A Facebook Friend said yesterday "Stay away from human interpretation (websites) and let Scripture interpret Scripture; then, let history confirm it."
I briefly read a few posts on this "End Times Prophecy Christian Forum," and on one thread someone said of the second beast of Revelation 13: 11-18 that "That is the Antichrist trying to deceive with appearing like a lamb. He will appear on earth "like a lamb", but he speaks "as a dragon"."
Its important to define the difference between those following the
spirit of anti-Christ and those following the False Prophet. John in
I John 2: 18-19 says even in his time many anti-Christs were running
around. In I John 4: 2-3 he tells us that every spirit that teaches
that Christ is not come in the flesh is of the spirit of anti-Christ.
We can add that everyone who denies that Christ is not fully God and
did not appear on earth in the form of a man is of the spirit of
anti-Christ.
There is no one man Anti-Christ in scripture. There can be some who have
more of the spirit of anti-Christ than others.
The majority of those in physical Israel rejected Christ and refused
to believe he is fully God and came in the flesh, and continue to
reject him. They are of the spirit of anti-Christ. The Soviet Union
was of the spirit of anti-Christ because as a government it
specifically rejected Jesus Christ. Marxism as a philosophy and
political ideology is of the spirit of anti-Christ. So is the theory
of evolution and most of psychology, especially psychoanalysis and
behaviorism. Most universities tend to be of the spirit of
anti-Christ.
Islam is of the spirit of anti-Christ, though it accepts Christ as a
prophet, but only as a man.
False Prophet, or pseudoprophetes, appears seven times in the New
Testament before we get to the Book of Revelation, where it appears
in Revelation 16: 3, Revelation 19: 20 and Revelation 20:10. These
texts can be used to identify the second beast of Revelation 13 as
the False Prophet. II Peter 2: 1 says there were many false prophets
and false teachers among you. John in I John 4: 1 notes that many
false prophets are gone out into the world. "Woe unto you, when all
men shall speak well of you. For so did their fathers to the false
prophets." Luke 6: 26. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you
in sheep's clothing..." Matthew 7: 15. "And many false prophets shall
rise, and shall deceive many." Matthew 24: 11. Many false prophets
in the 20th and 21st centuries are Christian celebrities, who present
images of success and attractiveness. And - some of these Christian
celebritries have spread a popularized form of end time prophecy.
What does a false prophet do? He, or sometimes she, interprets
scripture in a way which does not agree
with other scripture, adds something to his interpretation that is not
in the scriptures, and/or his view leaves out important parts of the Gospel.
Often the false prophet goes back to the Old Covenant for his
interpretation of New Testament texts. A false prophet may
be teaching another Gospel and another Jesus.
"For if he that cometh preacheth
another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another
spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have
not accepted, ye might well bear with him." II Corinthians 11: 4
Paul is more explicit in Galatians 1: 6-8 "I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel: 7. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and
would pervert the gospel of Christ 8. But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed."
The False Prophet teaches a Gospel which is like the real one, and a
Jesus which is like the real one, but the Gospel he preachers is
another Gospel and another Jesus. The False Prophet sometimes teaches
a Gospel that is almost the real one and a Christ who is almost the
real Jesus, but it is still a false doctrine. The False Prophet does
not teach that Christ is not God or did not come in the flesh. This
is partly why he is so deceptive and why he so easily deceives many.
"For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall
deceive many." Matthew 24: 5
There are a number of false doctrines around that have been taught to
Christians in the last hundred and fifty years. But it happens that
many of these rely in some way upon a return to the Old Covenant. If
someone teaches that physical Israel which Paul in I Corinthians 10:
18 refers to as "Israel after the flesh," which rejects Jesus Christ
as a group, is now a people of God, implying also that they are still
the chosen people, this is preaching another Gospel. While the
Christians who follow the theology that does this do not themselves
deny that Christ is God who came in the flesh, the people they lift up
and honor so much are of the spirit of anti-Christ. The False
Prophets who teach that physical Israel are now the people of God,
along with the "church," are acting like False Prophets in teaching
something that is not part of the Gospel of Christ as taught by Paul.
