The Spirit of the Antichrist

The Spirit of the Antichrist

Antichrist is the opposite of Christ. We read about Jesus that He did not count it robbery to be like God. He was the only begotten Son, but He did not want to remain the only Son. He wanted to have brethren. He emptied Himself and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient—even to the point of death on the cross. This was the course of His life. God was the One who exalted Him. He did not sin during the time of His humiliation. He was a lamb without blemish and without spot. By His blood we have been redeemed from our aimless conduct which we have inherited from our fathers. 1 Pet. 1:18-19. “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself . . . having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Col. 1:19-20.

Concerning the Antichrist we read the following: “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thess. 2:3-12. He is also called “the man of sin.”

We read and speak about the narrow way and the broad way. There is nothing in between. There is also nothing in between humbling yourself and exalting yourself. “You shall not covet.” Rom. 7:7. The person who covets exalts himself. The person who humbles himself puts covetousness to death by the Spirit. Rom. 8:13. The person who exalts himself sins like the Antichrist, and he lives in Galatians 5:19-21. But if we follow Jesus in His humiliation we live in verse 22.

Why do people suffer? Because they follow the Antichrist. How can they come to a blessed and good life? By following Jesus. Test yourself on the basis of Galatians 5:19, 21-22.

Jesus had to work very hard to get His disciples out of that aimless conduct which they had inherited from their fathers, and out of the spirit of the Antichrist. Matt. 23:8-12; Mark 9:34-35; Luke 22:24-27. We can be Jesus’ brothers only by following Him (Heb. 2:10-11), and all the angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation. Heb. 1:14.

To abolish this salvation—faith in being conformed to the image of Jesus—the spirit of Antichrist has to explain away Jesus’ humiliation which was that Jesus came in a flesh and was tempted like we are. Heb. 2:14. This is how we can tell the difference between the spirit of Antichrist and the Spirit of God. 1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 7-9. We would not have a forerunner if Jesus had not been born of the seed of David according to the flesh. Rom. 8:3-4; Heb. 4:14-16.

We see the tremendous work which the spirit of Antichrist has accomplished. There is probably no one in the religious world who believes in Romans 1:3; but they do believe in verse 4. They believe in Jesus’ resurrection, and they glorify Jesus because of that. “Now this, ‘He ascended’—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.” Eph. 4:9-10.

If Jesus had not come as we read about Him in Romans 1:3, then verse 4 would not have meant anything to us.

God be praised for all those who follow Jesus in His humiliation. They become one with the Father and the Son and with each other, and there is no division among them. John 17:20-23.