Readiness In The Last Days ( 2)
“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.” Christ predicted the coming of the Antichrist, who will be dangerously active during the period of the Great Tribulation. The apostles also prophesied about the spirit of the Antichrist, which is deadly and already at work today. They are people who “went out from us, but they were not of us”. They claim to belong to Christ, but they have the spirit of Antichrist. As such, they oppose Christ and contradict His doctrines and message. As believers, we must not allow them to “seduce” or “deceive [ us] by any means.”
First, deceivers and antichrists cause the falling away of believers. Second, they overthrow the faith of those who listen to them. Third, they oppose God and godliness, Christ and Christ- likeness. Fourth, they perform false miracles and “lying wonders,” so that people who see them, go to them or watch them over the Internet on Youtube are easily drawn away from the truth unto error. Fifth, they deny
Christ and the efficacy of His sanctifying blood. Sixth, they lead many away from the truth and their steadfastness. Seventh, they work against Christ and the true Church. Eighth, they prepare the way for the real, final Antichrist that should come.
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” To be effective in the life- saving commission that the Lord commits to us, He gives us anointing, so that our teachings will save sinners and make believers steadfast. This is not the anointing from a bottle of oil but a deposit of the Spirit. The anointing of the “Spirit in our hearts” is the gateway to the gifts of the Spirit, which makes us to carry out the Great Commission effectively.
This abiding and active anointing is appropriate for every area of ministry into which the Lord has called us. It “is given to every man to profit withal”. He has given us the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, the gift of healing, the working of miracles, the gift of prophecy; discerning of spirit ( Romans 16: 20); diverse kinds of tongues; and the interpretation of those tongues. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
Further Reading ( King James Version): 1 John 2: 28,18; 1 Timothy 4: 1,2; 2 Timothy 3: 1- 5; 1 John 2: 15- 17; Romans 12: 1,2; 1 Peter 2: 11; 2 Peter 2: 14,17- 22; Genesis 3: 6; Joshua 7: 21; Daniel 4: 3033,37; Ecclesiastes 4: 13; Matthew 7: 21- 23; 1 John 2: 18- 23,26; 4: 3; 2 John 1: 7; 2 Thessalonians 2: 3- 12; Hebrews 10: 29; 2 Timothy 2: 17,18; 1 John 2: 24- 29; 2 Corinthians 1: 20- 22; 5: 5; 1 Corinthians 2: 12; 12: 1,7- 11; 14: 3; Romans 16: 20; Mark 16: 15- 20.