Christians not only have to battle the Agnostic and atheist, but they must also contend with liberal Bible scholars, and even some moderates, who use higher criticism in their interpretation. It is here that we should also expound a little more on the “criticism” portion of the term “higher criticism” and “textual criticism.” It might be more helpful if we talk for a moment about biblical criticism. It is divided into two branches: lower criticism and higher criticism. Lower criticism, also known as textual criticism, is an investigation of manuscripts by those, who are known as textual scholars, seeking to establish the original reading, which is no longer available. Higher criticism, also known as literary criticism takes that original text that has been established by textual criticism, looking for any sources that may lie behind it.

Lower criticism (i.e., textual criticism), has been the bedrock of scholarship over the last 500 years, which has given us a master text, i.e., a critical text, which is a 99.95 percent reflection of the original published Greek New Testament. It has contributed to the furtherance of Bible scholarship, removing interpolations, correcting scribal errors, and giving us a critical text, allowing us to produce better translations of the New and Old Testaments.

In contrast, higher criticism (i.e., literary criticism) has unlocked the floodgates of pseudo-scholarly works whose consequence has been to weaken, challenge and undercut Christian’s confidence in the Scriptures. In an effort to determine the origin of each book, its author, its location where it was written, and how much can be attributed to the traditional author, the sources behind a Bible book, higher criticism has destroyed the trustworthiness of the Bible, picking it apart until there is little left. Fortunately, some conservative scholars^[1] have undermined these higher critics for their illogical, unreasonable, lack of common sense that they have had as they have attempted their dissecting of God’s Word. Many of higher criticism do not believe in literal antichrists, but rather see it as merely a concept of good versus evil, and to these critics, the idea of a literal antichrist is nothing more than a myth.

Matthew 24:23-26 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

So that false Christs and false prophets may not fool the chosen ones of God or those who are truly Christian, Jesus gave us the warning found here in Matthew. Those who are claiming that they are Christ himself, the return of Christ, are the false Christs. On the other hand, false prophets are those that claim that God reveals the truth to them, and them alone.

It is right before and during the Great Tribulation when we will hear reports that Christ has returned. There will be both false Christs and prophets, who will be used by Satan to carry out great signs and miracles, a so-called evident demonstration of their real credentials as the Christ or a prophet of Christ. These false ones will present such a showy display that even true Christians will fall for their deception. We need to understand because one may have the ability to perform miracles; this does not mean the miracles are from God.―Matthew 7:21-23

We have seen that Christians are easily swayed into mere charismatic personalities. How much more so would they be deceived by a charismatic person, who can also perform miracles and signs. Millions of Christians flock to mega-churches and televangelists, such as Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Paul and Jan Crouch, Pat Robinson, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, Jim and Tammy Baker, and Joyce Meyer. Moreover, tens of millions will be the first to buy a book about end times, the last days, the prophecy of the Great Tribulation and Armageddon, such as The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future. These Christians will come to church with books likes these under their arms, swearing up and down that every word is so true, convincing others to buy into the lie.

Write a book about the last days, and it becomes a New York Times Bestselling book. Be a Bible scholar who puts ten years of research into a book on the historical reliability of Jesus’ resurrection, and he will sell a few thousand books. These writers of the end times, last days, Great Tribulation and Armageddon are a foretaste of what is to come. These authors come across in their books as though they have been given information directly from God, a special insight, which allows them to disclose these so-called mysterious secrets. If tens of millions of Christians drink down these books and the televangelist, as if they are quenching their thirst, there is little doubt that Jesus’ warning will do them any good.

2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7, 9 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

³ Let no one deceive^[2] you in any way, for it will not come unless the apostasy^[3] comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁷ For the mystery^[4] of lawlessness is already at work; but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint is out of the way. ⁹ namely, the one whose coming^[5] is in accordance with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

Antichrist Equals Anti (“Instead of or “against”) Christ

Matthew 16:16 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The Christ [Heb. Messiah anointed one] that Peter spoke of and was/is being opposed; he is the one spoken of by the prophets. Who was born in Bethlehem around 1 B.C.E., who began his ministry in 29 C.E., who gave his life as a ransom for many in 33 C.E., and who was resurrected on the third day, and ascended back to heaven 40 days after his resurrection.

