Some Thoughts on the Interpretation of New Testament Prophecy And Its Application to Current Events

One of the more popular spectator sports within certain segments of the broad evangelical Christian community is trying to identify the Anti-Christ. Ever since I was brought to faith in Jesus 35 years ago, I have been entertained by the various candidates trotted out for a season, only to be replaced by a “new, improved” model a few years later. Now, admittedly, Christians come by this fascination honestly; we have a long tradition of trying to identify the “Beast” of Revelation 13. The early church saw him personified as various Roman Emperors, while the church during the Dark Ages saw Attila the Hun or Muhammad as meeting the criteria. During the Middle Ages, Viking Kings and Mongol Khans seemed liked good prospects. The Reformers were so convinced that the Pope was the Anti-Christ that they even wrote it into their creeds. Then, of course, many saw Napoleon as the “Anti-Christ as he seemed to be an “unstoppable” conqueror – at least until Waterloo. While I cannot check this right now, I seem to remember that some even regarded Kaiser Bill as a viable contestant during World War I. And then of course we had world class contenders such as Hitler, Stalin, and depending on your politics, John Kennedy and Henry Kissinger. The most inventive however is the still not uncommon assertion that “he” is in reality a giant computer in Belgium! The latest contender to hit the speculation circuit is the recently elected President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Undoubtedly, there is a degree of racism in that assessment; after all, for some people, having a half-black man become President, MUST seem like the end of the world! Furthermore, the liberal media openly conspired to endorse Obama’s candidacy, and heralded him in terms usually associated with some sort of messianic savior. And with the right presuppositions, Obama looks “good” as the leading suspect; a charismatic leader who appears to have come out of nowhere to win first his senate seat and then the Presidency, becoming the most powerful man in the world. He was even born “across the sea!” Furthermore, his past associations with various religious and political radicals (associations the liberal media were committed to suppressing) make him the most radical individual EVER to hold the presidential office. So the question becomes, is he in fact the long awaited Anti-Christ, Satan personified, who will brutally persecute the faithful, initiate the final Apocalypse and begin the countdown to the Second Coming of Christ?

The short answer is “No.” I really hate to be the one to break it you but almost EVERYTHING you think you know about the “Anti-Christ” has no Biblical foundation whatsoever. What the Bible actually says, and what people commonly believe it to say can be and often are radically different. For example, true or false, on the night Jesus was born, three wise men came to his manger as the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest and Peace on Earth…” Everyone knows that, right? Wrong; the Bible never says that there were THREE wise men (however, there were three gifts) and the Bible does not say that the angels “sang” but instead simply states that they “said” these famous words! Furthermore, when the “wise men” found Jesus he was in a house, not a manger - likely meaning that they found him at least months after He had been born (which explains why Herod ordered the deaths of all the children two years old and under).

So clearly, we can all pick up the wrong ideas because (and let us be honest here) most Christians do not read their Bibles carefully enough. Most of what they know is based on what someone else TOLD them the Bible says. And if enough of our friends, family and fellow church members have been told the same things, it is quite easy to accept as true, ideas that are totally false. This holds true in trying to determine the identity of the Anti-Christ – what most people believe is simply not what the Bible actually says about this subject.

Who and What Is the Anti-Christ?

The word “Anti-Christ” is found ONLY in the books of John (1 and 2) and in total there are only five references. That’s it; the leading character in some of the most fantastic fictions ever written all stem from five references from two, tiny, New Testament, epistles! The word itself is a transliteration of the Greek “antichristos” which basically means “one who is against Christ.” Now this definition is important; in modern English usage, the prefix “anti” usually implies that something is the “opposite” of something else; for example, if you get bitten by a venomous snake, you want to take an “anti-venom” to counteract the poison. If you have a cut that could be infected by harmful bacteria, you might use an “antibacterial” agent to prevent an infection. Hence many Christians assume that the “Anti-Christ” must be the OPPOSITE of Christ. In other words, since “Christ” was the incarnation of God, the “Anti-Christ” must be the incarnation of Satan! Yet, if we look carefully at ALL the actual verses that use the word “Anti-Christ” NEVER do we see that idea!

For example, here are ALL the references to the Anti-Christ we have:

1 Jn 2:18 “Children, it is now the last hour and just as you have heard that antichrist is coming even now many antichrists have arisen, from this we know that it is the last hour.

1 Jn 2:22 “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ” This is the antichrist the one who denies the Father and the Son.

1 Jn 4:3 “…and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming and now it is already in the world.”

2 Jn 1:7 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

Now, just taking THESE verses, what does the Bible actual tell us about the “antichrist?” Well, first, clearly, there is not just ONE “Anti-Christ” but in fact “many” (e.g., “many antichrists have arisen”). This one fact alone demolishes most of the sensationalism usually associated with this topic. When John uses this term he simply does not mean anything like a future “Son of Satan” who will build a counterfeit kingdom in competition with the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at the verses again; where does ANYTHING John says here resemble the modern picture of the “Anti-Christ?” The short answer is, “nowhere.” People have to look OUTSIDE of what John actually says and IMPORT that meaning from somewhere else.

