Who is Antichrist? / Part 2

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Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the
New Scofield Reference Bible.
(This message was originally published in 1973, later fell out of print, and then was revised in 2006 for online publication. The message is also included in the hardback book, J. Vernon McGee On Prophecy, copyright 1993 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN.)

Two Departures?

I want you to notice in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 something very, very important. “Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except….” Notice the reference to “that day.” What day is that? It is the Day of the Lord; it is the day that the apostles asked Jesus about. You remember that they came to the Lord Jesus when He went to the top of the Mount of Olives and asked Him first, “When shall these things be?” (Matthew 24:3). When will there not be left here one stone upon another? (See verse 2.) He told them that when they would see Jerusalem compassed with armies they would know the time had come. That happened in A.D. 70. I’m of the opinion that several of the apostles were there. Perhaps they climbed up on the battlements of the walls of Jerusalem and looked over. When they saw the standard, the eagles of the Roman government of Titus there, I think one apostle nudged the other and said, “This is what He was talking about. This is it! It has come to pass.” Titus destroyed Jerusalem just as the Lord Jesus said, and not one stone was left upon another. Let me repeat what I said in another message – it bears repeating. If you doubt that one stone was not left upon another, look at the wailing wall in Jerusalem today. The thing that amazes me about the western wall is the kinds of stones that are in it. There are stones from Solomon’s temple, from the temple days of Ezra and Haggai and from every other period. One stone was not left upon another when Titus took Jerusalem. And that prophecy was fulfilled.

They had another question: What is the sign of the end of the age? Now that is what Paul is talking about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The Lord Jesus labeled the end of the age as the Great Tribulation period. I didn’t label it. No evangelical labeled it. The Lord Jesus is the One who labeled it the Great Tribulation period (Matthew 24:21). He said there would be nothing like it in the history of the world.

Now let’s look at this again:

Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

The word I’m interested in here is “the falling away first.” And when I made a study of this word, I just had to stand up in my study and say, “Hallelujah!” What a wonderful revelation it was to see the root meaning of the word. Now the word in Greek is apostasia and it comes from apostasis. The root word means “departure” or “removal from.” And the verb means “to remove, to depart, to leave.” It comes from two words: histemi, meaning “to stand,” and apo, meaning “away from.” From this we get our word apostasy. Apostates, we understand today, are men who held the truth at one time. They’ve stood for the truth of Scripture and now they apohistemi, they stand away from it.

That’s one meaning of the word. But that’s not all the meaning of this word. The primary meaning is “a departure.” Paul says that day shall not come until the “falling away” or “departure.” What departure is he talking about? Well, the same departure he talked about in his first epistle to the Thessalonians. That’s the Rapture of the church. The church is going to depart from this earth. The Rapture is the removal of the church, the departure of the church from the earth. Paul dwelt on that in his first epistle when he was answering their question about their loved ones:

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up…. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)

This is an apohistemi, that’s a departure. And to me the word that Paul uses is marvelous because it speaks of two things. It speaks of two departures, because the whole church is to apostatize:

1. The true church is to leave the earth;
2. The professing church will just move away from the truth.

The Lord Jesus said, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find [the] faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). That is, will He find that the body of truth, the apostles’ doctrine, is still held? In the original Greek the question is phrased in such a way that it demands a negative answer. The professing church will have departed so far from the faith that in the seventeenth chapter of Revelation it is called the harlot. The true church, called the Bride of Christ, has been caught up to meet Him. That departure must come first. As we saw in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “… that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” In other words, the Antichrist cannot appear until the true church departs from this earth. Now we have this twofold meaning. Some shall depart from the faith, and some shall depart from the earth. The departure of the true church from the earth brings in total apostasy; so that what the Lord Jesus said about not finding faith on the earth when He comes will be fulfilled.

