Christians seek to find the Antichirst
They Should Discover the False Prophet
Christians search for the Antichrist reminds me of the Scarlet Pimpernel, “They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven or is he in hell?” However, John told us that anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is an antichrist (1Jo 2:18-23). In fact, he bluntly states that those who were once among them, false professors of Jesus, but have now left the church(s) are in fact antichrists.
Thus, finding antichrists is not hard. However, if you wish to find The Antichrist (Re 13:1-10) you should be looking for The False Prophet (Re 13:11-18) who will proceed him and point to him just as John, the Baptist, pointed people to Jesus as the Messiah (Jo 1:29-30).
List details False Prophet’s Ministry
He promotes coming Antichrist
You will not find The Antichrist until The False Prophet comes onto the world stage using these stratagems pointing to the savior of the world. One of his stratagems will be to cause people to worship the image of the beast and receive his mark, whatever that may be. Christians continually boast about never kneeling before this image and dying for Jesus rather than worship the image to receive its mark of allegiance. However, I find these boasts to be rather empty since not only are they not faced with death for their decisions but also because many have already made allegiance to the present organs of antichrist voluntarily without any threat of death!
First Horseman of the Apocalypse
Comes in Peace under his Government
My premise: if many antichrists are already in the world, as John stated, then many false prophets must also be active in the world pointing toward these antichrists in order to prepare the peoples to receive both The False Prophet and The Antichrist when God allows them to enter the world stage. The first horseman of the Apocalypse wears a crown, has a bow, and he conquers; but, what is missing from this image? He has authority to govern, revealed by the crown, and he both conquers to establish his government and seeks to extend his government over the entire world. The missing element are the arrows. He has a bow, threat of war, but he does not need to use war for the world has already had many wars and is tired of them (Mt 24:6-8). The Antichrist comes promising peace though there is the threat of war against those who refuse his peace. His legitimacy is established by The False Prophet. But, before these two enter the world stage the people must be prepared to believe their lie and receive them as the answer to their prayers (2Th 2:7-12).
Who are the false prophets? They are those of our culture who have rejected the truth of Christ’s salvation. They are the religionists who redefine the true Gospel into another gospel that invites all peoples to come away from the truth of Christ in the Bible. They may even use the Bible to promote their false works-belief system(s). They are the pseudoscientific practitioners who use the philosophy of the world to deceive the masses and promote their own religion (Col 2:8). These are the pietists of every stripe, including Gnosticism, who all unite in promoting politicians of peace but who bring no peace but only corruption, deception and violence in their wake. Yet, many are the Christians who accept their words and support them in their deceptions.
Other than obeying the government you live under, paying its taxes and praying for its leaders that true peace may endure so the true Gospel can be spread to all peoples, the New Testament does not demand that believers become enslaved to their respective governments. In fact, Christ stated that His kingdom was not of this world (Jo 18:36). The Old Testament prophets looked for a kingdom to come not of this world (He 11:13-16). So, why do today’s Christians worship government as their protector? They deny this is so but they consistently worship the very arms of government that enforce its edicts at home and abroad. They embrace and propagate the false philosophies of psychology via their ministries thereby making themselves friends with the world rather than friends with Christ. By these actions they seek to return to the very philosophy that had held them captive before they were saved; as such, they then make themselves enemies of Christ.
In this manner they accept the belief that government is God and is His means of bringing His peace on earth. This is Postmillennialism at its core though it hides among the Dispensational Premillennialists. We know that all governments belong to Lucifer since he offered them to Christ who did not dispute his authority to do so (Mt 4:8-10). He allows them to exist though He restrains them less they prematurely destroy all hope of the Gospel. But, as the fulness of time approaches, at time unknown to all but the Father, He pulls back on the restraining ministry of the Spirit allowing man to have a more fuller expression of his sin and its consequences. The 20th century was the single bloodiest century of recorded history! Yet, people continue to strain toward a fuller expression of self though personal violence increases daily. This process was detailed by God via Paul (Ro 1:18-32). Yet, nearly every Christian I know accepts psychology, accepts stronger central government control over all aspects of life {national socialism} and looks to science to cheat death, which it fails to accomplish. Wednesday night prayer meetings are filled with prayers for healing rather than prayers for spiritual maturity via the testings of life in order to demonstrate the grace of God in their lives before a world run amok from God.
It is the small day-to-day decisions that shape the big decisions making them nearly anticlimactic. Though many Christians claim they would reject the false religion of The False Prophet and Antichrist they are being prepared for its acceptance by the small decisions they make nearly daily. Truly did Christ say, “…will he find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:6-8). The false prophets are at work and many fall under their sway to follow the many antichrists in the world. If not for the faithfulness of Christ none of us would be able to resist them. There is only one solution for the ills of the world – salvation. The world hates true Christians but loves those who have another gospel. Leave the false elements of the world, purge your doctrine with the washing of the Word lest one day you find yourself wooed into a false doctrine of corruption.
