WHO IS THE ABOMINATION
IN GOD'S SIGHT?

It is foretold in the word of God that, as the day of Christ's return draws near, Satan and the powers of darkness will flood the world.

The Lord Himself predicted in unmistakable terms that "iniquity shall multiply" (Matt. 24:12). While science and technology will make impressive strides ahead, evil of every description will be on the increase.

While Europe at one time was identified with what has been called Christendom, now the nations of Europe have reached a stage in history that marks a post-Christian era. They are becoming de-Christianized and secularized. While the Church was at one time central in the life of Europeans and closely related to the state, now it is totally irrelevant and no longer thought of as a necessary element in western society.

This predicted eschatological apostasy is made known to us by the Lord as a warning and a precaution that we may not be taken by surprise and become demoralized by fear and hopelessness. Ultimate corruption will come upon the face of the earth, resulting from worldwide disobedience and rebellion against the sovereign rule of God, "as it was in the days of Noah" (Matt. 24:37).

"Antichrist" derives from two words: "anti" which in Greek means instead of, and "christos," the messiah, the Anointed One. So, the Antichrist is the world Dictator who will emerge on the scene as the world Ruler, exercising absolute authority and power over all nations. He will in effect try to usurp the position and claims of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Antichrist will be ingenious, crafty, cunning and will surpass all previous dictators and autocrats in evil and wickedness. The word of God cautions and warns the Christian believer to be vigilant against whatever teachings or persons that manifest the spirit of the Antichrist.

This great Pretender will be the Seducer who will succeed in convincing most people that truly He is the unique person who alone can bring law and order and lasting peace to the world. He will counterfeit not only the teachings and claims of Jesus, but even His divine power.

The plan of Satan is to try to persuade the nations that his vicar, the Antichrist, is the long-awaited Messiah and that he meets all the required qualifications. He will counterfeit everything that Jesus stands for and promises. He is in effect an Imitator. He will be a Deceiver. His true nature will be concealed. He will play the role of a world Benefactor.

In the words of Hippolytus, a Church writer of the third century, "The Deceiver seeks to liken himself in all things to the Son of God. Christ is a lion, so Antichrist is also a lion. Christ is a king, so Antichrist is also a king. The Savior was manifested as a lamb; so he, too, in like manner, will appear as a lamb, though within he is a wolf" (On Christ and Antichrist 28).

Initially, the Antichrist will not oppose religious institutions, including the Churches. As a matter of fact, Church leaders will respond positively to the spirit of the Antichrist, that is, the mindset that will elicit the quest for world peace, unity, reconciliation and equality. An ultimate partnership will emerge between religion and the state. It will be a subtle development that will unfold in stages.

The slow and gradual nature of this entire process is at the very heart of Satan's master plan. For him to succeed, the workings of his grandiose scheme must always be inconspicuous. The secret of its effectiveness is that it remains undetected. To be truly deceptive it must be necessarily slow and progressive. It is the only way for the true colors of the Antichrist to remain unnoticed. It is like the proverbial frog that perished in a pot of water that was heated very gradually. It did not sense the change of temperature to leap out of the pot until it was too late.

This whole master plan of Satan will be imperceptible to those who are not born of God. However, to those who have been redeemed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, it will be crystal clear. It is not hidden from them. The Holy Spirit gives the believers the supernatural capacity to discern the move of spiritual forces around them. They can perceive inwardly the signs of the workings of the Antichrist spirit.

Though the end time program of Satan is revealed in the word of God, nevertheless, there is definitely something inscrutable about it that staggers human understanding. Is it any wonder that St. Paul calls it a "mystery"? He teaches: "For the mystery of iniquity (anomia) doth already work…And then shall the Wicked one (anomos) be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth" (2Thes. 2:7f).

The "mystery of iniquity" can be understood only in connection with the "mystery of the woman" who represents the "great whore," that is, the Harlot Church (Rev. 17:1,7). She is the Bride of Christ who has left her "first love" and has fallen into spiritual adultery with the great Seducer, Lucifer. Revelation speaks of "the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns."

Both global leaders, one political and the other religious, will serve the same master, Satan. Revelation 16:13 speaks of "three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet."

When Jesus returns in glory the false prophet will share in the fate of the Antichrist: "And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet…These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20).

Just as many antichrists will appear on the scene as forerunners of the supreme Antichrist, the single world Dictator, so in like manner many false prophets will precede the rise of one global religious leader, the False Prophet. St. John warns all believers: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 Jn. 4:1).

"Many are called, but few are chosen" is a familiar saying of Jesus. Not everyone registered on the Church roster is necessarily a member of the true Body of Christ. Apostasy will be an unmistakable occurrence in the Church, as well as in society in general. The spirit of the False Prophet will progressively over time pervade the Church.

The icons, sacraments and all the religious externals will remain in place, but Bishops and priests will be preaching more and more moralistic and humanistic sermons. I feel very uneasy when I hear them mentioning "God" with casual, if any reference to the name which is above every name, the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the sermons heard in our Orthodox Churches would be gladly welcomed in a synagogue or mosque. Too many in the ranks of the clergy are leaving the centrality and lordship of Christ in the background.

It is increasingly evident that spontaneous zeal for dwelling on the Cross and the atoning death of the Savior is missing. These are subtle stirrings of the spirit of the False Prophet who will partner at the end of the age with the Antichrist.

It is startling to see what prominent Church Father, St. John Chrysostom states...that the day will come when the Antichrist will be seated in every Church! "He will be seated in the temple of God, not that in Jerusalem only, but also in every Church" (Homily III on Thessalonians).

