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The Lord Jesus is Christ who has come in human form as a man born
of Mary. He was totally a physical man in body, but he also was
God's Son who became man. He is God in flesh. Scriptures tell us
that Christ Jesus existed in the form of God... but that he emptied
Himself and took the form of a bond servant and was made in the
likeness of man and as a man he humbled Himself to the death of
the cross (Phil. 2).
While living on the earth, Jesus showed the full powers of God,
including authority over nature, diseases, infirmities, demons,
sin, and death. Remember He calmed the sea. He spoke to the wind.
Everything in His life on the earth spoke to the fact of truth of
His being the Messiah, the anointed Christ promised in the Scriptures.
But there was opposition/rejection from the very temple of Jewish
worship, so much so that He was crucified. The voice of antichrist
cried out to Pilate: "crucify Him." That cry said, you
are not our Christ and we will look for another.
Jesus had told His disciples in the Olivet discourse that there
would be an end of this world system, but that many false christs
would come before the end. They would deceive many and declare themselves
to be Christ (Matt. 24:3f). In the midst of famine, destructive
earthquakes and war, these false christs would set themselves forth
as saviors/rulers and persecute those who follow Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior. By their words and works they prove themselves
to be antichrists.
The Apostle Paul wrote about the second coming of Jesus Christ and
the one opposed to Jesus as the wicked ("anomos" lawless)
whose coming is after the works of Satan, who exalts himself against
or above all that is worshipped while presenting himself as a god
(II Thess. 2:3f). This idea that man is god is not new. Rulers/kings
have sought worship and reverence from their subjects, as was the
case of Roman emperors. All of these men died and are buried in
great tombs as in the Pyramids of Egypt. But Christ has risen and
lives on high with God the Father where He intercedes for all who
trust Him as Lord and Savior.
Only the Apostle John used the term antichrist "antichristos"
for those who reject the fleshly, bodily coming of Christ Jesus
(I John 2:18,22; 4:3; 2 John 7).
Antichrists continue to reject the Lord Jesus as God's anointed
Christ/Messiah. They appoint themselves as prophets/teachers of
the true way of God but they deny Him and His word. They try to
deceive the people by calling Jesus a mere prophet while denying
His most important status of the crucified, risen Savior/God Jehovah
who can save to the uttermost all who believe upon Him.
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