Who Is the Antichrist? (1 John 4:1-6)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:04.200 Please remain standing and let's turn our attention. You may turn in your bibles 2 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:08.669 if you would like to. First John A, chapter four, and I'm 3 00:00:08.710 --> 00:00:13.710 want to read to you a few verses from here. First John Four, 4 00:00:13.869 --> 00:00:19.829 verses one through six. We looked at this passage last week a concerning how 5 00:00:19.989 --> 00:00:23.539 it is that we attest the spirits, how we know what is from God 6 00:00:23.780 --> 00:00:27.219 and what is from the world. This time we look at the passage and 7 00:00:27.339 --> 00:00:31.899 consider another important thing that John Brings to our attention, and that is the 8 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:38.490 spirit of antichrist. Antichrist, let's hear God's word. First John. For 9 00:00:40.049 --> 00:00:45.969 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether 10 00:00:46.009 --> 00:00:50.039 they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 11 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:55.759 By this you know the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that 12 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:00.520 Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that 13 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:07.349 does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the 14 00:01:07.469 --> 00:01:11.709 antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 15 00:01:12.750 --> 00:01:19.099 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who 16 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:23.980 is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are 17 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:26.260 from the world. Therefore, they speak from the world, in the world 18 00:01:26.459 --> 00:01:32.260 listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us. 19 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:36.689 Whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we 20 00:01:36.849 --> 00:01:41.810 know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. My God bless his 21 00:01:41.890 --> 00:01:45.450 word to us. You may be seated. So, as I said, 22 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:49.640 before we leave this passage, we want to talk about something else, another 23 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:55.400 important thing that John teaches us here, and that is about the Anti Christ, 24 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.879 the spirit of Anti Christs, even the many anti Christs that are now 25 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.230 in the world. Now, for some of you, when I say this 26 00:02:04.349 --> 00:02:07.430 word antichrist, this means about as much to you as any other Bible word. 27 00:02:08.150 --> 00:02:15.030 Maybe it's an unfamiliar term and something that you are perhaps curious about, 28 00:02:15.590 --> 00:02:20.860 want to know more about, but but don't really understand yet. For others 29 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:23.659 of you, I know that the Word Anti Christ makes you squirm in your 30 00:02:23.699 --> 00:02:30.090 seat a little bit. Perhaps you've read a certain novels or seen certain books, 31 00:02:30.770 --> 00:02:35.169 and there's a whole industry, we might say, of media, surrounding 32 00:02:35.449 --> 00:02:40.650 this particular figure, much of it, I'll say, is wrong and unbiblical, 33 00:02:43.009 --> 00:02:46.759 and so we have to think carefully about this. In fact, I 34 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.599 think some of US may know a certain novels and books better than we know 35 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:57.879 the actual verses in the Bible that teach us about the antichrist. It is, 36 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:04.310 however, perhaps a scary word, something that makes you squirm in your 37 00:03:04.349 --> 00:03:09.990 seat, a little bit like a cold shadow coming over your heart. If 38 00:03:10.069 --> 00:03:16.500 your immediate reaction is fear or a tiny bit of terror, let me talk 39 00:03:16.620 --> 00:03:23.699 to you for just a moment and say this. Your concern is understandable. 40 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:28.210 We are called in scripture to be on guard, to be prepared. This 41 00:03:28.250 --> 00:03:30.210 is, after all, a warning that we have in First John. Pay 42 00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:34.889 attention or, as we read in First Lesslonians, be awake. There is 43 00:03:34.930 --> 00:03:39.689 a sense of danger that we ought to have. As a Christian, however, 44 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:46.319 you need to know that you don't need to fear the antichrist anymore than 45 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:53.280 you might fear, let's say, death, if you have a resurrection that 46 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:59.150 has been promised to you in Christ if indeed there is a way in which 47 00:03:59.509 --> 00:04:03.110 the Bible speaks, you have already been raised with him and the newness of 48 00:04:03.270 --> 00:04:08.590 life to walk in his ways and to follow after him with the spirit of 49 00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:13.139 God residing in your heart, if there's a way in which you have already 50 00:04:13.180 --> 00:04:16.939 overcome death. All of those same things can be said of the antichrist. 