CHRIST And ANTICHRIST - Vblog #9- Kriston Couchey

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CHRIST And ANTICHRIST - Vblog #9- Kriston Couchey
 
ANTI-KINGDOM (#040)
The kingdom of God on earth is the order of God from heaven on earth.
In the kingdom of God, mankind and all he has authority over is fully ordered by God’s heavenly rule. Christ administers the ways of God from heaven to the world through redeemed, purified man. The kingdom of God comes as the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10). The Spirit of Christ within man accomplishes God’s will on earth. What could not be achieved by trying to humanly keep the laws of God is done as God’s love is manifest through the Holy Spirit of God working in and through man (Rom 8:3-4). The Kingdom of God on earth means that the planet and all that is on the planet is ruled or ordered by the will and ways of God. This produces God's order of prosperity for all the earth and all of its various systems. Righteousness is adhering to and aligning with the ways of God. Prevailing righteousness leads to peace on earth and goodwill or prosperity toward man. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).
Christ Jesus is the law-fulfiller first in His natural body and now in His Body of many members across the earth (Mat 5:17).
Lawlessness Lawlessness is any order other than God’s order. Man and anything over which he has authority, anything he does, and anything he affects can be disordered by lawlessness working through man. Lawlessness is the lack of Christ flowing the grace and love of God from within man. It is the absence of the grace and love of God establishing God’s ways. Lawlessness is failing to adhere to and align with the ways of God. Prevailing lawlessness leads to strife and ill will, which leads to poverty for man. The earth and all its various systems are harmed by lawlessness and could be destroyed by lawlessness left unchecked.
Satan, also know as Lucifer or the devil, is the original lawbreaker and is the spirit behind lawlessness on earth. Man becomes the lawbreaker as he decides to go his own way (the ways of the devil) and leaves the ways of God. Lawlessness is against righteousness, against Christ, against Christ within man. A Biblical word for against is "anti." The Greek word "anti" (an-tee') means opposite and often denotes contrast. Anti-Christ means "lawlessness" or "against Christ."
Much to do has been made by theologians about the future coming of a specific man called Antichrist. Focus on the future coming of a specific man diverts attention from the present spirit of antichrist now working to discredit the great truth of the indwelling Christ in believers. The fruit of the teaching of a coming man called Antichrist is that Christians are less aware of and less concerned about the works of antichrist now in the world and among themselves. This allows the powers of darkness to continue their disruptive and restraining works against Christ (the Anointed One) and His anointing in man. This fruit does not line up with Christ’s words and God’s character and nature. As we have previously seen, whenever the fruit of a teaching does not line up with these things, the teaching should be investigated by studying the original Greek text in the light of the revelation of the kingdom.
I was again shocked as I began to study the original Greek words regarding antichrist. Again, the translators’ lack of revelation affected the translation of the original Greek into English and other languages. The translators apparently had little or no revelation of the powerful Spirit of Christ within believers to victoriously overcome the works of evil in the world.
And, again, the church through the centuries, along with all modern translations and theological commentaries that I am aware of, have held fast to the interpretation of the text as referring to a specific future man called Antichrist. A careful study of the original Greek words will reveal that there is not necessarily a specific man to come called Antichrist. The biblical references to antichrist deal with the current work of the spirit of antichrist and lawlessness in man. The antichrist spirit is presently striving to restrain the work of Christ from bringing forth God’s order (kingdom) into the world.
The spirit of antichrist is working today to deny the reality and the power of Christ Jesus now come in the flesh in believers. The enemy’s desire is to discredit all spiritual gifts, anointing, and spiritual works coming forth from the Spirit of Christ within believers. This restrains the flow of God through believers, which hinders the overcoming of evil and restrains the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.
The spirit of antichrist was operative during the first century working against the Spirit of Christ, which was coming forth in the apostles. John recognized that the spirit of antichrist would continue to be active as time passed, as well as in his day. The work of the spirit of antichrist is always to deny Christ in the flesh, whether His original coming in His natural body or His now coming in His universal body of individual believers, the Body of Christ. The spirit of antichrist will do anything possible to deny, prevent, or pervert the gifts and work of the Spirit of Christ coming forth within believers to establish God’s ways on earth. The antichrist spirit is a spirit of lawlessness and will seek to establish lawlessness (his ways as opposed to God’s ways).
