Aaron: A Type of the Anti-Christ

When Moses when up into the mountain to commune with God, God did not just want Moses to come up but all the Elders of Israel. God desired to establish the higher covenant with Israel. God didn't want a kingdom with one prophet and one high priest, God wanted all His covenant people to be prophets, priests and kings. But the people feared God and would not go up into the mountain. Instead, they told Moses to go up for them and then come down and tell them the word of the Lord second hand. Unfortunately, while Moses was away, the people strayed and fell into sin.

Num. 11: 29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!
Ex. 19: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.
Ex. 20: 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

Well, the Israelites got bored waiting for Moses to come back down. Some claimed he died up in the mountain and wasn't coming or otherwise was delaying his coming. The impatient Israelites asked Aaron to make a golden cafe to be a false god for them and they gave Aaron all their gold to fashion it. Then God warned Moses to hurry down the mountain because the people were polluting themselves worshipping a false god.

In this story, there is an important aspect regarding delaying and hastening having to do with the second coming of Christ. But there also is a relationship between Aaron and the anti-Christ. This story raises several issues including a false concept of God, preistcraft, gainsaying, sexual sin, etc . Also, the people have rejected God and refused to commune with Him directly but only seek a second-hand relationship with God. And while Moses is away, they immediately forget the Lord and pressure Aaron into making up a false religion and false God and give Aaron all their gold. So, we see here that the anti-Christ in the old days will have something to do with denying the people a personal relationship and communion with God, will take the money of the people, and will make them a false god.

LDS on the other hand invite all its members to develop a personal relationship with God. There is no difference between the teacher and the learner. The meaning of the LDS Temple endowment is that all Gods people are made kings and priests unto God. Every member of the LDS church is given the priesthood and is expected to be a Moses, or a Peter and enjoy the same spiritual gifts and exemplify the same righteousness and be empowered to the same good works in our individual stewardships as these great men of God.

Rev. 1: 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Antichrist: Denying the Physicality of God, His Church, His Temple

Many Evangelical, Creedal Christians deny the physicality of God, His Church and His Temple. They focus on only the spiritual meaning of temple as the body of the believer. They focus only on the spiritual meaning of the church, as the body of believers. But what many errantly deny is the continued importance of the physicality of Christ's being, the physicality of His church, and the physicality of His temple.

Yes, there is a crucial spiritual meaning to the temple and the church. But God is both spiritual and physical. Temples are both spiritual and physical. The Body of Christ is both spiritual and physical. These are not mutually exclusive. There is no dichotomy here. You want to make a false dichotomy and say it is only one way or the other. Truth is, its both, which is my point. Gods temple and church and being are both spiritual and temporal. Just as Christ redeemed and resurrected His body, He has redeemed and restored His church, His holy word, and His temple.
Without the body, Christ couldn't have performed the atonement. Christ not only performed the atonement with his body, he also died with His body, He redeemed and resurrected His body, H showed His body to the Apostles and Paul, and He ascended into heaven with His body. Therefore, the body can't be all bad or inherently evil. There must be something good about His physicality. And if there is any good in it, than that good must be a part of God's Being who is the source of all that is good.

Christ equated His body with that of the temple and with His church in the scriptures.

John 2:18-21 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.

Eph 4:11-14 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Jesus Christ showed us that perfection involves the unification of both the spirit and glorified body together. Despite Christ redeeming His physical body, many Evangelical, Nicene Creed Christians deny the physicality of God, deny the physicality of Christ's church, and deny the physicality of Christ's temple. Many Christians have adopted an extreme "Christ is all I need" doctrine to exclude the need for gifts of grace like prophets, apostles, priesthood, church organization, water baptism, communion, laying on of hands, etc. However, this is exactly the kind of thing John in Revelation warned the believers about. Denying the physicality of God is what John said was the spirit of Antichrist.

