The Berean Call Podcast

THE GOSPEL (continuing)

TITUS 2:13-14 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar [special] people, zealous of good works.

TITUS 3:3-7 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

PHILEMON 1:10-13 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me: Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:

HEBREWS 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

HEBREWS 7:24-27 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

1 PETER 1:9-12 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1 PETER 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [conduct] received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 PETER 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

1 PETER 2:21-24 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

1 PETER 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

1 PETER 4:5-6 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged [martyred?] according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

1 PETER 4:17-18 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

1 JOHN 4:9-10 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

REVELATION 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince [ruler] of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

REVELATION 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

REVELATION 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

This is number 21 in our series of “Get Biblical Understanding.” In this session we’re reading many but certainly not all of the biblical verses that have to do with the Gospel. The Apostle Paul writes that he is “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Why wasn’t Paul ashamed? Because he understood the gospel to be the—“good news”—in that it contained humanity’s only hope that would save it from being separated from God forever.

Again, the theme of this series is: THE GOSPEL (continuing)

COLOSSIANS 1:12-14 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins,

COLOSSIANS 1:22-23 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

COLOSSIANS 2:13-15 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

1 THESSALONIANS 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

1 THESSALONIANS 2:2 But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

1 THESSALONIANS 2:3-4 For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

1 THESSALONIANS 2:9-10 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:

1 THESSALONIANS 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

2 THESSALONIANS 1:6-10 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to [give] you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

2 THESSALONIANS 2:13-14 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 TIMOTHY 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

1 TIMOTHY 1:15-16 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

2 TIMOTHY 1:10-11 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

2 TIMOTHY 2:8-9 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.

2 TIMOTHY 3:14-16 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

This is number 20 in our series of “Get Biblical Understanding.” In this session we’re reading many but certainly not all of the biblical verses that have to do with the Gospel. The Apostle Paul writes that he is “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Why wasn’t Paul ashamed? Because he understood the gospel to be the—“good news”—in that it contained humanity’s only hope that would save it from being separated from God forever.

Again, the theme of this series is: THE GOSPEL (continuing)

GALATIANS 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

GALATIANS 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

GALATIANS 4:4-5 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

GALATIANS 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

EPHESIANS 1:6-7 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

EPHESIANS 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest [security payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory

EPHESIANS 2:13-16 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

EPHESIANS 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

EPHESIANS 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

EPHESIANS 6:18-20 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

PHILIPPIANS 1:3-5 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

PHILIPPIANS 1:27 Only let your conversation [conduct] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

PHILIPPIANS 2:22 But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

PHILIPPIANS 4:2-3 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

COLOSSIANS 1:5-6 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Thanks for listening and we hope you’ll join us again as we search the Scriptures in order to “Get Biblical Understanding.”

Tom: Welcome to Apostasy Update! I’m T. A. McMahon, and this is our series of Addressing Biblical Eschatology—What the Bible Has to Say Prophetically about the Last Days Prior to the Return of Jesus Christ.

My partner in this discussion is Carl Teichrib, and he’s the author of Game of Gods—The Temple of Man in the Age of Re-enchantment. Carl, welcome back, and thanks for joining me in out ongoing discussions of where the world and Christendom are headed according to the scriptures as history draws to a close.

Tom: Welcome to Apostasy Update! I’m T. A. McMahon, and this is the eighth program in our series of Addressing Biblical Eschatology—What the Bible Has to Say Prophetically about the Last Days Prior to the Return of Jesus Christ.

My partner in this discussion is Carl Teichrib, and he’s the author of Game of Gods—The Temple of Man in the Age of Re-enchantment. Carl, welcome back, and thanks for joining me in out ongoing discussions of where the world and Christendom are headed according to the scriptures as history draws to a close.

Carl: Thank you, Tom. You know, this is an important topic. I’m hoping that the programs that we’ve been doing, the information that we’ve been sharing, has been both challenging and encouraging to the audience.

