Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 1st 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.
Some years ago to coincide with the publication of my book, "My Search For The Real God", I started a bible study group called, "Prophecy and Revelation". The purpose of this group was to study biblical prophecies, in search of a deeper understanding. Since that time, the word prophecies have taken on an ominous meaning as end time prophecies flooded the internet. The religious community has been inundated with a new breed of prophets and they are making their presence known. Many church services are not complete until the prophet has spoken. These prophecies run the gauntlet of 'someone" (A rather ambiguous term, that was not used by God.) is about to receive a blessing to the threat of death to those who do not agree with the leadership. To maintain a degree of separation from this emerging entity, we have changed the focus of the bible study group to, "Understanding the Word of God".
The tagline for the video on the internet said President Obama will not finish his second term. Those who were dissatisfied with the president's antics and those who were curious quickly clicked the link. The video began with a quote from Jeremiah 50:6. "My people have been lost sheep, their shepherds have led them astray." For thirty-four-minute, I sat with my eyes glued to the computer monitor. Bible verse after bible verse mixed with images of world leaders and catastrophic events set the stage for a compelling video of a world on the brinks of destruction. The prophecy predicted that the events depicted were to take place before the end of 2016, while the present president is still in office. The antichrist would be brought down and the (world?) (The United States?) would be destroyed by fire. To survive this catastrophic event I needed to purchase the book offered at the end of the video. Isn't it true the same book used to validate this prophecy tells us how to escape the wrath that is to come?
There are prophecies and there are prophecies. Many of these prophecies are the result of a deviant form of scriptural reinterpretation. The arrival of the antichrist and his ungodly minions often serves as the backdrop for a vast number of end time prophecies. The struggle to place a face on the antichrist is often fueled by world events. There are very few modern day presidents who have not earned this honour. Presidents, popes and even Saddam Hussian have held the distinction of being label the antichrist. Is there such a thing as a person who will come onto the world stage and will be identified as the antichrist? Or, is antichrist merely a metaphor used to reference those who stand against christ? (Comments are welcome at the end of this blog.)
There is a problem with the interpretation of the scripture to provide for the coming of a person known as "the antichrist". Antichrist is a Christian term based on interpretation of passages in the New Testament, in which the term "antichrist" occurs five times in 1st John and 2nd John, once in plural form and four times in the singular. 1st 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. 2 John 1:7 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. I am unable to find a specific scripture that support the thesis that one individual called the antichrist will appear at the end of days. According to 1st John 4:3 he seems to be stating that there is the spirit of Christ and the spirit of antichrist. The spirit of antichrist was present in John's day and it exist today.
Down thru the ages and dispensation, God used the prophets to warn his people off impending doom or disaster. The message was often directed to a people or person and God always validated his messenger or message. A problem with many of today's prophecies is that the message is often dubious and lacking in validation. To proclaim that somebody here is going to receive a blessing from God does not meet the criteria of a prophecy from God. Most often these are self-serving proclamations designed to impress and improve one's status.
There are numerous end time videos making their presence known on the internet. Many of these videos are professionally produced and the Bible is used as a backdrop or to validate the opinion or interpretation of the author. As with any prophecy, the element of fear is amplified. What is common with most of these attention-grabbing videos, at the end there is a sales pitch to buy something. This type of marketing is used in and out of the religious community to create a revenue stream. There is a prophet mention in the old testament scripture who sought to profit from the prophecies of God.
Judgement day prophecies are nothing new. As a young child growing up, "judgement day," dates were often being set. Often the date were set far into the future, thus allowing the person who had the revelation to enjoy the maximum notoriety. Many of these dates have passed into obscurity and that knowledge that only the Father knows remain hidden. We do not know the day nor the hour that the son of man will appear. This the Bible does tell us, every since Jesus set foot on this earth, was crucified, rose again and ascended unto his Father, we have been living in the last days.
