After the eleven previous meditations in this series, it has certainly become clear to us that the Antichrist, who is to appear in the End Times before the Second Coming of Christ, will be a person deeply influenced by Satan. By perverting the hypostatic union of the Son of God, who took on human nature without losing His divine nature, the Antichrist will enter into a kind of “pseudomystical union” with Lucifer. Soloviev alludes to this in his Short Tale of the Antichrist, which I summarized in Part III of this series (https://en.elijamission.net/part-iii-the-antichrist-in-solovyovs-narrative/).
Therefore, resistance against the Antichrist must primarily take place on the spiritual plane. I want to emphasize that we must not wait until we have identified him to begin intensifying this struggle. We must be on guard from now on, because the anti-Christian spirit is always at work in the world and, at present, is acting with particular intensity. If we were to experience the Antichrist’s concrete dominion, we must be prepared and have already taken up the place that the Lord assigns to “His called, chosen, and faithful” in the army of the Lamb (cf. Rev 17:14).
To this end, it is worth pausing to meditate on this passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, in which he makes it clear that the struggle is directed, first and foremost, against “the powers and authorities of this world of darkness and against the evil spirits.” It reads as follows:
“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” (Eph 6:10–18)
We, the faithful, are reminded of this dimension of the spiritual battle so that we may arm ourselves. Without God’s help, it is impossible to emerge victorious in this battle. Claiming otherwise would be presumptuous. This struggle is against an invisible enemy and is spiritual in nature, so it must be waged with spiritual weapons.
The passage from Ephesians tells us: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” As we follow the Lord and grow closer to Him, God’s strength grows within us. And His strength and power enable us to resist these spirits.
“Girded your loins with truth” means living in accordance with God’s will, following His Son, and being sincere with ourselves and others. Practicing true justice is a “breastplate” that will protect us from the darts of the Evil One.
In this battle, we are also called to take the initiative. That is to say, it is not only a matter of defending ourselves, but we can also attack the kingdom of evil in the Spirit of God. This occurs when we proclaim the Gospel, because when people hear the Good News and accept it, the Lord snatches souls from the dominion of darkness. With every person who experiences true conversion, the kingdom of evil is weakened. This is yet another reason why spreading the Gospel is so important.
Wielding the “shield of faith” means clinging to God and all that He has entrusted to us as truth. This “shield” protects us from evil thoughts that attack us like poisoned arrows (for example, thoughts against the faith, intense doubts, etc.).
If we wield the “sword of the Word of God,” which separates truth from falsehood and is a light on our dark paths (Psalm 119:105), then the darkness of fallen angels must give way.
We see, then, that God even uses the Evil One’s hostility for the good of His faithful, who are called to resist and grow stronger in faith. Furthermore, the Lord overcomes the powers of evil on Earth through His own, for the Kingdom of God must expand. However, the devil and his minions oppose this expansion. We have the honor of fighting in God’s army! On our side are the faithful angels, the saints in Heaven, and the blessed souls in Purgatory. They all intercede for us.
Constant and persevering prayer prepares us to emerge victorious in Christ. Victory lies in Him alone! The Lord has triumphed over the powers of evil. He defeated them once and for all, and they will no longer torment us for all eternity. However, as long as our pilgrimage through this world continues, they will surround and attack us like roaring lions, as Saint Peter warns us in his epistle (1 Pet 5:8).
The Lord prepares His followers in many ways so they can stand firm, even during the global regime and terror of the Antichrist. We should not focus too much on what the “Son of Perdition” may do to humanity during his reign. What is essential is to remain united to the Lord and not stray even a jot from the true faith, without allowing ourselves to be seduced either by the evil spirit at work in the world or by the anti-Christian spirit that has infiltrated the Church.
Tomorrow’s meditation will conclude the series on the anti-Christian threat and how to confront it.