Looking a little deeper into the term, “antichrist,” it seems that it has two meanings. It does have the meaning of “anti,” “against,” “opposed to,” but the preposition also carries the meaning “instead of.” Thus, we are looking for ones or groups that are “against” Jesus Christ or his disciples. However, we are also looking for ones who are “instead of” Christ, a false or pseudo-Christ. As we have seen from the two previous chapters, many believe that the antichrist is one individual person, who is still yet to come. However, we have also seen that antichrist applies to all persons who claim to be the one and only representative or Christ or coming in place of Christ, as well as all persons, groups or organizations that are opposed to Christ. Again, Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Matt 12:30) On this verse Stuart K. Weber writes, “Jesus eliminated the possibility of anyone remaining “neutral” toward him. Anyone who was not seeking to live for Jesus was, by default, Jesus enemy.” (Weber 2000, 177)

Hebrews 5:13-14 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

¹³ For everyone who partakes of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to the mature, to those who through practice have their discernment trained to distinguish between good and evil.

The milk metaphor is easy for every generation because we all know that a babe grows into physical maturity by the milk that he consumes. So too, the spiritual babe grows into maturity by taking in the metaphorical milk of elementary Bible doctrine. Once they have reached maturity, they can then take in “solid food,” deeper Bible truths. Paul tells us at 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” These Hebrew Christians needed to get off the elementary Bible doctrines (“milk”) and move on to the deeper biblical truths of “solid food.”

If we are to appreciate and apply the Bible in our lives, we must first fully understand it. We must know what the author of a Bible book meant by the words that he used, as should have been understood by his original intended audience. Then, we will be able to attach the significance that it has for our lives. If we are unaware of the correct way of interpreting the Scriptures, grammatical-historical interpretation, then we are going to be one of those who Peter spoke of as, ‘the ignorant and unstable, who twist the Scriptures to their own destruction.’ Tens of millions of Christians unknowingly share an incorrect understanding of Scripture every day, because they are not aware of the rules and principles of interpretation, while others may be aware of some, yet fail to apply them correctly.

The Antichrist and Religions

The Scriptures are very clear as to who Jesus was/is, and those who claim that he was merely a human in history, rejecting his divinity, are antichrists. All, who willfully manipulate Scriptures, to get it to say what they want it to say, are guilty of theological bias and is the antichrist. Devotees of Oriental religions, atheists, deists^[6] or agnostics, are antichrists.

John 1:14 (UASV) 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only begotten one from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Galatians 4:4 (UASV) 4 But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

Anyone who denies the value of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice is an antichrist. John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Jesus said of himself, “the Son of Man came … to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:28) The apostle John wrote, “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) The apostle Peter said of Jesus, “but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Pet. 1:19) The apostle Paul wrote, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Rom. 5:8-9) Isaiah, prophesied,

Isaiah 53:12 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Whether we wish to accept it or not, a number of religious leaders, from a number of Christian denominations reject the atoning work of Christ. Some even believe the teaching of the atonement is offensive to their moral senses. They say that the death of Jesus Christ was not needed for human salvation.

They even say that Scripture does not teach that Christians receive a righteous standing with God because of Jesus’ death. These ones would be antichrists, as atonement is a biblical “doctrine that God has reconciled sinners to Himself through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ.” (Brand, Draper and Archie 2003, 142)

Acts 20:28-30 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

²⁸ Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. ²⁹ I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

Yes, Jesus was warning of the coming danger, of ones who were out to steal those who are his disciples. They too are his enemy, trying to take his disciples for them. Jesus repeats his warning twice, “by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt. 7:16, 20) The distinguishing marker is good versus bad (literally worthless, rotten) fruit.

The main good fruit is mentioned in verse 21, only those, who are doing the will of the Father, are producing good fruit. Another fruit is the God’s Word itself. As Jesus said, so it is, “If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Yes, genuine Christians “must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:24

How do we “worship in spirit and truth”? We worship in spirit when a heart filled with faith and love motivates our life course, our walking with God. This means that we are completely devoted to pure worship as it is revealed in Scripture. In addition, to worship in spirit means that we allow our lives to be guided by the Spirit-inspired Word of God. Through Bible study, prayer and worship, as well as the application of God’s Word, our spirit, the new person must be in harmony with God’s Spirit. We worship in truth by coming to an accurate knowledge of the Word of God and following its revealed truths, not man. We need to reject the false teachings that have infiltrated into the Way (Ac 9:2; 19:9), and the Truth (3 John 1:4). If this means that we discover our form of Christianity is not in harmony with the spirit and truth of God, we must choose another course. This means that if we have had a mistaken view of the antichrist all along, we must now humbly accept the truth as Scripture has clearly stated.

