The Old and New Testaments
have many things in common - far more than some teachers of
"dispensational" truth seem to be aware of - but
there are also some noticeable contrasts between them.
Speaking generally, the one is principally prophetic; the
other mainly didactic. There is far more said in the former
about the future of Israel than there is in the latter. Much
more space in the Old Testament than in the New is devoted to
describing the conditions which shall obtain in the
Tribulation period. And far more was revealed through the
prophets about the Antichrist than was made known through the
apostles. It is in full keeping with this that we find there
is one book in the New Testament which is a noticeable
exception, and that is the one which is peculiarly prophetic
in its character and contents, namely, the Revelation. There,
perhaps, more is told us concerning the person and career of
the Man of Sin than in all the rest of the New Testament put
together.
The passages which refer
directly to the Antichrist in the four Gospels are few in
number; but in addition to these there are several indirect
references to him, and these call for a more careful
examination because of their apparent obscurity. The writer
believes there may be other passages in the Gospels treating
of the Man of Sin in his varied relations, and which contain
an esoteric view of him, but which the Holy Spirit has not
yet been pleased to reveal unto students of prophecy. Let not
the reader then regard this chapter as in any-wise a complete
or exhaustive treatment of the subject, rather let its brief
hints bestir him to make prayerful and patient examination
for himself.
The Antichrist receives an
even more scant notice in the Epistles than he does in the
four Gospels. So far as we have been able to discover he is
alluded to only in 2 Thess. 2 and in John's Epistles. The
reason for this is not difficult to discover. The Epistles
concern those who are members of the Body of Christ, and by
the time the Antichrist appears upon the stage of human
history, they shall be far above these scenes - with their
blessed Lord in the Father's House. Nevertheless,
"all Scripture" is profitable for our instruction
and necessary for our enlightenment. God has been pleased to
reveal much concerning those things which must shortly come
to pass, and it may be that they who now ignore or neglect
the study of the prophetical portions of Scripture will be
overtaken by surprise when, in a coming day, they shall
behold with wonder the fulfillment of prophecy; and possibly
this surprise (due to culpable ignorance) is included in what
the apostle refers to when he speaks of not being
"ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28).
Certainly it is our duty as well as privilege to examine
diligently all that God has been pleased to make known in His
Word.
1. Passing by the typical
teaching of Matt. 2, which will come before us in a later
chapter, we turn first to Matt. 12 which is one of the most
important chapters in that book, supplying as it does one of
the principal keys to its dispensational interpretation. In
it is recorded the first great break between the Jews and
Christ, which eventually terminated in their crucifying Him.
In v. 14 we read, "Then the Pharisees went out, and held
a council against Him, how they might destroy Him". This
is the first time we read of anything like this in
Matthew's Gospel. Following this we read, "Then was
brought unto Him one possessed with a demon, blind, and dumb;
and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both
spake and saw" (v. 22). Up to that time this was by far
the most remarkable miracle our Lord had performed. Its
effect upon those who witnessed it was general and deep -
"And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this
the Son of David?" (v. 23). It must be the long-promised
Messiah who now stood in their midst. But the Pharisees were
blinded by their hatred of Him, and committed the sin for
which there is no forgiveness: "This fellow doth not
cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the
demons" (v. 24). Then, following His reply to their
awful blasphemy and terming them "a generation of
vipers" (v. 34), our Lord uttered a prophetic parable
which bears directly on our present theme:
"When the unclean spirit
is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking
rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my
house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth
it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh
with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself,
and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that
man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto
this wicked generation" (vv. 43-45). The first thing to
note concerning this mysterious and remarkable passage is its
setting. This, as we have sought to indicate above, has to do
with Christ's solemn pronouncement on those who had
determined to destroy Him, and who were guilty of the
unpardonable sin. In it He declares the judgment which God
shall yet send upon apostate Israel.
Our next concern is to
ascertain the meaning of this parabolic utterance. The
central figure is "The unclean spirit". This
unclean spirit is viewed here in three connections: first, as
indwelling a man; second, as going out of the man; third, as
returning to the man and indwelling him again. In v. 44 the
man is termed by the unclean spirit "my house".