Furthermore, if we read just the next verse John even tells us WHO precisely, these “antichrists” were! “They went out from us, but they were really not of us for if they had been of us they would have remained with us; but they went out in order that it might be shown that they all are not us (1 Jn 2:19).” The “they” clearly refers to the “antichrists” in verse 18. What made them “antichrists” was that they “went out from us” which appears to mean that at one time “they” were people who had been in some way connected with the apostolic ministry but then abandoned the apostles and their doctrine. By rejecting Christ’s truth as preached by the Apostles, these men “opposed Christ” becoming “antichrists.”

So, what we have here is not some prediction of a future “false Christ-figure” as much as an indictment of men who had abandoned orthodox Christian doctrine. No, not really as exciting as “The Omen” movie series (or “Left Behind”) but that is how the Bible actually describes the “antichrists.” 1 John 2:22 specifically says that these men denied that “Jesus is the Christ” hence denying both the Father and the Son. If we go back and do a little historical research, we KNOW that one of the big theological problems in the first three hundred years of church history was various heretical theories about the nature of Jesus. Many CLAIMED to speak in His name, but called Him an angel, a divine spirit, or some other concept. There were a number of such heresies around, but they all shared one thing in common; they denied that Jesus was God in the flesh. Hence, their deviant theology struck at the heart of the gospel and they were preaching something contrary to Christ – hence, they were “antichrists.”

Supporting this understanding is that John does not look for the “Anti-Christ” to appear at the “End of Time” but rather that “he” and “they” had already appeared in HIS day! John specifically says that it is “the last hour:” which brings us to another common mistake that Christians make when interpreting Scripture; they do not pay attention to context. After reading a great many books and watching a LOT of “prophecy experts” discuss the “End Times” I am aghast at how often their interpretive methodology differs so little from certain cults. They take a verse here, put it with a verse there and reach a conclusion that is simply outlandish. They forget the most basic axiom of interpreting Scripture, “The meaning of any passage of Scripture is what the original author intended the original audience to understand by what he wrote.” In other words, the Bible is not a puzzle that must be “decoded” but a collection of inspired writings that had real meaning to the people for whom they were written. Our job today is to understand what it meant to THEM first, so that we can then apply it US.

Thus, John, writing to Christians in the first century is warning them about real problems, real people that THEY were dealing with. There is simply no idea in his mind of warning us, 2000 years later about something. If he had wanted to do that, then he would have written differently. Instead, he is encouraging the people of HIS day to stand firm, and not be deceived by the “antichrists” of HIS day!

Granted, if an “antichrist” is someone who opposes Christ, then just as first century Christians had to deal with such people, WE will have to deal with such people as well. But the point of course is that if all Christians in all ages have to beware of false teachers, then there is no ONE future “Anti-Christ” we have to fear. Technically speaking, Attila, Mohammad, the Khans, Napoleon, or Hitler cannot even be regarded as “antichrists” because they fail in one of the identifying characteristics John gives; none of these “went out from us.” When John used the term “opposed to Christ” he referred specifically to men who had at one time been within the visible Covenant community and then adopted some form of heretical views, left the church and deceived others into following them into apostasy.

Hence, John is basically saying “Beware of these people who TALK like Christians but deny the heart of the faith.” A far more likely candidate for a modern incarnation of “the Anti-Christ” would be found inside mainstream, Liberal Christian denominations; you know the ones I mean. They SAY they are “Christians” but deny the inerrancy, infallibility and inspiration of the Bible, that Jesus is who He said He was and teach that salvation can be obtained on something other than His terms. Maybe, just maybe Obama’s membership in that wacky, extremist “church” MIGHT qualify him in this regard - but that applies more to his pastor, than to him.

Are We Living in the Last Days?

Related to this issue of historical context; many Christians unthinkingly assume that WE are living at the end of time. This has been a popular view now for about 150 years; but it is an assumption without much merit. Despite that fact that Jesus specifically says that no one will know when He will return, a lot of “scholars” insist that in fact they DO know! Again, they rip certain verses out of context which were written to people in the first century and immediately leap from THEIR situation and apply it to ours, without a second thought. However, we have already mentioned that John believed that he and the people to whom he was writing were living in “the last hour.” John was not looking to some far distant future when discussing the “antichrist” but rather to situations, problems and concerns that were happening right then!