1 Jn. 4: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Many Early Christians went apostate because this "physicality is evil" doctrine crept into the doctrine. The physicality of God was denied and it affected other doctrines. Many Christians know that the gnostics denied Christs physical resurrection but have forgotten why the gnostics refused to accept that Christ had a body. They rejected Christ's physicality because they knew that Christ was the exact, perfect and complete revelation of the nature of the Father. And they could not accept that the Father could possibly have any physicality. So, while Evangelical Christians today accept Christ's physicality, many are no better then the Gnostics because, like them, they can not accept that the Father has physicality as part of His nature. that is the doctrine of the antiChrist then and now. And that leads many to deny any physicality in Christ's Church (also equated with His body), and Christ's temple (also equated with His body). The truth of the Bible is that there are both spiritual and physical meaning to Christ's Church and Temple as Christ has both a body and a spirit as the Father has both a body and a spirit.

Philip. 3: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

1 Cor. 9: 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1 Cor. 15: 42, 50, 52-54 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Satan and Evil do not create anything of their own, but corrupt things. Therefore there is nothing inherently evil about the body or physicality. Christ, on the other hand, changes things, purifies, sanctifies, and perfects things. Therfore the corruptible flesh can become incorruptible and holy. This truth refutes the belief that anything physical is evil, impure, and inferior. If anything physical is inferior, what would that mean about Christ who has a body? Would that make Christ inferior? Yes, corrupt flesh and blood can not inherit the kingom of God, but Christ's incorruptible and glorified body of flesh and bone did.

Rev 13:5-7 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

John talks again about the message of the "mouth" or "false prophet" or "Antichrist" of the beast. The Antichrist would blaspheme God, His name (Christ), by blaspheming his tabernacle, his body, or physicality. This is also directly related to those who deny the physicality of Christ's church and the revelations about the restoration of Christ's temple in the Last Days. Some see God as spirit only. Therefore, they only see the God's church, temple, and salvation in terms of the spiritual and deny any physicality associated with them.

When the Scriptures say that God is spirit, and that man must worship Him in spirit and in truth. It was saying God is both spirit and body and man must learn to worship God both in body and spirit, letter of the law and spirit of the law, with a broken heart and contrite spirit, and with faith and works together just as God is a perfect and glorified union of the spiritual and physical.

John warns us not to worship the beast (Roman Catholic Church), its image (Protestantism), and receive not its mark (Trinity, Nicene Creed). John warns us not to listen to the Antichrist and the "mouth" of the Beast that will blaspheme His tabernacle and deny the physicality of God, His church, and His temple.

Obviously, this would be the road most traveled by the Gentiles. If most people were to be fooled, shouldn't those who consider ourselves true believers of Christ examine ourselves like the Apostles did to ask if we are guilty of denying and betraying Him. Shouldn't we ask as did the Apostles, "Lord, Is it I" (Matt. 26: 22).

Beasts, Images, and Marks

Rev. 7: 3 and Rev. 9: 4 talk about God's "sealing in the forehead" not to be confused with Satan's counterfeit "mark of the beast"Daniel and John both talk about Beasts.

Daniel 7 talks about 4 Beasts or Empires: Babylon, Persia, Greece (4 heads), and Rome (ten horns). The 10 horns represent 10 Emperors to Vespasian. The little horn is Titus who destroyed the temple and crucified thousands of Jews around the walls of Jerusalem. John in Revelation talks about the same Beast but combines them into one with 7 heads (add up the heads) and the same 10 horns. John is telling the same story of the Great Apostasy. John and Daniel both warn that the Beast (Roman Empire) would both "overcome the Saints" and "prevail against them" Also, Daniel points out that the Roman Empire would "change the times and laws" of the gospel. We see this with the creation of the Catholic church of the Roman Empire and the Ecumenical Creeds. The gates of Hell do prevail against the Saints because they cease to be built upon revelation and Peter's keys and authority.

