We open up God's word in 2 Thessalonians 2. 2 Thessalonians 2, where the inspired Apostle Paul addresses the church at Thessalonica and the Holy Spirit addresses the church of all ages about Antichrist as a sign of the coming of Christ. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor 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, 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 worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work. Only he who now letteth 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 and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God even our Father, which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. We read God's word that far. This evening, Reverend William Langrack will speak to us on the subject, the Bible's identification of Antichrist. Reverend Langrack, having graduated from high school, spent some years in the business world and service industry, and then felt the call of God to preach the gospel, return to college and seminary, from which he graduated in 2003 and since then has been the pastor of the Southeast Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. God has given him and his wife, Karen, six covenant children. Reverend Langrack, we thank you for your willingness to speak to us this evening. Thank you, Reverend Kuyper, for your kind introduction. And thank you to the Evangelism Committee of the Randolph Protestant Reformed Church for inviting me here to your, at least it's new to me, fine building. Tonight I want to speak to you specifically on the Bible's identification of the Antichrist. I deliberately worded the title of the speech that way because it is the Bible's identification of the Antichrist that we are truly interested in. Many, even good men, have written on the subject, but in the end we are not interested in what various men or even groups say about this Antichrist. I, at least in a Reformed setting, could have titled it The Creeds, Identification of the Antichrist, but due to the historical development of the creeds, very little, if anything, is said about the Antichrist and his identification in the creeds directly, because eschatology, which is the broader subject of theology that the Antichrist is covered in, wasn't as developed fully at the time of the Reformation as it is being done now, and there still remains for the Church in this area of theology much work to do. In many ways, it stands as the final frontier of good, solid, reformed theological work. The term Antichrist itself, although Most people, even outside of Reformed circles, are very familiar with the term. It's yet one that occurs seldom in Scripture. In fact, only five times in the Bible total, and all five times are found in the first and second epistles of John. Nevertheless, there are many references in Scripture to the Antichrist without using that name, however. The New Testament calls this same Antichrist by other names, the man of sin, the son of perdition, the wicked one. Revelation 13, 17, 19, and 20 all refer to him as a beast and false prophet. Our Lord Jesus Christ also refers to the Antichrist indirectly In his description of the signs of the times in Matthew 24 and the parallel passages, the Old Testament also refers to the Antichrist. Again, not using his name as such, you may refer to such passages as Daniel 7 and 8 and 11. and notably Ezekiel 38 and 39. Now it's not my purpose this evening to prove that all those other references are indeed to the Antichrist. That would take too long this evening. However, a few examples would show that there are indeed such references to the Antichrist referred to only five times in 1 and 2 John. For one, in 1 John 2, verse 18, the Apostle says that the church has already heard that the Antichrist shall come, and yet that's the first time the name is mentioned in the Bible. Obviously then, it is someone that the church was familiar with doctrinally earlier than when that was written. Also, the description that is given in 1 and 2 John to the Antichrist matches that description given elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments, especially the characteristic of being deceitful and of denying God. Also, The Apostles, when they refer to the Antichrist, frequently quote from the Old Testament when speaking on this subject. For example, 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 4, which we read tonight, is a direct quote of Daniel 13, verses 36 and 37, indicating that these chapters are all referring to the same thing. The significance of the mention and the teaching of the Antichrist in this particular chapter of Scripture that we read tonight is that Paul is teaching here that the Antichrist is one of two important signs that are significant because they immediately precede the return of Jesus Christ. There are other signs, of course, of the coming of Christ referred to in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and elsewhere. But these two mentioned here in this chapter are important because they immediately precede the coming of Jesus Christ. Now the Apostle Paul taught this over against a misunderstanding