This man unquestionably represents Israel, for at the close
of the parable Christ says, "Even so shall it be also
unto this wicked generation". Who, then, is referred to
by "the unclean spirit"? We believe that it is the
Son of Perdition. The following reasons lead us to this
conclusion: First, mark attentively the use of the definite
article: it is not simply an unclean spirit, but
the unclean spirit. Second, note his threefold relation
to Israel. At the time the Saviour uttered these words the
Son of Perdition was then present in Israel's midst. But
a little later he was no longer so. When he hanged himself he
passed out of these scenes into the next world; as Acts 1:25
compared with Rev. 11:7 tells us, into the Pit. His present
state in the Abyss is graphically and solemnly depicted -
"He walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and
findeth none" (v. 43). Then, he says, "I will
return into my house from whence I came out".
This, we are satisfied, refers to the reincarnation of the
Son of Perdition, when he appears on earth for the last time
as the Man of Sin. Then, in a special sense, will Israel be
his "house". A third reason why we believe
"The Unclean Spirit" is the Son of Perdition is
furnished by Zech. 13:2 - And it shall come to pass in that
day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names
of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be
remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the
unclean spirit to pass out of the land". Clearly
this verse speaks of the End-time. What follows is very
striking. Vv. 3 and 4 concern the prophets who shall prophesy
falsely. But in v. 5 there is a noticeable change from the
plural to the singular number: "But he shall say,
I am no prophet", etc. The only antecedent to this
pronoun is "The Unclean Spirit" of v. 2, which here
in v. 5 is shown to be no mere abstraction but a definite
person. And then in v. 6 the question is asked, "What
are these wounds in thine hands?" We believe this
intimates that God will even permit the Man of Sin to imitate
the Saviour to the extent that he will appear with wounds
in his hands: thus will he be the better able to pose as
the true Christ.
When the Son of Perdition
returns to Israel, he finds his house "empty, swept, and
garnished". This depicts the moral and spiritual state
of the Jews at the time the Antichrist is manifested. Though
clean from the horrible idolatries which defiled them of old,
and though adorned with all that temporal prosperity will
bring them, Israel, nevertheless, will be devoid of the
Shekinah-glory, and have no Holy Spirit indwelling them.
Next, we are told, "Then goeth he, and taketh with
himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and
they enter in and dwell there". We believe that this has
a double meaning. One plus seven equals eight and in
Scripture eight signifies a new beginning. This is in
keeping with the re-incarnation of the Son of Perdition. But
we think there is also a reference here to Satan's
blasphemous imitation of what we are told in Rev. 5:6, where
we read of the Lamb having seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God". Just as the Christ of God will come
back to earth endued with the Spirit of God in the sevenfold
plentitude of His power, so will the Antichrist present
himself to Israel in the sevenfold fulness of satanic power
and uncleanness. Then, indeed, shall Israel's last state
be worse than their first - i.e. when they rejected Christ in
the days of Judas.
2. We turn now to Matt. 24,
which contains a lengthy forecast concerning the end of this
Age. Here we find our Lord describing the conditions which
shall obtain during the Tribulation period. Christ announces
with considerable detail those things which are to precede
His own return to the earth. The whole chapter sets forth the
Master's answers to three questions asked by His
disciples, namely, as to when the Temple was to be destroyed,
what was to be the sign of His coming, and of the end of the
Age (see v.3). A similar, but by no means identical prophecy,
is to be found in Luke 21. The main difference between them
being that Luke 21 treats of conditions which obtained prior
to the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70 - it is not until
v. 25 that the Tribulation period is reached; whereas the
whole of Matt. 24 is yet future.
It is striking to note that
our Lord begins His prophecy by saying; "Take heed that
no man deceive you, for many shall come in My name, saying I
am Christ; and shall deceive many" (vv.4,5). The
significance of this appears by comparing v. 11, "And
many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive
many". These false christs and false prophets are to
head up in the Antichrist and the False Prophet, who will be
the arch-deceivers. When we reach v. 15 a clear allusion is
made to the Man of Sin: "When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him
understand". This reference of Christ to "the
abomination of desolation" which is to "stand in
the holy place", looks back to Dan. 12:11: "And
from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away,
and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall
be a thousand two hundred and ninety days". This, in
turn, carries us back to Dan. 9:27: "And in the midst of
the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall
make it desolate". With these verses should be compared
Rev. 13:11-15, where we are told that the False Prophet who
shall perform great wonders, will command men that "they
should make an image to the beast". The False Prophet
will have "power to give life unto the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and
cause that as many as would not worship the beast should be
killed". By linking these scriptures together the
following facts are brought out:
First, an "image" is
going to be made to the Antichrist (Rev. 13:15). Second, this
"image" will "stand in the holy place"
(Matt. 24:15), that is, in the re-built Temple at Jerusalem.