John in Revelation (Rev. 19: 20, Rev. 15: 2, Rev. 14: 9-11, Rev. 13: 14-15) talks more about this beast. John never uses the word Antichrist in Revelation but says the beast would be given a "mouth" to blaspheme God and His tabernacle (body and temple), and His people. This beast is the same as the 4-headed beast which personifies the Roman Catholic Church. But it doesn't just represent that. Because John says that this Beast makes a copy or an image of itself. And that if a person worshipped the Beast and its image, and receive its mark, they would burn. So, what is the image of the Catholic Church; an offshoot that is just as corrupt as the original? The image is Protestantism. So, in a specific sense, If the Beast is Roman Catholicism and the Image is Protestantism, then what it the mark? The mark is the only doctrine that Catholicism and Protestantism have in common. And that common doctrine is acceptance of the Nicene Creed which teaches that the Father and Son are one undivided substance or "homousious" and that the Father has no body, and that in some mysterious, incomprehensible way they are 3 persons yet 1 being. Remember that the "spirit of Antichrist" were those who denied the physical resurrection of Christ. Also, this is just one of many ways evil people mark themselves.

So, what about the Antichrist or this "mouth" that blasphemes God and its number of 666. 666 is a key to understanding what the Antichrist really is all about. The only place in scripture you find the number 666 is associated with King Solomon. Therefore King Solomon is a type of the Antichrist. What happened to King Solomon? What happened was that King Solomon was that not only did he practice polygamy, but that he took wives from outside the Jewish faith. Because these wives practiced pagan religion, he wanted to please these pagan wives, and began to adopt aspects of their pagan religions, and build temples and idols to their gods. Solomon became very rich and in the year the Queen of Sheba visited he received 666 talents of gold which he used to adorn his own palace and not the temple.

Considering this story, it is apparent that Aaron also becomes a type of the Antichrist. While Moses us up in the mountain communing with God, Aaron and the people claim that Moses "delayeth his coming." The people became idle and wrestless, and gave Aaron all their gold so that he would make a golden calf and false god to worship and fall into perverse sexual sin. This parallels Paul's warning about many in his day and in the Last Days who would practice what is called priestcraft, or preaching false religion for money. Paul calls preistcraft "gainsaying" for "filthy lucre." (Titus 1: 7, 11).

In a general sense the idea of the Beast, Image, and Mark would represent any false and apostate religion and religious ideology. John gives us the pattern for how apostate and false religions operate and what their message is. John in Revelations 13:6 what the Antichrist would say. John says he would "open his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."I think it interesting that John says the "mouth" of the beast would blaspheme the tabernacle or temple of God. This is an interesting concept because Christ equates several things with His body such as His church organization, and the temple itself.

There are many Evangelical, Nicene Creed Christians who have been taught an extreme "Jesus is all I need" doctrine that excludes the literal restoration of Gods temple, the literal physicality of God, and the proper organization of Christ's Church with Apostles and prophets, priesthood, water baptism, ordinances. Their rejection of the physicality of God becomes a metaphor for their rejection for the physical, tangible things of God's church. All I need is Christ they say. There is no more need for ordinances, or ritual, or priesthood, or church hierarchy. Everything is spiritual like God is. But they forget that Christ made a point by redeeming his body, and that while God is spirit, the physical and the spiritual together constitute perfection, and one cannot properly worship God in spirit and in truth unless He learns to worship God in body and spirit, by the letter and the spirit of the law, and with faith and works together.

The Second Coming: Delaying and Hastening

The Bible makes many predictions about certain events that would happen in the Last Days before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. One of these is the prediction of the coming of what the Bible calls the "antichrist." The Bible doesn't give a lot of details about what the "antichrist" is. Consequently there has been a great amount of speculation on the matter. Some believe that this prophecy has already been fulfilled, while others feel that it will yet be fulfilled in the future. Some believe that the "antichrist" will be a certain individual that rises to power in the Last Days, while others speculate that this term refers to an anti-Christian philosophy or doctrine, or is just another term for Satan. In actual fact, all these prophecies like all prophecies in the Bible have multiple fulfillment. That is why the Bible is so valuable. The themes repeat themselves in history and in our personal lives over and over again. And just as the prophecy of an "antichrist" and an apostasy was fulfilled in the time of Christ, it will be fulfilled again in the Last Days.

So, just what does the Bible say about the "antichrist?"

