Antichrist always seeks worship and always attempts to overcome the testimony of those who bear witness of God and His Christ. Antichrist overcomes the Christian witness by violence and by deception.

Antichrist overcomes the Christians in communistic countries by violence. Antichrist overcomes the Christians in the democratic nations by comfort and materialism.

The Communist Party has gained control of a large part of the world's population. The Communist Party overcomes the Christian witness by violence. The Christian witness is driven from the cities and forced into hiding. The Jewish worshipers in the Communist states are also persecuted because Judaism and Christianity are part of one whole, Christianity being the spiritual fulfillment and eternal life of true Judaism (not of the non-Biblical Jewish traditions).

Judaism and Christianity have far more in common than many people realize. Satan and his Antichrist understand that Judaism and Christianity are of God and parts of one whole. The Judaic and Christian organizations fight against one another because the spirit of Babylon is in both of them. The true elect of God are neither Jew nor Gentile but the Body of Christ, the Seed of Abraham. They are the olive tree of God. They are the one new Man.

The violent persecution of Christians may be greater today than in any other period of world history. It is evident Antichrist is here now both in the communist systems and the democratic systems of the world. In the communist nations the spirit of Antichrist is perhaps more obvious. Those who do not conform suffer economic penalties and sometimes are imprisoned and tortured.

It is the deception of Christians, rather than physical persecution, that operates in the democratic nations. Some of the aspects of modern democratic nations, such as ungoverned speech and conduct, the rule of the people, the emphasis on the acquisition of money, the separation of church and state, and an abundance of material wealth and pleasure, can prove to be destructive of Christian discipleship. They lead to the deceptions of Antichrist.

In the democratic nations the emphasis on the free expression of the individual is leading to vile, hellish orgies of animal lust. The filthiest, most corrupt, perverted, grotesque, obscene expressions of Satan are protected by the doctrine of freedom of speech. The democratic systems are founded on freedom of speech. The Kingdom of God demands controlled speech—speech disciplined by the Spirit of God and that glorifies God.

The rule of the people is contrary to the ways of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom. God speaks. His Word is revealed through Christ. The Lord's servants, His bondslaves, obey the Word of God without question—even to torture and death.

Capitalism as a system of economics is not Divine. The love of money is the root of all evil. The government of Antichrist is founded on money. Men hoard money in order to protect themselves against harm—to make themselves secure. Men use money to take the place of God.

Of all the gods of the first century, the one God Jesus mentioned was money. "No man can serve God and mammon," Jesus stated.

To be continued.