Third, this "image" will possess supernatural
power, for it shall be able to "speak" (Rev.
13:15). Fourth, this "image" unto the beast shall
be an object of worship, and those who refuse to worship it
shall be killed (Rev. 13:14,15). Fifth, this
"image" is termed "abomination of
desolation". The term "abomination" is an Old
Testament expression connected with idolatry, and signifies
some special idol or false god (see Deut. 7:26; 1 Kings
11:5-7). Sixth, this "abomination" or idol-god will
be set up during the middle of Daniel's seventieth week,
or three and one half years from the end of Antichrist's
career. This is clear from Dan. 12:11 and 9:27. The taking
away of "the daily sacrifice" occurs when the
Antichrist throws off his mask and stands forth as the Defier
of heaven. In the re-built Temple of the Jews sacrifices
shall once more be offered by them to God. These their King
suffers, while he is posing as the Christ. But when he drops
his religious pretensions and defies heaven as well as earth,
the "sacrifices" will be taken away, and in their
place worship to an image of himself will be substituted.
Seventh, the setting up of this "image" to the
Antichrist will, most probably, be attended with supernatural
phenomenon. We gather this from Dan. 9:27, where we read,
"And he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall
make it desolate". Now the word here translated
"overspreading" is never so rendered elsewhere.
Seventy times is this word translated "wing" or
"wings". It is the word used of the wings of the
cherubim in Ex. 25:20 and Ezek. 10:5, etc. And in Psa. 18:10
we read of Jehovah that "He rode upon a cherub, and did
fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind".
One profound Hebrew scholar
has rendered the last clause of Dan. 9:27 as follows,
"And upon the wing of abominations he shall come
desolating". Remembering that "abomination"
has reference to an idol or false god, the force would then
be "upon the wing of a false god shall he come
desolating". Now in view of Psa. 18:10 it is highly
probable that Dan. 9:27 refers to a satanic imitation
of the Chariot of the Cherubim. This is strengthened by 1
Cor. 10:20 - "The things which the Gentiles sacrifice,
they sacrifice to demons, and not to God" -
which shows the demoniacal nature of the "idols" or
"abominations" worshipped. If this view be correct,
then the Antichrist will be supernaturally borne aloft (in
invisible demons), and apparently descending from on high (in
blasphemous mimicry of Mal. 3:1) will finally persuade the
world to worship him as God. The apostate Jews will, no
doubt, believe that their eyes at last behold the
long-awaited sign from heaven, and the return of the Glory to
the Temple. For it is thither the false christ will be borne,
and there his image set up. We believe that the words of 2
Thess. 2:4, "He as God sitteth in the temple of God,
showing himself that HE IS GOD" may, most likely,
have reference to this same event.
Coming back now to the words
of Christ, Matt. 24:15 will, we trust, be much more
intelligible. What our Lord there said was designed specially
for the godly Jewish remnant who will be in Palestine during
the Tribulation period. When the "abomination of
desolation" is set up in the holy place, whoso
readeth should "understand". How wondrously
this agrees with other scriptures, and what a value it places
upon the written Word! No supernatural revelation will be
granted - these all ceased when the Cannon of
Scripture closed. Then, as now, "understanding" is
made dependent upon the reading of what God has
revealed.
What, then, is it that those
godly Jews should "understand"? Why, that a crisis
has been reached. That the Antichrist now stands fully
revealed for the impious impostor that he is. And now that
his career is clearly manifested, let them beware. Let them
turn to Rev. 13:14,15, and they will discover that
death awaits them should they tarry any longer in
Jerusalem. Therefore, says Christ, "Let them which be in
Judea flee into the mountains: let him that is on the
housetop not come down to take anything out of his
house...for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be" (Matt. 24:16-21). How marvelously one
scripture throws light on another! How clearly does Rev.
13:14,15 explain the need for this hurried flight of the
faithful remnant!
There is one other reference
to the Antichrist in this 24th chapter of Matthew, namely, in
vv. 23-26: "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here
is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise
false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs
and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in
the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret
chamber; believe it not". The reference to the
"great signs and wonders" is explained, at least in
part, in Rev. 13. We have already seen that the False Prophet
will have power to give "life" or
"breath" unto the image of the Beast, so that the
image shall speak (v. 15). In addition, it is recorded how
that "He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire
come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and
deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by those miracles
which he had power to do in the sight of the beast" (vv.