Yes, those, who standoff from the Truth and the Way, would not be seeking their own disciples, but rather they would be seeking, “to draw away the disciples after them.” i.e., the disciples of Christ. Jesus was well aware that the easiest way to defeat any group is to divide them, and so was Satan, who had been watching humanity for over 4,000 years, and especially the Israelites (Isaac and Ishmael / Jacob and Esau / Israel and Judah), as “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.”―2 Corinthians 11:14-15

The apostle Peter also spoke of these things about 64 C.E., “there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies . . . in their greed they will exploit you with false words..” (2 Pet. 2:1, 3) These abandoned the faithful words, became false teachers, rising within the Christian congregation, sharing their corrupting influence, intending to hide, disguise, or mislead.

These dire warnings by Jesus and the New Testament authors had their beginnings in the first century C.E. Yes, the false teachers, causing division, began small, but burst forth on the scene in the second century. Paul wrote,

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

³ Let no one deceive^[7] you in any way, for it will not come unless the apostasy^[8] comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, showing himself as being God.

“[Paul says it] Is Already at Work”

About 51 C.E., some 18-years after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, division was already starting to creep into the faith, “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” (2 Thess. 2:7) Yes, the power of the man of lawlessness was already present, which is the power of Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:3-4), and his tens of millions of demons, are hard at work behind the scenes.

There were even some divisions beginning as early as 49 C.E., when the elders wrote a letter to the Gentile believers, saying,

Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions (Ac 15:24)

Here we see that some within were being very vocal about their opposition to the direction the faith was heading. Here, it was over whether the Gentiles needed to be circumcised, suggesting that they needed to be obedient to the Mosaic Law.―Acts 15:1, 5

As the years progressed throughout the first-century, this divisive “talk [would] spread like gangrene.” (2 Tim. 2:17, c. 65 C.E.) About 51 C.E., They had some in Thessalonica, at worst, going ahead of, or at best, misunderstanding Paul, and wrongly stating by word and a bogus letter “that the day of the Lord has come.” (2 Thess. 2:1-2) In Corinth, about 55 C.E., “some of [were saying] that there is no resurrection of the dead. (1 Cor. 15:12) About 65 C.E., some were “saying that the resurrection has already happened. They [were] upsetting the faith of some.” (2 Tim 2:16-18)

Throughout the next three decades, no inspired books were written. However, by the time the apostle John writes his three letters in 96-98 C.E., he tells us “Now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18) Again, these are ones, “who denies that Jesus is the Christ” and ones who not confess “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” (1 John 2:22; 4:2-3)

From 33 C.E. to 100 C.E., the apostles served Christ as a restraint against “the apostasy” that was coming. Paul stated at 2 Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he [Apostle by Christ] who now restrains it [the apostasy] will do so until he [apostles] is out of the way.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 said, “Let no one deceive you in any way [misinterpretation or false teachers of Paul’s first letter]. For that day [presence, parousia (second coming) of Christ] will not come, unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness [likely one person, or maybe an organization / movement, empowered by Satan] is revealed, the son of destruction.”

Again, we must keep in mind that the meaning of any given text is what the author meant by the words that he used, as should have been understood by his audience, and had some relevance/meaning for his audience. The rebellion [apostasy] began slowly in the first century and would break forth after the death of the last apostle, i.e., John. As a historian, Ariel Durant informed us earlier, by 187 C.E., there were 20 varieties of Christianity, and by 384 C.E., there were 80 varieties of Christianity. Christianity would become one again, a universal religion, i.e., Catholicism. Today, we have over 41,000 varieties of Christianity.

Outline of Christian Divisions

Start of Apostasy – 2nd Century

Roman Catholic Church

• 4th Century (Constantine)
• 5th Century Coptic
  • Jacobite
• 1054 C.E. Eastern Orthodox
  • Russian
  • Greek
  • Romanian and others
• 16th Century Reformation
  • Lutheran
  • German
  • Swedish
  • American and others
  • Anglican
  • Episcopal
  • Methodist
  • Salvation Army
  • Baptist
  • Pentecostal
  • Congregational
  • Calvinism
  • Presbyterian
  • Reformed Churches

