1 John 2:22-23 "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also."

1 John 4:2-3 "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world."

2 John 1:7 "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." 

After I pondered these verses, I thought about what makes someone an antichrist. Being an antichrist is common in our world. Sometimes they are just normal people. Antichrists: deny Jesus, deny the importance of families, deny there is a moral and right way to live, deny there are consequences for sin, and deny that they have sin.

From the Bible we can see 3 things. First, the antichrist is defined as anyone who doesn't believe Jesus is the divine son of God. Second, antichrists appear to actively teach against Christ. Third, there were many antichrists in the world when John wrote the book. This means that not only will there be one famous antichrist who draws many faithful away, but there will be (and are) many common people who live as antichrists.

“Anti-Christ is antifamily. Any doctrine or principle that is antifamily is also anti-Christ. It’s that clear.” (Teaching the Doctrine of Family. Julie B. Beck. Relief Society General President. From a broadcast address given to seminary and institute of religion teachers on August 4, 2009.)

It is so important for Christians everywhere to stand up for what they believe. We need to bear testimony of Christ and of His teachings. We need to live as we believe so we can be a living witness of Christ. Our goodness can help counteract the darkness of the growing number of antichrists all around us.

I want to bear my testimony of Christ! I know he lived on earth, not only as a great prophet and teacher, but as the son of God. I know he chose to suffer for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. I know He gave himself up to be crucified for our sakes. Jesus bled and died on the cross. He was laid in a tomb and on the third day He rose from the dead, thereafter making it possible for all men to rise with perfect bodies during the resurrection. 

 

Jesus suffered for my sins so I wouldn’t have to. I love Him for that. I will live my life in gratitude for His precious gift. I will stand as a witness of Him all my days.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

“A Christian’s definition of hope is far superior to that of the world.  Instead of wishing or hoping for something to happen, a believer knows that their hope is solid, concrete evidence because it is grounded in the Word of God and we know that God cannot lie (Heb 6:18; Num 23:19).  The Christian has a hope that is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).  It is a hope that is like faith…a faith that cannot be moved by circumstances or what the eyes see because an unseen God is seen in His faithfulness.”

In Romans 8:24-25 Paul writes, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” because “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom 8:31)?  If God is on our side, how sure is that hope! Today believers are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) and “and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:3) but for those who reject Christ, there is only “a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Heb 10:27). 

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31) for even Christ Himself has said “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).  That is a most hopeless situation to be in.

Excerpts taken from a sermon given by Pastor Jack Wellman in May 2014. (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/05/26/what-is-the-biblical-or-christian-definition-of-hope/)

Eph. 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverences her husband.

 When a couple get married, then they should treat each other with kindness and respect.  A spouse is the one person in the world who should know us and love us like no other. That relationship can help us to get through this life with joy and contentment.

I feel so sad when I see a married couple talking harshly to each other. A spouse should be cherished.  It sickens me to see the commercials for a show called Marriage Boot Camp on TV. They scream, call names, hit, and betray each other. They are so nasty and childish to their spouse. It made me think that they don’t need counseling – they need to become Christians!  They need to serve each other. They need to treat each other with respect and kindness. 

Marriage is hard. You have to learn to love, serve, and support someone who is so different from you.

There are so many great books and other resources for people who are looking to improve or save their marriage, but the one thing that will help your marriage more than anything is to develop a deep love of Christ and His teachings. If we love Christ and study His words, then we will want to obey His teachings. He taught us to love and serve one another. He taught us to forgive and not hold grudges. He taught us to give freely of our time and substance. Christ taught us to never hurt or offend.

These teachings especially apply to our spouse. Except for the case of abuse or abandonment, marriages should be saved and nurtured. The benefits of a righteous marriage far outweigh the costs of nurturing it. 

“I am satisfied that happiness in marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion. Any man who will make his wife’s comfort his first concern will stay in love with her throughout their lives and through the eternity yet to come” (Gordon B. Hinckley. Anchorage, Alaska, regional conference, 18 June 1995).