The Antichrist

Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. When John speaks about the Antichrist, the Greek word is antichristos, and it doesn't mean that the Antichrist is some guy that hops onto the world saying any, and he's a cusser, and he's dropping Jesus's name, and he spits on the sidewalk, and he wears black. He's got a cross upside down on his t-shirt, that's not what it means. The word antichristos is mean that he comes instead of Christ. He's the replacement Christ. He said, how's that going to happen? Very easily to a Christ-rejecting world. You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, that's like saying, amen or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you, here is Jack Hibbs. A lot of people have heard about the antichrist, you don't have to be a Christian too, have heard about the antichrist, everybody knows about the number 666, you know, that kind of stuff. We're talking about the events of the last days, various references, the end times, last days, last hour, John calls the last days, the last hour, I like him. He's not even waiting around for the last days, he's calling it the last hour. He looked at his son dial and said, man, it's the last hour. He said that 2,000 years ago, so think about that. So we're down to the last couple of seconds here, but nanoseconds. The Jews refer to the events of the last days as the end of days. That's pretty powerful word. And Muslims have in their eschatology, which is an eschatology robbed stolen right out of the Bible, but they look to an end time scenario that is described from their perspective, which is what the book of Revelation and the Old Testament prophets have revealed for thousands of years, that there's an end coming, and that for the believer, for us in this place, I pray that you're here as a believer if not, why aren't you a Christian? I mean, I can't think of one reason why you're not a follower of Jesus today. It's never been a better time to become a follower. And what are you waiting for? I mean, this is a time to get on board. This train's about ready to leave the station, friend, and we'd love you to come with us. Christ is coming back, and he's promised to do that, and he'll never break his promise. And so the Bible tells us that in 1 John 2 verse 18, 1 John 2 verse 18, the Bible tells us there, John says little children, he's speaking to the church, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrist have come by which we know that it is the last hour. In other words, every time you hear a false prophets, false teaching sermons that don't accomplish anything, I'm convinced now in the world that we live in, you can go sit in a church and listen to a sermon, and if it doesn't do anything, then it might be just as dangerous as false teaching. If it's just a message about platitudes and thoughts and perspectives on, does it instruct, does it rebuke, does it convince, does it exhort, does it cause you to draw closer to Jesus? I think God is looking for sermons and churches and messages and pulpits that are ready to stand in the days of which his very word is being fulfilled and shall be fulfilled. This is the time to gird up your armor and to have faith. Is the world hate us? Yes, get in line. The world hates us. Got a tip last night. Newsweek magazine blasting us for last Wednesday night's message. And listen, this is the third story they've written on what's been going on at this church. So let me say, somebody, whoever you are at Newsweek, we want you to know something right now. Keep watching. You watch every program. I can tell by how you write about what we're saying. So here's the thing. We want you to know we love you. Jesus loves you most. He died on the cross for you and you need to surrender to him. You really need to surrender to him. But you keep watching and you keep viewing but know this. For God's soul of the world that He gave His only begotten Son for you. And Newsweek's not your answer. Your paycheck is not your answer. Your career is not your answer. Jesus is coming back. And I don't want you to report on the day after the rapture happened. Come and follow Jesus. Please do that. So when John speaks about the Antichrist, the Greek word is antichristos and it doesn't mean that the Antichrist is some guy that hops onto the world saying, and he's a cusser and he's dropping Jesus's name and he spits on the sidewalk and he wears black. And he's the antichrist. He's got a cross upside down on his t-shirt. That's not what it means. The word antichristos means that he comes instead of Christ. He's the replacement Christ. He's like, how's that going to happen? Very easily to a Christ rejecting world. To a world that doesn't read the Bible to the world that is rejected Christ. This one is going to come on the scene and he is going to be instead of Christ. That's what antichrist means. Remember that for now on. He has come instead of or as an imposter of Christ, of Messiah. And I'm going to be using those words Christ and Messiah interchangeably to keep your attention for a reason. Christ and Greek is the Hebrew word Messiah. According to the Hebrew prophets, the Messiah has to be God. Read the book of Isaiah. God says, I am God alone. There is no other Savior but me. I am your Redeemer. He says to Israel. And it's very clear. You need to remember that. An antichrist is going to come on the scene at a time, according to the Bible, when the world will applaud his declaration. He's going to come on the scene and the world is going to go, we like him. I know you and I are living in a world where you can feel the division that's taking place. You're seeing the things that are being spoken of and by the people that are saying what they're saying to them, it's completely normal. And you see some of these bills or legislation that's going on around our nation. And to the people that crafted it, they think it's normal. But you think it's