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ANTIXPICTOC (pronounced Ahn-tee-chreestos) The above is a relatively close facsimile of the Greek word "antichrist" as written by John the Apostle in the first century Bible text. This word appears in the books of his Epistles of I John 2:18,22; 4:3; II John 7. Contrary to what Hollywood movies portray and what the churches teach, the antichrist as revealed in the Bible is not an individual person who is some sort of son of a so called literal "devil". The antichrist is not a single individual who is going to arise some day in the near future to become the dictator of the world, as we hear the TV evangelists claim each Sunday. What most Christians have not been told in their Bible classes is that the "futurist interpretation" of a "yet to arrive individual antichrist" was the devious concoction of the Jesuit priests in their attempts to stifle the Protestant Reformation of the 1500's. For centuries Roman Catholicism had suppressed the possession of the Bible from hands of the general population. When the Reformation made the Scriptures an opened book for the public, there was an immediate reaction on the part of Rome since their monopoly to "learn and teach God's will" was being challenged. Rome established a new order of priests called the Jesuits whose primary duty was to break the founders and all supporters of the newly growing Protestant religion. ("Founded in 1534, the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits, formed the backbone of the Catholic or Counter Reformation". -- The History Guide: Lectures On Modern European History, Lecture 5 ) Condemnation as heretics, along with lashings and even death, became the fate of the Reformers at the hand of the Pope's executive army of Jesuit priests. Due to the cruelty forthcoming by edict of Rome, the Protestants became convinced that the Pope was the actual embodiment of "The Antichrist". (One can not blame them for thinking otherwise due to the suffering they endured) In 1580, in order to offset the growing belief that the Pope was "The Antichrist", a Spanish Jesuit named Ribera proposed the theology that the entire book of Revelation was only written about FUTURE events, and that it did not detail anything about a then present Christian dispensation. ( “The founder of this system [Futurist] in modern times&ldots;appears to have been the Jesuit Ribera, about A.D. 1580." -- Henry Alford, The New Testament for English Readers, vol. 2, part 2, p. 351) Therefore, Ribera's conclusion was that any mention in the book of Revelation concerning the suffering of the saints for their Faith, was always a reference to FUTURE events that were yet to come. According to this "Futurist" interpretation, it would mean that the Pope could not be "The Antichrist" because "The Antichrist" was yet to come. This doctrine became a standard teaching of the Jesuit Order for the next 250 years. It would be accepted as "truth" by the people either by instruction or by force. Needless to say it was a doctrine of convenience which "took the theological heat" off of the Papacy. However, the Protestants weren't buying into it so easily. As long as they could see whip marks on their backs they still held to the belief that the Pope was "The Antichrist". But herein enters the Achilles's Heel of the Protestant faith --- namely, they believe that the modern Jews are the Israelites of the Old Testament Scriptures, and in fact taught (as they still do) that "the Jews are God's chosen people". Aha ...the Jesuits had discovered the crack in the rock of the Protestant Reformation. A Chilean Jesuit by the name of Emmanuel Lacunza moved to Italy and wrote treatises under the pseudonym "Rabbi Ben Ezra", a supposed converted Christian Jew. (The Great Controversy, Ellen G. White [1888 edition] pg.363) Ben Ezra's main work was entitled "The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty" where this "learned Rabbi" set forth the futurist doctrine as Biblical. Four volumes containing the works of Rabbi Ben Ezra (actually Lacunza the Jesuit) were gladly accepted into the library of the Anglican Church by the director of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Why not? This was one of "God's Chosen" Rabbis! These literary works became part of the curricula study material for aspiring clergy of the British Church. The core of English Protestantism had now been successfully infiltrated by the Catholic futurist theologians. Later, in 1826 Dr. Samuel Maitland, Anglican Church librarian, wrote a series of short works supporting the futurist teachings of Rabbi Ben Ezra. Protestantism had begun to accept the idea that "The Antichrist" was yet to arrive, which meant that the Popes were off the hook as being the Personal Antichrist. The Jesuits had accomplished their purpose, the Reformation would lose it's zeal, and the Catholic Church would still maintain a large portion of its own public support. However the long term result of this peculiar train of religious/historical events is that present denominational Christendom is engulfed with the Jesuit futurist doctrines of Rabbi Ben Ezra (Lacunza). This means that from the pulpits of America we hear a never ending cry warning us about a future antichrist, who is always coming shortly in the "future", yet never seems to quite make it to the scene. As Christians waste their time glued to the TV broadcasts of misled preachers teaching a false doctrine about an individual personal future Antichrist, the real Bible Antichrist, which is a world system of many individuals dedicated to a secular atheist world government, continues to persecute real Christians, while nominal Christians of the churches have no idea what is going on around them. That the "Antichrist" is made of of many people who hate Christian standards is easily recalled by simply grasping the words of John: "Little children it is the last time, and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, EVEN NOW THERE ARE MANY ANTICHRISTS: whereby we know that it is the last time" (I John 2:8) Next, John gives us the test as to who and what the antichrist is: "Who is a liar but HE THAT DENIETH THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST? HE IS ANTICHRIST, THAT DENIETH THE FATHER AND THE SON." (I John 2:22) The Bible teaches that "the Antichrist" are those who deny that Jesus is the Christ. Christ is simply the Greek word for Messiah, the Anointed One. "The Antichrist" has been on Earth for the last 2000 years, but the preacher's futurist doctrines have the people blinded to this fact. The New World Order of secular humanism has been funded by the Christ hating modern day money changers of the international banking houses since its inception centuries ago. "The Antichrist" is their world system by which they strive to eliminate the body of Christ in the Earth, which the Bible reveals is all of the believers called by Our Savior. They cannot and will not succeed in their attempt to do so. (article continued next lesson) Continued Next Article>>>
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