The Antichrist Will Come Before The World Passes Away

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 STUDY NOTES I JOHN 2:18 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE ANTICHRIST WILL COME BEFORE THE WORLD PASSES AWAY INTRODUCTION In the beginning of this chapter John assures us of the work of Jesus for us Providing our salvation and sharing with us the way to enjoy our salvation Which is abiding in Christ, obeying His commandments, and walking as He walked We are to love God, love Christ, love one another, and do not love Satan’s world of sin Satan’s world of sin is going to cease to exist, the will of God is for ever Before Satan’s world of sin ceases to exist, he will have his greatest day of evil works Evil is going to reach its highest achievement in Satan’s man, the Antichrist John tells us he is coming--1Jn 2:18 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. John’s reference to “Little children” takes us back to those he identified in verse 13 In verse 13, the reference is to “little children” who need parental guidance and care Those who have not grown spiritually and need to be taught, they are still in an immature state They are either young in the faith or Christians who have not matured in their faith They need training, education, instructions, and discipline in-order for them to grow spiritually They are still in the spiritual nursery learning their spiritual A, B, C’s They are not the only target of Satan, but they may be the easiest target for Satan They may be the ones that Satan could most likely deceive through false teaching They need to learn more about God, God’s Word, and the Christian life As they study the Bible, they will learn more about God and the Devil The word Devil is found 38 times in the N.T. and the word Satan is found 36 times Each time you read the name there will be verses describing the person and evil work of Satan Both OT and NT instruct us concerning our battle against the devil, Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. To stand against Satan we must not be “ignorant of his devices,” 2Co 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. Even mature Christians need to learn what to expect from Satan in these “last days” John warns against one of the greatest dangers that Christianity faces, the “spirit of antichrist” Ever since the day of John there have been many false teachers working toward a certain day Preparing the way for the one who will eventually come forth from Satan known as “Antichrist” John said, it is the last time: In the previous verse John said that the world is passing-away Now he says that the time of the world passing-away is known as the “last time” or last hour It has been 2,000 years since John wrote this letter Was John mistaken when he said that his day was the “last time” or the “last hour?” No, John was not wrong in his thinking, he was living in the “last time” and so are we The emphasis of the “last days” in the Bible is not time as we think of an hour, a day, or a year The number of days and years is not the number one concern of the Biblical “Last Days” Biblical “Time” identifies with the events that are going to occur before Jesus returns People often ask the question, “Are we in the last days?” The answer according to scripture is “Yes” 1 But what they really want to know is, “Are we in the last days of the last days?” We cannot be certain, and we certainly cannot set a date concerning that question But again, according to scripture, the answer is probably “Yes” According to scripture, the time-period that we are now living in is “the last days” Which is an unspecified period-of time between the first and second coming of Jesus The return of Christ will end the present age and usher in the “New Age” The point is not duration of time but the time to be alert spiritually, Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. “Knowing the time” has the meaning of the time of opportunity, now is that time Today is the opportunity to live according to God’s will and it is time to be alert spiritually God has salvation plans for our new life in Christ every day of our life And God’s ultimate plan for our salvation draws nearer every day God’s revelation of the “Last Days” has to do with the Person and Work of Jesus The first coming of Jesus to the earth was the beginning of the “last days” In times past God spoke through the prophets, Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (Notice “time past”) In these “last days” God speaks through His Son, Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; There is a contrast between “time past” and “these last days” There was a time for the Crucifixion of Jesus and His shed blood on the cross, 1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: The time of the cross is within the “last times,” 1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, The coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was fulfilled in the “last days,” Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: The last days are the days of the Spirit, Act 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: There are also events which appear to be referring to the last days of the last days Those events are going to intensify and become more difficult because of the work of Satan God also reveals to us the last days of the person and work of Satan and his followers The works of Satan are going to begin to occur closer and closer together as time goes on Making it more difficult for Christians to live by faith, the days will be difficult, 2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. “Perilous times” are times of trouble and difficulty, especially difficult to live as a Christian Religion will exist but Christ-like living will be greatly persecuted In 2 Timothy 3, Paul gives us 19 characteristics of the people of the last days (verses 1-5) The daily lifestyle of the world is going to make it difficult for the Christian lifestyle The society of sinful man under the influence of Satan will bring about difficult days Scoffers will increase, 2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, They