ANTICHRIST

1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

None of these verses indicates a single individual as "The" "Antichrist". Indeed there were many antichrists even as John penned the verses in the late first century. They all indicate that antichrist is a SPIRIT, or THE spirit, that lives in the heart of anybody AND EVERYBODY that denies the Father and the Son, or denies that Jesus is the Christ, or denies that Jesus Christ IS come in the flesh. Clearly EVERY such person is antichrist, and also is an antichrist.

Since there are billions of antichrists - and no shortage from John's day forward - how can there be a single antichrist? Based on scripture we can see there wasn't in John's day, and certainly not today. An individual antichrist can only be just ANOTHER antichrist.

1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

The above is the only verse that can be construed to indicate an individual "The Antichrist", but how would that make sense when six words later we learn there are many antichrists? Looking to another verse that also uses the term antichrist in a singular fashion we find:

1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

The singular "that", "spirit", "it" in this sentence and singular "antichrist", is just like the singular "antichrist" in 1 John 2:18. Let's consider the first use as referring to the spirit of antichrist:

John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

We can judge doctrine, in part, by it's fruit. Let's look at the fruit of this one. Some say "The" "Antichrist" was Nero. Perhaps suggesting "he" is over and done with. Others are looking for some future individual "The" "Antichrist" of the silver screen, yet to come. Others you can find on the Internet - of which there is no shortage - proffer guesses from a leader of Spain, to the Pope, to Ronald Reagan and more recently George Bush. Has the Church looking for some individual "The" "Antichrist", also made it look like so much buffoonery to those with a life outside of Christ?

The church's preoccupation with a specific individual - past or future - seems to preclude it from recognizing that there are 1.5 billion antichrists in Islam alone. This doesn't even count the atheist neighbor down the road where your kids go to hang out. The most important element in Islam is "shirk" - that is manifest specifically in a declaration that God has no Son. This is specifically "that spirit of antichrist".

"O you People of the Book, overstep not bounds in your religion, and of God speak only the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only an apostle of God, and his Word which he conveyed unto Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from him. Believe therefore in God and his apostles, and say not Three. It will be better for you. God is only one God. Far be it from His transcendent majesty that he should have a son."

"The Jews call 'Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the Son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (In this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. God's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! (Surah 9.30)

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Islamic Hadith: “Jews will hide behind the rock and tree, and the rock and tree will say: oh servant of Allah, oh Muslim, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!”

Consider that God may have had John write Revelation so much later to address the boatload of heresies that had already infiltrated the Church - even in John's day.

All of the "overcommeth"ing of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 is about overcoming unsound doctrine not Satan - except as he is the author of unsound doctrine.

Even if there had been such a concept of as an individual antichrist in the first century Church, consider the wording: "...ye have heard...". Perhaps like "ye have heard that the moon is made of green cheese", but hearing it doesn't mean that it's true.

Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 4 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

It is human nature to want to believe in concepts such as the silver screen "The" "Antichrist". What kid didn't take a flying leap to get into bed, so that what ever was under the bed wouldn't grab their ankles? Without the concept of a boogeyman Hollywood would go broke and the majority fiction novelists would be living in a van down by the river.

But here is how it would seem Satan succeeded the most. The term antichrist has been removed from the Christian vocabulary except when used to describe an individual. Who would casually refer to the atheist that lives down the block as an antichrist? How much more soul searching might that individual do if we did? Who have you heard refer to the 1.5 billion Muslims as antichrists? Yet "shirk" is the most important element in Islam. A term that should be a normal part of Christian vocabulary has been stolen by the enemy. Just ask the guy next to you in Church next Sunday "what is the antichrist?" to get an idea of how this term is understood in the Church.

It is this author's limited experience that when a Muslim is labeled as an antichrist he begins with an aggressive offense invoking how he believes Jesus is a great prophet. As the scriptures from the Bible, and the verses from the Quran are revealed, the attitude changes to one of being defensive. If enough time is allowed to further explore comparative verses, the attitude becomes more of being convicted.

"The folly of interpreters has been to foretell times and things by this prophecy [Revelation], as if God designed to make them prophets. By this rashness they have not only exposed themselves, but brought the prophecy also into contempt. The design of God was much otherwise. He gave this and the prophecies of the Old Testament, not to gratify men's curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event, and his own providence, not the interpreters', be then manifested thereby to the world. For the event of things predicted many ages before will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by Providence." - Sir Isaac Newton

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.


