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Who or What Is—The Antichrist? By Roderick C. Meredith Can you prove, from the Bible, who or what the prophesied Antichrist really is? This is not some esoteric topic. Your correct understanding may affect whether or not you will be able to fulfill the role that God has planned for you in His kingdom! |
Horrifying events are
beginning to happen in America and much of the western, professing
"Christian" world. The destruction of the Twin Towers in New York,
and the devastation of the Pentagon in Washington, DC, focused the
minds of millions on Bible prophecy. They now wonder: "What is God’s
purpose in all of this?"
Indeed, prophesied events are
truly speeding up. As Jesus instructed, we all need to "watch and
pray." For—within this generation—truly awful, Satan-inspired
tragedies will begin to strike much of humanity. The "Antichrist"
will be directly behind many of these events!
After September 11, 2001, many
began to wonder: is the sinister Osama bin Laden the prophesied
end-time "Antichrist"? A decade earlier, some had suspected
that Saddam Hussein was the Antichrist. Before him, suspicion had
fallen on Mikhail Gorbachev. Even today, some consider Adolf Hitler
the personification of the Antichrist.
Surrounded by these ideas—and this
confusion—can we really know? Can it be proved from
the Bible who or what the "Antichrist" really
is? Remember, men have
all kinds of theories about this subject. Recently,
evangelical leader Jerry Falwell opined that the coming Antichrist
will probably be Jewish, and that he will be from the tribe
of Dan. What Mr. Falwell apparently does not understand is
that the Israelitish tribe of Dan split off from Judah—or the
"Jews"—thousands of years ago, and is an entirely different people!
Historically, most Protestant
theologians of past generations assumed that the pope of Rome was
the "Antichrist." In fact, the primary human founder of
Protestantism, Martin Luther, declared on August 18, 1520:
"We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the
true and real Antichrist" (The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers,
LeRoy Froom. Vol. 2, p. 121).
Later, John Calvin, the
founder of what became the Presbyterian church, stated in his
Institutes of the Christian Religion: "Some persons think us
too severe and censorious when we call the Roman pontiff Antichrist.
But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring
the same charge of presumption against Paul himself, after whom we
speak and whose language we adopt.… I shall briefly show that
(Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 2) are not capable of any other
interpretation than that which applies them to the Papacy."
Were these professing Christian
leaders correct? Or is there another answer? And you may ask: "Who
gives you the right to be right? How can you possibly
know the truth, when so many of the leaders of professing
Christianity are in disagreement?"
In Psalm 111:10, the inspired word
of God tells us: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a
good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His
praise endures forever." Many of
you know that we in this Work of Christ do believe in keeping
God’s commandments. Therefore, we have been able to tell you,
in advance, about most of the major prophetic events that
have been occurring. But, as they say, "the proof of the
pudding is in the eating." Prophesied events are moving
swiftly! What I will tell you in this booklet can be proven,
if you will carefully compare what I write with the Bible and
actually study the scriptures to which I will refer. You will
soon see that world events—including religious
events—will directly follow the pattern that I will describe, so
you will soon know who is right on this vital subject!
For investigating this subject of
the "Antichrist" is not merely investigating some esoteric topic.
The correct understanding of this subject could be absolutely vital
to the very survival of you and your family in the years
ahead. More importantly, may affect whether or not you will be part
of the first resurrection at Christ’s second coming—and fulfill
your role in the Kingdom of God!
Probably within this generation, a
powerful religious leader will appear on the scene. He will perform
awesome signs and wonders. He will be the final
personification of what the Bible describes as the "Antichrist."
Yet, as we shall see, there have
been in the past—and are now—many Antichrists! And
underlying all of their deceptions is the "spirit of
Antichrist"—the wrong approaches and false doctrines which have
blinded billions of human beings from understanding God’s
Truth. The "doctrine" of Antichrist is not understood by most
of the world’s religious leaders.
"How so?" you might ask.
Because there is a very real Satan
the Devil. Jesus Christ twice called him the "ruler of this world"
(John 12:31; 14:30). Satan is the great deceiver. The Apostle
John made it very clear that Satan deceives the vast majority of
mankind: "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old,
called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole
world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him" (Revelation 12:9). "But
I am not deceived!" you might say. Do not be too sure!
For we will now show you, in this
booklet, what is undoubtedly the major deception that Satan
has palmed off on mainstream Christianity! The widespread deception
about the "Antichrist" is only the "tip of the iceberg" of the vast
religious deception carried out in the name of "Christianity." In
fact, this deception is so thorough that thousands of professing
Christian ministers and priests are themselves deceived and
therefore do not even realize that they are perpetuating a lie!
Jesus Christ similarly described the false religious leaders of His
day: "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if
the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew
15:14). How Millions Have Been Deceived This mass deception is so
widespread and so believable because many of its tenets "look good"
on the surface. Most of its practitioners will say that we must
believe in Christ. They will say that Christians should exhibit
love, kindness, mercy and patience, and that Christians should "do
good" to their fellow man—give to the poor and support hospitals,
charities and homes for unwed mothers. They will say that Christians
should respond to Jesus’ "law of love."
All of this sounds biblical. It
sounds very good! But these
practitioners do not tell you which of the laws of God
are to be kept—and exactly how God’s laws are to be obeyed.
These people will talk sentimentally about Christ being the "Lord"
of our lives. But they will inevitably fail to explain that
if Jesus is "Lord," we must obey Therefore, because of this
Satan-inspired deception, many of the bloodiest wars in
modern history have been waged between professing "Christian"
nations in Europe. Bishops on one side would bless their troops as
they prepared for battle. The bishops on the other side did the
same. Then thousands of young men—often still in their teens—would
rush up some hill to shoot or brutally stab to death other young men
who were often of the very same church denomination! All were
supposedly "Christian." All were supposedly of the "body of
Christ"—the Church of which Jesus is the living, active Head
(Ephesians 1:22–23). Does reading
this make you a little "uncomfortable"? Well, it should! And, more
importantly, I hope and pray that it makes you think. Because
all too many of us have just grown up in some mainstream church and
taken our religious beliefs for granted—simply assuming that
all would be well if we just went along with the crowd, blended into
this world, and lived reasonably decent and "respectable" lives.