Tom: Carl, just to add onto that, folks, you know, this is…well, we’ve done a few of these programs, and there’ll be some more to come, but again, one of our purposes is—this is preparation. This is the antidote to what’s taking place in the world and, sadly, in the church. So, that’s what motivates us, right Carl?

This is number 19 in our series of “Get Biblical Understanding.” In this session we’re reading many but certainly not all of the biblical verses that have to do with the Gospel. The Apostle Paul writes that he is “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Why wasn’t Paul ashamed? Because he understood the gospel to be the—“good news”—in that it contained humanity’s only hope that would save it from being separated from God forever.

Again, the theme of this series is: THE GOSPEL (continuing)

ROMANS 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

ROMANS 10:8-9 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

ROMANS 10:14-15 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

ROMANS 10:16-17 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

ROMANS 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:17-18 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1 CORINTHIANS 4:14-15 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:16-18 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constraineth [compels] us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

GALATIANS 1:3-4 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.

GALATIANS 1:11-12 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

GALATIANS 2:1-2 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

GALATIANS 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

Thanks for listening and we hope you’ll join us again as we search the Scriptures in order to “Get Biblical Understanding.”

Tom: Welcome to Apostasy Update! I’m T. A. McMahon, and this is our seventh program in our series addressing biblical eschatology, what the Bible has to say prophetically about the last days prior to the return of Jesus Christ. My partner in this discussion is Carl Teichrib. He’s the author of Game of Gods: The Temple of Man in the Age of Re-enchantment.

Carl, welcome back, and thanks for joining me in our discussion of where the world and Christendom are headed according to the Scriptures as history draws to a close.

Carl: Tom, it’s good to be back with you. I can’t believe it’s seven episodes already! Wow! They’ve gone by quick.

Tom: They do, and we’ve got a few more to go, don’t we?

Carl: We do.

Tom: Carl, last week our discussion—I think I need to correct an erroneous impression that some may have regarding the Antichrist, particularly his kingdom and his religion. That came to light when a good friend of ours, Warren Smith, called me about the talks he’s giving at our 2020 Berean Call conference, and he said when the subject of Antichrist is addressed by him, at times some will admonish him saying, “We’re not to focus on the Antichrist, but on Jesus Christ.” And he wanted to know how I’d respond to that. I would agree to a certain extent, but then I’d have to ask, “What do they mean by ‘focus?’”

There are many today and certainly down through history who thought they knew who the Antichrist was and is, and that was their focus. People can guess at that all they want, but I think it’s an act of futility at best. Guesses are all they have. No one is going to know who the Antichrist is until he is revealed. And since I believe that takes place after the Rapture, believers won’t know until we return to earth with Jesus at His Second Coming, when our Lord will, according to the Scriptures, capture him and have him thrown alive into the Lake of Fire. So unless we have bleachers in heaven to watch the activities of the Antichrist unfold, which I highly doubt, we won’t know until we return with Jesus.

What then about a focus that’s biblical? Well, John the apostle was inspired by the Holy Spirit to focus on the Antichrist in his epistles and in the Book of Revelation. Paul, as well, in 2 Thessalonians gave us relevant information about the Antichrist setting himself up as God and seeking the worship of the entire world.

So, Carl, how does what we’re doing differ from trying to figure out who the Antichrist is?

Carl: It differs, Tom, in the sense that what we’re doing is trying to focus on the heart of the matter and not point our finger at a particular personality. I’ve had people come to me at different conferences with various schemes, and you’ve probably had the same thing, Tom, where people come to you maybe even with diagrams that they have drawn up showing that such-and-such a person, the way the letters of their names line up demonstrates that they are the beast or 666 or the Antichrist. But we don’t know! You’re absolutely right. We don’t know who that individual is, but we can know and can recognize the heart. We can recognize the message, the anti-salvation message that is being displayed by his personality, because it’s the same message that beats right from Genesis 3 right into all of our own hearts all the way up into that point in Revelation, and it’s that heartbeat of the simple nature of the creation opposed to the Creator.