51 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:20.819 In other words, if you can sort of picture, if you have this 52 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:26.129 cat agory of death right in your head and you have this sense of that. 53 00:04:26.250 --> 00:04:28.730 Okay, I know who I am in Christ. I know this is 54 00:04:28.850 --> 00:04:31.089 something I don't need to fear, but it is something I need to prepare 55 00:04:31.129 --> 00:04:36.970 for. I need to understand and be ready transfer those that good theology over 56 00:04:38.209 --> 00:04:42.560 to this category, because it's the same thing. In the same way, 57 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:47.920 Christ has already overcome the antichrist. As John says here, we are overcomers, 58 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:53.709 we have overcome them, he says in verse four, past tense. 59 00:04:55.149 --> 00:04:58.189 Well, consider that more. But I want to start out by right away 60 00:04:58.350 --> 00:05:04.389 by saying you don't need to be terrorized by this person or by the thought 61 00:05:04.550 --> 00:05:10.300 of this person, because the one who overcame death for you is the one 62 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:15.259 who is overcome Satan himself and all those who would come from him, all 63 00:05:15.300 --> 00:05:20.259 those who are here his servants. So I want you to hear first John 64 00:05:21.250 --> 00:05:26.209 Three and four. In this way, this is the spirit of antichrist which 65 00:05:26.209 --> 00:05:29.290 you have heard and was coming in, is now already in the world. 66 00:05:30.730 --> 00:05:39.600 Baptize that fear in faith, cover it in this word that God has spoken 67 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:45.040 to you in Christ. You don't need to be afraid if you belong to 68 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:48.480 God through the son and whom you believe and confess. You don't need to 69 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:56.709 be worried about your king's lesser enemies. Okay, so we'll start at the 70 00:05:56.750 --> 00:06:05.180 end now. Instead, then, of approaching the scriptures in fear, let's 71 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:09.259 go to them in faith and examine what it is they have to say. 72 00:06:11.100 --> 00:06:14.699 Well, when we go to the scriptures, what do we find? Well, 73 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:18.329 one interesting thing is that this word antichrist really only appears in John's letters. 74 00:06:18.410 --> 00:06:24.209 Maybe that surprises you that we don't find this word in revelation, although 75 00:06:24.250 --> 00:06:31.850 the antichrist certainly is connected to the beast in revelation. The passage that we 76 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:36.680 have here is one of the mentions of this. This word Anti Christ, 77 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:42.040 and the others come from the letters of John. Let's look at each of 78 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:44.639 them. There's just a few places, so let's go ahead and do that. 79 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:47.350 If you have your bibles open, you can flip back to first John, 80 00:06:47.389 --> 00:06:56.870 Chapter two. First John Chapter two, verse eighteen were John Speaks by 81 00:06:57.069 --> 00:07:03.019 the word of the spirit and says children, it is the last hour and 82 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:09.459 as you have heard that aunt, that antichrist is coming. So now many 83 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:14.100 anti Christs have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour, 84 00:07:15.889 --> 00:07:20.610 as you have heard, that antichrist is coming. So now many antichrists have 85 00:07:20.850 --> 00:07:28.290 come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. Now Jump Down 86 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:32.240 to Verse Twenty Two, same chapter, verse Chapter Two. Who is the 87 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:36.879 liar? But he who denies that Jesus is the Christ. This is the 88 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:44.509 antichrist, he who denies the Father and the son. And then we have 89 00:07:44.670 --> 00:07:47.589 our verse that we've read in for first John Four, verse three. This 90 00:07:47.750 --> 00:07:50.990 is the spirit of antichrist which you heard was coming and is now in the 91 00:07:51.069 --> 00:07:57.149 world already, namely the one that denies that Jesus Christ has come from the 92 00:07:57.269 --> 00:08:03.180 father in the flesh. And then we have one more verse in a second 93 00:08:03.259 --> 00:08:09.660 John Which is just a page or so away, a second John so small 94 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:13.250 it doesn't even have chapters. So