It’s pretty difficult to kick off and jump into talking about the evil “so called beasts” – Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet (called the “unholy trinity”). It won’t be convenient to talk at length about all these characters in a brief article such as in the allowable space here.
I wrote at least three articles on the subject of artificial intelligence in April 2023. Before we move further into the subject of AI with “The Image,” let’s look at seemingly a good place to start and see what the Prophet John says in defining the Antichrist. In 1 John 2:15-23, he says, “Love Not the world.”
Do not love the world and do not love those things that are of the world. Although they may be desired and possessed for the uses and purposes which God intended, and they are to be used by His grace, and to His glory. Believers must not seek or value them for purposes of excess of appetite or habit and where we are led to the abuse of personal resources and become sin gluttons.
The world draws the heart from God. We must guard against loving the ways of the world to the extent that they prevail to the extent that worldly ways excessively go beyond into addictiveness to the things of the world above the ways of the Lord. What happens is that we become overflowing with the ways of the world like in trance, like worshipping inappropriate music, dancing, and such.
And the more the love of the world prevails, the more the love of God decays. The things of the world are classified according to the three ruling inclinations of depraved nature. [1.] The lust of the flesh, of the body – wrong desires of the heart, the appetite of indulging all things that excite and inflame sensual pleasures. [2.] The lust of the eyes – the eyes are delighted with riches and rich possessions. This is the lust of covetousness. [3.] The pride of life – a vain person craves the grandeur and pomp of a vain, glorious life; this includes thirst after honor and applause and the height of desire is to be “on stage” with applause.
The things of the world quickly fade and die away; desire itself will fail and cease. Holy affection is not like the lust that passes away. The love of God shall never fail. Many vein efforts have been made to evade the force of this passage by limitations, distinctions, or exceptions. Many have tried to show how far we may be carnally minded and love the world, but the plain meaning of these verses cannot easily be mistaken.
Unless this victory over the world begins in the heart, a person has no root in himself, but will fall away or at most remain an unfruitful one with false witnessing. Yet these vanities are so alluring to the corruption in our hearts, that without constant watching and prayer, we cannot escape the world, or obtain victory over the god and prince of it. We know who or what that is.
John says, “Every man is an antichrist, who denies the Person or any of the offices of Christ; and in denying the Son, he denies the Father also, and has no part in his favor and while he rejects his great salvation.” John’s prophecy that seducers would rise in the Christian world, keep us from being seduced.
We’re more watchful when we come to realize that the spirit of antichrist is resting in the heart of someone right beside us. Fear not! Watch and pray. The church knows well who its true members are and who are not. True Christians are proved and rendered more watchful and humbler. True Christians are anointed ones.
They are anointed with grace, with gifts and spiritual privileges, by the Holy Spirit of grace. The greatest and most hurtful lies that the father of lies spreads in the world usually are falsehoods and errors relating to the person of Christ trying ever so hard to chip away at His Deity. The unction from the Holy One, alone can keep us from delusions. We can be forewarned of the wolf.
While we judge favorably of all who trust in Christ as the Divine Savior, obey His word, and seek to live in union with Him, let us pity and pray for those who deny the Godhead of Christ, or His atonement, His resurrection, and the new-creating work of the Holy Spirit. Let us protest such antichristian doctrine and keep from them as much as we may.
Thanks for reading! Jeanette Grattan Parker is the founder-superintendent of Today’s Fresh Start Charter School, 4514 Crenshaw Boulevard, L.A. 90043, 323-293-9826, www.todaysfreshstart.org, (Ask Dr. Jeanette TM) “Inquiring Minds Want to Know.” All articles are copyright. All rights reserved © Errors? Or Questions? Please let me know. Join Sundays for music and message at 11:30 a.m. by calling (712) 775-8971, code 266751. References: The Holy Bible, Matthew Henry Commentary. Comment: A reader said, “Your articles are always inspiring.”
