Antichrist Is Coming (Part A)

The you come out of that cloud is okay I am here we go do it this said, I want to win souls. I want to gain souls to Christ. I don't want to walk around the rapture today is rapid today and I'm not going to object to it. I'm going to say I'll stay behind know I'm outta here, but until that happens, I know what my assignment is pulled into this a beautiful section. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first John, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of first John chapter 2 as he begins his message Antichrist is coming. We are in first John and if you have your Bibles please turn to first John chapter 2 we will stand and read verses 18 through 23 little children. It is the last hour and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come by which we know that it is the last hour they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out, that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us. You have an anointing from the holy one. You know all things.

I have not written to you because you do not know the truth but because you know it, that no lie is of the truth, who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ, he is antichrist to denies the father the son whoever denies the son does not have the father either. He who acknowledges the son has the father also antichrist is coming, that's the title stirs interest.

John says false teachers were never right, never from God and their false teachings when they begin to move away from what Christ and the apostles have taught in the prophets false. He gives no credit or honor to them. He does not try to say yeah well they teach things that come out to help what you know is really a nice guy. They might be nice people lives in you know many Jehovah witnesses. For example, very nice people, the ones I've met, but their doctrines from hell because they deny the Christ and many other things they do.

And so John doesn't want to give any mixed signals and saying to them, you know there of these false teachers that have left and would you know he was a sick would gladly gone church should have no interests in salvaging fake intelligence or pseudo-intelligentsia ideas that sound good, but they're not don't match Scripture. Too often Christians as well as churches look for the nod, the approval the accreditation from anyone except Christ. They want to be recognized see where smart, we've we've made a way to bake in the evolution of the species into the creation story see where smart were not in the dark ages.

Instead of saying no that's wrong.

This is right and we don't need you to like or dislike this like it. We would like you to accept, but when I can change opposition so that you can say see where smart like you and this happens all the time.

Truth is narrow, academia is broad. Universities pride themselves on being the mother of knowledge they think they take every body into their arms.

They consider all options all ideas we don't.

Jesus said enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life and there are few who find that's what our Lord says 2+2 is always for boring as that might be to me it is true, it is narrow, it makes no exception for anyone. That's what truth is supposed to do. Be very narrow. They will say we are narrow minded when it comes to truth. I am very narrowminded.

There are many things that I'm narrowminded about. I'm narrowminded about jumping off of a building and lower landing on my head. I don't want to do certain things because they're wrong or harmful and I'm not intimidated by people because hopefully I'm more afraid of God, what he thinks and when I struggle with those things I struggle before merciful God was all about the truth was kind and gentle and long-suffering and unlike anyone is pure, so we line up with Christ and not with those who insist that the Bible is not superior, that is not trustworthy when I'm not interested to hear what you have to say about God. I'm not trying to be broad-minded and accommodate your wrong views. So if you're wrong views of two we could just thought of it illustrated they came walking into door. The door I would have a seat. Would you like something to drink, know it will be more like click click the pump shotgun you're an intruder dealing which not people truths and lies.

Don't feel this pressure to accept just anything in the days that John wrote this letter in the days of the apostles as we covered two Sundays ago the aggression influence was all over the place. So much so that, as I mentioned, the Romans that they when they conquered the Greeks they embraced the Greek gods and named them Mia gave them their own names, they would name their children after the gods, because it was real to them. Many of those children came out of that when they got the gospel of Jesus Christ because it was unlike anything else and everything else they had was wrong and Christ exposed it. Read the last chapter of Romans Romans chapter 16 and there you will find people with names of the gods, narcissists, Hermes, Olympus Phoebe not in Romans 16, but she's course in Corinthians, they had discovered Christ is better and they became Christians, and many of them would go to their graves because they were persecuted for their faith because it was worth it. So with that, we look now in verse 18. Then again, the point of the introduction was to insist that John was insisting on adhering to the truth and not accommodating false believers or making them think they had something worth listening to little children.

He says the term of endearment it is the last hour and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have, but the part me by which we know that it is the last hour. This phrase, it is the last hour is a common term.

It speaks of the Lord's departure to heaven and his return the last hour that in between that departure in that return is the last hour we are living in the last minutes of that hour, we can say that because the prophecies are lining up the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the end times in the prophecies in the New Testament concerning the end times, he says, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, now that title antichrist only shows up in John's letters and it is a prefix anti-Mees opposed to or instead of a substitute for it carries those meanings in the Greek is an enemy's bottom line. The antichrist embodies both meanings. Sort of a replacement savior for the world and also against the true Savior Jesus Christ and by deceit. He will undermine and he will pervert all that is good.

