The Antichrist Spirit Already in the World Today (Part 2)

TEXT: 1 John 5:18-21

In our last message, we saw how the spirit of Satan has overwhelming influence in the world today. It is this antichrist spirit that causes many individuals, governments, and society in general to be opposed to the things of God. However, there is another spirit in the world today -- the Holy Spirit -- who lives inside every believer. The Bible tells us that one of the tasks of the Holy Spirit is to restrain or hold back the spirit of lawlessness and iniquity in the world. When we look at the evil in the world today, we must realize that it is not as bad as it could be. As salt and light in the world, we are a part of God's firewall against the antichrist spirit that is in the world today.
 
Along with the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives, John shows us how we are distinct from the world in three other ways. The Bible reads, "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." This verse tells us: (1) That we are free from sin, whereas the world is not. (2) We continue in our salvation and are kept from evil by the power of God. (3) The devil cannot seize us and drag us out of God's hands and back into enslavement to sin. Drs. John Walvoord and Roy Zuck state, "John was seeking in these summarizing statements to reinforce the readers' consciousness that they are distinct from the satanically controlled world system and basically free from its power. They need not listen to the worldly ideas advanced by the antichrists. Nor need they succumb to worldly desires."

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