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STUDIES ON THE ANTICHRIST
By Davis W. Huckabee
THE ANTICHRIST—the very name conjures up fearful and
awful visions in the minds of most Christians, and rightly so. For
this person that is so denominated in Scripture is by far the most
evil of persons ever to rise from the ranks of mortal men. A. W.
Pink, in an early book on this subject (the present writer’s copy
was printed in 1929, and is, as far as he knows, Pink’s first
printed book) has contributed much help in the understanding of this
person. He says:
| Across the varied scenes
depicted by prophecy there falls the shadow of a figure
at once commanding and ominous. Under many different
names, like the aliases of a criminal, his character and
movements are set before us... The very first prophecy
of the Bible takes note of him, for in Gen. 3:15 direct
reference is made to the Serpent’s "seed."—The
Antichrist, pp. 7-8. |
The subject of the Antichrist is
not some obscure, speculative theme about which very little
information is given, but is a subject many times referred to in
Scripture, and about which much information is given. However, the
multiplicity of names and titles of this one make much careful study
and cautious interpretation of the utmost necessity. A. W. Pink
lists twenty-five different names by which he is
known in
the Old and New Testaments. See his fourth chapter of the above
named work. Again, much confusion has been brought into this matter
because men that were forerunners and types of the Antichrist have
been confused with him, and therefore many people assume that the
Antichrist has already fulfilled his career, and is therefore no
more to be considered. But surely this is a great mistake. Pink says
again.
| History works in cycles,
but as each cycle is completed we are carried nearer the
goal and consummation of history. There have been, then,
and there exist today, many antichrists, but these are
only so many forecasts and foreshadowings of the one who
is yet to appear. But it is of first importance that we
should distinguish clearly between an
antichrist and the Antichrist. As we have
said, there have already been many
antichrists,
but the appearing of the Antichrist is yet future.—The
Antichrist, p. 11. |
As we have already stated, this
subject is not simply a matter of speculative curiosity but has an
immensely practical aspect to it. For the preparation for the one
will constitute a warning time-mark of the near approach of the end
of this age, and the return of the Lord Jesus, II Thes. 2:1-3. Not
only so, but unless men are forewarned of the plot of the
Antichrist, many religious but unsaved persons will be
readymade dupes for his wicked schemes, and will naturally gravitate
to them.
Down through the centuries of this dispensation there have been many
that have been denominated as the Antichrist of prophecy. In the
early centuries the Ant-christ was thought to be an individual
person—thought for a time to be the Emperor Nero, and then after his
death, it was expected that the Antichrist would be Nero
resurrected. In the middle ages the Antichrist came to be thought to
be some system that resisted and persecuted the truth, and
so, Catholicism thought that Mohammedanism was the Antichrist,
while the persecuted sects such as the Waldenses and others
accounted Rome to be the Antichrist. This latter view gained
considerable credence and was accepted by all of the Reformers, and
until quite recently, this was almost the universal interpretation
of this subject. But our studies upon this subject will reveal that
however Rome may be an antichristian system yet the last
great final Antichrist must be an individual that is yet to come
upon the scene.
This is borne out by John who speaks both of a personal Antichrist
and of a spirit of antichrist. “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,” I
John 2:18. “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. “Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now
already is in the world,” I John 4:3. “Because many deceivers are
gone out into the world, those not confessing that Jesus Christ is
coming in flesh. This one is the deceiver and the antichrist,” II
John 7 Literal rendering.
This exhausts the usage of the word “antichrist” in the New
Testament, but it does not exhaust the subject, for it is found in
many other places under different names and titles. We use this name
in this study because it most fully suggests the true character of
this one. Pink says:
| This name introduces to us one of the most solemn
and foreboding subjects in the Word of God. It brings
before us one of the persons in the Trinity of Evil. At
every point he is the antithesis of Christ. The word
“Antichrist” has a double significance. Its primary
meaning is one who is opposed to Christ; but its
secondary meaning is one who is instead of
Christ. Let not this be thought strange, for it accords
with the two stages in his career. At first he will pose
as the true Christ, masquerading in the livery of
religion. But, later, he will throw off his disguise,
stand forth in his true character, and set himself up as
one who is against God and His Christ.—The Antichrist,
p. 60. |
Before getting into the study of The Antichrist, we wish to present,
for the readers’ further study, some of the other names by which
this one is known. It will not be possible in the scope of this
study to speak at length of each one of these, but we believe that
the reader would be profited to make a further study, considering
each of these. We are indebted to A. W. Pink for these, and while
not agreeing in all points with him, we commend his work as very
scholarly and helpful. The following is condensed from chapter four
of Pink’s above mentioned work. Not only is this personage called
the Antichrist, as in the above passages, but he is known by the
following names.
| 2. The Man of Sin, The Son of Perdition, II Thes.
2:3. 3. The Lawless One, II Thes. 2:8. 4. The Beast,
Rev. 11:7. 5. The Bloody and Deceitful Man, Ps. 5:6. 6.
The Wicked One, Ps. 10:2. 7. The Man of the Earth, Ps.
10:18. 8. The Mighty Man, Ps. 52:1. 9. The Enemy, Ps.
55:3, 21. 10. The Adversary, Ps. 74:8-10; Isa. 59:19.
11. The Head Over Many Countries, Ps. 110:6. 12. The
Violent Man, Ps. 140:1. 13. The Assyrian, Isa. 10:5, 12;
30:31-33. 14. The King Of Babylon, Isa. 14:4. 15. The
Son of the Morning, Isa. 14:12. 16. The Spoiler, Isa.
16:4-5. 17. The Nail, Isa. 22:25. 18. The Branch of the
Terrible Ones, Isa. 25:5; cf. Isa. 14:19. The Profane
and Wicked Prince of Israel, Ezek. 2 1:25-27. 20. The
Little Horn, Dan. 7:8-11, 21-26; 8:9-12, 23-25. 21. The
Prince That Shall Come, Dan. 9:26. 22. The Vile Person,
Dan. 11:2 1. 23. The Willful King, Dan. 11:36. 24. The
Idol Shepherd, Zech. 11:16-17. 25. The Angel of the
Bottomless Pit, Rev. 9:11.—The Antichrist, pp. 57-75. |
Without any further delay we wish to get to the study proper of this
remarkable individual and we shall consider—
See Chapter One |