{"id":421,"date":"2013-04-04T12:20:19","date_gmt":"2013-04-04T16:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/warrenmyers.com\/blog\/?p=421"},"modified":"2013-04-04T12:20:19","modified_gmt":"2013-04-04T16:20:19","slug":"the-antichrist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merikebi.warrenmyers.com\/?p=421","title":{"rendered":"“The” Antichrist?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recent article<\/a>, along with some other recent discussions I’ve had, has led me to study-out the issue of both “antichrist” (lowercase ‘a’), and “The Antichrist” (uppercase ‘A’).<\/p>\n

First let me point out that the term “antichrist” is only used 4 times in the New Testament*<\/sup>, only by John, and only in the first two of his letters (but three times in his first letter).<\/p>\n

1 John 2:18
\nChildren, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.<\/p>\n

1 John 2:22
\nWho is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.<\/p>\n

1 John 4:3
\nand every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.<\/p>\n

2 John 1:7
\nFor many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Context<\/a> is everything when it comes to reading God’s Word, therefore knowing the background of each of those verses, the setting of John’s writing, etc will be vital in understanding what he was writing about.<\/p>\n

According to IVP<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“First John was written between A.D. 85-95 by the apostle John, the author of the Gospel of John and Revelation. Evidently the letter was circulated among a number of churches in Asia who were threatened by false teachers. These false teachers embraced an early form of heresy known as Gnosticism. They taught that matter was entirely evil and spirit was entirely good.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And likewise<\/a> for Second John:<\/p>\n

“Like 1 John, 2 John was written by the apostle John between A.D. 85-95. It was written to provide guidance about hospitality. During the first century, traveling evangelists relied on the hospitality of church members. Because inns were few and unsafe, believers would take such people into their homes and then give them provisions for their journey. Since Gnostic teachers also relied on hospitality, John warned his readers against taking such people into their homes lest they participate in spreading heresy.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Gnostics<\/a> claimed to have been on a higher spiritual plane than the rest of the saints, but really were lapsing into pre-Christian paganism, but embracing Christian thoughts and concepts in their practice. As with all false religions, there was an overt focus on improving one’s self, and that you could achieve ‘salvation’ via your own works. In other words, there was no faith in Jesus’ work on the cross required, just good deeds.<\/p>\n

Now to the context of 1 John 2:15-24<\/a> for the first two references:<\/p>\n

Do not love\u00a0the world nor the things in the world.\u00a0If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.\u00a0For all that is in the world,\u00a0the lust of the flesh and\u00a0the lust of the eyes and\u00a0the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.\u00a0The world is passing away, and\u00a0also<\/i>\u00a0its lusts; but the one who\u00a0does the will of God lives forever.<\/p>\n

Children,\u00a0it is the last hour; and just as you heard that\u00a0antichrist is coming,\u00a0even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.\u00a0They went out from us, but they were not\u00a0really<\/i>\u00a0of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but\u00a0they went out<\/i>,\u00a0so that\u00a0it would be shown that they all are not of us.\u00a0But you have an\u00a0anointing from\u00a0the Holy One, and\u00a0you all know.\u00a0I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but\u00a0because you do know it, and\u00a0because no lie is\u00a0of the truth.\u00a0Who is the liar but\u00a0the one who denies that Jesus is the\u00a0Christ? This is\u00a0the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.\u00a0Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.\u00a0As for you, let that abide in you which you heard\u00a0from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also\u00a0will abide in the Son and in the Father.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Who or what is John writing about when he mentions the term “antichrist”? He is talking about those who have left the assembly of believers and are teaching heresy! Those denying Christ’s efficacious work on the cross. Those who advocate works\u00a0in lieu of<\/em><\/a> faith.<\/p>\n

Why does he call them “antichrists”? That’s simple – they are teaching\u00a0against<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Christ. He distinctly\u00a0does not<\/em> name an individual who is “The Antichrist” – he lumps all apostates proclaiming falsehood together under that term.<\/p>\n

What is the context of chapter 4<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Beloved, do not believe every\u00a0spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because\u00a0many false prophets have gone out into the world.\u00a0By this you know the Spirit of God:\u00a0every spirit that\u00a0confesses that\u00a0Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;\u00a0and every spirit that\u00a0does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the\u00a0spirit<\/i>\u00a0of the\u00a0antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and\u00a0now it is already in the world.\u00a0You are from God,\u00a0little children, and\u00a0have overcome them; because\u00a0greater is He who is in you than\u00a0he who is in the world.\u00a0They are from the world; therefore they speak\u00a0as<\/i>\u00a0from the world, and the world listens to them.\u00a0We are from God;\u00a0he who knows God listens to us;\u00a0he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know\u00a0the spirit of truth and\u00a0the spirit of error.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

John again is addressing those who are teaching falsehoods and claiming they are teaching Christ. He also gives ways of testing all teachers to be sure they are presenting actual truth, and not their own twisted message.<\/p>\n

Does this change in his second letter<\/a>?<\/p>\n

For\u00a0many deceivers have\u00a0gone out into the world, those who\u00a0do not acknowledge Jesus Christ\u00a0as<\/i>\u00a0coming in the flesh. This is\u00a0the deceiver and the\u00a0antichrist.\u00a0Watch yourselves,\u00a0that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.\u00a0Anyone who\u00a0goes too far and\u00a0does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.\u00a0If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching,\u00a0do not receive him into\u00a0your<\/i>\u00a0house, and do not give him a greeting;\u00a0for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nope – John is now warning to not even invite these apostates into your home because it will make you party to their evil teaching.<\/p>\n

Do these themes (concerns about apostates \/ heretical teaching) appear anywhere else in John’s writings? They do – in the letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3) dictated in his vision on the Isle of Patmos.<\/p>\n