That is precisely how most of us have been terribly deceived,
as I was in years past—and have unwittingly come to believe in a
false gospel, a wrong way of life and a "different"
Jesus Christ! Satan Wants You to "Miss the Mark" One of the Greek words for
"sin" in the New Testament literally means "to miss the mark." So
Satan is content to let you "believe in" God and Christ as long as
he can still control you, make you "miss the mark." His goal is to
keep you out of the coming Kingdom of God, which will replace
him and his demons—by blinding you to what is really happening! God
inspired the Apostle James to write: "You believe that there is one
God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!" (James
2:19). Then James explains how the
true Christian must not merely believe in God, but must surrender to
God’s will and do what He says (vv. 20–23). James writes:
"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith
only" (v. 24). "Justified by
works?" Yes—along with faith! Read verse 24 for yourself. It should
be very clear that true Christianity involves more than just
accepting, in faith, Christ’s death—which
is Let us understand that no one can
ever earn salvation—it is God’s gift! The true
grace But when men cleverly misuse
"grace"—teaching "cheap grace" without real repentance from
sin—it is the very essence of the doctrine of the Antichrist!
This false concept has allowed millions of professing Christians to
go through life regularly and habitually disobeying the Ten
Commandments—yet still assuming they are "good Christians"!
The Apostle Jude was inspired to
warn us of this very deception. "Beloved, while I was very diligent
to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it
necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the
faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain
men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this
condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into
licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Jude 3–4). Notice that Jude warns
of false teachers using the idea of "grace" as a vehicle for
"licentiousness"—license to disobey the very laws of God!
"Oh, my minister would
never do that!" you may protest.
I am sorry, my friends, but
chances are that he or she will verify what I am saying if you
approach your priest or minister directly with this question:
"Pastor Jones, does God require true Christians to keep the
Ten Commandments?" If you ask the question directly in these words,
most ministers will begin to mumble something about being "saved by
grace." Then, they may hastily add that the Ten Commandments are a
good moral guide but that "you don’t have to keep them since you are
saved by grace." If you press on
and try to "pin your pastor down" to a straightforward answer on
this matter, he may try to skirt the issue or point you to the "new"
commandments of Jesus. Or, perhaps, he will finally come right out
and say what virtually all mainstream theology actually
teaches—the Ten Commandments were either "nailed to the cross" when
Christ died or the Apostle Paul somehow "did away" with them! As I
will now clearly explain, this is the very "heart" of
the doctrine of Antichrist! How
so? And why is this such a serious
matter? Because it creates a "lawless society"—a society cut
off from God since the Ten Commandments actually portray His
character. God’s awesome purpose involves putting His "divine
nature" into us through the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:4). It involves
our going through a process of spiritual growth and "overcoming" to
reflect the very character of God and be made fit to rule with
Christ in His soon-coming Kingdom. Jesus directly states: "And he
who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give
power over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as
the potter’s vessels shall be broken to pieces’—as I also have
received from My Father" (Revelation 2:26–27). A Doctrine of DISOBEDIENCE The true saints of God are
being prepared by Him to replace Satan and his demons in ruling over
this earth. For Satan is now the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians
4:4). He is now the "prince of the power of the air, the spirit who
now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2).
Yet the Apostle Paul tells us: "Do
you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world
will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest
matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more,
things that pertain to this life?" (1 Corinthians 6:2–3).
Why have you not heard a
lot more about this awesome purpose of the true
Christian to exercise rulership in the future? Because Satan
wants to block this knowledge from reaching human beings so they
will be unable to replace him and his demons in ruling this
earth. Therefore he, the "father" of lies (John 8:44), has
deceived the vast majority of all humanity—including two
billion professing Christians—regarding God’s purpose for man
and the way to fulfill that purpose!
Among Satan’s deceits, surely none
is as great as his system of "counterfeit Christianity"! The
Apostles knew this was going to happen. Paul warned: "Let no one
deceive you by any means; for that Day [of Christ’s return] will not
come unless the falling away [from the Truth] comes first, and the
man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.… For the mystery
of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now
restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the
lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the
breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming"
(2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7–8). Notice
that this false religious system is called "the mystery of
lawlessness." Shortly before Christ’s return, it will be
headed by a figure called the "man of sin" or the "lawless one."
This man, who will perform "lying wonders" (v. 9) can be found
elsewhere in Scripture as the great, miracle-working "false prophet"
(Revelation 13:13; 19:20). But
realize that Paul said this false Christianity was "already at work"
when he wrote these verses—even as it still is today. The proponents
of this lawless system talk about love and about the Lord—but they
leave out Christ’s powerful instruction to keep the
commandments of God! Yet we know that when the young man came to
Jesus asking the way to eternal life, He answered: "If you want to
enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17). Then
Jesus began to name some of the Ten Commandments. And in His Sermon
on the Mount, Jesus tells us: "Whoever therefore breaks one of the
least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called
least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them,
he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19).
Pray tell, who claims the
authority to "do away" with this clear teaching of Jesus Christ?
Does your minister, your church?
Again, Paul warned the Christians
of his day: "For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have
not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have
not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted; you
may well put up with it" (2 Corinthians 11:4)! Unwittingly, to be
sure, most of us have grown up hearing about "another Jesus," a
"different spirit" and, very definitely, a "different gospel" than
the one Jesus and the Apostles preached!
Again, why?
Because Satan has employed every
stratagem available to get people to believe the "doctrine of the
Antichrist"! If you are willing to face reality, if
you truly want to fulfill the very purpose for which you were
born, you need to understand what that doctrine is and avoid it at
all cost! Jesus Himself warned us:
"Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My
name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many"
(Matthew 24:4–5). Note that it is the "many" who will be deceived.
And how? They will be deceived because these "many" false
teachers come "in Jesus’ name." Get that! They use Jesus’
own name to deceive people! They come as "Christian"
preachers and teachers—but their message is obviously
contrary to the message Jesus Himself preached.
