The 'A Priori' Assumption Regarding the Antichrist

Arthur W. Pink published “The Antichrist” in 1923.

Since its publication, it has become a classic in its genre and is freely available to the public for online browsing on several sites.

Pink, later in his life, rejected many facets of this work.

For my present purpose, I wish to briefly reference this important, representative author to illustrate my assumption that all treatments on the subject of the Antichrist err because of their a priori premise; i.e., that there is but one messiah.

In chapter five, “The Genius and Character of the Antichrist”, Pink makes a series of comparisons between Jesus Christ and the Antichrist.

Pink claims, “When the Son of Perdition appears he will pose as the Christ of God, and so perfect will be his disguise, the very elect would be deceived, were it not that God will grant them special illumination.”

Because he believes in but one messiah, Jesus Christ, Pink is compelled to cast the Antichrist in a negative light. Thus the Antichrist is a supposed imposture. Although I do not necessarily agree with Pink’s conclusions, I will cite his work in full.

Pink’s parallels are:

“1. Christ was the subject of Old Testament prophecy: so also is the Antichrist; many are the predictions which describe this coming one, see especially Dan. 11:21-45.

2. The Lord Jesus was typified by many Old Testament characters such as Abel, Joseph, Moses, David, etc. So also will the Antichrist be: such characters as Cain, Pharaoh, Absolom, Saul, etc., foreshadow the Man of Sin. We shall devote a separate chapter to this most fascinating and totally neglected branch of our subject.

3. Christ was revealed only at God's appointed time: such will also be the case with the Antichrist. Of the one we read, ‘But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son’ (Gal. 4:4); of the other it is said, ‘And now we know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time’ (2 Thess. 2:6).

4. Christ was a Man, a real Man, ‘the Man Christ Jesus’ (1 Tim. 2:5); so also will the Antichrist be – ‘that Man of Sin’ (2 Thess. 2:3).

5. But Christ was more than a man; He was the God-Man; so also will the Antichrist be more than a man: the Super-man.

6. Christ was, according to the flesh, a Jew (Rom. 1:3); so also will the Antichrist be - for proofs see chapter three, section one.

7. Christ will make a covenant with Israel (Heb. 8:8); so also will the Antichrist (Dan. 9:27).

8. Christ is our ‘Great High Priest’; so Antichrist will yet be Israel's great high priest (Ezek. 21:26).

9. Christ was and will be the King of the Jews (Matt. 2:1); so also will the Antichrist be (Dan. 11:36).

10. Christ will be the King of kings (Rev. 17:14); so also will the Antichrist be (Rev. 17:12,13).

11. Christ wrought miracles: of Him it is said ‘approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs’ (Acts 2:22); so also will the Antichrist, concerning whom it is written, ‘whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders’ (2 Thess. 2:9).

12. Christ's public ministry was limited to three years and a half; so also will the Antichrist's final ministry be (Rev. 13:5).

13. Christ is shown to us riding a ‘white horse’ (Rev. 19:11); so also is the Antichrist (Rev. 6:2).

14. Christ will return to the earth as Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6,7); so also will the Antichrist introduce an era of peace (Dan. 11:21); it is to this that 1 Thess. 5:3 directly refers.

15. Christ is entitled ‘the Morning Star’ (Rev. 22:16); so also is the Antichrist (Isa. 14:12).

16. Christ is referred to as Him ‘which was, and is, and is to come’ (Rev. 4:8); the Antichrist is referred to as him that ‘was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit’ (Rev. 17:8).

17. Christ died and rose again; so also will the Antichrist (Rev. 13:3).

18. Christ will be the object of universal worship (Phil. 2:10); so also will the Antichrist (Rev. 13:4).

. . .

. . .

19. The followers of the Lamb will be sealed in their foreheads (Rev. 7:3; 14:1); so also will the followers of the Beast (Rev. 13:16,17).

20. Christ has been followed by the Holy Spirit who causes men to worship Him; so the Antichrist will be followed by the Anti-spirit - the False Prophet - who will cause men to worship the Beast (Rev. 13:12).”

In chapter three, “The Person of the Antichrist”, Pink supports his theory that the Antichrist is Jewish:

“In John 5:43 we have a further word which helps us to fix the nationality of this coming One. In speaking of the false messiah, the Lord Jesus referred to him as follows, ‘Another shall come in his own name’. In the Greek there are four different words all translated "Another" in our English versions. One of them is employed but once, and a second but five times, so these need not detain us now. The remaining two are used frequently, and with a clear distinction between them. The first ‘allos’ signifies ‘another’ of the same kind or genus - see Matt. 10:23; 13:24; 26:71, etc. The second, ‘heteros’, means ‘another’ of a totally different kind, - see Mark 16:12; Luke 14:31; Acts 7:18; Rom. 7:23. Now the striking thing is that the word used by our Lord in John 5:43 is ‘allos’, another of the same genus, not ‘heteros’, another of a different order. Christ, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, had presented Himself to Israel, and they rejected Him; but ‘another’ of the same Abrahamic stock should come to them, and him they would ‘receive’. If the coming Antichrist were to be a Gentile, the Lord would have employed the word ‘heteros’; the fact that He used ‘allos’ shows that he will be a Jew.”