that was found in the church at Thessalonica, teaching or misunderstanding regarding the coming of Jesus Christ. And particularly now, a misunderstanding about Paul's own teaching to them that Jesus' coming was going to be unexpected and soon. Now, the apostle had taught that to them in the first epistle. to the Thessalonians. He had given them good instruction on the signs of Jesus' coming and especially that it would be like a thief in the night and soon. But there was a misunderstanding in the church. The misunderstanding was that this meant that Jesus could come at any moment. That so near was His coming that literally at any moment He could come. Now, that is a notion that is still found in the church and has troubled the church throughout its history. It's been especially popular since the mid-19th century with the rise of premillennialism, which teaches that Jesus Christ indeed can return at any moment to snatch Christians from off the earth in a rapture so that he can then go on to establish an earthly kingdom with the Jews. This is a dangerous notion. It's a dangerous notion in the church because it threatens the spiritual well-being and the preparedness of the church. We see the danger of such a notion in our own day when certain self-proclaimed prophets rise up in the church who claim to know exactly when Christ will return and thousands of their followers sell their possessions and abandon the church and their jobs and their families to wait. And they wait. And they wait. And the danger is that even in the church, as time goes on, the church can lose hope and despair of Christ's coming at all, beginning to wonder if he has not already come, and so are not prepared for the real trials and struggles of the church that lie ahead. Now, against all this, the apostle comes along and says, no, Jesus cannot come at any moment. He will not come tomorrow. He will not come in a year. But there are two very great events that have to take place First, let no man deceive you by any means for that day, that day of the coming of Christ shall not come except there be these two things. The first is the falling away of the church. That is a great apostasy or falling away to lies and deceit in the church. And the second is the appearance of the man of sin. He must be revealed, that son of perdition. That's the Antichrist. So what does the Bible have to say about the identity of the Antichrist? Well, in the first place, we know that the Bible teaches as clearly as it can be taught that the Antichrist is one real, distinct, individual, male human being. Let me repeat. He is one real, distinct, individual, male human being. The Antichrist will not be a supercomputer, or some powerful human machine, or some mighty weapon. He will not be a technologically advanced consortium of human beings or a group of powerful rulers. He will not be a type of political philosophy. He will not even be a she, as some maintain. The evidence for this assertion is in many places in Scripture, but 2 Thessalonians 2 is compelling, if not conclusive, all by itself. Very distinctly, very deliberately, the apostle calls Antichrist the man of sin. And in case we missed that, the son of perdition. And then consistently throughout the passage, Antichrist is referred to as he. And then ascribes to that he characteristics and actions that can only be true of an individual human being. Also, in Revelation 13, he is pictured as a warmongering beast. one entity, and in Daniel 11 he is pictured as a little horn with eyes like a man and a single mouth speaking great things. This individual male being, this human being, however, is also consistently described in Scripture as having two offices to, as it were, occupations or titles. The first is that he is always described as a mighty world political ruler and the second that he is an ecclesiastical ruler. In Revelation, Antichrist is consistently referred to as both a beast and a false prophet, leading some to believe there are two Antichrists, when in fact it is describing one and the same person. Revelation 13, for example, speaks about two beasts, one from the sea with seven heads and ten crowns and a body like a leopard and feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. who is given power over all nations and saints. In Daniel 7, which mirrors that, he's given power over dominions. Then there's a second beast from the earth, like a lamb. He makes the nations to worship that first beast by deceit and mighty miracles. And in Revelation 16 and 19, he's called there the false prophet. The idea is that he holds two offices. Now, throughout history of the church, throughout the history of the New Testament church, there has been a great deal of speculation as to the specific personal identity of the Antichrist. I cannot even really even summarize the many, many different speculations that have been made, this or that person, this or that king. And in the end, most of them fall away anyway, because that person is long gone. There is, however, one theory that is worthy of our attention and consideration this evening, and that is the teaching that