(tm)Overcoming the Antichrist
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The supremely important issue of the last days is the gaining of victory "over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name." To gain victory over the Beast is to enter into glory. To worship the Beast is to enter unimaginable agony.
The "number of his name" is six hundred sixty-six. Six is the number of man. Three is the number of God. Six hundred sixty-six symbolizes man making himself God.
Man seeking to make himself God has been the issue since the beginning. The desire to be like God originated with Satan.
Paul says, concerning Antichrist, that "he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (II Thessalonians 2:4).
We think the spirit of Antichrist finally will be personified in one man and that he actually will sit in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, in the Most Holy Place, declaring himself to be the one true God.
However, it is true also that the spirit of Antichrist is in all of us until he is cast out by the Lord Jesus. Man is the temple of God. Antichrist sits on the throne in the heart of every individual. Antichrist is man making himself God.
A student of world history can observe the rise of humanism. Humanism is of the spirit of Antichrist. Humanism is man making himself God. The spirit of humanism, of man making himself God, is in Communism. The spirit of humanism is in democracy. The spirit of humanism is in the Christianity of today.
The danger of Antichrist is not that a man will arise somewhere and force us into a new environment or cause us to enter into some strange new way of behaving. Antichrist is in us. The spirit of Antichrist is in every one of us until we choose to lay down our own life, our own will, take up our personal cross and follow the Son of God. Until we do that we are part of Satan, of Antichrist, of the rebel against God and His Anointed One, whether or not we have "accepted" Christ as our Savior.
The issue raised in the Book of Revelation is that of overcoming Antichrist. It is the overcoming of our desire to be God, to be like God, to maintain our own will before God, to seek to do what we want, to get what we want when we want it. It is rebellion against God.
It appears that throughout Christian history there have been unnumbered multitudes of "weak" Christians—those who fear God but never have entered the joy of the victorious life. In the last days this "middle" group will be swallowed up by the intense powers unleashed by the operation of the forces of righteousness and wickedness. There will be no more middle group. Mankind will be divided into those who refuse to deify man and those who accept the deification of man; into the children of God and the children of Satan. The multitudes will be forced out of the "valley of decision" (Joel 3:14).
Antichrist always seeks worship and always attempts to overcome the testimony of those who bear witness of God and His Christ. Antichrist overcomes the Christian witness by violence and by deception.
Antichrist overcomes the Christians in Communistic countries by violence. Antichrist overcomes the Christians in the democratic nations by comfort and materialism.
The Communist Party has gained control of a large part of the world’s population. The Communist Party overcomes the Christian witness by violence. The Christian witness is driven from the cities and forced into hiding. The Jewish worshipers in the Communist state are also persecuted because Judaism and Christianity are part of one whole, Christianity being the spiritual fulfillment and eternal life of true Judaism (not of the non-Biblical Jewish traditions).
Judaism and Christianity have far more in common than many people realize. Satan and his Antichrist understand that Judaism and Christianity are of God and parts of one whole. The Judaic and Christian organizations fight against one another because the spirit of Babylon is in both of them. The true elect of God are neither Jew nor Gentile but the Body of Christ, the Seed of Abraham. They are the olive tree of God. They are the one new Man (Ephesians 2:15).
The violent persecution of Christians may be greater today than in any other period of world history. It is evident Antichrist is here now both in the Communist systems and the democratic systems of the world. In the Communist nations the spirit of Antichrist is perhaps more obvious. Those who do not conform suffer economic penalties and sometimes are imprisoned and tortured.
It is the deception of Christians, rather than physical persecution, that operates in the democratic nations. Some of the aspects of modern democratic nations, such as ungoverned speech and conduct, the rule of the people, the emphasis on the acquisition of money, the separation of church and state, and an abundance of material wealth and pleasure, can prove to be destructive of Christian discipleship. They lead to the deceptions of Antichrist.
In the democratic nations the emphasis on the free expression of the individual is leading to vile, hellish orgies of animal lust. The filthiest, most corrupt, perverted, grotesque, obscene expressions of Satan are protected by the doctrine of freedom of speech. The democratic systems are founded on freedom of speech. The Kingdom of God demands controlled speech—speech disciplined by the Spirit of God and that glorifies God.
