Revolution Era

I know that current Christian media hype is crazy obsessed with all things endtimes and Antichrist. It is in fact, a billion dollar industry, much like Christian music. Now, let me be clear in saying that I will not be attempting to argue for or against any side of the 'endtimes' equation. My goal here is simply to look at the heart condition we come under whenever we embark on the joy ride of these Antichrist-endtimes fantasies.

Since half of the North American church is convinced the Antichrist is yet to come, it isn't hard to run into, and subsequently converse with, people who are interested in these topics (In fact, I actually rented a basement suite where the landlord held regular meetings to discuss world issues in order to determine who the antichirst might be). Over the years, having sought out peoples opinions on the matter, I began to realize some common patterns among them. Here are some of the things I've come to realize:

1. In the innocence of curiosity and wonder, many believers become so obsessed with this notion that they embrace a spirit of suspision, all the while thinking it is prophetic insight. If it were the Spirit of Prophecy, they would be calling out the destiny and dreams of God in a person, rather than accusing and condenming that person of being a possible Antichrist. We don't stand in agreement with God when we do these things, we stand in agreement with the accuser of the brethren.

2. The mission and mandate of every believer is quite clear: disciple the nations (Mt 28:19). However, it seems prevalent in endtimes media that the focus of the believer is to try to figure out who will come to destroy the world. So what's the big deal you ask? The big deal with this mindset is that with it comes a host of attitudes that lead us out of alignment with God's heart.

Examples?

Instead to taking ownership for the fact that I'm responsible for my city and nation, and the inhabitants therein, I wash my hands clean of anything to do with this world. Self preservation becomes more important than being salt and light. The promises that all authority is Jesus' and ours(Mt 28:18), and that we have power over ALL the powers of evil (Lk 10:19), gets forgotten as we marvel at the possiblility of an Antichrist. Now, fear and unbelief becomes normal, and I begin to feel powerless. We give Satan so much awe and credit that we actually contradict who we are, and Who's we are.

If you ever read the book of Isaiah, or say, Acts 3:21, you quickly begin to realize that our Father has purposed in His heart to use us to bring about restoration to this planet - not only it's peoples, but creation itself. God promotes a people coming into relationship with Him as a means to healing and restoring nations and the planet (Is 58:12; 60; 61:4; Mk 16:15 to name a few). But endtimes media promotes destruction as a means to restoration. But let me ask you, how can you restore something that's been destroyed? You can't.

Have you ever noticed that the peoples of the earth are actually trying to save creation? From individuals to government groups, the world is becoming more and more concerned with saving and preserving itself? And yet, the only people group with all authority in heaven and earth, the ones with the Spirit of God in them, tend to speak death over the earth more than they do life. Take a believer and an unbeliever and get them to utter anything; according to scripture who has more authority in what they say? The believer. In fact, we know that the tongue can bring life or it can kill life (Jam 3). So if hundreds of millions of belivers are all speaking death and curses over the world, and the world is trying to speak life and peace into itself, who's words will have greater authority and impact? You see, I think the world goes where the Saints of God tell it to. If 2 billion Christians would change their attitudes about the planet and command life and blessing to come over it, we would actually see things turn around and fulfill Romans 8:19-21. But instead, we've aligned ourselves with Satan's agenda to destroy all that God has made. If Jesus himself is the glue that holds all visible and invisible things together (Col 1:17), who are we to preach death and destruction over it?

Now, as for the Antichrist fever that has swept our Bride, I just want to make a few points before considering the bandwagon as an option for me. The only mention of the term "antichrist" is found in the letters of John, which doesn't include the book of Revelation.

1 John 4:3, "but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

Ok, assuming John wrote this in 65-68 AD, or as some date it, 90+ AD, that means that the spirit of antichrist has been in the world since Christ commissioned his church.

1 John 2:18, "as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come."

John just said that many had come. So, with that in mind, why don't we suppose, for the sake of having some fun here, that one of these antichrists that had come was Roman Emperor Nero (as many have argued so). During his reign, Paul and Peter were in Rome. Now, if you go on wikipedia and read up on Nero, you'll see that he had an obsession with torture. And he employed that obsession towards Christians. He even blamed them for the Great Fire of 64 AD, and sought to punish us for it. Now, with this Antichrist in power over the entire Empire of Rome, look at what Paul and Peter write:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Rom 13:1-7.

