The Anti-Christ Spirit (The Branch) & Its Rotten Fruits
Martin Luther plastered his 95 theses to the church walls in hopes of change. In the same way, we are writing the “End Times 95 Theses by The Two Witnesses of Revelation '' in hopes that there is reflection, change, and repentance in the end times church. The first and second theses are here and here, and in this post, the third thesis will discuss the dead fruit of the rotten vine - the branch of the anti-Christ spirit with fruits of unholiness, mediocrity, and more.
Introduction
When one imagines the anti-Christ, or its spirit, they may imagine pure, obvious evil. Perhaps they imagine a charming man laughing in an maniacal way, as he murders people and declares himself Lord. Many believe that the anti-Christ will be easy to identify in the end times, for Christians at least. The opposite is true.
Most people’s perception of the anti-Christ and anti-Christ spirit has been influenced by Hollywood, with series like Left Behind. People have never questioned their own perceptions, and that is extremely dangerous. They have never questioned the influences behind their perceptions, and that is one of the core problems of the church. Immersed in the wordly media, they form conclusions without analyzing them. Is the anti-Christ going to be what we have been trained to believe he will be?
We do not think so, and you can learn more about that here. In the meantime, this post will focus on the anti-Christ spirit and its fruits.
To begin, the false doctrines of "Once Saved, Always Saved" (OSAS), the prosperity gospel, and more, have created empty fruit and a spirit that feels like Christ, but it is not Christ. It is an imitation of Jesus Christ, and remember, Satan likes to imitate God and his creation because he cannot create himself.
So, this “rotten fruit” produced by this anti-Christ spirit is unholiness and mediocrity. On the outside, the fruits of this dead church may look beautiful, colorful, and healthy, but on the inside, they are rotten.
For the purpose of this post, I actually drew a picture. Why? Well, computer generated art can feel empty, and I felt a rudimentary drawing from me would represent what I am trying to say. It is a symbol for the thesis of this post.
Though everything is clean cut and perfect looking in the end times church, like AI or computer generated art, it can feel empty. When artists design something themselves, even if imperfect, it sometimes means more. Of course, I am not against creating art on the computer, but I felt as though the image I was trying to create wouldn’t come across correctly. I ended up making an image, and please note, I am not an artist when it comes to drawing. Still, I felt like this image was a representation of this post as a whole - that maybe readers would appreciate the effort I took and the heart behind it, despite its imperfections. So, here is the image:
So, as you can see, the false vine is not of Jesus Christ - it is of man. These men preach the doctrines of OSAS, prosperity, whitewash, etc. According to Matthew 23:27:
- “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
Remember, the true vine is Jesus, but people in modern churches are following men more than Jesus. Then, this false vine produces the false branch, which is full of the anti-Christ spirit. The false fruits of the anti-Christ spirit are sin, unholiness, mediocrity, pride, self-righteousness, apathy, worldliness, and more that I could not fit into the image.
What readers need to understand is that the anti-Christ and the anti-Christ spirit, along with its fruits, are not blatant. They are often shrouded in secret sin, with a shiny, lovely appearance. In the world, you will see more blatant sins of murder, lust, etc. However, the sins of the false church are not always so apparent at first. They are secretive, quiet, and imitations of Christ. For example, someone may be self-righteous but appear righteous to church goers. Some may be apathetic, but they are always talking about their great works. Their bad fruits are disguised as good fruits.
The problem is that, unlike God, mere humans cannot see the inner hearts of men. That is why Jesus said we will know them by their fruit - we will be able to decipher whether a person is a sheep or wolf by the fruit they produce. Despite what the false prosperity gospel tells us, Christians are allowed to examine the fruit of other Christians, and there is a need for righteous judgment at times.
Because of this, this post will explore the fruit that is being produced by the church. Before that is discussed, let us examine the anti-Christ spirit on a deeper level.
The Anti-Christ Spirit (The Branch of the Vine)
Remember, even Satan disguises himself as a being of light. If the anti-Christ is an imitation of Christ, so then, is its spirit.
In these end times, the church is now full of the anti-Christ spirit. Most churches are not operating with the Holy Spirit, and that is because they have given themselves over to itching ears. We are not saying there aren’t some good churches out there or that you should not go to church. We believe people have freedom and need to make choices that help them as Christians. We know some readers accept the imperfection of their churches and are trying to be the true light. We know some readers simply need fellowship in a lonely world.
