Letters to the Church

The New Testament warns of a future apostasy caused by deceivers and the Lawless One before the Day of the Lord arrives . The New Testament repeatedly warns us that before Jesus returns his Church will be attacked from within by deceivers, “ false anointed ones ,” and “ false prophets .” Before the “ Day of the Lord ” begins, his disciples will be confronted by the “ Man of Lawlessness ” whom the Apostle Paul links to the “ Apostasy ,” the final great “ falling away ” from the true faith.

The Son of Destruction will use deceitful signs and lying wonders to mislead many saints into abandoning the Faith – 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9. The “ Day of the Lord ” will not begin until the “ Man of Lawlessness ” is revealed when he “ seats himself in the Sanctuary of God .” His arrival will coincide with the “ Apostasy .” This Master Deceiver will be characterized by his ability to hoodwink believers using “ signs and wonders .”

The Spirit of the Antichrist is raising up deceivers in the Church, but a final Master Deceiver will appear at the end of the age . The Apostle John applied the term “ antichrists ”, plural, to false teachers who were disrupting his congregations, deceivers who denied that “ Jesus is the Christ ” and “ came in the flesh .” They were driven by the “ Spirit of the Antichrist ” that has been operating in the world since the beginning of human history.

Throughout the present age, the Church is being plagued by deceivers from within who are sent to destroy the Body of Christ . The Greek term translated as “ Antichrist ” in English versions of the New Testament is found only in two of John’s letters. In his first epistle, John warns his audience: “ It is the Last Hour; and just as you heard that Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come .” John did not deny that an individual “ Antichrist ” would come. His point was that many “ antichrists ” were (and are) active in the Church.

The presence of false teachers in the Church demonstrates that the period known as the Last Days is underway . In his first epistle, John declares it is the  Last Hour . As evidence, he points to the presence of false teachers who are disrupting his congregations. The deceivers are the instruments of the “ Spirit of Antichrist ” that is active in the world. These same men are forerunners of the final “ Antichrist ” who is yet to come.

The New Testament warns repeatedly of coming deceivers and false prophets who will cause many to depart from the faith . Jesus warned his disciples about coming “ deceivers ,” “ false Anointed Ones ,” and “ false prophets ” intent on misleading his followers, warnings reiterated and expanded in the writings of his true Apostles. He began his ‘Olivet Discourse’ with the stern warning - “ Beware lest anyone deceive you ,” for “ many ” deceivers will come and successfully “ deceive many .”

Paul warned of the coming Apostasy and linked it to the unveiling of the Man of Anarchy when he seats himself in the Assembly . Paul responded to false reports about the “ Day of the Lord ” by pointing to the expected Apostasy and the “ Man of Lawlessness .” Jesus will not “ arrive ” until the “ Apostasy ” occurs and the “ Lawless One ” is revealed. Rumors claiming that the “ Day of the Lord had set in ” were circulating in Thessalonica, disrupting the Assembly – (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion in the Thessalonian congregation – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. The Apostle Paul addressed rumors and false claims about the “ Day of the Lord " in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Incorrect information concerning Christ’s return had disrupted the congregation. The disinformation was attributed either to a “ spirit ,” word ( logos ), or a letter “ as if from ” Paul and his coworkers.

The epistle to the Galatians opens with a stern warning. What some believers contemplated doing would replace the true Gospel with something quite alien to the Apostolic message. To turn from the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” to the “ works of the law ” for justification meant abandoning the grace of God and rejecting the message preached by Paul, which is why he summoned God to “ curse ” any man, even “ an angel from Heaven ,” who preached “ another gospel .”

The term “antichrist” occurs only in the second and third letters of John, and the Apostle applies the plural form of the Greek noun to deceivers who were spreading false teachings in his congregations. The presence of “ antichrists ” constituted irrefutable evidence that the “ Last Days ” were underway, and the false teachers were the product of the “ Spirit of Antichrist ,” forerunners of the final “ Antichrist ” who was yet to come.

The New Testament warns the disciples of Jesus about several things that will characterize the period between his first and second comings, ones that will intensify as the end approaches. They include a great many deceivers that will infiltrate the church along with deception, apostasy, the rise of an especially significant deceiver just prior to the end, and Satan’s final assault on the church.

In  Second Thessalonians , Paul addresses rumors and claims that the “ Day of the Lord has set in ." False information about the “ arrival ” of Jesus was disrupting the Assembly, and this disinformation was being attributed either to a “ spirit ,” word (l ogos ), or a letter “ as if from ” the Apostle Paul and his coworkers.

When certain “ super-apostles ” began undermining his authority, the Apostle Paul warned the Assembly in Corinth not to heed anyone who “ proclaimed another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or a different spirit, or a different Gospel .” He pointed to the same Jesus that he first proclaimed, the “ Crucified Messiah ,” the Jesus who is the measuring rod against which all other messianic claimants must be evaluated.

The Antichrist Spirit works to destroy the church from within, especially through deception spread by false teachers and other deceivers – 1 John 2:18-22. In popular preaching, the  Antichrist  is a political tyrant bent on world domination. However, Jesus and his Apostles expressed more concerns about the deceivers who would spread false teachings in the Church than about political powers. The New Testament applies ‘ Antichrist ’ and related terms to false teachers infiltrating the Body of Christ and distorting the Apostolic Teachings.

Believers prepare for the Apostasy and the coming Man of Lawlessness by committing themselves to the traditions received from the Apostles . After explaining the coming “ Apostasy ” and the “ Man of Lawlessness ,” Paul instructed believers on how to avoid the coming deception and thereby find themselves standing “ blameless ” before Jesus when he arrives on the Day of the Lord. We must “ stand fast ” by adhering to the teachings and “ traditions ” the Church has received from the Apostles.