The rule of the people is contrary to the ways of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom. God speaks. His Word is revealed through Christ. The Lord’s servants, His bondslaves, obey the Word of God without question—even to torture and death.
Capitalism as a system of economics is not Divine. The love of money is the root of all evil. The government of Antichrist is founded on money. Men hoard money in order to protect themselves against harm—to make themselves secure. Men use money to take the place of God.
Of all the gods of the first century, the one God Jesus mentioned was money. "No man can serve God and mammon," Jesus stated.
God intends for people to serve one another with their gifts and callings. We ought to help one another with no thought of recompense. But capitalism emphasizes the accumulation of money as being the proper motive for our service.
Today the doctors (under capitalism) heal the sick for money—sometimes an amount of money far in excess of what their patients can afford. The merchants encourage people to buy things they do not need with no thought of whether they are helping or hindering the individual. The schoolteachers demand more money or they will not teach the children. The policemen demand more money or they will not protect us. The firemen demand more money or they will allow our house to burn to the ground. The crime rates soar because people want money.
The God of capitalism is money. Capitalism is not of Christ, it is of Antichrist. One of the most destructive of all the ungodly influences that seek to destroy the human personality is the concept that life is based on the acquisition of money. The qualities of love and service, which are godly traits, have been destroyed in the democratic nations by the emphasis on the exchange of money as the basis for the way in which people work together in a society.
Could anyone believe the democratic concept of the separation of church and state is of God? It is of Antichrist. In Russia the children cannot pray in their schools. In America the children cannot pray in their schools. What is the difference?
Antichrist has overcome the Christian witness in the Communist nations by violence. Antichrist has overcome the Christian witness in America by deception. In both cases, Antichrist has overcome the Christian witness.
The scientific method of solving the problems of life, which is taught in the public schools, is of Antichrist. It is man seeking to control his environment and destiny by his own intellect. In the Kingdom of God, man looks to God for God’s will for his life.
There is no question that the public schools of the world teach the Antichrist position that man is God. Whatever gods there may be, the important God is man. Man is the ruler of the universe. Man is the master of his own destiny. This is what is taught in the public schools of the United States of America. This is what is taught in the schools of the Communist nations along with an emphasis on service to the state.
The capitalistic system of economics leads to an abundance of material wealth and pleasure. Of all the tactics of Satan, none is more effective than loading the Christian believer with wealth and pleasure. When the churches are persecuted they become strong and pure. In times of abundance and ease, however, only the most determined are willing to seek the Lord with their whole heart.
We know of one Christian high school that is teaching the young people the techniques of positive thinking. By positive thinking we are not referring to a wholesome faith in God and the resulting joyful, confident attitude toward life, or to sound mental health, but to techniques of self-hypnosis and the release of the latent powers of the subconscious mind. The concept is, we are to have the help of God and also of the powers that can be released by imaging, by concentrating, by speaking into existence that which we desire.
It often is true that the Christian young people are not accustomed to the harsh realities of the world God has made, to the prolonged strain of the work, complexities, struggle, and patience essential to our succeeding in the world and in the Kingdom of God.
In one situation with which we are familiar, the students in a large Christian university refused to study diligently, appealing to their professor to show God’s mercy by passing them. Their parents exerted pressure on the school administration to chastise the professor who would adhere to strict academic standards. The deans, because of their desire to keep peace and to be "loved," succumbed to the demands of the students and their parents.
Some are declaring that America is a Christian nation and as such has a unique destiny in the sight of God. It is a sort of American-Israelism. This also is of Antichrist.
America was a haven for Christian people. Now it is a secular nation. Soon it will be brought low by the judgments of God and may never again rise to a position of world importance. Antichrist is looking toward Europe and the Middle East. America is little more than a nuisance in the eyes of those who are seeking to control the world. He who would rule the world must do so from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, from nowhere else.
Many attenders of Christian churches have a false sense of security. When they die physically they will understand they have been in delusion. Instead of going to the new Jerusalem they will find themselves in waiting areas of the spirit realm. There the angels will inform them of the true nature of the Kingdom of God.
