Antichrist/Sea Beast.

[brakelite]

I have long promoted the concept of the antichrist being a counterfeit of the true Christ; his religion a counterfeit of the Christian faith. Despite the ever popular theories to the contrary, below is a Bible study revealing why I continue to uphold my views.

The sea-beast or antichrist.
Comes from water to begin activity. (13:1)
Resembles dragon. (12:13 13:1)
Ten diadems. (13:1)
Ten horns (13:1)
Receives power throne and authority from dragon/Satan. (13:2,4)
42 months of activity in first phase. (13:5)
Was slain (13:3)
Resurrected (13:3)
Receives worship after healing (13:3,4,8)

Now compare:
Jesus Christ
Comes from water to begin ministry (Luke 3:21-23)
Resembles Father (Jn 14:19)
Many diadems (Rev 19:12)
Lamb has 7 horns (5:6)
Receives power throne and authority from His Father (Math 28:18 Rev 2:27 Chapters 4,5)
42 months of ministry in initial phase. (Gospel of John)
Was slain (Rev 5:6)
Was resurrected (Rev1:18)
Received worship after resurrection (Math 28:17)

For those who would indulge in thinking that perhaps Islam or some other religion or religious leader is the Antichrist, I would remind them that counterfeits are copies of the truth. You do not get counterfeit $99 notes. The counterfeit religion, the counterfeit god, the counterfeit worship of the last days, Babylon the Great, is a quasi Christianform of worship, a Christian God, a Christian form of church. That my friends is what makes it so dangerous, so deceptive. It also means that the mark of the beast is a quasi Christian mark or practice enforced through government legislationb and financial restraints used as incentive to accept it.

[Dennis1209]

I have no bones with the above, I agree.

[brakelite]

Christ. Who is He? Let us go to the scriptures to find out what and Who He claimed to be.

Matthew 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

The temple, the priesthood, and the religious system of the Jewish nation go hand in hand. It was the mainstay and focal point of the life of Israel. Yet Jesus claimed to be greater. Greater even than the very High priest who no doubt would take great interest in hearing a report of these words. Greater even than the very law of God enshrined within. (Or at least it used to be). Only one person can be greater than any law of God, and that is the lawgiver.

38 ¶ Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Jonah was the most powerful and successful of all OT prophets. In all 40 odd chapters of Jeremiah, there is no record of anyone at anytime taking the slightest bit of notice of anything Jeremiah said. Yet Jonah, on the strength of just one or two sermons, converted an entire city of the children of Ishmael totaling maybe 60,000 people. Nineveh. By any standards, that has got to be recorded as a very successful evangelistic campaign. Yet Jesus claimed to be greater than Jonah.

42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest and most successful of any ruler of the ancient world. Yet Jesus claimed to be greater even than Solomon.

In the three startling claims as shown above, we have before us the threefold ministry of Jesus. Priest, prophet, and King.

It has been said, and I think wisely, that the Bible must be understood grammatically before it can be understood theologically. Anti– as in antichrist, according to Strong’s concordance, and like other words having the prefix ‘anti’, means at it’s most basic form “in the room of”, “instead of”, or “in the place of”.
In other words, ‘antichrist’ stands as a substitute. We all know that Satan works by deception. Yet many would claim the ‘antichrist’ will be one who will charge in on a black horse guns blazing with fury and hatred directed at all things Christian and opposing with great force the church. Pray tell me, how will the world be deceived by such a tactic as this?
In 2 Thess. 2:1 we are told that there was to be a falling away first, which will reveal the antichrist, or as Paul describes him, the man of sin or son of perdition. Now falling away in this instance is a falling into apostasy; divorce.
Any divorce necessitates a prior favourable relationship. The only other example of a ‘son of perdition’ is Judas Iscariot. Did Judas openly and with force oppose Christ? Did he attack His teachings and disagree with Jesus claims to divinity? Did he argue and debate everything Jesus stood for and seek the destruction of His followers? No. Not by any means. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. He betrayed Him with an act of apparent love, fellowship, and friendship. He undermined and betrayed Jesus at the same time as claiming Him to be his friend!! This squares perfectly with the meaning of antichrist. He is not an opposer, but a subtle imposter. A counterfeit. An imposter of Jesus Christ. A false copy, or forgery of the true.
Antichrist is therefore a person or power who impersonates the offices of Priesthood, the Prophet or spokesmanship, and the Kingly rule of Christ. The office that ministers for God, speaks for God, and rules for God

[fixerupper]

Quote

The counterfeit religion, the counterfeit god, the counterfeit worship of the last days, Babylon the Great, is a quasi Christianform of worship, a Christian God, a Christian form of church. 

If that's the case then we shouldn't be promoting Jesus Christ since his religion is the prophesied evil religion of the last days.

You don't see Islam as 'counterfeit Christianity?

[fayec]

5 hours ago, brakelite said:

I have long promoted the concept of the antichrist being a counterfeit of the true Christ; his religion a counterfeit of the Christian faith. Despite the ever popular theories to the contrary, below is a Bible study revealing why I continue to uphold my views.

