Oppose AntiChrist? Or Not?

[Juanita]

Recently someone told me something very sad. They said that one of the reasons that Christians did not oppose Hitler was because they thought he might be the AntiChrist and to oppose him would be to oppose how God was working things out...

I have thought on this long and hard and realize that people easily get caught up in, the end times are here, we should just 'ride it out'.

Have you seen this? How do we make sure we don't get caught up in it?

For twitter: http://bit.ly/1Rdsjy

[Olufunmilayo Elizabeth Bankole]

The Church needs to be alert spiritually to be able to discern. if the Body of Christ is slumbering then it will be difficult for her to understand.

[Dwayne Leon Gobin II]

I realize that this is an old thread but I would like to say that we all need to answer this question of opposing the anti-christ the same way that Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednigo took their stand when they refused to bow down to the kings idols and Daniel refused to stop praying three times a day. They were protected each time and anything that is the opposite of Christ or the opposite of God is anti-christ. I will stand on God's Word - and I shall not be moved - until I breathe my last breath.

[Robert Chambers]

I had always understood the idea of the Antichrist to describe us christians when our actions do not reflect Christ-like behavior. For example, flaunting wealth, ignoring the poor and outcast, throwing out food and overheating the Mcmansion while people in our town go homeless and hungry...these are all antichrist behaviors that are very common in christian communities. Especially in the United States where life is spiked with generous portions of ease and safety.

Perhaps a literal interpretation of Revelations is a convenient tool for ignoring the true antichrist within each of us. It allows us to go on a noble cosmic search through the world's political rosters to find some dastardly spawn of satan which matches This Description. But do you think it could be just a grand distraction from the simple truth that all christians, no matter how devout and pious, act in ways antithetical to those of Christ?

Let me ask you this: how is the search for an antichrist outside ourselves different from any other witch hunt? I see the ignorance in the christian faith rear its malformed head when I hear people talk about other people fitting the scriptural description of the Anti-Christ. Mainly because there are ten thousand people who fit that description every generation and christians will NEVER agree on one single person. Is it Obama, Bush, Clinton, Tony Blair, Joe Mohammed or me? What are you going to do, throw each of them in a lake and see if he sinks or will we be applying some other moronic 'witch test' to them while God distracts the Secret Service? It's lovely when the antichrist is all wrapped up nice and tidy with a big simpleminded bow on top like in the Left Behind books, but the nonfiction world is, to say the least, a bit more complex.

The best way, Juanita, to not get caught up in this brand of crazy is to realize that countless christians have been convinced beyond any doubt that they are living in the end times since the time of the Resurrection. Not one of them was correct. They wasted their lives preparing for something that never came and they are no different from our current crop of End Times worshipers. Instead of helping to feed the poor, cloth the homeless, comfort the dying and make the world less cruel, they take the easy was out. It is difficult to look in the mirror and see an imperfect and flawed student of Jesus looking back. But it must be done. We must acknowledge our behaviors which are antithetical to those of Christ so we may forgive ourselves and improve our ways. To ignore that difficult humble necessity is to truly embrace the Anti-Christ.

[Juanita]

What a man of God! Thank you!

Dwayne Leon Gobin II said:

I realize that this is an old thread but I would like to say that we all need to answer this question of opposing the anti-christ the same way that Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednigo took their stand when they refused to bow down to the kings idols and Daniel refused to stop praying three times a day. They wt a ere protected each time and anything that is the opposite of Christ or the opposite of God is anti-christ. I will stand on God's Word - and I shall not be moved - until I breathe my last breath.

[Dora Perry]

My father was a WWII vet and it wasn't that Christians did not oppose it, in fact they hated it. My grandmother was a very devout Christian and had raised my father up teaching him to protect Israel. As my grandmother told him and he passed down to me, Israel are Gods chosen people and under no circumstances are we to turn our backs on them. Christians prayed for them, some died in the war for them, knowing God was in control and He would take this evil and turn it around. Yes some suffered and died, but look what came out of it. They got their land back and that was God's hand. And then they had the 6 day war, they were surround and still won. That was God also. So everyone needs to look at the whole picture. Just as the Christians are being persecuted and put to death today, for everyone that loses their life for Christ, more come to know Him because of their death. Everything that happens is in God's plan and God's timing. To end this let me just say this. Look at what Jesus went through for us. As a Christian and a true disciple, we should be willing to go through the same for Him. To live is Christ and to die is gain. With love in Christ, Dora

[Dora Perry]

Amen!! Stay on the Solid Rock!!!

Juanita said:

What a man of God! Thank you!

