Adonikam - The Antichrist
"This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666." Revelation 13:18
1 John 4:2-4 tells us, "By this you know the Spirit of God: 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 heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
1 Kings 11:4-5 tells us, "For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites."
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:36-51).
Just who is the antichrist?
In Scripture, John wrote a great deal about the antichrist. In 1 John 2:22, we read, "Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son."
In searching the Scriptures we discover many interesting things.
We find that King Solomon's gold in a given year measured 666 talents. Reading from 1 Kings 10:14-15 we find, "Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land."
We know, too, that in his old age, Solomon's wives turned his heart away from God.
As we continue to search the Scriptures we find that the man Adonikam had 666 sons who returned with him to Israel after the Babylonian Exile. We read this in Ezra 2:13 and in Nehemiah 7:18 (counts 667 including Adonikam). While Scripture tells us little about this man, the number is significant as is the meaning of the name. Adonikam has the dual meaning, The Lord has risen and Lord of enemies.
As we examine the world in which we live now, we find a growing and overwhelming enemy in a something as well as many someones, and that is the love of money. We are so easily bought, having sold our families, our children, our churches, and our souls for a love other than that of our precious Savior. We have forgotten that our lives, our souls were already bought—purchased by the blood of Jesus who died on a cruel cross for your sins and for mine.
While we may not have all of the answers, may we cling to the One who does, Jesus Christ alone, to be our hiding place. And may we feed others the truth of Scripture at the proper time.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:36-51).
"And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him." 1 John 2:28-29
Goodnight, Runners.
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