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Antichrist the worship of self

Introduction

"And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. (Daniel 11:37-NIV)

He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4-NIV)

It began around the Throne of God as "I wonder how it would feel to be like the most High." A thousand years later it was "I will be like the most High." Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow.

The Ten Commandments are a judgment on the self-love of Satan. A desire to worship ourselves prevents the expression of God in us and our being a blessing to other people. The spirit of murder, of gossip and slander, addiction to drugs and alcohol, a desire to lie and steal, lust, a willingness to molest little children, are symptoms of a deeper problem. These sinful, destructive bondages, these chains, are placed on us because we love our self more than we do God.

I saw a picture in the newspaper two days ago of a man sentenced to twenty years in prison. He had ingested cocaine and as a result had run over a young girl with his truck and killed her. He was a decent-looking person. The expression on his face at his sentencing was one of horror at what he had done and the penalty imposed on him. He was not defiant, not peering around murderously at the judge and jury as happens nowadays. He was not a truly wicked individual, just a human being chained by addiction to cocaine.

He was vulnerable to the addiction because he was serving himself rather than God.

One man in Texas, waiting on death row for his date of execution, was heard to say, "How did I get here?" The poor man got there because he was serving himself instead of God. Until we are taught and helped to love and serve God rather than our self we will remain bound by the destructive practices of sin. All of us, until we have been pressed into the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, have the spirit of Antichrist, of self-worship, in us. Yet we may have some persons whom we truly love and would die for. Then there are those individuals who are much more advanced in the worship of self, who love and adore themselves to the exclusion of all others.

Some people worship God and Jesus His Son. Some people worship Satan or the demons. Some people worship other people. Some people worship things or circumstances. Some people worship themselves. These are the most dangerous of all. Those who worship God and Jesus are the most blessed of all people. Those who worship themselves are the most cursed, the most miserable, the most destructive of all people. They are the image of Satan.

They are of the spirit of Antichrist.

The worship of our own self is the greatest of all evils. The sins of the flesh are undesirable bondages, chains, penalties imposed on us because we worship our self. Have you ever thought about Satan being one of the cherubim who overshadowed the Throne of God with his wings?

You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. (Ezekiel 28:14-15-NIV)

You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.~ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:13-14-NIV)

Now, Satan didn't one sunny day blurt out "I will make myself like the Most High." The concept may have started in his heart as the tiniest of seeds and then have grown through thousands of years of our time. His final statements, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High," did not just occur to him one day but were the fruit of the slowly developing pride of his beauty and majesty. I think this will be true of the Antichrist.

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