1 Jn. 2: 18, 22 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. . . . Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 Jn. 4: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
2 Jn. 1: 7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2 Thes. 2: 2-3 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2 Pet. 2: 1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying [that] the Lord bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Matt 24:2,29,34 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. . . Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: . . . Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

According to the Bible the the antichrist and the apostasy had already come and been revealed according to John. Christ said that all the prophesies in Matt. 24 would be fulfilled in that generation. According to John, the "antichrist" was the gnostic doctrine that denied that God had actually come to Earth in the flesh. And it was upon this and other similar false doctrines that many Saints fell away from the church and the church itself fell into a complete apostasy.

Christ spoke of this great apostasy that would follow the appearance of the "antichrist." When Jesus Christ spoke of the stones of the temple not being left upon one another; He was speaking also about the principles and doctrine and church. When Christ speaks of the Sun, Moon, and stars not giving light; Jesus Christ is referring to the cessation of heavenly light and revelation from heaven.

However, just like the prophesies of Isaiah, Christ's words have multiple fulfillment. So, while all these prophecies have been fulfilled during the generation of Christ, they will all be fulfilled again in the Last Days. The prophecy of the "antichirst" applied to the tribulation of the Early Church, and will apply as well to the tribulation in the Last Days. So, there will be an anti-Christ in the last days. But, who or what has not been revealed.

According to the Book of Mormon, which is also a type of the Last Days, the people who believed in the second coming of Christ were rounded up and were to be killed by the the non-believers when the time came for Christ to be born. These people didn't believe that God would actually come in the flesh. Antichrists of the Book of Mormon like Sharem and Korihor contended that to them the idea of God coming to Earth in the flesh and talking upon Himself the form of a man was the "effect of a frenzied [and deranged] mind." A Book of Mormon prophet, Samuel the Lamanite" prophesied about the sign of Christ's birth. When the unbelievers thought the time had passed for the prophesy to be fulfilled, they threatened to kill all the believers.

3 Nephi 1:5-9 But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite. And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain. And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass. But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain. Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.

So, according to the Bible we can expect there will be many who deny that Christ will come again to the Earth. I am sure there are many now who think anyone who believes and expects such things suffers from a "deranged mind." Whether there will be an actual person who serves as a ringleader, I can't say. But, the Bible does give a bit more detail about the circumstances leading up to the Second Coming.

According to several passages in the Bible, there may arise an issue regarding Christ delaying His coming. It seems there have been several Christian groups who have tried to predict the time of the Second Coming despite the Bible saying "no man knoweth the hour." Maybe there will be some of this attitude after 2012 comes and goes? Isn't this when the Maya think the world is supposed to end? And I am sure there will be those who like in the days of the Apostles will deny that Jesus Christ will literally and physically come back to the Earth. Maybe some will say that this is all supposed to be taken figuratively.

Matt. 24: 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Luke 12: 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
Ex. 32: 1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

What is interesting is that the Bible seems to present Moses' descent from the mountain as a type and shadow of the Second Coming. So, while Moses is up in the mount speaking with God, the people waiting below loose patience, murmur, and then fall into sin. Isaiah alludes to this perception of the people, that God delays His coming, when he says that there are many vain men in Israel who ask that God "hasten his work" and show them a sign before they will believe.
However, on the other hand, it is interesting that while some will falsely claim that Christ delays His coming, Christ says if He doesn't hasten His coming in the Last Days, all flesh would be destroyed.

Isa. 5: 19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
Isa. 60: 22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.
Jer. 1: 12 Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
Jer. 17: 15 Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come now.
Matt. 24: 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

It is interesting how these delaying and hastening scriptures refer to the Last Days and how Moses is a type of the Last Days and the Second Coming of Christ. In the same way, Aaron may represent the anti-Christ.

Barnabas the Apostle who was a companion of Paul also refers to the prophecy of the "antichrist." What is interesting is that Barnabas also says the "antichrist" is at hand and the prophecy is being fulfilled then. Barnabas makes a direct comparison of this doctrine and Moses coming down from the mount after receiving the Law. And he talks about how the principle of this teaching can be applied on an individual and personal level.

