The Antichrist Deception
It is not just Americans, but Christians around the world who should know better than to spread false rumors about another person. There are a number of reasons why we as Americans and as Christians should not slander the president elect by referring to him as the coming antichrist. The primary reason is our personal responsibility to God. Our Christians belief under God’s royal law so states that we are to love one another and the president elect is one of the "another" that God demands that we love and dwell with peaceably. Furthermore bearing a false witness is wrong because it produces the deception and lies that God hates. Finally, it is not our place to judge but to leave room for God’s vengeance.
A large number of Americans are afraid that the man elected to the highest office in our land is the coming antichrist. A large number of Internet sites are devoted to naming the President elect as the antichrist, but the realities of these claims are unfounded. The largest contributor to the misinformation about the antichrist comes out of the mouths of religious leaders and other fanatics who establish the antichrist with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
When we examine the claims made by these websites, the claims of being the antichrist began about the time that the President elect announced his candidacy. Perhaps we should look at these claims as dirty tricks in the political arena, but even that is highly unlikely. What is more likely is the claims were made without adequate information coming from combination of fears, the fear of the unknown and what is commonly perceived as the antichrist.
Unfortunately apologies and retractions of those claims will never come from those who wrote and placed them on the Internet. It is more likely that derogatory statements written about the president elect will simply disappear from the web.
Does misinformation by Christians represent Christ properly? Do Christians test everything we are commanded to test? Christians have access to direct information about the antichrist within the pages of the bible most American’s carry to church every Sunday. It is further believed that nearly every American has a copy of the bible in their home, but the dust on the cover tells that they have not read its contents. If anything could be worse, the man called to proclaim the word of God may spend more time studying the word of God, but the needs of their ministry overwhelm them just as the things of the world inundate the average Christian. The truth is that the time we spend to learn the truth goes hand in hand with the flood of information that streams from our mouth.
Misinformation stems from the pride of persons who are not able to say - I don’t know. Simply put, people and Christians alike talk off the top of their head from what they have heard and speak without being knowledgeable on the subject only to relate their opinion as if it were fact.
Biblically speaking, the term antichrist is only used four times in God’s word, but never about the end times or with the prophetic writings about the coming of Christ. Theologically speaking, antichrist is a term used rather loosely for anyone against Christ and used to speak of the coming one who will deceive humanity and forcibly encourage the worship of a false God during the end times.
If not the antichrist, then who or what is the word of God referring to? In chapter twelve of Revelations God spoke of this person in symbolic terms of being a mythical dragon. This spiritual being is represented in word pictures as a huge serpent with the instinct of a stubborn animal, but able to devise schemes. The Old testament speaks of this dragon with a serpent, the leviathan, the monster of the sea, who is a sly, brutal and contemptible person skilled in intrigue. God gave these words of advice about the leviathan.
When the symbolic and figurative language used to describe this villain of the spiritual realms is understood we learn that true to his nature that this person rebelled against the authority of God. Satan is a formidable adversary that was defeated and thrown to the earth. Obstinate and refusing to accept defeat he also chose to wage war on mankind, specifically on those who obey God's commands, believe the testimony of Jesus Christ and take his testimony to heart.
God has given man a profile to man about this being that is out to become like the Most High. Satan primary goal is to,
Within the following profile God provided man with the historic model of what God intended Satan to be and the life Satan chose.
We learn that when God created Satan he ordained Satan to be a commander of angels perhaps as many as a third of the heavenly ranks. He was adorned Satan with the same stones that are found on the breastplate of the High Priest and the stones the foundations of Heaven are made of. He was anointed to be a guardian cherub potentially equal in rank to Gabriel and Michael.
The passage goes on to say that Satan began to notice the importance and splendor of his being and because of what he saw of himself influenced his personal corruption. Being filled with violence by his many sins and dishonest trade his deeds defiled everything Satan touched. Therefore, God made Satan into an example of his Holiness and threw Satan to the earth.
Satan once was a prominent figure, but his sins found him out, so God deposed Satan and thrust him out of heaven. Satan found himself stripped of his authority, his perks and privileges revoked and suddenly became an abomination before God. Because if this he is filled with wrath finding a new motivation to become more powerful than his creator. With a resolve to do the impossible and finding himself on the earth Satan decides to make war on God’s children.
John writes,
Ezekiel 28:12-19 describes the potential God gave to Satan and brings out a fact that he once was a prominent figure in God’s kingdom at one time. Being found unworthy because of his evil practices, God removed him from his position of authority and demoted him to one of those devoted to destruction. Satan once was, now is not, and yet will come.
The problem of knowing what will come and what we think will come has been distorted with the cunning of Satan. Satan is a deceiver, one who has been liken to be a lion seeking someone to devour. Any false information about his coming will come will keep him out of the limelight until everything is in place. Then and only then will he lash out striking his victim or victims with a devastating blow that kills. Let's’ remember that the thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. When the beast comes he is determined not to be the only one destroyed on the day he is thrown into hell.
Consider this, Satan has declared war on those who obey God’s commands and have taken the testimony of Jesus Christ to heart. Yet, his war is not on the Christian alone, his war is with anyone who will not bow to his authority and worship him as God.
Those who know God have a covenant with God and because they know their God will be able to firmly resist and possibly keep him at bay.
God will have a number of survivors when he comes because they knew how to resist by trusting in God. On the other hand, those who do not know God do not have a clue what will happen to the peoples of the world. Hosea 4:6 says. my people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge
This particular scripture is relevant to every man on the face of the earth because God owns the earth and everything on it. It includes the man who ignores him, snubs his nose at God and those who say there is no God. God says he made his existence plain to all of mankind through what he created so that no one would have an excuse.
God has given his testimony about the Savior of the world revealing that he and only he can save the world from the wrath coming of God. His wrath will be aimed at those who refuse to turn from wickedness, ignore his salvation, and worship other gods. Those who face God’s wrath will perish because they failed to seek God or find out how they be saved. With the proper knowledge you can avoid the wrath of God and find his mercy by taking the steps that God demands.
On the other hand, it is to Satan’s advantage that you never learn how to resist him, to keep you from knowing the plan or promises of God and keeping you busy staying up with the world that is unknowingly in danger of perishing. Satan doesn’t want you to know that you have a choice to have life abundantly through Jesus Christ.
Instead, through deceptive information Satan has convinced the world that they cannot live the Christian life nor do they need Christ. Through all kinds of false information you can only hope that God will find you worthy enough to allow you to go through the gates of Heaven. As long as Satan can convince you to ignore God’s word, he will control your destiny and you will perish with him. The human race will be destroyed for their lack of knowledge simply because they ignored the law of God or what is more commonly known as God’s word.
Satan is out to annihilate anything that stands in his way of becoming like the Most High. The good news is that God’s word state that there will be a remnant of Christian believers that will be gathered on the day Jesus Christ comes for his elect. Satan has managed to keep the church from joining forces and has weaken the ability of the church to resist him. The things that stand in the way of a strong way of a strong radiant church are the differences within the denominational beliefs.
As long as one Christian belief is considered superior to another church the church will be fighting different battles and running in separate directions. God is the strongest in the church when Christians place their trust in God. Christians must put their eyes on Jesus Christ, come together in one accord and allow Jesus Christ to lead every division of God’s army into battle in unity.
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