we go straight to verse seven. For 95 00:08:13.410 --> 00:08:18.370 many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the 96 00:08:18.529 --> 00:08:24.410 coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, flesh. Such a one is the 97 00:08:24.529 --> 00:08:30.319 deceiver and the antichrist. Then he adds this warning in Verse Eight Watch yourselves 98 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:33.440 so that you may not lose what we have worked for but may win a 99 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:43.230 full reward. So this these are the passages in which this word is mentioned 100 00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:46.789 and it's connected with other passages in the Bible as well. We'll look at 101 00:08:46.830 --> 00:08:52.429 some today from some of Paul's Letters. We won't have time to look at 102 00:08:52.470 --> 00:08:56.059 everything in that light. I want to recommend to you a book if this 103 00:08:56.139 --> 00:09:01.259 is something that you want to learn more about, Dr Kim Riddlebarger. He's 104 00:09:01.299 --> 00:09:05.259 a pastor of Christ reformed church in Anaheim, California, a minister in the 105 00:09:05.299 --> 00:09:11.090 United Reformed Churches, longtime cohost of white horse and he has a book called 106 00:09:11.370 --> 00:09:16.330 the man of Sin, uncovering the truth about the antichrist. A good book. 107 00:09:16.450 --> 00:09:22.649 It's very thorough, very helpful, goes through all the verses and exegetical 108 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:26.320 issues. I would commend that to you. But let's head back to the 109 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:33.399 scriptures here and see what it is that they teach us. One thing we 110 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:37.870 see from these passages is that there is this warning, that's there's an application. 111 00:09:39.149 --> 00:09:41.710 We are to be alert, we are to be testing, we are 112 00:09:41.789 --> 00:09:46.230 to be paying attention. Right corresponding with what Paul said, and we read 113 00:09:46.269 --> 00:09:52.590 earlier and first Thessalonians five. Be Awake, be sober, be be paying 114 00:09:52.669 --> 00:09:58.620 attention the the expression the thief and the night sometimes is taken to mean that 115 00:09:58.659 --> 00:10:03.779 the Lord may return it any moment, and in a sense that's true. 116 00:10:03.820 --> 00:10:07.809 None of us know when he will return. There's a little more depth than 117 00:10:07.850 --> 00:10:11.610 nuance to that we should add, though, and it has to do with 118 00:10:11.730 --> 00:10:16.490 they on thy Christ and and other things related to his return. We can't 119 00:10:16.529 --> 00:10:20.210 get into it all now, but there's a whole confluence of events that are 120 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:24.879 we are told, happen around that the time before the Lord comes, the 121 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:31.679 antichrist comes, he deceives many people. There is a great apostasy in these 122 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:37.110 kinds of things. We haven't seen that yet. We don't have that happening, 123 00:10:37.149 --> 00:10:39.909 at least as far as so we can tell, not in any obvious 124 00:10:39.950 --> 00:10:45.149 way anyway at this point in time. I'll come back to that thought, 125 00:10:45.190 --> 00:10:50.259 hopefully if I remember a little bit later. But Paul's paint main concern about 126 00:10:50.299 --> 00:10:54.460 this thief and the night is the staying there are people. It's about attitudes, 127 00:10:54.659 --> 00:10:58.500 is what he's saying. It's not about how quickly things can happen, 128 00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:01.539 although that's part of it. But the main point has to do with an 129 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:07.090 attitude. Are you sort of self assured, thinking everything is fine, as 130 00:11:07.129 --> 00:11:11.570 he says, peace and security, we're all fine, everything's okay, we 131 00:11:11.690 --> 00:11:16.970 can sleep and be safe. He says it's not the case. If you 132 00:11:16.090 --> 00:11:20.559 are self assured, if you're confident in yourself, if you're rejecting the Lord 133 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:24.399 Jesus, be aware, because he can come at any time. You will 134 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:28.039 be thinking you're fine, but you will not be. He will come like 135 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:33.590 a thief in the night. You will be caught off guard in your self 136 00:11:33.789 --> 00:11:39.029 confidence and your pride, in your treasuring up the things of this world. 137 00:11:39.190 --> 00:11:46.820 You will suddenly realize how much the castle that you have built for yourself has 138 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:52.059 been built on a foundation of sand. It will be over in a moment 139 00:11:52.139 --> 00:11:58.899 and done. This sort of warning is one of them primary applications of these 140 00:11:58.059 --> 00:12:03.529 passages. Now, there's, of course, many other things in Christianity that 141 00:12:03.649 --> 00:12:07.490 we might think about in our priorities, for us things to be aware of, 142 00:12:09.289 --> 00:12:13.809 but this is one of them. So how what is it that we 143 00:12:13.889 --> 00:12:16.879 are to be watchful for? What is it we are to be testing? 