Sunday, September 28, 2008 pm
PREMILLENIALISM EXAMINED (4)
The Anti-Christ
a.
The term
Anti-Christ. Premillenialism
teaches that the anti-Christ is a person who will arise to deceive the
nations at the end of time.
He will lead the forces of evil.
How he fits in the theory.
While there are many different views about the anti-Christ, they are
usually associated with the 7 years of tribulation. At some point,
Premillenialists believe the anti-Christ will arise and turn the world
against the godly. There is
debate as to whether the rapture will occur before, in the middle of or
at the conclusion of the 7 years of tribulation associated with him.
The “Left-Behind” series takes the position that the
anti-Christ arises after the rapture.
b.
According
to the Protestant Reformed Churches webpage, “Scripture teaches
Antichrist to be a political, religious, individual, yet to come in the
future (as of this writing), who is opposed to God and God's Christ and
God's church. Although the only places in Scripture the name Antichrist
is used are I and in John (I
John 2:18,22,4:3,
II John 7),
the Bible is replete with instruction regarding the reality we call
Antichrist. The key passages are
Daniel 7, 8, 11;
Matthew 24;
II Thessalonians 2; and
Revelation 13, 17 and 18 -- where Antichrist is referred to as a beast, a little horn, a
false Christ, that wicked one, and the man of sin.”
Rev. Barry Gritters,
http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/pamphlet_3.html
c.
Passages
used to teach the doctrine of the anti-Christ.
i.
2
Thess. 2:3 – the man of
sin, the son of perdition.
ii.
Revelation 13:1-10
describes the sea beast (a representation of a world economy).
The beast whose number is 666,
the number of a man (13:18).
iii.
Revelation 17:3, a harlot
is described as riding upon a beast.
Again, that beast who is identified with the beast of Romans 13
is the anti-Christ.
NOTE how the term anti-Christ is NOT mentioned in these texts.
In fact, the term is NEVER used in Revelation.
But they identify this with a man.
iv.
Matthew 24:24 – which
speaks of false christs and prophets. Some sources see the anti-Christ
as one of these false christs.
a.
The term
anti-Christ – simply means, “Against Christ.”
It is one who denies that Jesus
was who He claimed to be. In
fact that is seen in its usage in scripture.
b.
Passages
that address the anti-Christ – we will examine each passage
i.
1
John 2:18 – the antichrist
is coming, there are many antichrists.
This identifies the fact that there is more than one.
So it is a state rather than a specific individual.
ii.
1
John 2:22 – he denies the
Father and the Son. He
denies that Jesus is the Christ.
iii.
1
John 4:3 – He does not
confess that Jesus came in the flesh, i.e. denies the humanity of Jesus.
(Note – in these verses we find John combating Gnosticism, which was a
doctrine that taught that matter is evil and the spirit is good.
Gnostics often claimed special knowledge which made them better
than other Christians. They
developed false concepts about Jesus, teaching that since flesh (matter)
is evil, Christ could NOT have come in the flesh.
There were 2 schools: 1)Docetists who taught that Jesus only
seems to be flesh and blood; 2)Cerinthians who taught that Jesus the man
was born of flesh (evil) and that at His baptism, the deity – (Christ)
entered into Him and left just prior to His death on the cross.)
John in his epistle was dealing with this false doctrine and called
those who taught it, “antichrist.”
NOTE how this text says that the spirit of the Antichrist is
already in the world.
iv.
2
John 7 – repeats the same
idea as 1 John 4:3. Again,
one who denies the flesh of the Christ is Antichrist.
v.
Conclusion – the only
times the term is used in scripture it has reference to an attitude.
It is the attitude of the atheist or one who denies the existence
of Jesus or one who denies who Jesus was when He came to this earth.
Nothing more and nothing less.
i.
Prophecies
of Daniel – we have not gone over the prophecies in Daniel.
They are a study within themselves.
Honestly, I could not find clear quotes citing these texts as the
antichrist though I did find one that mentioned the prophecy of Daniel 7
and associated the antichrist with the beast of Revelation 13.
It is the quote mentioned earlier.
It also cited that there are passages in chapters 8 & 11 though
it did not deal with them.
Let me simply say that Daniel
prophecies of events that were to unfold during the period of time
between his writing and the fourth kingdom during which Christ would
come to this earth.
1.
Daniel 7
is a vision of 4 beasts that parallels in some respects the vision of
Daniel 2 which noted that it would be during the 4th kingdom
(Rome) that God would set up His everlasting kingdom.
HE DID!
2.