Now from the viewpoint of the earth, it will be a departure. From the viewpoint of heaven, it will be a rapture; they will be caught up – apostasia. That will be the leaving, the departure, of the true church. I think that the world is going to say at that time, “They’re gone. They’ve departed. They’ve left us.” And if they are ever to say, “Hallelujah,” that’s when they’ll say it. The world will rejoice at first. Antichrist will make them believe that they’re entering the Millennium when actually they will be entering the Tribulation. That, I think, is the big lie. The world will think they’re bringing in the Millennium. And, my friend, haven’t you voted already for many candidates who promised to bring peace to this world? Didn’t Woodrow Wilson promise it as far back as 1917? And hasn’t peace been the platform of many men since then? Don’t misunderstand – these men are sincere. They’re not antichrists. But they tried to bring peace to the earth. You and I both know that when the man appears on the scene who tells this war-weary world, “We’re going to have peace, and I’m going to bring it,” they will say, “Bring him on. We turn it all over to him.” And the world would take him today in five minutes if he appeared.
Only God is holding him back. God is not going to let him appear until He calls out His church, and He alone knows when that time will be fulfilled.

The world will be rejoicing as the Antichrist begins his rule. But it’s going to be the saddest day this earth has ever seen, because it means the departure of the church and the entrance of the world into an awful period identified by Christ as the Great Tribulation.

I saw this illustrated some time ago. We were out at the airport getting ready to take a plane to go back East. We had quite a bit of time to spend because we always get there early. So I spent some time walking around. There was a plane getting ready to leave for the Hawaiian Islands, and I am always interested in going to the Hawaiian Islands, so I just looked at the folk who were going. Most of them were going out for a holiday. But I saw a couple sitting there, a soldier boy in uniform, a fine looking young fellow, and beside him the prettiest little wife you’ve ever seen, holding a fine looking baby. And they were both sad.

Everybody else going to the Hawaiian Islands was anticipating the fun they were going to have, but he was on his way to Hawaii to join his outfit going to Vietnam. There sat that fellow and there sat the girl. They weren’t saying anything. They were just staring out into space. The little boy didn’t know what it was all about, so he was having a big time. When the call came to board the plane, they stood up. I saw him put those great big arms around both of them, his wife and that little boy. And he kissed both of them. Tears were coming down his cheeks and tears were coming down her cheeks. The little boy, he was still having a big time. And then the fellow picked up his little old bag he had there, started out to the plane, and disappeared. The girl stood there, then she went over to the window and waited till the plane pulled out to get on the runway. I watched her as she went away carrying that baby and carrying that bag you women have to carry when you’ve got a baby. She was weighted down. I never felt as sorry for anyone as I did for that girl. I wondered what the future held. Was there a father or a mother she would go to, or would she have to live alone and take care of that baby by herself? I don’t know, but it was sad to see.

I thought, That’s the way it’s going to be on this earth someday when the departure, the Rapture, takes place. The earth will rejoice for awhile, but then a great company of people are going to begin to wake up. They will find they’ve been deceived. The man who promised peace is Antichrist, not Christ at all. He has taken them in; he has absolutely deceived them.

Just Like Ahithophel

There are many types of the Antichrist in history and on the pages of Scripture. I think Judas is probably the most accurate type. But for another illustration I would like you to look at one that may have escaped your notice. He is Ahithophel. Maybe you haven’t even heard of Ahithophel. You can read his story in 2 Samuel 15-17. Ahithophel was one of the counselors in the inner circle that counseled David. David looked to him as he looked to no other man for advice. Then word came to David that Absalom, his favored son, was stirring up a rebellion. It broke David’s heart that his own son was leading a rebellion against him. David was warned by those who loved him that the thing was underhanded, that those whom he thought were true to him were not true to him. They had deceived him. So David left the city of Jerusalem and went up the ascent of Mount Olivet. Then word came to him that Ahithophel had gone over to Absalom. This was a low blow to David. It was bad enough to have his own son rebel against him, but now Ahithophel, his chief counselor, the man whom he knew and trusted, had betrayed him. Weeping and with his head covered, David went out over the Mount of Olives, back down into the wilderness again. David had been deceived. Ahithophel, I think, is a picture of Antichrist who will deceive this world someday.

Now I want to turn to Psalm 55, a psalm that David wrote with this rebellion as the background. There’s a storm brewing:

I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

There was an undercurrent, and David now is getting away from it.

