Recognizing Jesus Christ as the Bible speaks of him is crucial for our salvation. Yet, recognizing the Antichrist and the Man of Sin is important for understanding their threat to some believing in Jesus Christ as the Bible teaches.
Recognizing Christ
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son who died on a cross to atone for the sins of mankind (John 3:16). It teaches that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and mankind.Those who truly believe this and obey Jesus Christ as the Bible teaches are his followers. Jesus instructed his followers to reach others with the good news of his sacrificial atonement (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)
Recognizing the Antichrist and the Man of Sin
The Antichrist and the Man of Sin are named in the Bible as opponents of of Jesus Christ and his followers. But clearly identify these opponents may sometimes be difficult because they are religious deceivers under the power and influence of the devil (Ephesians 6:12). Nevertheless, it is important for followers of the Lord to overcome the difficulty. It is important for people to hear the pure gospel of Jesus Christ crucified to be saved from sin (Romans 10:14). To get a clear understanding of the opponents we can search the Scripture, as the Berean Church did in Acts 17:11, to ascertain the truth of what the Bible teaches about the Antichrist and the Man of Sin.
The Antichrist. The scriptures of the Bible say the following about the Antichrist which had come:
- Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is even now is already in the world (1 John 4:2-3NIV).
- Not that we loved God, but he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10; John 3:16)
- There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them (2 Peter 2:1NIV).
- Many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist (2 John 7NKJV)
The Man of Sin. The Bible states the following about the “man of sin” who was to come after the time Paul wrote about him:
- The Apostle said: “That day [of the Lord] shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so in that he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
- Daniel wrote about a power referred to as a “little horn” which was to talk “boastfully” and “speak against the Most High and oppress his people” (Daniel 7:8,25NIV). And the”little horn” was to rise to power among ten other larger powers of Rome, the kingdom after Greece (Dan 7 and 8:19-25).
Recognized Bible Distinctions Between the Two Opponents. Definitions given by the Bible of the Antichrist and the Man of Sin show that the antichrist is a spirit which operates through many different deceivers; whereas, the Man of Sin is describes as a particular man. The spirit of the Antichrist denies that Jesus has come in the flesh to die and atone for sin as the scripture says. The Man of Sin acknowledges that Jesus has come in the flesh; however, he sees himself as being equal to Lord.
Furthermore, the Scripture tells us that the spirit of the Antichrist was already operating in the world when the apostles wrote about them. At that same time, the Scripture says the Man of Sin was yet to come. The Bible’s distinct identification of these two enemy entities enables the followers of the Lord to see them separately in different time contexts.
Related Documentation About the Man of Sin. There are historical documents other than the Bible that show that the papacy of Rome fits the Bible’s description of the Man of Sin:
Documents from historical research was presented in a youtube video, titled Who is the Antichrist? The researchers believed the data showed that the Antichrist was the pope of Rome. However, in looking at the Bible definitions of the Antichrist and the Man of Sin, the work of the researchers shown below is useful in showing facts about the pope of Rome that are consistent with the Bible’s description of the Man of Sin:
- Pope John Paul’s book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, reads: “The Pope is considered the man on earth who represents God, who takes the place of the Second Person of the omnipotent God of the Trinity.”
- History has shown that the Papacy has used its religion-politico power to cause kings, like King Henry IV, to prostrate themselves before the pope. (It is common knowledge today that dignitaries and common people kneel before the pope, kiss his ring, and call him “Holy Father” and “Your Holiness.”)
- The Roman Empire was divided among ten European powers, after the demise of the Caesarean pagan Roman Empire. the Papacy began its rise to power in 476 AD by uprooting three of the ten powers of Rome—the Vandals, the Ostrogoths, and the Hureli. By 538 the Papacy completed the uprooting and secured a position of religion-politico power.
- The book of Daniel said a “little horn” power was to rise among ten powers of Rome, the kingdom following Greece (Dan 7 and 8:19-25).The “little horn” power was to speak “boastfully” and “speak against the Most High and oppress his people” (Daniel 7:8,25NIV)
- “The church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind.”
Pope’s spokesman Cardinal Bellarmaine said, ”in the name of popery…almost an infinite number were either burned; or otherwise put to death.”— “Heretics may not only be excommunicated, but justly killed.”— (Letters in the Roman Catholic Controversy, by W.C. Brownlee, D.D. p.343, re: Bellarmine, De Laisis, chap 22). //books.google.com/books?id=AZxdAAAAcAAJ
(You may copy link and paste to google search.)