Antichrist is the Pope, or the office of the papacy in the Roman Catholic Church, so that the Antichrist is visible now in that office through the various popes, and in the future there will be some great pope who will rule over the world and, as described in Scripture, demand to be worshipped. Now, there are a number of reasons why this theory of all others is worthy of our consideration. The first is this was the view of virtually all the reformers, including Luther and Kelvin. And this was also the view of the Antichrist that was incorporated into the Westminster confession of faith. There is a reformed confession. that speaks about the Antichrist and specifically identifies him as the Pope. Now today, in Reformed and Presbyterian circles, that theory or notion isn't so prevalent anymore. That's not because the Pope has changed or the papacy has changed, but the Reformed and Presbyterian churches have changed, most or many Reformed and Presbyterian theologians and people now are very friendly to Rome and want to make common cause with the papacy. So to identify the Pope as the Antichrist is no longer politically expedient. But from many points of view, Antichrist does or the Pope does match the description in scripture of the Antichrist. For example, what we read here tonight, that Antichrist is seated in the temple of God, showing that he is God. That is, he holds an ecclesiastical office and he claims the worship of God alone. Simply witness the office of the papacy and what the Pope has done through the ages. He sits there in the temple of God, acting like God, He even allows himself to be worshipped and venerated like God without saying a word. Also in Scripture, we read about Antichrist, that he makes war with the saints. For example, in Revelation 13, that is, he persecutes the church. Now you can see why many of the Reformers took this view of the Pope. The Pope raged against the church during the time of the Reformation. Besides that, as is often pointed out, the Pope is not simply an ecclesiastical ruler, but he also holds a political office. The Vatican is a recognized state and engages in diplomatic relations with other states, and the Pope is the head of that state or nation. Nevertheless, I, for one, am not convinced that this is the case. For one, although the Pope matches much of the description in Scripture of Antichrist, he does not match it exactly. First, we read in Scripture, not only does the Antichrist sit in the temple of God showing himself that he is God, but he opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God. We read, for example, that he opposes all that is worshipped. In 1 John 4 we read that he denies Jesus Christ is coming to the flesh. That is one of the marks of the Antichrist, that he denies Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh. Now, say what you will about the Pope, and his theology, he does not deny all that is called God. He claims to uphold it. Nor does he deny that Jesus Christ is coming to the flesh. Besides that, Scripture teaches that of the two offices that Antichrist holds, the chief foremost and primary office is that of his political rule. Yes, he is an ecclesiastical power as described in Revelation 13, but even Revelation 13 teaches that his ecclesiastical power and rule within the church serves the purpose of making everybody worship the first beast, which is his political power, his kingship, his rule as a head of state. The second serves the first. The first is primary. Besides that, that also matches the description of the many types of the Antichrist that occur, especially in the Old Testament. You can look up the book of Daniel, which not only lists them but identifies them. We have Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and Xerxes of Persia and Alexander the Great of Greece and the great Caesar of Rome. We know from Revelation another is Nimrod of Babel. Now what were those rulers? And if you look at them, you will easily see that although many of them demanded to be worshipped, although many of them had great influence and power as Nebuchadnezzar did in the ecclesiastical sphere dictating the terms and place of worship, they were primarily, first and foremost, political rulers, world rulers. And that also explains why, where the Antichrist is identified in scripture, he's identified not only as a king, but as a kingdom. Many places he's described as a kingdom. Why? Why is that? Because he's a king, first and foremost. That kingdom is an extension of himself because he as king founds it. He extends its power. He directs its goals as the ruler of his people, as the captain of its forces, as the director of its education. Everything in that kingdom is done by him and for him. Now that name Antichrist tells us more. about his identity. Generally, the term Antichrist informs us that really the identity of the Antichrist can only be truly understood in relationship to Jesus the Christ, Jesus the true Christ, If one is going to know who and what the Antichrist is, one must know and understand who Jesus the Christ is. And about that, again generally, the Antichrist, and that term