1. On the
Role of Antichrist in Prophecy.
[Notes of Addresses on Prophetic Subjects
by P. Ben, Delivered before the Assembly, Gathered at YMCA, Secunderabad,
2014.]
_______
Apostasy is closely associated with eschatological
developments. In the epistles of John, the antichrist is brought out in the
context of developing apostasy within Christendom. But it is to be noted that
this is in essence Jewish heresy though the point of departure may be within
the folds of Christendom. In the Gospel of John, we have all the elements of
Jewish unbelief precipitating in Chapter 8. The Jews denied the revelation of
the Father and the Son in 8:19 and disapproved that Jesus is Christ in 8:24.
The Lord said, ‘for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins’:
this then is the test of saving faith for the nation of
*They did perish in their unbelief- refer John 8:21. The
nation was put aside as regards to the present dispensation, though in future
the Jewish remnant would be saved in believing that He is Christ whom they had
pierced (Zech 12).
The church on earth at present is looking for the rapture.
But John in his epistles, speak of the ‘last time’ (1 Jn
2:18) and proceeds to furnish us with two things: the antichrist and the
antichrists. The former is the person who is yet to appear while the latter are
distinguished by a peculiar touch of Jewish unbelief which they advocate. They
are in fact the echo of that same Jewish unbelief that presented itself to the
Lord in John 8. They deny the Jesus is Christ (1 Jn
2:22), deny the revelation of the Father and the Son (1 Jn
2:22), and deny that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh (1 Jn
4:3 and 2 Jn 7). Simply put it denies the Lord’s
Messianic credentials. This is nothing but the continuing episode of Jewish
unbelief towards their own Lord who had come to them but was rejected. This is active
for the past twenty centuries in the minds of the Jewish populace across the
globe, which would eventually be spearheaded by an individual who is referred
to as the Antichrist.
The point of interest is to the question of Jewish unbelief
bursting from the corrupt bosom of Christendom. They went away from us- 1 Jn 2:19. The arrival of the Antichrist is linked with the
general apostasy within Christendom.*
*Christendom is the mass of professing body on earth- a show
of godliness and denying the power that ought to accompany it. It is to be
remembered that the true saved may fall into the snares of the enemy (if not
vigilant) but never fall into apostasy. Apostasy is the lot of nominal
professors who never got saved but held to exterior forms of religion. Such can
at any moment deny even these nominal forms to which our point in consideration
relates to.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4 we have the man of sin (son of
perdition) but his coming into picture is linked to ‘a falling away first’ that
is to the general apostasy within Christendom. Further we have the anti-God
qualities that are associated with the character of the man of sin.*
*sitting in the temple and showing himself that he is God-
is wrongly thought as implying the abomination of desolation spoken of in
Daniel or something related to it. It is simply self-will and self-exaltation
imbued with atheistic assumptions.
Further in verses 7, 8 and 9 we have the mystery of
iniquity, the destruction of the man of sin and his devious power. The mystery
of iniquity is already at work that is the stratum necessary for the rise of
this evil personage. It is the pseudo-intellectual and liberalistic efforts
seeking to downplay the documented history of divine interventions in the past,
such that there is no God but only that which is made by man. Darwinism could
be taken as an instance- a pseudo teaching that provides much scope for lawless
thinking- a development that can accentuate false beliefs in false powers.
Also, we have his dubious power manifested- power, signs and lying wonders.
Carefully compare this with the ministry of our Lord in Acts 2:22. The
inference is plain- the Lord performs by the power of God whereas the man of
sin performs by the ‘working of Satan’ and therefore it is but lying wonders.
Here, we have the false impersonation of the true Christ by the man of sin.
Further, his destruction is given to be at the intervention of Christ Himself
(v 8).
In Rev 13, there are two beasts- one from the sea and the
other from the land. The one from the land bears pretence to messianic kingdom
(two horns like a lamb) but a false one possessed with satanic power (sake as a
dragon)*. He shares the power with the first beast (the world dictator)- v12, and performs wonders resembling that of Elijah- v
12, and imposes global worship of the first beast in v14-17.
*The serpent symbolizes deceit whereas dragon refers to evil
power not merely deceit. There are two important acts of deception specifically
mentioned- bringing fire from heaven and giving life to the image. The former
is done to challenge the Elijah’s testimony of the power of Jehovah, while the
latter is performed to defy the name of Jehovah- (refer Ps 135:13-17).
In Rev 19:20, he is referred to as the false prophet and who
is thrown in to the lake of fire. Compare this with the ‘tophet’
of Isaiah 30:33 referring to the same person. Tophet
means the place of burning.
In Dan 11:36-39, he is shown to be the king in
*To wield power from
In Zech 11:15-17, he is referred to as a shepherd (king) in
Christ came in the Father’s name but was rejected but
another shall come in his own name and he shall be received- refer John 5:43.
The ‘another’ is the false one.
To conclude, we have in the coming day, a Jewish leader
contemplating heresies, performing lying wonders and given to obsessive
adoration of the gentile power. He decoys and compels all to render worship to
the gentile power and is destroyed not by the play of providence but by Christ
Himself.
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