Because "Christian" is stamped on
the outside of the package, most people unthinkingly assume
that Christ must approve of the inside of the package! But
these deceived people fail to really study their
Bibles. They fail to "prove all things" as God commands, so
they are easily deceived by a false "Christianity" based upon
the doctrine of "Antichrist." The
word "Antichrist" is first introduced in 1 John 2:18: "Little
children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the
Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by
which we know that it is the last hour." First of all, we see
"the Antichrist" about whom they had heard. This, of course,
is the "lawless one" Paul wrote about and the "false prophet" of
Revelation. Yet some mistakenly identify the Antichrist as the
coming world dictator and political system called the "Beast" in
Bible prophecy. They forget that the real "power behind the throne"
is the mysterious "harlot" of Revelation 17, and that this fallen
woman "rides" or controls the Beast of Revelation.
The Harlot of Revelation 17 Millions of people—and even
many theologians—are puzzled by the mysterious "harlot" of
Revelation 17. Yet the Word of God devotes most of an entire
chapter, plus many references elsewhere, to this vital topic. Who
is this "harlot"—and how does she relate to the
Antichrist? Whoever this great
"harlot" is, she is very powerful. She has caused the deaths of
untold millions in the past, and millions more will die at
her hand in the future. She is destined to dramatically
change the lives of all those living in the end
times—including many of you who read this booklet! This harlot sits
astride a system encompassing many nations and peoples: "And he said
to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are
peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues’" (Revelation 17:15). This
harlot continues to exist right up to the Second Coming of Christ!
For God’s Word describes the "ten horns" or ten kings (v. 12)
which will arise at that time: "These will make war with the Lamb,
and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of
kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful….
And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the
harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with
fire" (vv. 14, 16). Modern
theologians and Bible commentaries try to be "politically correct"
in their references to this great harlot. For instance, notice this
comment from the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 12, pp.
553–554: "In an important sense, the interpretation of this chapter
controls the interpretation of the whole Book of Revelation. For a
majority of exegetes, Babylon represents the city of Rome. The beast
stands for the Roman Empire as a whole, with its subject provinces
and peoples. The seven hills (v. 9) are the seven selected dynasties
of Roman emperors from Augustus to Domitian. The ten kings are heads
of lesser and restless states, eager to escape their enslavement to
the colonizing power. John’s prediction of the fall of Babylon is
his announcement of the impending dissolution of the Roman Empire in
all its aspects." While the
commentators correctly identify Babylon with the city of Rome, they
generalize that "early Christian readers would understand that
whenever they were threatened with death by any temporal
power Yet although they correctly
understand the identity of "Babylon," these scholars, like most
today, are unable to see that the "woman"—the great
harlot—"rides" the Beast (modern Babylon). She is clearly set
forth as being distinctly separate from the Beast—the empire
with ten final kings giving their power and authority to one
super-dictator also called the "Beast." Obviously, the woman cannot
"ride" the Beast and at the same time be the Beast!
Many scholars do realize, however,
that the Beast of Revelation 17 is the Roman Empire and its
"revivals" in various forms. For a fascinating and thorough
explanation of the identity of this "Beast" of Revelation 17, please
write for a copy of our booklet entitled The Beast of
Revelation. It will be sent to you absolutely free upon
your request. Who IS This "Woman"? Throughout the New Testament,
the term "woman" is used as a symbol for a church. For instance, the
Apostle Paul writes the Church of God at Corinth: "Oh, that you
would bear with me in a little folly; and indeed you do bear with
me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have
betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste
virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:1–2). Clearly, the true church
is here described as "betrothed" to Jesus Christ—in the position of
an engaged woman to her fiancé who is Jesus Christ.
In Ephesians 5:23–24, Paul writes:
"For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the
church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the
church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own
husbands in everything." Again, the analogy clearly identifies the
true Church as being in the position of a woman—a wife who is
submissive to her husband, Christ. And in Revelation 12:1–5, we read
the inspired account of the "woman"—this time ancient Israel, the
"church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38, KJV)—being used
by God to bring forth the Messiah: "a male child who was to
rule all nations with a rod of iron."
Verse 5 picks up the story about
"the woman"—now the true New Testament Church—fleeing into the
wilderness to "a place prepared by God." The following verses make
it even more evident that this "woman" is, in fact, the true Church
of God that is protected by God Himself from the wrath of Satan.
So when we come to the "woman" of
Revelation 17, it should be very obvious that—letting the Bible
interpret its own symbols—this woman is indeed a church!
However, this church "sitting on a scarlet beast" (v. 3) is truly a
spiritual "harlot." For she has
entered into adulterous alliances with the leaders and kings of this
world (v. 2), and the inhabitants of the earth are made spiritually
"drunk" because of her false teachings. She is a "mother"
church—giving birth to spiritual "harlots" (v. 5). And, as
indicated, she deals in "mysteries," as did the ancient pagan
religions before her. A PERSECUTING Church Also, this "woman" is a great
persecuting church. The Apostle John was inspired to write:
"I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with
great amazement" (v. 6). Please
think about that. Who is this
great fallen woman—a powerful church—which has and which will again
be "drunk with the blood of the saints"? Obviously, she
persecutes the true Christians—the true "saints" of God. They are
described in Revelation 14:12: "Here is the patience of the saints;
here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith
of Jesus." In contrast to the
commandment-keeping Church of God, this great apostate church and
her "daughter" churches reject the need to keep the Ten
Commandments as a way of life! Somehow, in their spiritual
drunkenness, they manage to reason around the plain and clear
teachings of Jesus: "If you want to enter into life,
keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17).
Historically, do we read about a
great church that did persecute millions of people during the Middle
Ages? Did such a church actually exist?
In his well-documented book, A
Woman Rides the Beast (pp. 243–244), author Dave Hunt describes
what the "woman" did for hundreds of years during the Middle Ages:
So when John saw this "woman"
or apostate church "drunk with the blood of the saints," he
was certainly not exaggerating. Even scores of Catholic writers have
been mightily embarrassed about what their church practiced for
hundreds of years. With the vast record now known—of priests
sodomizing young men, of many popes openly maintaining mistresses
and fathering illegitimate children all over Italy and high offices
in the church being offered and bought for money—it has seemed to
many objective historians that this powerful church was the
veritable embodiment of evil in nearly every aspect. Daniel’s "Little Horn" The prophet Daniel was inspired
to picture this foul religious system as a "little horn." After the
four great ruling kingdoms of the Gentile world—Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Alexander’s Greco-Macedonian Empire and finally
Rome—Daniel describes a "little horn" coming up among the early
resurrections of the Roman Empire: "I was considering the horns, and
there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before
whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And
there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth
speaking pompous words." (Daniel 7:8).