	ISRAEL IN BIBLE PROPHECY \| home ANTICHRIST There are only four verses in Scripture that contain the term antichrist (KJV quoted below): 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. None of these verses indicates a single individual as "The" "Antichrist". Indeed there were many antichrists even as John penned the verses in the late first century. They all indicate that antichrist is a SPIRIT, or THE spirit, that lives in the heart of anybody AND EVERYBODY that denies the Father and the Son, or denies that Jesus is the Christ, or denies that Jesus Christ IS come in the flesh. Clearly EVERY such person is antichrist, and also is an antichrist. Additionally, every person that denies the Son, has not the Father: 1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [(but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also]. Jewish blindness, however, is a separate issue as per Romans 11. Here is a U-Tube of antichrists that will break your heart. Since there are billions of antichrists - and no shortage from John's day forward - how can there be a single antichrist? Based on scripture we can see there wasn't in John's day, and certainly not today. An individual antichrist can only be just ANOTHER antichrist. 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. The above is the only verse that can be construed to indicate an individual "The Antichrist", but how would that make sense when six words later we learn there are many antichrists? Looking to another verse that also uses the term antichrist in a singular fashion we find: 1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. The singular "that", "spirit", "it" in this sentence and singular "antichrist", is just like the singular "antichrist" in 1 John 2:18. Let's consider the first use as referring to the spirit of antichrist: John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. Comparing these verse snippets: "ye have heard that antichrist shall come" "ye have heard that it should come" John 2:18 effectively saying "you've heard that the spirit of antichrist is coming, but it's already here!". THE FRUIT We can judge doctrine, in part, by it's fruit. Let's look at the fruit of this one. Some say "The" "Antichrist" was Nero. Perhaps suggesting "he" is over and done with. Others are looking for some future individual "The" "Antichrist" of the silver screen, yet to come. Others you can find on the Internet - of which there is no shortage - proffer guesses from a leader of Spain, to the Pope, to Ronald Reagan and more recently George Bush. Has the Church looking for some individual "The" "Antichrist", also made it look like so much buffoonery to those with a life outside of Christ? The church's preoccupation with a specific individual - past or future - seems to preclude it from recognizing that there are 1.5 billion antichrists in Islam alone. This doesn't even count the atheist neighbor down the road where your kids go to hang out. The most important element in Islam is "shirk" - that is manifest specifically in a declaration that God has no Son. This is specifically "that spirit of antichrist". Following are the founding verses of the Dome of the Rock: "O you People of the Book, overstep not bounds in your religion, and of God speak only the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only an apostle of God, and his Word which he conveyed unto Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from him. Believe therefore in God and his apostles, and say not Three. It will be better for you. God is only one God. Far be it from His transcendent majesty that he should have a son." It is obvious that Islam is the opposite of Christianity. "The Jews call 'Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the Son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (In this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. God's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! (Surah 9.30) What about Islam and Judaism? Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Islamic Hadith: “Jews will hide behind the rock and tree, and the rock and tree will say: oh servant of Allah, oh Muslim, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!” Consider that God may have had John write Revelation so much later to address the boatload of heresies that had already infiltrated the Church - even in John's day. All of the "overcommeth"ing of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 is about overcoming unsound doctrine not Satan - except as he is the author of unsound doctrine. Even if there had been such a concept of as an individual antichrist in the first century Church, consider the wording: "...ye have heard...". Perhaps like "ye have heard that the moon is made of green cheese", but hearing it doesn't mean that it's true. Consider a similar verse: Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 4 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; It is human nature to want to believe in concepts such as the silver screen "The" "Antichrist". What kid didn't take a flying leap to get into bed, so that what ever was under the bed wouldn't grab their ankles? Without the concept of a boogeyman Hollywood would go broke and the majority fiction novelists would be living in a van down by the river. But here is how it would seem Satan succeeded the most. The term antichrist has been removed from the Christian vocabulary except when used to describe an individual. Who would casually refer to the atheist that lives down the block as an antichrist? How much more soul searching might that individual do if we did? Who have you heard refer to the 1.5 billion Muslims as antichrists? Yet "shirk" is the most important element in Islam. A term that should be a normal part of Christian vocabulary has been stolen by the enemy. Just ask the guy next to you in Church next Sunday "what is the antichrist?" to get an idea of how this term is understood in the Church. It is this author's limited experience that when a Muslim is labeled as an antichrist he begins with an aggressive offense invoking how he believes Jesus is a great prophet. As the scriptures from the Bible, and the verses from the Quran are revealed, the attitude changes to one of being defensive. If enough time is allowed to further explore comparative verses, the attitude becomes more of being convicted. "The folly of interpreters has been to foretell times and things by this prophecy [Revelation], as if God designed to make them prophets. By this rashness they have not only exposed themselves, but brought the prophecy also into contempt. The design of God was much otherwise. He gave this and the prophecies of the Old Testament, not to gratify men's curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event, and his own providence, not the interpreters', be then manifested thereby to the world. For the event of things predicted many ages before will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by Providence." - Sir Isaac Newton * 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. Please visit: israelinbibleprophecy.com beholdthebeast.com