CHAPTER 12
THE ANTICHRIST
Those Who Are in Opposition to Christ
THE ANTICHRIST prophesied by Saint John is one of the least understood and most abused teaching of the scriptures used to form Christian doctrine. Most Christians preach that the Antichrist is the Beast in scriptures who will come in the end times and rebuild the Temple for the Jews and enter into the Temple, proclaiming himself to be God. All this will take place after the Christians rapture up into the sky.
Following is an example of this concept taken from the book The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey--a national best-seller with more than 30,000,000 in print! Mr. Lindsey has the Antichrist portrayed to be the future world dictator, the Beast:
This person the Antichrist, is called the "beast" because from God's viewpoint that is exactly what he is. The passage is obviously talking about a person, because the personal pronoun "he" is used. He is also described as a person of great authority (p. 92). It is said here that the beast (the Roman dictator, the Future Fuehrer, or the Antichrist) will be like a leopard, a bear, and lion (p. 94).
Hal Lindsey has the Beast to be:
The leopard was the Greek Empire, a bear referred to Median-Persian Empire. The lion (Babylon) (p. 94).
The Antichrist will deify himself--just like the Caesar did. He will proclaim himself to be God. We will demand that he be worshipped and will establish himself in the Temple of God (II Thessalonians 2:4) (P.98). There is only one place where this temple of God can be and that is on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, where the site where the Dome of the Rock and other Moslem shrines now stand. There are many places in the Bible that pinpoint this location as the one where the Jews will rebuild their Temple. The Antichrist is called by many names in the Bible, but in Thessalonians is called the "lawless one" (p. 98).
171
The above quotes from Hal Lindsey's book The Late Great Planet Earth give you an example of how screwed up the minds of the Christians can be. The above is nothing more than a bunch of rubbish, or should I say, gobbledygook.
To understand the meanings of these prophecies in the Bible, one must turn to the return of Jesus, for these things are not explained in the Baha'i Writings, and the Baha'is have no better understanding than do the Christians.
THE "BEAST" IN REVELATION 13:2
And the beast which I saw like unto a leopard, and his feet were of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority (Revelation 13:2).
To begin with, the "Beast" doesn't pertain to Babylon, Media/Persia, Greece, or Rome as the Christians believe, for everything in the book of Revelation are prophecies for the things to come after 96 A.D. when John wrote this book while he was on the Island of Patmos:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John (Revelation 1:1).
The above quote tell us that God gave Jesus this Revelation that was to take place in the future and Jesus sent this by an angel--after he had ascended--to John. Also in chapter four this is said a little differently:
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be here-after (Revelation 4:1).
What is said here is that there was a door opened in heaven, that is, that the veil or curtain was pulled back so John could see what was in the plan of God, behind the veil, from the beginning of the Adamic cycle; and these things were to come after John saw them. So this prophecy had nothing at all to do with Babylon, Media/Persian, Greece, or Rome. So Hal Lindsey and Christian interpretations are all wrong. One of the things that John saw was a Beast that:
...was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the Dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority (Revelation 13:2).
172
Daniel saw the same beast that is in Revelation 13 but as four seperate beasts, with the lion having eagle's wings:
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings; I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted from the earth and made stand upon the feet, as a man, and a man's heart was given it. And behold another beast, a second, like a bear, and it was raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, and devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it (Daniel 7:2-6).
These four beasts have nothing to do with anything that took place before 96 A.D. These beasts are symbols of several nations: the lion is the symbol of England. In 1976 with the Declaration of Independence the eagle's wings were plucked off of the lion, and the 13 colonies of England became the United States of America. The symbol of the United States is the eagle (see the back of the dollar bill). The second beast, the bear, becomes the third beast, which is the symbol of Russia. The fourth beast, the leopard is a contraction of two beasts, the leo and the pard. The symbol of France was, at one time, the pard (the French word for panther). When the French King, Charlemagne, conquered the Saxons, who had the leo (the Greek word for lion) as their symbol, the leo and the pard became united to form the body of the Holy Roman Empire. It was called the leo pard, or leopard. These four countries, when they became united as charter members of the United Nations, became the Beast of Revelation chapter 13. Being Christian nations they are in opposition, or are against, Jesus being the Christ (his genealogy through Joseph back to King David), and thus they are the Antichrist.