In verses 25–27 of this same
chapter, Daniel is inspired to describe the actions of this pompous
"little horn" and how it would continue right up to Christ’s return
and His rule over the nations: "He shall speak pompous words
against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be
given into his hand for a time and times and half a time. But the
court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to
consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and
the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given
to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him."
Notice that this "little horn" is
different from the pagan empire (v. 24), for it is, in fact, a
religious empire! Note also that the human leader of this
foul system speaks "pompous words" against God, persecutes the true
Christians and intends to change times and law. The
Roman Catholic Church has done just that, as Scripture
predicted—teaching that the Ten Commandments were subsumed to church
authority, and that by its authority it could change God’s
commanded seventh-day Sabbath (Exodus 20:8–11; Hebrews 4:9–11),
substituting the pagan "day of the sun" in place of God’s Sabbath.
Renowned modern historian Will
Durant writes: "The serious temper of the Jewish Sabbath was
transferred to the Christian Sunday that replaced it in the second
century" (The Story of Civilization, vol. 3, 1972, p. 599).
How did this happen? A Roman Catholic study course tells us that
"the [Roman] Church transferred the obligation from Saturday to
Sunday" (Father Smith Instructs Jackson). The Catholic
Mirror agrees: "The Catholic Church… by virtue of her Divine
mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday" (September 23,
1893). If you wish further information about the true biblical
Sabbath, please write for our powerful and enlightening booklet,
Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? The Papacy Predicted in Advance As we have seen, the "little
horn" of Daniel is describing the false church and especially its
spokesman, the pope, speaking "pompous words." In the New Testament,
God inspired the Apostle John to describe the "resurrection" of the
final Beast, the Roman Empire (Revelation 13:1–10). Then, in verses
11–14, "another beast" is described as rising up, who looks like a
"Lamb," or Christ, but speaks like a "dragon," Satan the devil
(Revelation 12:9). This exceedingly clever and sinister false
prophet "exercises all the authority of the first beast [the
revived Roman Empire] in his presence, and causes the earth and
those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound
was healed (Revelation 13:12). In other words, this great false
prophet is able to sway most of mankind to stand in awe of and
obey the revived Roman Empire!
Then we read: "He performs great
signs, so that he even makes fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives
those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to
do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth
to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and
lived" (vv. 13–14). As this system
developed, a "man of sin" would be revealed—audaciously taking to
himself titles and authority that belong only to God. He was
to sit as a veritable "god" in the temple of God—using some of the
very titles of God. In fact, though Jesus called God "Holy Father,"
Roman Catholics call the pope "Most Holy Father" and "Vicar of
Christ"—which literally means "in place of Christ"!
Dave Hunt describes the
blasphemous pretensions of the papacy:
So the popes have claimed that
they hold "the place of God on earth"! And what is most
frightening is that they continue to make such claims—and even get
away with it in our so-called "modern" world. Because the Roman
Catholic Church is such an omnipresent and powerful entity, the
media usually treads very lightly in attacking even the most
outrageous and blasphemous claims of the modern popes and clergy.
But how is all this destined to
affect your life? The Beast and the Woman: Together Again Few realize that the so-called
"Holy" Roman Empire is being revived right under our noses!
Throughout most of continental Europe, there is a great push for
full European unity. One of the major players in this geopolitical
chess game is—you guessed it!—the pope himself.
In his detailed and revealing
book, The Principality and Power of Europe (pp. 36–37),
British author Adrian Hilton explains what is now happening:
Although the Bible certainly
does not indicate that the final pope will be the "emperor" of this
revived Holy Roman Empire; it does show that he will be the "power
behind the throne." As God clearly indicates to us, the coming false
prophet "causes" those who will not worship this system "to be
killed" (Revelation 13:15). So, as many popes did during the
Middle Ages, he will use the power of the state—the "Beast"—to force
His will on the entire western world!
Remember what happened under
Hitler? A knock on the door, the father or mother grabbed and
hustled into a van by the state police for saying or doing some
"politically incorrect" thing! Do you think that could not
happen again? If so, you could not be more wrong!
The God who gives us life and
breath clearly describes how, once again, the woman "rides" the
Beast. Most people do not realize that the false teachings and
practices of this fallen "woman" have permeated the entire
world. That is precisely what John was inspired to write: "So the
great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and
Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9).
Even sincere Protestants and
Evangelicals have unwittingly been made spiritually drunk by
the paganism of this system: "The inhabitants of the earth were made
drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:2). What each
reader needs to realize is that Satan is the invisible "god"
of this present world (2 Corinthians 4:3–4), and that "all nations"
are spiritually drunk. In
describing this entire system and the harlot "daughters" that have
come out of "mother" Rome, here is what the respected Critical
and Experimental Commentary has to say:
Ecumenism—Religious Harlotry? Today’s news is full of
articles about the ecumenical movement. One headline reads: "Roman
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Leaders Renew Talks." Another headline
states: "Episcopalian, Lutheran Alliance Forged." More and more of
the Protestant churches are trying to get together, and a number are
preparing to come back to "mother"—the Roman Catholic Church.
Speaking of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox talks, a July 9,
2000 article in the San Diego Union-Tribune reported:
This recognition of the pope’s
authority could happen much more quickly than Robert Stephanopoulos
imagines. Just as when the Eastern European nations began to break
away from the Soviet Union, world events sometimes seem to occur
almost overnight! So additional hundreds of millions of
members may be added to the Roman Catholic Church over the next
several years as her daughters return to the fold.
And the little Church of
God—scattered here and there in little groups—will seem almost like
a tiny speck in comparison. Truly, we will all need understanding,
faith and courage to make it through the trying years ahead. For
Jesus said: "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show
great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect"
(Matthew 24:24). In the future, we
will see increasing pressure brought to bear by the pope and others
to make Jerusalem an "international city"—perhaps under the joint
control of the Vatican and the United Nations or some other
international agency. The relentless pressure of the ecumenical
movement will also intensify. The Great Mother Church will be
calling with increasing fervor for her daughters to come "home."
