Antichrists and False Teachers

Antichrists and False Teachers

For those who are fearful that they won't be able to identify the Antichrist when he shows up on the scene or that they might get hood-winked into accidentally getting the Mark of the Beast, it is best to start by abiding in love (since fear is counter-productive – 1 Jn 4:18) and learning how to identify the antichrists (false teachers) that are already here, since there are many of them (1 Jn 2:18).

This defining of "religious" is a source of great confusion in the Church and the world and needs some clarification. The word "religious" almost exclusively carries a negative connotation in modern western culture, yet it has both a negative AND a positive meaning in the Bible (ie. James 1:26,27). It is quite ungodly to call certain Christians "Pharisees" or “religious” (in a negative sense) -- this is something people say about others they just don't like or don't agree with, sometimes because they are running from God. No one has the right to define anything or anyone as "religious" in a derogatory sense, unless they at least aspire to be upright in their own walk in life. Even then, to call a Christian a “Pharisee” defines someone who is forgiven by an identity that is condemned (Matt 23:15), in other words, they are “sending them to hell” by their accusation.

I rarely hear people talk about who the bad "religious people" really are as the Bible teaches -- false teachers and false brethren (people who claim to be Christians but aren't – “wolves in sheeps' clothing”). The best pictures of antichrists in the Bible are the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes (false teachers) and Judas (a pretend Christian). Note: Pharisees and religious leaders are people who deny Christ, not another brother or sister in Christ.

There are two main ways to identify a false teacher:

1. Their personal conduct - immoral, idolatrous, greedy, drunkards, rebellious, ungodly, flattering, divisive (from Christ's teachings), self-important
2. Their teachings - against God, Jesus, the Gospel and the Bible (or parts of it), hypocritical

Notably, just because a leader “falls” doesn't make him a false teacher, but his or her response to sin IS important. Justifying it, covering it up, or ignoring it should send up red flags. What they teach is as important as how they act: false science (1 Tim 6:20), false philosophy (Col 2:8), and false religions that undermine some essential teaching or character, such as: His virgin birth (Matt 1:23); His deity (Romans 9:5); His humanity or existence (2 John 7); His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-8); the authority and Divine inspiration of Scripture (2 Tim 3:16); the Second Coming of Christ (James 5:8).

The indication of how to deal with them is plain: avoid them AND their teachings. It says this over and over again: (Rom.16:17,18; 1 Tim 4; 1 Tim. 6:3-5, 20; 2 Tim 3:1-15; 2 Peter 2:1-17; Jude) This sounds simple, but many Christians bypass this explicit directive of God, and “play with fire”, engaging in unholy unions with them, studying their philosophy, and even endorsing them. I find this especially true of “respected” leaders (whether living or dead) and teachers who have quite a following in the culture around us, despite the fact that their view of Jesus was less than holy. Somehow, just because they seem intellectual or attractive, Christians have found them hard to ignore. Some Christians erroneously believe they will become wiser by studying false philosophy, but like the counterfeit bill analogy, this isn't really the case.

The worse problem, which has developed more recently, is the accusation and attacks that have come from the Church AGAINST the Church. People have been hurt, sometimes unjustly so, or get offended and so point fingers at other believers and define them as “Pharisees”. This is Satan's ploy to create division in the Church and further hinder unity. Can believers be influenced by a (bad) religious attitude or philosophy and behave in an ungodly way toward others? Sure. But this doesn't make them a false teacher. Instead of creating divisive attitudes within the Church toward other brothers, pastors and leaders need to strive to preserve unity by warning about scam artists who spread lies about Jesus, the Church, truth, and historical facts.