Living Hope Fellowship Church...Sermons From the Pastor
ANTICHRIST
by Pastor Kevin Badgley
Good day, beloved. Go with me today if you will to 1 John, Chapter 2. I want to you to know about the antichrist spirit that is in the world, his followers, his church, the way that it is operating, and the things that are being set up for the man of sin to be revealed. Most of the churches do not teach, preach, or admonish about the things of the antichrist. They think that it is sensationalism. They think that the trumpet's going to sound, or that Christ is going to come and get his people, and that will be it. They don't even believe in the antichrist, the Beast, the false prophet, or anything else that the Bible tells us explicitly about.
You can read about the Antichrist in Revelation, especially Chapter 13. You will also find out about him in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel in the Old Testament, and other places. He's called the Beast and various other things. It is not sensationalism to preach on the antichrist and the spirit thereof, because the man exists. I believe he's alive in the world today. It is not some futuristic type of thing. I believe that he is waiting at the door for his opportunity to take his throne, his position as the world ruler.
According to the Word of the Lord, I believe that it will be after the rapture of the church, when the Lord Jesus takes his bride (people that are sold out to him) away. When the trumpet sounds he will take them unto himself in the clouds (see 1 Thessalonians 4:17), and so shall they ever be with the Lord. After that point the antichrist will take control, because there won't be anybody to reveal who he is. He will have free and easy reign throughout the earth.
I believe that the majority of the church world will remain behind to be his bride, his church, and they will convert the rest of the world to his standard of sin. His standard of sin will have an outward appearance of godliness, yet on the inside it will be full of corruption and all uncleanness. The only person that has been equated with him in the Bible was Judas Iscariot. They are the only two in the Bible named in particular as "son of perdition" (see John 17:12 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3).
We understand that Judas didn't become the son of perdition until Satan entered in to him, and that was after he had received the "sop." The "sop" was the bread sopped into wine, not the gravy, but in the wine, which ran the bread and the wine together. Thus he ate the flesh and blood together, which is a curse (see Deuteronomy 12:16 and Acts 15:20). Satan entered into him when he openly rebelled against God. Jesus gave him the opportunity to choose life or death, and he chose death.
I want you to look in I John 2:18. It says, "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." What is he saying here? There is an antichrist leader, but right now there are a lot of antichrists, people who are living with that devil. They have a rebellious, religious mentality. There are many antichrists that want to go to church, still sin, and call it good. They are obeying Satan in this last hour. By this we know that it is the last hour before Jesus comes again. Jesus said in Luke 21:28, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." That is the rapture.
I John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." Now, look at this. "They. . . ." - these antichrists, the people who are following the spirit of religion in the world, which is ordained and run by the devil - went out from them. In other words, they were in church. They were living for God at one time. They were in legitimate church organizations and ministries, but they went out from that. They took on this doctrine of religious foolishness that Satan has put in the world. For example, they believe that you can sin and still make heaven. That's the biggest covering for most of the antichrist mentality.
It says they went out from us, but they were not of us. They went out so it would be made manifest that they were not of them. In other words, they did not stay with the original doctrines of the church. Today most of the church world isn't anything like Acts, Chapter 2. When the baptism of the Holy Ghost was sent, the first church had the power of God, and the signs, wonders, and miracles. Most of the church world today does not accept this. The reason is that when the power of God is demonstrated, and holiness preaching is coming forth, persecution picks up, people get upset, and they leave. When they leave they form their own doctrines, their own power, their own churches, their own will, and way, and they do it in a religious fashion. It is revealed that they are not of the real remnant church that's in the world today, but rather they are of the church of the antichrist. When the trumpet sounds they will stay in the world, and they will be his bride and his people, and he will damn their souls to hell. For he will brand them spiritually and physically with his mark, and they will be cursed for eternity with no hope of repentance.
Many people think that this is too hard of a message, but it's not any harder than when Jesus told it. Jesus spoke to the Pharisees as they tried to resist the real truth. Jesus is the real truth. In Matthew 23:33 Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" In other words, he preached down the wire to them. He looked them in the eye, and told them they were in sin and full of extortion and excess. They were against him, which is the same as being antichrist. That's what it means to be against the holiness, power, and anointing of the Lord. Anything that is against the Lord is antichrist.