Daniel 8
is a vision of a Ram with 2 horns of different lengths. While pushing
its way around a goat comes out of the west and attacked the Ram and
broke its horns. The male
goat wins and then grows and has horns, of which exalts himself as “the
Prince of the host” (1-14).
THIS vision is interpreted to Daniel by Gabriel who tells him what it
means. Vs. 20-21 clearly
identify the Ram as Medo-Persia and the Goat as Greece.
Vs. 16 says it is a vision which “refers to the time of the end.”
Context determines the time of the end to be the end of the Medo-Persian
Empire. The other characters
are associated with the Grecian Empire.
3.
Daniel 11
– is part of a vision in which there is conflict between Persia and
Greece (1-5), then between Egypt and Syria (5-20), followed by the rise
of a vile man (11:21-45) who will blaspheme against Israel as well as
other things. Ultimately,
Daniel’s people will be victorious (12:1-3).
THIS vision, like the one in chapter 8 is describing events that will
take place during the Grecian Empire.
Dan. 11:1-4 bears this out, speaking of how many more kings would
be in the Persian Empire and then notes how it will fall.
This vision, like the others does NOT lend itself toward a time beyond
that of Christ.
ii.
2
Thess. 2:3 – the man of
sin, son of perdition.
This text does not say there will be only one particular person.
It can describe a particular TYPE of person.
Paul’s point to the Thessalonians to clear up misunderstanding
about the imminent return of the Lord.
Paul said it would not happen that soon.
He notes that there must first be a falling away.
He notes that there will be apostasy.
The man of sin could be
descriptive of an attitude of ungodliness.
It would be ANYONE who “opposes (the godly) and exalts himself above all that is called God or
that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God.”
Examples of this would be the papacy in Rome, the modern day prophets of
Mormonism, various cult leaders who profess to be God’s prophet or even
his son, etc.
To
substantiate this, see the actual use of the term antichrist in the
above texts.
Also, a study of history reveals that in many generation, some modern
day figure is identified as the antichrist – recently these include
Hitler, Ronald Reagan, Sadaam Hussein, etc.
The point is that too much speculation proves too much.
iii.
Revelation 13 & 17 do belong together.
But they refer to the Empire of Rome that was persecuting
Christians at the time the book was being written.
Understand the book of Revelation is a symbolic book written to
suffering Christians in the late first century.
Its message was one of deliverance and promised to “shortly take
place” (1:1, cf. 1:3 – the time is near, 22:10 – the time is at hand,
22:20 - surely I am coming quickly).
It was written in apocalyptic (hidden) language with a message of
endurance to the saints THEN suffering. The
most consistent interpretation of the book is that it has reference to
either Rome who then persecuted Christians (later date – 95 AD) or
Jerusalem who then persecuted Christians before its fall (early date –
67-70 AD).
To relegate these events to a
future time more than two millenniums later would have been of little
comfort to these suffering saints. AND
you have all the problems we have examined with premillenialism thus
far.
With this in mind, the events of Revelation 13, I believe, are
descriptive of the Roman Empire as it persisted in its persecution of
Christians. There is a
sea beast -
1.
13: 1 -
The 10 horns could represent the various periods of persecution under
which Christians suffered.
2.
13:5-6 -
The beast blasphemes against God and is given authority for a short
period of time (42 months).
Rome certainly did this against Christians as it engaged in Caesar
worship.
3.
13:7 – It
was granted to make war with the saints and to overcome them.
In latter times, Roman Caesars did declare war against Christians
who refused to worship Rome.
4.
13:11-17
describes another beast, the land beast who had horns like a lamb and
spoke like a dragon. This
shows his gentle appearance, but harsh rhetoric.
He received power from the Sea Beast and, in summary he causes
all the earth to worship the beast and receive a mark.
A careful study of this context reveals that it could apply to
the false religion of Rome.
In chapter 19, this beast is instead called, “the false prophet” (19:20,
16:13)
iv.
Matthew 24:24 – describes
the destruction of Jerusalem and false teachers prevalent at the time.
These false teachers were dealt with by Paul and John and others.
In fact, as John speaks of antichrists, he has some of these in
mind.
Furthermore,
give weight to this in light of vs. 34-35 which says, “Assuredly,
I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these
things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by
no means pass away.”
And thus we can see
the doctrine of the antichrist.
The term is Biblical, but it does NOT refer to a specific man yet
future that will usher in the premillenial period, it is an attitude.
Those passages which Premillenialists attempt to tie to a
specific person yet future cannot do so with any certainty.
In fact, as with so many other elements of this theory – they
have to twist passages to reach their conclusions.
Let us NEVER be guilty of that!