THE ANTICHRIST
Just what is the Antichrist? "Anti" means "to be against." Therefore to understand the Antichrist one must first know the meaning of the word Christ. No, it doesn't mean Lord, or savior, or the third person of the trinity, nor is it Jesus' last name--like Mary Christ or Joseph Christ. Some who are knowledgeable know that it means anointed, but anointed of what? The word Christ comes from the Greek word "Christos", or the Hebrew world "Messiah". The full meaning of the word Christ is the "Anointed son of King
173
David." The very first line of the New Testament reads: "The look of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David." And in verse 16: "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who was called Christ" (Matthew 1:16).
In Luke 23 and 31 it reads: "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli." Here it says that the people supposed that Jesus was the son of Joseph, but Luke then assures them that Jesus is indeed the son of Joseph. Continuing Jesus' genealogy in verses 23 to 31, verse 31 reads:--
...which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David.
If Jesus was not the son of David, he could not be the Christ, for that is the meaning of the word Christ. Some Christians argue that Joseph was Jesus' foster father. But Paul sets us straight on that false conception:--
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ, which was made of the seed [sperma][125] of David according to the flesh; and [only] declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness (Romans 1:3,4).
If Jesus was not the sperm son of Joseph he would be the biggest charlatan of all ages by claiming to be the Christ. If Jesus was the literal son of God, he could not be the Christ, for God is not a son of David. If Jesus' genealogy was traced back to David though his mother Mary instead of through Joseph, then Jesus could not be the Christ, for Mary doesn't have a sperm, she had an ovum. David was of the tribe of Judah, the kingly tribe, and Mary was of the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe.[126] Mary's cousin Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron of the priestly tribe, and she was married to Zechariah the High Priest. Elizabeth was pregnant with John (the Baptist) while Mary was pregnant with Jesus.
WHERE ARE THE PROPHECIES OF THE ANTICHRIST?
The only place in the entire Bible where it speaks of the Antichrist is in the first Epistle of John, chapters 2 and 4 as well as second John verse 7. So what does it say concerning the Antichrist?
__________________
125 "seed" was translated from the Greek word "sperma."
126 Luke 1:5 and 36
174
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are many Antichrists; where-by we know that it is the last time (I John 2:18).
Here John tells us that in his day there were many Antichrists, and that there was not just one that was to come in our day, as the corrupt Christian clergy teach.
Hereby know ye the spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh [of David's descendants] is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is in the world (I John 4:2,3).
Here again John tells us that the Antichrist was already in the world in his time. This spirit of the Antichrist is the false doctrine of the Christians that Jesus was not the physical son of David, but rather the physical son of God. They were against (anti-) Jesus' genealogy through Joseph back to David, and thus the Antichrist.
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ [a descendant of David]? He is the antichrist, that denieth [the genealogy of] the Father and the Son (I John 2:22).
Here John is telling us that not only are those who denieth the Son's (Jesus') genealogy back to David are the Antichrist, but those who denieth the Father's (Baha'u'llah's) genealogy back to King David are also the Antichrist. If you ask a Covenant-breaking Baha'i,[127] Who was Baha'u'llah descended from? They will say Zoroaster. They do not accept Baha'u'llah's genealogy back to King David, thus they are the Antichrist. Thus these Covenant-breakers threw out this Davidic lineage when they went against Shoghi Effendi (and thus against God), when they threw out the Executive Branch[128] which was an integral part of the Baha'u'llah's Universal House of Justice as it distinguishes Baha'u'llah's Universal House of Justice from all other Houses of Justice, because it has the Davidic lineage that is to exist forever, as its head, or president (Psalm 89). Baha'u'llah, on page 89 of His Proclamation stated in reference to Himself: "...the Ancient Beauty ruleth upon the Throne of David. Both Jesus and Baha'u'llah are descendants of King David, making them both Christs. The difference is that none of Jesus' ancestors sat on the throne of David, except David Himself; therefore Jesus said his Kingdom was not of this world. However in his "LORD'S PRAYER" he asked us to pray for the coming of the
__________________
127 Those who have their headless Universal House of Justice on Golomb Street on Mt. Carmel.
128 The Davidic lineage
175
Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. On the other hand, all of Baha'u'llah's ancestors sat on the throne of King David. In Baha'u'llah's Covenant He passed this lineage as the heir to the throne of David down to His son 'Abdu'l-Baha and 'Abdu'l-Baha passed it down to his adopted son Mason Remey. Then Shoghi Effendi placed 'Abdu'l-Baha's son as head, or the president of the first International Baha'i Council which was to become the Universal House of Justice after it would go through four stages. The Davidic lineage was set up as its head, or president, from the start, in order to prove that this House of Justice is the one in conformity with Baha'u'llah's Covenant. Those who go against this lineage are the Antichrists, as prophesied in I John 2:22,23.