Within the next several years, the
"second" Beast of Revelation 13 will appear on the scene. We read of
this man in Revelation 13:11–14: "Then I saw another beast coming up
out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a
dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his
presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship
the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great
signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven
on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on
the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of
the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to
the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived."
This coming powerful religious
leader will look like a "lamb." In Revelation 14 we see that
Christ is described as the "Lamb." So this coming religious
leader will appear to be like Christ! But, John writes, he "spoke
like a dragon." And in Revelation 12:9, John was inspired to write:
"So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the
Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to
the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Satan the Devil is clearly
identified as the "dragon" right here in the book of Revelation.
This coming false prophet, therefore, will appear to billions
of human beings to be a Christ-like figure. But his message will be
that of Satan the Devil! Yet this charismatic leader will perform
"great signs" and even make fire come down from heaven! He is
also described in 2 Thessalonians 2 as the "man of sin" who "opposes
and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is
worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God" (vv. 3–4). This coming religious
leader, your Bible says, will be worshiped by his followers!
This man will appear a few years
before the Second Coming of Christ, for Christ will "destroy" him
"with the brightness of His coming" (v. 8). But this man is called
"the lawless one." In verse 7, Paul writes: "For the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains
will do so until He is taken out of the way." In an age of donkeys
and ox carts, Paul is not talking about traffic laws! He is
talking about a man and an entire religious system he leads—the
"mystery of lawlessness"—which is obviously teaching against
and is regularly breaking the laws of God.
As in Revelation 13: "The coming
of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all
power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception
among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the
truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:9–10).
All of us need to realize that we
are in a spiritual war. The forces of Satan are moving
swiftly to accomplish their goals. Within the next several years,
under Satan’s influence, and with the limited powers God allows
Satan to exert in this earth’s atmosphere of which he is "prince"
(Ephesians 2:2), the devil’s forces will wield unprecedented power
through a religio-political system under their control—and will do
so in the name of "Christianity." Very few Protestant, Orthodox or
other religious leaders will have the faith and courage to stand up
against this onslaught. They will enforce the dreaded "mark of the
beast" and bring about a horrifying persecution of the true
Christians—the real saints of God. MANY Antichrists! We have seen what the Bible
says about "the" Antichrist. But even more importantly, we should
note that John was inspired to write that "even now, many
antichrists have come" (1 John 2:18). So it should be clear that the
term "Antichrist" does not apply solely to the false prophet—though
he will certainly be the leading spokesman teaching the doctrines of
Antichrist. Rather, as most modern scholars acknowledge,
"Antichrist" simply means a spirit or person in opposition to
Christ. John continues to describe
the many who are "Antichrist," saying: "Who is a liar but he
who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the
Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father
either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. Therefore
let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what
you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in
the Son and in the Father" (vv. 22–24). Notice that John was
inspired to warn Christians to hold on to the original teaching that
they had been given—"abide in… [what] you heard from the beginning."
This would mean "abiding in"—or obeying—Jesus Christ’s direct
teaching concerning the Law of God.
For, from the beginning, Jesus had
taught them to "keep the commandments." He had continually warned
them about using His name and yet disobeying His teaching!
Jesus said: "But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the
things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). And again: "Not everyone who says
to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who
does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
So we "abide" in Christ and in the
Father by obeying God and living as Jesus actually
did—by every word of God. Jesus explained: "If anyone loves
Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me
does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not
Mine but the Father’s who sent Me" (John 14:23–24).
John’s first epistle goes on to
describe the "spirit of Antichrist" in greater detail: "Beloved, do
not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they
are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into
the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and
every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which
you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are
of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is
in you is greater than he who is in the world" (4:1–4).
Obviously, a vital key to
understanding the teaching of the Antichrist is to recognize that
this false doctrine does not admit the full humanity of Jesus
Christ. It does not admit that Christ truly "has come in the flesh."
"Why?" you might ask. What is so
special about Christ having "come in the flesh"?
First, we must understand why
Satan is continually trying to deceive people into disobeying God’s
law—the Ten Commandments. Such lawbreaking constitutes sin since
"sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4,
KJV). And "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). So if
Satan can somehow keep human beings from obeying God—and so yielding
to let God build within them His very nature and character—then
these disobedient men and women will continue to be under the death
penalty. Cut off from God, they will be unable to prepare to
be kings and priests in Christ’s coming Kingdom on this earth (cf.
Revelation 5:10) and so replace Satan and his demons. Diabolical Arguments So that people will not even
try to keep God’s commandments, Satan uses the doctrine of
Antichrist to promote the idea that mankind is unable to keep them!
The teachings of the Roman Catholic Church—and most Protestant
churches—in effect minimize Christ’s humanity, implying in various
ways that He was not fully "in the flesh." Their theology leads to
the conclusion that He was not really subject to the "pulls of the
flesh" in the same way we are, and was thus not really tempted as we
are—indeed even that He was not capable of sin. In their
understanding, Christ was not really setting an example for us while
fully in the human flesh. Satan wants us to believe that we cannot
keep God’s commandments, and that Jesus Christ could not have sinned
and broken them! The Roman
Catholic Church takes this idea even further. It falsely teaches
that, except for the "Virgin Mary," all human beings since Adam and
Eve have been born with "original sin," unable to keep God’s
commandments. Mary alone, the teaching says, was protected by an
"Immaculate Conception" and led a perfect and sinless life that
allowed her to become the "Mother of God." In this teaching, Mary
could have sinned but did not, while our Savior did not sin and
could not! If this were true, it would make Mary—not Jesus
Christ—our actual example of living a sinless human life! What an
insult to our true Savior! Yet the
book of Hebrews tells us: "For in that He Himself has suffered,
being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted" (2:18). And
again: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with
our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we
are, yet without sin" (4:15). Was this through some supernatural
power of His own? Was Jesus "fully God" while in the human flesh?
The truth is that He was the Personality who had been with
the Father from the beginning: "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
But later "The Word became flesh" (v. 14).