And if we take the time, and look at all the so called “signs” of the Second Coming that people try to apply to our situation, we discover a problem; all those verses had to have meaning to the people for whom the Scriptures were originally written. However, just think about this; if in fact the New Testament was written to real people facing real problems, why would the writers offer the hope of the Second Coming - something at least two thousand years in their future – as an encouragement to endure through their present situation? For example, if I am being persecuted and you tell me that someone is coming SOON to rescue me, should I not expect imminent rescue? But if no rescue comes, then either you lied, or I misunderstood what you were promising.

I see no other way around this; either the writers of the New Testament were wrong or many modern Christians are misunderstanding what they wrote. Since I believe the Scriptures are infallible, I must conclude that it is men’s interpretation that is in error. While offering a viable alternative understanding is beyond the scope of one small essay; let it just be said that MOST of the texts people use to “prove” WE are in the “last days” in context have nothing to do with us at all (see our extended argument in “Why I Believe We are NOT Living in the Last Days”). In fact, the best interpretation is that generally speaking, the Bible uses the term “last days” to refer to that brief period of time after the Lord’s Ascension and His bringing His long promised covenant curse on apostate Israel (cf. Deut 28:1ff) that occurred in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem. Hence they were real prophecies to the ones for whom they were written, but are fulfilled prophecies to us today.

Understanding the Purpose of Prophecy

You see, part of the problem has to do with the very nature and purpose of prophetic literature. Most people assume that God gave us prophecy to tell us the future; after all, there are numerous examples of Him doing just that throughout the Old Testament. However, this understanding is a bit simplistic; for example just consider the more than 200 prophecies in the Hebrew Bible that apply to the Lord Jesus. If you read them in CONTEXT, many of them do not quite seem to fit the “future history” view at all. Many of these prophecies were given originally about David, Solomon or even Isaiah but then were seen later to be also shadows, images and types of He Who Was to Come. In fact, a strong argument can be made that God’s purpose in giving us prophecies is not so that we can know the future but rather to demonstrate that He is always in control of history – hence, prophecy is best understood AFTER it has been fulfilled.

There is just an incredible amount of arrogance amongst many Christians assume when they try to apply various prophecies to modern times. For example, many explicitly assert that the Biblical authors were naive and ignorant and therefore confused locusts, stars, and chariots with helicopters, asteroids and tanks! Supposedly the original Bible authors saw images they tried to explain in their own terms – but since they could not understand what they were seeing in various visions, had to use contemporary imagery to describe them. Hence in the name of literally interpreting the Bible these “scholars” make the Biblical authors terribly confused men! After all, it has only been about a hundred years that wars have been mechanized; right up until the beginning of the 20^th century, nobody ever had a problem with the armies of Armageddon fighting battles with horses, swords, spears and bows. But warfare has changed so now “new interpretations” of these passages have to be made to “fit” the modern world.

However, what if John and Daniel and others accurately reported what they ACTUALLY saw in their various visions? Well, that would mean that whatever their fulfillment, it would not really apply to the modern world at all, would it? Therefore, it must have meant something different than what the so called “experts” have been saying about us living in the Last Days? Just consider it for a while; maybe the Bible writers were NOT as ignorant or naïve as some assume they were.

The Beast of Revelation

Most Christians also automatically assume a connection between the word “Anti-Christ” and the “Beast” of Revelation 13. However as we have seen, that connection is not at all valid; there is not “one” “Anti-Christ” but rather many “antichrists.” Furthermore “antichrists” are specifically identified as those who were once part of the visible covenant community who rejected sound doctrine and denied the heart of the gospel. The “Beast” of Revelation does none of these things.

Instead, he is described as a “creature” that arises out of the ocean, empowered by the “dragon” who “wages war” against the faithful. Now, some no doubt are saying something like “Well even if we do not call him ‘The Anti-Christ’ surely this is the person we all meant, right?” Well, wrong actually; the “Beast” is not necessarily some future king that will come at the end of time to persecute the faithful and lead the armies of Hell against the Lord Jesus. The problem here is that all of us bring certain assumptions to interpreting any text of Scripture; and those assumptions significantly affect what we think the text actually means.

In this case, various Bible scholars, good men who love the Lord and His Word, have debated the identity of the “Beast” as far back as the second century because they begin with different assumptions about how the entire book is to be interpreted. Without going too far afield, what if Jesus never intended John to see His revelation as a time-line of the future, especially the end of time, but rather as a poetic description of the situation of God’s people in ALL ages? Some scholars think this is just what he intended. Others however, see Revelation as referring specifically to the events of John’s own time; that the “Beast” was no other than Nero, the perverted emperor of Rome who instigated the first official persecution of Christians. A lot of godly men accept this view as the best explanation of events. And of course, some believe that the Revelation is actually “future-history” and interpret it accordingly. Who is right and who is wrong? Well, it can be hard to determine that unless everyone is will to take a step back and NOT assume things – and that can be very difficult for everyone.