It’s not that we’re focused in that we’re looking for a particular individual or saying, “So-and-so is the Antichrist.” No. But it’s in the Scripture, and by the very fact it’s in the Scripture means that we should be looking at it. If this is an area that we shouldn’t be tackling, can you tell me what other parts of Scripture we should be avoiding too? And so it’s important for people to recognize that what we’re doing is not looking for a particular person—to recognize that spirit, to recognize that dynamic that’s already working in the world.

Tom: And that’s certainly what Samuel Andrews did in his book Christianity and Anti-Christianity in Their Final Conflict, right?

Carl: Right. It very much, Tom, has that flavor.

Tom: Yeah. So the way I would say it, we’re trying to ascertain the characteristics of the Antichrist as they pertain to deceiving mankind…

Carl: Right.

Tom: …which is what you said. For example, the Antichrist, he wants to control the world as its leader. Well, how will that come about? And he wants to be worshipped as God. Again, how will that come about? In my thinking, in order for just those two things to take place, there needs to be a preparation, a conditioning of humanity in order for people to accept those attributes of the man of sin. It doesn’t happen overnight! The deception that began on earth with Satan deceiving Eve into believing that she could be as God has worked its way through history, and it’s going to conclude with the Antichrist.

Carl: And that’s what I appreciate about Andrews. And one thing that really struck me, there was a point in his book where he references that Antichrist in many respects is mirroring where man’s heart already is, especially the pantheistic “I am God” part. And so he now becomes that human representation of what collective mankind is already declaring. It is an exact counterfeit to what is taking place between God sending His Son Jesus on earth where Jesus, God incarnate, walks among us and is the representative of God on earth to man, whereas what I’m seeing, and I think Andrews brings it out, is this is a representative of the fallen world walking on earth saying, “I represent mankind.”

Tom: Right. There are two definitions of antichrist—one way it could be spelled is “ante-,” which has to do with a replacement, okay, which is just what you’ve addressed. But “anti-” is against, and so on. And the man of lawlessness, he represents both those things.

Last week in our program you said something which I really would like you to expand upon. It was your mentioning democracy as a political device that will definitely play into the development of the kingdom of the Antichrist. Democracy—some people will say, “Oh, wait a minute, hold on a second here….” So how does that work?

Carl: You know, I’m glad you brought that up, because just yesterday I was looking at what some advocating non-governmental organizations were putting in their platforms, and that was the concept of global democracy, global representation. Where this comes into play, Tom, is democracy enables every person’s opinion to now rise to the level of authority. You could even look at it in a more broad context than just the ballot box, but it essentially says, “The mob now rules.” Whoever controls the emotional masses has rulership, has the ability to move an agenda forward.

When I hear things like “global democracy,” my ears go up, because I immediately understand that what you’re setting up is a global system that represents man. It is man’s representive system. In the past, the concept of monarchy—a monarchy was supposed to be a representation of almost like a parallel or reflection of God’s order on earth. That was what it was supposed to be, and there was a completely different system or structure to it. I’m not advocating monarchies. I’m not saying, “Let’s go back to the time of monarchies.” But democracy becomes the rule of man over man.

Tom: If you look at our government, it seems to me it started out, yeah, using democratic form to a degree, but it was a republic. In other words, there were higher laws that man was supposed to be in subjection to. We know when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rules from Jerusalem, it’s going to be the perfect government. All this that we’re dealing with now, the confusion, the delusion, but what’s the basis of it? The basis of it is, “Hey, I need to get elected. What’s my best way to get elected? Why don’t I tell the people what they want to hear, regardless of whether I’m going to implement it later.” But that’s the idea, that’s the mentality, and it’s a problem, because where is that going? Well, it’s going to go into a form of socialism. Now there are going to be some controls. “Yeah, I know what you want, and I know what you voted for, but here’s what I’m telling you. This is the way it’s going down.” So it’s an important point.

So, folks, don’t get freaked out if we use a term—I mean, hopefully we’ve been able to clarify it.

Carl: Democracy is a really important subject, Tom, and it’s something we’re going to have to address in more depth later down the road. One thing: going back really quickly to the aspect of the Antichrist and for those who are maybe first-time listening to this, I go to different events, global events. Some of them are political, some are interfaith, some are even occultic in nature, to try to understand from a researcher’s point of view what’s going on.