Many scriptures clearly reveal
that, in the flesh, Jesus did not exercise the same unlimited
power which He had previously exercised before His incarnation. For
instance, the gospel of Mark tells us that when Jesus came to His
own home area among skeptical family and neighbors: "Now He
could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands
on a few sick people and healed them" (Mark 6:5). Jesus Himself
said: "I can of Myself do nothing" (John 5:30). While in the
flesh, Jesus chose not to heal people in a faithless
atmosphere. The fully human Jesus
was tempted in "all points" as we are, yet without sin. That being
so, it becomes clear that there is a way for us, too, to keep
the Ten Commandments while fully in the human flesh! But how? The
same way Jesus did! Hebrews further tells us that "in the days of
His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with
vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death…
[He] was heard because of His godly fear" (5:7). If Jesus had to
literally cry out with tears to the Father to "save Him from
death," it should be obvious that He was truly in the human
flesh—and that we also should cry out for God’s help in the
same way! So Jesus did set the "example" for us in keeping
the Ten Commandments in the human flesh! We have a Savior and High
Priest who does fully understand the pulls of human
nature with which we must contend. Through His Spirit within us, as
we will see, Christ will empower us to overcome temptation
and keep the Ten Commandments while fully in the human flesh!
But the doctrine of Antichrist
says just the opposite. Although Satan is clever enough not
to directly teach people to sin, the Antichrist doctrine
nevertheless opens the door for deceived people to regularly break
one or more of the commandments of God with impunity—yet still feel
that they are somehow "good Christians." A Universal Teaching This clever reasoning—taught
in most seminaries all over the world—goes like this: Since
God’s law is spiritual and we are only physical, we cannot
keep the holy, righteous law of God. So Christ had to keep it for
us. Now we just "accept Christ" and His righteousness is somehow
"imputed" to us—without any requirement for righteous works.
The above reasoning then relies on
a whole series of misunderstandings and perversions of the writings
of the Apostle Paul. Misguided theologians somehow put a clever
"twist" on literally dozens of verses from Paul’s letters to
directly contradict the plain, clear teachings of Jesus
Christ, of His closest disciple, John, and of His brother, James.
That is one reason for Martin Luther’s famous statement that the
book of James was an "epistle of straw." Luther hated the
fact that James directly taught obedience to the Ten Commandments
(cf. James 2:8–12). The Apostle
Peter was even inspired to warn us that "Paul, according to the
wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his
epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things
hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist
to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures" (2 Peter 3:15–16). Yes, Peter said that men would
"twist" Paul’s writings to their own destruction! Peter continues
this inspired warning: "Therefore, dear friends, since you already
know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by
the error of lawless men and fall from your
secure position" (v. 17, NIV).
A warning not to be carried away
by the error of "lawless men"? Absolutely. For that is
precisely the way Peter knew that deceived men would "twist" Paul’s
writings—into an excuse to disobey the spiritual law of God,
the Ten Commandments! Truly, this
message needs to be heard now more than ever before. Millions in
this deceived world are really confused about religion. They have
become either just plain bored by mainstream religion and/or
disillusioned by organized religion in general. So some have simply
"tuned out." Yet millions of others have virtually "invented" their
own religion! As Newsweek magazine (May 8, 2000) recently
reported on today’s teenagers and their beliefs:
"Whatever mixture appeals"?
Appalling! Modern Religious ANARCHY This total confusion leads, of
course, to religious anarchy. But, ominously, it also opens the door
to leading these millions of young people to be very susceptible to
the mass deceptions that the coming false prophet will perpetrate.
When this man arises and begins to show himself "according to the
working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying
wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9), what are these millions of
confused youths going to do? Being
swept along with excitement and also by the mass hysteria that will
accompany the satanic signs of the "lawless one" (v. 8), most of
these young people will succumb to the enormous pressure to join
hands with this coming "revival" and "return to tradition" inspired
by Satan. For throughout much of Western Europe and North America,
there is indeed a yearning for specific doctrines and guidelines in
the field of religion and standards of behavior. Millions of people
are sick and tired of the hemming and hawing and equivocating of
their ministers and priests. They are beginning to realize that many
of these professing religious "leaders" are not absolutely certain
about anything! Many of
these religious leaders question the validity of Jesus’ virgin
birth, of His miracles, of His resurrection from the dead. They
question the real inspiration of the Bible. They question the idea
of Jesus’ Second Coming and whether there will truly be a literal
Kingdom of God set up on this earth with Christ as King.
Do "all religious leaders teach
equally valid truths"—as more than half of the teenagers in Barna’s
poll believed? Is all religion
equal? Can you just believe anything and have the same
blessing of the Creator God and gain eternal life on your own terms?
The only way to be
definitive and truly correct about these matters is to prove to
yourself—one way or another—if the Bible is directly inspired by the
real God who created the universe! If the Bible is just
partially inspired—as so many believe today—then each person can
"pick and choose" which part of the Bible he thinks is inspired.
Then, using human reasoning, he can go by that part of the Bible,
even if it seems to directly contradict other parts of the Bible.
Remember that the Christ of the Bible was nothing but "definitive."
Jesus did not "waffle." He stated: "I am the door of the
sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the
sheep did not hear them" (John 10:7–8). And: "Most assuredly, I say
to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs
up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber" (v. 1).
Later, Jesus said: "My sheep hear
My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (v. 27). Most of you
readers have "heard" Christ’s voice speaking through this Work. You
know that we do not evade, denigrate or "mess around" with the words
of the Bible. We have proved over and over that God, the
Creator, directly inspired the Bible. It is God’s "Instruction
Manual" for mankind. It is specific in what it tells us to do.
The Crux of the Matter The clearest passage of all
explaining Antichrist is found in 2 John 6–7: "This is love, that we
walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as
you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many
deceivers have gone out into the world who do not
confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a
deceiver and an antichrist." In this passage, we see first of
all how John is inspired to define love: "that we walk according
to His commandments." In context, the "commandments"
being spoken of are clearly the commandments of God the Father (cf.
v. 4)—not some "new" commandments of Jesus. Even though John wrote
in the 90s ad, some 60 years after Christ’s crucifixion and 20 years
after Paul’s death, there is not even a hint that God’s
commandments were "nailed to the cross" or "done away with" by the
Apostle Paul! Then John reminds his readers that the commandments
were those they had heard "from the beginning." In other words, they
are the clear teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, in
Matthew 19:17 and elsewhere. Then,
in verse 7, John warns that the "deceivers" do not teach
"Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh." He describes such teaching as
"Antichrist." The significance of Jesus Christ "as coming in
the flesh" is that—as in the original Greek—the present continuous
tense is here used, denoting something that is now happening.
