Be Saved From the Spirit of the Antichrist
The spirit of the Antichrist is a desire for the admiration and worship of people, which is equivalent to receiving worship from men.
Zac Poonen warns against the spirit of the Antichrist that seeks admiration and worship from others, paralleling it with Satan's desire for worship. He emphasizes that this spirit is prevalent in various spheres, including the church, and manifests as a desire for honor and recognition. Poonen highlights that true followers of Christ will face reproach and opposition, contrasting this with the allure of popularity that leads to the Antichrist's acceptance. He urges believers to recognize and crush the seeds of this spirit within themselves to avoid falling into its trap. Ultimately, he calls for a return to the hard truths of the Gospel that challenge the desire for worldly approval.
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It is written in Revelation 13:4 - And they worshipped the dragon, because he gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast saying, 'Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?'
The whole earth now worships Satan. This is what Satan has always wanted from the beginning. In Isaiah 14:14 we read that Lucifer wanted to be like God. God had already given Lucifer many wonderful gifts - wisdom, beauty, ability, and supernatural gifts. What more did he want? He wanted to be worshipped like God was. And that is how he became the devil.
Whenever you desire the admiration of people, remember that you too have the same desire as Satan. To seek the honour of men is Satanic. Finally, we see here, that Satan does get the whole world to worship him. Of course, that is happening in a small measure even today. But it is going to be much more widespread.
They worshipped the Antichrist too. The worship of the Antichrist - the worship of men - is also becoming widespread today. They worshipped the Antichrist saying, "Who is like the beast?" Just like we worship God today saying, "Who is like unto Thee, Oh God," people worship Satan and the Antichrist saying the same thing. People will not call the Antichrist, "The Antichrist". No. They will call him by a respectable name.
In 1 John. 2:18, we read, "Children, it is the last hour. And just as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us (from the midst of the church)." This teaches us that there were people who had the spirit of the Antichrist right in the midst of the first-century church. Such people are found in Christendom today too. People with the spirit of the antichrist are found in the political world, in the business world, in the heathen religious world, and among so called "Christian churches" too.
What is the mark of this spirit of the Antichrist? There are many marks. But one of the chief marks is this: They want others to admire them and exalt them - which is the equivalent of receiving worship from men. A church that does not fight against this seeking of honour from one another will have the spirit of the antichrist ruling in it very soon.
The desire for the honour of men is found in our flesh. It starts growing like a little seed, like a baby - just a wee desire for admiration, wanting somebody's approval or praise. It finally ends up as desiring worship. This is the spirit of the Antichrist. Therefore, whenever we see this little serpent's egg inside us we must crush it. Otherwise it will bring forth a serpent one day. If this spirit could manifest itself in the highest of angels, why can't it manifest itself in any of us? He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
The whole earth, we are told, will follow after the Antichrist. The world did not follow after Christ. They shouted, "Away with Him. Crucify Him". But they will follow the Antichrist, because he will speak with smooth words to them, like the false prophets of old.
The spirit of Christ will bring us reproach, ridicule and opposition from men. When Christians seek popularity in this world, they are on dangerous ground - the ground of the Antichrist. Jesus was not excited when people wanted to crown Him as king. He knew that the opinions of men were only fit for the garbage-bin. So He turned around and told them, "You must hate your father and mother, your brother and sister, your wife and children, your possessions and your Self-life, before you can follow Me" (Lk.14:26-33). Those were hard words that offended many who heard them. Today, the true church of Jesus Christ preaches those very same words, and they sound just as hard - and they offend people, just as they did in Christ's day. And the reproach of Christ comes upon us thereby. It is thus that we are protected from the spirit of the Antichrist. But Babylonian Christianity will not preach this message and so will be honoured, thus paving the way for the Antichrist to be manifested.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Spirit of the Antichrist
- A. The whole earth worships Satan
- B. The desire for the admiration of people is Satanic
- C. The worship of the Antichrist is becoming widespread
- II. The Mark of the Spirit of the Antichrist
- A. A desire for others to admire and exalt them
- B. A church that does not fight against this seeking of honour will have the spirit of the antichrist ruling in it
- III. The Spirit of Christ vs. the Spirit of the Antichrist
- A. The spirit of Christ brings reproach, ridicule, and opposition from men
- B. True Christianity preaches hard words that offend people
Key Quotes
“The desire for the honour of men is found in our flesh. It starts growing like a little seed, like a baby - just a wee desire for admiration, wanting somebody's approval or praise. It finally ends up as desiring worship.” — Zac Poonen
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” — Zac Poonen
“You must hate your father and mother, your brother and sister, your wife and children, your possessions and your Self-life, before you can follow Me” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We must be willing to suffer reproach, ridicule, and opposition from men in order to follow Christ.
- The church must fight against the seeking of honour from one another and preach the hard words of Christ.
- We must crush the desire for the honour of men in our flesh and seek to follow Christ alone.