In 1999, I attended an event in Fort Wayne, Indiana that was about looking forward to the coming “new age,” and one of the speakers’ names was John Davis. He had just come out with a book called Revelation for Our Time, and he used occult numerology to repackage the book of Revelation. His calculation for this new story—he described the Antichrist as an A-N-T-E-christ, and he described it as “the second coming of a messiah of our collective making.” To me, when I heard that, and what we have just had this discussion on democracy, that is where we see this interconnection or the possible interconnection where we say, “Now we will collectively save ourselves.” And I thought that was really rather remarkable as he made the argument to us that separation and fear would disappear as the “antechrist” became reframed as a positive human experience. And I’m like, “What?!” But that was the direction it was going.

Tom: How attractive could this be? Well, twice in Proverbs it says, “There’s a way that seems right unto a man, but the ways thereof are the ways of death.” Separation—it’s more than just drifting away from God, it is rejecting what He says, how things ought to be, and how He’s the only One that can solve the mess. Well, it’s sin!

Carl: Mm-hmm, it is!

Tom: It’s sin as its consequence. And we’re seeing that today—I’m in my 70s, and going back to my time, Christianity was kind of a—I call it a “romantic religion.” In other words, it had some ethics, it had a belief in God, and you kind of went along with it. But it seemed to be okay, and there was a level that certainly is incredibly at odds with where we are today. But this is where it is all going. In order for the religion of the Antichrist to be established, there has to be a massive transition by those who have a traditional belief, which I had as a non-believer, as a Roman Catholic back in the ‘50s and ‘60s and so on. But the transition starts with a traditional belief in God as the Creator of all things, separated from His creation.

Well, we call that theism. God is totally other than all of creation, which He made out of nothing, and He can do that. You know, some people say, “Well, no, He had to make it out of Himself.” Got a problem there!

Carl: Yeah, right!

Tom: If He made it out of Himself, why are we in this mess? Then this mess is connected with God, right? No, He is totally other.

The transition is to a belief in God, a God who is in His creation. If God is in His creation, then all of creation is God. And therefore, man as a part of creation is also God. So the transition from theism to pantheism, “pan-” meaning all, “-theism” meaning God—so, “All is God and God is all.” It’s sometimes also referred to as panentheism—again, God being in everything.

Now, Carl, you would think that a finite person who believes that God is infinite would have difficulty seeing himself as infinite, yet that’s the belief he will accept!

Carl: Mm-hmm. In the New Age movement, the idea is, Tom, you have forgotten your divinity. We’re helping you awake your divinity; we’re helping awake your divine self, your pantheistic self.

I find it interesting that, if you were/are God—if you, Tom McMahon, are God, and you just need to be reminded of the fact that you’re God, what kind of a limited god are you? I mean, if that was me, Tom, I’d take myself back to the “god store” and ask for a replacement because this one’s defective!

Tom: What if we believe we are God, but then we forget again? I mean…

Carl: Exactly!

Tom: …that’s what they’re saying.

Carl: I know! That’s exactly what they’re saying, and it boggles me because this is a defective god! A forgetful god is a defective god, period. End of story. That’s not the attribute of who God is.

So it reminds me: many, many years ago I was at an event where the Dalai Lama was speaking. This was back in 1999, and I’m not sure if I’ve shared this—I’ve shared this a number of times—but the Dalai Lama was complaining about his eyeglasses because he has poor eyesight, and about his skin condition, and he had US Secret Service surrounding him. And he was talking to us about Y2K and how he was not afraid of one millennium to the other because he has seen millennium come and millennium go, which itself is a statement of deity, okay? That’s a God-statement to say that he has personally seen the passage of millenniums. But then he had just given us all of these “ha ha ha, I’ve got bad eyeglasses, ha ha, I’ve got bad skin condition.”

And I thought to myself—again, going back to this concept, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but it hit me: If you’re God, I would take you back to the god store and replace you because it’s deficient. Why do you need US Secret Service?