144 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:24.440 Well, a few things. One thing that we learn here is that the 145 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:28.320 antichrist is known by the things that he says and things that he does. 146 00:12:30.029 --> 00:12:33.230 That's what the scriptures say. How do we know the spirit of Anti Christ 147 00:12:33.309 --> 00:12:35.110 right? This is the whole point in this is the big question that everyone 148 00:12:35.190 --> 00:12:39.750 has. Who is it right? How do we know? By the way, 149 00:12:39.789 --> 00:12:46.620 all kinds of people have been called the antichrist. Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald 150 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:50.460 Reagan, John Calvin, all kinds of popes, many, many, many, 151 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:54.899 many people have been identified in this way. How do we know, 152 00:12:56.139 --> 00:13:00.929 though? We look, good news is God doesn't say there's this really scary 153 00:13:01.009 --> 00:13:03.649 thing and I'm not going to tell you anything more about it. No, 154 00:13:03.850 --> 00:13:07.690 he says be watchful for this. For what, let me tell you, 155 00:13:07.529 --> 00:13:13.159 the one who denies that Jesus Christ is from God and has come in the 156 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:20.440 flesh. That means that if we are to identify who the antichrist is, 157 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:24.240 we have my having a certain understanding of our doctrine. What does the Bible 158 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:30.190 say about these things? Who is Jesus? What does it mean that he's 159 00:13:30.230 --> 00:13:33.309 the Christ? What is hevers relationship with God? What does it mean that 160 00:13:33.429 --> 00:13:37.509 he has come in the flesh? And those are all things that I covered 161 00:13:37.590 --> 00:13:41.460 in my last sermon. And would encourage you to listen to that or to 162 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:45.860 go back and read, for example, the gospel of John and look for 163 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:50.179 these phrases. That I why he has come the reasons that Jesus has come 164 00:13:50.620 --> 00:13:58.529 in the flesh, namely to save us from our sins, to overcome the 165 00:13:58.649 --> 00:14:05.929 evil one, to establish and bring bring into the world a kingdom that is 166 00:14:07.009 --> 00:14:11.720 not of this world, the Kingdom of Heaven. The antichrist, however, 167 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:16.840 denies all of these things. He's a liar, he's a pretender and in 168 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:24.230 denying these things he denies Christ as God, He denies Christ as the Messiah, 169 00:14:24.750 --> 00:14:30.830 as as the Christ, he denies Jesus as the king who is worthy 170 00:14:30.950 --> 00:14:37.899 of worship. He lies, he says things that are untrue. Now this 171 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:45.539 corresponds to second Thessalonians and you can turn there if you like, or I'm 172 00:14:45.980 --> 00:14:50.580 going to read it as well. It's a few letters back before Hebrews. 173 00:14:52.340 --> 00:15:07.639 Second Thessalonians, Chapter Two. Let me read to you from verse one through 174 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:18.639 verse I'll read through verse eleven or Verse Twelve and we'll notice some different things 175 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:22.309 and see how that corresponds to what John is saying here now concerning the coming 176 00:15:22.350 --> 00:15:26.909 of our Lord Jesus Christ and are being gathered to him. So there's the 177 00:15:26.950 --> 00:15:31.029 subject right. We're talking about the Lord's return and are being gathered to him. 178 00:15:31.990 --> 00:15:37.620 We ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or 179 00:15:37.659 --> 00:15:41.899 alarmed. That's what I was saying earlier, either by a spirit or a 180 00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:46.139 spoken word or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that 181 00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:48.860 the day of the Lord has come. So it's Paul saying it has not 182 00:15:50.090 --> 00:15:54.169 come yet. Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day 183 00:15:54.210 --> 00:16:00.570 will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, 184 00:16:02.049 --> 00:16:07.879 the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so called 185 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:12.200 God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple 186 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:18.190 of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Let me pause there, so 187 00:16:18.350 --> 00:16:22.509 you see what he's saying. He says before you. You know that the 188 00:16:22.669 --> 00:16:27.389 Lord has not returned because this thing has not happened yet, a rebellion, 189 00:16:29.070 --> 00:16:33.059 and this one who ascends that in the Temple of God, namely the Church. 