Ok, now you need to get this. Paul is writing to the churches in Rome. So what? These are the people that were most likely to be captured and burned alive or thrown to the beasts under Nero's orders. What's more is when Paul writes, "For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong". That wasn't a reflection or a commentary of those times! Christians were not doing anything wrong, yet they were living in terror of their emperor. Paul himself was killed under Nero. So why did he write this? Because Paul was calling things that were not as though they were. He was releasing a prophetic decree into the hearts of his followers so that they would live a live that reflected things that were yet to come, instead of living in reaction to their present circumstance.

Now look what Peter says:

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. 1 Pet 2:13-17.

Again, this wasn't the case for the church of that day. In Jerusalem, Christians were still being opposed by the Scribes and Pharisees. In Rome, they were considered the cause and source of all the woes of the Empire; from plagues to economic turmoil. Peter would later be crucified in Rome under Nero as well. But did he even hint at accusing any leader of being evil, or an Antichrist? He honored and prayed and interceeded for the very man who brutally killed him!

One more quote and I'll get to my point:

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim 2:1-2.

What did Paul just write? In many words, he has just said that it pleases God when we lift up requests, prayers, and intercession for ALL those in authority - including Emperors. As well, we are to lift up thanksgiving to God for those in authority - including Emperors. Now, here's where things get heated: Why is this demanded of us as Christians? "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." God wants even Nero to be saved, to become a son of God our Father. Nero was an Antichrist. Or rather, as John put it, he was a man possesed by the spirit of antichrist.

Paul wanted us to pray for the salvation of everyone, even an antichrist like Nero. Do you realize that when Jesus said to his disciples that he gave them power and authority over all the powers of evil (Lk 10:19), that included Judas? When Jesus broke bread and fellowshiped with his disciples, he included Judas? Or when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, he also washed Judas'? What I'm saying is that Jesus demonstrated that the heart of God is that all men be saved. He is willing to give everyone a chance to all who come to him. Now the key here is that regardless of the discision people make - be it for God or against God, we are not entitled to any judgement against such people. We are entitled to pray, interceed, and offer up supplicatons to the Lord on their behalf, as we just read.

For 1900 years the church has been obsessed with pinning the tail on the Antichrist. And for 1900 years, Antichrists have come and gone. What does it mean when you do the same thing over and over again, but expect different results each time? That is the clinical definition of insanity. I wonder if the church would have corporately learned to embrace the heart of Jesus towards people in power, the heart Paul and Peter so wonderfully put into words as we read above, would we have seen history unfold in a different manner? Had we prayed for men such as Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler, Saddam, Rosevelt, Ronald Regan, George W Bush, Trudeau - men the church had at different points in time declared to be Antichrists - could we have seen them transformed into sons of God? Instead of standing in agreement with Satan and sealing them off from the love of God through our prayers of curses and condemnation, could we have caused the eyes of their hearts to be enlightened?

It's funny that two of the most terrifying leaders that opposed Israel in the Old Testament, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzer, God called them his servants even though the people called them evil men. In fact, Nebuchadnezzer eventually repented before the Lord and embraced Him as God (Dan 4:34-37). Why? Because one man, Daniel, had the heart of God and not of man towards Nebuchadnezzer (Dan 4:18-19). All it took was one person! Today, we already have people in the Bride releasing judgment and condemnation against leaders in America, the Middle East, and countries in Europe and Asia. Before the men and women ever recieve prayer, intercession, and supplication (as Paul wrote), not to mention honor and respect (as Peter wrote), they are already receiving curses instead of blessing from the only mouths on earth with the power to kill or bring life. How is this love, exactly? Jesus said that what we bind or loose on earth will be done so in heaven, and he also said that those whom we forgive, he would forgive.

All I'm saying is that before we enter into suspision, accusation, speculation, or judgment against any sort of governing body or leader, remeber that you have no legal right to any of the things listed above. And when you position yourself against someone, you position yourself against God your Father. The blood of Jesus covers all sin, and all men. No one is exepmt from his work of redemption - not even antichrists. It is especially for those who are against Jesus that we need to come before the Lord in intercession and supplication. For according to Paul, they are already in the deepest level of God's Grace (Rom 5, 6). So, is salvation even for the Antichrist? Absolutely. If it weren't so, our Gospel would be a lie and our message a sham. We have power over all powers of darkness, and authority over all the spirits of darkness - including the spirit of antichrist. God has put all things under Jesus' feet and his Bride's feet. Therefore, rather than accuse a person of being the Antichrist, rebuke the spirit of Antichrist from that person and set them free. That is the heart of our Father. Pray for leaders as you would prayer for your parents, your children, your friends. They you will know what it is like to pray in love for someone in leadership and authority. Use your words to bring life and healing, not judgment and death. And remember that by whatever words and thoughts you use to judge, Jesus said that by those very words you will be judged.

For Part II, CLICK HERE.

~Leo.