We hear so much talk about the AntiChrist in certain circles of Christianity. He will come to Jerusalem and enter the rebuilt Temple, make a peace treaty with Israel, and then after 3 1/2 years he will break the treaty and force everyone to recieve a mark on their forehead or righthand with the number 666. Well, I would say that the devil, or the deceiver (Rev 12:9), is a lot smarter than this.
Paul, in a somewhat difficult passage (2 Thess 2), says that the 'man of lawlessness' enters into the "Temple of God" and proclaims himself God (2 Thess 2:4). Well, here's the key. The phrase, 'temple of God' occurs 11x in the NT and in every instance it refers to either the body of Christ Himself or to the Church as the body of Christ (Matt 26:61; 1 Cor 3:16, 17(2x); 2 Cor 6:16(2x); 2 Thess 2:4; Rev 3:12; 7:15; 11:1, 19; note the Matt 26:61 passage is not really an exception to this; see my book 'Revelation and the Two Witnesses'). This means that the 'anti-Christ/man of lawlessness' (assuming for now that they are the same) enters the Church and not a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem!
This accords with the rest of the NT. Jesus warned that 'false prophets will come to YOU (not ewe) in sheep's clothing' (Matt 7:15). Paul, in what he thought was his last meeting with the elders of Ephesus notes, 'savage wolves will come in AMONG you (Acts 20:29). And we could go on, for throughout the NT we are warned repeatedly that false prophets will enter the Church in order to led astray 'if possible, even the elect' (Matt 24:24).
This is precisely what 1 John is addressing in one of the few references to 'anti-christ' in the NT (the designation 'anti-Christ' appears 5x and only in 1-2 John). John notes that we know that certain people are anti-Christ's because they 'went out from us' (1 John 2:18-19).
Thus, the anti-Christ is not some secular person who is empowered by a revived Roman empire or such. Instead, he is a false prophet who endeavors to spread his influence in the Church! This is the NT warning!
If we are looking to Jerusalem for a rebuilt temple, and especially if we think that the anti-Christ will not arise until one is built, then we are looking in the wrong direction! And we have been greatly deceived by the devil!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Christianity and the Middle East
So, you're excited to see what is happening in Libya. First Hussein in Iraq, then Mubarak in Egypt, and now Gaddifi in Libya. More to come? Good for Iraq? Good for Egypt? Good for Libya? Good for the world? Good for the Church or the Kingdom of God?
As Christians the final question is far more important than the former. Not to deny, of course, that the world is important to God. What I am pointing out is that many Christians do not look at world affairs through the eyes of the Kingdom of God.
Instead, many Christians are heralding the current events in the Middle East as 'signs' of Jesus' imminent return (just do a google search the end-times and the Middle East). Besides having a poor view of the end-times, these voices fail to view the world through the lens of the Kingdom of God.
The reality is that many of the events in the Middle East are not good for the Christian communities. In saying this, many Christians in the west will stop to contemplate: 'there is a church over there?' I know that when I was first confronted with the awareness that there was indeed a church over there I was somewhat surprised. My American education never told me that. I thought they were all Muslims.
Of course, it is quite obvious that there is a church over there! It is, after all, where Christianity started! Moses, David, Jesus, Paul, Mary, were all Middle Easterners.
But this Church is dying! They are suffering greatly. Many are fleeing their ancestral lands and finding refuge in other parts of the world. The result is that Christianity is in danger of having no presence in the very part of the world in which Jesus walked, in which the Church began!
As Christians we are told that whatever we do for the least of these brothers of mine, we do for Jesus (Matt 25:31-46). For Jesus' sake, then, we must reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ!
We are putting on a conference on Christianity, the End-Times, and the Middle East Nov 18-19 at Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore.
As Christians the final question is far more important than the former. Not to deny, of course, that the world is important to God. What I am pointing out is that many Christians do not look at world affairs through the eyes of the Kingdom of God.
Instead, many Christians are heralding the current events in the Middle East as 'signs' of Jesus' imminent return (just do a google search the end-times and the Middle East). Besides having a poor view of the end-times, these voices fail to view the world through the lens of the Kingdom of God.
The reality is that many of the events in the Middle East are not good for the Christian communities. In saying this, many Christians in the west will stop to contemplate: 'there is a church over there?' I know that when I was first confronted with the awareness that there was indeed a church over there I was somewhat surprised. My American education never told me that. I thought they were all Muslims.
Of course, it is quite obvious that there is a church over there! It is, after all, where Christianity started! Moses, David, Jesus, Paul, Mary, were all Middle Easterners.
But this Church is dying! They are suffering greatly. Many are fleeing their ancestral lands and finding refuge in other parts of the world. The result is that Christianity is in danger of having no presence in the very part of the world in which Jesus walked, in which the Church began!
As Christians we are told that whatever we do for the least of these brothers of mine, we do for Jesus (Matt 25:31-46). For Jesus' sake, then, we must reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ!
We are putting on a conference on Christianity, the End-Times, and the Middle East Nov 18-19 at Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
When did Jesus become King?
This is in response to a question:
The idea that Jesus didn’t become Messiah till the resurrection, though I’m not sure I would say it is heresy, is surely quite mistaken and borders on ignorance of all that Jesus was and did. If one were to ask about His coronation it was the cross—hence the crown and the Titulus—King of the Jews. Rom 1:3-4 affirms that the resurrection is the proof or confirmation of the legitimacy of His claims. Or one could claim the baptism, since the Father pronounces Jesus as His ‘Son’—citing Ps 2, which was a coronation Psalm for the King of Israel. –this of course would lead us back to the cross where the Roman soldier affirms ‘surely this man was the Son of God’ (Mark 15:39).
The fact is that the entirety of Jesus’ ministry was of course the claim to be the rightful Messiah. The citation of Ps 110 and its application to Jesus during His ministry—where David calls Him Lord confirms this.
The idea that Jesus didn’t become Messiah till the resurrection, though I’m not sure I would say it is heresy, is surely quite mistaken and borders on ignorance of all that Jesus was and did. If one were to ask about His coronation it was the cross—hence the crown and the Titulus—King of the Jews. Rom 1:3-4 affirms that the resurrection is the proof or confirmation of the legitimacy of His claims. Or one could claim the baptism, since the Father pronounces Jesus as His ‘Son’—citing Ps 2, which was a coronation Psalm for the King of Israel. –this of course would lead us back to the cross where the Roman soldier affirms ‘surely this man was the Son of God’ (Mark 15:39).
The fact is that the entirety of Jesus’ ministry was of course the claim to be the rightful Messiah. The citation of Ps 110 and its application to Jesus during His ministry—where David calls Him Lord confirms this.
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