SDA commit many sins and this is one: they speak of the Antichrist completely outside the context of the term. Because of this gross error of interpretation, their prophetic doctrine suffers dissonance and discord. But look carefully at how John defines the term.
God revealed the identity of the anti Christ to a whole movement a good 200 years before there was an Adventist.
The Protestant Reformation in the 1500s literally changed the course of history bringing true religious freedom to the world and allowing the truth of our Savior Jesus Christ to be proclaimed.
For over a thousand years a system that CALLED ITSELF CHRISTIAN had hidden the true Savior, Jesus Christ, from the people. It changed God's laws, and set itself up as the ones with the "keys" to heaven that even God had to obey their decisions. When the light of truth shone forth to dispel the darkness of the papal church oppression it was because those reformers KNEW WHO THE ANTICHRIST WAS!!!!!
Of course the devil knows how to manipulate things to keep his "antichrists" in power.
He has now used religious freedom to bring in a host of unchristian things, which will be/and already is, used as an argument that the world needs a "pope" to align it on the "right path".
Don't kid yourself --
It is coming.
Sunday law and a world wide forced false worship that will call itself "Christian".
[*]1 John 2:18 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.
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[*]1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
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[*]1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
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[*]2 John 1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
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John is not limiting his definitions, but giving examples.
Notice he is saying there are MANY "antichrists".
Many are coming with wrong messages about Christ.
Anyone that denies Christ's divinity is NOT teaching about Christ correctly.
Anyone that denies the relationship between God the Father and Jesus is not teaching about Christ correctly.
Anyone that claims Jesus was not in human flesh, but in some superior form is not teaching about Christ correctly.
There are many deceptive teachings about Christ in the world. Almost all have some truth coupled with some error.
Just because a person has one part CORRECT does not mean they can't be antichrist.
Satan himself believes Christ is the Son of God and that He came in the flesh, and he has no trouble allowing his representatives to say the same if it furthers his purposes. (Mark 1:24; 5:7; Luke 4:34; Acts 16:17)
1. The Antichrist is someone who comes AFTER Christ.
2. He is the epitome of the "spirit of antichrist".
3. He denies that Jesus is the Christ, i.e. says Jesus of Nazareth IS NOT THE MESSIAH.
"Saying Jesus IS NOT THE MESSIAH" is refusing to confess that the Saviour Messiah the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." But ALL Christians, whether in lip-service or sincerely, confess that Jesus is the Christ. Only a non-Christian is Antichrist; and since such is coming then the Bible prophesies the ascendancy of Atheism
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Atheism and other forms of denial of the true God, has been in the world since the time of Nimrod. Atheism in modern times had its primary rise over 50 years ago. People in general today are tired of atheism and are turning more and more to spiritualistic forms to try to meet their spiritual needs. Spiritualistic forms (Christianized New Age) is invading the churches at an alarming rate.
It may interest you that Jesuits and some other Catholic orders were key leaders in "Christianized New Age" --
Teilhard de Chardin for one -- during his lifetime looked upon with some distrust is now quite a sought after writer. The Dominican Matthew Fox, was another. And now we have a Jesuit Pope!
Bible prophecy tells us the last crises is concerns WORSHIP!
It's not about atheism, it's about worship.
Count the number of times the word WORSHIP, both false and true, is used in Rev. 13-14.
The last day Antichrist system is a COUNTERFEIT worship system.
And the main points of
identification of the true worship are:
1. They worship the CREATOR God. Links Rev. 14:7 with Ex. 20:11 (Most Christians have now thrown out the six day creation week and believe in a "Christianized" evolution which opens the door to a flood of false beliefs on salvation, sin, the Sabbath, and God's power to create.
2. They keep the commandments of God. (Rev. 12:17; 14:12)
3. They have the faith of Jesus (Rev. 14:12; 3:20
False Christ's are coming, (Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22)
prophecy is being re-interpreted to hide truth.
The test will be over the CREATOR GOD, and the sign of His Creation.
Those Who walk with the Lamb (Jesus our Savior) will keep his commandments and grow strong in faith in Him.
Sunday laws will be part of the last great "worship" deception.