Rev 2:2-3 “I know your deeds and your toil and\u00a0perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you\u00a0put to the test those who call themselves\u00a0apostles, and they are not, and you found them\u00a0to be<\/i>\u00a0false;\u00a0and you have\u00a0perseverance and have endured\u00a0for My name\u2019s sake, and have not grown weary.”<\/p>\n

Rev 2:14-16a “But\u00a0I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the\u00a0teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel,\u00a0to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit\u00a0acts of<\/i>\u00a0immorality.\u00a0So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the\u00a0Nicolaitans.\u00a0Therefore\u00a0repent;”<\/p>\n

Rev 2:20-21,24 “But\u00a0I have\u00a0this<\/i>\u00a0against you, that you tolerate the woman\u00a0Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they\u00a0commit\u00a0acts of<\/i>\u00a0immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.\u00a0I gave her time to repent, and she\u00a0does not want to repent of her immorality.”, “But I say to you, the rest who are in\u00a0Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the\u00a0deep things of Satan, as they call them – I\u00a0place no other burden on you.”<\/p>\n

Rev 3:15-19 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot;\u00a0I wish that you were cold or hot.\u00a0So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will\u00a0spit you out of My mouth.\u00a0Because you say, \u201cI am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,\u201d and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,\u00a0I advise you to\u00a0buy from Me\u00a0gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and\u00a0white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and\u00a0that<\/i>\u00a0the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.\u00a0<\/span>Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and\u00a0repent.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is much else to be gathered from the seven letters, but at the present time I want to look at how Christ addresses heresy in them. Heresy is not tolerated by God for long – He repeatedly promises to “come quickly” and to “remove the lampstand” all while offering grace if they “repent quickly”.<\/p>\n

From when, then, does a fascination come with identifying “The” antichrist? Historically, many Protestants have identified the current pope as The Antichrist. And certainly many have been antichrists.<\/p>\n

Some reference 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Now we request you,\u00a0brethren, with regard to the\u00a0coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our\u00a0gathering together to Him,\u00a0that you not be quickly shaken from your\u00a0composure or be disturbed either by a\u00a0spirit or a\u00a0message or a\u00a0letter as if from us, to the effect that\u00a0the day of the Lord\u00a0has come.\u00a0Let no one in any way deceive you, for\u00a0it will not come<\/i>\u00a0unless the\u00a0apostasy comes first, and the\u00a0man of lawlessness is revealed, the\u00a0son of destruction,\u00a0who opposes and exalts himself above\u00a0every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,\u00a0displaying himself as being God.\u00a0Do you not remember that\u00a0while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?\u00a0And you know\u00a0what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.\u00a0For\u00a0the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only\u00a0he who now restrains\u00a0will do so<\/i>\u00a0until he is taken out of the way.\u00a0Then that lawless one\u00a0will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the\u00a0appearance of His\u00a0coming;\u00a0that is<\/i>, the one whose\u00a0coming is in accord with the activity of\u00a0Satan, with all power and\u00a0signs and false wonders,\u00a0and with\u00a0all the deception of wickedness for\u00a0those who perish, because they did not receive the love of\u00a0the truth so as to be saved.\u00a0For this reason God\u00a0will send upon them\u00a0a\u00a0deluding influence so that they will believe\u00a0what is false,\u00a0in order that they all may be\u00a0judged who\u00a0did not believe the truth, but\u00a0took pleasure in wickedness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And those who reference that passage will generally come up with the following points<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. He will seek to enforce faith in himself on the whole earth.<\/li>\n
  2. He will call himself God.<\/li>\n
  3. He will promote himself with counterfeit miracles.<\/li>\n
  4. He will deceive men into believing a lie which condemns rather than saves.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Does the pope claim titles which should not be claimed by man? Absolutely. There is only one “Holy Father” (God the Father), there is only one “Head of the Church” (God the Son), and there is only one “Vicar of Christ” (God the Holy Spirit).<\/p>\n

    Is the pope\u00a0an<\/strong><\/em> antichrist? For the vast majority of them, most probably. Historically, popes have been most often elected to the office not for their piety, but for their political sway. They have been viewed as negotiators, peace-makers (due to their upbringing, their connections, or their money – not because they preach the gospel of Christ), war-starters (eg with the Crusades), and a variety of other roles which aren’t really compatible with the office of a pastor.<\/p>\n

    I grew up in a church that held to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith<\/a>\u00a0– with the exception of part of chapter 26<\/a>, which states:<\/p>\n

    “The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner; neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    My home church in Albany, the one in which I was baptized in Mebane, and most other Reformed Baptist churches I am aware of cite that paragraph as the only area they disagree<\/a> with the confession on (perhaps a couple other minor areas, but this was the biggie). And we disagree with that paragraph because assigning all the weight of a single term – “antichrist” – to someone whose times come and go, and to the exclusion of all other antichrists, is illogical, unbiblical, and paints the believer who holds to the entire confession (including its less-than-biblical aspects) into a corner.<\/p>\n

    What is the proper conclusion to draw from the entirety of scripture? Is there One True Antichrist? Most likely there will be some amazingly charismatic leader who will lead the masses astray from the Gospel of Christ.<\/p>\n

    But in the mean time, there are antichrists everywhere: the pope (past, present, and future) may or may not be one. But we need not look so far away as The Vatican to find antichrists: we can find them, sadly, in [nearly] every local church – those who are proclaiming heresy as truth, works over faith, man over God.<\/p>\n

    \n

    * I used the NASB for all references<\/sub><\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A recent article, along with some other recent discussions I’ve had, has led me to study-out the issue of both “antichrist” (lowercase ‘a’), and “The Antichrist” (uppercase ‘A’). First let me point out that the term “antichrist” is only used 4 times in the New Testament*, only by John, and only in the first two …
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