teaches us that he is someone who opposes Christ by imitation. by the deceit of imitation. Let me explain. That word Antichrist in the first place is a very, very important word that teaches he is Satan's own remarkable imitation of God's Christ. It indicates he is Satan's counterfeit of the Christ. It is Satan's intention to present him as the replacement of the Christ. Let me explain. For one, in the Scriptures, the Bible teaches that the Antichrist will have a bodily coming in the fullness of time, just as did Jesus Christ. Like our Lord Jesus Christ, there will be a time when, as we read in the text that we read tonight, that wicked one, The wicked one shall be revealed. That's verse 8. And this will occur bodily in His time. Verse 6. Secondly, He is, the Antichrist now, the personal representative, or Christ, of His Lord. A Lord who sends him and on whose behalf he works. Now, that who sends him and on whose behalf he works is none other than Satan. He is Satan's personal representative. We may even consider him, in a certain sense, Satan incarnate. In the sense that Satan, who otherwise is a spirit, and cannot be seen, who must take bodily form to do what he wants to do, dwells in him. Satan is the one who gives him his power, who gives him his life. And that's why we read what we do in verse 9, whose coming is after the working of Satan. That is, Satan is represented by him. Satan governs his actions, gives him his demonic power, which power he will then use to verify his claims that he is the Christ by signs and wonders. He also imitates the Christ in that he embodies the moral character of his Lord and Master. Just as Jesus Christ is called the man of righteousness, that is, the personal embodiment of the righteous goodness of God, so the Antichrist is the man of sin, as we read. That is, he is the personal embodiment of sin, and the power of sin brought to its full development and expression in a human being. So that first of all, he's Satan's remarkable imitation or counterfeit of the Christ. But, that also shows that he wants to use that, he desires to be that way in order to be against Christ, to deceive, to replace Him. Again, that's brought out by his name, the Anti-Christ. the one against Christ. That's also what we read in verse 4, "...who opposeth and exalted himself above all that is called God." Now that which is called God is God and His Christ. That's a quote, by the way, of Daniel 11, 36-37, that says this, A little more detail. He shall do according to his will. He shall exalt and magnify himself above every God and speak marvelous, and that's negative marvelous, things against the God of gods. He shall not regard the God of his fathers. There's another reason why I don't think the Pope is the Antichrist. He shall not regard God of his fathers, nor any God, for he shall magnify himself above all." So the opposition of God, being against God and his Christ, is his very nature. He is, as it were, the climax. The culmination, the full perfection of Satan's history-long opposition to God that began, well, even before the Garden, when Satan exalted himself in Heaven. Satan, who is opposed to everything of God, himself set up in Scripture as The battle, the great battle of the ages of the Antichrist of Satan versus the Christ of God. The lie of Satan versus the truth of God. The wickedness of Satan versus the righteousness of God. And the death that Satan brings versus the life of God. He's opposed to God. everything that is called God. The idea there is that he's opposed really to any religious practice, any religious worship of a God other than himself, other than that which he approves. And it's basically the worship of himself. Why? Because he is the man. He is the only God there is. And the basis, the theology of his kingdom and the worship in his kingdom is this, basically that man is God. He denies that there's any superior being over man but himself. It is a kingdom that serves man, that worships man, that has the glory of man as its goal and work. Standing at the head of that kingdom stands this man, the man of all men, the Antichrist. Now the scriptures also teach as regarding his identification, and that which I touched on earlier, that he has a coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan. I want to elaborate now on that a little bit more. When the scriptures speak about the fact that he's coming, they don't mean simply that sometime now in the future he will be coming. That's the mistake some people also make about Jesus Christ. When they read in the scriptures that he's coming, they mean to understand or imply or teach that he's not already coming now. It's just some future time when he appears. Well, so also with the Antichrist. When the scriptures say he's coming, they do not mean to say that he's not already now coming. In fact, the scriptures make the exact opposite very clear. He is, then, therefore, in a very real sense, the Antichrist, both a present and a future reality. The Apostle John writes this, Ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, yet even now are there many Antichrists. 