The Epistle of Barnabas the Apostle.
Chapter 4. Antichrist is at hand: let us therefore avoid Jewish errors
It therefore behoves us, who inquire much concerning events at hand, to search diligently into those things which are able to save us. Let us then utterly flee from all the works of iniquity, lest these should take hold of us; and let us hate the error of the present time, that we may set our love on the world to come: let us not give loose reins to our soul, that it should have power to run with sinners and the wicked, lest we become like them. The final stumbling-block (or source of danger) approaches, concerning which it is written, as Enoch says, For for this end the Lord has cut short the times and the days, that His Beloved may hasten; and He will come to the inheritance. And the prophet also speaks thus: Ten kingdoms shall reign upon the earth, and a little king shall rise up after them, who shall subdue under one three of the kings. In like manner Daniel says concerning the same, And I beheld the fourth beast, wicked and powerful, and more savage than all the beasts of the earth, and how from it sprang up ten horns, and out of them a little budding horn, and how it subdued under one three of the great horns. You ought therefore to understand. And this also I further beg of you, as being one of you, and loving you both individually and collectively more than my own soul, to take heed now to yourselves, and not to be like some, adding largely to your sins, and saying, The covenant is both theirs and ours. But they thus finally lost it, after Moses had already received it. For the Scripture says, And Moses was fasting in the mount forty days and forty nights, and received the covenant from the Lord, tables of stone written with the finger of the hand of the Lord; Exodus 31:18, Exodus 34:28 but turning away to idols, they lost it. For the Lord speaks thus to Moses: Moses go down quickly; for the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt have transgressed. Exodus 32:7; Deuteronomy 9:12 And Moses understood [the meaning of God], and cast the two tables out of his hands; and their covenant was broken, in order that the covenant of the beloved Jesus might be sealed upon our heart, in the hope which flows from believing in Him. Now, being desirous to write many things to you, not as your teacher, but as becomes one who loves you, I have taken care not to fail to write to you from what I myself possess, with a view to your purification. We take earnest heed in these last days; for the whole [past] time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time we also withstand coming sources of danger, as becomes the sons of God. That the Black One may find no means of entrance, let us flee from every vanity, let us utterly hate the works of the way of wickedness. Do not, by retiring apart, live a solitary life, as if you were already [fully] justified; but coming together in one place, make common inquiry concerning what tends to your general welfare. For the Scripture says, Woe to them who are wise to themselves, and prudent in their own sight! Isaiah 5:21 Let us be spiritually-minded: let us be a perfect temple to God. As much as in us lies, let us meditate upon the fear of God, and let us keep His commandments, that we may rejoice in His ordinances. The Lord will judge the world without respect of persons. Each will receive as he has done: if he is righteous, his righteousness will precede him; if he is wicked, the reward of wickedness is before him. Take heed, lest resting at our ease, as those who are the called [of God], we should fall asleep in our sins, and the wicked prince, acquiring power over us, should thrust us away from the kingdom of the Lord. And all the more attend to this, my brethren, when you reflect and behold, that after so great signs and wonders were wrought in Israel, they were thus [at length] abandoned. Let us beware lest we be found [fulfilling that saying], as it is written, Many are called, but few are chosen.

Barnabas alludes to the story of Moses in the Mountain, and the people saying that Moses delays his coming so they lose the covenant by turning to worship idols and abandoning God after they had just witnessed His great glory and power. Then God tells Moses to hasten down to the people

Ex 32:7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them:

It is interesting how these delaying and hastening scriptures refer to the Last Days and how Moses is a type of the Last Days and the Second Coming of Christ. Aaron may represent the anti-Christ, or a Judas, or a Lucifer in a way. Aaron was high in authority and stature next to Moses but gave into the people and feared the people more than God and made them the golden calf they cried out for. Will there be the rejection of a Christian doctrine (gay marriage?) that will cause some to fall away from the truth, or will some of the elect of God be caught "resting at our ease" when the Savior comes?