However, we are trying to get people to see that just because something looks or appears nice does not mean it is nice inside.
Remember the snake in the garden. To naive Eve, he seemed nice enough. He seemed to want to offer a gift to Eve. Her ignorance was her downfall.
Unfortunately, ignorance is not an excuse, and the Bible says people perish due to their lack of knowledge.
So, what I am asking of readers is to examine the people around them who claim to be Christians. I am also here to remind readers that just because a person claims they are Christian does not mean they are Christian. You can examine them by their fruits. What fruits do they produce in the church, in your life, or the lives of others?
The anti-Christ spirit feels like Christ, and that is the problem. On the surface it is nice, shiny, and even joyful. On the inside, it is empty, void, and lukewarm.
That is the problem most readers have with the churches they attend or have attended. Many of them simply feel “fake.” It’s like biting into a perfect red apple that is actually plastic. That is the anti-Christ spirit that operates through the church.
It is a false Holy Spirit. It feels holy, but it is not holy because it does not produce any real fruit, only rotten fruit, so let us talk more about that.
The False Fruit - The Unholy Spirit
Finally, the outcome of this false branch is false fruit, and that is why the Christians we see today are not operating the way they should. Let us examine some of this false fruit we see in the church today.
Sin (Especially hidden): First, and foremost, most Christians are in churches that do not rebuke or condemn sin enough, and people have allowed grace and mercy to overflow with no obedience or discipline.
Here is a great testimony on Jesus’s judgment, and the woman speaking gives great advice. To paraphrase, if you find that you only see the loving, kind parts of Jesus, remind yourself by reading verses about His judgment. If you find you only see the harsh, disciplinary parts of Jesus, remind yourself by reading about His love. Jesus Christ is perfect in love, discipline, and judgment. We cannot have Jesus' love without His discipline, and vice versa.
Further, many claim they do not sin but have tons of hidden sin in their hearts. This is a huge problem in the end times church. According ot Proverbs 28:13,
- 13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Apathy: From my experiences writing this blog, this is one of the largest problems I see. People just do not care. In fact, I would argue that the anti-Christ is apathetic. He doesn't care about anything or anyone. Only himself.
I am not trying to make anyone feel bad. Remember, when I write, I write for myself as much as anyone reading. According to Revelation 3:16,
- So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
God does not want a lukewarm/apathetic church. He does want you to care, even about the little things.
We have been critiqued in this blog that some of the work we do is meaningless. The poor will always be with us, right? While that is true, that doesn't mean we should grow completely apathetic. Also, that verse isn't an excuse to do nothing for the poor. However, it does help us remember that spending time with Jesus Christ is our number one goal - before all else.
Anyway, God examines what we do with the "little things", and He wants us to be faithful in even the smallest of things. We should not grow apathetic toward the suffering around us, toward the people struggling. Though it can be daunting, we must constantly try to renew the oil of our lamps through Jesus Christ.
In other words, start by caring about the little things, if you are struggling with apathy. That is where we all should start. The little things, and the big things, matter to God, and our little things become our big things.
Worldiness: When the churches shut down during the pandemic, they showed exactly which God they worshipped: the world, also known as Satan's world.
The church is worldly, and therefore, no longer Godly.
To provide an anecdote (and I'm sure many readers have their own!), I ran into a friend and her daughter during Halloween at the local store. We were talking and she said, "They are celebrating Halloween at the Baptist church this weekend."
I just did not know what to say. Why the h*ll was the Baptist church celebrating Halloween? I apologize for breaking out of formal writing, but I am actually laughing because when I thought about it, it seemed absurd.
Instead of saying, "We are going to celebrate Jesus this weekend at the Baptist church," they were going to celebrate Satan's holiday. Here are my thoughts about Halloween, by the way.
The point is that worldliness is such an integral part of the church now that most do not notice it. It started as a seed and grew into a terrible vine. Jesus says,
- [18] "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
[19] If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
[20] Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
Mediocrity: The other day, the Holy Spirit gave me a thought. I asked God, "Will mediocrity get people into Heaven?" He said, "No. Holiness will."