Anything that is against true holiness preaching of the Lord is antichrist. Those with the antichrist spirit can have power of a sort in their meetings, yet still will not preach holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (see Hebrews 12:14). Power demonstrated without holiness is from the devil. Satan has power, but it is not a holy power. The antichrist spirit will talk about Jesus, or repentance, and many things that sound "churchy" or Biblical, and if you don't know the Word of God, you will be deceived by it. You may think that it is Christ, when actually it is antichrist.
Do you know what the biggest problem with the church world is? They haven't studied the real thing, the real Word of God, the King James Version Bible. They haven't studied the truth that they might be made free, and that they might be warned, and kept away from this antichrist spirit that's heavy in the world today. It was in the world in John's day, and you know that nearly two thousand years later, it's here even more. Our country is a "Sodom and Gomorrah" now, because they have listened to an antichrist spirit. We are being set up for the man of sin to come soon.
Do you know what the banks do many times when they want their people to really know the difference between the counterfeit and the real thing? They give them a real dollar bill, and tell them to study the real thing. A lady told me, You've got to study all the different facets, and features, and teachings that are out, and then pick out the one that you like best. Pick out the one that seems right to you. You pray about it, and then you pick out the one that seems right to you. That is ridiculous! You get confused that way, and confusion brings delusion; both are of the devil.
You don't need to study all the different ways, religions, and facets that Satan has lied to men, and then pick out the one you like. That is like picking out the Christ that you want. There is one Lord Jesus Christ, one faith, one baptism (see Ephesians 4:4-5). You see, God is not ecumenical, but man is and the antichrist spirit is. He will join in with any denomination or religion and say, Hey, we are all one. He will say that it's being one in God, when it's not.
In John 17:22 Jesus prayed, saying, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:" In other words, we are supposed to be one in the truth and holiness of the Lord. The banks have their people study the real thing, rather than a bunch of counterfeits. Instead of finding out what not to go with, they study the real thing, so that if something wrong comes before them they will know the difference. If I know the real thing through and through, when anything at all comes before me that is slightly different in some fashion, I'm going to know it to be counterfeit.
That's why these new translations, or versions (which I call perversions) of the writings of God's Word are just that. You must study the real thing. You can't study a different version. A different version brings a different spirit, a different Jesus, a different Christ that is antichrist. An antichrist wrote those things. An antichrist deceives by those things. You must stay with the King James Version Bible. You must stay with what the truth says. If a preacher, the church world, your family, a loved one, or someone you respect is telling you anything that is contrary to God's Word, they are antichrist. I'm not saying that they will stay there, but what they are preaching to you is straight out of the mouth of an antichrist spirit of the devil. You cannot stay with that preaching and teaching, and make heaven.
Beloved, don't harden your heart against this word. God is wanting you to know this. There are many antichrists and disciples of the antichrist in this world who reflect antichrist. There are Christians in the world who reflect Christ, although they are the vast minority. As Christians today are reflecting Christ, and are expecting the appearance of their Lord and Master, so are the antichrists reflecting their Lord and expect his appearance soon.
When that trumpet sounds, and Christ takes his people out, and the antichrist appears, those in confusion, unbelief, and rebellion against God's Word will think that the antichrist is Christ. That will be a big trouble and confusion. People are deceived into thinking that the antichrist will appear and throw away the Bible, doctrines, normal workings of the church, tithes, offerings, and all these other things. People think he will be kind of like a "Nazi" or "Hitler" type mentality. However, that won't be at all. He will appear righteous, and will quote scriptures, and he will have power to deceive. He will have lying wonders. He will preach a form of holiness which lines up with his thinking. He won't show sin, but he will be filled with it.
You see, Judas walked with Jesus just as long as Peter did, but he chose his way, and Satan entered into him. Today, choose Jesus and life. God sets before you this day blessing and cursing. Choose blessing. Go with Jesus.
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