The well-known Expositor’s
Bible Commentary attempts to explain this passage (2 John 7) in
the following words:
As those highly trained Greek
scholars acknowledge, John is indeed saying something "beyond" his
statement in 1 John 4:2! John not only says that Christ has
come fully in the human flesh. But God inspired John in this latter
passage to reveal that Christ is now coming "in the flesh!"
How?
As we have already seen, Jesus
said: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will
love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him"
(John 14:23). Through the Holy Spirit, Christ and the Father
actually live within the truly converted Christian, guiding
him, inspiring him and empowering him to keep the
commandments and live God’s way of life!
The Apostle Paul was also inspired
to make this very plain when he wrote: "I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20,
KJV). That is the "key."
Through the Spirit, Christ will literally live His life in
our human flesh! He will give us the strength to obey
God’s commandments! Religious
opponents challenge the real Christian by saying: "You can’t
keep the Ten Commandments! They are spiritual and you are only
physical." But one who is led by God’s Holy Spirit may truly reply:
"You are right. In my own human strength, I can’t. But to the degree
I yield to God’s Holy Spirit, I can and I will keep God’s
commandments! Christ within me helps me not to kill, steal,
lie, commit adultery, covet, dishonor my parents, break God’s
Sabbath, practice idolatry, take God’s name in vain or have another
‘god’ before the true God. I may slip in some point occasionally,
but I will then repent and confess my sin to God and have His
forgiveness (1 John 1:8–9). Then I quickly get back on God’s path
and, through His Spirit, grow in grace and knowledge. I am
not perfect. But, through Christ living His life within me, I am
growing toward perfection and walking in God’s law as my
basic way of life." Christ Lives Within the True Christian The doctrine of Antichrist,
then, is that Christ does not literally live His life within His
people today! It is the false teaching that Christians today can
live a different kind of life from what Jesus lived and still be His
true followers. It often includes the idea that Christ was righteous
in our stead, and therefore we do not have to be. We just accept Him
and His righteousness is imputed to us. Effectively, God "kids
Himself" and pretends that we are really righteous when we actually
are not! This doctrine is a
damnable lie! "Jesus Christ
is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He will
live the same kind of life in you and me today that He lived nearly
2,000 years ago when He walked this earth in the human flesh. At
that time, He continually taught obedience to all of God’s
commandments (Matthew 5:19). We have seen His answer to the young
man asking Him how to inherit eternal life: "Keep the commandments"
(19:17). Near the end of the Apostolic Age, God inspired the Apostle
John to describe the true saints of God: "Blessed are those
who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of
life, and may enter through the gates into the city" (Revelation
22:14). There are many, many false
ministers today who are teaching the doctrine of Antichrist, a
doctrine that sanctions disobedience to God’s commandments—a
doctrine of "no works." The Apostle Paul said of these ministers:
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself
transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great
thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of
righteousness, whose end will be according to their works" (2
Corinthians 11:13–15). You will notice here that Satan has ministers
who appear to be righteous. Ironically, their end—their final
reward—will be according to their "works," the very
thing they seek to deny!
God intends for us to obey His
commandments, do good works and live by His every word. Once you
get this principle straight, you can clearly understand the "spirit
of Antichrist" and how to test whether any religious
leader’s idea or doctrine is of God! Then, by diligent study of
God’s Word and by constant prayer, you will come to a deeper
understanding of the real purpose of your life and experience closer
contact with the Living God than you may ever have dreamed possible.
You will come to see who truly is
of God—His true Church, which has faithfully proclaimed the same
Gospel He sent through Jesus Christ. In this end time, that
Message—of obedience to God’s Kingdom and rule—is to be preached by
His Church as a witness to all nations (Matthew 24:14). You are
reading that Message this very instant!
In Revelation 12:17, the true
Church of God is described as a woman persecuted by the devil. This
Church is a remnant. Its members are those "who keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Again,
the true saints of God are described in like manner in Revelation
14:12: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who
keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
Yes, Jesus Christ is to live and
dwell within His people today through the Holy Spirit. To the degree
they yield to Him, their lives will be ones of full and complete
obedience, just as Jesus’ life was in the flesh. Their customs,
their traditions, their way of life will be the same as His in every
respect, because He does not change. And He will be living
within them! Then Christ and the Father can be absolutely sure that
their people are fully surrendered to God, who can continually
impart to true Christians His very divine nature and
character—and so prepare them to be kings and
priests in the literal Kingdom of God soon to be set up on
this earth. "And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
and has made us kings and priests to
His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and
ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:5–6).
Examine yourself honestly. Have
you really understood Christianity before? Is Christ really
living His life in you? Do you have the spiritual
"backbone" to act on the knowledge you have just received?
Restoring Apostolic Christianity As many of you readers already
know, we in this Work are restoring—for those willing to heed—the
true Christianity of Jesus and the Apostles. This genuine "Apostolic
Christianity" has definitely been lost as far as mainstream
"churchianity" is concerned. It is important to realize that if
Jesus Himself would walk into a typical Protestant or Catholic
Church today, He would find people there with an entirely different
concept of God than He taught.
These folks would be observing
different days for worshipping God—days that are pagan in origin and
which utterly fail to point to the true God and His great
plan as the biblical Holy Days do. Jesus would find that most
of these professing "Christians" have no idea about how to
truly keep the Ten Commandments or about the importance Christ
placed upon them (see Matthew 19:17). These blinded individuals go
to war with Britain (for instance) in one generation, with
Spain in another, with Germany and Japan in another. They and their
deceived ministers seemingly pay no attention to Jesus’
very clear instruction in Matthew 5:43–44: "You have heard
that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who
curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you."
These professing Christians are
utterly blinded to the fact that true Christians are
now "in training" to become kings and priests under Jesus
Christ and to serve under Him in ruling this world during the
next thousand years (see Revelation 5:9–10; 20:6)! Rather, these
folks assume—contrary to Jesus’ teachings—that at
death they will "go to heaven" and have nothing to do! So the
false teachings of professing Christianity have blinded them
to the entire purpose God is working out here on earth!
