The Beast or the Lamb

Discerning the Nature That Determines Your Destiny

Derek Prince

• Publisher: Chosen Books
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780800762537
• eBook ISBN: 9781493437191
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

"The Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour."--1 John 2:18

We see evidence of the Antichrist and his spirit in the chaos, fear, hate, deceit, arrogance and cruelty both in news headlines and in the world around us.

Our ancient enemy is cunning, and his subtle deceptions can infiltrate an unsuspecting heart--and church. When we don't know or take seriously the daily relevance of the Bible's teaching on Satan and the end times, we can unwittingly get swept up in his schemes.

In this eye-opening book, trusted Bible scholar Derek Prince reveals what the Scriptures really say about Satan, the Antichrist and the mark of the Beast--and why Jesus Christ as the Lamb is so important. Derek also gives you the tools you need to

· defend against confusion and fear
· guard your heart with purity and assurance
· hold fast in the midst of great opposition

Today and in the days ahead, a destiny-determining choice lies before you: Will you give in to the nature and deception of the Beast? Or will you stand firm in the nature of the Lamb, preparing yourself for the day He returns?

Part 1
Understanding the Nature of the Wild Beast

Very often in life, it is necessary for us to look at the negative to fully appreciate the positive. How can we be thankful for warmth if we have never been cold? How can we appreciate springtime if we have not survived the winter? How can we savor the day unless we have endured the night?

In the spiritual dimension, you and I can take this principle even deeper by asking ourselves: Can I truly appreciate the life Jesus bought for me on the cross if I have not followed Him through death, burial and resurrection?

In seeking to understand and appreciate the glory, the power and the wonder of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, it is necessary to start by looking at His––and our––greatest opponent: Satan. In the first part of this book, we will examine some of what Scripture reveals about Satan, the Beast and the Antichrist.

1
MANY ANTICHRISTS

What do we mean by “antichrist”? It is important for us first to know the meaning of the word itself. The word “Christ” is taken from the Greek word Christos, which corresponds to the Hebrew word Meshiach, or in English, “Messiah.” It means “the Anointed One.”

When we speak about Jesus Christ, we are speaking about Jesus the Messiah. Thus the Antichrist is someone who is the anti-Messiah.

The Double Meaning of “Anti”

The preposition anti in front of christ or messiah has two meanings, both of which apply to the Antichrist’s activities. First of all, anti means “against” or “opposing.” Of course, we use that regularly in modern speech, for example in the terms antibacterial or antisocial. But the other meaning is less well understood. It means “in place of.”

We can understand the operation of the Antichrist as having two phases:

1. To come against the true Christ to get Him out of the way, and
2. To replace Him with a false christ.

Three Forms of Antichrist

In 1 John 2:18, John speaks about the connection between the Antichrist and the last days. He says:

Little children, it is the last hour [not just the last day, mind you, but the last hour]; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

Seeing evidences of the activity of the spirit of the Antichrist is a distinctive mark of the end times.

Then in 1 John 4:2 we read: “By this you know the Spirit of God [the Holy Spirit]: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.”

That is, every spirit that confesses that Jesus came in human form and lived as man with flesh and blood is of God.

Verse 3 completes the thought:

Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

Within the verses we have cited above, we see three forms of “antichrist”:

1. many antichrists, plural
2. the Antichrist, singular
3. the spirit of the Antichrist—the spirit of antichrist which operates through every antichrist.

This last truth is a supremely important concept to grasp: Any antichrist is controlled by the spirit of the Antichrist. Throughout history, there have been many antichrists who have arisen. The Jewish Encyclopedia records at least forty false messiahs who have come to the Jewish people since the time of Jesus. They were all antichrists.

Probably the most famous example was Simon Bar Kochba. He led a revolt against Rome from around AD 132 to 135. Then in the fifth century came Moses of Crete. He persuaded people that they should wade out into the sea from Crete in order to meet the Messiah. Thousands of his followers went into the sea and were drowned. In the year 1666 (which was supposed to be a miraculous year), Sabbatai Zevi claimed to be the Messiah, and he was enthusiastically received by multitudes.

The history of Europe also records many antichrists. Down through the ages in the history of the Church there have been ungodly men who claimed to be ministers of Christ and who led immoral and dissonant lives.

If we look to the Middle East, one outstanding antichrist is Mohammed. (We will deal more with Mohammed and the religion of Islam in a later chapter when we look at examples of the spirit of the Antichrist.)

In Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in central Africa, there was an African religious leader who declared straight-out that he was Jesus. But then he died. Very wisely, the political leadership in Zaire would not allow the people to bury his body. They set a guard around it, and then after three days, they let the people take the body away and bury it. Not surprisingly, the Africans who had believed him got very angry, and they threw stones at the coffin because they realized they had been deceived by this false messiah.

In the history of many nations of the earth, you will find the record of many antichrists. What makes them antichrist is the spirit of the Antichrist—the spiritual force that works in them and for them.

To Modern Times

Interestingly, just to bring this subject closer to the present, in the summer of 1988 in Jerusalem, elegant posters were circulated on all the main streets of the city. They read in Hebrew: “Messiah has come and if you want to meet Him, go to the Mount of Olives on [a certain Sunday] and He will be there.”

I have no idea who printed the posters, but they were beautifully done. I know of one journalist who went to the Mount of Olives to see what might happen, but he did not find the Messiah. I relate this story to show how real this issue is. People are looking for the Messiah. If you talk to Jewish people in a sympathetic attitude and you use the name Messiah, something changes in their eyes. It is a word that has a special significance for Jewish people.

Down through the pages of history from the time of John’s writings until the modern day, there have been many antichrists. However, there is one who is called the Antichrist who has not yet appeared on the stage of human history. He is the ultimate manifestation of the spirit of the Antichrist. I am inclined to believe that his coming is so near that we might say his shadow has already fallen across the stage of history. That, however, is just my personal opinion.

As we progress through this book, particularly in Part 1: Understanding the Nature of the Wild Beast, I would encourage you to keep asking yourself the following questions as you consider this material:

1. Does this refer to the spirit of the Antichrist?
2. Does it refer to one of the many antichrists?
3. Does it refer to the Antichrist?

This questioning exercise will be a part of the discernment process you and I need to develop as we learn to navigate this important subject.

In the next chapter, we will look at four specific marks that Scripture tells us are likely to be manifest where the spirit of the Antichrist is in operation.

2
MARKS OF THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST

Having seen that there are three manifestations of the spirit of the Antichrist, along with specific examples of some of the many antichrists, it is imperative that we can identify the marks of the spirit of the Antichrist. We must understand the ways to discern this spirit. Thankfully, they are clearly provided for us in Scripture.

The First Mark—It Goes Out from Us

We see the first mark in 1 John 2:19:

[Many antichrists] went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

This is a very important point for us to recognize: The spirit of the Antichrist begins in association with the people of God. It is amazing to see that the spirit of the Antichrist is never totally removed from Scripture. It is not paganism. It always arises in clear view of the fact that Jesus has come. By way of a denial, it is always related to the true Christ. Here is the most important part of this truth: Those who adhere to the Antichrist do not remain with Christians; they go out from Christianity.

This is significant because it indicates, if I understand it rightly, that the Antichrist will arise somehow in association with professing Christians. In other words, he is not going to be some dictator who has no Christian profession or association. Rather, he will be closely associated with the professing Church.

I do not believe we will see the spirit of the Antichrist operating in areas of this earth where the Gospel has never been preached. The spirit of the Antichrist will only operate where the true Christ has first been presented.

When Satan was bargaining with Jesus about the kingdoms of this world (recorded in Matthew 4, Mark 1 and Luke 4), Jesus said to Satan, “Get behind Me, Satan!” However, that is not really a correct translation. What Jesus said was, “Follow behind Me, Satan.” In other words, “I will go first, and you can come after.”

Everywhere the true Christ has been preached, we can expect the spirit of the Antichrist to manifest itself in due course. It cannot be manifested where the true Christ has not been preached because it has no relevance, for it is essentially a denial that Jesus is the Christ. If no one has preached Jesus—if no one has preached the true Christ in a way that produces true believers—then the spirit of the Antichrist has nothing to work upon. The emergence of the Antichrist is Satan’s retaliation, or counterattack, against the Gospel of the Kingdom and its King, Jesus Christ.

The Second Mark—It Denies the Father-Son Relationship

Continuing with the passage we just cited, in verses 22–23 of 1 John 2, we see this question:

Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ [the Messiah]? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

This passage gives us another mark of the spirit of the Antichrist: It denies the relationship of the Father and the Son within the Godhead. It does not acknowledge this revelation of our unique God.

I will deal with this subject more specifically in the next chap...

Table of contents

• 1Half Title Page
• 3Title Page
• 4Copyright Page
• 5PUBLISHER’S NOTE
• 7CONTENTS
• 9INTRODUCTION
• 11Part 1 Understanding the Nature of the Wild Beast
• 85Part 2 Understanding the Nature of the Lamb
• 147Part 3 Choosing the Lamb, Empowered by the Dove
• 223Back Ad
• 224Back Cover