ANTICHRIST (4)

THE ORIGIN OF THE ANTICHRIST

 

A sevenfold origin of the Antichrist provides food for thought, though perhaps not all details can be insisted upon.

1.  Out of the social chaos of the times, which provides an excellent opportunity for the strong man and savior of society, this man appears. He is described by John as rising up out of the sea (Rev. 13:1). If the waters are in any sense a picture of the troubled conditions of society (Rev. 17:15; Luke 21:25-26), then this is the opportunity for such a man to offer himself to the world. When such men as Arnold Toynbee, noted British historian, are calling for the strong man, it would appear that the very conditions of the world are maneuvering to that end.

2.  Out of a geographical division of the world represented by ten horns (Rev. 13:1; 17:3, 7, 12, 16) comes the beast. Equating this with Daniel 2, 7, and 8, it must be concluded that this man arises out of one of the divisions of Alexander's Empire, and this division must be that portion lying to the West on the continent of Europe.

3.  In the political sense, this man is a citizen of that area which will eventually become the revived Roman Empire. This is the final Empire of Gentile civilization that eventually swallows up all other great powers (Rev. 13:7). In the final period there will be given to the leader of this ten-horned Roman confederacy "power . . . over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."

4.  This raises the question concerning the national origin of Antichrist. Though there is by no means any decisive answer, there are suggestions that he must be a Jew. The absence of the tribe of Dan from the listing in Rev. 7:4-8 has been cited as proof, but it is doubtful whether this reasoning can be trusted. Speaking to His own people Jesus said, "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive" (John 5:43). Implicit in this is the appearance of one from their own nationality. Inasmuch as this one will enter into negotiations with Israel, suggesting confidence on their part, it is doubtful if any other than a Jew could so completely deceive them.

5.  But there is a personal element in the origin of the Antichrist. This man is a member of the Satanic trinity (Rev. 16:13). He is commissioned of the Devil (Rev. 13:2), and energized and equipped by him (2 Thess. 2:9). But he is in every sense a man, that man whose greatness and moral disposition lends himself to a covenant with the Devil (Rev. 13^:18). In Christ, the Devil found no answering response. But in this man he finds one who is ready to sell his soul and freedom for sovereignty over the world (Matt. 4:8-9; Luke 4:6-8).

6.  The spiritual origin of this man must not be overlooked. He is the seed of the serpent (Gen. 3:15), but in that sense he is the product of the mystery of iniquity (2 Thess. 2:7 cf. 3, 8). Lawlessness having been initiated by Adam at the suggestion of Satan has been operating through the centuries. At last it reaches its fullness in this man. The pervading influence and power of sin not only provides the atmosphere and environment in which lawlessness can survive, but it actually molds and shapes a human personality into the measure and stature of itself.

7.  There is finally the providential origin of the Man of Sin. To the countless millions of earth who have maneuvered themselves into the position of accepting a false Messiah by rejecting the true Christ, "For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thess. 2:11). The definite article appears before the word "lie" in the original Greek. Antichrist is the lie, the masterpiece of Satan. Yet even this does not happen outside the providential movements of God in the unfolding of His plan. Christ works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11). Therefore it is reassuring to know that it is Christ who tears away the first seal that sends the Antichrist forth upon his mission of deception, persecution, and devastation (Rev. 6:1-2). This means that God is ultimately in control, even during that time of trouble such as the world has never seen.