The spirit of the antichrist

Today I want to speak to you about something that some of you may find alarming or controversial.  Today I want to speak to you about the spirit of the antichrist.  Before proceeding, I wish to make two very important clarifications.  Number one, I would like to make it perfectly clear that my intention is not to alarm or insult anyone; my intention is to teach and preach the true word of God.  Second, I want it to be very clear that I am not a great theologian, nor a great teacher, I am like all of you, and the only difference between us is that I received a calling from God, and I answered, I am here.  It is very important to clarify these two small things because today’s theme is not easy, and I do not want anyone to misunderstand me.

Now, when you think of the antichrist, the majority of the people immediately think of the antichrist as it is described in the book of Revelations, and all say that this is something that has not yet happened and is in the far future.  Of course, the events that we find in the book of Revelations have not happened, but I am convinced that someday they will.  Even though the antichrist in physical form has not yet manifested in the world, the devil is strongly attacking humanity.  With its lies and falsehoods, the spirit of the antichrist is leading many to hell.  Maybe some may think that the antichrist is solely like we find in the book of Revelations and that’s all, but I tell you that is not the case.  Let’s go now to the Word of God so you may understand what I am talking about.

1 John 2:18-19- “ Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.  This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they really did not really belong to us.  For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us, but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”

To fully understand the message that God has for his people, it is necessary to stop for a brief moment and analyze the meaning of the word antichrist.  The word antichrist is a grouping of two words, “anti” and “Christ”.  Christ of course does not need explanation since we all know that it means the anointed, the Son of God.  Now, according to the dictionary, the word “anti” means ‘opposite’ or ‘with opposite properties’ so the antichrist is the contrary of, or the opposite of Christ and his teachings.  Keep this definition in mind, because it is the key to today’s message.

Like I told you at the beginning, the antichrist like we find in the book of Revelations has not yet manifested himself physically in the world, but the spirit of the antichrist has been parading around the world for many years.  This is very clear in 1 John 4:3 when we read “but 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.”  But, can this be possible?  Let’s discover the system of the antichrist that is being spread in spectacular form.

To discover the promotion of the system of the antichrist the only thing we have to do is to pay attention to recent events and the resent news that are causing great sensationalism in the past few days.  What news am I talking about?  I am talking about the recent death of this man with the title “pontiff” and the recent election of the new leader of the catholic institution.  I say this because you cannot listen to any news stations without them mentioning with spectacular form the news that refers to the decision of the catholic institution regarding their new leader.  I was listening to the radio the other day and the announcer was stating with great emphasis “now the two billion Catholics that exist in this world have their new leader.”  In listening to this announcer, and watching all the programs transmitted on television, one would say the whole world was watching for the election of the new pontiff.  After seeing all those special reports, one would say that the whole world was waiting for the election of the new highest priest of this religious institution that as we discover through the Word of God, is nothing more than the representation of the antichrist here on earth. I want you to notice that I said religious institution, and that I did not say church as the world calls it.

I did not say church, and I will not say church, because the church is the body of Christ, and without a doubt, this group does not belong to Christ.  I know that I am using hard words, and like I said at the beginning, my intention is not to insult anyone, I am not trying to offend anyone, but I have to speak the truth; and how the Word of God tells us in John 8:32 “ then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  I am telling you that today many eyes will be opened and the truth will set you free in Christ Jesus.

Why do I say that the catholic institution is the representation of the antichrist here on earth?  If I would start to enumerate all of the doctrines and teachings that this institution follows and professes, we would be here several days, so let’s cover only the key ones.  A great reality and something that we can prove rapidly is that the Christian church and Roman Catholicism are as separate as east is from west.  I say this because the Christian church is based solely on the Bible, while the catholic institution is based on traditions, doctrines, and interpretations of men.  Let’s examine some of them now.

As we all know, at the head of the catholic institution is the Pope.  According to the catholic doctrine, he is the head of the church and the successor of the apostle Peter, and the catholic has to call him “father” something that we all know that it is a title that does not belong to him, and Jesus himself tells us this in Matthew 23:9 when we read, “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.”  According to the catholic doctrine, Jesus chose Peter as the first Pope, who went to Rome and served in that position for twenty-five years. But, does the Bible teach that Jesus ordered Peter as head of the church?  The answer to this question is an absolute NO!  The Word of God teaches us that there is only one head and his name is Jesus, just as we find in Ephesians 5:23 when we read, “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.”  But Catholics are taught that the real Christian church, let’s say, the catholic institution, was established over Peter.  They utilize Matthew 16:18, which says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  If we read this verse without paying too much attention, than we could say that the catholic doctrine has merit.  But when we read it in detail we see that when Jesus says; “and on this rock I will build my church,” that Jesus was not saying that He would edify His church over Peter, but that He would edify his church in the belief that they manifested.  Jesus clearly stated that the Christian church would be edified in the belief that He is the living Son of God.  Tell your brother seated next to you, Christ founded the church of Christ.  I am not a great theologian but I know how to read.

