Limapela Education Project
Faith in Action
This project aims to provide quality education to children in Zambia's Copperbelt Province.
Contemporary New Age teaching, like the early Gnosticism encountered by the apostle John in the first century, is prone to spiritual deception. Though outwardly concerned with peace and unity, by denying the divine-human nature of Jesus it is preparing the world for a coming authoritarian world ruler whom the Bible calls 'the Antichrist'. In this fifth message on 1 John, given at Greyfriars' Classical Service on 23 July 2006, Rob Yule explains why it is important that we recognise spiritual deception.
The Bible says that widespread religious deception will occur in the last days. People who were once part of the Christian community will deny the Christian faith and way of life that that they once walked in. We are already seeing this in liberal churches, but the Bible warns that it will become much more widespread.
Jesus himself warned, 'Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, "I am he", and will deceive many. . . . You must be on your guard.' (Mark 13:5-6, 9).
And John warns us in this letter, 'Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.' Then with sadness he adds, 'They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.' (1 John 2:18-19).
John here distinguishes three sources of deception that lead people away from the faith:
One way to spot deception is to recognise its symptoms. John says there are two perennial symptoms that indicate the presence of spiritual deception:
A second way to recognise deception, to detect a 'counterfeit' (1 John 2:27), is to know the real thing. To be an expert in treating disease, you have to study the anatomy and physiology of a healthy person. To recognise counterfeit currency, you have to be familiar with genuine coins and banknotes. To recognise spiritual counterfeits you need to be familiar with the Bible and the Christian faith. To guard against antichristian spirits, you need to know the Spirit of Christ.
So John says, to guard against deception, you must 'have an anointing from the Holy One' and 'know the truth.' (1 John 2:20). To avoid deception, it's not necessary to make an exhaustive study of counterfeits, but be more familiar with the genuine article. So John emphasises keeping close to Jesus and being faithful to the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 'As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need any [additional] one to teach you. As his [God's] anointing teaches you about all things and that anointing is real, not counterfeit – just as it has taught you, remain in him.'(1 John 2:27).
A third way to recognise deception is to know case studies or examples. The many antichrists of history are forerunners of the ultimate Antichrist who will appear in the last days. He will be both a denier of Christ, and someone who claims to take Christ's place or remove the need for a Saviour. He will be 'a wolf in sheep’s clothing': outwardly benign but inwardly hostile to our Judaeo-Christian faith.
The Bible's teaching about the Antichrist goes back to Daniel's prophecy about a person who will cause 'the abomination that causes desolation' (Daniel 9:27 11:31, 12:11). This happened in the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Greek-speaking Middle-Eastern ruler who initiated one of the most anti-Jewish episodes in history.
The name 'Epiphanes' means 'illustrious' or 'glorious'. Proud Antiochus used it because it meant 'God manifest', but behind his back they called him 'Epimanes', 'utterly mad'. In a three year reign over Jerusalem (167-164 BC), he opposed the Jewish faith and desecrated the temple. He prevented Jewish worship, outlawed Sabbath observance, forbade possession of the Scriptures, set up an altar to the Greek God Zeus in the Temple, sacrificed pigs, and installed prostitutes in the priest's rooms. His tyranny ended in a heroic resistance led by Judas Maccabeus, and in a touch of poetic justice, he died insane.
Jesus took Antiochus as a type of the coming antichrist, saying this 'abomination that causes desolation' would happen again. Indeed, when Jerusalem was besieged in AD 70, the Christians remembered Jesus' prophecy, and fled across the Jordan to Pella when they saw the Roman armies coming. More than 600,000 Jews died, but no Christians did. Titus desecrated the Temple, setting up his military standards.
Antiochus Epiphanes was an urbane, cultured, capable ruler – who only showed his true anti-god colours when his policies were resisted. His vision was to unite the nations of eastern Mediterranean region in a single 'Hellenic community' and 'common market'. He wanted to overcome the cultural, linguistic and religious differences which caused conflict in the region – as they still do. His policy was to enforce unity by imposing Greek language and culture. Most accepted this, but the Jews rejected it. They wouldn't abandon their worship of the one God, the only sovereign of the universe.
Bible teacher Lance Lambert says certain characteristics of Antiochus Epiphanes will help us recognize the Antichrist when he makes his appearance in the last days (Till the Day Dawns, pp. 148-9). 'His policies will appear logical, enlightened, and progressive, with a twofold aim of banning war and terrorism and producing stability and prosperity. His watchword will be unity . . . in every sphere of life whether economic, cultural, social, racial or religious. He will be acclaimed as a . . . deliverer by a war-weary world, exhausted with its economic, social, and racial problems.'
'Only in . . . his religious policies will his real character emerge, for he will be dedicated to the destruction of the word of God, and the Judaeo-Christian heritage. He will identify true believers as narrow-minded reactionary fanatics, obstructing the path of progress, and undermining the people's unity. He will use every means available to persuade them to . . . participate in the new order and system. When these means fail, his savagery will be unbounded and he will seek to liquidate them.'
How are we to prepare ourselves for that time? John answers that we are to continue steadfast in our biblical faith. 'See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you will remain in the Son and in the Father.' (1 John 2:24).
If you get to know Jesus now, you won't be caught out then. If you study the Scriptures like a good workman, familiarising yourself with God's ways and God's will, then you won't need to be ashamed when Jesus comes again to overthrow the rebellion of the Antichrist and set up his eternal kingdom.
'Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole of heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.' (Daniel 7:27). The rule of Antichrist will only be for a short time. The kingdom of God and his Messiah is for ever.
Rob Yule, 23 July 2006
© 2006, Greyfriars Presbyterian Church
