third T-e-m-p-l-e!

The Bible has a graphic way of describing this covenant that the AC2B will lead Israel into, which is obviously not a covenant with God. It is nothing more than the result of Satan's paltry imitation of what God did with His people through Moses with the Old Covenant, except its goal is the destruction of Israel and the death of the Jews. To see this, all we have to do is read how the prophet Isaiah describes it in chapter 28:

Isaiah doesn't mince words about the true nature of this future covenant the AC2B will establish with the Jews:

Isaiah calls the treaty Israel makes
with its enemies a covenant with
death and an agreement with hell.

So Satan arranges for the AC2B to imitate Moses' establishing of the Old Covenant by establishing a very different covenant with God's people, only this is a covenant designed to lure Israel to their destruction. God uses this covenant as the means by which He places Israel in a position where He can purge them using the Antichrist as the rod of His anger (Isa. 10:5), even as He saves a believing remnant during the Great Tribulation.

But as we get to the second half of the Tribulation and the AC2B officially becomes the full-tilt Antichrist (the first beast of Rev. 13:1–10), a second beast (Rev. 13:11–18) arises to work with this global tyrant to lead an apostate global religion. And guess what? Satan is just as adept at using this second beast to imitate what God has done as he was with the AC2B.

Imitating Elijah...again

At the midpoint of the Tribulation, as the Antichrist launches his 42-month kingdom, the second beast, aka the False Prophet, rises to support him in his satanic charade, and he calls fire down from the sky to intimidate people into worshiping the Antichrist as God. If they don't, they will be killed.

This is clearly Satan's imitation of what God did through Elijah in 1 Kings 18:37–39, when Elijah prayed that God would show the people of Israel that He would turn their hearts back to Him and God sent fire down to consume the sacrifice Elijah had prepared. When the people saw that fire, they forgot all about Baal and fell on their faces and cried:

"The LORD, He is God!"

But when people see the False Prophet call down fire from the sky, it is precisely the opposite. Now it is for the express purpose of deceiving them into believing a lie and worshiping Satan's man the Antichrist as if he were God—as if he were the divine Messiah sent from God (as is Christ):

Now people who have refused to love the truth will fall on their faces and cry:

"The Antichrist, He is God!"

Or whatever name they will use to refer to him. At that point Satan's deception will reach its zenith and his short-lived kingdom will be off and running.

Just like dear old Dad

Of course, there are a number of other forms of imitation that occur during the Tribulation, such as the Antichrist imitating Christ and striving to be accepted in His place as the promised Messiah (I'm betting you thought of that one). We also have the mark of the beast, where people are required to take the Antichrist's mark to participate in the global economy:

Here is what Satan is attempting to imitate:

This is Satan's imitation of the way God "marks" or seals the 144,000 Jewish evangelists in the early part of the Tribulation to take the gospel to the world in place of the Church, which is long gone. This seal offers the 144,000 divine protection that enables them to complete their mission before they are martyred (some say the mark protects them for the entire duration of the Tribulation, but I happen to disagree based on my understanding of pertinent Scripture). In other words:

In the Tribulation, God marks those who
are His—and then Satan follows suit.

Incidentally, as I have pointed out in a previous article, the fact that this mark is "the name of the beast or the number of his name" means that it makes little sense to think that anything that comes along prior to the revelation of the Antichrist is in fact his mark. In other words:

How can you have the mark of the beast until you have the beast?

So chill. Don't get into a tizzy over taking something that is secretly the mark of the beast. Scripture makes it fairly clear it doesn't work that way.

The bottom line is that it had never occurred to me how the ministries of Moses and Elijah clearly prefigure the ministry of the Two Witnesses, and then how Satan imitates the ministry of both Moses and Elijah through the actions of both the AC2B and the False Prophet in the first and second halves of the Tribulation, resp.

In this article, we've been discussing Satan's imitation of things God has done, and his imitations are invariably shabby, inferior counterfeits that bring about harmful, destructive results. But obviously imitation isn't always like that. Like the old saying goes: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Now, I think I can say without fear of contradiction that Satan isn't trying to flatter God—imitating God really is the best he can do because he is nothing but a liar, a thief, and a murderer. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. To seek whom he may devour. That's it—that's his entire résumé in a nutshell.

The Bible actually has quite a bit to say about imitation, which can obviously be done in either a good or a bad sense. Here's a quick taste of the good kind:

Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. That's an amazing thing to contemplate! Paul is telling us to imitate a supremely loving, infinitely holy, and perfectly just God...and it's an understatement of the first magnitude to say that's a mighty tall order for even the best among us.

But that's exactly what the Word
is telling us to do—imitate God,
just as a child imitates his father.

The longer I sit and think about that verse, the more it just blows me away. And the more it humbles me. And the more it motivates me...and I pray it motivates you as well:

I hope it motivates us all to take a deeper and more thoughtful look at the character of God with the humble intention of emulating it to the best of our limited abilities in our earthly lives.

And I pray it motivates us all to pursue the goal of living lives that reveal that we are making progress in our efforts to be more like our Heavenly Father.

Or maybe I should say our dear old Heavenly Dad.

Greg Lauer — JUL '23

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 JUL '23 

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