                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                      Falling Away to the Antichrist!

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By David Wilkerson
June 26, 1995
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     THE apostle Paul speaks of two frightful things that will strike
     the church just prior to Jesus' return. Indeed, the Lord will not
     come back until these two awful things happen. And I want to show
     you that both things are taking place right now - before our very
     eyes!

     First, Paul tells us that in the last days there will be a great
     falling away. And second, he warns that an evil spirit of
     antichrist will overtake many believers who are turning aside!

     Of course, the church has been preaching and teaching for years
     about the coming Antichrist. We have been expecting the
     appearance of the Man of Sin, the son of perdition. Some
     speculate that he will be revealed in our time - that, in fact,
     he already has been born and is living somewhere on the earth.

     Is there such a man? Yes, I believe there is - and he is totally
     possessed of Satan. Yet when he appears, he will be
     well-received. He will demand the devotion of all mankind -
     setting himself up as God before the world!

     The only reason the Antichrist hasn't been revealed yet is
     because his time hasn't come. But one day the Holy Spirit will
     lift His restraining hand, and the Man of Sin will be revealed in
     full power. The Bible assures us, however, that when this evil
     man's time is finished, he will be consumed by God:

     ...whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and
     shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (2 Thessalonians
     2:8).

                    ------------------------------------

                           There Is an Antichrist
                            - And There Is Also
                          A Spirit Of Antichrist!

                    ------------------------------------

     We have a Savior who exists right now in glory as a man. He is a
     living person - with flesh, bone, hair, eyes - even though He is
     God. And though we are here on earth, His Spirit dwells within
     us:

     "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his
     Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6).

     Yet, there is another Christ-spirit at work in the world - the
     antichrist spirit. Just as surely as Christ has given us His
     Spirit, there is an antichrist spirit possessing many apostate
     Christians. And that spirit is at work in the world - preparing
     hearts for the coming of the Man of Sin!

     "...this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that
     it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (1 John
     4:3).

     John is saying here, "You've heard about the coming of the
     Antichrist. It has been preached and taught, and you expect his
     arrival. But, beloved, wake up - because the spirit of antichrist
     is already at work!"

     You must understand - the Antichrist is not going to suddenly
     appear on the scene and overwhelm humankind. Rather, his spirit
     is mysteriously at work now, setting up his kingdom in cold,
     compromising hearts. And when the Man of Sin finally appears, he
     will be publicly revealed to a world that is already prepared for
     him - to hearts his spirit already possesses!

     Right now we see a growing antichrist sentiment and conduct. But
     soon this will turn into a flowing stream, and, eventually, a
     vast ocean. And when the Antichrist finally appears, even many
     former Christians will welcome him - because their hearts will be
     of a kindred spirit!

     Paul warned of this. He said that in the last days false prophets
     would infiltrate the church, preaching another gospel and another
     Jesus. Many such false prophets have already appeared, preaching
     the gospel of the Antichrist:

     "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now
     letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way" (2
     Thessalonians 2:7).

     The antichrist spirit is invading the hearts of many apostate
     Christians even now. They are being absolutely possessed of evil.
     "But how?" you ask. "Why would certain apostate Christians ever
     turn to the Antichrist?"

     It is because they are like-minded with him! John writes:

     "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If
     any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For
     all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
     the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of
     the world....

     "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that
     antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists;
     whereby we know that it is the last time" (1 John 2:15-18).

     John is warning us that those who still love the things of this
     world have opened themselves to the spirit of antichrist. He's
     saying, "You know these are the last days - because so many are
     full of the covetous antichrist spirit!"

     "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He
     is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (verse 22).

     The apostle adds, "If you have not come under the total Lordship
     of Jesus - if you do not acknowledge Him in all your ways - then
     you have opened yourself up to this spirit of evil!"

     Beloved, if you are serving Jesus only 50 percent - or even 90
     percent - then you are denying His full salvation. You aren't
     serving Him with all your heart, mind, soul and body. And you
     have opened up an inroad for the antichrist spirit to come in!

     It's not enough to say, "I believe Jesus was God in flesh."
     Rather, we must say, "Jesus, You are God in flesh in me. You have
     all power and authority over lust and sin. And I yield to You
     completely!"

                    ------------------------------------

                         Those Who Are Righteous -
                   Who Worship God in Spirit and in Truth
                  - Are Prime Targets of the Antichrist!

                    ------------------------------------

     "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God,
     or that is worshipped..." (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

     The spirit of antichrist is opposed to all who walk closely with
     God. He goes after true worshipers - because he wants their
     worship for himself!

