ANTICHRIST by I. E. Kimball

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 7, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 27.

ANTICHRIST.

By I. E. Kimball

BY ELDER I. E. KIMBALL.

"YE have heard that antichrist shall come." The prophecy concerning this power is so conspicuous that we must notice it. There was universal expectation in the early church that antichrist would quickly appear, working the most dire evil. He is called "that wicked" one, the "man of sin," etc., and is mentioned both in the prophecies of the Old Testament and the New.

It was looked forward to as a monstrous power, the essence of evil, the incarnation of Satan himself. All the prophecies speaking of a giant of evil to come refer to him.

Antichrist signifies not only an opponent, but one arrogating divine power. The Spirit identifies the kingdom of antichrist with the apostasy; thus we read: "Be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first [unless that apostasy come first], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple [sanctuary, or church] of God, showing himself that he is God. ["Setting himself forth as God." R. V.] Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now we know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he who now letteth ["there is one, that hindereth," etc.] will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming; even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power," etc.

It seems to have been understood by the Antenicene fathers that the Pagan Roman Empire was that power which hindered. A quotation from Tertullian, "Apology," chap. 32, will show this:—

Christians are under a particular necessity of praying for the emperors, and for the continued state of the empire; because we know that dreadful power which hangs over the world and the conclusion of the age, which threatens the most horrible evils, is restrained by the continuance of the Roman Empire. This is what we would not experience; and, while we pray that it may be deferred, we hereby show our good will to the perpetuity of the Roman State.

Jerome, who lived in the very period of the dismemberment of Rome, presently expected antichrist to appear.

"He who hindered is taken out of the way, and we consider not that antichrist is at hand."

In the above quotation from Paul we may see the mystery of lawlessness which was then working ("doth already work") about to shape itself into a mighty kingdom, revealing the man of sin, a mighty colossus of apostasy, sitting in the church of God, setting himself forth as a head and ruler, subjecting all under obedience to himself. This is the evident meaning of the prophecy. That the "temple of God" means the church, wherein he should be enthroned, no one can doubt who reads the New Testament. It was prophesied of Christ that he should "build the temple of the Lord;" and "they that are far off shall come and build in [it]." Zech. 6: 15. We have only to compare this with Paul's comment in Eph. 2: 13–22, and other expressions, such as "the house of God which is the church," "Ye are the temple of the living God," etc., from the same apostle, to make this matter altogether certain that antichrist, through apostasy, would erect his throne in the church itself. He would oppose and exalt himself above God, in that his mandates would infringe upon, and conflict with, the Lord's. By some means he would make the church believe himself to be possessed of the very prerogatives of God himself, and so sway the rod of a god upon earth. All this is contained in Paul's words.

But some thirty years later the Spirit spoke through John even more clearly. The spirit of antichrist was then more fully developed. John speaks of antichrist's coming as follows:—

"Even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time [hour]. 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."

The apostles Peter and Jude inveigh most emphatically against this class. They are described as "murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouths speaking great swelling words," "seducing" the brethren, "promising them liberty," "alluring through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error."

But they were not utterly infidel in profession, although they denied the Father and the Son. "They transgressed and abode not in the doctrine of Christ," and "whosoever denieth the Son hath not the Father." Paul, speaking of this same class, said, "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient," etc. Titus 1: 16. Manifestly, they were hypocritical professors.

John wrote his first general epistle as a special warning against this class of dissidents (2: 26). We may conclude that they said they had fellowship with God, but walked in darkness, professed to know him, but kept not his commandments, declared themselves to be in the light, but hated their brethren, etc. They were wells without water, spots and blemishes to the body.

But such grossness of heart and sensuality as the apostles attribute to them must utterly separate from God. The vision of God becomes dim to such, who crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh.

Peter had said that "false teachers" of this class should "bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them." And now John asserts this very thing, showing that they denied that Jesus was the Christ. In Rev. 2: 6 we read of schismatics, who must have existed at this same time, whose "doctrine" and "deeds" Christ hated. Doubtless these antichrists are there designated. They certainly "transgressed and abode not in the doctrine of Christ." They did not believe that "Jesus is the Christ," confessed not "that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." "God manifest in the flesh" is the cardinal principle of the New Testament. The heathen philosophy and Judaism exercised a combined influence in a special way against the doctrine of salvation through Christ. Purgatory was more desirable and reasonable to them. They denied the Father and Son in all their works. The Bible knows such only as hypocrites. The "last hour" had come. For damnable heresies, schisms, and apostates were multiplying everywhere. Antichrist was developing a kingdom of apostates, who should finally find their head and their god in the "man of sin," sitting in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God. From youth to old age, antichrist should exist throughout the entire dispensation, for he should be destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming. Hence, the apostle looked upon this baleful presentiment as a sure testimony of the "last hour."