04/16/200
In the last article we dwelt on the parable of the wheat and the tares. It was a sobering reminder as to where we are as a church and where we are headed to. In this article we will look into some of the events that point to the coming of the antichrist.
II Thessalonians 2:3 to 12
Verse 3 – Let no one deceive {or} beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition)
Verse 4 – Who opposes and exalts himself so proudly {and} insolently against {and} over all that is called God or that is worshiped, [even to his actually] taking his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God.
Verse 9 – The coming [of the lawless one, the antichrist] is through the activity {and} working of Satan and will be attended by great power and with all sorts of [pretended] miracles and signs {and} delusive marvels–[all of them] lying wonders.
Verse 12 – In order that all may be judged {and} condemned who did not believe in [who refused to adhere to, trust in, and rely on] the Truth, but [instead] took pleasure in unrighteousness.
Verse 3 tells us that the great falling away of those who professed themselves to be Christians but weren’t would happen prior to the coming of the antichrist. From the parable of the wheat and the tares applied to our times, we saw that we are in the season of the great falling away. This tells us that the coming of the lawless one is not too far ahead.
Now, just as the way was prepared for the coming of Christ, the way has to be prepared for the coming of the antichrist. Also there has to be an appearing of the false prophet.
Repentance which has its foundation in humility and its fruit which is Holiness of which John the Baptist was an embodiment of and the absence of signs and wonders preceded the coming of the Messiah. The coming of the antichrist is preceded by the exact opposite; lawlessness (verse 3 and all through the chapter), pride (verse 4) and signs and wonders.
John the Baptist arose from God’s chosen people to prepare the way and point people to Christ. The false prophet ( A VOICE , A PEOPLE GROUP )would arise from the deceived {those who think they are chosen (Christians) but are not} and point to the (anti)christ.
John was a voice in the wilderness but the false prophet would ride on fame and use a world wide platform to announce his arrival.
John the Baptist left the scene when the Messiah began the ministry, however the false prophet will linger on with the antichrist.
John proclaimed repentance to a people that needed it. The false prophet would use the already existing lawlessness for his purposes.
The distinction between true and false is not clear yet, therefore on the basis of our times we can say that the false prophet who supports the beast would come from within the professing church. The way is almost prepared:
In our times we see have seen an alarming rise in lawlessness not just in the world but the church. In the earlier articles we looked into the many reasons for lawlessness abounding in the church. When we don’t repent of our mistakes and simply refuse to see the truth, then we could very well be the ones ushering in the coming of the antichrist. Verse 12 tells us that those who failed to embrace truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness (sin) would be deceived and embrace the false Messiah.
Pride is another important criterion to be present for the antichrist to reveal himself, for pride blinds discernment. If one would have followed the many recent happenings in the church, one cannot deny that pride is extremely high. It is evident by the way manmade institutions and ‘self’ are exalted. Also the glaring lack of repentance when a sin is committed is an open sign of pride and rebellion.
The self-centered gospel has single-handedly added more fuel to this than any other thing.
Finally, there are false signs and wonders being performed in the church today. Some have been proven to be frauds and false, others operate under lying spirits. The difference between the two is that the lying spirits actually make the people believe the false as true. They operate on deception and cannot be discerned by the world or by those who have opened themselves to it willingly.
As believers of our Lord Jesus Christ let us be aware of the times and prepare ourself accordingly, putting on the garment of humility, abstaining from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and test the spirits to see if they are true.