     Satan wants nothing more than to destroy pure worship. He wants
     to rob God of all praise! And if you who walk in intimacy with
     Jesus, the antichrist spirit will come against you with
     everything he has. He will attack you with fear, doubt, lust -
     anything to give him an inroad to hinder your worship.

     Yet his spirit of lawlessness is being restrained by the Holy
     Ghost:

     "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in
     his time" (verse 6).

     It is the power of God's Spirit in His church - that is, in you
     and me - that holds back Satan's anarchy. Indeed, if God were to
     lift His Spirit from on-fire churches and godly believers, our
     nation would be a raging hell.

     Yet careless, lazy Christians - those who have never forsaken
     their sin, who are still engrossed in the things of the world -
     will not be able to stand in these last days. They will be
     overtaken by evil!

     The apostle Peter writes:

     "These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a
     tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever....
     For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
     through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they
     are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is
     worse with them than the beginning.

     For it had been better for them not to have known the way of
     righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the
     holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto
     them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own
     vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the
     mire" (2 Peter 2:17, 20-22).

     The people whom Peter describes here claimed to be saved. They
     once had escaped the pollutions of the world, delivered by the
     power of God. They had known the way of righteousness. And yet
     they became entangled again in sin. They were overcome by the
     spirit of antichrist!

     Peter couldn't have been speaking of nonbelievers here. After
     all, the unsaved have no faith to fall away from. Rather, those
     who fall have something to fall away from. Obviously, Peter is
     talking about apostate Christians.

     Yet such halfhearted believers do more than fall away from the
     Lord. They also fall into something - into the hands of the
     antichrist spirit! Peter says such people have been
     "...overcome..." (verse 21).

     The apostle Paul makes an astounding statement. He says that even
     now the antichrist spirit has taken his place in the temple:

     "...so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
     himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

     Beloved, it's time to stop looking to Jerusalem - to the
     rebuilding of the temple - because the spirit of antichrist is
     already ascending his throne!

     "What?" you ask. "What is this temple where the antichrist spirit
     now sits, showing his power and reign?"

     It is the temple of people's hearts!

     "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit
     of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16).

     "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
     which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
     (6:19).

     "...for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I
     will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
     and they shall be my people" (2 Corinthians 6:16).

     Yes, we are God's temple. But for some, another spirit has
     invaded that temple. The Spirit of God is gone - and lust, pride,
     covetousness and slander all reign supreme. There is no longer
     anything pure, holy or divine. A mysterious spirit of lawlessness
     is in control!

     How could such a terrible, frightful thing happen? At one time
     the living God possessed this temple, ruling and reigning. He was
     once enthroned here.

     Beloved, this happens because so many Christians have grown
     careless. They no longer walk in righteousness or holiness. And
     they end up giving an inroad to the spirit of antichrist. Now he
     sits in the temple of their heart - showing himself to be
     absolutely in control!

                    ------------------------------------

         There Will Always Be a Christ on the Throne of Every Heart
         - Either Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, or the Antichrist!

                    ------------------------------------

     Every person reading this message has a Christ on the throne of
     his or her heart - either the Spirit of Christ, or the spirit of
     antichrist.

     I am totally convinced that the antichrist spirit's most
     effective means of preparing hearts are cable TV and filthy
     movies. He knows that the eye is the gateway to the heart. And he
     marches straight through the corrupted, jaded eye of a Christian
     and takes over the throne of his heart!

     This is why the antichrist spirit has taken control of the
     secular media - TV networks, movie production, Broadway theater,
     the press. Who but the antichrist spirit could so bias the media
     that abortion is now considered a right rather than a sin? Who
     but this spirit could justify euthanasia, the killing off of the
     elderly or infirm?

     Who but the spirit of antichrist could mock everything that is
     sacred and holy, through wicked movies and vile TV programs? I
     believe the antichrist spirit is actually producing the programs
     on MTV and the Fox Network. From what I read of their shows, it's
     all absolute filth. Who but the antichrist spirit could be
     responsible for it?

     The spirit of lawlessness is growing bolder and bolder, and our
     society is on the brink of becoming a raging hell. The antichrist
     spirit now pervades our schools, our courts, our streets, our
     businesses, even our homes. And, sadly, this evil is rapidly
     moving into the church.

     I believe the spirit of antichrist is establishing churches all
     over the United States. This spirit is the motivating force
     behind "outsider friendly" churches. Who but the antichrist
     spirit would call for the ungodly to set the spiritual agenda -
     sending church founders door to door, surveying people: "What
     would you prefer church to be like? We want to tailor it so that
     you'll come."

