“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. Whosoever denieth the Son, the
same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father
also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning.
If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also
shall continue in the Son, and in the Father” (1
John 2:18-24).
Introduction
There are so many
religions in the world today that people think that all roads lead to God, if
they believe a Divine Being exists. What you believe is not important anymore.
But not everyone can be right since the teachings of the religions are in
conflict with each other. If a person is wrong in their belief, then they will
spend eternity in damnation regretting it. The time to be sure is now. “Behold,
now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2
Corinthians 6:2). Anyone not following Christ is being controlled by the spirit
of antichrist, “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” (1 John 4:3).
What
is this antichrist?
Antichrist is a
Satanically empowered man who will be on the world scene at the end of the ages,
but the apostle John uses the title to refer to anyone teaching what does not
conform to Biblical Christianity, that is Satanically inspired doctrines. This
“spirit” was the first alternative teaching to God’s revealed word as seen
in Eden when Satan brainwashed Adam and Eve into rebelling against the truth
(Genesis 3). It is this same “spirit” that controls politics, education and
religion today.
Atheists think
they are not under the control of this “spirit” since they neither believe
in God or the devil, but they are just as deceived as the Muslim, Hindu or
pagan. Believers in a Divine Being are more concerned with ritual and good works
than taking time to think through the validity of their belief system. All have
fallen into Satan’s trap. “There is a way that seemeth right unto
a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). They are in fact following devilish lies. “He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a
liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).
The “spirit of antichrist denies the existence of God and the divinity of
Christ.
The
misconception
The majority of
people think that it does not matter what we believe as long as we are good
people. The problem is “there is none good”
(Matthew 19:17) or as Paul says, “There is none righteous, no, not
one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there
is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with
their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed
blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they
not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans
3:10-18) and “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God” (Romans 3:23), therefore all mankind
deserve nothing less that judgement. So it does matter what we believe.
The
Christ
Since there is an
antichrist, it follows that there is a true Christ, and those who follow Him
have the truth. “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” (1
John 4:2). By trusting in Him we have the way of truth that leads to everlasting
life. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
We can protect
ourselves from falling into the same trap as the rest of the world has. We do
this by adhering to the word of God and questioning every new teaching that
comes along. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the
world” (1 John 4:1). We “test the
spirits” by viewing such teachings in the light of Scripture. If in even the
slightest way they undermine Christ then they must be rejected. “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).
Conclusion
© 1/1/2010