"Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." 1 John 4:3 The bible at times can be downright terrifying. Some of the villains found within it's pages have frightened our collective imaginations for thousands of years. Here are a few: the man wielding the number 666, the angel Apollyon who holds the keys to the abyss where the fiery scorpions live, the Antichrist, the legion of demons that caused a man to live in the among tombs, and then there is of course, Lucifer himself.
Revelation gives this fallen angel quite a few names: The Great Dragon, the Ancient Serpent, the Beast coming out of the Sea, Satan, the Devil. Just mentioning these names can cause small children to go run and hide shivering under their blankets, moms to lock all doors in the middle of the afternoon and men to build fall-out bunkers in their back woods. One time at our family dinner table my daughter Ginger asked her little brother Joseph to say the name "Lucifer." So Joseph, like the gullible little brother that he is quickly said the name, "Lucifer." Ginger, baiting the poor guy, gasped and said, "Joseph, do you know who Lucifer even is?" "No," Joseph replied. She then said in a creepy tone, "It is another name for Satan!" Joseph with wide eyes and a look of dread said, "I didn't know, I didn't know, am I in trouble?" The Evil One and his minions have been fueling our deepest fears ever since time began. He has always been that outside agitator, the invisible pest that doesn't stop, the one who "made me do it." But then there are some of us who don't even believe he is real; the name is nothing more than a symbol of brokenness, a poetic device to describe decay. Nothing to worry about - - a favorite character of creepy movie makers and ghost story tellers. But what if he really is real? And even worse than that, what if his work is not something that happens "out there"; but his work takes place "in here", in the secret chambers of each individual's heart? Now that is something to be scared of. In 1 John 4:1-6, the writer John warns his readers that it is possible for some people to adopt the spirit of the Antichrist himself. This means that the attitudes, opinions, desires and decisions of Satan can be adopted and embraced by children of men. Satan isn't just shooting fiery arrows from the shadows, he is injecting his deadly poison right into our bones through persuasive lies -- and most of us don't even realize it. If this is true, what does it look like if I am infected? How do I know if I am under his spell? Oh, the bible is very clear on this: - Galatians 5:19-21 gives a list of attitudes and actions that reflect a wicked heart. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 are things that really upset God because we were not made for this. But overall, there is one main quality that is the tell-tale sign of a corrupted soul: Pride. Pride is both thinking you are better than others (arrogance & conceit) and basking in the glow of your greatness (boasting). The book of Revelation teaches that a man is going to come on the scene that will embody everything that Satan is, he is known as the "Antichrist." Just as Jesus the Christ perfectly reflected the beauty of the Father; the "Antichrist" will reflect the warped pride of Satan himself. And just as Judas was possessed by the Devil when he betrayed Jesus, the Antichrist will be possessed by this same Devil as he tries to take over the world that Jesus rightfully owns. So what will he be like? According to 1 John 4, his spirit of pride has already been active in the world. You can see it the hallways at school when kids bully and laugh at each other. You can see it in marriages when the husband lords everything over his wife and kids; or when the wife belittles her husband, mocks him and disrespects him in front of the world. You can even see this sickness of soul in pastors who think people come to church to worship him and then do his bidding. But above all, the heart of the Antichrist starts with denying that Jesus is the Christ. Life isn't about you being the king, Jesus is King, he is the Christ (Anointed One). This is his world, not yours. We are to live for him; not for only our fame and our glory. People often think I am crazy because I read a lot of books on Hitler. One lady in our church, who will remain nameless, even has the gall to call me Adolph! But I read about him because I am amazed how easily people let this one small man exalt himself over a whole nation. It amazes me how people deny Jesus to claim his rightful place as king, but we have no problem allowing a little twerp like Adolph Hitler to take the throne just because he is so sure of his own greatness. Look around, we let little men and women set up their little thrones all over this world. It's sick. As I was reading the latest book my mom sent me on the "Fuhrer" I came across this quote about pride that was reflected in Hitler's attitude as a young man. It perfectly reveals what this seed of pride look likes that I know is growing in all of us. Tell me, does this describe you? "Pride is a conviction for all those who love themselves too much and easily forgive themselves every weakness; never are their own incompetence and laziness responsible for failures, but always the injustice of others...never do you give an honest account of your failures...others are always to blame...it is the soul that only has pity for itself...and if you can't be as great as you want, you allow yourself to become nothing, while you wallow in pity blaming others for not letting you be great." Pride is a sickness that is stuck on self. Pride is Satan's downfall. Pride is what is destroying this world. The most important question is this: Is pride killing you?
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