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Posts Tagged ‘end times’

6 Jun

Who is the Antichrist?

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Doctrine, Religion. Tagged: antichrist, christianitym apostacy, end times, eschatology. Leave a Comment

Who is the antichrist? Will we know him when he comes? Hollywood seems to have him figured out with movies like “The Omen”. But what does the Bible say about this shrouded figure that people fear so much?

To most Christians’ surprise, the word antichrist does not appear in the book of Revelation, from which most ‘end times’ themed books and films supposedly get their story line. Furthermore, the label antichrist is only mentioned five times in Scripture, and those five times are limited to the first and second epistles of John.

In the course of the paper I would like to briefly state what I think is a concise summary of antichrist.

Firstly, the antichrist is a heresy (false doctrine/teaching) not a person:

1 John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.” Clearly from this passage, to be antichrist is to deny essential doctrines about Jesus Christ, it involves also denying the Father, thus it has to do with an understanding of the Godhead, and the nature of Jesus. 2 John 7 gives us a bit more detail when it says, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” Here the heresy of antichrist is explained to be a denial that Jesus came (thus a denial of his pre-existence, deity and actual coming to earth) in the flesh (that while being fully God, Jesus was also fully man).

1 John 4:3 continues, “and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist…” One can see from these passages that antichrist is identified as a doctrine which is false about the nature of Jesus. All that’s contained in confessing Jesus is beyond the scope of this paper to deal with, but suffice to say, it would be a denial of His Godhood, human nature, and being part of the Trinity in relationship with the Father.

Why I suggest antichrist is not a person in particular is because of John’s words in 1 John 2:28, he says, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” John here corrects something which they had heard- that ‘antichrist was coming, but John says, wait, forget what you heard, many antichrists have come. John is correcting their view that one antichrist is coming by expanding it out to many people, not just one.

Secondly, the antichrist is not future, but present. 1 John 4:3 reads, “and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. • This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard • was coming and now is in the world already.” John states, that antichrist was a present reality for the early church, it was not something to be looked for in the future. It’s strange that so many today still look forward for some end time political ruler who will be ‘the antichrist’ when John said was in the world already.

What becomes even more interesting is to read the context of our one passage as John points to certain people who were antichrist; notice 1 John 2:18-19,” Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.” Notice how the many antichrists (people who hold to the heresy) were actually part of the church, but they left the church to demonstrate that they were not actually part of the Church. It seems then that antichrist is an apostate person who as discussed earlier, holds unorthodox views regarding Jesus Christ.

If we compare this with modern culture’s antichrist ideas, I think we see a disparaging difference. We are told he is some political ruler that somehow tries to be like Jesus Christ in copycat form, but later becomes totally evil as his diabolical plan to gain world dominion matures. He is never part of the church, but more of a peace maker with all religions. It appears that modern ‘prophecy’ writers find anyone dipicted as a central evil figure in ‘prophetic texts’, and just label them antichrist (it should be noted that none of the verses in John’s epistles regarding the antichrist are apocalyptic/prophetic passages).

In the end friends, it would be far more beneficial for us to follow the advice of Pastor Doug van Meter, “Fear Jesus Christ, not the antichrist.”

21 Mar

End Time Pessimism

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Devotional, Religion. Tagged: Christianity, end times, eschatology, optimism, pessimism, satan bound, the gospel. 6 Comments

Does your attitude affect how you live? Most Christians I know seem to have a rather pessimistic attitude, I find it even in myself, possibly this stems from our expectation of the end of the world. But no matter what your view of the end times, we live in a culture which has been so saturated by defeatist thinking that we don’t even know it anymore. Every year there are people out predicting the end of the world really soon (tip, if someone tell you a specific day that they think Christ will return, the only thing you can know for sure is that He won’t return on that day cf. math 24:36).

But before this article turns into a rant about eschatological (end times) views let me turn your attention to a Scripture the Church would do well to meditate on, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9; emphasis added- ESV). That is alot of people, more than perhaps is currently saved. Most Christians seem to be doing ministry, but the greatest expectation is for the swift return and judgement of the Lord, and this is a good attitude to have, and one that must never be lost, we should wake up every day and say, “Perhaps today” (1 Tim 4:8). However do we really expect entire cities to repent (Jonah 3)? Or are we just waiting for the judgement? Our hearts should be split in two, one longing for Christ to return and the Kingdom to be consummate, but the other longing for our time now to look more like the consummate kingdom (what it will look like in the new heavens and new earth) than it already does.