None of this makes sense, Tom. I mean, God has to be, in order for Him to be God, different fundamentally in every respect from the created order—certainly different than you and me. He is absolutely different than the creation.

Tom: Mm-hmm. So, Carl, that brings us to the problem of how are people accepting this? Because as you just pointed out, it’s irrational. When it rains, the Dalai Lama has an umbrella, okay?

Carl: Right!

Tom: I can think of some of the other gurus—well, what was their deal? Disease, illnesses, corruption, all of that. These are the godmen! Well, the question then is why are you having so many problems here? You know what the answer is? Karma. Whoa! In other words, the excuse that they give is that their guru, who is their god, basically, even though they are gods, their guru is basically taking on the karma of the rest. Hey, does that sound like a salvation kind of thing? But I document this. We have it in America: The Sorcerer’s New Apprentice. Those who work closely saw that what they were doing didn’t work! It was like a bad excuse: “Yeah, well, I’m working off the karma—not only my own, but for everybody else.” You know, that’s samsara, that’s the wheel of sorrows. That’s something that has no solution and even Gandhi was depressed over it, okay?

Carl: Yes, and it is depressing! If that is ultimately your foundation, it will have to become depressing. Again, it kind of goes back to some of our previous conversations: Where is your hope then? Because the problem doesn’t fix itself. Where is your hope? If we can’t discover our divinity in ourselves, then we look for it in our collective, we look for it in the group. And the power of emotion and the power of feelings and the power of experience plays a big role in that.

I have a section in my book talking a little bit about German national socialism before World War II started, and there’s an observation in the book—obviously not my observation, I wasn’t there! But it’s the observation of a historian at the time recognizing the emotional fervor, the group fervor that comes through as now they collectively are experiencing, collectively affirming their own salvation. It is an antichrist system in that it is projecting a false or an alternative messianic vision, a false system of salvation.

But, Tom, since sin entered the world, that’s what we’ve been doing. We’ve been looking for systems to save us, techniques to save us. It’s not in a technique is it? It’s in Jesus Christ.

Tom: It is an absolute rejection of what God has done for us, what He’s provided for us if you’re willing. God doesn’t put out a coercive system here. Some people think that, because yes, there are consequences to sin! There are eternal consequences. But God still loves us and calls us and has laid these things out for us. He has solved the problem if we’re willing to receive it and accept it.

Carl: Here’s a quote. I have it in my book—here’s an example. This is again from that time period before World War II. This was written by Heinrich Himmler’s esoteric philosopher in his book Lucifer’s Court. Listen to how the collective here recognizes their own divinity. I’ll just read you just a little brief piece here in Lucifer’s Court, and the fellow’s name was Otto Rahn. He was the German occult thinker of the time.

“In Lucifer’s Court, Otto Rahn recounts his wanderings in southern Germany. After stopping under an apple tree, he felt compelled to write the heretical thoughts of traveling spirits from centuries ago. ‘Jesus is not Christ! What is God? Lucifer is nature as you see it in you, around you, above you.’ Soon a scout patrol came into view, and Rahn joined in a song of solidarity: ‘If one of us becomes tired, the others are awake for him. If one of us wants to doubt, the others who believe laugh. If one of us is to fall, the others stand for two, because each fighter is a god, the comrades together.’”

That’s the spirit of the antichrist!

Tom: And it’s also a corruption of the Scriptures!

Carl: Yes.

Tom: Carl, I just had a survey, an interview with some people that I know really well, and the survey was about how did you move from a theistic belief—in other words, personal God of the Bible and so on—which they both did, and now they were into Eastern Mysticism, healing, all of that kind of stuff, meditation. So I said, “So how did you make that transition?” because I knew their background. I knew one grew up Roman Catholic, the other one Episcopalian and so on. “So how did you move from this theistic worldview to what you hold now?”

And one of them said, “Well, I still believe in what I grew up with.”

And I said, “Well, wait a minute, in my understanding,” and I knew exactly where they were coming from and what they were into, I said, “no, you take a pantheistic worldview.”