Dwayne Leon Gobin II said:

I realize that this is an old thread but I would like to say that we all need to answer this question of opposing the anti-christ the same way that Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednigo took their stand when they refused to bow down to the kings idols and Daniel refused to stop praying three times a day. They wt a ere protected each time and anything that is the opposite of Christ or the opposite of God is anti-christ. I will stand on God's Word - and I shall not be moved - until I breathe my last breath.

[Dwayne Leon Gobin II]

My dear brother,
I can understand where you are coming from but to say that we are not in the last days and that we have not been in the last days is to say that the New Testament is lying and if that be so then it is to say that the Word of God is not inerrant. Of course, I disagree with all of that because God's Word is inerrant and according to 2Tim. chapter 3, we are in the last days. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (KJV)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

All of these things are happenning now and were happenning durig the last two thousand years. Also, we have been instructed to be prepared for His coming. To prepare is to grow in Christ. Jesus says for us to be holy because He is holy. We are to examine ourselves; to judge ourselves so God doesn't have to. Instead of coming down on others because they believe that we are in the end times, to prepare for Jesus' coming is to make disciples and we are to go out into the world making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit(Mat.28:18-19). Amen to that!!!

Robert Chambers said:

I had always understood the idea of the Antichrist to describe us christians when our actions do not reflect Christ-like behavior. For example, flaunting wealth, ignoring the poor and outcast, throwing out food and overheating the Mcmansion while people in our town go homeless and hungry...these are all antichrist behaviors that are very common in christian communities. Especially in the United States where life is spiked with generous portions of ease and safety.

Perhaps a literal interpretation of Revelations is a convenient tool for ignoring the true antichrist within each of us. It allows us to go on a noble cosmic search through the world's political rosters to find some dastardly spawn of satan which matches This Description. But do you think it could be just a grand distraction from the simple truth that all christians, no matter how devout and pious, act in ways antithetical to those of Christ?

Let me ask you this: how is the search for an antichrist outside ourselves different from any other witch hunt? I see the ignorance in the christian faith rear its malformed head when I hear people talk about other people fitting the scriptural description of the Anti-Christ. Mainly because there are ten thousand people who fit that description every generation and christians will NEVER agree on one single person. Is it Obama, Bush, Clinton, Tony Blair, Joe Mohammed or me? What are you going to do, throw each of them in a lake and see if he sinks or will we be applying some other moronic 'witch test' to them while God distracts the Secret Service? It's lovely when the antichrist is all wrapped up nice and tidy with a big simpleminded bow on top like in the Left Behind books, but the nonfiction world is, to say the least, a bit more complex.

The best way, Juanita, to not get caught up in this brand of crazy is to realize that countless christians have been convinced beyond any doubt that they are living in the end times since the time of the Resurrection. Not one of them was correct. They wasted their lives preparing for something that never came and they are no different from our current crop of End Times worshipers. Instead of helping to feed the poor, cloth the homeless, comfort the dying and make the world less cruel, they take the easy was out. It is difficult to look in the mirror and see an imperfect and flawed student of Jesus looking back. But it must be done. We must acknowledge our behaviors which are antithetical to those of Christ so we may forgive ourselves and improve our ways. To ignore that difficult humble necessity is to truly embrace the Anti-Christ.

[Sierra Nichole]

I would say that as Christians we do need to understand the times and seasons of the End Times.
If it werent important God wouldnt have dedicated sooooo much of the Bible to it.
We as Christians need to walk in constant adoration and reverance of God. We do not know the day but we can know the times and seasons.
I also personally believe that teh church will be on the earth for the Tribulation. I do not know whether it will be for just the Tribulation or that and the Great Tribulation but I do know as Christians we need to be ready for it.
I believe that Anti-Christ is among us.
If you notice throughout history there have been many leaders who could have been the antichrist. Since Satan does not know when Jesus is coming he thinks he needs to be prepared with a man to be the antichrist. I believe Hitler was one of those options.
Either way you believe, rapture or not, the anti christ is coming and as Christians we need to be able to answer one question, "Is my faith and love for God unmovable and unshakable?"
The Bible talks very plainly about what antichrist will do on earth and I can tell you Christians and Jews are going to be a target. We NEED to be ready for anything, anytime, anywhere.

[Robert Chambers]

Dwayne,

Thank you for your words brother. Forgive my need for clarification, but I'm not certain that I understand your interpretation of the End Times. When you say End of Days, do you mean the literal end of the world complete with armies of angels, demons, rising of the dead, and the flaming sword bit? Or do you interpret it as analogous to a part of the human condition that we each deal with--perhaps everyday--as we struggle with our own angels and demons? This is an important distinction to make, because one interpretation is consistent with a responsible and humble framework of ethics and conduct and the other is batshit crazy.