13,14).
We had hoped to be able to say
something further on the "secret chambers" of Matt.
24:26, but in the absence of any clear light from other
scriptures, we refrain from speculations of our own. It seems
plain, however, that the reference is to the occult
powers and activities of the Wicked One, who ever loveth
darkness rather than light.
3. Our next passage will be
the first eight verses of Luke 18, where in a parable the
Lord gives us another view of the Antichrist: "And He
spake a parable unto them, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which
feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow
in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of
mine adversary. And he would not for awhile: but afterward he
said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
yet because this woman troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest
by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear
what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own
elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long
with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.
Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith
on the earth?"
Like many of Christ's
parables, this one is plainly prophetic in its character. It
looks forward to a coming day: it treats of conditions which
are to obtain during the Tribulation period. This is easily
seen from the context. Luke 18 opens with the word
"and", and the last eighteen verses of the previous
chapter, with which the 18th is thus connected, treat of
those things which are to immediately precede the
establishing of the Messiah's Kingdom - note particularly
v. 26. So, too, the closing words of the parable now before
us read, "When the Son of Man cometh shall He
find faith on the earth?"
Having thus pointed out the
time when this prophetic parable is to receive its
fulfillment, our next concern is to ascertain the
significance of its terms. The parable revolves around a
"widow" and an "unjust judge". Once we
discover who are represented by these, everything will be
simple. Our task ought not to be difficult seeing that we
have already learned the time when these characters are to
appear.
The "widow" in
Scripture is ever the figure of desolation, loneliness,
weakness. Dispensationally, Israel is the widow,
spiritually dead as she now is to her Divine Husband. Here in
the parable of Luke 18 it is the new Israel, the "Israel
of God", the faithful remnant, which is in view. To
quote one scripture is sufficient to establish this:
"Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be
thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou
shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember
the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker
is thine Husband; the Lord of Hosts is His name; and thy
Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth
shall He be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a
widow forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of
youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small
moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercy will I
gather thee" (Isa. 54:4-7). These are the words which
Christ will speak to the remnant right at the beginning of
the Millennium, after they have made Isa. 53 their own
repentant confession.
In the chapter on the
Antichrist in the Psalms attention was repeatedly directed to
passages which treat of the condition of the godly Jewish
remnant during the Tribulation period. We saw that their lot
is to be a bitter one. Severe will be their testings;
terrible their sufferings. Not the least painful of their
experiences will be the fierce opposition of their
unbelieving brethren. Just as the worst enemies of the
Saviour were found among His brethren according to the flesh,
and just as the most relentless persecutors of the saints
during this dispensation have been those who professed to be
the followers of Christ, so the most merciless foes of the
Jewish remnant will be the unbelieving portion of their own
nation. These, too, are noticed in our parable:"
they are the "adversary" against which the
"widow" appeals to the "Judge" -
"Avenge me of mine adversary" is her plea.
In the light of what has been
said above it is easy to discover who is represented by the
one to whom the "widow" appeals - appeals no doubt
some little time before the end of the Tribulation period is
reached. Clearly it is the Antichrist himself, and what is
here said of him establishes this beyond a reasonable doubt.
First, he is termed "a Judge", so that he is viewed
as being in the position of authority: we may add, it
is the same word as rendered "Judge" in James 5:9
which speaks of the Lord Jesus. Second, he is represented as
being located in a certain "city": whether this is
Jerusalem or Babylon, we cannot say; but we rather think it
is the latter. In the third place, it is said of this Judge
that he "feared not God, neither regarded man". We
need not tarry to point out how fully this accords with what
is elsewhere said of the Man of Sin. Godlessness and
lawlessness are the two most prominent elements in his
character. In the fourth place, the Lord specifically terms
him "the unjust Judge" (v. 6). The word signifies
"unrighteousness". This word points an antithesis
between him and the true Christ who shall reign in
righteousness. In the fifth place, his callousness is
noted in the words, "and he would not for awhile"
(v. 4). The Greek verb of v. 3 signifies that the widow came
to this "Judge" again and again. But in his
hard-heartedness he repeatedly turned a deaf ear to her
entreaties. Such will be the brutal indifference of the
Antichrist to the sufferings of the faithful Jews. In the
sixth place, his untruthfulness and treachery
are clearly implied. In v. 5 this unjust Judge is represented
as saying, "Because this widow troubleth me, I will
avenge her", etc.; but that he fails to keep his word is
clear from what we read in the seventh verse - "Shall
not God avenge His own elect?" etc. The Antichrist does
not avenge him, but God will. Finally, his doom is
hinted at in the words last quoted. When God
"avenges" the elect remnant the Antichrist will be
destroyed together with those of his followers who had
persecuted them.
