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02 The Antichrist
THE ANTICHRIST
Text: Matt 24: 5 and 24, for many shall come in my name saying I am the Christ, and shall deceive many.
V 24, for there shall arise false Christ’s and false prophets —— if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.
Mark 13:22, for false Christ’s and false prophets shall arise, ——-
NB: since the word Christ, has the meaning of the anointed one, then one could safely say that the falseness appears as an anointing, albeit a false anointing, perpetuated by a man, the man of sin or sins man.
2 Thess 2:1-12, verifies the above text and adds weight to these truths, but goes further and warns the believer to not be deceived, for if we are deceived then there will come a great falling away from the faith, or a great apostacy as some expositors would say.
2 John 1:7, states that many deceivers are entered into the world, who do not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Therefore the believer will need to understand the meaning of his name and his characteristics, to be prepared to deal with the deception that will come on the earth in these last days.
Names and characteristics:- When the bible gives a persons name that name reveals that persons characteristics and nature.
e.g. Jacob means a supplanter or thief for that was what he was. However God changed his nature and a prince with God is what he became and his name was changed to Israel.
Abram’s name changed to Abraham which means father of a multitude.
Simon’s name changed to Peter which means, ‘a chip of rock’ and so on.
The scriptures teach that there will arise in the last days a personality who will be the embodiment of evil. Satan incarnate (’embodied in flesh in human form’.)
This person is called by various names which reveal who he is and where he comes from and what he will do.
Antichrists:- From 2 Greek words ‘anti’ meaning in stead of or in place of and ‘Christ’ which means ‘anointed’. So then this person is one who will put himself forward as Christ and will seek to take the place of Christ. 1 Thess 2:4, 1John 2:18.
The son of perdition:- The only other person called by this name is Judas Iscariot (John 17:12.) the betrayer and this is very significant.
Jesus said Judas was a devil (John 6:70.)
In Acts 1:25, we are told when Judas committed suicide he went to his own place. Judas was a devil the offspring of perdition (damnation) he came in his spiritual nature from the pit and returned to the place he came from.
In John 13:2, we find that the devil had put into Judas heart to betray Jesus and in verse 27 and also in Luke 22:3, we find that satan himself then entered Judas. (John 6:70, Judas was a devil.)
Now we find the prince of all demons taking over to complete the work of destroying Jesus.
The underlying thought here then becomes, the antichrist will be one of the last day 12 apostles who will sell out the Bride of Christ, just as Judas sold out the Lord Jesus Christ.
The man of sin:- or sins man. Just as the Lord was the man of God or God’s man the embodiment of deity (Col 2:9,) In Him dwell all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. So ‘antichrist’ will be the embodiment of sin in all its fullness.
As the Godhead found its complete expression bodily in Christ Jesus, sin in the same way will find its complete and full expression bodily in antichrist the man of sin.
(2 Thess 2:1-12.)
The wicked one:- 1 John 3:12, 1John 5:18, 2 Thess 2:8.
The term wicked one implies that all this is wrapped up or revealed in a person.
The deceiver:- 2 John:7, Rev 12:9, 13-14, Rev 20:3,8, Matt 24:5.
Through lying signs and wonders (2Thess 2:9,) through false miracles he will bring about probably the greatest religious deception that there has ever been. (Rev 13:14,
Ex 7:8-12,20-22, Ex 8:6-7.)
The beast:- as the Lord Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God, the man from heaven, the spotless one. So also is the beast from hell. (Rev 17), and has the ‘spots’ of the leopard. (Rev 13:2.)
Where will he arise? There are many over the years who have preached that antichrist will come out of Russia, out of Jewry, others thought Napoleon was the antichrist, others Mussolini or Stalin, the Kaiser or Adolf Hitler and many others have thought the Pope was the antichrist.
No one would deny that all these and many others were very antichrist and motivated by the spirit of antichrist and belong to those whom John said were “many antichrists” (1John 2:18), but none of these listed above fully meet the nature and characteristics of the description that the bible gives the antichrist.
Paul says that this one will arise in the temple of God. (2Thess 2:4.)
This is not talking about any temple of the Jews, but Paul himself says that we (the church) are the temple of God. (2Cor 6:16, 1Cor 3:16-17, 6:19, Eph 2:19-22)
John says that these antichrist’s and false prophets went out from US! (the church).
1 John 2:18-19.
We have already pointed out that Judas who is a type of the antichrist was next to the Lord Himself. He was one of the chosen 12 and he fell away and in effect took the nation of Jewry in his fall. We see this pattern from Genesis to the end of the age.
Type 1. according to Jewish tradition satan was one of the 12 angels. We know that he was next to the throne of God. (Ezk 28:14.) He desired the throne of God (Isa 14:12-14.) and fell and took a host of angelic beings with him. (one third?)
N.B. The book of Rev speaks of a third part of the trees, creatures, ships, rivers, sun, moon, stars, day, men, destroyed. Third part of sun darkened etc.
Is this a judgment because of a third part of the Godhead was also killed?
Type 2. We come to 12 generations after Adam through the line of Ham and we come to Nimrod whose name means “Rebel”. (He is no 13 counting Adam)
He it was who conceived the building of the tower of Babel and bought about the confusion of tongues. (Gen 10:8-10, 11:1-9.)
Type 3. Esau is no 12 after Noah (no 13 counting Noah) he is rejected because he sold his birthright and Jacob takes his place.
Type 4. Jacob had 12 sons (12 + Jacob = 13) and Rueben one of the 12 goes up and to his father’s couch and loses the birthright. (Gen 35:22, 49:3-4.)
Type 5. The rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Num 16:1-35, 26:9-10.) These 3 men are the 13th generation from Eber the father of the Hebrews.
Type 6. Manasseh (2Kings 21:1-16, 2 Chron 33:1-10.) Manasseh was 12 years of age when he began to reign, (he was in his 13the year) he began to do evil. He was also the 13th king to reign over Jewry and he was the one to set up the image to be worshiped in the temple of God.
Type 7. Judas (Matt 10:1-4,) Judas is no 12 and also no 13 (Jesus + 12.)
Fulfillment. (Rev 12:1-4, 9:1-3, 8:9-11.)
We see the woman the Bride of Christ crowned with 12 stars and we see a star fall from heaven and become invested with satanic power, in Rev 12, we see a 3rd of the stars of heaven fall with this star. Could this be the great falling away spoken of in 2 Thess 2:1-3?
Ps Ray Rose