Christianity has always been plagued with false prophets. As we draw closer to the end of days, the fear of God has diminished. We are often titillated through our ears and eyes, over the internet and in the church of the many wonderful things God is doing and going to do for us. Typing or speaking "Amen", has become the golden key to receiving "blessings". Because of the clamouring for a blessing, we have become susceptible to a form of apostasy that has crept upon us unaware. Men and women adorned themselves with impressive titles and make promises in the name of God. The gospel of salvation has become obscured as we perform these acts or deeds that the prophets have assured us, will cause God to pour out his blessing upon us. Because false prophets are not falling dead, but rather they are enjoying the fruit of their laid up treasure, this is used to validate their walk with God.
A message depicting the love of God is more conducive to a pessimistic society. We can easily take a scripture out of the context that it was spoken and proclaim, "love covers a multitude of faults", thereby setting the stage for the justifying of our faults in the eyes of God. The self-made messenger of God now proclaims, "God want you to be happy", and the masses said "Amen". This is a statement that I doubt the Apostles or even Paul, who suffered immensely for Christ sake, would sign off on.
An interesting side notes on how God work, if these prophets had existed under the administration of the law, God might have judged them and destroyed them. After God, divorcement proceedings against his chosen people were complete, God was silent. The God that emerged after his silence was a more kindly or friendly God who began to store up his wrath. Under the presumption of grace made through his son, his wrath was withheld and humanity was given a chance to repent. Whereas the Pharoah of Egypt, who chased the children of Israel into the Red Sea was destroyed in the Red Sea, God gave Herod a pass when he sought to destroy the Son of God.
Durning the early years of Christianity, even before Paul boarded the ship for Rome, he warned the church of those who would come in seeking for positions of authority and destroying the faith in the process. Jesus rebuked the church in the Book of Revelation because of the false prophets who was allowed to stand in the sanctuary and issue false prophecies. Many of the organized churches of today is suffering from a type of spiritual abuse by those who are misusing the gifts they are claiming to be from God.
Christianity has always been plagued with false prophets. As we draw closer to the end of days, the fear of God has diminished. We are often titillated through our ears and eyes, over the internet and in the church of the many wonderful things God is doing and going to do for us. Typing or speaking "Amen", has become the golden key to receiving "blessings". Because of the clamouring for a blessing, we have become susceptible to a form of apostasy that has crept upon us unaware. Men and women adorned themselves with impressive titles and make promises in the name of God. The gospel of salvation has become obscured as we perform these acts or deeds that the prophets have assured us, will cause God to pour out his blessing upon us. Because false prophets are not falling dead, but rather they are enjoying the fruit of their laid up treasure, this is used to validate their walk with God.
A message depicting the love of God is more conducive to a pessimistic society. We can easily take a scripture out of the context that it was spoken and proclaim, "love covers a multitude of faults", thereby setting the stage for the justifying of our faults in the eyes of God. The self-made messenger of God now proclaims, "God want you to be happy", and the masses said "Amen". This is a statement that I doubt the Apostles or even Paul, who suffered immensely for Christ sake, would sign off on.
An interesting side notes on how God work, if these prophets had existed under the administration of the law, God might have judged them and destroyed them. After God, divorcement proceedings against his chosen people were complete, God was silent. The God that emerged after his silence was a more kindly or friendly God who began to store up his wrath. Under the presumption of grace made through his son, his wrath was withheld and humanity was given a chance to repent. Whereas the Pharoah of Egypt, who chased the children of Israel into the Red Sea was destroyed in the Red Sea, God gave Herod a pass when he sought to destroy the Son of God.
Durning the early years of Christianity, even before Paul boarded the ship for Rome, he warned the church of those who would come in seeking for positions of authority and destroying the faith in the process. Jesus rebuked the church in the Book of Revelation because of the false prophets who was allowed to stand in the sanctuary and issue false prophecies. Many of the organized churches of today is suffering from a type of spiritual abuse by those who are misusing the gifts they are claiming to be from God.
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