     These megachurches are being built on skits and dramas, because
     people don't want to hear reproof. They want no conviction - so
     they hear a gospel that is almost totally devoid of repentance,
     judgment, the Cross. They are told all about God's grace and
     mercy, how to cope with problems - but nothing of God's judgment
     and hell. They're being lulled to sleep in their sinful
     lifestyle.

     I ask you: What would happen if I went into the streets, rounded
     up all the kids who were skipping school, and asked them, "What
     kind of school would you like? I'll build one that you'll enjoy,
     just so you'll want to come."

     Those kids would answer: "We want a school that lasts only three
     days a week - and just two hours a day! We want no algebra, no
     calculus and no science. And we want lunch from noon to two, with
     nothing but pizza and snacks. There won't be any lectures, rules
     or grades. And we'll be able to come and go as we please."

     If I followed through on that, I would have the biggest school in
     New York, with every dropout in sight. But what would happen to
     those kids ten years down the road, without any real preparation
     for living?

     That's what preachers in "outsider friendly" churches should be
     asking themselves! What will they do when they stand before God's
     holy throne and watch helplessly as, one by one, many of their
     sheep are condemned because they were never confronted about
     their sins? Their people never heard a word of reproof that would
     lead them to true righteousness. There was no convicting message
     to shake people out of their sins and to prepare them to face the
     judgment seat of Christ.

     This is exactly what the Bible warns of - churches with forms of
     godliness, but without power. I ask you: Who brought the music of
     the world into the church? Who turned weekly prayer meetings into
     "entertainment night" at the church? Who made Christians more
     concerned whether their team wins the Super Bowl than whether
     lost, dying people are saved? The spirit of antichrist is telling
     Christians they can drink from two cups - the Lord's cup, and the
     cup of demons!

     "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they
     sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye
     should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of
     the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the
     Lord's table, and of the table of devils" (1 Corinthians
     10:20-21).

     You may be thinking, "This is really scary. How does a Christian
     get to the point of being overcome by the antichrist spirit?"

     There are two causes by which the spirit of antichrist can
     overcome a Christian:

                    ------------------------------------

                  The First Cause by Which The Antichrist
                 Spirit Can Take Over an Apostate Believer
                     Is a Loss of Love For the Truth.

                    ------------------------------------

     "...they received not the love of the truth..." (2 Thessalonians
     2:10).

     The spirit of antichrist moves in when God's truth is no longer
     loved or appropriated:

     "...all might be damned who believed not the truth..." (verse
     12).

     The prophet Jeremiah wrote:

     "Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now,
     and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a
     man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the
     truth; and I will pardon it.

     "And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear it
     falsely. O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast
     stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed
     them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made
     their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return"
     (Jeremiah 5:1-3).

     This passage is not speaking of heathen, but of Israel, God's
     people. God is saying to Jeremiah, "Go find me just one person
     who has a heart for the truth - anyone - and I'll pardon him. But
     you won't find one, Jeremiah! These people say they love Me, but
     they don't receive My correction. They don't grieve when I
     reprove them. They no longer tremble at My Word!"

     You may think, "I'm glad I'm not like Israel. I love God's Word.
     I haven't lost my love for truth." Yet I urge you to test
     yourself! Let me give you three ways to determine whether you
     have the love of truth in your heart:

     1. The first sign of a loss of love for the truth is when you
     forsake assembling with other believers.

     If it's a task for you to make it to church, then you've lost
     your love for God's truth:

     "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
     manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the
     more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).

     When you no longer look forward to being in God's house with His
     people - when the preaching seems boring and worship no longer
     matters - you have opened yourself up to the spirit of
     antichrist. And the Lord admonishes you: "The closer you get to
     My coming, the more perilous the times will be. And the more
     imporant it is that you gather with My people!"

     Yet something tragic is happening all across America and Canada.
     Pastors are calling our ministry and telling us, "We have to shut
     down our midweek service because so few show up. We've already
     had to stop holding Sunday night meetings, because people won't
     come unless we show a movie or put on a concert. And people don't
     want to come on Sunday mornings anymore if they think the service
     will last more than an hour."

     Where are God's children if they aren't in the Lord's house? They
     are at restaurants, parties, socials, sporting events. Most of
     all, they are parked in front of their TVS - watching programs of
     ever-increasing evil!