Forgive my French, but we must call it what it is. When I hear extraordinary claims (such as the dead literally rising from the grave) I require extraordinary evidence to support the claim. Quoting scripture that generally describes the banal self-involved stupidity of mankind as it has always existed is not extraordinary in my estimation. To assume that it is prophetic is to reveal a set of standards for belief so low that it defies basic God-given reason.

Furthermore, the New Testament is a book. The Good Book, to be sure. But simply a book nonetheless. It is wood pulp and ink printed up and mass produced with varying exposures to secular and theistic methods. It is therefore incapable of lying, deceit, honesty, love, hatred or any other choice. It just sits there until a human being comes along and begins to interpret it with the love and/or hatred in their own heart. When I say we are not living in any prophetic earth crumbling End Times, I mean to say that human beings have screwed up in their reading of the book. To imply that a book is lying is just weird.

Your last paragraph is a bit confusing. Do you chastise me for "coming down on others" for believing the insane campfire ramblings of Bronze Age nomads and that I should instead turn to baptizing and creating disciples? Well, I believe that a literal interpretation of End Times prophesy is a mean self-serving indulgence that masquerades cruelty in an ignorant cloak of righteousness. Those subscribing to it deserve mockery and indignation. The bible has plenty of unjust, brutal, and inhumane stories in it to keep the End Times company. We no longer practice slavery, for example, yet Leviticus 25:44-46 gives clear instructions on how human slaves are to be bought and sold like cattle. This passage excludes the children of Israel...but hold on now, just when they thought they were safe we have plenty of Exodus to go around. Especially verse 26 which not only describes how long the bible permits one to enslave a Jewish man but that the slave owner must pierce the slave's ear with an awl to claim him forever. Would you accept this as the word of God? In our country, it was one of the stock-in-trade recitations of southern slave owners a full 1800 years after Christ. Now we view slavery as an abomination before God and man. Is the New Testament lying? There's a good chance that I'm totally misreading it and I would welcome your instruction on the matter if you think I have.



Dwayne Leon Gobin II said:

My dear brother,
I can understand where you are coming from but to say that we are not in the last days and that we have not been in the last days is to say that the New Testament is lying and if that be so then it is to say that the Word of God is not inerrant. Of course, I disagree with all of that because God's Word is inerrant and according to 2Tim. chapter 3, we are in the last days. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (KJV)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

All of these things are happenning now and were happenning durig the last two thousand years. Also, we have been instructed to be prepared for His coming. To prepare is to grow in Christ. Jesus says for us to be holy because He is holy. We are to examine ourselves; to judge ourselves so God doesn't have to. Instead of coming down on others because they believe that we are in the end times, to prepare for Jesus' coming is to make disciples and we are to go out into the world making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit(Mat.28:18-19). Amen to that!!!

Robert Chambers said:

I had always understood the idea of the Antichrist to describe us christians when our actions do not reflect Christ-like behavior. For example, flaunting wealth, ignoring the poor and outcast, throwing out food and overheating the Mcmansion while people in our town go homeless and hungry...these are all antichrist behaviors that are very common in christian communities. Especially in the United States where life is spiked with generous portions of ease and safety.

Perhaps a literal interpretation of Revelations is a convenient tool for ignoring the true antichrist within each of us. It allows us to go on a noble cosmic search through the world's political rosters to find some dastardly spawn of satan which matches This Description. But do you think it could be just a grand distraction from the simple truth that all christians, no matter how devout and pious, act in ways antithetical to those of Christ?

Let me ask you this: how is the search for an antichrist outside ourselves different from any other witch hunt? I see the ignorance in the christian faith rear its malformed head when I hear people talk about other people fitting the scriptural description of the Anti-Christ. Mainly because there are ten thousand people who fit that description every generation and christians will NEVER agree on one single person. Is it Obama, Bush, Clinton, Tony Blair, Joe Mohammed or me? What are you going to do, throw each of them in a lake and see if he sinks or will we be applying some other moronic 'witch test' to them while God distracts the Secret Service? It's lovely when the antichrist is all wrapped up nice and tidy with a big simpleminded bow on top like in the Left Behind books, but the nonfiction world is, to say the least, a bit more complex.

The best way, Juanita, to not get caught up in this brand of crazy is to realize that countless christians have been convinced beyond any doubt that they are living in the end times since the time of the Resurrection. Not one of them was correct. They wasted their lives preparing for something that never came and they are no different from our current crop of End Times worshipers. Instead of helping to feed the poor, cloth the homeless, comfort the dying and make the world less cruel, they take the easy was out. It is difficult to look in the mirror and see an imperfect and flawed student of Jesus looking back. But it must be done. We must acknowledge our behaviors which are antithetical to those of Christ so we may forgive ourselves and improve our ways. To ignore that difficult humble necessity is to truly embrace the Anti-Christ.