John was
emphatic that the disciples had touched and known Jesus in the flesh.
1John 1:1 ¶ That which was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and
our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2
(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and
shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested
unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and
heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly
our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
This reference to the spirit
of antichrist will be important to us later in our description of the Beast
of Revelation which we often call The Antichrist, even though John doesn’t use
that title in Revelation.
The idea that Christ did
not have a physical body but only a spiritual one that appeared to be flesh is
called Docetism and was prominent in Gnostic Cults and in the Cathar as I noted
before but also in the Paulicians and the Bogomil sects. It has even been
suggested that Islam was a form a Docetism that developed from Manicheanism
mainly because of this passage;
And because of their saying:
We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger — they slew him not
nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree
concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit
of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain. But Allah took him up unto
Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise.[1]
Keep all
this in the back of your mind when we get to the Antichrist. I’m talking about
a religious thought process throughout history that denies the humanity of
Christ, and the reference to that thought process by John as in the quote above
in 1John 4:3.
Notice
that another aspect of the Antichrist spirit is the denial that Jesus is the
Messiah. The Qu’ran says that he is the Messiah nine times. The door though is
swung shut on the Muslim belief that Jesus was not God in the flesh, the Son of
God as I have presented Him.
1 John 2:18 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 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus
is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
2 John 1:7 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.
We will see how these
verses apply to the Beast of Revelation, the spirit of Antichrist embodied.
In conclusion about the
doctrine of the Son of God for now let me just say that the doctrines that
Christ was fully human and fully God and that His physical death in His
humanity on the Cross precedes His Resurrection which is foundational to
Christian belief are essential along with the belief and as part of the belief
that He is the Son of God, God walking in real human flesh on the earth. Only
by these doctrines is Christ the bridge between man and the Godhead rather than
an ideal or concept that becomes more of just a philosophy than anything with
saving power.
Please note the status of followers of Christ in;
1Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
2Timothy
2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign
with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Revelation
20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath
part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but
they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand
years.
The king of an ancient city was also the high priest,
who offered up sacrifices, and was the highest religious authority. This is
evident in a number of ancient writers such as Aristotle, Euripides, and
Demosthenes and related in De Coulanges’ work The Ancient City.[2]
God will make His people kings and priests.
“…glory and dominion for ever and ever…”
Similar sentiments are expressed by Peter;
1Peter 5:10
¶ But the God of all grace, who hath
called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a
while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen.
And as part of the prayer given by Jesus to His
disciples;
Matthew
6:13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, for ever. Amen.
Alluding to;
1Chronicles
29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness,
and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is
in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou
art exalted as head above all.
God’s authority and power is limitless and unending.
There is nothing before Him and nothing after Him. There is also nothing
besides Him to compete with Him.
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