190 00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:37.620 That is how the New Testament refers to the people of God as the 191 00:16:37.779 --> 00:16:42.179 Temple of God. He takes his seat, coming from the church, not 192 00:16:42.379 --> 00:16:48.490 an outside threat in a way, but someone who arises from within and pretends 193 00:16:48.490 --> 00:16:53.970 to be the Messiah. He calls himself God, he proclaims himself to be 194 00:16:55.090 --> 00:17:00.889 God, which means he attempts, at least rhetorically and by the power of 195 00:17:00.049 --> 00:17:04.839 his words, to push Jesus off his seat, to push him off the 196 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:11.000 throne. You see, in his dead in his ascendancy, his pretend ascendency, 197 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:18.230 to being head of the Church, head of the world, in his 198 00:17:18.470 --> 00:17:22.150 pretend assent, he of course, has to deny the one who is the 199 00:17:22.230 --> 00:17:25.390 true king, the one who has come in the flesh, the one who 200 00:17:25.470 --> 00:17:29.230 is sent from God. Well, this man of sin, this man of 201 00:17:29.509 --> 00:17:33.380 lawlessness, is we are told to to watch for him. This is what 202 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:37.019 John is referring to, and he says you've heard that he is coming. 203 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:40.859 This is what he's talking about here. Verse Five. I'll keep reading. 204 00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:42.859 Do you not remember that, when I was still with you, I told 205 00:17:42.900 --> 00:17:48.609 you these things? And you know what? Is restraining him now so that 206 00:17:48.730 --> 00:17:53.890 he may re revealed in his time right? So he is not at work 207 00:17:55.089 --> 00:17:59.319 now. He's not, or at least he is restrained now to be revealed 208 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:06.240 later. Verse seven for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work pause. 209 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:08.839 This corresponds to what John is saying when he says they you have heard that 210 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:15.029 the antichrist isscriming, but even now many antichrists have come. It's already happening 211 00:18:15.109 --> 00:18:19.950 in a way, but in a restrained form, continuing on. Only he 212 00:18:21.109 --> 00:18:23.869 who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way, 213 00:18:25.589 --> 00:18:30.299 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom, the Lord Jesus remember 214 00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:38.180 this, will kill with the breath of his mouth. I love that will 215 00:18:38.220 --> 00:18:44.569 kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of 216 00:18:44.930 --> 00:18:49.250 his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan, 217 00:18:49.329 --> 00:18:55.289 with all power and false signs and wonders and with all wicked deception for 218 00:18:55.410 --> 00:18:59.680 those who are perishing, but they refuse to love the truth and so be 219 00:18:59.880 --> 00:19:04.240 saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what 220 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:08.519 is false in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth 221 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:17.470 but had pleasure in unrighteousness. So this lawless one, this evil one, 222 00:19:17.910 --> 00:19:22.670 Paul says, is now being restrained. He is now a being restrained he 223 00:19:22.829 --> 00:19:27.819 comes by the activity and the power of Satan and he will work amazing things 224 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:36.339 when he comes. False signs and wonders. Revelation talks about him being wounded, 225 00:19:36.619 --> 00:19:42.250 the beast being wounded and then healed, like a resurrection, a mortal 226 00:19:42.490 --> 00:19:47.970 wound and then coming back from the dead, and people will say, now 227 00:19:48.289 --> 00:19:53.279 there's the Messiah you've all been looking for. How will we know that he's 228 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:57.680 not Jesus? How will we know that he is not the True Messiah? 229 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:03.640 Lots of ways. One is the Messiah has already come. We're not looking 230 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:07.589 for a second messiah. The Lord Jesus has come, and not as a 231 00:20:07.750 --> 00:20:12.910 man of sin, not as a man of lawlessness, not as one who 232 00:20:12.950 --> 00:20:18.990 is attracting the the the and the to himself, the powers and establishing a 233 00:20:19.150 --> 00:20:26.940 kingdom of Satan of this world, but he has brought into the world the 234 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:33.980 Very Kingdom of Heaven, of righteousness and holiness, of love and peace and 235 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:40.849 justice. That's who Jesus's that's who God is. This is the one who 236 00:20:40.849 --> 00:20:47.049 who has prophesied