Continuing with this very important office to the world these days, we find that according to catholic doctrine, this man titled pontiff, or the title, which he prefers, “Vicarius Filii Dei”, which is Latin to “vicar of the Son of God”, is the head of the institution, and he speaks for God.  Notice that this is so that when the pontiff says that he speaks excathedra, this means that what he is saying is infallible.  In other words, what he is saying cannot be disapproved by anyone, and every one must obey him.  But, where do we find this in the Bible?  This is not found anywhere in the Bible since it is a doctrine invented by Pope Pio IX, and what adopted as dogma of the catholic institution in the year 1870.  It would be impossible to cover all the falseness that exists in the papal office, but before we proceed to the next point, I would like to leave you with some intriguing information.  We all know that some letters of the Roman alphabet have a numeric meaning, right?  This is something that we use today for titles of chapters or documents.  But for those of you, who have forgotten the meaning, let me refresh you memory.  I, means one, V, means 5, X, means 10, L, means 50, C, means 100, D, means 500.  I know that some of you are thinking, why is he telling me this?  Well, here’s what’s interesting.  The sum of the numeric alphabet is exactly 666.  I don’t know, but I think I have seen that number somewhere, but I don’t remember where.  Well let’s continue, something else that’s interesting is that when we add the letters used in the Roman alphabet with value, the number of the pontiff’s preferred tile, which is Vicarius Filii Dei, and keeping in mind that the I appears six times, the V twice, the L once, the C once, and the D once, the total sum again is 666.  I don’t know, but this number appears again, and I don’t remember where I have seen it.  Permit me a tad of information; as we all know, the language of Rome in all of its official acts is Latin.  But, did you know that Greek letters of Lateinos (Latin) add up to 666. What a number this is, right?  What is it’s meaning?  For that let’s look at the book of Revelations 13:18 which reads, “This calls for wisdom.  If anyone has insight, let him calculate the numbers of the beast, for it is a man’s number.  His number is 666.”  Without any doubt and at first sight we can see that here it is talking about the antichrist manifested in physical form, that like I told you at the beginning is someone who is yet to come.  These are the reasons that when they tell me, poor thing he was so good, or he did so much for humanity, that I say, yes, very good to deceive, and he did a lot to send many to hell.  Some of you may say, pastor but they do good deeds for humanity, and if you say this you are right.  Brothers, I am sure that the catholic institution has done numerous good deeds of charity, I am sure they have done millions of good things, but what I am also sure of is what the word of God tells me in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 when I read, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.  Their end will be what their actions deserve.” I am sure they will continue to do good deeds and it will seem like they are doing good deeds, but what I am also sure of is what the Word of God says in Matthew 7:22-23 when we read, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!”  For these reasons I do not feel sorry for, or feel any admiration, for these reasons, I cannot feel any compassion.  I do not feel any compassion for anyone who sits in that office or that is responsible for teaching those doctrines, but I do feel compassion for all the souls that have been lost due to them.  I do feel compassion for all of those who continue to be inside that demonic institution, this institution that will only lead them to hell.  As Christians, we have to feel compassion for all of those that are being lied to; we have to have compassion for all of those that do not yet know the truth.  But we cannot feel compassion or have admiration for anyone who sits in that office; we cannot because everyone who sits in that office is the devil in disguise, and we cannot feel sorry for the devil.  The office of this religious institution through their doctrines and dogmas, have the blood of many in their hands.  This office consciously makes millions of people reject God.  I say that they do it consciously, because they also know how to read.  They have studied the same Bible that we have, but continue to teach doctrines of demons and NOT of God.  What does this institution teach their people?  In reality, this institution does all the opposite of the Word of God, but because the time we share is short, I am only going to expose three things. 

First:  The first sacrament according to the catholic institution is baptism.  According to this doctrine, all infants should be baptized, and this is one of the seven ways of grace through which they obtain salvation.  This sacrament is performed through a ritual, where the priest exorcizes the demons anointing the infant, or person, with oil and put salt in their mouth to preserve them from future influences and malignant spirits.  But, what does the Bible say about this?  When we search about baptism in the Bible we find that this practice by this institution contradicts the Word of God.  First of all, it contradicts it because in the Bible we find nothing that says that you have to be anointed with oil, or putting salt in the mouth to anyone.  It also does not say that baptism is an act of exorcism, or that it is something that prevents the influence of malignant spirits in the future. What we find in the Bible is that baptism in every instance represents that the believer makes a conscious decision to follow Jesus, and they repent of all of their sins, something that an infant cannot do.  This we find reflected when we read Acts 2:40-41 which tells us “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them. Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to his number that day.” I am not a theologian, but I know how to read.