In comparison to the Pope’s spokesman, Jesus’ did not respond to those who were not following him by killing them. He rebuked his disciples for wanting to call down fire and destroy those who were not following the Lord (Luke 9:53-56). Even when Jesus was being crucified he responded by asking the Farther to “forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:33-34).
In commenting on the Papacy, a commentator in the above video said there are many good Catholics, including himself; however, he said the Papacy has shown that it is a false institution of Church leadership.
Related Documentation About the Spirit of the Antichrist. Documents of the Early Church Fathers show they fought against those whom the apostles identified as the Antichrist. The Church Fathers also called the teachers and followers of the Antichrist gnostics. The Fathers wrote the following about them:
- “They [gnostics] abstain from Eucharist [thanksgiving] and prayer, because they so not allow for that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ which suffered for our sins, and which the Father of goodness raised up.” Ignatius: to the Smyranaeans (AD 35-105).
- Antichrist gnostics “actually chose to believe He was a phantom, denying to Him the reality of a perfect body” Tertullian (AD 198) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol 3, pg 197)
- If the antichrist gnostic heretics use Scriptures at all, “they alter the meanings” (Clement of Alexandria (SD 195) Ante-nicene Fathers vol2 pg 551.
Teachers and adherents of the Antichrist doctrine flourish today under many different names.
Recognizing Today’s Threats From the Man of Sin and the Antichrist
The Man of Sin. Compared to its heyday, the influence and power of the Papacy has largely been curtailed.
- The powerful reign of the “little horn” papacy was checked in 1798, when Napoleon’s generals captured and exiled the pope.
- Subsequent to 1798 the papacy has not regained it previous level of power.
- There seems to be no indication in the Bible that the papacy will ever regain it former level of power in the world.
The Antichrist. Today, antichrist/gnostic ideologies are incorporated into the beliefs of a large and growing number of people who do not subscribe to traditional Bible teachings about the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. In the Western world, among the many names for these people, the best known is apparently “New Age” and “New Spirituality.”
- Primary sources are referenced in the Encyclopedia-Wikipedia which inform us about the New Age: Hanegraaff regarded the New Age as a form of “popular culture criticism”, in that it represented a reaction against the dominant Western values of Judeo-Christian religion and rationalism.[ 32] …. While the term “New Age” may have fallen out of favor,[110][325] scholar George Chryssides notes that the New Age by whatever name is “still alive and active” in the 21st century[14] …. From a historical perspective, the New Age phenomenon is rooted in the counterculture of the 1960s.[61] …. This decade also witnessed the emergence of a variety of new religious movements and newly established religions in the United States, creating a spiritual milieu from which the New Age drew upon; these included the San Francisco Zen Center, Transcendental Meditation, Soka Gakkai, the Inner Peace Movement, the Church of All Worlds, and the Church of Satan.[65]
- Christ Among Other gods: A Defense Of Christ In An Age of Tolerance by Dr. Erwin Lutzer sheds light on the growing threat of the antichrist spirit. Dr. Lutzer reports about a movements in America that “plans to unify the religions of the world;” while disregarding that the Bible says Jesus Christ is the only divine Son of God, and the only way to God the Father (Philippians 2:5-6; John 14:6; John 3:16). Dr. Lutzer said he attended sessions of the Parliament of World’s Religions in1993 to learn about its agenda. He learned that the leaders of the Parliament teaches that religions of the world have different perspectives of the same “God.” They say all religions, including Christianity, should be respected as equals. 6000 delegates in attendance were told “unite or perish.”
- Looking at the religious ecumenical movement in America, Dr. Erwin Lutzer says many churches recognized as Christian promote the idea that unity of all religions will bring about a better understanding of God. We may ask, which God? Perhaps in their desire to unify, to avoid perishing and to prosper, these churches may have forgotten or distorted what the Bible says about Jesus being the only way to salvation and God the Father.
- In a 2007-08 Pew Research Center Survey, Lutzer found that “most American agree…that many religions—not just their own—can lead to eternal life.” ” A Pew release dated 10/09/2012 projected that Christianity will experience a net loss of 66,050,00 followers worldwide, when considering religious switching between Christianity and other religions, 2010-2050. Another Pew release dated 02/04/2015 projects that “In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050.
To those who believe and hold to what the Bible says about Jesus Christ, the Scripture says come out from among unbelievers and be separate (2 CORINTHIANS 6:17).
As believers in Christ, we have the privilege and responsibility of carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ to others (Mark 16:15-16). Praying and being guided by the Word of God, the Holy Spirit gives us discernment and ability to overcome our spiritual adversaries. And we overcome the Antichrist, the devil and all of his followers by the blood of Jesus Christ and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11).
Taken from //jesusliftedup.com