Pre-Reformation

• Bishop Agobard of Lyons, France (779-840), was against image worship, churches dedicated to saints and church liturgy that was contrary to Scripture.
• Bishop Claudius (d. between 827 and 839 C.E.)
• Archdeacon Bérenger, or Berengarius, of Tours, France (11^th century C.E.), excommunicated as a heretic in 1050
• Peter of Bruys (1117-c. 1131), left the church because he disagreed with infant baptism, transubstantiation, prayers for the dead, worship of the cross and the need for church buildings.
• Henry of Lausanne (died imprisoned around 1148), spoke out against church liturgy, the corrupt clergy and the religious hierarchy.
• Peter Waldo (c. 1140–c. 1218) and the Waldenses, rejected purgatory, Masses for the dead, papal pardons and indulgences, and the worship of Mary and the saints.
• John Wycliffe (c. 1330-1384) preached against corruption in the monastic orders, papal taxation, the doctrine of transubstantiation (doctrine that the bread and wine of Communion become, in substance, but not appearance, the body and blood of Jesus Christ at consecration), the confession, and church involvement in temporal affairs.
• Jan Hus (c. 1369-1415) preached against the corruption of the Roman Church and stressed the importance of reading the Bible. This swiftly fetched the anger of the hierarchy upon him. In 1403, the church leaders ordered him to stop preaching the antipapal notions of Wycliffe, whose books they had openly burned. Hus, nevertheless, went on to pen some of the most hurtful impeachments against the Church and their practices, such as the sale of indulgences. He was condemned and excommunicated in 1410.

Reformation

• Girolamo Savonarola (1452-98) was of the San Marcos Monastery in Florence, Italy, spoke out against the corruption in the Church.
• Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a monk-scholar, was also a doctor of theology and a professor of Biblical studies at the University of Wittenberg. He took issue with papal indulgences, power, purgatory, plenary remission of all penalties of the pope, among many other issues.
• Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) was a Catholic priest, who agreed with Luther in many doctrinal areas, in addition to the removal of all vestiges of the Roman Church: images, crucifixes, clerical garb, and even liturgical music. However, he disagreed with Luther’s literal interpretation of the Eucharist, or Mass (Communion), as he said it “must be taken figuratively or metaphorically; ‘This is my body,’ means, ‘The bread signifies my body,’ or ‘is a figure of my body.’” This one issue caused them to part ways.
• Anabaptists (i.e., rejected infant baptism, so rebaptized adults, ana meaning “again” in Greek), Mennonites (Dutch Reformer Menno Simons), and Hutterites (Tyrolean Jacob Hutter), felt that the Reformers did not go far enough in rejecting the failings of the Catholic Church.
• John Calvin (1509-64) published Institutes of the Christian Religion, in which he summarized the ideas of the early church fathers and medieval theologians, as well as those of Luther and Zwingli. His theological views would take too much space. John Calvin had Michael Servetus burned to death as a heretic. Calvin defended his actions in these words: “When the papists are so harsh and violent in defense of their superstitions that they rage cruelly to shed innocent blood, are not Christian magistrates shamed to show themselves less ardent in defense of the sure truth?” Calvin’s religious extremism and personal hatred made him unwilling to see and understand the radicalness of his judgments and choked out and Christian principles.
• William Tyndale (1494-1536) had to flee from England, published his New Testament in 1526, and completed most of the Old Testament after his betrayal and arrest, in a dungeon. He would be strangled at the stake, and his body was burned. The 1611 King James Version was actually 97 percent Tyndale’s translation. He denounced the practice of prayer to saints. He taught justification by faith, the return of Christ, and mortality of the soul.
• Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609), graduated from Holland’s Leiden University, after which he spent six years in Switzerland, studying theology under Théodore de Bèze, the successor to Protestant Reformer John Calvin. Rather than support Calvinism, he went against it, especially the doctrine of predestination, which was at the core of Calvinism.

Catholicism Summary

Roman Catholicism has tainted itself with its history of immorality and bloodshed, as well as its pagan-tainted religious ideas and practices. The centuries-long oppression, torture, rape, pillage, and murder of tens of millions of men, women, and children cannot come from true Christianity. They were the biggest offenders of the apostasy that Paul said had to come before the return of Christ.

Protestantism Summary

The Reformation gave us a return to the Bible in the common person’s languages, which the Catholic Church had locked up in the dead language of Latin for 500-years. The Reformers brought the common folk freedom from papal authority but also from many erroneous Bible doctrines and dogmas that had gone on for a thousand years. However, the Protestant denominations have found themselves so fragmented and divided; one can only wonder where the truth and the Way are to be found. All 41,000 plus denominations that call themselves Christian cannot be just different roads leading to the same place.