In a typical church today, Jesus
would find people who have a sentimental feeling about Him
personally, but have virtually no understanding of the
powerful message He preached. They speak about "the Lord
Jesus Christ." But, frankly, He is not their "Lord"—for they
do not obey Him or even grasp how they should obey
Him! And Jesus Himself said, over and over: "Why do you call
Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke
6:46). Again: "Not everyone who
says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he
who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in
that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out
demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I
will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness!’" (Matthew 7:21–23).
Indeed, those who fail to preach and to practice genuine
obedience to the Ten Commandments are in terrible trouble!
God’s Word clearly indicates that
the vast majority of human beings today are deceived.
For God speaks of "the devil and Satan, who deceives the
whole world" (Revelation 12:9). And the Apostle Paul warned the
Corinthians: "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to
those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has
blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of
the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them"
(2 Corinthians 4:3–4). The Apostle
Jude warned us specifically: "Beloved, while I was very diligent to
write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary
to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the
faith It is significant that Jude was
inspired by God to point out that these false teachers would turn
"grace" into "license"—which is exactly what they do today! For the
common Protestant teaching is that you are "saved" by a sentimental
acceptance of Christ’s death and that—at that point—there is
nothing else you really have to do! No obedience to the Ten
Commandments. No required "growing" in grace, in knowledge and in
Christian maturity. No further "overcoming" of your human nature, of
the world or of Satan the Devil. What You Should DO Recent news reports from many
nations have indicated that Roman Catholic persecution of religious
minorities continues. Although the Roman Catholic Church has learned
to smile and act agreeably in nations where Protestants or others
are in the majority, the old demons of hate and authoritarianism
come out very quickly when it is in control.
A recent article in
Christianity Today magazine (August 2000, p. 30) reported:
"In March, about 70 Protestant families were expelled from the
Mexican village of Plan de Ayala, in Chiapas state, by the town’s
Roman Catholic majority. ‘Fourteen homes were demolished by the mob
as the Protestants fled to the hills for refuge,’ reports
Seventh-Day Adventist pastor Isias Espinosa." This is just a tiny
sampling of the type of religious oppression practiced by this
powerful church! And its leaders continue to emphasize that they are
the only true church—that others are, in effect, only
"second-class Christians." Note this September 5, 2000 report by
Victor Simpson of the Associated Press:
So the Roman Catholic Church
not only admits, but even insists that it is the "mother" of
all professing Christian churches! And it insists also that it
alone has the "keys" to God’s Kingdom!
Truly, it is time to wake
up! It is time for all who
believe in God to go back and prove whether their religious
beliefs and practices actually came out of the Bible—or out of
"Babylon." For the Creator God tells all who will heed: "‘For all
the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with
her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the
abundance of her luxury.’ And I heard another voice from heaven
saying, ‘come out of her, my people, lest you share in her
sins, and lest you receive of her plagues’" (Revelation
18:3–4). Although, as the Apostle
John wrote, "even now, many antichrists have come" (1 John
2:18), it is also true that the embodiment of Antichrist will be
most fully expressed in the great false prophet described in 2
Thessalonians 2:1–10 and Revelation 13:11–14. Probably within the
next five to 15 years, this cunning individual will appear on the
world scene. He will appear at first as a great "peacemaker" and
benefactor of mankind. Before long, he will begin performing
miracles—even bringing fire down from heaven
(Revelation 13:13)! But, again,
His teaching will be "anti-Christ." There will be lots of ritual,
pomp and ceremony and lots of flowery talk. But there will
not be the clear teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, to keep God’s
commandments and literally imitate Christ—surrendering to let
Jesus Christ live His obedient life within us through the Holy
Spirit. Remember always, that
is the "key!" For Satan the
Devil is glad to have you "believe in Christ"—as long as your
Christ is a false Christ. He is glad to have you go to
the "church of your choice"—providing that he can deceive you
into going to a church led by blinded, commandment-rejecting
theologians. For as Jesus said: "If the blind leads the
blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14).
In Christ’s name, I urge you:
please begin to genuinely study your Bible as never before!
Also, do yourself a favor and write in for your absolutely
free enrollment in our inspiring and most helpful
Tomorrow’s World Bible Study Course. Study through this
course and follow Paul’s inspired admonition: "Prove all
things, hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21,
KJV). Again, I urge you to
write in immediately and request your free copy of our truly
revealing booklets entitled The Beast of Revelation and
Which Day is the Christian Sabbath? These booklets—coupled
with this booklet you are now reading—will give you the full picture
and proof of the nature of the powerful and ominous forces
now rising in Europe. As Jesus
said: "Watch." Keep your eyes on the revival of the Holy Roman
Empire. "Watch" how it slowly but surely begins to gain total power
in most of Europe—then Central and South America and, finally, most
of the entire world. "Watch" how other churches are, bit by bit,
coaxed, persuaded or finally coerced into going back to the "mother"
church. Frankly, you will be disappointed to see how many supposedly
dedicated Protestant and evangelical leaders will be maneuvered into
giving up much of what they have always believed when real
pressure is put upon them.
Will you also turn aside
from the God of the Bible? Will you join or continue to be part of a
watered-down "Christianity" where deceived church members
regularly violate God’s commanded Sabbath, where they are
"allowed"—or perhaps even encouraged—to fight and to kill in human
warfare, contrary to Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 5:43–45)? Will you be
part of a church where pomp, ceremony and the worship of idols is
practiced, and where the whole concept of literal obedience
to the Ten Commandments as a way of life is not
taught, and where clever arguments against the need for true
Christians to keep God’s commandments are regularly employed against
those who dare to heed Christ’s actual words?
Soon, the ultimate personification
of the Antichrist will appear on the world scene. Appearing at first
as a kind and gentle "peacemaker," he will gradually assert more and
more authority. His authority will be enhanced by the false
miracles Satan performs through him (Revelation 13:13). Then,
the adoring masses will scream with excitement when they see him,
and the doctrine of the Antichrist will permeate nearly all
of professing Christianity—all except the "little flock" (Luke
12:32) described in Revelation 12:13–17.
For your eternal good, pray for
real understanding, faith and courage. Obey
Jesus’ instruction: "Watch therefore, and pray always that
you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come
to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke
21:36). Original article: Tomorrows World |
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