1 John 2 verse 18. Then in chapter 4, verse 3, he writes this, This is that spirit of Antichrist whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world. And the Apostle Paul writes in verses 7 and 8 that we read, For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, and then shall be revealed." Generally, the Antichrist is already now coming, as the scriptures speak, as a spirit or mystery of a number of distinctive moral qualities and activities. that are loose in the world, that are loose among the children of men and in rulers, both ecclesiastical and political. That's how he's coming now. He's found in a certain spirit or mystery at work in the world. This is another way, by the way, that he imitates Jesus Christ, whose spiritual presence in the world is also evident. in certain distinctive moral qualities and activities. Christ is coming now. He's here now. How do we know? Well, we look for certain distinctive spiritual qualities in individuals and rulers and people that can only be the Spirit of Christ. Well, so also the Antichrist. In the Old Testament, Christ was present as a spirit to create and to save and to comfort and teach the truth. In the New Testament, Christ is present as a spirit of life and grace and mercy and peace and love to justify, to sanctify and preserve the church, isn't he? Well, what about the spirit of the Antichrist? Well, the Bible identifies especially two moral qualities or spirits at loose in the world that are the Antichrist. The first is the mystery or spirit of blasphemy. If one looks, for example, at Revelation 13, it is striking how often blasphemy is attached to the man of sin. He is a beast that arises from the sea, and on his head is a name written Blasphemy. That's on all ten of his heads. And then we read, his mouth opens up to speak blasphemies. He blasphemes God. He blasphemes his name. He blasphemes God's tabernacle. And he blasphemes all those who are already in heaven. That's his character. That's his spirit. That necessarily follows, you understand, from the fact that he's against God and his Christ. The specific blasphemy now is not simply that he says a few curse words here and there, but he speaks this blasphemy. Not God is God, but man is God. I am God. He is present now. in the spirit of ecclesiastical rulers and churches and rulers who say, God is not God. Man is God. Man saves. Man is the sum of all things. Man determines his destiny and his future. Man is what makes the world go round. Why? When you look at Revelation 13, that's where you find the mark of the beast. That's not the mark of Satan as such. That's the mark of the Antichrist. What is the number? 666. And then we're told that's the number of man. That's his name, that's his character. If you want to see the mark of the beast, you don't need to look for it. computer chips and branding on foreheads. You just need to look at somebody speaking the blasphemy. Man is God. God is man. There's the mark. There's the spirit of the Antichrist already loosed in the world. Secondly, that mystery or spirit is evident in the spirit or mystery of iniquity or lawlessness. That's emphasized in the passage that we read and repeated three times when he's called the man of sin and that wicked one and the mystery of iniquity, all terms for the same thing. The idea is that he's anti-law. He's against the law. He's against the righteousness of the law. Now, the idea is not that he opposes all law. Why, even Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, the Caesars of Rome were known for their laws. He's not opposed against all law. He's just opposed to the laws of God. Again, this necessarily follows from the fact that he's against God. because God's law implies God's authority over man. So the only laws that may be permitted in the kingdom of the Antichrist are those that are made by man and on behalf of man. And his lawlessness includes the power and ability and desire to change the laws of God even in creation. Anyone familiar with the scripture knows that God has placed certain fundamental laws within the creation. There's a law of God for government. There's a law of God for nature. There's a law of God concerning marriage and the relationship of man and woman. The spirit of the Antichrist and his lawlessness is overthrow it all. Marriage is no longer what the scriptures or God says marriage is. Marriage is what man makes of it. Whether two men and two women or one man and two women, whether it can last a day or a week, it's all up to man to decide. This is what government's role and purpose is in the creation. Man decides. That's the spirit of the Antichrist, the spirit that changes God's law for government, and for education, and for labor, and for commerce, and sexuality, and marriage, and family, and the whole culture is governed by it. And that too, also, because the spirit of the Antichrist has not only a political aspect, but an ecclesiastical one, also changes the law of God in the church. He sits as God in the temple of God, declaring his own laws to be law for the church. God doesn't say, I suffer a woman not to teach in the church. That's old-fashioned. That's