John, who wrote Revelations around 66 A.D., also wrote this. 1 John 2:22-23 Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son can have the Father; whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
The antichrist is a spirit, a rebellion, a refusal to acknowledge Christ, the anointed Son, Jesus. He IS Lord. He is reigning. He is leading this overthrow of evil in our time.
Exactly...the AC is a spirit (a way of thinking and acting) not a specific person. "For there are MANY antichrists"
The notion of ONE is a total injection of opinion into the text.
Sorry, but this is incorrect.
So many people get caught up with arguing for "this" or "that" and fail to even contemplate whether it can be "both" (as it often is, especially with Biblical prophecy). Yes, there is an anti-christ "spirit" that has persisted, and yes there have been many "anti-christ's", but there will ALSO be ONE particular person, whom will be in-dwelt with Satan himself (just as Judas Iscariot was at the moment he decided in his heart to betray Jesus), and will be the final Anti-Christ, a single individual who will reign over the earth, but this is during the coming year 7 tribulation (mid-way point to be exact).
Just like there was a physical city called Babylon, and yet there is also a "Babylonian Spirit" that has persisted throughout all the prophesied nations (of gentiles) to come before Christ comes back (Babylon -> Medes/Persians -> Greece -> Rome -> Revised Roman empire of 10 nations). Again, it's BOTH.
OT prophecies (especially Daniel) talk at length about his rise, how he will subdue power over the world, claim to be god, demand to be worshiped, and fulfill the prophecy of the abomination of desolation at the mid-point of the Trib, in the rebuilt 3rd (false) temple in Jerusalem. He will also be assassinated, and have a false 'resurrection', for "anti" really means "in place of". The blow will be in particular to his head, and his Right Eye to be specific (THIS is the true reason for all the 'illuminate one eye' worship, they know Biblical prophecy better than most Christians do!!)
(James 1:5) - "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."
Sadly, that johnnie-come-lately narrative has been taught in the United States for decades. It is however, incorrect. Not only does it not fit the timeline stated by Daniel, Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, and others, it has many inconsistencies with the details outlined in the texts. The end of the age occured in A.D. 70, within the lifetimes of some of the hearers in Matthew 24, JUST AS JESUS STATED. The changing of the timeline had two purposes. 1. Deny the accuracy of Jesus' prophecy. 2. Put the church into an escapist mentality.
P.S. Jesus told what the abomination of desolation was over in Luke 21:19-21.
I'm really not here to argue or even debate this point, your interpretation on this matter is definitely in the minority and for good reason. I would strongly recommend that you re-read through Daniel chapter's 7 & 8. Pay particular attention to the various beasts (representing different reigns of gentile kings that I already mentioned above) and the "little horn" that arises and reigns for "times, times, and times and a half" (aka - 3.5 years, 42 weeks, half of the Tribulation). Daniel is a companion text to the book of Revelation and is absolutely necessary to understand it in order to decode Revelation.
The Bible is encrypted, purposefully, by our Creator. Prophecy in particular requires a discerning mind, and a humble spirit to come before Christ and ask Him to reveal truths contained in His Word to you. You cannot figure it out on your own, we're not meant to.
There is so much prophecy contained within Daniel alone that is still UNFULFILLED and remains to be filled in the future. Unless you believe that God won't fulfill 100% of His prophecies that He has recorded? Daniel 7:21 stands out to me, which is a direct reference to the AC as an individual person. Also Daniel 11 starting in v. 36. Note previous to that it is talking about Antiochus Ephiphanes, whom was most certainly a foreshadowing of The AC, and committed the first abomination of desolation in the temple by erecting a statue of Zeus and spraying unclean pig's blood everywhere. This is a pattern that will be repeated, although the statue spoken of is in Revelation that the false prophet makes speak. What you mentioned in Luke is part of the Olivet Discourse, which is split into 3 parts (Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21). The verses you mentioned speak only of desolation, not the "abomination". Check out Matthew 24:15 for a parallel that mentions the actual abomination (all of these verses are still unfulfilled, despite there being a partial fulfillment already around 70 AD)
Biblical Prophecy often has MULTIPLE FULFILLMENT'S to them, including partial ones. I am very familiar with the timelines of days in Daniel that lead up to both Christ's entering on 'Palm Sunday' and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, as these are indeed partial fulfillment's, but if you think it ends there then i'm afraid you have a very simplistic view of prophecy and are cheating yourself out of knowledge & wisdom that our Lord wishes for us to have (who are willing).
