How does Scripture define
the Antichrist?
Little children, it is the last time. And just as
you have heard that
antichrist
is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which we
know that it is the last hour.1 John 2:18
Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the
Christ? He who denies the Father and the Son is
antichrist.1
John 2:22
and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus
Christ has come in [the] flesh is not of God. And this is the
antichrist
you heard is coming, and even now is
already in the
world. 1 John 4:3
For many deceivers have entered into the world,
who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in [the] flesh.
This is the deceiver and the
antichrist
.2 John 1:7
These are the only occurrences in the entire Bible
of the word antichrist. These books were written by John as was
Revelation. He says that the antichrist is already in the world and
who it is. It is anyone who denies Christ!!! If the antichrist was
present in the world in John's day, how can we be looking for a
fulfillment of this in the future? The apostacy was already present
in New Testament times. Many of the letters to the churches were
written to deal with the false teachers and false doctrines that were
spreading.
When are the Last
Days?
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world, but was manifest in these
last
times
for you,1 Peter 1:20
But the
end of all
things has drawn near. Therefore be of
sound mind, and be sensible to prayers.1 Peter 4:7
God, who at many times and in many ways spoke in
time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in
these last
days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has
appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds,Hebrews
1:1,2
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet
Joel: "And it shall be in the
last
days, says God, I will pour out of My
Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men
shall dream dreams. Acts 2:16,17
Little children, it is the last time. And just as
you have heard that
antichrist
is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which we
know that it is the last
hour. 1 John 2:18
But the
end
of all things has drawn near. Therefore be of sound mind, and be
sensible to prayers 1 Peter 4:7 .
God's Word says the last days, last times was
already upon them at the time the New Testament was written. In 1
John 2:18 John says that they know the last hour is upon them because
the antichrists have risen up. Obviously, then, these passages can't
refer to the end of the world. Therefore, what do they refer to? In
my opinion, they refer to the end of the Old Covenant being replaced
by a new, better covenant. In some places, the term is also used to
refer to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. When the temple in
Jerusalem was completely destroyed, the Jews could no longer practice
out the old covenant in respect to sacrifices, therefore completely
destroying the old covenant at that time.
Meaning of thousand in
Scripture
Therefore, know that the LORD your God, He
[is] God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy with
them that love Him and keep His commandments, to a
thousand
generations. Deuteronomy 7:9
Be always mindful of His covenant, the word He
commanded to a
thousand
generations,1 Chronicles 16:15
He has remembered His covenant forever, the word
[which] He commanded to a
thousand
generations;Psalms 105:8
Since a generation is about 40 years, if we take
these passages literally, that means the earth has about 34,000 years
left to go. I come up with that figure, based upon the belief that
our earth is about 6000 years old.
For every beast of the forest [is] Mine,
[and] the cattle on a
thousand
hills.Psalms
50:10
If we take this passage literally, God only owns
the cattle on a thousand hills and the rest of the cattle don't
belong to Him.
God uses the word thousand in the Bible to
indicate completeness. Therefore, when He uses the word thousand in
Revelation it doesn't necessarily have to mean a literal thousand
years any more than the above passages must be taken
literally.
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