for a long time and came with powers and signs that were 237 00:20:47.210 --> 00:20:52.240 true to the work of God. He's already come. That's one way we 238 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:56.720 know. Another way we know is that God has already spoken and warned us 239 00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:00.240 about this one to come and it's told us how we are to know him. 240 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:06.269 Because he denies the one who has come, because he goes after the 241 00:21:06.390 --> 00:21:11.150 darkness, because he loves the things of this world, the powers of the 242 00:21:11.269 --> 00:21:15.230 world, the pleasures of the world, the pride of life, the lust 243 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:18.980 of the flesh, all these things that John has been talking to us about, 244 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:23.420 distinguishing for us the things that are of God and of the world. 245 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:30.460 God is a God of light, of Love, of peace, of joy. 246 00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:34.130 These things are brought to us and his son. Do not be deceived 247 00:21:34.609 --> 00:21:45.490 by counterfeits, by pretending by evil, this evil one, he exalts himself, 248 00:21:45.130 --> 00:21:52.720 he pretends he acts as Christ, but there are big, big differences. 249 00:21:55.559 --> 00:21:59.119 So this is what Paul says in all of us corresponds exactly what John 250 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:04.470 is saying. But there's a second aspect of this. There's this already presentness 251 00:22:04.829 --> 00:22:11.950 of what John's how John Describes it as the spirit of antichrist. There's something 252 00:22:12.069 --> 00:22:17.980 that has already happened. There are people, as he said earlier, who 253 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:22.099 have gone out from us. What does he mean by that? He means 254 00:22:22.140 --> 00:22:27.099 that they were part of the church, they were part of this new covenant 255 00:22:27.220 --> 00:22:34.049 community, but yet have denied the very covenantal foundation and the covenantal Lord who 256 00:22:34.369 --> 00:22:41.329 upholds the community. They were from us, but we found out they were 257 00:22:41.410 --> 00:22:49.640 not of us. This one who desires to replace the the replace Jesus, 258 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:53.680 to preside over the people of God, to sit in the temple, is 259 00:22:53.839 --> 00:23:02.670 not the real deal. But we don't merely wait for this final one to 260 00:23:02.829 --> 00:23:08.029 come. There is something in the moment, even now. In a way, 261 00:23:08.349 --> 00:23:14.980 the threat corresponds to the Kingdom of God, and the way that the 262 00:23:15.019 --> 00:23:19.859 Kingdom of God is both already and not yet so is the threat at the 263 00:23:19.900 --> 00:23:25.779 Kingdom of God has already been ushered into the world. We ourselves are evidence 264 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:29.809 of that fact. The spirit of God has been poured out Pete, the 265 00:23:29.890 --> 00:23:33.490 word of God has gone out to the gentiles. We here in Tucson, 266 00:23:33.609 --> 00:23:40.250 Arizona, far away from the original ministry, Earthly Ministry of Jesus, are 267 00:23:40.369 --> 00:23:45.119 being ruled and defended and protected by Jesus. The Kingdom of God is at 268 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:48.440 hand, it has it has come, and yet at the same time we 269 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:53.319 know that it is yet to be consummated. Go to a passage, a 270 00:23:55.200 --> 00:24:00.390 beautiful passage, in revelation chapter twenty with me, or rather twenty one, 271 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:14.380 there is yet a hope that is ahead of us. Paul are, I'm 272 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:18.539 sorry, John Writing, of the vision that he has given of these future 273 00:24:18.539 --> 00:24:26.410 times when the Lord returns expresses what he sees in this way. Then I 274 00:24:26.450 --> 00:24:30.730 saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven in the 275 00:24:30.809 --> 00:24:36.410 first Earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw 276 00:24:36.650 --> 00:24:44.440 the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven, prepared as 277 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:48.200 a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the 278 00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:55.630 throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with men, that 279 00:24:55.829 --> 00:25:00.589 is the Temple of God, to use Old Testament language, and he will 280 00:25:00.630 --> 00:25:03.910 dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with 281 00:25:04.029 --> 00:25:10.380 them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and 282 00:25:10.579 --> 00:25:15.500 death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, 283 00:25:15.819 --> 00:25:22.529 nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. The language of 284 00:25:22.650 --> 00:25:27.410 conquering also shows up here in verse seven. The one who conquers will have 285 00:25:27.730 --> 00:25:33.809 this heritage and I will be his God and he will be my son. 286 00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:41.240 This is the consummated kingdom, which is already here, already been inaugurated. 