This is a point many readers will not like. I am giving you all food for thought.
Mediocrity is on par with lukewarmness and apathy, which we discussed earlier. If God is going to spit the lukewarm out of His mouth, won't he spit out the mediocre?
This is a thought experiment, and nothing more, and I am not the Judge. Only Jesus is.
With that being said, consider this verse:
- But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Most of you reading this blog are in great positions compared to the rest of the world. Even me. We have been given much.
Right now, in Kenya, their society is collapsing. The children are drinking from mud puddles of stagnant water. There are so many orphans it is unbelievable. Even if you do not believe what I write, there are truly people suffering around the world, much more than us.
As I write this, I am warm. I am fed. I am mostly healthy. I am comfortable. Are you?
We have been given much, even if we have forgotten that.
God has also given you and me gifts. Almost everyone has their own special gift that they are supposed to utlize for God in some way. What are you doing with your gifts? Are they glorifying God?
Another issue is that many use their abiltiies to stir up conflict, produce petty quarrels, and create division in the church. Do you uplift those speaking the truth? Let us remember this verse:
- 14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
We are called to be holy - not mediocre.
Self-Righteousness and Pride
Self-reflection is an art. We all must ask God to help us examine our own hearts.
The modern church has been overtaken by The New Pharisees.
They think they do nothing wrong, and they have immense pride in their hearts.
Since we have already written on this, I will not go too deeply.
The first sin was pride, and it shall be the last.
Right now, when it comes to the vaccine, there is such immense pride. Most "Christians" do not want to admit they did anything wrong, and they never will.
Of course, this pride comes in many forms, but we started this blog largely because of the vaccine. Truthfully. We wanted to warn the world about it. If you took it, drop your pride now and repent. If you didn't take it, try to lead others to the truth (I know this is difficult).
Of course, there are many prideful sins occuring besides the vaccine, but I believe the vaccine is the perfect symbol for the end times church.
This church was injected with an abomination: false doctrine. This false doctrine has led to the anti-Christ spirit, and it has produced fruits of unholiness. The false spirit was like a vaccine - it innoculated the church against the true Holy Spirit, making people immune to the true spirit of Christ.
Conclusion
What can we do about this? We have to be the change we want to see in others. We cannot judge others if we ourselves are not living righteouslessly and the way God wants.
The purpose of this blog is to get people to think and reflect.
I try to be incredibly honest about my journey to help readers. I also try to model or practice what I preach.
Again and again, I have written I am not perfect, but every day I strive for holiness.
I ask readers to do the same. No, God does! I also appreciate that many readers do email us, confessing their sins and faults. I truly appreciate every single email we have ever received, especially those with honest and reflective hearts.
Sanctification is a process and will not happen over night. Most of you have seen the growth and transformation in yourselves during these past few years. Good work.
The problem is the false "Christians." These are the ones that will soon be our enemies - or already are.
When persecution comes, it will be from your own family, your own loved ones, and churchgoers.
When you say you don't want to take the vaccine, they will be the ones persecuting you, and they already have, haven't they?
When you say you don't trust the digital ID, they will say, "But it's not the chip! The anti-Christ hasn't risen yet!"
When you say you don't want to participate in that celebration or holiday, they will say "You are too judgmental."
When you warn them about the end times, they will say, "It's always been this way. Nothing has changed."
When the media starts to target the "extreme" or "radical" Christians, they will be the ones helping the government find you.
These false Christians are just Satanists and they don't even know it.
Harsh words, I know. But I am not here for whitewash. In fact, I am yelling from the rooftops. Judgment is coming! Judgment is coming!
Judgment on Jerusalem’s Sins
22 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 “Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices 3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, 4 you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries. 5 Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil.
6 “‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. 7 In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. 8 You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. 9 In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts. 10 In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. 11 In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. 12 In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord.
13 “‘I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst. 14 Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. 15 I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness. 16 When you have been defiled[a] in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.’”
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, the people of Israel have become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. 20 As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. 21 I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath on you.’”
23 Again the word of the Lord came to me: 24 “Son of man, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.’ 25 There is a conspiracy of her princes[b] within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.
30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
God bless you all in the name of Jesus Christ. May these writings lead many to reflection and repentance in Jesus's name.
- Witness 2