End Times 2020 05 17

1 John 2:18,19

It was William Shakespeare who wrote in Act IV of Macbeth, “Something wicked this way comes.” In fact, that wickedness has been in the world since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. It is a hallmark of the end times, as the spirit of antichrist, the working of the devil, gathers its forces to stand against Christ until the last day. While the verse from Macbeth has become a great title for a scary movie, Christians ought not be afraid of what is coming. As we see these things happen, we ought to be more confident in our God than ever, recognizing the signs as we see them and knowing that what God has told us in the past is true. Christians, recognize the times we’re in and praise God.

1 John 2:18,19

The term, “antichristos” or “antichrist” is only found four times in the Bible, three in 1st John and once in 2nd John. It is found no where else in the Bible, although the same spirit is described elsewhere. Jesus used the term, “pseudochristos” or “false Christ,” as recorded in Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22, which is a synonym. Jesus told us, again as recorded in Matthew, that many false Christs would come, deceiving many. In 1 John 4:3, we are further told that any who do not declare, believe and teach that Christ Jesus Christ is come in the flesh are the spirit of antichrist and that even now it is in the world. As we saw in another message, we are in the last days, or end times, which began with the Church Age. Throughout these end times, there have always been antichrists, or those who are opposed to Jesus Christ and who teach for doctrine things that are opposed to the true teachings of God.

We know we are deep in the end times, today, because we can clearly see around us examples of opposition to the true teaching of Christ even in many churches. These churches have gone out from true Christianity, falling away, as described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. This falling away is one of the signs of the end times and the nearness of the coming of Christ.

I These ARE End Times

  1. We are in the last time. It is not something to fret about. The end times began when our Saviour founded the church near the beginning of the first century. It’s not something new.

    1. This is a very unique time in history. This is a break in the prophetic timeline. The prophecy of Daniel, which began to unfold with the commandment by King Cyrus to restore and build Jerusalem, covered a total of 70 weeks of years or 490 years. That prophecy clearly said the Messiah would come after 69 weeks, or 483 years, and that he would be killed. Furthermore, it said that Rome would destroy Jerusalem, but then in the 70th week Rome would make a covenant with Jerusalem. Finally, Rome would turn on them again, midweek.

    2. Everything predicted in the first 69 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy has happened. From the time Cyrus gave the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem to the time the second temple was finished and the walls of Jerusalem repaired was 49 years or 7 weeks of years. From that point, it was another 62 weeks of years or 434 years to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was at this point that the prophetic clock stopped, as God turned from working with Israel to working with the Church.

      1. We need to be very careful here. God did not replace Israel with the Church as some teach. Israel has been set aside temporarily because of their rejection of their Messiah, but not forgotten. God is presently working with the Church in this age. He calls this the last time. It will end with the rapture of the Church and the restarting of the clock in the 70th week. From the time the clock restarts until the return of Christ will then be known, because he is coming back in one week of years or exactly 7 years from the start of that period.

II Antichrist

  1. A hallmark of the endtimes is the antichrist or antichrists. These are not simply those who reject Christ, but those who deny who He is. “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” 1 John 2:22

    1. “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is not of God; and such is the spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already it is in the world.” 1 John 4:3

    2. “For many deceivers have entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” 2 John 1:7

    3. This continued denial and misrepresentation of who the true Christ is will culminate with the coming of the Antichrist, called that man of sin and the son of perdition in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. This will occur at the beginning of the 70th week.

  2. The important thing to recognize is that there were many of these antichrists already in Brother John’s day, in the first century. Again they are a hallmark of the Church Age, the last day or end times that we have been living in for two thousand years. These deceivers have been opposed to Christianity since Christ rose victoriously from the dead.

    1. We should not be afraid or in any way worried or discouraged by those who oppose Biblical Christianity. It is by this very fact that we know we are in the end times and that God’s final victory is certain! The more we see of it, the closer we are. We know we are very close!

III Beware

      1. The important takeaway given us here is to be aware that these antichrists come from our own ranks. These are people who once claimed to be Bible believing Christians.

        1. Their apostasy shows that they never were true Christians, no matter how devout they may once have seemed.

          1. Many have told me over the years that they used to be Christians, but once enlightened, had become atheists. They were never Christians! The Bible says those who have received Christ as their Saviour are born again as children of God (John 1:12,13). It is impossible for someone, once born, to be unborn.

        2. That’s why Brother John wrote that if they had been of us, that is, genuine Christians, they would no doubt have continued with us. No genuine Christian can lose his or her salvation. It’s not possible. We have been sealed by God, Himself (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30). In fact, Ephesians 4:30 says that when you are saved, you are sealed until the day of redemption, which is the day that we meet Christ in the air and our weak, dying bodies are changed into incorruptible, eternal ones.

        1. Beware of what these people say, no matter how compelling or strong their arguments may seem. Unless they fully believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible, they are antichrist. Sadly, this encompasses many who claim to be Christians, today. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:21 – 23

        2. Many who say they are saved, even in Evangelical churches, deny much of the doctrine of the Bible. They will quote one Rupertus Meldenius, saying, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In both, charity.” With these words they take license to discard anything but the word “love” from scripture, denying much of the doctrine of Jesus Christ who Himself told us to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

          1. It’s time to dispense with this misrepresentation of Meldenius. Meldenius and his peers never intended to call any of the doctrine we find in the Bible non-essential. The only doctrine that could be non-essential in Christianity is doctrine developed by various different churches that is not found in the Bible.

            • In other words, unless we agree that everything that is found in the Bible belongs in the Bible and is the truth even for today, we cannot agree.

            • Any spirit or person who denies any part of scripture is antichrist, because all scripture is given by God and in fact, represents Jesus Christ, who is the living Word.

        3. The fact that these apostasized or moved to a church that does not hold the Bible to be absolute truth is evidence that they never were saved in the first place. God tells us here that they left us so that it would be clear they were counterfeits. Pray that they will realize their folly in time.

Conclusion

  1. We are in the end times, the last days. All the growing heresy, apostasy and hatred for Bible Christianity that we see around us, today, is just part of it, and is going to continue until Christ comes for us. Our business is to faithfully obey Him and to preach the gospel to everyone, until the very end of the age.