There is only one difficulty
in the way of the above interpretation and that is the appeal
of the Jewish remnant to the Antichrist. Can it be possible
that they should seek help from him! But is there any real
difficulty in this? Let us consult our own experience for
answer. How often, in the hour of trial, do we turn to the
arm of flesh for relief! Even the Apostle Paul appealed to
Caesar! But lest this be thought an invention of ours to meet
a pertinent objections against the interpretation advanced
above, note carefully the wording of the seventh verse:
"And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day
and night unto Him, though He bear long with
them?" Do not the words "bear long with
them" intimate that though they had cried unto God day
and night, yet they had also sought help from some one else.
Even clearer is the testimony of Isa. 10:20 - "And it
shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel and
such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more
again stay upon him that smote them; but shall upon the
Lord"!
4. I am come in My
Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall
come in his own name, him ye will receive" (John 5:43).
This scripture has already been before us (see chapter three
I:5) so it need not detain us long. It speaks of the
Antichrist in connection with unbelieving Israel. It draws a
double contrast between the Son of god and the Son of
Perdition. The Christ of God, in lowly condescension, came
not in His own name, but in that of His Father - in perfect
subjection; but the christ of Satan, in lofty arrogance,
shall come in his own name. This will at once appeal to the
corrupt hearts of fallen men. The very meekness of the Lord
Jesus was an offense to the Jews; but the pride and egotism
of the Man of Sin will make him acceptable to them. By the
apostate Nation Christ was not received. As we read in this
same Gospel, "He came unto His own, and His own received
Him not" (1:11). But the Antichrist shall be welcomed by
them - "him ye will receive", says the Lord.
They will receive him as their long-expected Messiah. They
will receive him as their king. They will receive him as the
promised Deliverer. His yoke will be accepted. Divine honors
will be paid him. But bitterly will they rue it; and terrible
will be God's judgment upon them.
5. "Ye are of your father
the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh the Lie,
he speaketh of his own (son): for he is a liar, and the
father of it" (John 8:44). The Greek word for
"lie" is "pseudos". It occurs in the New
Testament just nine times - the number of judgment. I
always has reference to that which is opposed to the truth.
It is a fit appellation for the Antichrist, who is the son of
him who is the Arch-liar, the Devil. The Christ of God is
"The Truth"; the christ of Satan, "The
Lie". That this is one of the many names of the Man of
Sin is clear from 2 Thess. 2. There we are told that his
coming is "after the working of Satan will all power and
signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved".
Then we are told, "And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion that they should believe the Lie (cf.
chapter three, 11:5).
Upon John 8:44 we cannot do
better than quote from Sir Robert Anderson: "To speak a
lie is not English. In our language the proper expression is
"to tell a lie". But no one would so render the
Greek words here. It is not the false in the abstract which
is in view, but a concrete instance of it. And thus the
connection is clear between Satan the liar and Satan the
murderer. He is not the instigator of all murders, but of the
murder, there and then in question, the murder of the Christ;
he is not the father of lies, but the father of the Lie. In 2
Thess. 2:11 it is again the Lie of John 8:44. God does not
incite men to tell lies or to believe lies. But of those who
reject the truth, it is written, "He shall send them
strong delusion that they should believe the Lie. Because
they have rejected the Christ of God, a judicial blindness
shall fall upon them that they should accept the Christ of
humanity, who will be Satan incarnate" (The Silence of
God).
6. "While I was with them
in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest
Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the Son of
Perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled" (John
17:5). That our Lord was referring to the Antichrist is
unequivocally established by @ Thess. 2:3, where the Man of
Sin is denominated "the Son of Perdition". That
Judas, here termed the Son of Perdition, was more than a man
is clear from John 6:70 where we read, "Have not I
chosen you twelve, and one of you is a Devil?" In no
other passage is the word "Diabolos" applied to
anyone but Satan himself. Just as the Lord Jesus was God
incarnate, so will Judas be the Devil incarnate; and, as we
have shown in chapter three (third main section) Judas will
be re-incarnated in the Antichrist.
