a reply to:
WanderingMrM
Surely the logical place to begin when searching for the identity of the antichrist is in the Bible, where the term originates and appears five
times.
As others have already pointed out, the antichrist is not merely one individual person or entity, for the Bible says that there are “many
antichrists.” (1 John 2:18) Rather, the term “antichrist,” which comes from a Greek word meaning “against (or instead of) Christ,” refers
to anyone who does the following:
- Denies that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) or denies that he is the Son of God.—1 John 2:22.
- Opposes the Christ, God’s Anointed One.—Psalm 2:1, 2; Luke 11:23.
- Pretends to be the Christ.—Matthew 24:24.
- Persecutes the followers of Christ, since Jesus views what is done to them as being done to him.—Acts 9:5.
- Falsely claims to be a Christian while practicing lawlessness or deception.—Matthew 7:22, 23; 2 Corinthians 11:13.
Besides speaking of individuals who take such actions as being antichrists, the Bible also refers to them collectively as “the antichrist.” (2
John 7) The antichrist first appeared in the time of the apostles and has been active ever since. Bible prophecy foretold just such a
development.—1 John 4:3.
Identification: Although there has been much effort in the past to identify “the antichrist” with an individual, such as Pompey, Nero, or Muhammad
(this latter person being suggested by Pope Innocent III in 1213 C.E.), or with a specific organization, as in the Protestant view of “the
antichrist” as applying to the papacy, John’s inspired statements show the term to be broad in its application, embracing all those who deny that
“Jesus is the Christ,” and who deny that Jesus is the Son of God who came “in the flesh.”—1Jo 2:22; 4:2, 3; 2Jo 7,
NE,
NIV;
compare Joh 8:42, 48, 49; 9:22.
Denial of Jesus as the Christ and as the Son of God of necessity embraces the denial of any or all of the Scriptural teachings concerning him: his
origin, his place in God’s arrangement, his fulfillment of the prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures as the promised Messiah, his ministry and
teachings and prophecies, as well as any opposition to or efforts to replace him in his position as God’s appointed High Priest and King. This is
evident from other texts, which, while not using the term “antichrist,” express essentially the same idea. Thus, Jesus stated: “He that is not
on my side is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters.” (Lu 11:23) Second John 7 shows that such ones might act as deceivers, and
hence the “antichrist” would include those who are “false Christs” and “false prophets,” as well as those who perform powerful works in
Jesus’ name and yet are classed by him as “workers of lawlessness.”—Mt 24:24; 7:15, 22, 23.
In view of Jesus’ rule that what is done to his true followers is done to him (Mt 25:40, 45; Ac 9:5), the term must include those who persecute such
ones, which means it would include the symbolic “Babylon the Great.”—Lu 21:12; Re 17:5, 6.
John specifically mentions apostates as among those of the antichrist by referring to those who “went out from us,” abandoning the Christian
congregation. (1Jo 2:18, 19) It therefore includes “the man of lawlessness” or “son of destruction” described by Paul, as well as the “false
teachers” Peter denounces for forming destructive sects and who “disown even the owner that bought them.”—2Th 2:3-5; 2Pe 2:1; more info,
see
MAN OF LAWLESSNESS.
People or organizations making up the antichrist spread lies, deny that Jesus is the Christ, or the Messiah, and try to distort the relationship
between God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Those who make up the antichrist claim to be Christ or his representatives, but since “they went out from
us,” they deviated from true Bible teachings. Furthermore, this group was present at the time when John wrote his letter, in “the last hour,”
presumably the end of the time of the apostles.
What else did John write regarding the antichrist? Speaking about false prophets, he warned: “Every inspired statement that acknowledges Jesus
Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God. But every inspired statement that does not acknowledge Jesus does not originate with God.
Furthermore, this is the antichrist’s inspired statement that you have heard was coming, and now it is already in the world.” (1 John 4:2, 3)
Then, in his second letter, John reiterated this point: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those not acknowledging Jesus Christ as coming
in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2 John 7) Clearly, John understood the antichrist to be all who deliberately spread
religious deception about Jesus Christ and Jesus’ teachings.
What about today? People and organizations making up the antichrist still oppose Christ and his teachings. They deliberately spread lies and
deceptions with the intent of confusing the identity of the Father, Jehovah God, and of His Son, Jesus Christ. We have good reason to beware of such
religious deceptions. 2 examples:
For centuries, the churches propagated the doctrine of the Trinity, claiming that the Father and the Son are part of the same entity. The antichrist
thus shrouds in mystery the identity of Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. For example, those who teach the Trinity or that Jesus is Almighty God actually
oppose the teachings of Jesus, who said: “The Father is greater than I am.”—John 14:28. Cardinal John O’Connor stated about the Trinity:
“We know that it is a very profound mystery, which we don’t begin to understand.” This mystery hinders sincere people from imitating Jesus
Christ and drawing close to God, as the Bible encourages them to.—1 Corinthians 11:1; James 4:8.
The churches add to the confusion by promoting the use of Bible translations that omit God’s personal name, Jehovah, from the text. They do this
despite the fact that the name Jehovah occurs some 7,000 times in the original text of the Bible. The result? The identity of the true God becomes
even more shrouded in mystery. Why is the Trinity so difficult to understand as Cardinal John O’Connor stated?
The Illustrated Bible Dictionary gives one reason. Speaking of the Trinity, this publication admits: “It is not a biblical doctrine in the
sense that any formulation of it can be found in the Bible.” Because the Trinity is “not a biblical doctrine,” Trinitarians have been
desperately looking for Bible texts—even twisting them—to find support for their teaching. Does the identity of God have to be “a very
profound mystery”? It did not seem so to Jesus. In his prayer to his Father, Jesus made a clear distinction between him and his Father when he said:
“This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the
only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John
17:3)
For centuries, the antichrist has kept millions in spiritual darkness. But by studying God’s Word, the Bible, we are able to learn the true identity
of the antichrist and be set free from the antichrist’s religious lies and deceptions.—John 17:17:
17 Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth.
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He is a liar! (part 1 of 2)edit on
26-3-2019 by whereislogic because: (no reason given)