All that comes from Christ any chance he gets. First John chapter 4 verse three and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of antichrist, which you have heard this coming, and is now already in the world. So John will return to it by the time we get to chapter 4 and here he says that the Gnostics as we they were the biggest troublemakers at the time John was writing to the church that he was writing to coming. Judaism was the first threatened Paul dealt with much of that and others.

The Jews trying to take Christianity in sort of make it a sect of Judaism and Paul dealt with that.

Well, then came the Gentile influence through the Gnostics, intelligence, and we have the deeper meanings and and that's what John is dealing with here. So when he says these guys saying Christ did not come in the flash. I was there they were not you believe them. You believe me you believe the apostles Peter and Paul and all the others. We believe them. That's that's what it always comes down to who you going to believe, choose you this day. Find in the Old Testament. So what the apostle says of antichrist lines up with what he will say when he pens the revelation there in chapter 13 with what Paul says, also there in second Thessalonians chapter 2, the man of sin is the same person that he has in mind here in first John chapter 2. As with Revelation 13.

As with second Thessalonians distinct on the second beast in Revelation 13 was the false prophet who supports the antichrist was antichrist sidekick no plague what happens to the both of them in a minute that there is to be a personal antichrist is clearly taught in both Old Testament and New Testament Scripture, he will be the greatest anti-Christian anti-Jew ever to be on earth only outdone by Satan himself what he is Satan's kid and are we not seeing today anti-Christian Judeo thoughts there trying to jam them down our throats to try to erase any image of Judeo Christianity in our Constitution. This is very much in this country and its Western civilization that I'm speaking of that, he will emerge after the rapture of the church is very likely alive and active. Not as yet the beast but already here, we will not see him come to power those who will be rapture. We who will be rapture would be gone and is coming has been not only announced in the Scripture, but foreshadowed for us were given images of his behavior, especially in the activities of a historical figure and tear kiss epiphanies. The fourth Daniel has much to say about him. He is the little horn of Daniel chapter 8 verse nine and the actions of antichrist himself match up with Daniel seven verse eight, which is also dealing with and tear kiss epiphanies who hated the Jews. The Christians were around yet, and if he could wipe them out. If he most certainly would've been have been others that have hated the Jews for their faith.

Many of the Caesars despise them to mission was was one of the comes to mind right away but this monster has numerous descriptive names in Scripture and the names and name is nature. That's what why he has these names with the Bible is saying Hayes can do this and is going to do this and he's going to do this is the man of sin. The Bible calls him so we know that one thing about him.

He's into sin, not salvation, the son of the dam. It is the son of perdition, but it means the son of the dam. Satan's damnedest Satan to get his ideas is thinking.

The inspiration you know the word they Old Testament they call the prophet's ears. But then they began to call them profits, which means the inspired ones from God from Yahweh. Of course, while false prophets are inspired also, just not from heaven. A miracle does not say God is doing something a miracle says there's a spiritual force at work and then it is up to us to determine or to discern whether it is from heaven or from hell because antichrist and his false prophet will do lying wonders, so those who will come to Christ during the great tribulation age will have these warnings. The Bible will still be available is called the worthless Shepherd well in an and in a society where your livestock dictated the rhythm of life your big part of life and being a shepherd was a big thing to have sheep or what you do with the worthless one from God standpoint from heaven standpoint, this human being becomes worthless by his own choice because he chose Satan, not Christ and the apostles are dealing with this. He is called the vile person see that again name is nature, getting a description. This is how he rolls. This is how he shows up in your life.

The world's gonna love this guy. The going to embrace him. The going to send gifts to each other when righteous men are murdered. Sickles Satan serious serious business. Nothing funny about him doesn't run around with horns and pitchfork. He runs around and he takes people out repeatedly in Revelation, he is called the beast is a monster.

That's the idea. The monster that comes out of the sea. He will unify Western civilization and eventually for short time he will rule the world initiating time of Jacob's trouble, where he looks to completely exterminate the Jewish race and it will be horrific.

It launches all-out war against the Jews and the converts of the Jewish evangelist, 144,000 who will be making converts and those converts will be making converts, many of them if not all of them perish because of antichrist by his sword. They will be executed for their faith. He meets his end at the return of Christ at the battle of Armageddon. You go today to the Valley of Megiddo where that great event will take place. It is beautiful.

It is lush is verdant.

It is that beautiful green is vast, but it's going to be red with blood. We read about this in the Revelation where he and his sidekick will be cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 19 verse 20 then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast, the mark of the monster.

There are other marks that are other chips but there is one that stands out from all of them is not here yet it is coming. The technology is here. Well he continues. John does those who receive the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.

These two were cast into the lake of burning fire and brimstone will the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And so there we see is that he worked signs in his presence.

