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What I am about to share, I will do so in 3 segments over 3 days. Some would likely not read all of it anyway. Some will roll their eyes at the beginning and scroll on. Some will read and listen to what I have to share. Some will read and not pay heed. I am judging no one! Many of you that know me, and have known me for a long time, have hopefully seen a change in me that is for the better. I am not an expert and don’t claim to be. What I wrote, I wrote from the heart and only after consulting with the ultimate Expert and Author of the ultimate Book; this has been on my heart to do this. Please bear with me as I do this out of love and the desire to see as many of you as possible again and for all time. More importantly, to ensure that the effort has been made to reach out to you about the most important subject matter there is. --- Randy Rasner SEGMENT 1 Friends and family, the following (Segment 1) is not something I wrote, but is a commentary from the Life’s Principals Bible authored by Dr. Charles Stanley. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT the Spirit of the Antichrist 1John 2:15-24 Many people have the philosophy that "it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you're sincere." However, it does matter what you believe because your beliefs determine your relationship with the Father, how you relate to others, and what eternal destiny is in store for you. One day we will stand before almighty God to give an account of how we've lived. Therefore, now is the time to be certain about what we believe and where those beliefs lead us. What really matters is if our beliefs measure up to God's Word, or whether we've been taken in by the spirit of the age which the Bible calls "the spirit of antichrist." Although Antichrist is the Bible's name for a specific individual who will someday lead the earth to rebel against almighty God, antichrist also means the spirit underlying our culture as it opposes the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is as old as the garden of Eden: When Eve Chose to rebel against the command of God, the spirit of antichrist appeared in our world. It's the willful determination to usurp the place of God by making our own decisions and ignoring His wisdom and sovereignty. Unfortunately, this lawless spirit has penetrated every part of the world we live in--it fills our universities, our businesses, and even our pulpits. Therefore, it's vitally important that we know what we believe and why we believe it. We must believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We must believe Jesus is the Son of God, deity in human flesh, and that He is the only way to salvation. We must believe that He died on the Cross as the full payment for our sins and experienced a bodily resurrection so that we may be forgiven and have eternal life. We must believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer and has sealed us as children of God. Finally, we must believe that Jesus Christ is coming again and will take us to the eternal home He has prepared. John writes, "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; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world" (1 John 4:2, 3). Antichrist denies Christ's deity, atoning death, and the truth of God's Word. However, the Lord has given every believer the presence of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to help us discern truth from error. If we don't have Jesus Christ, we have nothing. All else is vain and empty philosophy and offers us only death. The truth is that we need not surrender to this deception, for Christ the Lord has risen. He is real, He is God, and he has the victory over the spirit of this age. Jesus said, "The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17). The opposition may seem powerful today, and it may seem to have won the war for our culture. Yet Christ is still Lord of all creation, and He will have the final word. In the meantime, you and I must know our beliefs and know them well so that we can communicate them to a world hungry for truth. Notice: I will not respond to those that wish to debate, argue and/or criticize this post. Sadly, some prefer to spend their time doing that. So, get thee behind me Satan. --- Randy Rasner