Futurist Antichrist Theory
Then people will say to you, ‘Look, there he is!’ or ‘Look, here he is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.
The verse above applies to false-Christs that will come soon before Jesus returns, but as we shall see, it also applies to anti-Christs that will supposedly come soon as well. Don’t be tempted away from the truth!
The table below compares the Second Coming of Jesus as described in the Bible, to the human teachings about coming of a ficticious Antichrist as described in the “Futurist Antichrist Theory”
The “Futurist Antichrist Theory” was created by the Catholic Jesuits Ribera and Lacunza. A lot of people were looking at all the torture and corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, eg. The Inquisitions, Indulgences and involvement in political intrigue and wars, and were contrasting these things with Christ’s teaching, and many felt sure that the Roman Catholic Church was the Antichrist system described in the Bible. After all, read these words of Jesus:
A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
By re-interpreting the Bible’s teachings on the Antichrist, by pushing everything into the future, these false teachers deflected unwanted attention away from the inconvenient history of the Roman Church. Sadly, this false teaching, if believed, leads people into direct future opposition to Jesus, at his second coming.
This theory was later adopted by the Protestant and Evangelical Theologians: Darby, Seiss, Lindsay and Walwoord, who helped spread it among other churches, and it is now a major meme in religious and secular society as a whole.
After his enemies have been made “his footstool”, the chart below will not be necessary. Jesus will be universally acknowledged as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19.16 [NET])
Antichrist (AC) vs Jesus Christ (JC)
| Man’s Traditions The fictitious Antichrist will: |
Bible Teaching At Jesus’ second coming, he will: |
|---|---|
| Probably be a Jew. | Be revealed in the land of Israel. Acts 1.11; Zechariah 14.11 |
| Set up his power in Jerusalem and deliver Israel from the power of Russia. | Deliver the nation of Israel and the City of Jerusalem from the Russian army. Ezekiel 38.21-23; Daniel 12.1 |
| Exercise “Satanic” power. | Exercise Divine power. Isaiah 11.4; 2 Thessalonians 3.7-8 |
| Claim to be the Messiah. | Claim to be Israel’s Messiah and be accepted by them as such. Romans 11.26 |
| Abolish the Jewish religion. | Be acknowledged by the Jews. Zechariah 12.10; Luke 1.32-33; Matthew 23.39 |
| Make a covenant with Israel for 3½ years, and then break it. | Make a new covenant with Israel. Romans 11.27; Hebrews 10.16; Jeremiah 31.33-34 |
| Command humanity to worship him. | Destroy all false institutions of worship in Israel. Zechariah 13.1-2 |
| Build a Temple in Jerusalem. | Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem & institute sacrificial worship. Ezekiel 40-48; Zechariah 6.12-13 |
| Start world conquest. | Proclaim Jerusalem the centre of world government. Micah 4.1-2 |
| Be destroyed by Christ at his coming. | Declare war upon his adversaries. Revelation 19.11,15 |
Look at the chart again. If you have believed your pastor or preacher when he or she told you about a future anti-christ, you are going to find yourself in opposition to the real Jesus when he comes. How did that happen? Who have you been following all this time? The Living God of the Bible, or a charismatic, lovely, genuine, knowledgable human teacher?
Following false teachers is dangerous to your spiritual health. Search the Bible yourself, and test out every idea you hear from other people, yourself.
You have known the Holy Scriptures ever since you were a little child. They are able to teach you how to be saved by believing in Christ Jesus.
Jesus‘s warning is clear, let‘s carry on reading Matthew 7
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
You cannot be saved by following what others tell you is right. It is harder, but essential, to study the Bible, and to try to understand the Bible, prayerfully, and humbly.
Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.
If you follow Catholic theology, you will be “against Christ” when he comes back. What’s another way of saying “against Christ”? anti Christ.
Look around you. How many others do you know that also believe in a future anti-Christ? If you care about them, read the Bible for yourself, so you can warn them with confidence.