The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1919, Page 26

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26 The Lutheran Pioneer.

Being of such great importance in every way,
we can well understand how desirable the publica-
tion of this resurrection Gospel is to all, and we
shall not find it strange to learn from the Bible-
narrative that the command was given again and
again to tell the news of Jesus’ resurrection. ‘The
angel whom the women found in the tomb told
them that they should acquaint the other disciples
with the fact of the Lord’s return to life. The risen
Lord Himself told Mary Magdalene and the other
holy women to inform His followers, whom He
called His brethren, of His resurrection. On the
evening of the first resurrection day He appeared
to His disciples, and delivered to them the com-
mission to make the publication of the resurrection
Gospel their life’s work. A little later, in Galilee,
He even more explicitly told them to devote their
whole time and strength to the publication of His
Gospel. In fact, at the time He was taken up
from this earth, He was in the act of giving His
disciples the earnest injunction to go into all the
world and preach the glorious news of His resur-
rection to all sinners.

And this parting command of the Lord is in
force to-day. To-day, as then, the orders are to
preach the story of the Savior’s victorious resur-
rection unto life to a dying world of sinners.

Are we doing our duty ? F. J. L.

~~.

The Many Antichrists.

1 Joun 2, 18—23.

In our text John tells us that there were many
antichrists even in his day. They had heen mem-
bers of Christ’s visible Church of that time. In-
wardly, however, they were not His disciples, but
His opponents. Finally they made public profes-
sion of doctrines contrary to His teaching and went
out from the Church, severed their connection
with it. It then became manifest that they did
not have Christ’s Spirit (v.19). John writes:
“They went out from us, but they were not of us.”
It was a good thing they left the Church. The
Church was benefited, purified by their departure,
although it perhaps caused the Christians some
humiliation or embarrassment. These antichrists
are thus characterized by the Apostle: “Who is
a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?
He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the
Son, Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath

not the Father; but he that acknowledgeth the
Son hath the Father also,” vv. 22.23. These early
apostates denied that Jesus of Nazareth is the true
Son of God, the true Messiah, the true Savior of
the world; hence they were antichrists, that is,
they were against Christ. They were easily recog-
nized as antichrists by the Christians, because all
believers have received the “unction” (anointing),
the Holy Ghost, from Christ, the Holy One, and
therefore know all things (y. 20). They are anointed
with Christ’s Spirit, who guides them into all truth.
They faithfully hear the Good Shepherd’s voice.
As His sheep they know His Word, and a stranger
will they not follow, but flee from him. They
abide in Jesus, continue in His Word, and are His
disciples indeed. As such they know the truth, the
whole truth, which frees them from error and the
bondage of sin. This is the reason why Christians
are well able to distinguish between truth and false-
hood. They “know the truth, and that no lie is
of the truth,” y, 21.

The many antichrists of his own diy John repre-
sents as forerunners of the great Antichrist (y. 18),
concerning whom the Holy Ghost had spoken by
Paul in his second letter to the ‘Thessalonians.
There we read concerning that mano of sin, the
son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself
above all that is called God or that is worshiped,
so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God
(the Church), showing himself that he is God.
(Also see vy.5—12.) The Romat Pontiff, no
doubt, is this Antichrist, for he bears all the fea-
tures of this prophetic, but none «he less plain,
picture. Paul introduces this prediction with the
words: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gather-
ing together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken
in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit nor by
word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day
of Christ is at hand.” Then that most important
sentence follows: “Let no man deceive you by
any means; for that day shall not come except
there come a falling away first, and that man of
sin be revealed.” From the fact, however, that the
forerunners of the great Antichrist already began
to appear and reared their heads during John’s life,
the inference is drawn in v. 18 of our text: “Where-
by we know that it is the last day.” The readers
of this epistle should be ready to meet the Lord,
because He might come in the near future. They
should therefore not be seduced by any one (y. 26),
but abide in Christ (v. 28), ready for the last day.

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