What or who is the man of lawlessness whom St. Paul mentions and how is he related to the antichrist? As I stated above, I do not think there is a connection. Paul teaches:.
Note the following crucial differences between antichrists and the lawless one:. Jesus also speaks of those who will lead many astray, though He speaks of them in the plural and is likely referring to occurrences in the first century during the time leading up to the war with the Romans in 70 A. D: For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect Matthew As you can see, there are a lot of moving parts here as well as a lot of singulars and plurals to sort out and time frames to consider.
Permit me the following conclusions:. All that said, I believe that equating this lawless one with one of the beasts of Revelation or with the antichrist may be too speculative, and possibly inaccurate. Scripture does speak to us of the end times and of difficult times preceding them, but the information is often given in general, even cryptic, terms. Just be ready, and when those times set in remember that Christ has already won the battle. Viva Christo Rey! Catholic Standard El Pregonero. Latest Paper Classifieds Buy Photos.
Sunday, Nov 14, Subscribe. Voices See All See All. Classifieds Submit a Classified Advertise. Newsletter Subscribe. Community in Mission. Who or What Is the Antichrist? A Reflection on the Biblical Teaching Oct 24, By Msgr. Charles Pope. Jesus was born of a virgin. So the Antichrist would be born of a woman who was apparently a virgin, but was really a whore. Where Christ was God in the flesh, the Antichrist was Satan in the flesh.
They suggest the end of the world should be expected at any moment. Read more: 5 things to know about the traditional Christian doctrine of hell. By the year , the main outlines of the first of two narratives about the Antichrist was in place thanks to a noble-born Benedictine monk and abbot named Adso of Montier-en-Der c. According to him, the Antichrist would be a Jew from the tribe of Dan and born in Babylon. He would be brought up in all forms of wickedness by magicians and wizards.
He would be accepted as the Messiah and ruler by the Jews in Jerusalem. Those Christians whom he could not convert to his cause, he would torture and kill. He would then rule for seven years before being defeated by the angel Gabriel or Christ and the divine armies, prior to the resurrection of the dead and the Final Judgement. Read more: Is God good? Therefore we know that it is the last hour. That said, he does not explicitly say that there is not one to come, but rather that the same spirit is at work now.
Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. This chapter actually describes two figures: one is a beast arising out of the seas and the other is a beast that arises out of the earth These two beasts are intertwined, with the second beast making the world worship the first beast see Later on in the Book of Revelation, the second beast is called the false prophet while the first beast is simply labeled as the beast see ; ; ; this beast is what most label the antichrist.
Both the false prophet and the beast are connected to the dragon, which is a symbol for Satan. In fact, chapter 13 appears to further unpack what is discussed in Revelation 12 in terms of the work of the dragon Satan in opposing God, as it seems the dragon is calling up these two helpers to do his work. In both cases, the third person points to the second who has been healed from what seems to be a mortal wound see , The book makes for creative fiction, but it is not about the antichrist.
To get our bearings, we need to see where the Bible mentions the antichrist. However, it does show up in letters attributed to John. These letters speak to churches facing dire circumstances: a number of members now deny that Jesus was fully human on earth and have left community.
This lack of proper belief in Jesus is so damaging that the author declares those who left the community are outside of the faith. They do not know or follow Jesus. In 1 John, correct Christology is not limited to theoretical ideas; belief always leads to action.
The Christians who left community no longer value the embodied community of the church. They no longer value the reality of the incarnation. They do not live according to love. Instead of being deceived by those who have left, this community is called to remember that God is love. Jesus brings true life to those who believe and follow after him. Following Jesus always requires genuine believers to love one another 1 John The love of God is self-giving and communal, wanting the best for humanity: life through Jesus 1 John
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