The Development of Antichrist by Andrew Bonar (12)

Chapter 3 His Characteristics and Duration Part One


It may help to illustrate still more than has yet been done the characteristics of Antichrist, to contrast them with what is said of Christ:
CHRIST: Comes from above (John 3:3 1)ANTICHRIST: Comes from below (Rev. 11:7)
CHRIST: Comes in His Father’s Name (John 5:43)ANTICHRIST: Comes in his own name (John 5:43)
CHRIST: Humbled Himself, and became obedient (Phil. 2:8)ANTICHRIST: Exalts himself above all (2 Thess. 2:4)
CHRIST: Was despised and rejected, and we esteemed Him not (Isa. 53:3)ANTICHRIST: All the world wonder after the Beast, saying, Who is like unto him? (Rev. 13:3-4)
CHRIST: Comes to do His Father’s will (John 6:38)ANTICHRIST: Does according to his own will (Dan. 11:36)
CHRIST: Glorifies God on earth (John 17:4)ANTICHRIST: Blasphemes the Name of God (Rev. 13:6)
CHRIST: The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep (John 10:14-15)ANTICHRIST: The evil shepherd or idol shepherd who shall tear the flesh (Zech. 11:16-17)
CHRIST: God highly exalts Him and gives Him a Name above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow (Phil. 2:9-10)ANTICHRIST: Exalteth himself above the heights of the clouds, yet is brought down to hell (Isa. 14:14-15)
CHRIST: Shall be seen coming in the clouds with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30)ANTICHRIST: They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee . . . saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake the kingdoms? Isaiah 14:16)
CHRIST: Shall reign for ever and ever (Rev. 11:15)ANTICHRIST: They take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end (Dan. 7:26)
CHRIST: The Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2)ANTICHRIST: The son of perdition (2 Thess. 2:3)
(For a further treatment of this theme, see Mr. G H Fromow’s "Christ and Antichrist # Contrasted"—Ed.).Such is Christ, and such, when he comes, will be the Antichrist also. Already the Spirit of the one is as markedly in the world as is the Spirit of the other. Let no professing Christian forget this, and that unless the Spirit of Christ be in him, he is none of His. To them who are alive and remain, the wide difference will be still more distinctly marked and apparent ere long.But the darker the night the nearer will be the promised deliverance, when they who are Christ’s shall rejoice with all creation in "the manifestation of the sons of God" (Rom. 8:19), and they who are of their father the devil (John 8:44), share in the destruction of the Antichrist whom he shall send, and whose spirit they are showing even now in contrast to that of Christ, Who is still the despised and rejected.