CHRISTIANS MAKING NICE WITH THE ANTICHRIST [Part 4: Our Great Spiritual Warrior]

Jan 30

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Though many Christians believe otherwise, the New Testament does not actually refer specifically to any individual as the antichrist but rather to a demonic spirit…

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OUTING THE ENEMY

When the Lord Jesus arrived on the scene, all of hell was put on immediate notice. The worst possible thing that ever could have happened, from their vantage point, not only did happen but did so in a manner in which the devil, his invisible demon minions, and all of his human compatriots became aware immediately that their time was just about up and also that there was not a thing they could do about it.  

This was readily proven by the emotional fear-based responses of specific demonic entities the Lord Jesus dealt with during the course of His ministry. Consider the following:

When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” [Matthew 8:29]

Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” [Mark 1:23-24]

The “time” these demons were referring to was the occasion of their coming judgment. They always knew it was coming someday but when the Lord arrived they knew it was imminent. Remember, our Lord Jesus, the greatest and most powerful spiritual Warrior in existence, He whom even demons referred to as the Son of God and the Holy One of God, was on a mission to not only defeat and destroy demons and all of hell but also and much more profoundly to defeat and destroy the one at the top of the pyramid who had gained control of human death. The Lord therefore intended to defeat death itself. This was quite the substantial goal (understatement alert).

The following passages reveal not only the Lord’s eventual victory in this endeavor but the entire reason for His appearing and overall ministry:

“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” [Acts 2:24]

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. [Romans 6:8-9]

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. [Hebrews 2:14-15]

The last enemy that will be abolished is death. [1Corinthians 15:26]

“…I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” [Revelation 1:18]

DEATH AND THE ANTICHRIST SPIRIT

Whoever opposes Messiah Jesus also opposes their only chance at salvation. It is not possible for unrepentant adversaries of Messiah Jesus to overcome their sin. It is why those in league with the antichrist spirit actually embrace sin because there is no way to otherwise serve this evil spirit. Also, those people deluded by committed antichrist advocates (who don’t see them for what they actually are) may not embrace sin with the same fervor and commitment but will certainly be more prone to sin in general (regardless of any positive they attempt to apply otherwise) due to their inept spiritual condition brought on by weakened defenses and collaboration with the enemy. Like so many Christians who fail to understand why they cannot gain victory over sin or some particular sin as the Lord’s teachings promise, they are simply too deceived through their acceptance of false teachings to perceive their deception.

If they KNEW the New Testament they would also know the false doctrines they’ve been influenced by and even overcome by and would readily reject them. And if they KNEW the actual teachings of the Lord Jesus as clearly presented in the gospel texts they would never succumb to the antichrist spirit.

Those who decide to give their heart to the Lord and truly follow Him will be led by Him toward eternal life. As long as they continue to follow Him and stay on the path they will eventually get there. Yet those who do not follow Him per His teachings and allow the antichrist spirit the opportunity to influence and delude them will be led in the opposite direction toward eternal death. One must note that the longer one is misled the greater the odds are that they will be deluded and never break free. Because one can never serve two masters one cannot embrace both the Lord Jesus and the antichrist spirit at the same time. It is one or the other. Some Christians think they are right with God when they are not due to the spiritual deception they fall under because of a lack of full commitment to God.

The following is a great narrative of how this process works: The Lord had gone to the temple precincts early one morning and began teaching. Not long after, the raucous event with the accused adulterous woman took place in which all present were shocked by what happened. It set the tone for what would occur afterwards which perfectly illustrates the dichotomy of being pro-Christ or anti-Christ.

As the Lord continued teaching, some of the Judæans there came to believe in Him while others dug in their heels and refused to. The latter were comprised mostly of the strong religious Judæans including the Pharisees who had invested heavily in a contrary belief system opposed to God’s actual Word and also to Messiah Jesus. Watch closely how this process plays out as the action moves to the location of the temple treasury:

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” [John 8:31-38]

The Lord goes on to state emphatically that these Judæans in covenant with the antichrist spirit who refuse to honor Him as the Messiah are children of the evil one:

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [John 8:44][1]

We understand then that the millions of Christians currently devoted to supporting the work of an otherwise obvious bad spirit and its international group of devoted human supporters/worshippers, characterized by a vast worldwide hoax, deceptive lying propaganda, and wanton murder and mayhem, cannot possibly be serving the Lord Jesus or following Him but have instead been overcome by the spirit of antichrist.

By their fruits you will know them…

© 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved. [To Be Continued]

[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

WEBSITE ADDRESS: rjdawson.com

Posted on January 30, 2025, in Current Events and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.

