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Antichrist is not some future evil world leader. Antichrists existed in apostolic days. The term “Christ” means “anointed.” The Father “anointed,” ordained Jesus to the Melchisedec Priesthood. Jesus ordained the twelve Apostles; and they ordained Elders in every church. Those who supposedly preach and administer the gospel without the Melchisedec Priesthood are antichrists. They have not been called of God; and ordained, “anointed,” by one holding that priesthood. "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... Who is a liar but he that denieth
that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."(1 John 2:18, 22) "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit
that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have
heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."
(1 John 4:2, 3) "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." (2 John 1:7) John gave two definitions of antichrist.
First, is anyone "that denieth that Jesus is the Christ."
Second, is anyone who denies Jesus came "in
the flesh." First, anyone who denies "Jesus is the Christ" is antichrist.
Understanding "antichrist"
requires an understanding of the name Jesus Christ.
Many consider this to be the proper name of our Savior.
That is not true. The word
translated Jesus (Iesous, or yeoshua) has also been translated Joshua, Jeshua,
and Jose. It designates the
office/priesthood which he held. There
is nothing wrong in using the word Jesus; as it is just as valid as the other
translation; and may be of greater import. The word Christ (Greek, Christus) means
"anointed." Specifically,
it means “anointed” of God. Jesus
was ordained by the Father, "to
day have I begotten thee." Jesus
went to great lengths to explain that his authority did not come from man; but,
from God. Jesus went to John for
baptism; because he held the lower Levitical Priesthood, giving him divine
authority to baptize with water. Only those called of God, and ordained by one holing divine
authority, can call and ordain another. "And
no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as
was Aaron." (Heb. 5:4) Aaron
was called by revelation of God through Moses (Ex. 28:41).
Aaron was called by a revelation to Moses; and ordained under the hands
of Moses. Jesus had to obey this law. The
Melchisedec Priesthood was lost about four hundred years before Jesus: with the
last prophet of God. After his
baptism, He was ordained to the Melchisedec Priesthood by the hands of the
Father. He was ordained an Apostle,
Prophet, and High Priest. "Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle
and High Priest of our
profession, Christ Jesus." (Heb. 2:1)
"And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear
that prophet, shall be
destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3:23)
"So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but
he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee...
Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec." (Heb.
5:5, 10) "The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he [the Father] hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." (Luke 4:18) Jesus said, "He that receiveth you
receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."
(Matt. 10:40) "Whosoever shall
receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall
receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." (Mark 9:37)
"And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other
cities also: for therefore am I sent." (Luke 4:43) The law of God is unchangeable.
Whatever it takes to appoint a man to an office of divine authority in
one age, is required in all ages. “Called
of God as was Aaron” signifies the necessary of being called by the spirit of
prophecy and an ordination by one holding that priesthood.
"And
thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt
anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister
unto me in the priest's office." (Ex. 28:41) Jesus ordained and sent the Apostles (Mark
3:14). The Apostles ordained
and sent elders (Acts 14:23). Paul
reminded his son Timothy of his ordination by prophecy and laying on of hands.
"Neglect not the gift that
is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of
the hands of the presbytery." (1 Tim. 4:14) Men cannot vote other men into divine authority.
If that were true, Satan could call any man to represent the kingdom of
God. God would then have to be as
pleased with evil; as with good. What
confusion! Did William Miller
(father of the Adventists) have as much claim to divine authority as Martin
Luther? Are not the hundreds of
different Protestant churches confusing? "God
is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the
saints." (1 Cor. 14:33) Without
a proper calling of God, a minister of man is antichrist. Some have thought to use the calling of the Apostles as
their calling. "And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature." (Mark 16:15) Could
a bridesmaid standing next to the bride, and hearing the marriage vows, claim
the same rights as the bride? A
claim to such would make her a whore and not a bride.
Divine authority comes only through ordination by one holding that
authority. "And when they had ordained
them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended
them to the Lord, on whom they believed." (Acts 14:23) The use of the word prophet (nabi) means any
person authorized to speak for God. There
are to be many false prophets, antichrists (not “anointed”) in the
latter days. "He
that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he
walked." (1 John 2:6) Jesus
became a son of God through “anointing” by the Father.
Jesus made no effort in preaching the gospel; until after His ordination.
