The Spirit of Antichrist--Shedding Innocent Blood

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1 John 1:1

There is no doubt that Jesus is life. The Apostle John was an eyewitness who saw Jesus heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, heal blinded eyes, and perform miracles too numerous to mention.  Among those miracles there were several who were brought back from the dead.  The greatest miracle of all came three days after He, Himself, was laid in a grave.  Jesus Christ arose.  “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men (John 1:3-4).”  He is the resurrection and the life. 

John also warned us about the rise of the antichrist spirit and the eventual rise of the Antichrist, a godless man who will seek to convince a willing world that he is god.  Death will follow at numbers so huge that all of the bodies can't be buried quick enough. This satanically inspired man is against Christ and is Jesus’ ultimate antonym.  One of the meanings of the prefix anti- is “that which is opposite.”  If Christ is life, then the antichrist spirit and the man later bearing that moniker are involved with death.  As Jesus is life, the antichrist spirit brings death when it permeates a land.

In the last post, The Spirit of Antichrist—Unbridled Lust, it was mentioned that idol worship involved perverse sex rituals performed as an act of wicked worship.  The children of these unions were later often offered as sacrifices to these gods.  This is a well know and established fact.  Jeremiah addressed this in his warnings to Judah who was in the midst of national judgment for this very sin.  “They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:…(Jeremiah 19:5).”  The LORD also addressed this in Leviticus specifically naming the idol worship of Moloch (another bull god).  “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD (Leviticus 18:2).”

The Apostle, surely, was quite accustomed to seeing infanticide while living in the Roman Empire.  The murder of children for convenience or deluded worship was quite common in that time period.  Take a moment to read this Discovery article, “Infanticide Common in Roman Empire”.  Here is another quote to consider from a Roman man away from home.  "I am still in Alexandria. ... I beg and plead with you to take care of our little child, and as soon as we receive wages, I will send them to you. In the meantime, if (good fortune to you!) you give birth, if it is a boy, let it live; if it is a girl, expose it." Many more articles and quotes could be attached but the picture is clear.  Killing children always accompanies an outbreak of the spirit of antichrist.  Why wouldn’t it?  Satan is the being behind the mask of the murder of children, including the murder of infants in the womb.  He hates humanity simply because mankind is created in the image of God.  This evil practice, however, carries with it grave consequences. Any nation sanctioning the murder of innocent lives is under the curse of God’s eventual justice.  

One of the Kings of Judah led the nation into a very dark time in their history.  It was King Manasseh.  This man worshipped about all of the perverse idols around in his day.  Sacrifices to Baal and Moloch were common and the land was filled with brothels.  He even offered his own son, a possible heir to the throne.  “And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger (2 Kings 21:6).”

And was the LORD mad!  He sent terrible judgment on Manasseh.  The LORD sent immediate punishment through the Assyrians and a prophetic warning of the later Babylonian deportation.  Manasseh was terribly tortured by the hands of the Assyrians (all of God’s judgments have redemption in mind).  This brought the erring king to repentance.  End of story... not quite.  God did not revoke the curse on the land for the sin of shedding innocent blood.  Even though the sin of Manasseh was forgiven—the consequences of it followed.  Hear the word of the LORD.  “Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon (2 Kings 24:3-4).”   Did you see the last phrase?  “…which the LORD would not pardon.”  Though personal sin was atoned for and forgiven, the nation was punished for allowing such an evil thing to happen in the land.

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."  These prophetic words are from the next to the last paragraph of President Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address nearing the close of the Civil War.  Little did he know that there would be an uncanny ratio between the deaths of American soldiers and innocent lives destroyed by the slave trade?  Here is a prior example taken directly from American history. Let this resound, America, as we approach the murder of 58,000,000 babies murdered in the womb.  Let this resound, world, for untold millions have been murdered on the altars of convenience.  It is a sure sign that the spirit of antichrist is running rampant and that the man of sin is soon to be revealed.  It is also a sure sign that judgment will soon hit America and the world.

Manasseh was forgiven, and your sin too may be forgiven as well.  Thank God for Jesus Christ and the innocent blood He shed to make all who cast their faith on him to be seen as innocent in the sight of the Father.  He is calling for you to turn.  However, the national sin will be accounted for…and soon.  Turn to Christ personally today as you feel His call on your heart.  Do it now because He is truly Soon2Come!