But they are also encouraging the spirit of anti-Christ in preaching
that physical Israel is now the people of God. I know they will say
that Romans 11: 25-26 teaches "all Israel shall be saved." And
contrary to Acts 15: 14-17 which says the prophecies in the Old
Testament which talk about a restoration of physical Israel were
fulfilled in God's bringing of Gentiles into the New Covenant, they
will point to these prophecies as proving God will save all Israel in
the future. I know James only quotes Amos 9: 11 in Acts 15: 16, but
why would only one out of several Old Testament prophecies on the
restoration of physical Israel be singled out to be different than all
the other prophecy on the restoration of Israel? The restoration of
physical Israel as the transformation of Israel was foretold in II Kings
21: 13, which is taken up in Isaiah 29: 16 that points to Jeremiah 18: 1-6,
on the parable of the potter, as God, remaking a vessel that was
marred into one that seemed good to the potter. That transformation
of physical Israel began on the Day of Pentecost when a Remnant of
physical Israel accepted Christ, and were born from above by the Holy Spirit.
In Romans 11: 26 Paul was not being merely rhetorical in saying All
Israel would be saved. He meant that all who are of Israel will be
saved. This is because all who are of the Israel he defines in Romans
9: 8 and Galatians 4: 26 as the children of the spiritual promise and
who belong to the Jerusalem which is above, is free, and is the mother
of us all, are saved. Paul defined Israel as being two different
Israels.
The second beast who has two horns like a lamb, and speaks like a dragon is said
in Revelation 13: 12 to cause people to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was
healed. Revelation 13: 2 says this first beast is like a leopard, a bear and a lion, three
of the four beast kingdoms of Daniel 7. So the first beast is government. And Revelation 13:
3 tells us about one of the heads of this government beast, as a nation, was wounded to
death, but its deadly wound was healed.
Satan's kingdom in scripture is often divided into two parts. The second beast sounds more
like the False Prophet, as a collective of many false prophets, while the first beast whose
deadly wound was healed sounds more like it has the spirit of anti-Christ. The beast who deadly wound was healed
is a nation somehow part of or allied with the government beast that is like the leopard, the
bear and the lion, and this one head of the beast sounds like the nation of Israel. Remember the
spirit of anti-Christ rejects Christ totally as God who came in the flesh, and the false prophet
accepts another Christ and another Gospel almost like the real Gospel and the real Christ, but
does not totally reject the doctrine of Christ as God coming in man's flesh. The beast with
the spirit of anti-Christ and the collective False Prophet are both inspired and empowered
by the dragon.
I briefly read a few posts on this "End Times Prophecy Christian Forum," and on one thread someone said of the second beast of Revelation 13: 11-18 that "That is the Antichrist trying to deceive with appearing like a lamb. He will appear on earth "like a lamb", but he speaks "as a dragon"."
Its important to define the difference between those following the
spirit of anti-Christ and those following the False Prophet. John in
I John 2: 18-19 says even in his time many anti-Christs were running
around. In I John 4: 2-3 he tells us that every spirit that teaches
that Christ is not come in the flesh is of the spirit of anti-Christ.
We can add that everyone who denies that Christ is not fully God and
did not appear on earth in the form of a man is of the spirit of
anti-Christ.
There is no one man Anti-Christ in scripture. There can be some who have
more of the spirit of anti-Christ than others.
The majority of those in physical Israel rejected Christ and refused
to believe he is fully God and came in the flesh, and continue to
reject him. They are of the spirit of anti-Christ. The Soviet Union
was of the spirit of anti-Christ because as a government it
specifically rejected Jesus Christ. Marxism as a philosophy and
political ideology is of the spirit of anti-Christ. So is the theory
of evolution and most of psychology, especially psychoanalysis and
behaviorism. Most universities tend to be of the spirit of
anti-Christ.
Islam is of the spirit of anti-Christ, though it accepts Christ as a
prophet, but only as a man.
False Prophet, or pseudoprophetes, appears seven times in the New
Testament before we get to the Book of Revelation, where it appears
in Revelation 16: 3, Revelation 19: 20 and Revelation 20:10. These
texts can be used to identify the second beast of Revelation 13 as
the False Prophet. II Peter 2: 1 says there were many false prophets
and false teachers among you. John in I John 4: 1 notes that many
false prophets are gone out into the world. "Woe unto you, when all
men shall speak well of you. For so did their fathers to the false
prophets." Luke 6: 26. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you
in sheep's clothing..." Matthew 7: 15. "And many false prophets shall
rise, and shall deceive many." Matthew 24: 11. Many false prophets
in the 20th and 21st centuries are Christian celebrities, who present
images of success and attractiveness. And - some of these Christian
celebritries have spread a popularized form of end time prophecy.