     2. A second sign of a loss of love for the truth is when
     reproving messages make you think of someone else's sin and not
     your own.

     Whenever you hear a prophetic sermon, do you sit smugly by,
     thinking, "Wow, does that ever describe Brother So-and-so. Thank
     God, he's finally being reached. Lord, pour it on!"

     I ask you - how much, if any, of this newsletter message are you
     applying to yourself? How much stirring and conviction are going
     on in your heart? Are you praying, "God, turn Your Word on my
     heart"?

     I urge you to heed David's words:

     "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
     thee" (Psalm 119:11).

     3. A third sign of loss of love for the truth is when reproof
     angers you rather than humbles you.

     God says a hatred of reproof reveals a forsaking of the path of
     holiness:

     "Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he
     that hateth reproof shall die" (Proverbs 15:10).

     Perhaps you often walk away from a reproving sermon, saying,
     "That word was just too hard. And that preacher is just too
     angry!" Beloved, any godly shepherd will preach with holy anger.
     That's because he is angry at the devil, angry at the antichrist
     spirit - angry at anything that draws your soul away from true
     worship of the Father!

                    ------------------------------------

                  The Second Cause by Which the Antichrist
                     Spirit Can Take Over a Compromised
                    Christian Is The Love of Pleasure.

                    ------------------------------------

     "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but
     had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:12).

     Paul is speaking here of "pleasure madness." Yet he is not
     talking about the jet set, the wild crowd, gamblers, prostitutes,
     drug addicts. No - the last-day pleasure-seekers referred to are
     found inside the church! Paul warns:

     "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
     For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
     proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
     without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
     incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors,
     heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God"
     (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

     "Blasphemers in God's house?" you ask. "Truce-breakers? False
     accusers? Traitors? Surely not!"

     Oh, yes - absolutely! When Paul uses the phrase, "...lovers of
     pleasures more than lovers of God...", he is intimating that
     these people have a measure of love for God. But that love is
     overcome and polluted by a love for the pleasures of the world.
     Paul is talking about those who pursue the pleasures of
     unrighteousness!

     Beloved, you can pluck down five dollars for a movie if you want,
     and sit through two hours of violence, bloodshed and blasphemy in
     which God's name is freely taken in vain. But be warned: You will
     be drinking from the cup of devils - fellowshiping with demons!
     You see, when you pay for that kind of thing, you show your
     allegiance to the antichrist spirit who rules the media. God
     calls it a sacrifice to demons:

     "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they
     sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye
     should have fellowship with devils" (1 Corinthians 10:20).

     Worst of all, you are inviting the antichrist spirit into your
     heart. And if you keep drinking from the cup of devils - if you
     keep letting that filthy antichrist spirit seep into your soul -
     it won't be long before nothing bothers or convicts you.

                    ------------------------------------

                    A Holy Remnant Will Love the Truth!

                    ------------------------------------

     Paul gives thanks to God for a holy people who remain steadfast
     in perilous times. This holy remnant will rise up against the
     spirit of antichrist and stand strong. They will never be
     overcome. On the contrary - they will overcome the world, the
     flesh and the wicked one!

     "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren
     beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
     you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief
     of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the
     obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore,
     brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been
     taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

     "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father,
     which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation
     and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish
     you in every good word and work" (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17).

     This holy remnant loves the truth. They aren't afraid to be
     reproved. So they examine themselves in light of God's Word,
     letting it pierce them to the very marrow - and God is able to
     sanctify their mind and spirit.

     Beloved, if you keep your heart open to the truth - if you
     continue to love God's Word - the Lord will establish you. And
     when the evil spirit of this world comes in like a flood, Satan
     will be unable to make any inroad to your heart.

     "They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot
     be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round
     about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from
     henceforth even for ever. For the rod of the wicked shall not
     rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth
     their hands to iniquity" (Psalm 125:1-3).

     The Antichrist spirit has a rod, signifying authority. But his
     power and reign will not be over you. On the contrary - you will
     overcome him!

     "I have written unto you...because ye are strong, and the word of
     God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one" (1 John
     2:14).

     "...and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our
     faith" (1 John 5:4).

     Let the spirit of antichrist come. You won't be moved, because
     you'll be firmly established on the truth of God's Word. You'll
     be found in God's house, worshiping from a pure heart. And your
     faith will overcome all that the enemy brings against you -
     because Jesus sits enthroned in the temple of your heart.

     I want to give you a great defense against the antichrist spirit.
     It's found in Psalm 139:

     "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
     thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me
     in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

     Hallelujah!

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