As we have said, the principal issue of the last days is the overcoming of Antichrist. God knew man would be in the ascendancy at the time of the end. The Book of Revelation teaches that we must gain victory over Antichrist, over man making himself God. If we do not, we will be tormented with fire and sulfur. The smoke of our torment will ascend up forever (Revelation 14:9-11).
The Lord Jesus gave us the solution to the problem of the antichrist spirit. Jesus commanded us to lay down our life, take up our cross, and follow Him. If we will do this our self-will shall be destroyed. We will change from self-centeredness to God-centeredness.
Many plagues and torments will come upon the world in the near future. The purpose of these plagues and torments is to turn us to God our Creator in humility, repentance, and obedience.
Those who humble themselves in the sight of God will be saved. But those who become angry with God, whether or not they profess to be Christians, will not be saved. They are the worshipers of Antichrist. They are determined to bend God to their will. If God does not do as they think He should they will rebel against Him. The Divine wrath will be on them to the uttermost.
Another form of Antichrist is the current emphasis on "togetherness." The one thing Christ desires is that the individual believer have a direct, personal, intense relationship with Himself. Too much group activity can be detrimental to the development of an intense personal relationship with Jesus.
Antichrist understands that the financial complexities of the world economic systems plus the desire for peace and material security will force the creation of a world government, a world bank, a world army. "Togetherness" is the cry of Antichrist. "By working together we can attain the ideals, the goals, of mankind. Worldwide peace. Enough food for all. Health for all."
Does it sound familiar? Did you notice God is left out?
God is not in any of this. God chooses an individual, reveals Himself to that one, and then works with him or her day and night, night and day, until His witness, His servant, begins to understand God and draws near to Him and has fellowship with Him. God develops His Kingdom through individuals.
The antichrist spirit is in all of us who want to be like God, whether we set out to accomplish this desire by secular means or religious means. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ commands us to lay down our life, take up our cross, and follow Him. As we do this, the antichrist spirit is destroyed out of us. We come into an intensely personal union with the Lord Jesus. He reveals Himself to us. The Father and He come to us and make Their eternal abode with us. This is the rest of God. This is the true salvation. All else is of Antichrist.
Ordinarily God includes a measure of mercy when He is pouring out His wrath. But God’s anger is so heated against the antichrist spirit of man making Himself God that God will pour out His wrath without mixture on those who become members of the worldwide rebellion:
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (Revelation 14:10)
God has borne with the works of the flesh of man for many thousands of years. Human beings are bound with cowardice, unbelief, lust, with violence, covetousness, sorcery, lying, and numerous variations of these. Those who practice such things will be cast into the Lake of Fire if they do not, through Christ, turn away from such works.
But it appears the most severe penalties of all, especially during the closing days of the Church Age, are reserved for those who succumb to the world spirit of Antichrist as man attempts to obtain security, pleasure, and achievement apart from the God of Heaven.
It is entirely possible to become a "Christian," as the term is used today, and still not overcome the spirit of man making himself God. The Lord commanded us to lay down our life, take up our cross, and follow him in personal obedience and union. Until we do this we still are part of the worldwide rebellion against God.
As we have said, Antichrist will likely be personified in a single individual. It is probable that Antichrist will come from the midst of Spirit-filled people because he (or she) will be someone who believes in and practices the miraculous. Satan always seeks out those who are pressing toward the Lord and joins himself with them. Remember, Judas was one of the Lord’s chosen twelve!
If we do not gain victory over the antichrist spirit, which is in the world now and is seeking to consolidate its power, we never will be able to resist the antichrist spirit when it is personified in the man of sin—the man to whom God will give enormous spiritual authority, wisdom, and power. If we cannot walk with God now, when His Presence still is abundant, what will we do in the hour of spiritual darkness when God permits the forces of evil to extend their power into the heavens (Daniel 8:10)?
If the Christian people are deceived in the present hour, what will be the case when the world is governed by a man who is willing to subsidize the Christian churches in the interests of world harmony?—who is seeking the assistance of the Christian churches in obtaining security and abundance for all the peoples of the earth?—whose doctrine is "the rights of people"?
There is a glorious destiny awaiting those who gain victory over the spirit of Antichrist. They will stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. The fact that they have the "harps of God" means the ability to worship God in obedience and purity has been created in them.
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