If we read the book of Revelation in the way it should be read (sections which recapitulates the same story, instead of as a constant chronological future predictor), don’t we see God’s judgement on evil throughout history? Think of the gospel victories that have been won in the secular realm even: the emancipation of slaves brought about by William Wilberforce; the advance in medicine, science and religious liberty brought about by the Reformation; the rights of women and children brought about by much of the evangelical influence in the world; administration and civil order brought about by the Christian influence in the British commonwealth (this is not to say that the British were innocent in there colonialism, however even the results of common grace have benefitted the world), I could go on. Furthermore if one considers the number of countries where persecution occurs in this world, the number is definitely on the decrease, at this stage in history I would venture to say that there are far less countries where persecution occurs than any other time.

If all of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah before Satan was bound (Revelation 20), how much more now after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, should we anticipate the conversion of millions of souls? Sure there are mitigating factors against this, the emergent movement, what’s left of the seeker-sensitive movement, the health-wealth and prosperity cult and others all serve to destroy the gospel from within the so called church, however, we have been promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church (Matt 16:18).

In theology we talk about the ‘already and the not yet’, so for example a believer is declared to be perfect already, though he is not yet perfect in reality. The same goes for the doctrine of the kingdom, we are not yet what it will be like in the eternal state, yet we already have something of the kingdom. I believe that and pray that there will be a greater similarity between the ‘already and the not yet’ than any of us are thinking. And so should churches return to expository preaching, and believers live lives of risky faith for the sake of the gospel what wonderful things could we see? What tastes of the age to come could we enjoy, that will warm our hearts for its consummate form in heaven? Pray believers, witness Christians, stand for the truth Church, and rest in God’s sovereign grace, for it is Christ who stands in the midst of His Church (Revelation 1:12-13), and He goes forth to conquer (Revelation19:11-16)

7 May

The Olivet Discourse – Matthew 24

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Doctrine. Tagged: amillenialism, Christ, Christianity, end times, eschatology, Jesus, Matthew 24, post-millenialism, preterism, Theology. 4 Comments

It has been on my mind for awhile to deal with the whole issue of eschatology, and to be honest, as I approached the issue, I began to realize how little I understand. The more I read various views (which initially seemed rather convincing) the more I began to realize that none really answers all the questions satisfyingly. So although I have gained a greater appreciation of the various view’s attempts to harmonize the Scriptures and their theology, I believe Can't get across so easy I have been plunged into an ocean to vast to traverse. So without going into the idea that Eschatology’s seemingly illusive nature might have something to teach us (perhaps God did not intent the issue to be clear), allow me to begin my public processing of the issue.

I intent to, over the next bit of time, go over these issues, starting as far away and moving inwards with relevant source material, today starting a commentary of Matthew 24, which I believe to be the furtherest yet still specific point from which to broach the subject at hand. I must say, some of my thoughts have been provoked by a good friend’s honest and earnest approach to this subject.

So without further chit-chat: My introduction to the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24)

This is one of the last major teachings Christ gives His disciples, and deals mostly with judgment and the behavior expected of a Christian during this time of judgment. The problem in this text (which we will face) is that some of what Jesus says refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, and some of what He says refers to His coming at the end of the age (or so I will argue). As one commentator points out, the first coming of the Messiah to suffer was hard to conceive, thus we should not doubt that since He came literally to suffer, He will also literally come in person as well, to reign.

Jerusalem A.D 70 We may also say that there is a unity between the two judgements in mind (of Jerusalem and at the end of the age) in a theological sense, and thus some of what Jesus says may apply to both. The first of these judgements, which involves the destruction of Jerusalem, is a result of the rejection of His earthly ministry by the Jewish people. The second judgement is about what will follow the preaching of the gospel to the world. However I am cautious to approach these chapters with the assumption that everything in it applies to only one of these judgements (scholars seem to vary vastly on which part applies to which).

The mixing of prophecies leading up to the events of A.D. 70 and those which apply to the end of the age make this a difficult passage to interpret. Matthew also shares much in this passage with Mark and Luke, yet also has large variations.

Some commentators (and dear friends I have) understand the entire discourse to refer to a single event. They would End of the age say that Jesus is excepting His return within a few years, and that the judgment of Jerusalem is but a part of the judgment on the whole world. However, the language used appears against this: As opposed to teaching that He would be coming soon in glory, Christ appears to be discouraging this idea (v6, 8, 14 and 23-28). Furthermore we should not forget the fact that He said He did not know the date of His return (v36). If He did not know it, how could he affirm so confidently that it would happen within a few years?