  1. liliessparrowsandgrass's avatar liliessparrowsandgrass | January 30, 2025 at 2:04 PM

    Thank you for this article, RJ, which clearly lays out the contrast between three dichotomies: 1). Life in Christ vs death in the wicked one; 2). Freedom in Christ vs bondage in the wicked one; 3) Truth in Christ vs lies and deception in the wicked one. You point out that evil spirits were put on notice through Christ’s resurrection, when He wrested the keys of death away from the devil. The warfare between good and evil intensified.

    The culture of sin and death is rampant in today’s society. Many who sit in darkness are in bondage to the law of sin and death, and the wicked one uses lies and deception to keep them in this bondage, to keep them from knowing the law of the spirit of life, truth, and freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, as you quote, it is by their fruits that you will know them. Thank you, and Blessings, RJ.

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  2. Sandra J's avatar Sandra J | January 31, 2025 at 2:49 AM

    When I stop and really think about this topic, of the antichrist, spirits, evil spirits, it is still mind boggling to think that evil thinks it can win over our creator. I mean, it is so much larger than what our brains can really comprehend I think. Even back to when the fallen angels were cast out, why, why would they want to be cast out? I am doing everything I can to make sure I can be with Him forever and there are so many that want to run from that. But what are they running to? There is nothing in the material world, the love of money, the love of things, none of which last. They will all disappear and there will be nothing. If I hold a coin in my hand, I don’t see any value in the material object itself. It is something that man made us think has value, that which makes people want to have more of them. What I hold in my heart has so much more value. Our time is so short on this earth, how can we place value in anything that can fit in our hands compared to what can fit in our hearts? Such a big difference. Thank you RJ.

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    • RJ Dawson's avatar RJ Dawson | January 31, 2025 at 11:58 AM

      Thank you Sandra. You’ve done a masterful job here of putting things in perspective. This line of thinking, so to speak, was essentially on ongoing constant in the Lord’s ministry. He was always trying to get people to see things with regard to actual truth and the spiritual nature of life rather than the mere surface nature of things. Actual reality is that this fallen world is upside down and backwards yet from its perspective true reality appears that way. It is why the New Covenant writings appear so different, strange, and unworkable when compared to one’s natural non-spiritual perspective usually based on whatever human culture is dominant. In other words, until one makes a change he or she will not be able to see things from God’s perspective. Some may laugh at that but the Lord is actually not so far away and longs to relate to humanity. Part of that demands seeing things His way. The perspective of fallen unregenerate sinful man is relatively new compared to God’s eternal perspective yet those who embrace it see it as standard and essentially foundational. This is why new truth is often mocked and rejected because it appears so foreign and simply doesn’t fit in sinful culture.

      You are certainly right that eternity is forever while this temporary physical life is a relative mere wisp of air here today and gone tomorrow. Real Christians understand by the Lord’s teachings that they must live according to His eternal principles even though they clash with mankind’s impure and even broken values. The Lord’s life is our example. Though He was in this world He was of heaven. It is as He prayed:

      “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.” [John 17:13-19]

      Blessings to you my friend

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  4. Tanya's avatar Tanya | February 20, 2025 at 8:15 AM

    Hi RJ, I did indeed appreciate your series as you state there are and continue to be many anti-Christ’s in society as a whole.

    You said in part 2 …”actually written just prior to the events of 66-70AD which he refers to as the “last hour.” By this designation John is echoing the Olivet Prophecy of thirty years before spoken by the Lord Jesus when He referred to the final end of the Israelite Nation.”

    Of course you are referring to Masada, however, through your deep research over the years you may recall that, in 126 B.C. Judah conquered Edom/Essau under John Hyrcanus and gave them the option of exile or conversion to Judaism. They chose to convert, and so Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, writes: “they were hereafter no other than Jews” (Antiquities of the Jews, XIII, ix, 1). Therefore, when Jesus was born the Judean’s (nation of Judea, Benjamin and some Levi’s) and Edomites were now a mixed people. Gen 36:1 “now these are the records of the generations of Essau (that is, Edom)

    Remember also, that the nation of Israel (10 tribes) never returned after the Assyrian captivity although some may have.

    These ethnic Edomites continued to be known as Edomites until the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., after which time, this distinction began to fade from history. Yet because of the many biblical prophecies of Edom in the latter days, it is clear that God did not forget. The Jews as a whole had two sets of prophecies to fulfill. One for Judea and one for Essau. The same can be said of Ishmael and Israel, but that’s for another discussion. God does keep His inheritance words.