Neanderthal. This is the way it's going to be. God doesn't say that homosexuality is a vile sin in the church that must be confessed like all sin. God, man, says that as long as it's a lasting, loving, committed relationship, the church will promote it. That's the spirit of the Antichrist, and that is why you can see now how these two signs that Paul mentions are linked. Apostasy in the church, the great falling away, and the spirit of the Antichrist. They go hand in hand. Because the lawlessness and the blasphemy that he brings, he brings not simply out there in the world, but demands it in the church. The Church preaches the gospel of man for the glory of man and the salvation of man by man's ingenuity. It changes the law of God to the law of man as man determines what it shall be. Now, we're told this, people of God, for a reason, and I mention it tonight for a reason, and that is so that We can confront the spirit of the Antichrist now. Let us not be of the opinion that simply because he has not appeared personally yet that he's no bother. And that simply because he will come. He will come. Text points that out. That we just roll over and play dead. It's not why we're told this. We're told this so that we contend with him. so that we conduct battle with him in our spirits, in our souls, and in our churches, and off pulpits. But there's a culmination, there's a perfection of the spirit of the Antichrist that's going to be personal and bodily. There will be a personal bodily appearance and His rule over a literal, real, worldwide kingdom. That's why Christ cannot come at any moment. Although the Spirit is working hard in the world as we can see it, He's not been yet revealed, revealed in that way. Paul also points out passage that we read that he comes in his time. That is, God has a specific time, a timetable for his appearing. And elsewhere, if we look at scripture, we can kind of piece together how it will go. The Antichrist, you may expect, will appear in the world on the scene of a tremendous world crisis. and the cataclysm of events with the claim that He is the Savior of mankind from them. That's what you may expect. It's really how all great rulers appear on the scene. They appear on the scene where they derive their power in a time of crisis and need for human beings. One looks at the signs of Christ's coming It's not hard to see how this is laid out, that at a time of great economic crisis, cataclysms perhaps, of great natural disasters, when the world is in the throes of despair, who will save us? Who will give us food to eat? Who will clothe us? Who will bring us peace from all our war? comes a man with extraordinary gifts and abilities whom all the kings and rulers of the earth can give their power. That's how the scriptures describe him. That's brought out by that word revealed. He is revealed literally in scripture. That's the word apocalypse. We all know what an apocalypse is. It is to reveal something by means of a dramatic and sudden event. And that's also alluded to elsewhere in the scripture. That's another way in which he mimics Jesus Christ. He comes as a savior. He comes as one, as a deliverer from all misery and trouble that man normally cannot extract himself. Also, the scriptures show that he comes with great power, splendor, and deceit. We read, he comes according to the working of Satan with powers and signs and lying wonders. We don't have time to get into that tonight. The Bible there is not speaking simply of some sleight of hand or even the kind of wonders that men are able to do with great technological advances. It's speaking about the kinds of signs and wonders that cannot and will not be able to be explained even by the most advanced science. They are supernatural in that they are not normally human powers. They are derived powers, powers that come from another, and that another, of course, is Satan. And because they come from Satan, they are lying signs, lying wonders. They are signs and wonders that are meant to deceive people from the true gospel message that God is God alone and Jesus is his Christ to believe in the message that man is God and I am he. He will deceive many. We read it is almost all. that he's not going to have the victory. It might seem that way. The Bible's description of him is that of complete worldwide and seemingly invincible power and dominion. He's pictured in terms of the most awesome beasts. All the world, we read, is going to wonder at the beast and say, who is like unto him? Who is able to make war? with Him. When you think of all the might and power of mankind already today, you think of the might and power displayed by previous great kings and kingdoms, one can only shudder at the kind of power the Antichrist will wield We read, his power is given unto him over all kindreds, tongues, and nations to overcome the saints. And if that weren't enough, we read that he appears, even though the church has been fighting him and preparing for him throughout history, he's given power to kill in the church, kill those who will not worship him. Prophet Daniel says he shall prosper. Jesus says he is so