Hi there,
So this has been annoying me for some time: when is the anti-christ going to appear? The thing is, if you need to know when he is going to appear, you need to know with what power? Why? Because once the anti-christ is there, there will be a struggle over that power. Now, I know this sounds strange, but I think the anti-christ gets that power, by being in servitude to the false prophet. Revelation says the false prophet extols him, so you can understand why the anti-christ would define himself in that light - much like a son defines himself in relation to his father, right? So this is the thing, perhaps not by flesh and blood, but by spirit and sacrifice, the false prophet makes the anti-christ a self-fulfilling prophecy? The false prophet directs the attention of the anti-christ's sense of subjection. He (the anti-christ) is a king brought into spiritual subjection!
Now, if you are thinking I am saying the false prophet marries someone and has a baby, then you are going to get this confused. What I am talking about is a spiritual reality, of the things that dwell in subjection to the Devil. If you have a relationship you can't give an answer for, you are a prisoner of that relationship. If you have a sin that you can't control, you are a prisoner of that sin (John from memory). The Devil wants that power, but he does not reveal himself as a prisoner, at least not until it is too late. What it is, is that we must be discerning about what inspires us; are we inspired in resistance to sin or in slavery to sin? Do we repent that we are not fit for attention or that we want an unattainable level of recognition? This is the power of the Cross, it decides all these things!
So I guess what I am saying is that it "is as though" the anti-christ is the son of the false prophet and it seems to the Devil that it is a good idea, that the anti-christ celebrate that he has a corrupt father and keep sinning more intensely, as though he was "obeying" sin. This is Jacob's trouble, right? That you are not in relationship to God that you don't struggle with? This whole situation is fraught with danger, not acknowledging sin as sin, not changing for righteousness, provoking the Devil to praise the flesh. It is any wonder that Jesus calls this a snare that comes upon the whole earth. What is taking place is that the power of the Devil, is being made a pass (an authentication) for belonging in the world. We cannot not stand against this!
I hope this hasn't made things too complicated for you. Maybe you just see the anti-christ as a man, if you do you would be right: that is the importance the book of Revelation gives it (he is not a god, he is a man). I just want you to understand that a curse like the anti-christ does not come upon the world as if the world is to be condemned, Jesus intercedes that the world be saved. Now Jesus can't save you from something you want to bring on yourself, but He can help you understand that what you are to experience, what you go through being tested in this world, is not something God has created, but an error that puts itself up against God. If children believe that their parents judgment is irrelevant there will be chaos in the world, but on the other hand, if parents go without having children, the world will come to an end. We must not condemn the choice, but trust the Lord to deliver us all.
I hope this has been some encouragment.
God bless.
So this has been annoying me for some time: when is the anti-christ going to appear? The thing is, if you need to know when he is going to appear, you need to know with what power? Why? Because once the anti-christ is there, there will be a struggle over that power. Now, I know this sounds strange, but I think the anti-christ gets that power, by being in servitude to the false prophet. Revelation says the false prophet extols him, so you can understand why the anti-christ would define himself in that light - much like a son defines himself in relation to his father, right? So this is the thing, perhaps not by flesh and blood, but by spirit and sacrifice, the false prophet makes the anti-christ a self-fulfilling prophecy? The false prophet directs the attention of the anti-christ's sense of subjection. He (the anti-christ) is a king brought into spiritual subjection!
Now, if you are thinking I am saying the false prophet marries someone and has a baby, then you are going to get this confused. What I am talking about is a spiritual reality, of the things that dwell in subjection to the Devil. If you have a relationship you can't give an answer for, you are a prisoner of that relationship. If you have a sin that you can't control, you are a prisoner of that sin (John from memory). The Devil wants that power, but he does not reveal himself as a prisoner, at least not until it is too late. What it is, is that we must be discerning about what inspires us; are we inspired in resistance to sin or in slavery to sin? Do we repent that we are not fit for attention or that we want an unattainable level of recognition? This is the power of the Cross, it decides all these things!
So I guess what I am saying is that it "is as though" the anti-christ is the son of the false prophet and it seems to the Devil that it is a good idea, that the anti-christ celebrate that he has a corrupt father and keep sinning more intensely, as though he was "obeying" sin. This is Jacob's trouble, right? That you are not in relationship to God that you don't struggle with? This whole situation is fraught with danger, not acknowledging sin as sin, not changing for righteousness, provoking the Devil to praise the flesh. It is any wonder that Jesus calls this a snare that comes upon the whole earth. What is taking place is that the power of the Devil, is being made a pass (an authentication) for belonging in the world. We cannot not stand against this!
I hope this hasn't made things too complicated for you. Maybe you just see the anti-christ as a man, if you do you would be right: that is the importance the book of Revelation gives it (he is not a god, he is a man). I just want you to understand that a curse like the anti-christ does not come upon the world as if the world is to be condemned, Jesus intercedes that the world be saved. Now Jesus can't save you from something you want to bring on yourself, but He can help you understand that what you are to experience, what you go through being tested in this world, is not something God has created, but an error that puts itself up against God. If children believe that their parents judgment is irrelevant there will be chaos in the world, but on the other hand, if parents go without having children, the world will come to an end. We must not condemn the choice, but trust the Lord to deliver us all.
I hope this has been some encouragment.
God bless.
