Antichrist
This name introduces to us one of the most solemn and foreboding subjects in the Word of God. An antichristone absolutely opposed to Jesus Christ — we are told, shall come. The spirit of antichrist is already in the world, denying the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, either in the past or in the future.
This spirit of antichrist, now possessed by many, will culminate in one person, the Antichrist, who will deny both the Father and the Son.*
That he is a single individual is plainly taught in 2 Thes. 2, where he is called “that man of sin”... “the son of perdition” — “that wicked,” or properly, “the lawless one.”
As Christ is the express image of God,^ so it appears that antichrist is the culminating manifestation of Satan, “the prince of this world.”^ His coming is “after the working (energy, or inward working) of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders and deceivableness of unrighteousness.”
(1) 1 John 2 :18. Little chil- This is a deceiver and an antidren, it is the last time: and as Christ.
ye have heard that antichrist (4) 1 John 2:22. Who is a shall come, even now are there liar but he that denieth that Jemany antichrists; whereby we sus is the Christ? He is antiknow that it is the last time. christ, that denieth the Father
lo -. T u At J S’lid the Son.
(2) 1 John 4:3. And every le tt„k i .o tttv u, Bpirit that confesseth not that .Jl„^^^- y f. ^^° ^“^^^ JJ® Jesus Christ is come in the flesh lll^J-^^^Z ^^/ ^?”^^’ ^°^ is not of God: and this is that fXldLl .fwh ^^P^7°^’ ^°^
nave heard that it should come; f,iTv,c<=if .,„..J^^ I
the world. Majesty on high.
(3) 2 John 7. For many (6) John 14:30. Hereafter I deceivers are entered into the will not talk much with you: world, who confess not that Je- for the prince of this world com- 8US Christ is come in the fiesh. eth, and hath nothing in me.
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He will be a “strong (or inward working) delusion,” to them who believe not the truth.”^
This mystei-y of Lawlessness (so the Greek) already worked in the days of the apostle, but there has been a hindering power, which, we believe, is the Holy Spirit, in His present manifestation, or office, viz.: as the reprover of the world and gatherer of the Church. When He, the restraining one, is taken out of the way (or out of the midst), at the rapture of the Church, then shall the mystery be unveiled, and the Lawless one be revealed. (Verses 7 and 8).
He will be received, even by the Jews,^ who, having returned to their own land and rebuilt their temple, will make a treaty with him, called by the prophet “a covenant with death and an agreement with hell.”^ And antichrist
(7) 2 Thes. 2:3. Let no man
deceive you by any means: for
that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition;
4. Who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshipped; so
that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, shewing himself
that he is God.
6. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7. For the mystery of iniquity
doth already work: only he who
now letteth xcill let, until he be
taken out of the way.
8. And then shall be revealed
the lawless one, whom the Lord
Jesus shall slay with the breath
of his mouth, and bring to
nought by the manifestation of
his coming;
9. Even him, whose coming is
after the working of Satan with
all power and signs and lying
wonders.
10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11. And for this’ cause God
shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie:
12. That they all might be
damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
(8) John 5 :43. I am come in
my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall
come in his own name, him ye
will receive.
(9) Isa. 28:14. VTherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15. Because ye have said, We
have made a covenant with
death, and with hell are we at
agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through,
it shall not come unto us: for
we have made lies our refuge,
and under falsehood have we hid
ourselves.
16. Therefore thus saith the
Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion
for a foundation a stone, a tried
stone, a precious corner stone, a
sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall will exalt himself above all that is called God, or that is woi-shipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God (the rebuilt temple at Jerusalem) and sheweth himself that he is God. 2 Thes. 2 :4. Doubtless he is the king described in Dan. 11:36, etc.,^*^ who shall do according to his own will and magnify himself above every god. Again, he is seen as the beast described in Rev. 13:11-18^^ whose number is the number of a man, 666, and who performs “great wonders and deceiveth them that dwell upon the earth,” by means of his miracles, and has the power to kill those who will not worship the image of the beast. And again he is seen in Lucifer, or the day star, of Isa. 14,^2 Qf -^iiom the king of Babylon was a type, and who
sweep away the refuge of lies,
and the waters shall overflow the
hiding place.
18. And your covenant with
death shall be disannulled, and
your agreement with hell shall
not stand; when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then
ye shall be trodden down by it.
(10) Dan. 11:36. And the
king shall do according to his
will; and he shall exalt himself,
and magnify himself above every
god, and shall speak marvellous
things against the God of gods,
and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that
that is determined shall be done.
(11) Rev. 13:11. And I beheld another beast coming up
out of the earth; and he had
two horns like a lamb, and he
spake as a dragon.
12. And he exerciseth all the
power of the first beast before
him, and causeth the earth and
them which dwell therein to
worship the first beast, whose
deadly wound was healed.
13. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14. And deceiveth them that
dwell on the earth by the means
of those miracles which he had
T)ower to do in the sight of the
beast; saying to them that dwell
on the earth, that they should
make an image to the beast,
which had the wound by a
sword, and did live.
15. And he had power to give
life unto the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast
should both speak, and cause
that as many as would not worship the image of the beast
should be killed.
16. And he causeth all, both
small and great, rich and poor,
free and bond, to receive a mark
in their right hand, or in their
foreheads:
17. And that no man might
buy or sell, save he that had
the mark, or the name of the
beast, or the number of his
name.
18. Here is wisdom. Let him
that hath understanding count
the number of the beast: for it
is the number of a man; and
his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
(12) Isa. 14:12. How art
thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art
thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the nations!
13. For thou hast said In
thine heart, I will ascend into
heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God: T will
sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the
north:
14. I will ascend above the weakens the nations, exalts his “throne above the stars of God,” and sits “upon the mount of the congregation.”