great that if it were possible he would deceive the very elect and except those days be shortened there would be no flesh saved. That is some power. Yet he is defeated. He is defeated by the Lord, we read, who shall consume him with the spirit of his mouth and destroy him with the brightness of his coming. Now you all know that refers to the bodily coming of Christ, but here too we should see that that is going on now too. He's still going to come, but don't ever think that he's not already being defeated by the Spirit of Christ's mouth and the brightness of His coming. Two ways, quickly. Number one, because He cannot do whatever He wants. No matter what He wants to do, and no matter how fast He wants to come, there is someone else holding Him back. There is someone else that has a plan that must be accomplished first. and in His way. He's only able to deceive those who love not the truth. He's not able to deceive the elect people of God. He deceives only those who love not the truth. God gives them over to that because they love not the truth. And that's because the Lord is coming already now in the glory of His brightness. And the mouth The breath of his mouth, the spirit of his mouth is already at work in the world. The Antichrist isn't victorious in the true church. He's not victorious where the true gospel is preached. He's being destroyed there. He can't do what he wants there. Even when finally he lashes out to kill the people of God, that's not victory. That's an act of desperation. The instant he kills a child of God, they're in heaven with Christ. only to return very, very quickly with Christ to defeat the Antichrist once and for all. That's what it's referring to in verse 8. That will be the final showdown, the final battle of all the ages. The Antichrist, Satan behind him, who will have been raging against God and his people and the world for all of history, is confronted personally by our Lord Jesus Christ having come down from heaven. But there is no real fight. It is, as it were, we say, fixed. There is no contest. Simply by speaking his word, simply by standing there in all his heavenly glory, the Lord defeats him. and destroys him by casting him everlastingly in the lake of fire. All Christ has to do is say, go. Go jump in the lake, the lake of fire, and remain there for eternity. And it's all over. That shows, indeed, that not Satan is God. Not the Antichrist is God. Man is not God, but God is God, and Christ is his Lord. Reveals what was true all along, that God alone is God, and Jesus alone is his Christ. Great kingdom builder, given all authority. He has it now. All authority over all the kingdoms and peoples and nations of the earth. Not the Antichrist. Jesus had them in his hands all along. That's our comfort, too. The Bible's identification of the Antichrist can be awesome, even fearful for us. But we may not fear. We must not fear. This is the end. I thank you. There was only one question. I think a good one. Will Antichrist do his work under the pretense of being a Christian? The short answer is no. He is opposed to anything having to do with religion or God. That's demonstrated also by the great historical types. Again, Nebuchadnezzar, Persian rulers, what have you. They will be worshipped. The Antichrist will be worshipped. However, the questioner acknowledges that at least somehow he has to get the great world religions together. So part of the answer is yes, if by that you understand that Christianity And what it means to be a Christian is being changed in our day. What is it to be a Christian today? Well, if you look, you will find out that what it means to be a Christian today, as generally acknowledged in the Christian church world, lines up precisely with what the Antichrist teaches it means to worship him. That is, it's a doctrine of man about man, the salvation of man, the doctrine that overlooks sin. Being a Christian is about loving everyone, even those living in the most vile sins. So that's what's happening. Christianity is changing. He will not want to, under any kind of pretense, be a Christian He will simply change what it means to be a Christian, and that's going on now. So that was the last question for this evening. Our Father which art in heaven, O Lord our God, we confess Thee as God, God alone, one triune, true and living God who is placed in the hands of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, a man, a man among men, the only man worthy of the honor and glory by His perfect obedience and righteousness, given Him all power, all authority, all glory and all honor in the kingdom of men and of this world. We believe that. We believe that no other is entitled to that. So we pray for the destruction of the spirit of the Antichrist, the spirit of the age, and the Antichrist himself by the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the preaching of the Holy Gospel by the Church in its life and in its confession. and ultimately by the bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we eagerly anticipate with hope and joy, and so pray. Come, Lord Jesus, yea, come quickly, in his name we pray. Amen.