(76) The Anti-Christ, Part 1

Boo!  666!  Oooooh, so scary.  Only if you do not understand.  What is he?

 

If you look at the true definition you will get a better picture of what it encompasses.  Anti-Christ; Jesus Christ in Hebrew is Y'shua ha Messiach, or "The God-anointed One who saves".  So the term anti-Christ means the opposite of that.  In other words, "the self-appointed one who destroys".  Satan is here to destroy.  Jesus is here to save.  This is not to say that satan is the opposite as Jesus.  That would mean satan is equal to Jesus.  This only means that he is trying to destroy what Jesus has done.

 

There are a few ways that the word anti-Christ is used in the Bible.  One usage (1 John 4:3) shows that there is a spirit of anti-Christ which refers to the way the world is.  There is a Godly realm with believers of Christ share their faith and try to live by Godly values, hence a spirit of love, compassion, mercy, and hope.  And then there is the spirit of the satanic realm, a spirit of pride (notice the opposite of everything good is pride).  Another usage (1 John 2:22) shows there are actions of anti-Christ.  As opposed to helping, hospitality, teaching, and ministering, there is an opposite action of murder (in all sense of the word).  Yet another usage (1 John 2:18) shows there are people who are against the values of God and do the works of satan.  Hitler is a prime example.  He is not satan but did the work of satan.  There have been many people filling this definition.  They do not have to be famous.  They could be living next door, homeless, or leaders of nations.  But the one that people get scared about is the last usage (2 Thess. 2).  The one who will come to earth with satan incarnated.  The anti-Christ that is a person.

 

Some will say that this usage is not accurate and that the references to the anti-Christ is only symbolic.  That view however is flawed based on scripture.  Scripture specifically uses the same language structure for the anti-Christ as it does for Jesus Himself.  Look at the comparisons.

• Jesus is the Son of God, the AC is the son of perdition
• Jesus is the Son of man, the AC is man of lawlessness
• Jesus is the Lamb, the AC is the beast
• Jesus is the Holy One, the AC is the lawless one
• Jesus has a kingdom, the AC tries to have a kingdom

If someone says that the anti-Christ is only symbolic then they have to say the Jesus is as well.

 

In the end this man is not to be feared.  For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  He is just a man who has no power except for that which is given to him.  If Jesus is in you then you have already conquered him.  If Jesus is in you then you have already conquered his spirit; you have conquered his workers; you have conquered his works.  You, if Jesus is in you, are more than a conqueror.  You are a child of God.