And one of them said, “Yes!”

And I said, “Hold on a second—you claim that you still believe in a personal God who created the universe, but now you believe in pantheism, that God is a force, that He’s impersonal and so on? How do you reconcile those two things?” Well, they thought about it, but they didn’t have any problem with it. That’s where we’re going! It moves away from objective truth. You can’t reason…I mean, how can you say A is non-A? But, Carl, you know this, this is where it’s going!

So the point of trying to reason—you know, as the Scriptures say, God says, “Come, let us reason together.” Could be the end of apologetics, because, “Well, Tom, I know what you’re saying. You’re making sense, and so on, but I just don’t feel that way.” Where do you go? “Have a nice day,” you know?

Carl: I’ll be honest, I’ve been wrestling through what does an apologetic look like? Because it’s not the same apologetics we use in terms of dealing, let’s say, with the pseudo-Christian counter-cults like Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s a different type of apologetics, and we’ve played around with that a little bit when I’ve gone to Burning Man and to other transformational events. How do you engage in apologetics where they can hold contradictory belief systems? And that’s what you’ve just described: you’re holding in one hand this belief system and in the other hand this belief system, and they contradict each other, but you both embrace them. And that’s an Eastern worldview, that’s an Eastern offset. And I think the Christian church, we have to start wrestling with what this looks like, because in many respects we’re still doing the apologetics of the counter-cults of Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and that’s great, that’s fine! But honestly your neighbors aren’t joining the Kingdom Hall, your neighbors are believing what you just described, Tom.

Tom: We’ve said this before—Carl, you, myself, anybody who’s a believer—folks, we can’t turn this around.

Carl: Right.

Tom: Why would I say that? Because we’re looking at what the Scriptures say this is all heading. Yeah, there are people crying out for revival and repentance and so on, but they have an agenda, which we’ll talk about sometime in the future, and the agenda is not according to the Scripture. It’s not the way the Bible lays out.

To give you a term, it’s Kingdom Dominionism. They believe they’re going to take over. They need revival for all of that; they need repentance—not for the right thing; and we all want revival and we all want repentance—cannot happen globally. There’s no verse in the Scripture that would give you that indication. But it will happen on the highways and byways. It will happen among people groups that come to the Lord, all right? We’re so thankful for that. But it is a rescue operation. We do what we do, and hopefully the folks that are listening to us, we’re trying to reach those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. God knows who they are, but we don’t, so we just keep doing what the Word of God says. We are trying to reach people that they might have eternal life.

I know what graciousness means, but my comprehension of it is so far below what it’s really all about. God is so incredibly gracious. He loves us so much He sent His Son to pay the full penalty for our sins. So that’s an important part of it.

I do want to go back to the point of insights from the Word of God as Samuel Andrews gives us in his book Christianity and Anti-Christianity in Their Final Conflict. Here’s a quote from the book—now remember, what we’re talking about is biblically focusing on the Antichrist. Why is that of value? Well, here’s what he writes: “He who seats himself in the temple of God [referring to the Antichrist], showing himself that he is God, is not, as is often said, one who compels the world to pay him divine homage by brute violence. It is done voluntarily.” He goes on to say, “That he can present himself to man as the object of divine honor and receive it shows a community of belief already existing between him and his worshippers.” They see him as the representative of their own religious ideas, and their religious ideas will be some form of pantheism, right?

Carl: Right, because it’ll be man worshipping himself.

Tom: Right.

Carl: Yeah.

Tom: You know, going back to the heart of man, they want this. If you reject Christ, what have you got left? Yourself. And you’ve got to add things to make you think it’s happening. But is this rational?

Carl, explain to me: how does a finite person become an infinite god? We could add to that—in Romans it says they are without excuse. They worship creation. Well, why are they without excuse? Because they know that God is the Creator of the universe; they know that He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. You don’t need the Bible to understand that. They recognize it from creation. But if it’s rejected, they’re just left with themselves.

Carl: It sounds like what’s happening is a strong delusion.

