I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Many people consider the identity of the antichrist to be one of the great mysteries of the Bible.

                                                             1.      It has long been speculated that the antichrist was, is, or will be an individual world leader with great power who will use his power for evil and the defiance of God.

                                                             2.      Some have speculated that the antichrist is actually the Roman Catholic pope.

B.      However, if we will carefully consider what is written regarding the antichrist, then we can know as much as God wants us to know on the subject.

                                                             1.      First, let us understand what the Bible states explicitly about the antichrist.

                                                             2.      Then, let us address some Scriptures that are mistakenly applied to the subject of the antichrist as well as some of the false notions regarding the subject.

II.      WHO THE ANTICHRIST IS

A.      John is the only Bible writer who used the term “antichrist.”

                                                             1.      The word “antichrist” simply means “opposed to Christ.”

                                                             2.      The only verses of the Bible that use the word “antichrist” are: 1John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2John 7.

B.      Therefore, let us allow John’s writings to guide our understanding about the antichrist.

                                                             1.      The three epistles of John are some of the last writings of the New Testament.  They were probably written from Ephesus to Asian Christians late in the first century (approx. A.D. 90).

                                                             2.      Let us consider the full context of 1John 2:18-27 to understand John’s explanation of the antichrist.

a.       Notice that John wrote, “Just as you heard that antichrist is coming…” (v. 18).

i.         John made a reference to a belief held by some early Christians that a single person would come to power who would embody opposition to Christ (this belief persists in some people to this day).

ii.        John did not cite the source of this notion.  It is evident that it was not John or else he would have said so.  Some may have interpreted this from Paul’s writing in 2Thessalonians 2:3-12 (A.D. 51; more on this below).

iii.      Whatever the source of this belief, John did not confirm that it was right.  Instead he gave his own explanation about who the antichrist really was.

b.       While early Christians were speculating about who the antichrist was, John gave them the answer plainly.

i.         First, notice that John indicated that there was not just one antichrist, but rather there were many.  He also noted that these antichrists had already come as he wrote this letter (v. 18).

ii.        Next, John wrote that these antichrists “went out from us” (v. 19).  This indicates that the antichrists were apostate Christians.

iii.      Finally, John states plainly that the antichrist is the liar “who denies that Jesus is the Christ” and “the one who denies the Father and the Son” (v. 22).

c.        John wrote his message as a warning against the evil influence of the antichrists: “These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you” (v. 26).

i.         John was dealing with an early form of a philosophy that we know as Gnosticism.  Some Gnostics taught that Jesus was not Christ Himself, but rather that Jesus was just a man who was possessed by Christ for a time.  Other Gnostics taught that Christ was just an apparition (i.e., a ghost with no physical substance).

ii.        Some early Christians were influenced by these false teachings, so John wrote these words to counteract the evil influence of those who opposed Christ (i.e., antichrists).

                                                             3.      The context of 1John 4:1-6 gives further insight into the meaning of antichrist.

a.       This passage advised Christians to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (v. 1).

i.         The test that they were to administer was whether or not the spirit (i.e., prophet) confessed that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (v. 2).

ii.        If the prophet confessed that Christ had come in the flesh, then he was of God, and if he denied that Christ had come in the flesh, then he was not of God.

b.       Those who failed the test had “the spirit of the antichrist” (v. 3).

i.         The spirit of the antichrist is defined by a denial of Jesus Christ.  This spirit is also called “the spirit of error” (v. 6).

ii.        Notice against that John said that the spirit of the antichrist was already in the world as he wrote (v. 3).

iii.      Also, notice that there were many false prophets who had the spirit of the antichrist (vv. 1, 3).  The antichrist was not just a single person.

                                                             4.      John summarized his inspired definition of antichrist in 2John 7 by restating the same points he made in 1John 2:18-27 and 4:1-6.

a.       The deceiver and antichrist is anyone who does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.

b.       There were many deceivers (antichrists) that had already gone into the world when John wrote these letters.

III.   WHO THE ANTICHRIST IS NOT

A.      Through the years, men have connected certain passages of Scripture and certain historical figures with the antichrist.  Let us examine some of these to determine whether they conform to John’s explanation of the antichrist.

B.      The antichrist is not the false Christ(s) of Matthew 24:5, 23-26.

                                                             1.      Jesus described imposters who would impersonate Him during the destruction of Jerusalem.

a.       These false christs would deceive people with false miracles and would be found only in remote or enclosed places.

b.       The Jewish historian Josephus recorded that such false christs did arise and deceive many people around the time of Jerusalem’s destruction.

                                                             2.      The Lord’s description of false christs is different from John’s description of the antichrist, so these are two unrelated teachings.

C.      The antichrist is not “man of lawlessness” of 2Thessalonians 2:1-10.

                                                             1.      Paul described two criteria that must occur before the Lord comes again: the coming of the apostasy and the revelation of the man of lawlessness.

a.       It is difficult to say decisively how this prophecy is fulfilled, but the description resembles the Roman Catholic Church and the papacy.

b.       Regarding the man of lawlessness, Paul said that he would “exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship” and display “himself as being God.”

                                                             2.      Paul’s description of the man of lawlessness is different from John’s description of the antichrist, so these do not refer to the same person(s).

D.      The antichrist is not “beast coming up out of the sea” of Revelation 13:1; 17:1-8.

                                                             1.      In his revelation, John saw a beast arise from the sea, which was a figure of the Roman Empire.

a.       The beast was the Roman Empire’s persecuting force against the saints of God.  It was overcome and destroyed by the Lord (Rev. 19:20).

b.       John’s vision is connected with the vision recorded in Daniel 7.  If the beast from the sea in Revelation is not the antichrist, then the beast Daniel saw is not the antichrist either.

                                                             2.      John’s vision of the beast from the sea has no resemblance to his description of the antichrist, so these are two distinct teachings.

E.       The antichrist is (was) not any Roman emperor, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Hirohito, Joseph Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Osama bin Laden, the Catholic Pope, or any other single world leader.

                                                             1.      The idea of a single, powerful world leader who embodies opposition to Christ did not come from the writings of John or any other Bible writer.  This idea came from men.

                                                             2.      Any person, including world leaders, can be an antichrist by matching John’s description of antichrists.  Many antichrists existed in John’s time, and they still exist today.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Once again for the sake of clarity, John wrote that the antichrist is an apostate Christian who denies that Jesus is the Christ, i.e., that Christ came in the flesh.

B.      Any notion about the antichrist that exceeds John’s writing is the idea of man and is not according to the Bible.