BAHA'U'LLAH IS THE FATHER
Jesus said:--
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me [Jesus] and my words in this adulterous an sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man [a Manifestation] be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father [Baha'u'llah] with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
Isaiah wrote:--
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
The Christians claim that this is Jesus. In fact, in the nativity scene they have a banner over the baby in the manger: THE PRINCE OF PEACE. The first several words could refer to Jesus--he was born and he was a son--but it stops there, for the rest could not refer to him. The government was not upon his shoulder. In fact the only thing he said about government was: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21). And the potency of Jesus' Revelation was that of the Son, whereas the potency of Baha'u'llah's Revelation was that of the Father. Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword: "Think not that I [Jesus] am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). If Jesus had claimed to bring peace, he would have been the greatest failure in history, for we have had nothing but war ever since he came. Most of these wars were fought between
176
Christian nations. And the most deadly of them all were the First and Second World Wars, which primarily were between Christian nations, and World War III will also be fought between Christian nations. Therefore this prophecy applies to Baha'u'llah and not to Jesus.
Unlike Jesus, whose father was a carpenter, Baha'u'llah's father was in government and sat upon the throne of David, in an unbroken line all the way back to King David. Baha'u'llah was the royal Prince (of Peace), next to sit upon the throne of David.
And at that time shall Michael [one like God, a Manifestation of God] stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the Book (Daniel 12:1).
But the Antichrists, those who are opposed, or against, the genealogy of Jesus back to David (the Christians) and those who are opposed to the genealogy of Baha'u'llah back to David (the Covenant-breaking Baha'is who did away with the executive branch of Baha'u'llah's House of Justice), are all for the fire, unless they repent and come back under the Provisions of the Covenant:--
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth [the Antichrist] shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.
...and they that are wise [that turn to the Provisions of the Covenant] shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Many shall be purified, and made white and tried; but the wicked [the Antichrists] shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise [those who use their intellects] shall understand (Daniel 12:2, 3,10).
WHO IS THE ONE THAT GOES INTO THE TEMPLE AS GOD?
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, or be troubled, neither 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,
177
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;[129] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God (II Thessalonians 2:1-4).
Now who do you suppose that man of sin is?
Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now you know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord [Jesus] shall consume with the spirit [breath] 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 [the Antichrists]; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness (II Thessalonians 2:5-12).
In verse 7 Paul tells us that the "mystery of iniquity doth already work," but it was not to be revealed until Jesus returns and destroys him with the breath of his lips, which is by his words. This return of Jesus is Dr. Leland Jensen and he tells us that this man of sin is created by the Antichrists who deified[130] Jesus and placed him in the temple to be worshipped as God in the place of God. This is not referring to the Temple of the Jews, but at that time any place of worship--a house, a barn or any building--was called a temple. Today this deified Jesus is worshipped in all of the Christian church buildings and cathedrals as God in the place of God. The LIE that they believe in is the incarnate God lie, that God became incarnate in Jesus. These Antichrists, the Christians believe Jesus will descend from the sky and they will be raptured, therefore they will remain in the cities along with the Antichrists, the Covenant-breaking Baha'is, and will die in the lake of fire which is the thermonuclear destruction of the cities of the Beasts. The sky that Jesus can be found in is the Big Sky State of Montana.
__________________
129 perdition: Eternal damnation; the utter loss of the soul, the place of eternal damnation--a dictionary explanation.
130 deified: 1. To make a god 2. To regard or worship as a god--a dictionary explanation.
178
THE END OF PART ONE
Written by
John Ardent
(C) Copyright June 21, 1995
PART TWO consists of the explanations of all the chapters of the
BOOK OF REVELATION explained by Jesus on his return.