Where do I stand? Personally, I do not know. I suspect that prophecy itself should be understood a little differently than the way that most Christians think of it; that God who is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, Who stands outside of time yet inhabits every point of time and space with the entirety of His being, governs His creation in such ways that history has patterns, systems and similarities. Therefore when He communicates with limited men who are prisoners of time, we are constitutionally unable to see reality properly. What He reveals to us is true - but often beyond our comprehension; for example, He reveals Himself as One God in Three Persons – a logical absurdity to human eyes but true, nevertheless. Therefore I have no problem seeing a LITERAL fulfillment of a prophecy having happened in 70 AD but still pointing to something greater, more wonderful, at some future point in His plan.

However, you do not have to accept my speculations to see that the “Beast” of Revelation is not necessarily some future demonic empowered king that is presently living among us and is about to rise to world power. For what it is worth, and for those who are interested, I suspect that the “Beast” is not a specific man at all but rather a picture of earthly power arrayed against Christ and His Kingdom. I could spend the next ten pages defending this view – and probably still not convince most evangelicals – and I include it here under the idea of “full disclosure.” However just consider these tidbits and think about them; the “beast” (no capital letter – the word in Greek does not imply a ferocious monster) arises from the “sea.” Is there another creature from Scripture who arises from the sea and is associated with the Adversary? Yes, of course, Leviathan, a symbolic sea monster (perhaps based on a real creature). The “dragon” imagery (again, perhaps also based on real creatures) itself as a picture of the Adversary is common Biblical symbolism. Leviathan represents sin, rebellion and the world arrayed against God and His righteous rule.

At the time of John writing, the entire known world was under the sway of the idolatrous and perverted Roman Empire which had already begun persecuting the faithful; persecution that would last for the next two hundred years. Ever since Cain “waged war” against Abel, pagans have been permitted by God to be empowered by the Adversary to wage war against God’s people. Abraham had to leave Chaldea, the original pagan empire (coming out of the “sea” of the Great Flood), and was constantly victimized by pagan kings. Israel was enslaved by Egypt, oppressed by the Philistines (who came out of the sea), had two thirds of her territory destroyed by the Assyrians and was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. After returning to the land, Israel was then conquered by the pagan Greeks and then the Romans, both of whom viciously oppressed and persecuted the righteous (and who also “came out of the sea”).

Thus what God may have been revealing to John is that the “City of Man” which has been opposed to His righteous rule right from the beginning (when Cain built the first city) though empowered by the Adversary, is nevertheless still under God’s control. Therefore when pagan kings, emperors, dictators or even American presidents, persecute, oppress or wage war against the righteous, it is all a part of His sovereign plan. Christians are to look beyond their immediate pains to the glory that awaits; hence Revelation 13 shows us not to trust in political saviors but only in the grace of God in Christ.

Conclusion and Applications

All Christians, sin and fall short of the glory of God. We are not holier or wiser by nature than those who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord. To the contrary, God has chosen the weak things of this world and the foolish things to “confound the wise” (1 Cor 1:26ff). The only difference between us and them is that we have been given grace to repent of our sins (1 Tim 2:24) – but we cannot repent if we do not acknowledge our errors.

And sadly, this whole fascination with the identity of the Anti-Christ is an error whose time has passed. He is not a specific person yet to be revealed, but rather a personification of all those who deny that Jesus is Lord. “He” has existed in every age. Too many Christians allow the belief that we are living in the Last Days to become an excuse not to fulfill their covenant duties to “disciple the nations” (Matt 28:19ff) because they are far more interested in speculating about who “he” is. We allowed the enemies of God to take over our schools, colleges, charitable institutions and even churches because many believed that these were all signs of the end – when really, they are just signs of Christians refusing to repent, learn from their mistakes and be faithful to Christ Jesus.

Fruitless speculation about the identity of the “beast” takes us away from the really important issues – the ones that actually make a difference in this world. God has called us into His Kingdom that He might demonstrate His grace, glory and goodness to men. And in that Kingdom, we ought to be showing that in the love we have for one another, the compassion we have towards the world, and our humble obedience to His Word that Jesus is His Christ. Every time, in any age, when the righteous are persecuted it becomes one more item on the indictment God is writing against rebellious men. And every time, in any age, when the righteous humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, He heals our lands, forgives our sins and extends His Kingdom.

Most of what we have been taught about the “Anti-Christ” is just not supportable by the actual Biblical evidence. False saviors will arise in every age and wicked men will flock to their banners only to be destroyed as they are led into folly (Rms 1:20ff). Yes, such men may cause untold grief to Christians but our eventual victory is assured. So let us all trust God and get on with the real work of His Kingdom, proclaiming that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father, and learning what that means today, in the situation God has placed us.

Brian M. Abshire, January, 2009