WHO AND WHAT IS THE ANTICHRIST?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Monday, April 6, 2020

Hello friends, today, I will like to speak to you on the subject of Antichrist. As you already know, the subject of Antichrist is attracting a fresh and focused attention. Some people, including men of God, politicians and celebrities, have gone to town to declare that the 5G network is the Antichrist; some say it is a means through which the Antichrist and proponents of the new world order is using to enslave people around the world. Even Pope Francis, the leader of the 1.2 billion Catholics was recently called the Antichrist by a popular pentecostal pastor in Nigeria. So, I want to use this opportunity to look at the Bible once again and to see what it says about the Antichrist. 1 John 2:18-23 says

“Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from the holy one, and you all have knowledge. I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth. Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. No one who denies the Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”

Now, most people who speak and write about Antichrist claim that the term “Antichrist” is mentioned in the Book of the Revelations, but they do not agree as to the particular chapter of the Book in which the mention occurs. Some of them think that the “Beast” mentioned in Revelation 11:7 is the Antichrist. Others think that the “red dragon” mentioned in Revelation Chapter 12 is the Antichrist. Others refer to the beast with seven heads and ten horns as the Antichrist. Some scholars identify Antichrist with the beast that had “two horns like a lamb but spoke like a dragon” (Rev. 13:11)  

For St. Paul, the Antichrist is the “man of sin.” One translation calls him “the lawless one.” Another one calls him “The Wicked One.”   

The notion of Antichrist is not limited to the Bible alone. There are several views as to what or who the Antichrist really is. Some of those views are:

1. The Antichrist is an individual person who is an enemy of Christ.
2. The Pope has been called the Antichrist. This is generally called “The Papal-Antichrist theory. It was developed between the 11th and 16th centuries. This opinion only became more pronounced from the Reformation era, and it has continued to this present day. As you can see, calling the universal leader of the Catholic Church, the Antichrist, is not actually new. Pastor Suleimane is not saying anything new. He only joined the list of the accusers of the brethren who have ignorantly taken this path. A few other protestant leaders and followers had also called the Pope, the Antichrist, sometimes due to jealousy, due to the fact that they cannot exercise the amount of authority that the pope has. But other times, they do so due to the powerful arguments made in support of the divine authority of the pope. We believe that the Pope of Vicar of Christ, and this gets protestants so upset.
3. There is another view that suggests that the Antichrist will not be a demon, or a devil incarnated person. It will rather be a human person, probably of Jewish extraction. 
4. Another view contends that the Antichrist is an evil principle, not embodied in a person or a polity. 
5. Some say that the Antichrist is a person of the past like Emperor Nero, Julian, the high priest Ananias, the Pharisees, and the Jews.
6. But check this out! If the Pope is the Antichrist, how come men and women who followed him became great men and women of God? It was Cardinal Newman who argued that “If the Pope is the Antichrist, then those who receive and follow him cannot be men like St. Charles Borromeo, St. Bernard, St. Francis de Sales.” Think about great men and women like St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Padre Pio, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Perpetual  and Felicity, St. Lucy, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Theresa of the Little Flower, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, to mention but a few who were loyal to the pope, served the Lord in spirit and in truth and made a huge difference in the lives of many. If the pope were the Antichrist, these heroic figures would not have been great ambassadors of Christ. 

Now, if you ask me what I think about the Antichrist, I will take you to the Gospel of Matthew 12:30 where Jesus says,  “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters" (Matthew 12:30). For me, the anti-Christ is anyone who is against Jesus Christ in words and deeds. Fornicators, adulterers, thieves, rapists, serial killers, corrupt government officials, fake pastors, unfaithful and unrepentant Christians, terrorists, murderers, liars, destroyers of names and reputations, wicked men and women, blood sucking cultists, immodest girls, drunkards, lesbians and homosexuals, those who love money more than their fellow human beings, cheaters, makers of fake goods, importers of fake goods, fraudsters, yahoo-yahoo boys, advance fee fraudsters (419ners), club and party obsessed people, pornstars, porn-watchers, masturbation addicts, drug addicts, drug peddlers, criminals, Nigerian politicians, many Nigerian police and soldiers, ruthless businessmen and women, the rich who oppress the poor, the powerful who oppress the weak, land- grabbers, money doublers, inconsiderate land-Lords and land-ladies, diabolical native doctors, abortionists, witches, wizards, juju-makers, those who consult native doctors or witch doctors in order to kill or harm someone or to make money, devil worshippers, satanists, Mr. and Mrs. kill joys, etc. are all AntiChrists. Why? Because they undermine, undo, and harm the work of Christ and his people. If you do any of these, repent from your sins now, and turn to Jesus. But if you persist in your sins, you are the AntiChrist.

The Antichrist are everywhere. They are in our government, in our streets, in churches, mosques, communities, families, work places, on social media, and anywhere there are human beings. In the Gospel that I just read (John 12:1-11), the Antichrist were the chief priests who plotted to kill Lazarus again simply because many Jews were believing in Jesus because of him— because Jesus raised him up from death. So unfortunate! If you are planning to undo or harm the good thing that has happened to someone else or the good thing that is about to happen to someone else, you are the Antichrist. All those young men and women in Lagos, Owerri, Warri, Portharcourt etc. who are using their computers, smartphones and tablets to defraud and steal the fruits of the handwork of others, you are the Antichrist. If you are a young lady and you are deliberately trying to corner the husband of your own friend, you are the Antichrist. If you are a man of God who is making false prophecies, using every means to empty the pockets and bank accounts of your church members, you are the Anti-Christ. Those Nigerian leaders— past and present, who failed to develop the land, rather stole the people’s money for the enjoyment of themselves, their family and friends, you are the Antichrist. The Nigerian police and army who shoot and kill innocent Nigerians, you are the Antichrist. Young girls and ladies who purposely wear skimpy and see-through dress just to get the attention of men, you are the Antichrist. If you persist in doing evil, in harming others, in stealing, and committing all manners of sins and crimes, I tell you now, you are the Antichrist. Stop looking for a giant beast, an ugly looking beast, a behemoth that is out there. It is not out there. You may be the one. But there is hope for you today. Turn to Jesus Christ and commit to him.