287 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:47.200 The king is sitting on his throne restraining the evil one as the Gospel goes 288 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:52.710 into the world, and this is what we wait for. But, as 289 00:25:52.750 --> 00:25:56.109 I said, the Kingdom of God has this parallel to it. There is 290 00:25:56.230 --> 00:26:00.910 this threat that is parallel to it, in a way, as there is 291 00:26:00.990 --> 00:26:04.900 a threat that happens right now. Many antichrists in the world, people going 292 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:11.299 out and and and in heresy, saying that Jesus Christ did not come in 293 00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:17.420 the flesh, people act seen as Christians, people with the title of Pastor 294 00:26:18.609 --> 00:26:23.130 Reverend Dr so and so, saying things that are against Christ and his word, 295 00:26:25.410 --> 00:26:30.250 people that bring people unto themselves, that deceive people, and sometimes in 296 00:26:30.369 --> 00:26:33.839 Church history we've even seen some of these people ascend to such power that they 297 00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:40.640 are able to even physically persecute and make the saints of the Lord Struggle, 298 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:48.710 fight for their very lives when they refuse to give worship to the evil one 299 00:26:48.829 --> 00:26:55.630 and the evil things that he says. But there is coming a time when 300 00:26:55.670 --> 00:26:59.589 this one will be revealed, when these things that we experience now will come 301 00:26:59.670 --> 00:27:03.779 in sort of a consummated form, a final form, and it will be 302 00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:11.140 in some ways scary, and we need to be prepared for that. We 303 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:21.210 need to have our faith. Real, genuine faith is faith the size of 304 00:27:21.250 --> 00:27:26.250 a mustard seed is still true faith and is strong enough to overcome anything. 305 00:27:27.410 --> 00:27:30.440 But you can't say that. You might well, what you might say about 306 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:37.240 small faith, you cannot say about counterfeit faith. Those are two different things. 307 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:45.990 Counterfeit faith can't covercome a single thing. Counterfeit faith will be overcome if 308 00:27:45.109 --> 00:27:52.430 you're simply faking it, if you're simply putting on a exterior that acts in 309 00:27:52.630 --> 00:27:56.029 one way, that says you believe one thing, but it's not true. 310 00:27:56.190 --> 00:28:04.539 You will be overcome. Faith in Christ must be genuine, you must know 311 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:12.769 him truly, follow him truly, because there is this one coming who will 312 00:28:12.930 --> 00:28:19.250 deceive the UNRIGHTEOUS, who will demand worship, who will perhaps even demand your 313 00:28:19.490 --> 00:28:29.319 life, and if you don't worship, if you don't obey his false kingship, 314 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:33.880 you may be put to death. As a Christian, you don't need 315 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:37.319 to worry about that, because you've already been brought to life. What's the 316 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:41.430 worst thing that somebody could do to you? They could kill you, not 317 00:28:41.670 --> 00:28:47.589 that bad for a Christian, considering that we've been given eternal life and that 318 00:28:47.710 --> 00:28:49.990 the new heavens, in the new earth will come down out of the sky 319 00:28:51.390 --> 00:28:55.740 and our Lord Jesus will send his angels out to the four winds of the 320 00:28:55.859 --> 00:28:57.940 earth, that says in the Gospel, to the ends of the Earth, 321 00:28:59.019 --> 00:29:07.700 and gather up all the elect sounds good, a real hope, a helmet 322 00:29:08.180 --> 00:29:15.890 of armor, Paul says, a hope of salvation. But there is this 323 00:29:15.009 --> 00:29:19.250 one who is coming and we ought to be aware, but we ought not 324 00:29:21.089 --> 00:29:25.839 to be afraid. Look at Chapter Twenty. Right before the new heavens and 325 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:29.880 the new earth, the new city comes down out of heaven from God, 326 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:34.319 prepared by the Lord and Savior. We read and Chapter Twenty, verses seven 327 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:41.069 through ten. This this period of restraint that we are now in, these 328 00:29:41.349 --> 00:29:47.069 thousand years in which the Lord is ruling and reigning over his people, they 329 00:29:47.109 --> 00:29:51.109 will come to an end. Verse Seven says, and when this happens, 330 00:29:51.190 --> 00:29:56.579 Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations 331 00:29:56.539 --> 00:30:00.940 that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to 332 00:30:02.099 --> 00:30:06.660 gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. 