Tom: Well, the Holy Spirit is out convicting and drawing people to Himself, but decisions have to be made. So if that’s the case—He’s drawing but it’s being rejected—2 Thessalonians 2…where is it, verse 8 or 9: “Those who have not a love for the truth, God will send strong delusion.”

There are a couple of verses in the Bible that—tough! One is Matthew 7: “Many will come to me in that day and say, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not do this and do that?’” They are obviously under the delusion that they’re really working for God here, and I think in that verse they’re shocked when He says, “I never knew you.”

Carl: Yeah, it’s sobering, isn’t it?

Tom: Oh, man, it is. On the one hand it’s sobering, on the other hand it makes us jump for joy that we have received, accepted His eternal gift, that we’re going to spend eternity with Him—at what cost? We’ll never comprehend the cost that Jesus went through. Remember on His knees in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup pass from Me.” There’s something we will never understand, ever be able to understand the separation first time in the history of—not just creation, in the history of history, okay? But He did it for us, “for the joy that was set before Him.”

Carl: And that shows love beyond measure, beyond what we can grasp. And it should inspire us to be thankful and to appreciate it.

I look at what we have just discussed in the last 30 minutes here, Tom, and what strikes me is that some people look at this and go, “I’m finding this discouraging.” It’s not! It’s encouraging. Be strengthened, be encouraged, because the God that you serve loved you that much, loves us that much, and has shown mercy and grace to us, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Tom: Right, and all we’re trying to do here, folks, is explain it as best we can, and not just us, but others, whether it be Samuel Andrews or other people that have been influential in our lives coming from a biblical perspective. That’s where our hope is; that’s where our confidence is! It’s not in you, not in me, but it’s in not just the Word of God, but the work of the Holy Spirit to help us understand these things and be effective to His glory. That’s what we want.

Once again, thank you so much. I hope people are being edified by what we’re doing. See you, brother, God bless you!

Carl: Okay, have a good day!

This is number 18 in our series of “Get Biblical Understanding.” In this session we’re reading many but certainly not all of the biblical verses that have to do with the Gospel. The Apostle Paul writes that he is “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Why wasn’t Paul ashamed? Because he understood the gospel to be the—“good news”—in that it contained humanity’s only hope that would save it from being separated from God forever.

Again, the theme of this series is: THE GOSPEL (continuing)

ACTS 26:16-18 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

ACTS 26:22-23 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: 23that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the gentiles.

ROMANS 1:1-2 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

ROMANS 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

ROMANS 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

ROMANS 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

ROMANS 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

ROMANS 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

ROMANS 3:24-28 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith—without—the deeds of the law.

ROMANS 4:24-25 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

ROMANS 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

ROMANS 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What is the “good news” of the gospel—and from what does it save us? In order to answer that question, we must begin in the Garden, for it was there, in the most perfect environment that God’s heart of love and His creative power could design, that sin had its awful beginning.

Surrounded by beauty, satisfied by abundance, and enjoying the fellowship of their Creator Friend, our first parents nevertheless fell to the seductive lies of the Serpent. “Ye shall be as gods” was Satan’s promise, while Adam, in loyalty to Eve, whom he loved more than God himself, joined in her disobedience and ate of the forbidden fruit (1 Timothy 2:14).

Thus, “by [this] one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Death not only ends this short earthly life; it separates the sinner from God forever. In His infinite foreknowledge, wisdom, and love, however, God had already planned how He would restore life and reunite mankind with Himself.

Without ceasing to be God, He would become a man through a virgin birth. Only God could be the Savior (Isaiah 43:11; 45:21, etc.), thus the Messiah had to be God (Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 45:15; Titus 1:3, 4, etc.). He would die for our sins to pay the penalty demanded by His justice: “’Tis mystery all, the immortal dies!” hymn writer Charles Wesley declared. Then He would rise from the dead to live in those who would believe in and receive Him as their Lord and Savior. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life would be theirs as a free gift of His grace. Centuries before His incarnation, God inspired the Old Testament prophets to declare His eternal and unchangeable plan of salvation.