Thanks Eugene! Whoever and whenever it will be, it's good to know we have a forum like this so that we may stick together when it happens!
In this section of Scripture the word "antichrist is mentioned three times in two verses
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1John 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.
19 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.
20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, [abide] ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Here is another section
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1 John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world
This the last mention of the word in the KJV
2 John 1: 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
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.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son
According to Scripture, the characteristics of the Antichrist and the surrounding events are these:
- The Antichrist will be one of many other antichrists
- Both the Antichrist, and the antichrists will come from the assembly of believers, but they are all poseurs. They are not saved.
- The exits from Christianity of Antichrist and antichrists will be showy, just to make it clear that they were never serious about being a Christian.
- Both will have in common their denial of both God the Father, and Jesus the Son of God.
- Anyone denying that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh does have the spirit of the antichrist within.
- Because John could then write "even now already is it in the world " it is reasonable to assume the situation remains the same today.
- All of these events and characteristics combine to tell us that this is the end time (1 John 4:2 )
- As a result it will be the ascension of the Antichrist which will be the "gateway event" to the Second Coming
For those reasons, I believe that this one event is what Christians should be on the lookout for. they do not have to "count the weeks mentioned in Daniel" nor do they have to place ten toes on one foot of the iron and clay-footed statue, and call it "Holy Roman Empire 2"
It is my opinion from these Scripture verses that God really does not want any Christian to get excited and count numbers, doing endless speculations about the Second Coming That is because in the verses I quoted because John as an Apostle tells us to simply
abide in Christ three times (One of those times is a paraphrase having the same intent) Each time that word is mentioned, it is in direct contrast to the evil mischief of the agenda of the antichrist.
So tell me where I am wrong, OK?