We have been discussing the Antichrist and the doctrine of the antichrist. If you haven’t read the previous three parts on this topic you owe it to yourself to do so. Jumping in to this fourth part without understanding the foundation we’ve been laying down in the previous parts will result in your missing the full impact of the conclusion.
We’ve already seen that the doctrine of the antichrist was already present in John’s time. Identifying what this doctrine is will help us identify who is the Antichrist at the end of time. A large number of Christians today are looking for a future antichrist. They don’t realize that the antichrist is already here.
The Antichrist is already here
How can we biblically identify the antichrist? After all, we can’t pin the label of antichrist on someone without biblical authority to do so. Let’s look again at 2 John 7:
“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
We saw in Antichrist and Jesus coming in the Flesh (Part 3) that the antichrist will deny that Jesus came as a real human being with the same nature we all inherit from Adam since the fall. Most Christians think that this passage refers to Jesus coming physically in the flesh. As a result, they are blind to the real antichrist.
The book of Revelation tells us that at the end of time there would be a religious power that would speak blasphemies against the Most High.
“And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” – Revelation 13:5-6
What is blasphemy? At its most basic level, blasphemy is claiming to be God (John 10:30-33). Blasphemy can also include taking the things of God and attributing them to Satan or vice versa. When we give God attributes or characteristics that actually belong to Satan we blaspheme against God. An example of this kind of blasphemy is found in Matthew 12:22-32. In this passage the pharisees, holy men of the time, slandered Jesus and blasphemed against the Holy Spirit by claiming that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan. Clearly, while the most common definition of blasphemy is to claim to be God, the other more subtle but equally dangerous sin is to fail to give God the respect and homage due to His glorious name. When we take the things of God and claim that it is heresy we are committing blasphemy. When we use our own logic or man’s philosophy to contradict the clear word of the Bible we are committing blasphemy.
When we understand what the Bible has to say about the antichrist we have to come to the conclusion that the spirit of the antichrist is already here. It has been working for thousands of years. It has been subverting the pure gospel of Christ for thousands of years. It has actively persecuted those who would dare stand up for the truth and put them to death for what they termed heresy. It has worked subtly behind the scenes to lead people astray. To turn people away from the Bible. To cause the majority of the Christian world to think they are following Jesus when in reality they are really worshipping Satan.
Satan is no dummy. He doesn’t use a frontal assault to get Christians to stumble. He uses subtlety. He uses cunning. He uses deception. He mixes error with truth. Only the person who is determined to know the truth will be saved in the end. Only the person who is willing to walk by faith and trust the word of God. Only the person who will ignore the hooks of doubt all around them that leads so many into error will win. Only the person who is determined to live by “It is written…” alone will be saved in the end.
“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
– Matthew 7:21-23