Over eighty percent of Protestant Christianity is liberal-progressive as to their biblical and social beliefs, which began in earnest in the late 18th century up until the present. This covers too much area for a summary, but to mention just a few, they treat the Bible as being from man, not inspired and fully inerrant. They prefer to explain away the Bible accounts of miracles as myths, legends, or folk tales. They do not believe in the historicity of Bible characters such as Adam and Job. They say that Moses did not write the first five books of the Bible but that they were written by several authors from the tenth to the fifth centuries B.C.E., and were compiled after that. They say Isaiah did not author the book bearing his name in the early eighth century B.C.E., but that two or three authors penned it, centuries later.

In addition, they claim that Daniel did not pen his book in the sixth century B.C.E., but rather it was written in the second-century B.C.E. They claim that the Bible is full of errors, mistakes, and contradictions, as to the history, science, and geography. They claim that the Antichrist is merely good versus evil, and is not to be taken literally. Higher criticism has opened Pandora’s Box to an overflow of pseudo-scholarly works whose result has been to weaken, challenge and destabilize people’s assurance in the trustworthiness of the Bible. Who needs enemies like agnostics and atheists, when we have liberal Bible scholars? We have not even delved into their unbiblical views of social justice, gay marriage, homosexual priests, women in the pulpits and far more.

Some may ask what about the remaining twenty percent of Christian denominations. Most of those are moderate in beliefs, which cast doubt on the trustworthiness of the Scriptures and give fodder to the liberal-progressive denominations. These are fence-riders, who have abandoned the Truth and the Way of true, pure worship within Christianity. Before delving into the so-called conservative parts of Christianity, let us look at the charismatics.

We have charismatic Christianity, the fastest growing segment, which emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and modern-day miracles, speaking in tongues^[9] and miraculous healing, even snake handling in some areas. All of this is unbiblical and based on emotionalism.

Those who believe that charismatic Christianity is false Christianity, persons such as this author, are said to be overly critical. Supporters of Charismatic Christianity say we “should be focusing on the fact that while many in the church continue to abandon our Christian faith, the Pentecostal/Charismatic community continues to offer the church a legitimate growth mechanism.”^[10]

I would respond that a denomination founded on, grounded in unbiblical beliefs is not true Christianity, and are the false teachers and prophets that Jesus and the New Testament writers warned us were coming in the last days.

Therefore, charismatic Christianity is no Christianity at all, and all who are being brought in, are being obscured from finding the path of true Christianity. Further Catholicism brought in almost the whole world from 500 to 1500 C.E. Based on the same false, illogical reasoning from above; this would supposedly be a sign of their being true Christianity.

So-called conservative Christianity is so small that it barely receives any press. In fact, most of the press that conservative Christianity does receive, it is attacked from liberalism and atheism. Honestly, we should not confuse radical Christianity, such as the Westboro Baptist Church,^[11] with truly conservative, fundamentalist Christianity. However, even here within conservative Christianity, we find differences doctrinally, and yes, even in the so-called salvation doctrines.

Are all of the 41,000 different varieties of Christianity just different roads leading to the same place? Are all of the various conservative churches the Truth and the Way? The answer is no, as far as this writer is concerned. We need to return to the question that Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lu 18:8)  Jesus would not find faith on earth, not at the level that one might expect, not at present.

The Antichrist and Politics

As we just saw, much of the antichrist movement is made up of those alienated from God in their gross human imperfection, and religion. Well, here we will discover that governments and politicians can be antichrists as well. We begin with the obvious, communist and socialist governments are liberal-progressive both politically and religiously. They seek to displace any hope for God’s kingdom and have its citizens place all their hope in human governments. Any government that oppresses Jesus’ disciples are in essence in opposition to him. If they are persecuting, oppressing, and opposing Christians, they too are antichrists. – Matthew 25:31–46; Acts 9:5

The position of being an antichrist is not limited to communist countries, as it applies to Islamic countries, even individual politicians within a democratic constitutional monarchy (UK, Canada, Australia), and, yes, the federal republic of the United States. This would also apply to the United Nations, who is no friend to Christianity. Many view the United Nations as the world’s only true hope for peace and security, which hope alone, belongs to Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 5:3

This author is a great advocate of the United States of America, which has served as the protector and police officer of the world. If it were not for the United States, many evil empires, e.g., German, Russian or Islam, would be ruling the world, and we would be living in far worse times.

