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1Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
2But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
3As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.
5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. (Matthew 24:1–5 ESV)
According to the prophetic revelation of the Bible, the ultimate Antichrist will appear in the last days. As to most speculators and curious-minded people about the biblical prophecies related to end times, they are keen to find out how they will eventually unfold. For sure, among all these end time events, they might be interested to find out the identity of the Antichrist.
The Prefix Anti
So, who is the Antichrist, and what does this appellation really mean? Anti is a Greek prefix and when it is added to some person’s name or title, it has two key meanings. First, it means the claim to be that person, Second, it also expresses opposition to, equivalence to, or substitution for that person. In a nutshell, the Antichrist is definitely against Jesus Christ. Moreover, to the world, he is in place of Christ.
False Claims
Let me focus on the first definition of the Antichrist. Throughout history, many individuals have claimed to be Jesus Christ or the Messiah. I can think of several reasons that people claimed to be Jesus are as follows: First, some people claimed to be Christ are religious charlatans. All in all, they simply wanted to gain money, status and power. Second, these impostors are lunatics. Most probably, their distorted minds made them think they are the Messiah. Third, these impersonators are influenced and manipulated by Satan and the demons.
Throughout church history, numerous individuals have self-proclaimed or proclaimed by their followers, to be the reincarnation or the incarnation of Jesus Christ. In some cases, these religious figures stated that they appeared as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Several Bible Truths
Let me draw your focus to several fundamental biblical truths. First of all, the Bible refutes reincarnation. Therefore, no humans can be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Secondly, the Bible talks about the essence of the First and Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In a few words, in the First Coming, Jesus Christ has already decisively defeated sin and its power over humankind on the cross. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone (John 3:16; Romans 10:4, 10–13; Ephesians 2:8, 9) Also, salvation is a gift to be received and not a merit to be earned. In the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, will come to judge the world and usher in the fullness of His kingdom. In between the two comings of Jesus Christ, different imposters have claimed and will continue to claim to be the Messiah. And before the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ will come from heaven and resurrect all dead believers and take every true Christians on earth into His presence (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). After the departure of all genuine believers, the whole globe will go through a period of seven years of Great Tribulation. The most horrifying thing is that the ultimate Antichrist will be finally revealed to the world. He will then proclaim himself to be God, and his accomplice, the False Prophet, will force people worldwide to accept and worship the Antichrist as God (see 1 Timothy 4:1–4; 2 Timothy 3:1–5; 4:1–4; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 2:18–19; Jude 4; Revelation 17:1–6).
The Greek Word for Fish
In the early days of the church, Christians were being persecuted and driven to worship underground. Many believers secretly worshipped and gathered in the catacombs. Three earliest symbolic pictures of Jesus Christ in the catacombs were the Lamb, the good Shepherd and the Fish. The Greek word for fish (ἰχθύς) has five letters and it is an acronym representing Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. In a word, it is a confession of Christian faith.
Satanic Schemes
Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son. In other words, He is God incarnate. In other words, He is God. Moreover, Jesus Christ is the Saviour of all humankind. Throughout human existence, Satan, the fallen archangel, he did not want people to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and because of that, he attempted to oppose, counterfeit and imitate God’s works, so that he could divert people’s attention from getting to know the true Christ.
Your Responses
Dear friends, I hope you will get to know more about Jesus Christ so that you can become a Christian one day.
Dear fellow Christians, there are numerous people who haven’t heard the Good News even once in their lives. Since we have known Jesus Christ as God’s Son and Saviour, let’s share this truth with the non-believing multitude.
Kenneth Thumb Ministry 譚約珥事工 