"The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
[the Father] hath anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor." (Luke 4:18) Jesus warned, "Beware of false prophets
[antichrists], which come to you in sheep's clothing [as ministers of God], but
inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matt. 7:15)
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell." (Matt. 10:28) They
present themselves as men of God; without being called of God.
"For there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matt. 24:24)
Like Aaron and Timothy (son of Paul), every man with divine authority
will be able to present the lineage of his authority from God; and not by the
will of man. In 325 AD, Constantine presumed to stand at the head of the church. He was an unbaptized, pagan that honored the sun god. All divine authority flows from the top down. The stream can rise no higher than its source. When the Christian bishops accepted the authority of Constantine, they relinquished any claim to divine authority. The source of their authority became pagan Rome; the arm of man. An antichrist is therefore anyone who preaches in the name of God; but, has never received a proper “anointing” and divine authority from God. One of the first changes Constantine made to the Christian
religion was to make Jesus a non-entity, a demi-god.
He was not even the son the God. Constantine
made Him the son of a ghost. The
creed declared Jesus was born "of the Substance of his Mother" and
"of the Holy Ghost." This
ghost, though, was a non-entity. It
has no substance; but only proceeds from the Father and the Son, like
light proceeds from a fire. The
creed made Jesus the bastard son of Himself. Bishops under Constantine advanced this pagan doctrine.
The sword of Constantine was held over their heads.
It was a general practice among Christians to accept any teaching as
Christian, if it was called Christian. Christians had been adopting pagan
practices, since the day of the Apostles. It
was a simple matter for Saint Athanasius, when he compiled the Bible, to make a
couple alterations in an attempt to satisfy Constantine.
The rest of the Bible denies this pagan doctrine.
The doctrines of Babylon teach this doctrine.
Consider the source: the Trinity originated with Nimrod, King of Babylon.
It caused more divisions in the Catholic Church than any other doctrine.
It had, though, become generally accepted before the Protestant
Reformation. The Bible declared Jesus had to be of the house of David "according
to the flesh." (Rom. 1:3) Matthew
and Luke both trace the lineage of Jesus through Abraham, Judah, David, and
Joseph. Paul wrote, "in
all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren." (Heb. 2:17)
The virgin born, demi-god fable, is
a "spirit of antichrist." Constantine reorganized the Christian church.
The sins of man had already brought an end to apostles and prophets.
God became silent. There was
no “Thus saith the Lord”
in Rome. Constantine was first,
after the Apostles, to boldly think to stand as head of the Church of Christ on
earth. His only authority was his
position as absolute civil ruler of pagan Rome. "Immediately upon coming to power as the sole
ruler of the empire, but only then, Constantine asserted the right to exercise
ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY OVER THE ENTIRE CHURCH." (Constantine's Sword, p.
188) Thus, Constantine stood as the great antichrist of his day.
He actually considered himself divine.
He stood as God in the splendid temples he erected.
(, pp.
179, 180) "Perhaps the most visible part of Constantine's
Christianizing program was a hurried campaign to build large and resplendent
churches everywhere." (Constantine's Sword, p. 196)
"Constantine traveled to Jerusalem in 335 to preside at the
dedication of the completed Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.
It was one of the most magnificent churches in the world at the
time." (Ibid., p. 199) There was not a continual succession of legitimate popes.
Some of the most barbarous and murderous men in history were popes.
The papal chair was filled with whores and their bastard sons.
Many popes simply bought their way into office.
There were even three popes all claiming power at the same time.
How soon we forget! They were not without power.
"Innocent III (1198 - 1216).
Most Powerful of all the Popes. Claimed
to be 'Vicar of Christ,' 'Vicar of God,' 'Supreme Sovereign over the Church and
the World.' Claimed the right to
Depose Kings and Princes; and that 'All things on earth and in heaven and in
hell are subject to the Vicar of Christ.' "He brought the Church into Supreme Control of
the State. The Kings of Germany,
France, England, and practically all the Monarchs of Europe obeyed his will.
He even brought the Byzantine Empire under his control.
Never in history has any one man exerted more power. "He ordered Two Crusades.
Decreed Transubstantiation. confirmed
Auricular Confession. Declared that
Peter's successor 'can never in any way depart from the Catholic faith,' Papal
Infallibility. Condemned the Magna
Charta. Forbade the The popes stood in the supposed temple of God, as God.
Paul had already prophesied of the great apostasy "and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth
in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thess. 2:3,
4) Dozens of writers have
noted this usurpation of the popes.
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