Antichrist

According to 1 John, an antichrist is anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, the unique Son of God, or that he came as a human being. However, the term mainly refers to a particular person who will express this rejection in its fullest form and play an important role near the end of history.

The word “antichrist” occurs only four times, all in John’s letters (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7). First John 2:18 refers also to “many antichrists.” John assumed that his Christian readers knew about the antichrist and had been taught to expect his coming (1 John 2:18–27). The presence of many antichrists indicated that the end times had arrived. But John warned that a final antichrist would appear and deny that Jesus is the Christ.

John said anyone or message that did not “confess Jesus” is of the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 4:3). John's second letter describes “many deceivers” who would not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh (2 John 1:7). Such a person was “the deceiver and the antichrist.”

The idea of the antichrist may come from the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels. In Mark 13, with parallel passages in Matthew 24–25 and Luke 21, Jesus warned his disciples about suffering and persecution before his return as the glorious Son of Man. He said that many deceivers and false Christs would appear before his coming.

The term “false Christs” appears only twice in the New Testament (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22). It is similar to John’s term “antichrist.” However, these Gospel passages speak about many false Christs, not one final deceiver. By contrast, the writings of John and Paul may point to a single future opponent.

In Revelation, “the beast” probably represents the antichrist (Revelation 13:1–18; 17:3, 7–17). The beast does not only oppose Christ. It also acts as a false copy of Christ and receives its power from Satan. The beast is clearly different from the Lamb, who represents Christ. Yet everyone except God’s chosen people worships the beast.

Another possible name for the antichrist is “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). This passage is difficult to interpret. However, the person Paul describes may be the same figure that John later presents as the beast.

Paul explains that certain events must happen before Christ returns (2 Thessalonians 2:1–12). The man of lawlessness will first appear and lead a rebellion. He will oppose every object of worship and will even claim to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Christ will destroy him when he returns (2 Thessalonians 2:8). This places these events near the end of history.

See also False Christs, False Messiahs; Mark of the Beast; False Prophets; Beast; Book of Revelation.