We are living in the days immediately preceding the emergence of the Antichrist on the world scene. But before he becomes manifest as Satan's chief representative on earth, there will be a gradual build-up of the world situation to pave the way for him - somewhat like the slope that leads to the summit of the mountain. The building up of this slope had commenced even in the first century - as John tells us in1 Jn. 2:18 - "It is the last hour; and just as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen". The Holy Spirit states there that it was already 11 p.m. at the time when that was written - around 100 AD. We are in the closing seconds of the age now. Things have come to the stage where the summit has almost been reached. We are to live as those who have understanding of the times in which we live (Matt. 16:3).
The kingdom of the Antichrist will be political, economic and religious. We want to consider just the religious aspect of it. The devil has accomplished his purposes far more through false religions than through atheistic governments; and also far more through counterfeit Christianity than through false religions. This is why John speaks about the antichrists as having sat in the Christian churches of the first century. They were however driven out through the strong preaching of the apostles. "They went out from our midst", he says (1 Jn. 2:19). This spirit of the Antichrist is now found in abundance in Christendom today. We need to identify it clearly for what it is, for only then can we drive it out of our own flesh and then out of our churches.
The characteristics of the Antichrist are described briefly in2 Thess. 2:3-12: (i) He is called the man of sin [v.3]. (ii) He is one who exalts himself, wanting to be like God (v. 4) (iii) He is one who lies and deceives [v.9,10]. These give us an indication as to what we can expect to find in the antichrists who sit in Christian assemblies today, as they did in the days of John.
The Antichrist is called the man of sin. His spirit will be manifested in Christendom by a casual attitude towards sin. Preaching against sin will become unpopular in this last generation before Christ returns. There may be plenty of preaching on social equality, on caring for the poor and the illiterate, on providing relief for flood victims, etc, - all of which are good. But there will be hardly any emphasis on sins such as the love of money and material things, sexually sinful thoughts, unforgiving attitudes, outbursts of anger, seeking the honour of men, backbiting, gossiping, etc, (the things that Jesus mentioned in Matt. 5-7). 'The mystery of iniquity' (2 Thess. 2:7) will be seen as a false grace that assures people that they are eternally secure just because they once 'accepted Christ', despite the fact that they continue to live in sin. Such preaching tickles the ears and therefore many believers will readily listen to it (2 Tim. 4:3,4).
In Rev. 13, where the reign of the Antichrist is described, we are told that he gives his followers the option of following him either publicly or secretly. They can receive his mark on their forehead (if they desire to serve him publicly) or on the palm of their right hand (if they desire to retain their reputation as believers in a Christian assembly, and yet want the privileges that can be theirs through receiving the mark of 'the beast') (Rev. 13:16,17). The followers of Jesus, who are described in the next verse, however have no such option. Their mark must be on their foreheads (Rev. 14:1).
In the reign of the Antichrist, it will not be possible to buy even essential foodstuffs without 'the mark of the beast'. We have not reached that summit yet, but we are fairly close to it. It is difficult to get employment and admission in many educational institutions today, without defiling your right hand with a bribe (one mark of the beast). Factory workers who do not contribute towards the religious festivals each year, are punished by being given difficult tasks in some factories. Many so-called believers compromise in such situations, and yet come to the meetings on Sundays to worship the Lord as 'spiritual' believers. How is this possible? Because no one else in the assembly knows of the unrighteousness and sin that they have practised during the week.
The mark of the beast is invisible on their right palm. They may even justify their actions by saying that one has to give in a little if one wants to survive. These are the ones who feel that bowing down to Satan is justifiable, if it is done in secret, in such a way that one does not lose one's testimony! Today, there are even elders of New-Testament-pattern assemblies who have received the mark of the beast on their right hands in secret. Thus the spirit of the Antichrist rules in such assemblies. Here lies the reason for so much strife and quarrelling and death in many churches.
Only those who have a radical attitude against sin in every form, and who seek to hate sin as Jesus hated it (Heb. 1:9), can have the power to expose and drive out sin from the assemblies of believers.
..............To be continued