Romans 13:1-3 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

13 Let every soul^[12] be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God, and those that exist have been placed^[13] by God. ² Therefore the one setting himself against authority has taken a stand against the ordinance of God; and those who have taken a stand against it will receive judgment against themselves. ³ For rulers are not a cause of fear, not to the good deed, but to the bad. Do you want to be free of fear of the authority? Keep doing good, and you will have praise from it;

The United States has played a very large role in this manner. It has protected the world from evil and has relieved the pains of many. If genocide is taking place, it is the United States first to respond. If a country is invaded, it is the United States first on the scene. If there is a natural disaster, it is the United States first on the scene. Notice the words of Paul,

1 Timothy 2:1-3 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

2 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

Yes, we are even to pray for political leaders and governments. Why? Paul gives us the answer quite plainly, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.” We pray that government will not enact any laws that will infringe on our religious freedoms, and even that they will enact some that will expand or religious freedoms. If we can pray for such, why can we not act on behalf of our prayers by voting for the conservative politician over against the liberal one, because he or she is likely to be of the same mind? This is, of course, a conscience decision that each Christian must make for themselves.

However, we do not want to go beyond Scripture. We do not wish to see the United States as the entity that will be used to bring in true peace and security because it is not. Only Jesus Christ and his kingdom will do so. Further, we do not want to see the United States as an arm of God’s kingdom; it is not an extension of God’s kingdom. We have noticed in the last six years of the Obama presidency^[14] that the country has swung liberal-progressive, and has failed in its role as the protector and police officer to the world. This should wake us up to the fact that it is nothing more than a human government, ran by imperfect humans, and within a moment, it can be converted into just the opposite of why we had appreciated it. This is not to say that, we cannot vote for persons, who may get the United States back to its former greatness. In chapter 4, we will delve even more into a detailed picture of this antichrist spirit or mentality. This is not to take away from the fact that the antichrist is literally a person, groups, organizations, and governments.

SCROLL THROUGH DIFFERENT CATEGORIES BELOW

BIBLE TRANSLATION AND TEXTUAL CRITICISM

BIBLICAL STUDIES / INTERPRETATION

EARLY CHRISTIANITY

CHRISTIAN APOLOGETIC EVANGELISM

TECHNOLOGY

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY

CHRISTIAN FICTION

[1] Such scholars as Robert L. Thomas, Norman L. Geisler, Gleason L. Archer, F. David Farnell, and Joseph M. Holden, et al. have fought for decades, to educate us about the dangers of higher criticism.

[2] Or seduce

[3] Apostasy: (Gr. apostasia) The term literally means “to stand away from” and is used to refer to ones who ‘stand away from the truth.’ It is abandonment, a rebellion, an apostasy, a refusal to accept or acknowledge true worship. In Scripture, this is used primarily concerning the one who rises up in defiance of the only true God and his people, working in opposition to the truth.–Ac 21:21; 2 Thess. 2:3.

[4] Mystery; Secret: (Gr. mystērion) A sacred divine mystery or secret doctrine that lies with God alone, which is withheld from both the angelic body and humans, until the time he determines that it is to be revealed, and to those to whom he chooses to make it known.–Mark 4:11; Rom. 11:25; 16:25; 1 Cor. 2:1; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Eph. 1:9; 6:19; Col. 1:26; 2:2; 2 Thess. 2:7; 1 Tim. 3:9; Rev. 17:5.

[5] See note on 2:8.

[6] Deism is a belief in God based on reason rather than revelation and involving the view, which God has set the universe in motion but does not interfere with how it runs.

[7] Or seduce

[8] Apostasy: (Gr. apostasia) The term literally means “to stand away from” and is used to refer to ones who ‘stand away from the truth.’ It is abandonment, a rebellion, an apostasy, a refusal to accept or acknowledge true worship. In Scripture, this is used primarily concerning the one who rises up in defiance of the only true God and his people, working in opposition to the truth.–Ac 21:21; 2 Thess. 2:3.

[9] http://www.christianpublishers.org/speaking-in-tongues-truth

[10] http://tiny.cc/j5d7mx

[11] http://www.godhatesfags.com/

[12] Or person

[13] Or established, instituted

[14] If one were to Google antichrist, Obama would be very prominent as a choice. Is he the antichrist? Not in the way one might think, i.e., the one, long awaited antichrist that Satan uses. However, he is the antichrist in the sense that he does nothing for Christianity, but rather seems to work in opposition to them. Thus, he is the antichrist like any other person that is not for Christ, but is against Christ, by way of his disciples.