Man-centeredness, 20

Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:4-6)

The image that Antichrist portrays is that of man—man as the center of all things; man as god. The gold of Nebuchadnezzar's image means that man makes himself god by means of money.

The welfare of man is of supreme importance in this image. If we can amass enough money all will be well. Such is the false image being presented in our time.

But the heart of Antichrist and of all who elevate man as the center of the universe is that of a wild beast. God revealed this to be true of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:33). The heart of Antichrist is that of a beast because he has rejected the cross. He has rejected that which God has given to slay our old, sinful nature. Antichrist speaks religious words, "loving" words, words of seeming concern and compassion. But Antichrist, in spite of all of his professed concern for people, never will take up his cross and follow the Lord Jesus!

So it is true that many of today's Christian churches have an appearance of Christ's image. But the heart often is that of a dangerous beast, of Antichrist. There is an abundance of talk about how much God loves people and how much we should love people and promote their welfare. There are endless pleas for money because money rather than the living God is viewed as the solution to the problems of the world. But there is no true love of God or of people in it.

Humanistic "love" is of the flesh and Satan. The ministers and the people are rejecting the way of the cross, the way of patient suffering in the Lord. The true love of God is not in them.

We can observe in the Apostle Peter the false love of which we are speaking. Peter, in a burst of concern for Jesus' welfare, sought to prevent Christ from going to the cross. But Jesus turned and addressed Satan in Peter: "Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men" (Mark 8:33).

The image of the beast, as we understand it, includes the portrayal of God as being indulgent toward the behavior of people. God is seen as placing the welfare of people in the position of highest importance. The Christian salvation is the Divine means of uplifting man so he can be free to follow the inclinations of his flesh and soul. God's grace in Christ has been given for the purpose of excusing the behavior of lustful, self-centered believers.

This false image, man making himself god by means of gold, abounds today and has destroyed the Christian churches. The Christians are worshiping the Beast and his image. The image of the Beast is governing the conduct of the Christian people and has overcome their spiritual life. The believers would be far more godly in behavior if they had any idea of the truth of God's attitude toward the churches.

Continued.Man-centeredness, 21