Such, in brief, is the awful picture which Scripture gives us of this great opponent of Christ. Many think that he has already been manifested in Antiochus Epiphanes — or the Popes of Rome — or Mohammed and his successors, all of which we regard as eiToneous. The Popes have received their exaltation and power, as the pretended vicars of Christ, and not as His opponent. It is a great mistake, therefore, to call them the antichrist, or the opposing one. Antiochus was doubtless a type of antichrist. And in his opposition to the worship of Jehovah, his sacrifice of the hated swine in the temple and his merciless treatment of the Jews, he has given us a miniature picture of what the final antichrist will do. But he passed away long before Paul and John wrote of the antichrist to come. Likewise Mohammed may be in some sense a type, but that is all.
No, antichrist is still in the future, and he will not be manifested until the true Church has been taken away, at the rapture, as described in 1 Thes. 4.^^ For Paul says,^* “We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him,” — that is, by this very fact of the rapture, of which he had previously written them,^^ and which must first occur beheights of the clouds; I -«fill be to meet the Lord in the air; and like the Most High. so shall we ever be with the
15. Yet thou Shalt be brought Lord.
down to hell, to the sides of the 18. Wherefore comfort one anpit. other with these words.
16. They that see thee shall (14) 2 Thes. 2:1. Now we narrowly look upon thee, and beseech you, brethren, by the consider thee, saying. Is this the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, man that made the earth to and by our gathering together tremble, that did shake king- unto him,
doms. 2. That we be not soon shaken
(13) 1 Thes. 4:16. For the in mind, or be troubled, neither
Lord himself shall descend from by spirit, nor by word, nor by
heaven with a shout, with the letter as from us, as that the
voice of the archangel, and with day of Christ is at hand,
the trump of God: and the dead 7. For the mystery of law in Christ shall ripe first: lessness doth already work: only
17. Then we which are alive there is one that restraineth now. and remain shall be caught up until he be taken out of the tcgether with them in the clouds, way. fore the apostasy should come to the full, and the man of sin be revealed. This is confirmed by verse 7. The Holy Spirit, who, while he is gathering the Bride, ^’^ reproves the world of sin, righteousness and judgment,^ will, when he is taken out of the way, catch up the Bride to meet the Lord in the air, leaving the apostate church, adulterous Israel and the ungodly world, to believe a lie,^’ and then shall the lawless one be revealed. Praise God, that the Church is to be kept from this awful hour of temptation. She shall be with her Lord,^® while the world is ruled by antichrist.
But, though antichrist shall so greatly exalt himself and rule over the world with such power, yet “shall he come to his end, and none shall help him.“-*^ The Lord shall destroy him “with the brightness of His coming,” literally “will paralyze (him) with the forthshining of His arrival“”^ (See Rotherham’s translation), when He shall
(15) 1 Cor. 12:12. For as the
body is one, and hath many
members, and all the members
of that one body, being many,
are one body: so also is Christ.
13. For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body,
whether ice be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free;
and have been all made to drink
into one Spirit.
Eph. 4 :30. And grieve not
the Holy Spirit of God, whereby
ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
(16) John 16:8. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
(17) 2 Thes. 2:11. And for
this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie.
(18) Luke 21:36. Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that
ye may be accounted worthy to
escape all these things that shall
come to pass’, and to stand before
the Son of man.
Rev. 3 :10. Because thou hast
kept the word of my patience, I
also will keep thee from the
hour of temptation, which shall
come upon all the world, to try
them that dwell upon the earth,
(19) 1 Thes. 4:17. Then we
which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the air; and so shall
we ever be with the Lord.
18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thes. 5 :9. For God hath
not appointed us to wrath, but
to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ,
10. Who died for us, that,
whether we wake or sleep, we
should live together with him.
(20) Dan. 11:45. And he
shall plant the tabernacles of
his palace between the seas in
the glorious holy mountain; yet
he shall come to his end, and
none shall help him.
(21) 2 Thes. 2:8. And then
shall be revealed the lawless
one, whom the Lord Jesus shall
slay with the breath of his
mouth, and bring to nought by
the manifestation of his coming.
come, with His saints, to execute judgment upon the ungodly-^ Yes, he shall “be brought down to hell (sheol), to the sides of the pit.” They that see him shall narrowly look upon him and consider him, saying, “is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof r Isa. 14:15-17.
We would call special attention to the fact that antichrist denies the Father and the Son,-^ and that the Greek words in 2 Thes. 2:7-8 should be rendered “the mystery of lawlessness” — “the lawless one.” Tais, we think, gives an alarming significance to the atheistic and lawless trio of socialism, nihilism and anarchy, so rapidly spreading in our day, and which seeks to wipe out all law relating to marriage, property, etc.
It may be that these are the immediate precursors of antichrist. At any rate, he is surely coming, and sad indeed is the thought of a godless world, rushing on to such a culmination of evil.*
* For a more extended statement of this subject of the antichrist; the rebuilding of Babylon, as Satan’s earthly capitol and the headquarters of commercialism, its complete overthrow and destruction, and other co-relative events, see the author’s pamphlet, “Satan, his kingdom and its overthrow.” F. H. Revell Co., Chicago, New York, etc.
(22) Jude 14. And to these godly wrought, and of all the also Enoch, the seventh from hard things which ungodly sin-Adam, prophesied, saying. Be- ners have spoken against him. hold, the Lord came with ten ^23) 1 John 2:22. Who is a thousand of his holy ones, j, denieth that Je-
15. To execute judgment upon g y, Christ? He is antiall and to convict all the un- tl,e pother godly of all their works of un- g godliness which they have un-