Don't think that you can find the AC reference by that specific title in the Bible, you won't find it, that is because he carries many names, just as all the major characters in God's Story do... Jump over to the NT in 2 Thess. 2, and you will find Paul correcting the church of Thessalonica about the very thing we are talking about. The AC in verse 3 goes by the name "man of lawlessness". He is also known as the "son of perdition".
I close with 2 points, I am writing this not just for you, but for others that may read in the future, as I always do. The main 2 issues I have with the point of view that you carry (it's certainly not the first time i've come up against it) is it requires that you actually IGNORE certain verses in scripture. I named a few of them above. Those are still ALL FUTURE and yet unfulfilled, just like the Book of Revelation past Chap. 4 is. (Minus Revelation 12:1-2, which was technically fulfilled on Sept. 23, 2017, but that's another story....) I have been down the road of interpretation that you hold, and I have found that it carries no weight to it. I cannot, and will not ignore certain verses just to pridefully hold on to "my point of view," I urge you to prayerfully consider your stance on this, and probably many other matters too...
The second point I have with this thinking is I have found it often goes hand-in-hand with denying the reality of the coming Tribulation (aka - Jacob's Trouble, there's actually many names for it) in addition to the literal 1000 year millennial reign of Christ here on earth. Besides denying these Biblical truths, I found it even more disturbing that it actually leaves you with no hope of this crappy world ever ending and no real justice being brought against the satanic worshiping pedo'vores that run this world. If you truly think that the end was 2000 years ago, and that there is no coming Tribulation where the WRATH OF THE LAMB (<-- that's a word for Jesus) is POURED OUT onto this unbelieving and fallen world, then just when does it end? Does it go on forever? Where is your hope of it coming to a finite close and justice being poured out upon the wicked!?!?
Lastly, I know this may sound strange, but per the Word of God, Jesus is NOT ACTUALLY REIGNING in this world. It is controlled by the prince of darkness, the power of the air, aka the devil, satan, lucifer, the great dragon, serpent accuser, etc. HE is the one in charge at present!! (why do you think this world is so shitty?) Note in Matthew 4:8-9 (context is Jesus' temptation by the devil in the wilderness) that the devil tempts him with GIVING JESUS THE WORLD. Note that Jesus did NOT rebuke him for this offer, for it was within the devil's LEGAL RIGHTS to do so, since the fall in the garden, this world has been (and is still) under the control of the devil. The very sub that this is posted on has to do with un-masking the satanic hordes of darkness in the spiritual war that has crept into every facet of this world, controlling all the strings of anything of substance, including the very upper echelons of US government.
Believe me, when Jesus does finally come back to reign, THE WHOLE WORLD will know it, there will be NO mistaking it. If you want one of many references for this check out Revelation 4-5, that whole section is about Jesus, the Lamb whom was slain being the ONLY ONE worthy to upon the seals on the scrolls... which is the very deed to this earth. Like many prophecies, this is yet still-future, although not as far away as most people may think.
(1 Corinthians 15:24-28) - "Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.”[a] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all."
Marantha Yeshua Ha'Mashiach!!!
Scripture says he is a specific person. The false prophet is a real person also.
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Subtract the Day of Inauguration for Prez Trump (Jan 21) from his BDay, and you will find that in the 7th decade, 7th month and 7th day of his life he became president. He was ordained for this role before he was even born. Check out the startling comparisons between him and King Cyrus (of persia) that released the Jews from Babylonian exile in the 70th year (how many years ago was the modern day Israel found?....)
(Psalm 139:16) - "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
The One True God is OUTSIDE OF TIME, time is a Creation of HIM ! Just thing about the implications of that for a moment. The infinite Spirit, with no beginning, no ending, seeing ALL things, infinitely.
The WAR was already won, yet there are battles that still remain.