How to Survive anti-Christ

                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              

A Christian blogger I've followed for some years frequently has some valuable insights.  His most recent post highlighted some kinds of persecution believers will face in the end-times, and made some good points.

I was disappointed to see the comments on that post were more about survivalist tactics (albeit generally discounting those) than anything else.

My comment was that spiritual discernment seems the most important provision we can make for surviving the end-times.  That seems the take-away from Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:24 that it will almost be possible for “even the elect” to be deceived by anti-Christ's false spirit.

We probably see that deception happening even now.  I John 2:18ff says the spirit of anti-Christ was, and is, already active in the world.

Knowing so, it seems wise to test our spiritual discernment by practicing it.

Scripture’s characterization of anti-Christ is that he will be “attractive” in the highest possible degree, on every human scale. That he will be a man more “likable” and appealing, more intelligent, better educated, more "successful" by the world's measure, and vastly more plausible and subtle in his dissembling malevolence than any human “leader” before him.

Our question must be whether we can discern the anti-Christ spirit already operative in current human leaders.  Although its manifestations...particularly that spirit's most distinguishing characteristics, lies, pride, and rebelliousness...are necessarily more clumsy and shabby in operation today than they will be when anti-Christ himself practices them, that means we should more easily be able to discern them.

We have scripture's word that the spirit of anti-Christ is "out there."  His spirit is much more blatantly obvious today than it will be when that "slick" master-deceiver arrives.  If we cannot even see where and how anti-Christ's spirit it is in operation today, we must quickly and diligently seek God for His gift of discernment.