The word Antichrist is only used 4 times in the Bible, especially in the letters of John. Now, immediately we have to understand one thing: The antichrist in 1 and 2 John should not be confused with the beast in the book of Revelation. The antichrist is mentioned 4 times, while the beast is mentioned 39 times in Revelation. The beast has yet to come, but the antichrist is already here.
Now, the word antichrist literally means “against Christ” (anti, christos). Let’s quickly go over the passages that talk about it. Two of the scriptures tell us that even though some say the antichrist is yet to come, it is already here:
1 John 2:18: “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist I s coming, even now many antichrists have come.”
1 John 4:2-3: “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”
The next two verses help us identify the antichrist:
1 John 2:22: “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”
2 John 7: “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
The antichrist is simply anyone who doesn’t acknowledge Jesus to be The Christ. It is someone who takes a stance against the fundamental truths about Jesus.
The antichrist is already here. It has been around since the 1st Century, and it will be here until Jesus comes back. Now, am I saying to go around telling all your unbelieving friend or your next-door neighbor that they are the antichrist? NO. What I am saying is (1) Continue to take a stance for Christ in your circle of influence (2) Be careful of those who deny the fullness of Christ either in His humanity or His divine nature. There are many people that spread this false teaching against Christ and as Christians, we must oppose them.
Now, in terms of the beast of revelation, that is an entirely different subject. So ask next time or do some research yourself!
