Grace Community Church’s Pastor John MacArthur, who recently told Fox’s Laura Ingraham that America is in a moral free-fall, explained to his congregation this past Sunday December 6, 2020 that the world we live in “appears to be perfectly suited for the Antichrist to come.”
During the Sunday night service, microphones were set up in the sanctuary so members could ask MacArthur questions. Before members came forward with questions, MacArthur shared he doesn’t have any secret inside information regarding COVID-19, but said that he does his “very best to help examine what’s available so that (he) can help people understand what we are facing.”
MacArthur Shared Statistics to Show Why Today’s World is Suited for Antichrist
MacArthur began saying that the approach the world, including the United States, has taken regarding the coronavirus has had a devastating effect on people. Referring to the lockdowns, the pastor explained that Japan recorded in one month as many suicides as it has COVID-19 deaths the entire year, and that some businesses in the U.S. will never re-open, leading to devastating financial results.
A statistic he read stated that it is expected that 300k to 500k fewer births will happen in 2021 because people are fearful of bringing children into this world. The Wall Street Journal article MacArthur sited shared last year’s drop in births were less than 45,000.
He briefly explained a Johns Hopkins article that was released on November 22, 2020 that claimed COVID-19 has had “relatively no effect on deaths in the United States.” The article said, “These data analyses suggest that in contrast to most people’s assumptions, the number of deaths by COVID-19 is not alarming. In fact, it has relatively no effect on deaths in the United States.” The article was later retracted by Johns Hopkins student newspaper because they said it was spreading misinformation.
As MacArthur shared some more statistics regarding COVID-19 to ease any fears his congregation may have, he reminded them “We are the people of the truth, and we will always do the very best we can to tell you the truth.” As he continued he told them, “You don’t need to be a victim of lies and deception, but when you see the people who are your leaders sitting around a table…hours and hours together. Health officials with the governor, and no masks, and no social distancing having a party, you might wonder whether they actually believe what they’re asking you to do.” MacArthur was referring to a birthday party California Governor Gavin Newsom attended for one of his political advisors.
Pastor MacArthur said that the COVID-19 virus can be serious, and didn’t deny it exists, but said to destroy businesses, schools, children, education, churches, and every other normal course of life is just a “overreaction.” He said, “That is the conclusion of 10,000 expert scientists.”
MacArthur explained why he gave all of the scientific data saying, “I don’t want to be accused of putting you in jeopardy. People have said that I am mocking COVID and that I am going to be killing people because we are meeting as a church. We are not naïve,” he said, “about the reality that everybody is going to die right?” That can happen many ways, MacArthur shared, and then explained they have believed from the beginning that this is not a disease that kills everyone based on the statistics.
MacArthur: World Governments “Have Made This Global”
The governments of the world have done something they have never done before in human history, MacArthur explained. “They have made this global,” he said.
“Now we are a global world. And that is a setup that we’ve been waiting for through redemptive history since the Lord promised that there would come, in the future, an Antichrist…who would have a global government.” He told the crowd this is the first time in his life of 81 years that the government has “such power over people globally that we can shut them down so they can’t function…#cancelculture can come to you.”
MacArthur continued, “This suits the world of Antichrist. As you look at the book of Revelation, there’s the mark of the beast, the number, and if you don’t have that, you don’t buy…you don’t sell…you don’t exist.”
“Everything about you they know,” he said, ” the people who have access to all your data. They know all of it. You can go out of existence virtually any moment somebody decides that. This is the kind of world that appears to be perfectly suited for the Antichrist to come…bring a certain amount of peace, the world falls at his feet. He is the instrument of Satan, and of course all hell breaks loose…and in the time of the great tribulation, God’s judgement comes, at the end of which Christ returns.”
MacArthur: Jesus’ Second Coming is Sooner Than Ever Before
Being clear he wasn’t predicting that Jesus was coming soon, the pastor said, “He’s coming sooner than He’s ever been before.”
“The Bible says in the ‘end times’ there will be lawlessness. And there is lawlessness and an escalating lawlessness and an effort to create more lawlessness by taking restraints away.” MacArthur described what the Antichrist looks like in the Book of Revelation saying, “This is a world that could find itself in such absolute chaos that the right satanic leader who promises to fix everything could be given the title of king of the world.”
Christ could return at any hour, and the pastor shared that many years ago he thought there were signs of Christ’s return was going to happen then, “but it seems this is the world that we never knew could exist,” he said.
MacArthur continued: “We have the kind of weaponry that could destroy a third of the population, a fourth of the population, as you see in the book of Revelation. We have the kind of technology that can literally erase people out of existence. So, it’s just up to us to be sure that we’re looking at the signs of the times.”
“We have to be aware that we aren’t being told the truth…and that’s not surprising is it? Satan is a liar. He establishes his kingdom on lies,” he said. MacArthur then took questions from the congregation.
Watch the entire service here.