will mock the truths of God’s Word and the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah There will be a great denial of the return of Christ, 2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. In the “last time” there will be mockers who walk after their own ungodly lusts, Jud 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. Jesus said there will be many false Christ’s, Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 2 Jesus said there will be many false prophets, Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. The deception will be great in the last days of the last days, Mat 24:24 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. Satan will bring forth the greatest deceiver of all times, Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) John helps us to understand, and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, It was over 2,000 years ago when John wrote “And as ye have heard” If you have listened to prophecy preachers on radio and T.V. you too have heard Throughout the ages many have said that Antichrist has come, and they attempt to identify him Almost every attention gaining world leader has been called the Antichrist in their day Many past presidents, including our current president have been called the Antichrist There are those who say that Antichrist is alive and on earth today, and he very well could be But if he is, we do not now know who he is, he cannot be identified at this time Scripture reveals the time that he will be identified, at the time of the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15, 21; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-5) Antichrist is a real person and not a character out of the comic strips or a science fiction character He will be a real live individual who will come on the scene in the “last days” “Antichrist” is the title that John gives this character and it is found only in John’s letters “Antichrist” is not his name, it is his title, there are many other names or titles given in scripture The person that John titles as the “Antichrist” is presented in many other ways in the OT and NT Some say that there are as many as 30 such titles describing who he is and what he will do Paul identifies him as the “Man of sin,” 2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; The “falling away” is what Jesus describes in Matthew 24 :15, which will identify the Antichrist Paul reveals him as the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, or the “son of hell” He will be a man, he will be Satan’s man, who will rule over Satan’s final world system He is Satan’s man and receives his power from Satan, 2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, Satan is the “Dragon” who gives power to the “Beast” which is the Antichrist, Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Satan will bring forth the Antichrist into the world in a final attempt to defeat the “True Christ” “Antichrist” is the most common name used today among Bible students This title is a good description of who he is and what he will attempt to accomplish “Anti” means that he will be against Christ and in opposition to Christ, even denying Christ “Anti” also has the meaning of “in place of” or “instead of” Antichrist will come presenting himself “in the place of” the true Christ We must understand how Jesus is presented in scripture in-order to see what Antichrist attempts We often read of “Jesus Christ” in Scripture But remember that “Jesus” is the name of God’s Son and “Christ” is His title, Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Scripture reveals to us that “Jesus is the Christ,” which means that Jesus is the true Messiah The true Savior is Jesus, Jesus is the “Anointed One,” 1Jn 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. In-order for Antichrist to deny the “True Christ,” he must deny the “True Jesus” John says that he will “deny Jesus,” 1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 3 The Antichrist will deny the person of God the Father and the person of Jesus Antichrist will come against the truth of the Incarnation or the birth of Jesus, 1Jn 4:3 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. Antichrist will deny that Jesus in the flesh was God in the flesh, denying the “Deity” of Jesus 2Jn 1:7 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. The Antichrist will become a spiritual world leader by denying that Jesus is the true “God-Man” He will come in a time of world-wide conflict and chaos, especially in the Middle East Many nations will be at war with the Middle East and in the Middle East Antichrist will arise to be a powerful world leader The coming of the Antichrist is first found in the book of Daniel, Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. Antichrist is the “Little Horn” in, Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things In scripture a horn is used as a symbol of an earthly king or a world ruler The “little horn” is the one who will overthrow three other horns or three other empires The last of the world rulers will be the one who comes on the scene by defeating 3 other rulers He will possess a mouth that speaks arrogant and boastful words as we found in Daniel 7:8 The kingdoms of Satan are known as “Beast Kingdoms” or “Beast Empires” Revelation 17 reveals that there will be eight beast kingdoms that Satan has controlled The coming Antichrist will be the ruler of the final beast kingdom The final beast kingdom will be a confederation of ten nations Today we are watching for these nations to come together under Satan’s hand The recent peace treaty with Israel could be the one leading to the final 10 nation confederation The Antichrist could soon come forth as the leader of these nations The Antichrist will make a covenant with Israel which begins “Daniel’s Seventieth Week” But that is not the event in which the world will come to know who he really is Christians who know their Bible may be able to identify him at that time You must understand the Seventieth Week of Daniel, a seven-year period-of time yet to come, Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. The prophecy given to Daniel was for a time-period of 490 years (Daniel 9:24-27) Some say that this prophecy of Daniel has already been fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes One of the cruelest rulers of all time who sought to unite all people in religion, law, and custom He issued regulations that went directly against Jewish law and custom According to history he committed the most ungodly act of all against the Jews He entered the temple of the Jews and slaughtered a pig on the altar He then set up an idol statue of a Greek god in the temple His purpose was to render the temple unfit for the Jews to continue their worship of God But the actions of Antiochus Epiphanes did not fulfill the prophecy of Daniel The act of Antiochus Epiphanes is a type of the future work of the Antichrist The first 483 years of Daniel’s prophecy have literally been fulfilled, leaving 7 years yet to come The Antichrist covenant with Israel, to protect them against their enemies, will begin the 7 years 4 In the middle of the 70th week Antichrist is going to break his covenant with Israel, Dan 9:27 And he (Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: (7 years) and in the midst of the week (3 ½ years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Jesus described that time as the “Abomination of Desolation,” Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) This is the event that will identify the Antichrist as who he truly is, that which makes him known He will exalt himself above everything that is called God and put himself in the place of worship He sets himself up in God’s temple and demands that the world worship him He will proclaim himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) John tells us that we are already facing the days which prepare for the Antichrist to come even now are there many antichrists; John tells us that the presence of the “spirit of antichrist” identifies that we are in the last days For years, the study of prophetic events has been a most popular subject But I sense that the present debates of Bible scholars over those events are now a tool of Satan Satan wants us to turn our attention away from living for God today “by faith” When the Bible speaks to us concerning the end of the age it is so that we will live for God today The purpose of the study of prophecy is to teach us to live for Jesus today Because we don’t know what day He is going to return we must live according to His will today But are Christians being taught the truth of our day and the days before Jesus returns? Are Christians today being prepared for the days prior to the return of Christ? Today, we must learn the truth of Christ, the truth of Satan, and the truth of Antichrist In John’s day there were antichrists who were denying the Person and work of Jesus John said that the antichrists are liars, 1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Antichrists are deceivers, 2Jn 1:7 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. Antichrists are not of God, 1Jn 4:3 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. Anyone throughout the ages who teaches doctrine against Christ is of the Antichrist Any teaching that does not conform to the teaching of God’s Word is a false doctrine There have been many antichrists in the past and there are many antichrists today But the real and final person known as “the Antichrist” is yet to come The “spirit of antichrist” has been present a long time and will precede his coming The “spirit of Antichrist” describes the attitude and philosophy of this present world Consider the denial of Jesus today, denying that He is the only way of salvation Satan is telling our world that man does not need a savior from a sin nature Satan is telling us that today’s sinful ways are the normal ways of life All of which tells us the same thing John tells us--whereby we know that it is the last time. “Whereby” means that the facts have been presented and we have the evidence “We know” because of what has been written and by our own personal experience “That it is the last time” does not point to the clock or the calendar It draws our attention to the daily news of current world events Satan’s work throughout the ages has been heresy, false teaching, and opposition of God Satan had persecuted the people of God in the past and still persecutes them today 5 In many countries throughout the world today Christians are being persecuted America is now in the beginning stages of Christianity being persecuted America’s national news is not interested in presenting any news related to true Christianity Franklin Graham’s Washington Prayer March was not covered by the National News Media Even though there were more than 50,000 in attendance, National news did not recognize it But one preacher who recently went astray made every National Network of news We must be prepared as Christians today, John is telling us the truth The spirit of antichrist is preparing the way for the coming of Antichrist John said that this world system is passing-away, it is on its way to a close But Satan will have his day and his work will intensify before this present age comes-to a close We know that the “spirit of antichrist” is here and the “Antichrist” is coming Antichrist will be revealed, 2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; He will exalt himself above God, 2Th 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. He will be of great satanic power and he will perform signs and lying wonders, 2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, The Antichrist will be destroyed at the time of the Second Coming of Christ, 2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire, Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. So, Christian, what do we do today? Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. The “evil day” is any day and every day that the devil comes to assault you Satan will have his day in the future, and he will do more than he is doing today Today is the day that we must take Jesus by the hand, listen to the song 6