Antichrist In The Church

We have come to the proving of the Word of God. The Lord has been faithful in bringing us to belief for indeed there are some in the ministry who have believed and will glorify the Father in righteousness. We are determined to walk in the way of the Lord without fear or doubt. We have seen the power of His Spirit in us and chose not to turn back to the beggarly elements of this world.

I John 2:18

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

I want you to remember that John is writing to the church. He is writing to those who know the truth. He wants them to be mindful of the spirits that dwell among them. We are living in the last of the last days. The spirit of antichrist is in the church. It is the spirit of antichrist that opposes Christ. Because we are the children of light, it is lawful and expedient for us to identify everything that is not like God.

I John 2:19

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

When the truth and the purpose of God is the standard of the ministry, those who oppose Christ will be moved to leave such an environment. In this, it is manifest that they were not all of us. In some instances, however, the devil will seek to keep opposition dwelling in the household of faith, solely for the purpose of hindering the work.

We are responsible not only being a representation but a presentation of Christ in this world today. The spirit of antichrist is being manifested in what has been defined as Church. Messages originating from the minds and hearts of men have formed an environment called church that is foreign to the Father. God has refused to work inside of this environment in which flesh is in control. That is why it has been so frustrating to see ministers pray or preach and hardly anything happens to move the population into the Spirit.

Every time you use the abuse and havoc the devil wreaked in your life before Christ as an excuse for not being able to walk in the Spirit, you make yourself an antichrist. This is a “forever learning syndrome,” in which you never come into the knowledge or the experiencing of the truth.

The “God understands what I have been through,” syndrome is also the spirit of antichrist. God understands the nature of the flesh and its captivities. That is why He gave you the Life of Christ. That life has already overcome the works of the devil and provides you with the liberty to walk in love and righteousness.

There are many more scenarios that are apparent mindsets in the church that reveal the spirit of antichrist. However, the manifestation of such will bring about a separation or a weeding out of the Body of Christ.

I John 2:20-21

20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

We are charged with not minimizing the power of our Christ. We know the truth. We have the Spirit of Truth living in us. We are the children of light, thus we are obligated to reveal that which is not of the light. When we walk in the truth the lie is manifest.

Acts 13:9-10

9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

A liar is a falsifier. He is one who perverts the truth. Nevertheless, in order to be a liar, one must first know the truth. Satan knew and knows the truth and the way of godliness and that is why he is able to offer man an alternative. Those in the household of faith who might have been ignorant of the truth at some point were or will be introduced to it. If at that point they reject or pervert it due to an unwillingness to relinquish their own wantonness or self-image, they make themselves a liar and an antichrist.

The truth is the pure Word of God. It does not change, nor is it vulnerable to the will of men. It will remain the same whether men reverence it or not. It will also prevail over the will of man. The truth is that which God has willed or spoken. It is the creative and destructive power of God.

It is the nature of the devil and all who will be used by him to pervert the truth. When the saints of God refuse to walk in the Spirit in which they were created, they pervert the gospel. The good news ceases to be such when the lifestyles and responses of the people of God are initiated by the emotions of the flesh.

II Corinthians 11:3-4

3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

4 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.

This is so serious. Paul implies that if you allow your mind to be corrupted by the preaching of another Jesus or if you allow another spirit other than that which is within you to operate in the church then yes, beloved, you will bear those who have perverted the faith. The leaders of our assemblies must be fervent in their watches. We must not allow any preaching or spiritual operations that are not of that ancient gospel.

This is compromise and can be readily seen in the mixing of the manna in the name of fellowship. Clearly, the motivation for such is the mighty dollar.

II Corinthians 11:13-15

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Tradition entertains men and women who call themselves apostles, prophets, etc. and know full well that they are not. It has created a false church that is an environment where such falseness can survive and thrive.

We must not be afraid to bear witness of the truth. Paul and Apollos went in to the Jewish synagogues time and time again, putting their life on the line preaching that Jesus Christ is the way to God. They walked into solemn assemblies and attacked a form of worship that was nearly 1500 years old. They had but one motivation and that was to reveal the truth to a people who were walking in darkness.

The Holy Ghost sent them to the people of God first. These were the ones who had relationship with God and were entrusted with His oracles. Paul and Apollos were men of integrity and warriors concerning the gospel of Christ. Their love for God and their fellowman was the driving force in them.

Tradition has convinced those who know the truth to respect the rights of others to preach heresies in the household of faith. It is considered impolite to correct a man of God. To do so is to lay offense and break fellowship. But this is not the mind of the Spirit. Those who are Christ and predestined to eternal life will hear the voice of wisdom. They will be even as Apollos. They will humble themselves and accept a more perfect word.

I John 2:22-23

22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

The falsifier or deceiver denies the Christ. I am sure that immediately you are moved to consider denial as an act of rejecting salvation, but this epistle is written to the church. The people of God are guilty of denying Christ. To deny is to prohibit, contradict, or disallow. When you refuse to allow the Christ in you to be manifested in every situation, circumstance or relationship you deny Him and rob the Father of the glory He seeks through Jesus Christ. Your life in the flesh becomes a contradiction and you make yourself antichrist.

I John 2:24-27

24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Because you have received the Holy Ghost, it is impossible for you not to know that the life of Christ in the flesh is real. You have received the Spirit of Truth and it will bear witness with your spirit that the life of God is now manifested in the flesh. You know that any sin on your part is by choice, not captivity. You have experienced the freedom from all the captivity of the enemy. You are alive unto God and can live in the righteousness, joy and peace of the Holy Ghost.

II John 7:7-11

7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Our instructions are clear. The leaders of the Body of Christ must find the courage to walk in the Spirit. In doing so, they will find it easy to obey the mandate. If the light of the gospel is going to shine we must be prepared to give our lives to the truth. The early church did so and the fear of God ruled their assemblies.