What does a false prophet do? He, or sometimes she, interprets
scripture in a way which does not agree
with other scripture, adds something to his interpretation that is not
in the scriptures, and/or his view leaves out important parts of the Gospel.
Often the false prophet goes back to the Old Covenant for his
interpretation of New Testament texts. A false prophet may
be teaching another Gospel and another Jesus.
"For if he that cometh preacheth
another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another
spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have
not accepted, ye might well bear with him." II Corinthians 11: 4
Paul is more explicit in Galatians 1: 6-8 "I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel: 7. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and
would pervert the gospel of Christ 8. But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed."
The False Prophet teaches a Gospel which is like the real one, and a
Jesus which is like the real one, but the Gospel he preachers is
another Gospel and another Jesus. The False Prophet sometimes teaches
a Gospel that is almost the real one and a Christ who is almost the
real Jesus, but it is still a false doctrine. The False Prophet does
not teach that Christ is not God or did not come in the flesh. This
is partly why he is so deceptive and why he so easily deceives many.
"For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall
deceive many." Matthew 24: 5
There are a number of false doctrines around that have been taught to
Christians in the last hundred and fifty years. But it happens that
many of these rely in some way upon a return to the Old Covenant. If
someone teaches that physical Israel which Paul in I Corinthians 10:
18 refers to as "Israel after the flesh," which rejects Jesus Christ
as a group, is now a people of God, implying also that they are still
the chosen people, this is preaching another Gospel. While the
Christians who follow the theology that does this do not themselves
deny that Christ is God who came in the flesh, the people they lift up
and honor so much are of the spirit of anti-Christ. The False
Prophets who teach that physical Israel are now the people of God,
along with the "church," are acting like False Prophets in teaching
something that is not part of the Gospel of Christ as taught by Paul.
But they are also encouraging the spirit of anti-Christ in preaching
that physical Israel is now the people of God. I know they will say
that Romans 11: 25-26 teaches "all Israel shall be saved." And
contrary to Acts 15: 14-17 which says the prophecies in the Old
Testament which talk about a restoration of physical Israel were
fulfilled in God's bringing of Gentiles into the New Covenant, they
will point to these prophecies as proving God will save all Israel in
the future. I know James only quotes Amos 9: 11 in Acts 15: 16, but
why would only one out of several Old Testament prophecies on the
restoration of physical Israel be singled out to be different than all
the other prophecy on the restoration of Israel? The restoration of
physical Israel as the transformation of Israel was foretold in II Kings
21: 13, which is taken up in Isaiah 29: 16 that points to Jeremiah 18: 1-6,
on the parable of the potter, as God, remaking a vessel that was
marred into one that seemed good to the potter. That transformation
of physical Israel began on the Day of Pentecost when a Remnant of
physical Israel accepted Christ, and were born from above by the Holy Spirit.
In Romans 11: 26 Paul was not being merely rhetorical in saying All
Israel would be saved. He meant that all who are of Israel will be
saved. This is because all who are of the Israel he defines in Romans
9: 8 and Galatians 4: 26 as the children of the spiritual promise and
who belong to the Jerusalem which is above, is free, and is the mother
of us all, are saved. Paul defined Israel as being two different
Israels.
The second beast who has two horns like a lamb, and speaks like a dragon is said
in Revelation 13: 12 to cause people to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was
healed. Revelation 13: 2 says this first beast is like a leopard, a bear and a lion, three
of the four beast kingdoms of Daniel 7. So the first beast is government. And Revelation 13:
3 tells us about one of the heads of this government beast, as a nation, was wounded to
death, but its deadly wound was healed.
Satan's kingdom in scripture is often divided into two parts. The second beast sounds more
like the False Prophet, as a collective of many false prophets, while the first beast whose
deadly wound was healed sounds more like it has the spirit of anti-Christ. The beast who deadly wound was healed
is a nation somehow part of or allied with the government beast that is like the leopard, the
bear and the lion, and this one head of the beast sounds like the nation of Israel. Remember the
spirit of anti-Christ rejects Christ totally as God who came in the flesh, and the false prophet
accepts another Christ and another Gospel almost like the real Gospel and the real Christ, but
does not totally reject the doctrine of Christ as God coming in man's flesh. The beast with
the spirit of anti-Christ and the collective False Prophet are both inspired and empowered
by the dragon.