satanic or it's crazy. Why? Because you have a biblical perspective. The world is being divided. But don't worry. The world will be united because this antichrist is going to unite. The world. But I'll put this out to you. It won't be able to happen until after the church is out of the way. Right now, according to the Bible, you are the light and you are the salt of the world right now. But God's got a plan for that. But it's very important. First John chapter 2, verse 22, who is a liar? But he who denies that Jesus is the Messiah, Christ. He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. That's a strong statement. I have wonderful friends who believe in the Father, but they don't believe in the Son. And it breaks my heart. And I keep witnessing to them. I keep loving on them. And I think by now they've picked up that I'm being nice to them and loving on them because isn't it funny? I'm being nice to them. Even when I don't want to be nice, I'll be nice to them because I want them in heaven with me more than they want to be in heaven. And so, but look, son, you're not going to go to heaven unless you have the Father and the Son. And you can't have the Father without the Son. They can't have the Son without the Father. God is one. And that's very important. But you need to be careful that the Bible says this person is a liar, the one who denies that Jesus is Messiah, that Jesus is Christ. It goes on, this is the antichrist. That is that antichrist spirit. How do you know? Denying the deity of the Father and of the Son. Verse John 4, verse 3, verse 3, every spirit, John says, that does not confess that Jesus has come in the flesh is not of God, that now incorporates every cult I can name. And this is the spirit of the antichrist. Watch this, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world. What a statement. John wrote this 2000 years ago. John said there's antichrist spirit in the atmosphere. There's antichrists that are doing antigod labor. But there is the definite article, the antichrist coming. There is a personification church. The Bible teaches that in time, at some point in time, there is coming a real human being, just like you. The Bible says he is a man. He's a male, so he's not confused. He's got it. He's a man. The Bible says he's a man, and he knows he's a man. And Satan knows he's a man, because the Bible says that Satan possesses this man. His thinking will be satanically engineered. His actions will be satanically anointed. The power of his words, the word usage, the things that he does, and he will have a religious sidekick, the Bible says. The Bible refers to this sidekick of his, his promoter, as the false prophet. The Bible refers to him as the false prophet. But when you look at it, he's the epitome of the PR man. He's his assistant. He goes everywhere the antichrist goes. And on top of that, this one is able to perform miracles to exalt the antichrist and lurking in the shadows, and behind the eyeballs of this antichrist is Satan himself. So if you think about it, you've got an unholy trinity. You've got Satan pretending to be the father. You've got the false prophet pretending to be the Holy Spirit, and you've got the son of Satan imitating the son of God, the antichrist, remarkable. John 7 says, second John 7 says, for many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess that Jesus Christ is coming in the flesh. I love this statement. It's awesome. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. I love that. Look at that. They cannot, will not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. For that matter, it could be translated, it's even coming back in the flesh. They'll deny that. So church, listen. As we look at this, Matthew 24, we need discernment. Matthew 24, Jesus speaks about a discerning spirit. Now church, on the day of Pentecost, the church was born, and it's going to leave this earth, the spirit of God came down, the church was born in the day of Pentecost, and the spirit of God will catch the church up. We read it a moment ago in 2nd Thessalonians 2, and that's when the church age or the bride of Christ will leave off her witness on earth. She will be in heaven. We'll talk more about that when we end. All along the way, from then till now, to the moment we go up, discernment is needed. However, even into the tribulation period, what Jesus writes in Matthew's Gospel extends all the way into the end of days. This is important. Where ever you're at on God's timeline, is it the 1940s? Are you back in 860? Is it 1112? Is it 2021? You are to look, according to the time frame you're in, and apply scripture along that linear line of God's prophetic revelation. And God had to communicate to every generation along that line. So how does he do it and be accurate when he wants to do something special? Answer context. Context. Listen, some great sage once said, when you take a text, that's a verse. Out of context, that's the chapter. You create a pretext, that's a lie. Dr. Walter Martin once said, I could create a cult easily that the whole world would follow, because he said, I know enough Bible, and I can pull scriptures out of their context and create a religion. And by the way, that's what all the cults have in common. They use the Bible. Notice, I don't know any cult that doesn't use the Bible. They use it wrong. Look, you can use a chainsaw to cut down a tree or drop it on your foot. One is the right way, and one is the wrong way. And cults will always use the Bible, but they'll quote a verse, completely out of context. When you read what you're about to read, remember the context, okay? Matthew 24, verse 43, Jesus said, but know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. That's why I love that. Verse 44, therefore, in light of that, wisdom, you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. It is implied to the believer of every generation of every age since the day of Pentecost for that generation to be ready. Matthew 24, nine. Then that's an important word, then it's a time stamp, then it means something's going to happen. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, not the tribulation, but they will deliver you up to very difficult times and kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake, and then many will be offended or everybody's offended today, so. They will betray one another and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will arise and deceive many, and because all thisness will abound, the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end shall be saved, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all of the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come. Remember context is King, friends. Matthew 24 verse 15, therefore when Jesus is speaking in Matthew 24, 15, you can see in your Bible, it's letters in red. When you see, there's going to be a generation that sees something, when you see the abomination of desolation, notice in your Bible it's in quotes, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand, isn't that amazing? Jesus is saying, you guys need to be aware and pass this news down to every generation because someday it's going to happen to them, so you read it and understand it. What is he saying? You all should have known the book of Daniel by now. There's no excuse for you not to know the book of Daniel. Jesus is saying, as you get deeper into the last days and the end of days, the keys to the book of Daniel. Okay, watch this. He says, verse 16, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Number one, do you live in Judea? Somebody does. I've been there. I've been there 22 times. It's a real place. It's a great place to eat. Listen, context, ask yourself this question, who is he speaking to? Whoever he is, he expects them to know about Daniel, that's a clue, Daniel's a Jew. Number two, Judea is in the mix, let's just keep going. He says, flee to the mountains, verse 17. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. Who of us sit on their roof? We don't, the Jews do, because they have flat roofs. When you're in a Jewish home, you eat dinner and you have fun and you cook or you whatever you do, and then the family and friends go up on top of the roof and you watch the sun go down. In the cool of the evening comes and you watch the stars come out, it's Jewish. It's what they do, because they know how to live, honestly, it's awesome. You go to Israel. The houses have the patios on top of the house and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. I just think it's awesome. Israel has always been an aquarium society and even today Israel supplies all of Europe with all its fruit and vegetables. Those farmland reminds you of California's Central Valley in the North and Salinas amazing. You can't even tell the two apart if you're standing in either one. Verse 19, hang on to your heads, but we'll enter those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days. See, what does that do to anything? That's a good question. Hang on. And pray that your flight or your escape may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. No Gentile cares about the Sabbath. And what about winter? Well, in Israel, there's only two places that get snow. Mount Hermong, way in the North, covered in snow. You can ski there. It's beautiful. It's connected to Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. Those three nations meet at the top. And snow, it's like it's like our Mount Whitney. There's Hermong. Jordan River comes from there. And then there's another spot where it snows. It's called Jerusalem. The area of Judea snows. Some of you were with us. We had hundreds of people on the tour of Israel. We used to go before COVID. We used to go every year. We'd take hundreds of people every year. We went to bed one night in Jerusalem on our tour, woke up the next morning. The city was covered in snow. We had to suspend the whole tour that day, because you couldn't even get the buses up to the hotel. And Jesus says, I'm telling you, there's a time coming, where you better watch out. And women who are nursing with babies, you're going to find it really hard to run and flee. I pity you. And for those of you who have been schooled in the traditions of men, you're going to misappropriate the Sabbath. And when you see this happening, when you see what, listen, when you see something happening that Daniel warned about, when you see it happen, you're going to have a rough time with your conscience. Because you're going to run about a thousand and five for long, and you're going to get there. And you're going to say, I can't go any further, because it's a Sabbath. You're going to have to choose between the value of who I am as God versus the rules and guardrails that I've given you of life. One is to help you out. The other one is to save you forever. It's amazing. It's Jewish in context. Why? Because it's going to the end of the age. And this one who is coming upon the scene, for then there will be great tribulation, such as not since the beginning of the world, no, nor there, no, never shall be. And unless those days are short, no flesh will be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be saved. For God's people, Daniel, Jesus phrases it. This is the remnant of Israel's whose eyes are open. They see that whatever has caused them to run and to flee from Jerusalem is called the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet. And Daniel the prophet tells you it's none other than the antichrist. This Jack Hibbs podcast, as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities, are listener supported. Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? Go to jackhibbs.com to learn more and stay connected. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. 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