ye know what withholdeth, that he might be revealed in his time; for the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way (that is, till God withdraws Himself), and then shall that wicked be revealed.”
Anti-Christ means one opposed to Christ. Also it means one opposed to Christ, and yet desires to be Christ—who wishes to be received as Christ. And when the time comes, he will be received by many. The Jews will be looking for, and expecting the coming of, their Messiah, hence many of these will be deceived. Many radical Adventists and Millenarians will accept him, because they are in haste in their expectations: many of these will follow him. Indeed, the whole world seems ripe to furnish him a quota. But who will he be? Answer: He will be a French Jew, who will intermarry into the Bonaparte family. His title will be Napoleon I. of Palestine. This word Napoleon, resolved into Greek equivalents, is equal to Apollyon, and as a number stands for 666. “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six” (Rev. viii. 18).
Christ, when warning the Jews of Anti-Christ, said, “I am come in My Father’s name, and ye receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” Here, and in other discourses, we have to content ourselves at many points with mere statements, for to defend every point would take too long a time, and would not suit our purpose. It is our desire in all these discourses to incite you to study, to teach you to examine for yourselves; to prepare you against being unduly led away by Adventism, Communism, or Infidelity; to give you an interest in Providence and history. Do you ask if any will be led away by such a false pretender? We answer, Yes—unless humanity undergoes some radical change. Take a few instances:—
Our Shaker friends believed in Mother Ann Lee. This woman in 1770, while living in Manchester, England, pretended to have a special revelation from Heaven, making known unto her that she was the female side of Christ—as Jesus was the revelation of the male side. As Eve was taken out of Adam, the female principle separated from the male, so she was separated from Christ. This, and much that is curious, do these sincere, honest, and industrious people believe.
Take another example, nearer home, and of which some of you are cognizant, having known the pretender and many of his duped followers. We refer to Matthias, the prophet of Westchester County. This pretended lord began his labours in Albany, N.Y., in 1830. First he taught himself to be God’s high priest, then the Saviour, then he claimed to be God. On being asked where he was from, he would answer: “I am a traveller, and my legal residence is Zion Hill, Westchester County, New York State. I am a Jewish teacher and priest of the Most High God, saying and doing all that I do, under oath, by virtue of my having subscribed to all the covenants that God hath made with man from the beginning up to this time. I am chief high priest of the Jews of the Order of Melchizedec, being the last chosen of the twelve apostles, and the first in the resurrection which is at the end of 2,300 years from the birth of Mahommed, which terminates in 1830. I am now denouncing judgment on the Gentiles, and that judgment is to be executed in this age.”
He appeared in fine pontifical robes, with a rule six feet long in his right hand; with this he was to measure off God’s holy city. In his left hand he had a two-edged sword. Underneath his pontifical robe he had a rich olive broadcloth cloak, lined and faced with silk and velvet; besides, he wore a brown frock coat, with several stars on each breast, with a splendid gold star on the left. His belt was of white cloth, fastened by a golden clasp, and surmounted with an eagle. He wore a cocked
hat of black beaver, trimmed with green, the rear angle being surmounted by the golden symbol of glory.
He moved from Albany to New York, and here succeeded most wonderfully, winning over some of the finest families of Fifth Avenue, and the richest and best merchants of this city. His followers furnished him with plenty of money, carriages, a mansion in the city, and one in the country. Finally he was accused and detected of the worst crimes, and at last was sent to Sing Sing. While in jail he issued the following proclamation: “As I live, there shall be no more sowing in the earth until I, the twelfth and last of the apostles, am delivered out of the house of bondage.” For fear of this proclamation many of the farmers refused to sow, and they set to work to deliver him, and succeeded. He left the jail, and may be living yet to read what we now state to you.
It is really wonderful how easily men are deceived in religious matters. Let us study the Word, ask God’s guidance in knowing and doing His will. Time is gone. I have said but little, much more might be said. In my next discourse I will introduce you to two old men who will visit Anti-Christ.