Antiochus Epiphanes was a historical figure known as the anti-Christ spoken by Daniel the prophet. We learn that his birth name was “Mithradates”. He changed his name when he ascended the throne. He gave himself the name Antiochus Epiphanes, and means “God Manifest”.
Epiphanes comes from the greek word “epiphane” which is where we get the English word “epiphany” which means a manifestation, a striking appearance. Antiochus was in the place of God proclaiming that he was God. That he was God Epiphanes, meaning God manifest. In other words “look at me, I am God” What a pompous remark.
What gets me about this is not so much that he made the statement as much as what the word “epiphanes” means itself. If “epiphanes” means “God manifest” and all the world knew he was claiming to be God, why is it in our bible the same Greek word which is translated “appearing” is used in a future tense? I am Antiochus Epiphanes didn’t mean to say “I will be God manifest and I will take my throne in some 2000 plus years?” For he had ascended the throne. His statement was what he thought his current reality was, which was God of the known world. He was not making a promise of his future reality like we now use the word “epiphany”, which from the Greek is translated into “appearing’ with Christ .
Epiphane from the Greek broke down is “epi” means a distribution over or upon. A superimposition. And the word “phane” means, to lighten, to shine, to show, to be seen. This is where the biblical words like; appear, appeared, appearing, shine, shining, manifest, manifesting and manifested come from.
We understand in English this to be like a light bulb turning on in our head. Isaac Newton had an epiphany when the apple fell on his head. He saw something in his head and had a new understanding. He had a revelation. A revelation not of something new for gravity always was but it was just a new understanding to him.
This is the way all revelation works about Christ. It becomes new to us. He is the true Epiphany and manifest God. He said “He who has seen me has seen the Father”. He is a series of consecutive epiphanies, appearances, manifestations and revelations. And what is the purpose of these epiphanies? Till we all come to the knowledge of the son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4.13)In the here and now.
You see so the whole concept of the event of the second coming of Christ to come and do something for us, is really more of a myth. We cancel the promises of God made known by His word to be applied by faith and trade it for an illusion. Not that Christ is not coming, but that He is not coming for what you think, in the way you may think.
When He does come and asks you about your stewardship and what did you do with the gifts made available to you by His word? How were you transformed by all things I spoke? Where are you at in becoming a measure to the stature of the fullness of My Son? How are you “putting on Christ” and His truths?
It is un-beleif to think the transformation is future. That at a second coming we will be transformed in a twinkling of an eye.
All transformation happens by way of manifestations of revelations, one after another. Did you see your body die when you were baptized? Well that is what that act proclaimed. Did you see yourself get quickened? To be resurrected into a new life? Well that is what happens when you receive His spirit, and what you vowed at baptism.
Did you or anybody see you get ascended and seated with Christ in the heavens? Well that is what His word says He did. (Ephesians 2.6)
For those who sit in misery just exacerbated and waiting for the day when Christ delivers us from this evil world, is just a sin, the sin of unbelief. You do not believe His word. You deny His word. You reject Him by doing so.
2nd Peter 1.4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Yes, the price was paid the gift was given, salvation was accomplished. This is truth. And you think, “Oh! I thought He was gonna do that when He comes back the second time”? (By the way, the term “second coming” is not in scripture. It is a concept made up by man).
Question for you. Since Christ left His Glory to become a man for a time, having accomplished salvation, and He did, and now we regard Him as human no more (2 Cor 4.16) with what body shall He appear? With what body shall we appear? The body that is sown physical and corruptible to be raised spiritual, our first man like Adam, our new man like Christ a life giving spirit? (1Cor 15) Him whom when we see Him we shall be like Him? Well what does this look like? Well he is spirit and indiscernible to the human eye. If he appears, He appears as He is and He is invisible to the human eye. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom! A rapture of the human body? Really? How silly and un-scriptural. “That which is flesh is flesh and that which is spirit is spirit. Ye must be born again”.
He will appear then as He does right now. Spirit and truth. So just take it now by faith. That is what faith is for. It is believing what God says, contrary to the physical findings because “flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom. But a re-scripted mind if faith taught by the Holy Spirit does.
Â
He cometh with the clouds and every eye shall see Him. Ya when their eyeballs melt in their sockets for He comes in a flaming heat dissolving the elements so that only what’s eternal remains. (2 Peter 3.10+) For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12.29)
The thing is He is now continuously appearing, being manifested and unveiled in the spirit of our mind. This is the epiphanies, that equal the Epiphany. Him who said ” I have many things to say to you however you are not able to bear them” all at once, “however the spirit of truth comes and teaches you all things” that pertain to Him. And this one “will take what is mine and show it to you” as you are able to bear. (John 16.12-15)
This is His body broken for us into bite size pieces for human consumption to feed the mind, soul and spirit, to become the accumulative of all truths that are embodied into the Truth, Jesus Christ not dressed in flesh but something much greater. As you have received from Him, put Him on. Now, not at a second coming. The transformation is now to those who hear what the spirit says. The baptism of putting off the flesh and the putting on the new man is now, not at a second coming. If we remain ignorant of these spiritual truths we are surely in no better shape then the Jews who thought the same thing. They were waiting for the kingdom to appear.
Hebrews 2 “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (of a current reality not a future promise, )
He is not just a manifestation or a revelation or an epiphany like an event of a second coming but a life style. If we take this back to the old testament we see many appearings, usually in dreams and visions and by the word. He appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob multiple times. Gen 12.7, 17.1,18.1,26.2,35.9, And of Moses Ex 3.16,. And the Glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud and a pillar of fire and in the tabernacle, in Shiloh, and to Solomon 2 times. What about the prophets who were taken “in visions of God”? We can go on and on. Of Paul who was stuck and blinded by a great light. Peter who was instructed to eat meat when the sheet was let down for him. I mean why must we put it all off when He is right here right now in His natural make up and composition with His natural habitat. The transformation, the Exodus and experiencing Him is right now.
John 14.21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
His Kingdom is at hand as always to the re-spirited mind of faith. Amen!