Destroy, O Lord, and confuse their tongues [the tongues of these who were plotting the death of David]; for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

We think today that violence and strife in the city are something new. David saw it in Jerusalem. Perhaps there were those carrying placards conducting little protest meetings in front of the palace saying, “Down with David. Up with Absalom.” And David says, “There’s strife and violence in the city.”

Day and night they go about it upon the walls; mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof; deceit and guile depart not from her streets.

David said, “When I walk down the street, Mr. So-and-so speaks to me, and I’m not sure whether he’s my friend or not now. I’ve heard he’s been plotting against me.” David says, “I’m getting out of Jerusalem.” Now listen to him:

For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it. Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hidden myself from him.

He’s talking about Ahithophel.

But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and my familiar friend.

“Why, Ahithophel – he’s my friend, and now he has betrayed me.” He’s a Judas Iscariot.

We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

David just bursts out with this cry of judgment:

Let death seize upon them, and let them go down alive into sheol; for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

Now, David, what are you going to do in a time like this? Listen to David.

As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.

David, what are you going to do when all of the foundations are going out from under you? He says, “I’m going to trust the Lord. I’m going to rest in Him.” Friend, we’re living in dangerous days. Whom do you trust today – really? Whom do you rest upon? Now listen to David – he’s not through.

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

He says, “Old Ahithophel, that sly, slippery snake that he was, just wriggled his way right into the palace; he put his arm around me and said, ‘You know, David, I love you. I’m going to serve you.’” And David says his words were like melted butter, smooth as oil, but in his heart was war. What will you do, David?

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. (verses 8-16, 21, 22)

David says, “The thing I’m going to do is trust in God. I can’t even trust Ahithophel. I can’t trust in men, but I can trust God.”

As we move into the end time we’re seeing the thing that Paul said would take place during the last days of the church. Men would be traitors and high-minded, and you would not be able to trust them. These are days when God’s people need to trust the Lord as they’ve never trusted Him before.

To Know Him!

Now I want to make a practical application. Very frankly this character, the Antichrist, who passes across the pages of Scripture, I see as two persons: one against Christ; another attempting to be Christ. But both of them are awful deceivers and terrible enemies of Christ. I don’t ever expect to see either one of them. I don’t want to know them. But I want to say this to you: I want to know the Lord Jesus Christ a little better. Even Paul, when he got to the end of his life, said:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings…. (Philippians 3:10)

I want to know Christ, not Antichrist. I want to know not just about Him, I want to know Him. I want the Holy Spirit to take the things of Christ and make them real to me. This is the Book where He does it, the Word of God. That’s the reason I’m interested in getting His Word out, because through this Book you’re going to know Him.

Let me conclude with an illustration that comes from my Southland before the Civil War. There were many boats in those days that plied up and down the Mississippi River. It was a great artery of commerce. Also many passenger boats went up and down the river. When two boats met it was the custom for everyone to run on deck and wave at the folk on the other boat. Now that may not seem very exciting to you, but for them it relieved the monotony of the trip. On one occasion when two boats were passing, a black fireman came up on board. He stood at the rail next to a very elegantly dressed gentleman. When the approaching boat came abreast of them, he nudged this elderly gentleman with his elbow and said excitedly, “Look, look, yonder’s the captain! See the captain! Do you see the captain?”

His insistence was a little irritating to this gentleman. He drew himself up to his full height and said, “Of course I see the captain. Every boat has a captain. There is nothing unusual about a captain.” The man looked at him almost in disgust, and he said, “You see that captain over there? He’s different. I used to work on his boat and I fell overboard one day. I can’t swim. That captain saw that I was going down. He took off his coat, he took off his cap, and he jumped into the river. When I was going down for the third time he rescued me. That captain saved my life. And ever since then I just love to point him out!”

Well, friend, the Lord Jesus Christ is the One who has saved us from sin, and He is the One we love to point out. Actually, the important question to be able to answer is not “Who is Antichrist?” The vital question for you and me to answer is the Lord Jesus Christ’s question: “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” (Matthew 16:13). Can we say that He is the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh, the One who has saved our souls from sin? When we can say that, we have answered the most important question of life.