Another indication of the last days is the fact that believers "will hold to the form of godliness, denying the power thereof" (2 Tim. 3:5). Religious formalism and religious routine are unquestionably "signs of the times." It is frightful to think that we have learned to treat this as something normal and that we simply take it in stride!

When St. Paul says, "Denying the power thereof", he is alluding to the power of "godliness", in effect the power of God. "Power" in the New Testament usually points to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. So, in this total picture of apostasy, the power of the Holy Spirit is waning and this fact opens the way for the spirit of the Antichrist to infiltrate the Church and ultimately to flourish. The lordship of Jesus Christ then recedes into the background. Men come to fill in the vacancy.

God, on the other hand, is not passive or indifferent to what the prince of this world is up to. The same God, Who, for our protection, foretold through His word "the mystery of iniquity", also foretold for our comfort about His divine provision for encountering the master plan of Lucifer.

The Father promised He will step into the life of His besieged Church so that, despite the rise of an Apostate Church, there will remain a remnant people of His inheritance that will comprise the true Bride of Christ. He will pour out upon His covenant people an extraordinary measure of His Holy Spirit to do what the Church cannot do by her own conventional means.

God speaks through His prophet Isaiah concerning His awesome apocalyptic intervention: "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19).

That standard is none other than Jesus. Did not Jesus say of the Spirit that "He shall glorify me"? (John 16:14) The function of the Holy Spirit is to project the person of Christ, to make Him conspicuous, central, and to place Him in a position of sovereignty. The Spirit will inhabit those who confess their hunger and thirst for Him.

Those whom He will fill will be fired up with Pentecost power to witness to Jesus and to proclaim with every breath they take His "pre-eminence in all things." Those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit will spontaneously have a passion to glorify Jesus.

Joel portrays the apostate people of God being systematically invaded by demons. Such an invading army is the instrument of the desolation of the Church. But then desolation is followed by restoration. This results from an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy"(Joel 2:28).

On the day of Pentecost St. Peter preached that this prophecy was being fulfilled. The event of Pentecost is called in scripture "the former rain" in contrast with "the latter rain" which occurs the closer we get to the return of Christ in glory (Joel 2:23). The prophet Hosea also predicts: "And he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth" (Hosea 6:3).

The apostle James also refers to this apocalyptic two-fold outpouring of power from heaven: "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the former and latter rain" (James 5:7).

The "latter day rain" is the renewal of the power initially poured out on the day of Pentecost. Unlike the first Pentecost, it is not a one-day event, but a period of time that extends up to the day of the return of Christ. It is God's way of restoring His covenant people in preparation for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. So, the divine Spouse will come to take Himself a Bride, a Church that is "glorious, not having spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27).

The restoration of the Church out of her desolate state starts with the restoration of the lordship and headship of Christ. The Holy Spirit will cause Christ to be exalted again and glorified in the midst of His people. The members of His Body will be moved to humble themselves. They will say: "He (Jesus) must increase; I must decrease" (John 3:30).

The believer glorifies Jesus by dying to self in His presence and by making himself less conspicuous. As St. Paul teaches, "That no flesh should glory in His presence" (1Cor. 1:29). It is the Holy Spirit that makes you want to exalt Jesus. You can't help it. It is an inner drive that controls you.

If we boast more of our personal inadequacies and shortcomings, we can find it easier to let Jesus be glorified in our lives. St. Paul, for example, did not try to hide his unimpressive traits. He admits that some Corinthians judged that "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible" (2 Corinthians 10:10). The Lord was able to work through his infirmities. The apostle heard the Lord tell him: "My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Too often men in prominent positions in the Church, and even in the ranks of the clergy, rationalize their displaying of a controlling spirit. Instead of exalting Christ, they use His divine name and authority to justify and bolster their own personal claim to lording it over the Church.

It is time to get seriously concerned when a religious figure gains too much prominence. I would especially get worried if a Church leader enjoyed global attention and pre-eminence. When a member of the hierarchy, for example, wins worldwide distinction, prestige and honor, it is important to discern the spirits at work behind his ascendancy and behind the admiration and esteem he is enjoying.

Anyone who is ready to accept global honor and praise is undoubtedly accountable to God, as well as the one who tenders such honor and esteem to him. When people in the Church make idols out of their pope, patriarch, archbishop or priest, it is because they have neither known nor have they been worshipping the "one true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent."

>B>God's word warns us: "Keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).

The one who accepts being elected or chosen to a position of global authority is under divine judgment. The best thing he could do to save the Church and his own soul is to use his new authority to eliminate that rank and expose its true source.

"That which is highly exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). Directly from the mouth of our Lord comes this warning that should be proclaimed from the housetops.

Not long ago we saw on the public media what bordered on mass hysteria. I am referring to the death and funeral of the late Pope John Paul II, a religious figure that won worldwide admiration and honor. Christians and non-Christians, atheists and agnostics alike paid a tribute of veneration to the Roman Pontiff.

Christ left neither a Vicar nor a single human visible Head in His place. There is no divinely appointed Christ-substitute. Christ remains the one and only Head of His Church!

That Christ is invisible does not make Him less of the Head of His Church. Limits of space will not allow me to further elaborate on this point. Suffice it to say in closing that the doctrine of the Petrine and Papal Primacy remains the most widely accepted religious fraud and deceit ever perpetrated by man in human history. To honor the pope of Rome is to honor "an abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).

Elmer T. Merrill, among the Christian historians who reject the belief that connected St. Peter with Rome, writes that "the story bears every mark of a myth. It is entirely lacking in support by historical evidence. On it the Church of Rome regards herself as founded. Yet the historical base is not rock, but incoherent sand" ("St. Peter and the Church of Rome" in Essays in Early Christian History, p. 333).

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