Thursday, August 11, 2011

Is the Anti-Christ Real? Is He a Man or a Spirit?

"Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve"  Paul, Second Corinthians. 

Other than Jesus the most fascinating character in all of Scripture - for me - is the Anti-Christ; for several reasons. Firstly, he is the opposite of Jesus, whom people of almost all religions love for his humanity, generosity, and empathy. He will be selfish, power hungry, and cruel. But the Anti-Christ also will be loved and followed by the mass of people in the world. So powerful will be his powers to deceive that he will lead people of all nations to eternal destruction. He will be saying "Peace!" Peace!" But will bring strife and war. He is a serpent in disguise.

Secondly, when the Anti-Christ does appear, it will be a sure and certain sign that the End of Times has arrived. Which means the rebirth of the world into something resembling perfect Paradise. Is it possible that this is happening right now? I think so.

The spirit of the Anti-Christ can be seen everywhere today. Lawlessness, violence, murder, pornography, child abuse, and other crimes are out of control. Nobody doubts that anymore. But is there a handsome and charismatic leader, admired by millions all around the world, promising peace and prosperity, dominating the media and smiling confidently? I see that person every day.

Our times are coming to an end soon, and there will be a new beginning.

From the times of Daniel and Isaiah in the Old Testament - hundreds of years before Jesus - the Anti-Christ prophecy was written. You see, the Anti-Christ always precedes the Christ. Just as in the refining of gold and silver, the purifying flame drives out the dross, or impurities in the metal. Malachi 3:2 says,"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire..."

All things must be gathered together in the end, like with like. As Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand.... It must become all one thing, or all another."

First let's define Christ and his attributes. The word Christ means annointed by God. He is given power by God and rules with God. He came down to earth so that men and women could see the Divine Eternal Light, Lux Aeterna, and be reconciled with their Creator. We've been involved in a feud, a divorce, from the Lord, and it started a very long time ago. The original causes have been largely forgotten, which is typical with any longtime feud.

Christ gave entirely of himself, even to death, for our sake. He served faithfully all his days, healed the sick, spoke until he was exhausted, acquired no property, and didn't defend himself from horrible injustice and undeserved disgrace. He was humble and selfless above all things.

The Anti-Christ is the exact opposite. He is annointed by the prince of this world, Satan, to walk among us and deceive great masses of people. His job is to peel off the weak and faithless. He is proud and haughty above all things, loves power, dominates people, and charms them with his glittering personality. The Anti-Christ promises peace, happiness, wealth, and 'empowerment' to all, and wants you to imitate him. But his promises are lies, and all that will come of it is violence, death, strife, chaos, and destruction. This is foretold, and actually is a very good thing, required before The Second Coming.

Scripture says, "Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come [the Second Coming of Christ] until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." -  Paul, 2 Thessalonians 2

We see these kinds of people everywhere. The Anti-Christ may not be one individual, but a spirit of our age. Awaken. Prepare to see the Lord your God.