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    • RJ Dawson's avatar RJ Dawson | February 20, 2025 at 12:35 PM

      Thanks Tonya. I appreciate your contribution here regarding Esau/Edom and that nation’s effective absorption into the Maccabee Kingdom. I recall to mind the discovery long ago of the battle between Herod (an Idumaean) and the Lord as a child (genealogy through Jacob) in that it was yet another instance of the ongoing kingship/supremacy/birthright fight between Esau and Jacob.

      Regarding Masada, no, I am not referring to that. (Incidentally, in my early learning the apparent facts at the time were that Masada took place in the spring of 73AD but some sources have since claimed it was actually a year later.) Even though Masada can be construed as the end of the Israelite nation the effective end took place in 70AD with the destruction of the great bulk of the resistance, the city of Jerusalem, and the Temple. There was actually no intact nation after that. The Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots all ceased to exist with the exception of the small band of Zealots that managed to take Masada and hold out for a few years until their destruction as well. The only surviving party was the Pharisees which eventually morphed into Rabbinic Judaism.

      As for the rest of your comment I did not include here, I did check out the two links. At the first I read the Introduction and Chapter 1. They have an excellent website layout and I appreciate all the free material. I agree that there is great deception regarding Zionism. As is my policy, however, whenever information does not dovetail with what I have come to learn regarding New Testament truth, I have to be careful how I address it and include it because I do not want to promote any confusion among my readers though I do appreciate different viewpoints and perspectives.

      Regarding the Olivet Prophecy or Discourse which is found in three of the Gospels, I have written about it and it’s fulfillment in a few posts here over the last few years but have done so in such a way to promote consideration and further study. One series I wrote five years ago is entitled The End of the Age—In Prophecy. When one reads the Olivet Prophecy as presented in the NT it is clear that the Lord is telling of the time of the end which ended up happening just as He said by the summer of 70AD.

      Again, I appreciate you reading my series Christians Making Nice with the Antichrist and the material you provided. I am also very pleased that we are back visiting and discussing again. We are blessed to live in such times.

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  5. Tanya's avatar Tanya | February 20, 2025 at 1:41 PM

    Amen RJ. I am aware of your policy and appreciate that you had a look in. I’ll check out your End of Age series.

    On a different topic as it relates to your book what if anything have you written about the exposures in the Charismatic/Prophetic slice of Christianity? Because we both agree about the institutional choke hold, but this group has essentially zero oversight whatsoever and I’m seeing a lot of fallout from social media pods that merely point the expose, judge but have no real authority to do anything even so far as some people needing to be charged for SA. Predators remain at large and remake themselves.

    Back in the day I did a deep study on Watchman Nee and one of the standouts from that study was “city” churches where there is a broad base of mature believers that deal with issues in the community. I’ve often wondered if that will be what His Majesty King Jesus will set up with His different governing bodies. Much like the epistles where the community is the focus, widows and orphans, teaching and corrections.

    Thoughts?

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    • RJ Dawson's avatar RJ Dawson | February 20, 2025 at 2:52 PM

      I base pretty much everything on the Book of Acts model. It was the prototype. It was a direct result of the Lord’s ministry according to His plans. The NT states clearly, for those who can actually see it, that the ministry of the Lord Jesus led directly to what transpired ten days after His Ascension: Pentecost. That had to come at the very beginning because what happened in the Upper Room made what happened afterward possible. It empowered and unified the early Community. The Book of Acts was therefore a continuation of the Lord’s ministry or what some may call an extension of it. He was still very much in charge. There was no rebellion at the outset regarding this and for them such would be unthinkable.

      It is cool in that regard that the Lord had Luke write his two-parter which on the one hand is two books but on the other a single historical account with a very brief intermission. It is also cool that Luke wrote “orderly accounts” roughly chronological to give a sense of ongoing events.

      This means any problems that took place after the first century happened due in some degree to a deviation from the prototype. This is a library length subject so there is no sense in getting into all the particulars here, but it is otherwise obvious that organized Christianity in general has failed to adhere to the example of the Lord and that of the originals.

      As you know, I don’t name names but strive to stick to the issues without muddying the waters with Christian personalities. All Christians should know that when we get it right, we, as the Lord’s followers, should be self-effacing and essentially invisible as distinct overarching personalities because that is reserved only for the Lord Jesus. All the glory is His. He must always be the only focus “high and lifted up.” Whoever then makes himself or herself the focus endangers a lack of focus upon the Lord.

      So we actually have two things in the early Community. One was their great love, mercy, compassion, care, and togetherness. The other was being strong enough spiritually to stick with the Lord’s plan. There had to be strong order based only on the Lord’s authority, teachings and directives but also through an attitude of kindheartedness and love, kind of like raising good kids, right? Sadly, Christianity in general often chooses to focus on one or the other in which it is far too authoritarian or is anything goes.