On the one hand, Pink supplies us with a list of similarities between the Antichrist and Jesus Christ, while on the other hand Pink denies that they two are “of the same kind”, except to concede that the Antichrist is also Jewish.

Pink fails to regard the possibility that his own research supports the idea that the Antichrist is a second messiah. Pink overlooks Paul’s assertion that the Deliverer out of Sion (Romans 11:26) is conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). See my article, “The Antichrist in the Book of Romans”.

Like all other expositors, Pink is the victim of his own a priori assumption; i.e., that there is but one messiah.

Well, kesar, you have obviously put much thought into many of your suppositions. However, let me run this by you. The reason that Christ and the anti-Christ are so similar is because it is a method of deception.Naturally, the anti-Christ will have to be much like Christ in order to mislead the masses.

Hi again/

By the posts you make, I'm assuming that you are prophesising?
Well, if it is your own, then it probably should go into the BTS forums where each member can choose to prophesie.
Otherewise, if this is taken from other so called prophecies or prophets work, then it is in the right place.

There is, but one God!

IX
helen
edit..spelling

[edit on 4/26/2007 by helen670]

In making these papers public, I wish to draw attention to the role and function of the Antichrist. I desire to promote a spirit of honest inquiry.

I believe that the Antichrist is the solution to the world’s foremost problems.

These papers are not offered for their entertainment value. I am serious in advocating the Coming of the Antichrist.

In undertaking this task, I believe I am contributing to the prophetic fulfillment of the saying that

“ALL THE WORLD WONDERED AFTER THE BEAST”. Revelation 13:3.

Biblical Usage of the Word “Wonder”

The English word “wondered” that is used in Revelation 13:3 appears elsewhere in the King James Version as follows:

Isa 59:16 And he saw that [there was] no man, and WONDERED that [there was] no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

Isa 63:5 And I looked, and [there was] none to help; and I WONDERED that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.

Zec 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they [are] men WONDERED at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

Mat 15:31 Insomuch that the multitude WONDERED, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

Mar 6:51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and WONDERED.

Luk 2:18 And all they that heard [it] WONDERED at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

Luk 4:22 And all bare him witness, and WONDERED at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

Luk 8:25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid WONDERED, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Luk 9:43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they WONDERED every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,

Luk 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people WONDERED.

Luk 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and WONDERED, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

Act 7:31 When Moses saw [it], he WONDERED at the sight: and as he drew near to behold [it], the voice of the Lord came unto him,

Act 8:13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and WONDERED, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I WONDERED with great admiration.

. . .

. . .

It is clear from a review of these passages that WONDER(ED) has a significant relationship to the person of the Messiah, His words, and His works.

The Linguistics of “Wonder”

For the convenience of those interested in the nuances of this term, I have gathered the following references from standard dictionaries. Otherwise, skip to the next section, “In Conclusion”.

won·der n.

1. 1. One that arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration; a marvel: 2. The emotion aroused by something awe-inspiring, astounding, or marvelous: gazed with wonder at the northern lights. 2. An event inexplicable by the laws of nature; a miracle. 3. A feeling of puzzlement or doubt. 4. often Wonder A monumental human creation regarded with awe, especially one of seven monuments of the ancient world that appeared on various lists of late antiquity.

v. won·dered, won·der·ing, won·ders
v. intr.

1. 1. To have a feeling of awe or admiration; marvel: “She wondered at all the things civilization can teach a woman to endure” (Frances Newman). 2. To have a feeling of surprise. 2. To be filled with curiosity or doubt.

v. tr.

To feel curiosity or be in doubt about: wondered what happened.

adj.

1. 1. Arousing awe or admiration. 2. Wonderful. 2. Far superior to anything formerly recognized or foreseen.

Synonyms: wonder, marvel, miracle, phenomenon, prodigy, sensation These nouns denote one that evokes amazement or admiration:

In addition to the idiom beginning with wonder, also see for a wonder; no wonder; work wonders.

wonder

n 1: the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising [syn: wonderment, admiration] 2: something that causes feelings of wonder [syn: marvel] 3: a state in which you want to learn more about something [syn: curiosity] v 1: have a wish or desire to know something [syn: inquire, enquire] 2: place in doubt or express doubtful speculation; [syn: question] 3: be amazed at.

In Conclusion

This term “wonder” has the power to arouse all of the intellectual, imaginative, and intuitive faculties. It refers to something or someone unique and unforeseen. Evidently God has something or someone spectacular in store for the world in this dark hour.