Second:  The catholic institution promotes idolatry.  It is for that reason that we are hearing that they are going to canonize John Paul as a saint.  But, who are the saints?  According to the Bible, saints are all of us who genuinely follow Jesus.  In the Bible there is no indication that a person can be made a saint after death.  In the Bible when we read about saints, we always read about living people, not dead.  For example, when Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he approached them, as we find in Ephesians 1:1 when we read, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ.”  Another example we find in his letter to the Philippians, in Philippians 1:1 when we read, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.”  But according to the Catholic Church, saints are men and women that after dead, and after an investigation by the institution, now are seated in heaven and can concede favors and do miracles.  That is why we see how many of them put their faith on these saints, on these abominations that cannot do anything.  That is why we see how many of them prostrate themselves before idols made by men, and honor them and venerate them.  Isaiah expressed this very clearly in Isaiah 46:6-7 when he said, “Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales, they hire a goldsmith to make it into a God, and they bow down and worship it.  They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands.  From that spot it cannot move.  Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles.”  But we should ask ourselves, does God approve of this?  Of course NOT.  Notice what the Bible tells in Deuteronomy 5:8 when we read, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”  But it seems that this has not detained this institution, I say this because you cannot enter a catholic place where you do not find and idol at least of Mary, or a cross with the figure of a crucified man.  I do not know about you, but I do not serve a crucified God.  My God is alive, my God has resuscitated.  Tell the brother next to you, I serve a living God.

God does not want images of Mary or anyone.  God does not even want his own image to be made.  Notice how the Bible states this in Deuteronomy 4:15-16 when we read, “You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire.  Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves and idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman.”

But all of this apparently falls on deaf ears as far as the catholic institution, since they teach and promote prayer to the saints in certain occasions.  That is why it is not uncommon that when a catholic is going on a trip, if you travel by air you pray to saint bird, if you are traveling by boat, you pray to saint fish, and if you travel by train, you pray to saint car.  Absurd? Putting your faith in one of the saints named by the catholic institution is the same as putting your faith in one of the saints I mentioned.  I am not a great theologian, but I know how to read.

Third and most important:  Let’s now talk about the main theme of this institution.  The great difference between the Christian church and the catholic institution is that the Christian church is Jesus centered, while the catholic institution is Mary centered.  I say this because when you ask a Catholic why they pray to Mary, they all answer the sane way, they all say so that she will intercede for them.  Here we again find a great difference between the catholic doctrine and the Bible.  I say this because Jesus spoke clearly about this just as we find in John 14:6 when we read, “Jesus answered:  I am the truth and the way and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  I am not a great theologian, but I know how to read.  Now let’s ask ourselves, what is being done when you pray to Mary?  When you pray to Mary you are asking her to intercede for a person, this means that when you ask Mary to intercede for a person, you are giving her a position which does not belong to her, and that she does not occupy.  Mary never looked for glory for herself; she knew that what she begot was from the Holy Spirit. When you pray to Mary, you are elevating her to a position of mediator between man and God, but as we saw the Word of God does NOT say this.  The Word of God is very clear and declares that there is only one mediator between man and God, and definitely it is not named Mary.  Brothers, Mary has to be recognized for who she was.  She was a good woman, dedicated and fearful of God, and was specifically chosen to beget the body of our Lord and Savior, but was never considered a divine person or a goddess by the primitive church.  Nowhere in the Bible do we find that the apostles or Jesus Christ say or give any notion that Mary should be adored or venerated.  Even when someone once tried to exalt Mary, Jesus answered as we find in Lucas 11:27-28 when we read, “As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out:  Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.  He replied:  Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  I am not a great theologian, but I know how to read. 

Conclusion:   

The Word of God tells us, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.  This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us, but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”   Without any doubt, in this short time we have shared, we have been able to prove through the Word of God that the catholic institution has not remained in Christ.  The catholic institution even though it professes to be Christian, IS NOT.  There is a great difference between what the Bible says, and what this institution practices.  To be clearer, the catholic institution teaches the opposite of what the Bible says, and since it teaches the opposite of what Christ says, then I ask you, doesn’t the definition of antichrist define them?   Remember that the word “anti” is defined as “against”, and if all of these things go against the teachings of Christ, then we do not have to be great theologians, all we have to know is how to read, to know that the catholic institution is against Christ.  What does the Lord say about this?   In Matthew 12:30 we find the answer to this question when the Lord says, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”   The catholic institution is certainly the spirit of the antichrist that is affecting the world, and that is why Jesus tells the world in Revelations 18:3-4, “For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries; the kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew from her excessive luxuries. Then I heard another voice from heaven say:  Come out of her my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.”  

The spirit of the antichrist is something real, the spirit of the antichrist has been here for a very long time, and as we have seen the spirit of the antichrist is moving with more power than ever these days, and all the means of communication are promoting it like never before.  Remember that appearances will lie, and that what shines is not always gold.  That is why we must take the time to read, the time to study, and the time not only to hear, but also to listen.  I tell you today, don’t believe anything that I have told you; verify it all in God’s Word.  I tell you today, do not feel sorry for the devil, PREACH GOD’S TRUTH!

© Jose R. Hernandez