The sea-beast or antichrist.
Comes from water to begin activity. (13:1)
Resembles dragon. (12:13 13:1)
Ten diadems. (13:1)
Ten horns (13:1)
Receives power throne and authority from dragon/Satan. (13:2,4)
42 months of activity in first phase. (13:5)
Was slain (13:3)
Resurrected (13:3)
Receives worship after healing (13:3,4,8)

Now compare:
Jesus Christ
Comes from water to begin ministry (Luke 3:21-23)
Resembles Father (Jn 14:19)
Many diadems (Rev 19:12)
Lamb has 7 horns (5:6)
Receives power throne and authority from His Father (Math 28:18 Rev 2:27 Chapters 4,5)
42 months of ministry in initial phase. (Gospel of John)
Was slain (Rev 5:6)
Was resurrected (Rev1:18)
Received worship after resurrection (Math 28:17)

For those who would indulge in thinking that perhaps Islam or some other religion or religious leader is the Antichrist, I would remind them that counterfeits are copies of the truth. You do not get counterfeit $99 notes. The counterfeit religion, the counterfeit god, the counterfeit worship of the last days, Babylon the Great, is a quasi Christianform of worship, a Christian God, a Christian form of church. That my friends is what makes it so dangerous, so deceptive. It also means that the mark of the beast is a quasi Christian mark or practice enforced through government legislationb and financial restraints used as incentive to accept it.

The Bible says nothing about a coming false messiah called "the Antichrist"..

[George]

7 minutes ago, fayec said:

The Bible says nothing about a coming false messiah called "the Antichrist"..

1 John 2:18  Little children, it is the last time. And just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which we know that it is the last hour. 

1 John 4:3  and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 

[Estrella]

30 minutes ago, fayec said:

The Bible says nothing about a coming false messiah called "the Antichrist"..

Uh? The bible says nothing? Do kindly explain what you meant by this?.

[brakelite]

7 hours ago, fixerupper said:

If that's the case then we shouldn't be promoting Jesus Christ since his religion is the prophesied evil religion of the last days.

You don't see Islam as 'counterfeit Christianity?

No, I don't see Islam as counterfeit Christianity. You will never come across a counterfeit $99. Islam does not resemble Christianity in any way. It doesn't claim to be Christian. The counterfeit looks like the original...the closer to the original the more effective it will be. It claims to be Christian. It looks Christian. It practices many traditions and teachings that purport to be, and resemble Christian practice and teaching. That is not Islam...therefore Islam is not the deception of the last days...Islam is not as the term 'antichrist' means, 'replacing Christ'...'in the room of Christ'. It does not counterfeit the roles of Christ; Priest, Prophet, King. You will not have to go far to find the real counterfeit, nor go back to far in history to discover a time when nearly all the Protestant world knew and understood who this was. 

As to your hypothesis that we shouldn't be practicing Christianity because of the presence of a counterfeit. If you are going to throw away your real $100 notes because there are counterfeits around,can I have them please?

[brakelite]

7 hours ago, fayec said:

The Bible says nothing about a coming false messiah called "the Antichrist"..

You are quite correct. The Bible doesn't say anything of an individual false future Messiah fulfilling the role of Antichrist. It is an institution. The little horn that rises among the ten, is a political entity, with a difference. It is also religious. The man of sin, the son of perdition, grows out from from within the community of believers, just as Judas was one of the twelve, and just as the apostle John said of the forerunners to the final antchrist.....

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.

....and while it may appear to be an individual that we need to watch for, it is a church/state union that prophecy is warning us of as being the final threat to religious freedom worldwide. The woman,the church, riding the beast, the state political power. The church holding the reins and guiding the state according to her will, but the state supporting the church in all her global ambitions.

[fixerupper]

40 minutes ago, brakelite said:

You are quite correct. The Bible doesn't say anything of an individual false future Messiah fulfilling the role of Antichrist. It is an institution. The little horn that rises among the ten, is a political entity, with a difference. It is also religious. The man of sin, the son of perdition, grows out from from within the community of believers, just as Judas was one of the twelve, and just as the apostle John said of the forerunners to the final antchrist.....

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.

....and while it may appear to be an individual that we need to watch for, it is a church/state union that prophecy is warning us of as being the final threat to religious freedom worldwide. The woman,the church, riding the beast, the state political power. The church holding the reins and guiding the state according to her will, but the state supporting the church in all her global ambitions.

Sometimes the KJV is often a bad translation.  1 John 2:18 is better translated in these versions...

New International Version
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

New Living Translation
Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.

Berean Study Bible
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.

Berean Study Bible
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.

Berean Study Bible
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.

Berean Study Bible
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English

My children, it is an end time, and according to what you have heard that The False Messiah comes, already there have been many false messiahs, and by this we know that it is an end time.

World English Bible
Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour.

look at it in the interlinear that the word THE IS in the text...

http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/1jo2.pdf