      This is why the authoritarians often shut out real Christianity because they cannot be in charge and control it (and receive their compensation) which results in a prison-like atmosphere, and the other wing of all-over-the-map see-it-as-I feel-it folks which sometimes looks like a crazy house. The latter don’t have the required order to make real Christianity possible either. Both may have some semblance of real Christianity and may get a lot right but still deviate from the original. I still don’t see after all the decades I’ve been around why the majority cannot see this but it could be they do and simply reject it primarily because they cannot make an enterprise of the real thing or profit from it. Both approaches will also inevitably suffer from a lack of accountability which results in idiotic personal excesses.

      I didn’t mean to write another book here, Tanya, but those are my thoughts. The Lord created and left us with a perfectly detailed and full guide as to how we are to conduct our Christianity. All we have to do is learn it and apply it. When we get it right Pentecost happens: The Lord confirms the Word preached with signs (miracles, wonders, the Book of Acts, etc.) of His approval.

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  6. granonine's avatar granonine | March 7, 2025 at 1:44 PM

    So much to digest and ponder, RJ. We have taken God’s simplicity and made it complicated. Why? Because we rely too much on opinion, tradition, personal preferences. My dad used to emphasize the importance of Bible doctrine over personal conviction and/or personal preference. Yet he, himself, had a very hard time with long hair on men. He was a WWII veteran, and long hair on men just was not manly 🙂 The Bible college I attended in the 1960s also focused on such things, failing to see that they were creating division and unrest in the student body, chalking it up to the students having a “bad attitude.”

    Even in the years of the founding of America, there was division among churches. There was Maryland, the Catholic colony; Massachusetts Bay, the Puritans; Rhode Island, “the little Baptist colony; and the Quakers of Pennsylvania. All claimed to love God, and to love the scripture, yet some of them indulged in whipping men who proclaimed the simple truth of the gospel, refusing to identify with the chosen church of the area.

    Satan has always caused division. Indeed, he divided the angels in heaven itself! He put division between Adam and Eve, and between their oldest two sons. He is the great deceiver, the true spirit of antichrist, and he’s still busy today creating division among those who claim Christ.

    Dear Lord, give us wisdom. Enlighten our understanding. May we stand strong only on Your Word! Amen.

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    • RJ Dawson's avatar RJ Dawson | March 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM

      Thank you Linda. I appreciate you taking time to read and comment. I know as the daughter of a church minister you have likely seen more of what actually happens in ministry and the often extreme challenges that go with it. I have certainly seen my share. If we start from a belief that most ministers are sincere and are actually trying to promote unity within their congregations then it depends on the methods they use on whether they will be successful. I have found that the Lord did not appear to be that concerned with unifying certain groups or even all the people initially following Him but only in bringing all His sheep into the fold. This would happen while much division was also happening.

      There are therefore two things regarding division: There is the Lord wanting to create His flock and thus unifying it in the process while the enemy is trying to sow division to keep this from happening. But there is also the Lord Himself acting as essentially the Divider in Chief in that He separates the sheep from the goats, wheat from the tares, etc. I wrote about this in a recent post.

      So, regarding why there are so many different Christian denominations as you stated, it must be because they are either not fully aware of the Lord’s full curriculum or do not want to apply it. The latter makes little sense so it must be the former. In other words, the Lord had unity in His own flock way back then because every member was dedicated to Him and His full teachings. This means there are so many differences among Christians only because various Christian groups organize themselves around only a partial understanding and comprehension of His teachings or around a certain leader, etc. If they simply gave all of their heart to the Lord Jesus and pledged only to be led by Him and know and apply only His teachings like they did in the beginning then there would be no division among His people.

      Now, when you think about it, there actually is no effective division in the actual existing Flock of the Lord but only that some are more mature and spiritually developed than others. The key then, in making sure we put the Lord Jesus first, learn His curriculum, and then live it out and apply it. We obviously need His grace and mercy along the way which means we should do our best to make sure we are not causing division where there should be none.

      But again, the Lord divides for His own purposes and every believer must make sure they stay close to Him and true to Him so they don’t get divided out. One thinks about the Parable of the Ten Virgins, for example. It is also must be acknowledged that the Lord raises up disciples who tell the truth and they get persecuted for it because they appear to the larger group as deviants, when in reality it is often the larger group that is deviant. One thinks of what happened to Stephen. The best example, of course, is what happened to the Lord.

      To conclude, you said it best at the conclusion of your comment:

      “Dear Lord, give us wisdom. Enlighten our understanding. May we stand strong only on Your Word! Amen.”

      AMEN. Blessings

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