Featured Is the Anit-Christ on the scene?

in reading the actual interview, I think both liberals and conservatives in the Catholic Church, and Christians in both those camps outside the Catholic Church have -- as usual -- overreacted.

He used the phrase "an inclusive church, a 'home for all' ", and conservatives have immediately decided that he means to welcome all sorts of unrepentant sinners into worship without repercussions.

Both sides ignored this phrase in the interview: "“We have to find a new balance. Otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”

Those words indicate he has no intention of bringing down the moral teachings of the church. In fact, he is concerned -- as we all should be -- that our focus tends toward emphasizing a list of do's and don't's to a world that doesn't believe in right and wrong, without preaching the love and forgiveness of Christ in conjunction with a loving expression of the basic need to believe and repent. It seems to me his concern is that we as Christians are seen as harshly judgmental, condemning, and without love.

We should be seen as exact opposites of that picture, and need to ask ourselves why those we need to reach for Christ have no desire to listen to us.

 

ADAM!~ I didn't see you come back to the board! Yay! :thumbs:

Sorry folks, back to the topic...

 

Been here all along; just do more lurking than posting.

And yes, now back to the topic at hand.

 

The Bible talks about the "spirit" of the anti-christ, so I kinda wonder if the anti-chirst is a demonic being that possesses a real person. I also wonder if this "spirit" controls different people throughout history so there is always the potential for him to come out when the time is right. For example, maybe Nero and Hitler were both controlled by this "spirit." I don't know of course, but I do wonder.

 

Initially, he is just a man under Satan's influence. But when he received the "fatal wound," Satan indwells him to give him "life."

 

the man of Sin, the beast, Antichrist, seems from the Bible to be a political world leader, but there is the False prophet supporting him, and can really see the last Pope and the RCC as fulfilling that !

 

So, after death the devil uses his body, like a zombie? That's just creepy. Then, is that possible for that to happen now? I mean, we don't have dead bodies coming to life as zombies now, so why then? I thought only Christ could raise the dead. Does the devil actually have that kind of power?

Or maybe Satan actually did possess men like Nero and Hitler. Before Christ's crucifixion, Satan entered Judas Iscariot. . .

 

He will be given the power to make a statue speak, why is it extraordinary that he will be given the power to deceive through either raising the dead or appearing to be dead while not? If he can possess Nero and Hitler, why not a world leader in the future?

 

well. we have the current technolgy to have virtual reality 3 D rappers come "back to life", why not a dead person appear to?

 

too bad the Apostles paul and John do not have the 'revelation" that you have about this, as Both of them foresaw a coming Antichrist!

 

I have no trouble accepting that the devil can possess living people, but the idea of him controlling a dead person (as in bringing the body back to life and possessing it) just blows my mind. Isn't Christ the only one who can do that? Christ is the one who defeated death and hell, not Satan.

Maybe I need to re-study my long held opinions about zombies.

 

In its recounting of the story, Fox News quoted a church leader, and I think he puts it in perfect perspective:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/0...s-comments-marking-new-dawn-in/#ixzz2fTS7Sobq​

From the same article comes this encapsulation of the pope's message:

That probably won't satisfy the Catholic bashers, but it makes things clear for me.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/0...s-comments-marking-new-dawn-in/#ixzz2fTSf29ks

 

It really only has to appear that he had a mortal wound and that he recovered. Nothing in the text says he is risen from the dead by satans power. Look at the miracles God allowed Pharaoh's sorcerers to perform.

 

This study by Clarence Larkin is interesting: http://www.blueletterbible.org/study/larkin/dt/19.cfm

I was hoping it would talk about the "unholy trinity" but it didn't note it on this. I don't remember any trustworthy sources for that one. If you know of any, please link them.

 

I believe both MacArthur and Dr. Jeremiah discuss that, but on my phone now and away from home.

 

Yes, I believe Pharaoh's magicians were performing real miracles, otherwise it does not make sense that they are disappointed when they cannot produce the lice.

Exo 8:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

If Pharaoh's magicians were counterfeiting Moses' miracles, it seems that producing lice would have been the easiest miracle of all to fake, as lice are tiny and could easily be concealed. So, their amazement at not being able to perform this miracle suggests their other miracles were real.

Another real supernatural work is when the witch of Endor brought up Samuel from the center of the earth.

1 Sam 28:11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

1 Sam 28:15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

It doesn't say how this woman did this, nor should we ever try to find out, but she was able to bring up Samuel's soul from the center of the earth. I believe this was Abraham's bosom spoken of in Luke 16, were OT saints waited until Jesus rose from the dead and sprinkled his blood on the mercy seat in heaven. Only then could saints go to heaven.

 

Thanks webdog, I'll try a specific search for them.

 

Don't believe that the bible teaches exactly that though, as its more alongthe lines that he is healed from a head wound that appeared to have killed him off, and once healed back, satan use him as his tool to try to rule the earth!

ONLY God has final over over life and death!

 

OK, that sounds better to me and makes more sense. The miracle has to do with healing and not raising from the dead. Big difference, I think.

 

i see as it like when kennedy was shot in the head, what if he was shown wlking out of the hospital fully healed, and calimed that he was now the Chrsit!