Clarifying My Position About The False Christ
A Response to a Letter From miguel de Portugal
by Lee Penn
In a recent letter, you inquired about some statements which appeared in my recent article published by the Spiritual Counterfeits Project ("Anti-Christs and False Messiahs Down the Ages," SCP Journal Volume 34:4 - 35:1, 2011). These statements were not in the draft that I sent to you for proofreading and review.
The statements that you questioned were
changed and/or added by Mr. Tal Brooke, the editor of the SCP Journal,
without my knowledge or authorization. You are right; those changes do
not reflect my own beliefs (as set forth in my book, False Dawn, and in
many of the articles that I have written for The M+G+R Foundation and others).
As a matter of public record, the following are the areas which were
changed by Mr. Brooke. For your convenience, I have highlighted them as
follows:
I show my original text here in black
type, and display Mr. Brooke’s edits, with his additions
in red, and his deletions in strikeout (like this).
In contrast, Christ’s miracles will be universal in scope and will –
in sum – be greater than any since the time of Creation. With the
Return of Christ, the wars and disasters will end. Christ will renew,
heal, and transfigure the whole Earth at the start of His
Reign. , bringing a new heaven and a
new earth after the elements melt in fervent heat, as Peter warns. Many
see the great judgment at his return.
…
When the False Christ comes, many believe he will assume control of a world system, with functional cities, a global economy and trade system, and sufficient governmental and technical infrastructure for him to spread his propaganda and enforce his edicts worldwide (Revelation 11:9-10; Revelation 13:7-8, 16-17; Revelation 17:1-2, 15-18;Revelation 18:3, 9-10). Symbolically, "Sodom and Egypt" (Revelation 11:8), "Babylon" (Revelation 18:2-19), and "Rome" will all be standing when the False Christ arrives and begins his rule.
Again, there will be surprises for all of us who still see through a glass darkly.
There is no Biblical warrant for the idea
that the Second Coming will be preceded by a time of global Christian
revival, moral improvement, and earthly implementation of Gospel
values. If any kind of seemingly orthodox "dominion" comes to
power before the Return of Christ, it will be a counterfeit of
the Kingdom of Christ, not a salutary prelude to it. The
desire for a "Great King" aligned with a "Holy Pope" – or for a
righteous Biblical Republic in which God’s law is the basis for civil
law – is understandable in these decadent times, when bureaucrats,
grafters, charlatans, and egomaniacs dominate politics and churches.
However, this is a yearning that will only find satisfaction when
Christ returns. No one other than Him is fit to fill the roles that
enthusiasts assign to future "holy" Kings, Pontiffs, or theocracies.
Scripture provides clear
signposts, and a well-defined –
often, as a sequence of events – that can help the
faithful believers distinguish
Christ from his evil imitators. With His return, the faithful
will be delivered from the False Christ.
The remainder of the paragraphs on p. 55, – starting with "It is likely that as the time for the fulfillment …" – and continuing to the first paragraph on p. 56 (a quote from John Wesley) were added by Mr. Brooke.
The Church is to occupy until He returns. His Return will augment the end of history.
With His return, the faithful will be delivered from the False Christ, who will be destroyed. The game will be up and judgment begins. After that comes the new creation.
Here, in detail, is what
the Scriptures say will happen:
Christ will not return to any center of religious and political power to congratulate the world’s church and government leaders for handing Him a well-governed, holy Earth. Instead, He will come as a conqueror to vindicate His suffering, martyred people (Luke 18:7-8). As Tal Brooke wrote in One World, "It will not be some New Age Christ declaring the New Millennium from the United Nations General Assembly or some podium in modern Jerusalem. Rather, the real return of Christ will bring planetary judgment." Many place the Great White Throne judgment here. The curtains of history come down.
What is to be done?
Today’s false messiahs, and the False
Christ who will come in the future, pose a spiritual danger
that requires a spiritual response. Repentance, discernment,
prayer, faith, hope, and love will avail against the Dark Power and his
servants; precious metals, arms, and a well-stocked bunker will not. It
will be the Word, not an earthly weapon (Revelation
13:3), that slays exposes
and defeats the False Christ.
CONCLUSION
We must be very careful before we pass
judgment on an author's position, and act upon it, since what is being
published under his/her name may not be his/her true position.