Perhaps one other should be
said on John 17:12 before we pass from it. Some have thought
that this verse weakens the doctrine of the absolute security
of the saints, but in act it does nothing of the kind. Notice
Christ did not say, "Those that Thou gavest Me I have
kept, and none of them is lost except the Son of
Perdition", instead, He said, "None of them is lost
but the Son of Perdition". The word
"but" is used adversatively, not exceptively; that
is to say, Judas is here opposed to those that were
given to Christ (for other scriptures with a similar
construction see Matt. 12:4, Acts 27:22, Rev. 21:27). This
interpretation is unequivocally established by John 18:9 -
"Of them which Thou gavest Me have I lost
none".
7. 2 Thess. 2 contains the
chief passage in the Epistles concerning the Antichrist. Here
he is denominated "that Man of Sin, the Son of
Perdition" (v. 3). It is solemnly true that all men are
sinners (Rom. 3:23), but the Antichrist will be more than a
sinner, he will be the Man of Sin. As such he will be the
direct opposite of Christ, who was the Holy One of God. Sin
in all its terrible satanic treachery, daring blasphemy, and
tremendous appeal to the corrupt hearts of men, will be
consummated in this frightful monster. For fuller notes on
the force of these titles we again refer the reader to
chapter three.
Concerning the Man of Sin it
is said, "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God
sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is
God" (v. 4). Here he reaches the climax of his frightful
blasphemy. He will assume Divine honors, and under pain of
death (Rev. 13:15) will demand the worship of all. In
vindication of his impious claims he will compel men to
regard his mandates as transcending all laws and customs,
whether of human or Divine origin (Dan. 7:25). For a season
the Almighty will suffer his satanic impiety, the Hinderer
having been taken out of the way (v. 7). No lightning flash
will strike down his blasted form to the dust. The earth will
not open her mouth to swallow him up alive. The Angel of the
Lord, who smote Herod with death for a much milder blasphemy,
will restrain His hand from the hilt of the sword. For a
season Heaven will remain silent while this haughty rebel is
doing according to his will. But at the appointed hour
"the Lord shall consume (him) with the spirit of His
mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His
coming" (v. 8).
"Even him whose coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders" (v. 9). The Antichrist will be the culmination
and consummation of Satan's craft and genius. He will be
endowed with superhuman energy so that he shall perform
miracles which will be no mere pretenses, but prodigies of
power. By means of these miracles and signs he will deceive
the entire world. No doubt he will mock the miracles of
Christ, as of old Jannes and Jambres duplicated the miracles
of Moses. His marvelous deeds will reach their climax in his
own resurrection from the dead.
8. "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). For our
comments on the significance of this name "the
Antichrist" we refer our readers to the fourth chapter.
There it will be seen that we understand this official title
to have a double significance, corresponding to the two main
divisions in his career. First, he will pose as the true
Christ; later he will stand forth as the avowed opponent of
Christ. The above verse presents him as the Arch-apostate. He
will, eventually, repudiate the distinguishing truth of
Judaism, namely that "Jesus is the Christ"; as
he will also set himself against that which is vital in
Christianity - the revelation of "the Father and the
Son".
9. A brief word upon 1 John
4:3 and we must conclude. "And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not
of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye
have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in
the world". It is to the last clause we would here
direct attention. The spirit of Antichrist, that which is
preparing the way for his appearing, is even now already
"in the world". This statement is parallel with 2
Thess. 2:7, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already
work: only He who now letteth (hindereth) will let, until He
be taken out of the way". The Mystery of Iniquity, which
concerns the incarnation of Satan, is the direct antithesis
of "the Mystery of Godliness" (1 Tim. 3:16) which
has to do with the Divine incarnation. Just as there was a
long preparation by God preceding the advent of His Son, so
the Devil is now paving the way for the advent of the Son of
Perdition. The Mystery of Iniquity "doth already
work"; so in 1 John 4:3 of the spirit of Antichrist we
read, "Even now already is it in the world"! How
far advanced the preparations of Satan now are for the
bringing forth of his Masterpiece is becoming increasingly
evident to those who are granted wisdom to discern the signs
of the times.