Should Christians Prepare for the Antichrist?
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Should Christians prepare for the Antichrist? If the answer is in the affirmative, what does that preparation look like? I’ve asked this question on numerous occasions.
Losing your soul to pretrib
One argument goes something like this: When the Antichrist arrives first, pretribbers will confuse his persecution with God’s wrath and subsequently believe they’ve been left behind after the rapture. They’ll become spiritually vulnerable to take the Mark of the Beast. Throwaway snippets like this remind me of superficial Memes I see on social media.
The position imagines people will think the rapture has occurred when there hasn’t been evidence of it. It presumes that poor pretribulationists will be so confused by persecution they’ll succumb to the Antichrist’s deception. Presumably, they are spiritually weak and are either prophetically obstinate, or ignorant of it,
So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. (Rev 13:4-6; see also Rev 13:16-17)
The irony is that I’ve seen so much discussion and hysteria in prophecy circles regarding the Mark of the Beast and vaccinations.
A stern warning against imminence…
“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign….”
Another posttribber warns that non-pretribs will dismiss posttrib signs of Christ’s return because they’re not looking for them and “This is a salvation issue!” Pretribbers can potentially lose their faith and, consequently, their salvation because they’re not “watching.”
Moreover, Jesus apparently warned against imminence in Matt 24:48-51. Why? – Because He commanded the disciples to watch and pray (Olivet Discourse etc). Therefore if we’re not looking for the prophetic signs, we won’t be prepared (like the servant in the parable). Hence, imminent thinking is dangerous.
This innovative approach is tantamount to circular reasoning. And it betrays a bias.
We can read our Bibles, understand the warnings and signs, and still keep an imminent mindset. If I’m still alive when the Antichrist comes, I’ll know pretribulationism was incorrect. It’s not that difficult.
See more on the Matt 24 parable. See: What does it mean to watch and pray? And see Spurgeon on the Imminent Mindset.
How to prepare
Death is always imminent. It may well come before the rapture. Persecution and martyrdom have always been around in varying degrees. How did Christians historically prepare for them? Is our salvation so tenuous that it depends on our view of whether the Antichrist precedes Christ’s coming for His church?
Let me suggest that a posttrib mindset, on its own, is no preparation at all. It places emphasis on someone buttressing their own assurance by subscribing to a particular eschatological viewpoint. It is dangerously misleading and arrogantly judgmental of those who differ.
Preparation has nothing to do with keeping watch of future “signs of Christ’s coming” or “signs of the Antichrist.” It is about our present position in, and attitude to, our Lord Jesus Christ. Eschatology was given for our edification and hope, but our eyes ought to be constantly on Christ.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil 1:6; see Rom 8:38-39)
John Murray wrote,
If we prize our life (that is our natural life) more than Christ’s honor and will compromise his truth and glory rather than part with life, then we are not Christ’s. (O Death, Where is Thy Sting?, 181)
John MacArthur,
When Jesus told His listeners to take up their crosses, it meant only one thing. It meant willingly facing the possibility of death for His sake. (Hard to Believe, 135)
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt 10:28)
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Phil 1:21)
Maranatha!
Further reading: God is Faithful to Preserve His Own
Alf Cengia bio
Alf Cengia has a keen interest in politics (especially the Middle East), is a collector of books and dabbles in weight training. He is stepfather to Michelle, Sammy’s chief walker and his wife’s favorite coffee maker. He blogs at Zeteo316 and Thoughts on Eschatology.
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Brothers, I agree the Scriptures demonstrate and communicate that God’s people will experience suffering, persecution, and even death for the sake of Christ.
However, American Christians seem to view suffering and persecution as abnormal. I maintain that some of that is culturally derived from living in a relatively free society, but most evangelical Christians are also pre-trib (from what I’ve read) and some of that is also derived from a theology that teaches God will rescue them from the earth before things really get bad. I understand pre-trib advocates wouldn’t frame it this way, but that is how it is commonly understood.
I do wonder how people’s faith will be shaken (not lost!) after hearing all their life that they won’t experience the tribulation. The way I look at it, I will live my life so that regardless of rapture timing, I will not be caught unaware. Pre-trib brothers, will you and your people be caught unaware should the church go through the tribulation?
I’ve got to admit that I’ve always struggled with the notion that the rapture of the Church comes before the Tribulation because the New Testament tells us so much about how Christians will suffer for their faith. I do not know precisely whether the Church will go through the Tribulation, or whether there will be a time of “tribulation opening act”, but either way, I’ve believed for decades that Christians ought to consider and prepare for the deprivations that will occur in such days.
This is especially the case when I consider the reality that one of the most dangerous things I see in the church is the habit of assuming that things must be according to the model we’re used to, whether it’s what the pastor learned in Bible college, or whether it’s simply the micro-culture of that particular church. At one level, that’s a huge recipe for difficulty when difficulty arises, because that micro-culture can be a way of easily identifying the church. Sometimes it’s necessary–Scripture ought to impact our culture—but sometimes, it’s just needless cultural baggage.
But even if we do not face serious difficulty, I’d argue the substitution of “our model” for the story the Scriptures tell can lock us into models of ministry that simply don’t work in our local cultures. So I would argue that a good look at how Christians have dealt with persecution over the centuries can give us the opportunity to learn new ways of reaching out to the world. In China and elsewhere, it’s house churches. In the old Soviet Union, it’s secret meetings in the forest and such. In many places, preaching lasts many hours because the congregants either don’t know how to read, or don’t have their own copies of the Bible.
So we ought to get ready for trouble, even if it never comes, because there is such tremendous upside in reaching the world when we do.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
American Christians seem to view suffering and persecution as abnormal.
I agree, but this is not theology. It is civics. The American system of government has privileged religion by constitution and law. And so yes, in our system, suffering and persecution is abnormal. And what’s more, it is (or should be) illegal and unconstitutional. Which goes back to my original point. If you conflate the concerns, I think you misattribute the reasons and issues.
One can be pre-trib and see suffering and persecution as completely common even up to the point of death for the gospel.
[Larry]American Christians seem to view suffering and persecution as abnormal.
I agree, but this is not theology. It is civics.
As I’ve stated above, I don’t believe it’s either/or but both/and.
Apparently, I’ve been under the mistaken impression that the Tribulation is a time during which God will pour out His judgment and wrath on the earth. It appears that some believe that the focus of the Tribulation will be persecution.
[KD Merrill]Apparently, I’ve been under the mistaken impression that the Tribulation is a time during which God will pour out His judgment and wrath on the earth. It appears that some believe that the focus of the Tribulation will be persecution.
According to Scripture, it appears that the tribulation will be a time of suffering / persecution of believers initiated by the antichrist as well as a time when God himself pours out judgment and wrath on the earth. So, it’s both/and nor either/or.
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