1 John 2:18 KJV: Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1 John 2:22 KJV: Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. The antichrist spirit is a liar and a deceiver. One of his major schemes is to deceive church people and religious leaders by causing them to believe that spiritual gifts are not available and active today by the Spirit of Christ within believers. One of his most dastardly stratagems is to mimic spiritual gifts by bringing forth false signs and wonders and then allow them to be exposed as evil. This strategy causes many naive Christians to oppose all manifestations of spiritual gifts, including Christ Himself coming forth in the flesh of His universal Body, the purified Bride Church. This can prevent Christians from benefiting from the powerful gifts and revelations of the Spirit of Christ. Consequently, the work of God is hindered or restrained in the world. Thus, the devil is able to continue to oppress the people of the world and to propagate his lawlessness among men, including religious people. 1 John 4:1-3 KJV: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
2 John 1:7 KJV: For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. John was writing to Christians when he spoke of the spirit of antichrist working through men attempting to deceive people into believing that Christ was not coming forth "in the flesh" of His universal Body, the ecclesia.
The reason Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, was resurrected, ascended to the right hand of the Father, returned to earth as a life-giving Spirit, and is now seated in His temple upon the throne of the hearts of the redeemed, is to manifest Himself into the world and establish the kingdom of God on earth.
The devil failed to stop Christ from dying on the cross and being resurrected. He failed to stop Christ from returning to earth at Pentecost. Now his only recourse is to restrain the appearing of Christ in the flesh of His Body, the ekklesia.
The spirit of antichrist will do anything that he can to attempt to restrain the appearing of the Spirit of Christ Jesus in His temple, the heart of believers. The antichrist spirit will deny the works and gifts of the Spirit coming forth from the Body. 1 Cor 3:16: Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
2 Cor 6:16: And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." The enemy seeks to be seated in the temple (the heart of man) as God, showing himself as God, ruling in the world and being worshiped as God. He is the one who opposes God and endeavors to rule as God. His desire is still to be Number One in the world, to be like the Most High (Isa 14:12-14). The great "falling-away" apostasy When Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians, he was looking ahead to the apostasy that occurred in the church after the intense, spiritual light of the first century faded. He was warning that apostasy would come shortly after he and the other leaders of the early church had passed away. That "falling away" or apostasy deepened during the dark centuries and continues to plague much of the church today.
The "man of sin is being revealed" today as the light from God increases and the antichrist’s work of evil intensifies. The enemy’s great work of denying and disrespecting the Spirit of Christ and His work in believers has reached great heights and enormous proportions in the world today. Public educational systems, the scientific community, governments, and even many Christians have been deceived into believing that the works of Christ through the Spirit are irrelevant to the practical needs of mankind and the governing of the world. Surely, the enemy has had widespread success in working through apostate men with powerful signs, lying wonders, and unrighteous deception to restrain the work of Christ. However, the enemy’s work is being revealed and becoming evident! In the seventh millennium we are seeing the exposing of the man of sin, the antichrist spirit sitting as God in the temple of God, the heart of man. As the lawlessness of the lawless one intensifies, he is more visible and easier to discern. The brightness of the coming forth of the Lord in His people is exposing and consuming the antichrist spirit with the Word of the Spirit of the Lord.
It is the presence of the Lord that destroys the work of the antichrist spirit. 2 Thes 2:3-9: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming (presence). The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. The anointed One and His anointing abiding within the believer is the source of spiritual discernment to know the difference between the cunning lies of the deceiving antichrist spirit and the truth of God. One will not know the difference by comparing intellectually discerned Bible teachings with other teachings of the same source. Spiritual discernment of the Word by the Holy Spirit of Christ will expose the lies of the spirit of antichrist. 1 John 2:26-27 KJV: These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
2 Thes 2:3: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. The "day" mentioned in this passage refers to the day of Christ’s bodily return and is different from the "day of the Lord" as we have studied. "Falling away" is translated from the Greek word "apostasia" and means defection from the truth. Only this one time is it translated "falling away." Study of these passages reveals that they are very consistent with other New Testament teachings and do not speak of a man called Antichrist, but speak of the spirit of antichrist working in man. Throughout history different men in different times have for a season been thought to be the Antichrist. Any man of history thought to be the Antichrist was probably in reality an antichrist. That is, one who was controlled by or influenced by a spirit of antichrist.
There will probably be other notorious men inflamed by the spirit of antichrist. There may or may not be a future embodiment of the spirit of antichrist in one particular man, but the spirit of antichrist working now is our major concern.
The important thing for believers today is to recognize the attack of antichrist on their own lives and in their own gatherings. Studying the Word can help us to recognize that we ourselves are possibly affected by the spirit of antichrist. The presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit can expose the attack of the spirit of antichrist and destroy his work.
Victory in the kingdom of God, in our own lives, is dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Spirit of the King) coming forth, establishing His presence in our heart and destroying the work of the enemy. Keep on Pursuing LoveIt Will Never Fail Ron McGatlin http://www.openheaven.combasileia@earthlink.net