Thus, the lying wonders, I was referring to. What deceived those who receive the mark and worshiped him. Not only again will antichrist be revealed, but he will be accepted, it will be enjoyed and he will be cherished by the world which will be and is anti-Christ. John will bring that out in this next clause look with me at verse 18.

He says even now many antichrists have come so antichrist first singular in the top part of the verse referring to that evil figure as described and then here plural refers to the general movement of people refusing Christ hostile against Jesus our Lord. And they've been around since the beginning, and they're here now. The more they were in the Caesars Demetrius in Ephesus. Remember Paul cause a riot. Cast the demon out of the last and the next thing you know is a riot. They wanted to do.

Paul and today we have groups like NT 4.0, we have the LGBT group. We have the Obama's and the Clintons and the offerors. These people support the most vile things on the planet don't get my face and try to salvage something about I don't find anything cute or acceptable about voting laws into place that kill the unborn and this is antichrist and we need to stand up and say it when we are given the opportunity and take the punishment, if any, should come or reap the fruit. This is a Christ hating culture increasingly so. There have always been Christ haters but they have been beneath the surface. For the most part in Western civilization then no longer submerged thereof, and they are about in their changing laws and it is said about antichrist that he will change laws and customs. You wait and see. The Bible says doesn't say you wait and see. Like I'm singing but it is saying in antichrist is most often in antichrist individual went on the plural side now is not a criminal against humanity directly, indirectly, yes, because the solution took humanity's problems is the Christ and they are part of the processes of borrowing that are blocking that but they don't do that often times looking to help people. This a twisted form. You know we Christians believe in truth and love in that order.

Not love and truth because what love could you possibly have. Without the truth it will lead to worse problem in the world just won't learn that lesson.

Their love is a low-level love and it is destructive because it is detached from the creator of love and it is tied into the enemy of humanity. Satan himself antichrist people not always fully immoral. Sometimes a very decent people. Law-abiding upstanding citizens in the kingdoms of the world, not in the kingdom of Christ. I know some unbelievers, charming people.

The same I was to get saved, they would be such an ass set with that personality in the church, but they become a battlefield for us to bring them to Christ in this country.

The vote they cast their vote with the swine and everybody suffers for it in antichrist is one who rejects Jesus Christ plain and simple doesn't allow his claims to stick doesn't want to hear it mocks those who hasn't perhaps they deny that Jesus is God the son, the son of God, creator, maker of heaven and earth, and there are none higher and non-equal outside the Godhead. The father the son and Holy Spirit. He continues here, he says, by which we know that it is the last hour being goes the bell. John says we know we're living in the last time we know it. And again, where in the last minutes of human history, long minutes, I have come to crave as a Christian converts more than the rapture as early Christian heard about the rapture of course you get outta here. Go to heaven let's go specially get into you know your view is late 30s and 40s, and you begin to realize life about his compound out of I don't want to be here they come out of that cloud the cell okay I am here we go do it this is I said I like I want to win souls. I want to gain souls to Christ.

I don't want to walk around the rapture today is rapid today and I'm not going to object to it. I'm not going to say I'll stay behind know him outta here, but until that happens, I know what my assignment is pulled into and is a beautiful section in first Corinthians 9 verses 19 to 22 not I was reading it out loud to myself and I said I don't know if it makes good reading to make my points should aborted up electronically like I still can, because I am cool and I know it and as part of being cool. You know it and you know other people know it right.

I've had my past commercial the all do it this way electronics I have highlighted the process for though I am free from all men.

I have made myself a servant to all that I might win the more it's up to the Jews.

I became a Jew that I might win Jews to those who are under the law is under the law, that I might win those who are under the law to those who are without law is without law not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ that I may win those who are without law continues to the week. I became as weak that I might win the week I have become all things to all men pause there when he says I become all things to all men. He does not mean I become a sinner to all men because they are sinners. I doing with them saying I allow myself to to identify with them on a human level, a common humanity. He does not have in common with unbelievers, Christ listeners, we are to have that in common with each other. That's going near having all things in common, stands out in the book of acts will Paul continues when he writes to the Corinthians is laying down for them without even trying. How he conducts business that they would catch this vision but is not trying to get them to catch the vision, though they will sharing how he ministers and lives his life. He says again back to the week, repeating it, that I might win the week I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some of this I do for the gospel sake, that I may be partaker of it with you so you see the craving for the Christian I think is better serve the interest of the king not craving to get rapture out of to get others into the king to be used as part of the solution against what is happened to humankind through sin.

Thanks for tuning in to cross reference rate cross reference is a ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you'd like to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference radio.com find a number of teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast you subscribe will be notified of new editions of cross reference radio. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast apps. You can also follow the links@crossreferenceradio.com.

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