333 00:30:07.650 --> 00:30:11.730 That's kind of scary. And they marched up over the broad plane of the 334 00:30:11.769 --> 00:30:18.890 earth and they surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But 335 00:30:19.210 --> 00:30:26.519 fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived 336 00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:30.119 them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the 337 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:36.150 prophet were. And they will be tormented day and night forever. At the 338 00:30:36.309 --> 00:30:41.910 some moment when everything seems to be lost, when it's all over and it 339 00:30:41.029 --> 00:30:48.309 seems that Satan and his powers have truly won the day, as many as 340 00:30:48.349 --> 00:30:51.859 the sands of the sea coming down upon the scenes with all that they can 341 00:30:51.940 --> 00:30:57.180 muster, the Lord will send down his judgment from heaven, as the Lord 342 00:30:57.220 --> 00:31:02.859 Jesus returns, and it'll all be over and the blink of an eye. 343 00:31:03.460 --> 00:31:07.009 The Lord will separate the sheep from the goats. He'll gather up the elect 344 00:31:07.250 --> 00:31:11.690 the dead will raise from the dead, the those who are alive will come 345 00:31:11.809 --> 00:31:18.089 up into heaven will all be there with Jesus as overcomers. That, John 346 00:31:18.250 --> 00:31:23.000 says, you already are, and that's why we can sit in the camp 347 00:31:23.079 --> 00:31:30.680 and we say bring it doesn't matter to me, because all the powers that 348 00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:37.269 you can muster are nothing compared to the Lord Jesus, because all the powers 349 00:31:37.430 --> 00:31:44.789 that Satan and his evil empire can muster are the Kingdom and powers of this 350 00:31:45.029 --> 00:31:59.140 world. Death, wealth, this life, fame, fortune, good looks, 351 00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:08.009 intelligence. That's it. That's why Jesus says don't store up your treasures 352 00:32:08.130 --> 00:32:14.930 here on earth, store them up in heaven, where he is seated, 353 00:32:15.009 --> 00:32:20.200 where he reigns. That's how we overcome. If you are as John has 354 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:22.839 been saying, if you are bound up in the things of this world, 355 00:32:22.200 --> 00:32:25.720 if you're storing up your treasures world, if this is where things matter, 356 00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:30.150 if this is where it all is for you and you're all in on the 357 00:32:30.269 --> 00:32:36.789 things of this world, then when the prince and of this world comes to 358 00:32:37.309 --> 00:32:43.390 take his and ascend to what he believes is his rightful throne, you will 359 00:32:43.509 --> 00:32:46.539 belong to him, no doubt, because you've been giving your heart to him 360 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:51.619 all your life. Nothing's going to be different. But if you belong to 361 00:32:51.660 --> 00:32:54.819 King Jesus, who rules and reigns seated at the right hand of God, 362 00:32:57.700 --> 00:33:05.289 then you will overcome. Because the because Satan and the kingdoms of this world 363 00:33:05.329 --> 00:33:10.650 and his servant, the antichrist, will be destroyed by the breath of his 364 00:33:10.769 --> 00:33:16.799 mouth. It's as easy as that. For him, the sands of the 365 00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:22.079 sea, great armies, they don't matter. Remember the psalms that say the 366 00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:28.990 Lord Does Not Take Pride and power of the Horse. Lord does not look 367 00:33:29.029 --> 00:33:34.589 at great armies and say wow, that's a pressive the Lord Jesus is said 368 00:33:34.630 --> 00:33:39.069 to have a hundred million angels at his right hand. Do you think he's 369 00:33:39.190 --> 00:33:47.099 worried about some armies of men? And if you want to see conformation of 370 00:33:47.140 --> 00:33:53.180 the Lord's power and his goodness, just go read your bibles over and over. 371 00:33:53.339 --> 00:33:59.849 Throughout human history, our Lord has testified and shown us his power. 372 00:34:00.089 --> 00:34:06.769 You can imagine fire and brimstone coming down on Sodom and Gomorrah. You can 373 00:34:06.809 --> 00:34:13.000 imagine the fire coming down on Mount Carmel is Elijah is is standing there with 374 00:34:13.320 --> 00:34:21.679 these sacrifices soaked in water, the priests of bail trying desperately to call down 375 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:28.949 fire from heaven to prove that their God is true. You think of Pharaoh 376 00:34:29.349 --> 00:34:35.309 and all of his mind and all of his power ruling over slaves. He 377 00:34:35.429 --> 00:34:42.739 didn't win. None of them win. No one wins except for Jesus. 378 00:34:45.300 --> 00:34:49.099 So you don't need to be afraid, but you do need to be awake 379 00:34:50.340 --> 00:34:57.010 and put your faith in him. True faith, hopeful faith, brave faith. 380 00:34:58.210 --> 00:34:58.690 Let's pray.