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THE BODY OF ANTICHRIST

Part VII

The present look at prophecy – just like many previous series from Christian Media – has sought to examine how aspects of the Spiritual architecture, which exists in eternity, impacts the earthly realm.

Furthermore, we have found that in order to communicate several things the LORD has revealed, certain categories of prophetic knowledge are pre-requisites for understanding what we have learned most recently. Obviously, one of the most complex aspects of the Spiritual configuration on earth occurs because of the epic change that impacted the world when God sent His only begotten Son to draw those He has chosen to salvation.

We call this the Crucifixion Collision.

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32).

Obviously, this was an earth shaking change from the status quo – and indeed the divine intervention into the affairs of men was so profound that it’s called the New Covenant between God and man.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5).

Clearly, the Bible militates that under the New Covenant of JESUS CHRIST, the fact that Israel was the mediator between God and the nations in the Old Covenant, has now drastically changed.

Jesus told of this epic transformation in multiple parables, before the event took place.

“A certain [man], which planted a vineyard...[leased] it out to [managers], and went into a far country: and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to…receive the fruits of it” (Matthew 21:33,34).

Like a modern investor, the man who owned the “vineyard” agreed to divide the profits with the management, but his associates in the venture (called “husbandmen” in the old English), reneged on the agreement, and mistreated those the owner sent to collect his portion.

“And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another” (Matthew 21:35).

As a result of this infraction, the man who planted the vineyard, still trying to get his managers to keep their original agreement, sent more servants to collect the proceeds.

“Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise” (Matthew 21:36).

In an almost predictable fashion relative to the parables, He gave the “husbandmen” one final chance to think it through, and perform the obligation they had agreed upon regarding the vineyard. 

“But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son” (Matthew 21:37).

What is truly amazing when you think about it -- this is Jesus Himself, predicting through the form of a parable, the sequence of events that were already well in progress in the earthly “vineyard.”

Obviously, the “managers” entrusted with the “vineyard,” having already decided to doublecross the owner, deteriorated from Dishonesty to Death, as they determined to kill the son, and keep the vineyard for themselves.

“When the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him” (Matthew 21:38).

One of the most distinct difficulties in identifying the Spiritual powers that impact the creation, is the fact that not all of us realize the factions in the Spiritual conflict change the vessels they occupy when the Covenant changes from the Old Testament to the New Covenant.

At the risk of redundancy, I’ll repeat the prior assertion. The difficulty in discerning the identities of the Spiritual powers influencing events is exacerbated by the fact that they change which earthly vessels they occupy when the profound change to the New Covenant takes place.

As the tale is consummated, Christ poses a question to let the disciples determine what will be the outcome of this terrible deed.

“When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?” (Matthew 21:40).

The disciples recognize the obvious, and they reply that the owner of the vineyard will certainly be justified in being angry at those “managers” for their treachery and killing of his son, and the appropriate recompense would entail destructively removing the managers, and putting others in charge of his vineyard.

“They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their season” (Matthew 21:41). 

This cautionary tale is the same basic message told in other parables – such as the king who plans a marriage celebration for his son, but the invitees insult him with their lack of interest; or the “certain” man who goes on a long journey and abruptly returns to find his servants misbehaving, etc.

What we don’t see in the cluster of parables Jesus spoke of in the Gospels is the much more subtle identities exposed in the actual historic sequences found in Scripture. These identities are found all over the Bible, but largely among the Old Testament prophets.

These factions (for want of a better description) are usually found in some sort of symbolic pairs, routinely associated with Sin. For instance, all the way back in Genesis, when Adam heard the curse he was going to endure in order to harvest the herb of the field, he was also told the ground would be cursed with “thorns and thistles.”

“Cursed is the ground for thy sake…thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee: and thou shalt eat the herb of the field” (Genesis 3:17, 18).

Actually, Adam and Eve themselves fit this motif, as they are juxtaposed with God Himself.

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden…and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord” (Genesis 3:8).

This symbolism is all over the Holy Bible. For example, during the era of the kings of Israel, King David does a mysterious act that can only be explained with this triune symbolism. He was fighting the Philistines and Moab; and when he smote Moab and took prisoners, he then made them lie down in three rows.

Than he killed the soldiers in two of the rows, but kept the third row as his servants.

“And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines he put to death, and with one full line he kept alive” (II Samuel 8:2).

And it isn’t only people with this mysterious pattern, but it is usually the “two parts” that represents the sin (or Mortality/Death), in contrast to Life/Light.

For example, we have repeatedly shown two groups of kingdoms in Daniel, the set of four kingdoms of Daniel 2 (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome) from the BC era of the law, and the four kingdoms in Daniel 7 from the AD Christian era (the “Lion” kingdom of England, the “Bear” of Russia, the “Leopard” of Germany, and the “Diverse” beast of America).

The AD Christian era certainly evokes the imagery of Life in Christ, whereas the Law of Sin and Death definitively speaks of the Old Covenant.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death, That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit” (Romans 8:2, 4).

Most of the symbolism is found in thirds, and, as previously noted, they speak of the “two parts” that represent the fallen creation, juxtaposed with the redeemed eternal “third part,” such as the following:

“For the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall devour his thorns and his briers in one day” (Isaiah 10:17). 

Perhaps the quintessential verses are found in Zechariah, where “two parts” are the finite, fallen portion, even as the “third part” is the eternal.

“In all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, it is my people: and they shall say The Lord is my God” (Zechariah 13:8,9).

In the ultimate example, to which all of these mystical Scriptures point us to, we see the Saviour of the world crucified, and Rising from the Dead, even as two “malefactors” were cut off on each side.

“And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right side, and the other on the left” (Luke 23:32,33).

We also see a specific differentiation between the “two parts.”

“And one of the [criminals] which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself, and us. But the other rebuked him, saying Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?” (Luke 23:39,40).

Here we see the essential component to salvation, which is confession that we are sinners, as we look to Christ for our salvation. The thief on the cross confessed his sin, whereas the other was filled with the bitterness of rebellion.

“And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds…And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:41-43).

Christ’s subsequent resurrection forever shattered the power of Sin and Death, but Satan still did not give up. We have learned that was the turning point as the BC timeline gave way to the glorious life of Christ in the AD Christian age. However, the LORD has revealed there is a third timeline, as the Era of Antichrist has erupted all around this generation.

And Satan’s last hurrah is to be short lived, but the particulars of that epic must wait for another installment of The Body of Antichrist.  

- James Lloyd

To Be Continued