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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S accompanies the end of the age and his activity concerns Israel and the nations. The malign ministry of the anti-spirit continues throughout the present age. He is recognized and honored by the world as the zeit-geist, but he is described in Scripture as the spirit that energizes the sons of disobedience. Eph. 2 : 2 . He closely follows the Divine pro gram and mimics each Divine opera tion. Jesus forecasts the office work of the Holy Spirit in John 16:8-11. "And when he is come, he will con vict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment: of sin because they believe not on me; of righteousness because I go to the-Father and ye behold me no more; of judg ment, because the prince of this world hath been judged.” Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses before Pharaoh by reproducing his mir acles in order to discredit his message. II Tim. 3:8; Ex..7:9-13. Anti-christ reproduces the experience of Christ, possibly in a supernatural birth, II Thess. 2:3, certainly in a three and one-half years’ ministry, Rev. 12:14, probably in a mock resurrection, Rev. 13:3, and other miraculous deeds, Rev. 13:13. The Anti-spirit simulates the three fold office work of the Holy Spirit by reproving the world of sin. He stigma tizes as ignorant presumption and sup erstitious folly the act of daring to believe on the sole authority of the Holy Spirit, affirming that man’s teach ing is needed to keep us straight. He convinces of carnality by recom mending and prescribing asceticism, vegetarianism and celebacy. I Tim. 4: 1-3. He teaches that so-called sin is a theological fiction, the resulting pro duct of heredity, plus environment, and that belief in sin is an evidence of a dis eased mind. He criticises the work of the Holy Spirit in stirring the emotions and
arousing the affections as unhealthy and abnormal, imposing a self-culture the goal of which is stoicism and the extinction of desire. He justifies wickedness through ignorance and extols education as the sovereign panacea. He creates a spurious love, joy, peace, and counterfeits the fruits of the Holy Spirit by a fancied recognition of a soul of goodness in things evil, by a supine acquiescence in misfortune, by a shallow optimism that all’s right with the world. He hastens the coming apotheosis of humanity by pulpit panv- gyrics on the progress of man, material conquests and scientific advancement. His ministers are ministers of right eousness. II Cor. 11:15, who exalt high ethical standards and exploit all man ner of civic, social and industrial reforms. He seeks to occupy men with the mitigation of physical ills and the promotion of material well-being, know ing that by becoming absorbed in the life that now is, they will forget their spiritual welfare and the interests of the world to come. He testifies also of a future life depending on the present one, consist ing either of purgatorial cleansing, the avatars of transmigration or the pro duct of progressive evolution. In view of his subtle and persistent effort to discredit and displace the glorious Gospel of the blessed God by his coun terfeit religion of human uplift and progress, ( “ Ye shall be as gods” ) there is the greater need for attending to and obeying the seven-fol
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