INTRODUCTION

 Here are the verses that directly relate to the subject of this lesson:

 “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24).

 “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect” (Mark 13:22).

 “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.  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.  But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.  I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.  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 2:18-22).

 “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” (1 John 4:3).

 “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” (2 John 7).

 Let us now see what these verses mean, how they are abused, and what we ought to learn about all of this.

DISCUSSION

I. THE WORD AND ITS CONTEXTS.

A. False (pseudo) Christs.

1. Matthew 24:24.

2. Mark 13:22.

B. Anti Christ(s).

1. 1 John 2:18.

2. 1 John 2:22.

3. 1 John 4:3.

4. 2 John 7.

II. THE FALSE CONNECTIONS.

A. After accepting the false concept that there will be “THE ANTICHRIST,” some attempt to link this (imaginary) person to other passages, ending up with a detailed (and TOTALLY FALSE) description.

1. Daniel 7-12.

2. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17.

3. Revelation 13:1-18.

B. A few claims considered.

1. Jack Van Impe (The Great Escape).

“The Antichrist will come into prominence and power by signing a seven-year peace contract with Israel (Daniel 9:27).  Three and a half years after its signing, he will proclaim himself to be God, the true Messiah, and will set himself up as the global ruler in a temple in Jerusalem.  Study carefully 2 Thessalonians 2:4, ‘Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.’  During our visit to the Holy Land, I stood by the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, walked through an arch at the end of the wall, and looked into a great hole in the earth.  I observed that there the Jews are attempting to find, as they approach areas of the Dome of the Rock, the Holy of Holies of the old Temple.  (Some have indicated through news reports that the Holy of Holies has already been discovered.)  They know that the Wailing Wall is part of the old Temple area, and they say, ‘As soon as we find the Holy of Holies, we will try to build.’  Chills ran down my spine when I heard them say this, because they were speaking ancient words of prophecy in the twentieth century!”1

2. John F. Walvoord (End Times).

“It is particularly interesting that Antiochus seems to foreshadow the future Antichrist, who will dominate the world in the Great Tribulation.  The best interpretation of these passages is that the predictions of Daniel 11:1-35 have been fulfilled in history, and that verses 36-45 relate to the end times when the final world ruler will oppose the people of God and desecrate the temple, much as Antiochus did.
“In the Great Tribulation the world will come under the dominion of the king mentioned in Daniel 11:36, who will claim to be God.  The wars mentioned in verses 40-45 will occur ‘at the time of the end’ (11:40), that is, they will take place in the Great Tribulation between Egypt, ‘the king of the South,’ and the antichrist, ‘the king of the North’ (11:40). While the descriptions of these battles are somewhat obscure, it is clear that nothing has yet occurred in history that corresponds to this conflict.  Egypt will again be prominent in the days just before the Second Coming.”2

3. John Hagee (Beginning of the End).

“The Antichrist will be a man who makes his debut upon the stage of world history with hypnotic charm and charisma.  He will probably come from the European Union or a country or confederation that was once part of the Roman Empire, which stretched from Ireland to Egypt and included Turkey, Iran, and Iraq.  In Daniel’s vision, the ‘little horn’ sprouted among the other ten, which we know are somehow ten divisions of the old Roman Empire.  In his rise to power, the Antichrist will weave his hypnotic spell, first over one nation in the ten-kingdom federation, then over all ten.  He will conquer three of the ten nations and then assume primacy over all of them; next he will turn his ravenous eyes toward the Apple of God’s eye—Israel.
“The Antichrist will be a man who has ‘paid his dues’ in the military and the political sense, and many will willingly follow him.  He will rule over those in his federation with absolute authority and will do as he pleases (see Dan. 11:36).
“We also know that the antichrist will enter the world stage with a reputation of being a powerful man of peace.  Perhaps he will be a Nobel Peace Prize winner.  He will defeat and merge three kingdoms—could they be Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia?  Certainly that would be a modern-day miracle.  Anyone who could bring peace and unification to the centuries-old strife of that region would surely be known as the greatest man of peace in the modern era.  Daniel 8:25 says that by peace he ‘shall destroy many.’  He will guarantee peace for Israel and the Middle East and sign a seven-year peace treaty, but will break that seven-year treaty in only three and one-half years (see Dan. 9:27).  His peace is neither eternal nor true.
“First John 2:18 boldly declares, ‘Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.’  The Antichrist—capital A—is coming.  Though many people throughout the years have been anti-Christ, there is coming a man who is the devil incarnate, the son of Satan, evil personified.
“The antichrist’s three-point plan for world domination consists of a one-world economic system in which no one can buy nor sell without a mark sanctioned by the Antichrist’s administration; a one-world government, now being called ‘The New World Order’; and a one-world religion that will eventually focus its worship on the antichrist himself.
“We were in the Gulf as part of the United Nations force by our own insistence; we are in Bosnia as part of NATO at the request of the UN by our own insistence.  It is through these kinds of things that many are learning to think of themselves as citizens of the world first and citizens of America second, if at all.  Quietly and with great subtlety, the road is being paved for the one-world government of the Antichrist.
“Time magazine, in its review of the movie The Omen, noted that this dark and disturbing movie ‘rests on the biblical prophecy about the return of the Prince of Darkness taken from The Revelator to fit certain events of our time—the creation of Israel and the Common Market [now known as the European Union].’  The magazine article concluded that these are ‘times to believe in a reincarnated devil.’
“The Antichrist’s origin, methods, agenda, and goal are clearly revealed in Bible prophecy.  The antichrist, or deceptive ‘man of peace,’ could very well be alive right now.”3

4. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (Soul Harvest, The World Takes Sides).  In this novel, the man named Carpathia is “the Antichrist” and Rayford works for him.  Rayford missed out on the rapture due to worldliness, but now is converted, yet he still works for Carpathia!

“Rayford tasted bile.  ‘Lord, please,’ he prayed silently, ‘keep my mouth shut.’  It only made sense that the embodiment of evil himself was the slimiest of liars.  To imply that Amanda had been his plant, a mole in the Tribulation Force for the Global Community, and then to feign sorrow over her death?  A lethal wound to the head was too good for him.  Rayford imagined torturing the man who led the forces of evil against the God of the universe.
“’I wish you had been here earlier, Rayford.  Well, actually I am glad you were able to get the rest you needed.  But those of us here for the first breakfast were treated to Leon Fortunato’s account of last night.’
“’Mac said something about it.’
“’Yes, Office McCullum has heard it twice.  You should ask him to share it with you again.  Better yet, schedule some time with Mr. Fortunato.’
“It was all Rayford could do to feign civility.  ‘I’m aware of Leon’s devotion to you.’
“’As am I.  However, even I was moved and flattered at how his view has been elevated.’
“Rayford knew the story but couldn’t resist baiting Carpathia.  ‘It doesn’t surprise me that Leon is grateful for your rescuing him.’
“Carpathia sat back and looked amused.  ‘McCullum has heard the story twice, and that is his assessment?  Have you not heard?  I did not rescue Mr. Fortunato at all!  I did not even save his life!  According to his testimony, I brought him back from the dead.”4

III. THE LESSONS.

A. Always check the Bible context whenever people make claims about what they think it teaches.

B. Check for the true sources of their claims:

1. Proper use of the Bible?

2. Popular doctrine?

3. Famous/well-respected evangelist?

4. Modern day revelation?

5. ??

C. Use Bible terminology correctly—ALWAYS.
 
D. Contrast the simplicity of the Bible message with the volumes of incredible claims made by people.

CONCLUSION

 The passages used by premillennialists do not teach that a New World Order, a revival of the Holy Roman Empire, or “The Antichrist” are to come sooner or later.  The passages, when properly used, illustrate that God has already fulfilled many things, that “antichrist” can apply in many circumstances, and that there is no way to know if Jesus is coming soon.

 Let us not build our lives on the sinking sand of false doctrine.  Rather, let us build on the rock of truth, and then be bold and kind enough to encourage others to do the same.

END NOTES

1 Jack Van Impe, The Great Escape, Word Publishing, Nashville, 1998,  pp. 185,186.

2 John F. Walvoord, End Times, Word Publishing, Nashville, 1998, p. 97.

3 John Hagee, Beginning of the End, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1996, pp. 117, 188, 123, 131).

4 Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Soul Harvest, The World Takes Sides, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL, p. 84.

        Skip Andrews