The Antichrist

The Antichrist Spirit is working to destroy the church from within with lies, false prophets, and deceitful teachers. We commonly assume the Antichrist will be a political tyrant intent on world domination. However, the New Testament is more concerned with the deceivers working to disrupt the Church from within rather than with political developments in the larger world. The Apostle John attributes the driving force behind these deceitful activities to “the Spirit of Antichrist.”

This is not to say that the Antichrist will not also be a major political figure. The Book of Revelation indicates that the “Beast from the Sea” represents an imperial power. However, Revelation never uses the term “Antichrist,” so this “Beast” may not be identical to John’s “Antichrist.”

[Pulpit - Photo by Nycholas Benaia (Brasil) on Unsplash]

Regardless, the target of the Beast’s warring activities is the Church, “the saints,” and Satan, “the Great Red Dragon,” organizes the “nations from the four corners of the Earth” to execute this task - (Revelation  12:17, 13:1-10, 17:8-12, 20:7-10).

John applies the term ‘Antichrist’ in the plural number to the false teachers who infiltrate the Church to distort the Apostolic Teachings and entice believers to compromise their commitment to Jesus Christ. In other words, to cause apostasy.

The “Antichrist Spirit” is manifested in the activities of deceivers. Of the New Testament authors, only John uses the term ‘Antichrist’, and he does so when warning us about false teachers:

• “It is the last hour! And just as you heard that Antichrist is coming, even now, many antichrists have come. Thereby, we know it is the last hour” – (1 John 2:18).

John does not deny that an individual “Antichrist” will come, but in the meantime, many “antichrists” already are invading the Church, where they propagate false doctrines. Among other things, they deny the genuine humanity of Jesus:

• “With this know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the Spirit of Antichrist of whom you heard it is coming, and now it is in the world already” – (1 John 2:18-22, 4:2-3).

The Greek term translated as “antichrist” is a compound word formed with the noun ‘christos’ (“anointed”) and the preposition ‘anti’. The latter term denotes “instead of” rather than “against.”

Thus, an “antichrist” is someone who attempts to counterfeit the Son of God and replace him with a false Christ, a faux anointed one. An “antichrist” is not ‘against Christ’, but ‘instead of Christ’. This, perhaps, is what Jesus had in mind when he warned his disciples of coming “false prophets” and “false anointed ones” - (Matthew 24:24).

The “antichrists” to whom John refers are false teachers who “departed from us, but they were not of us <…> But they departed, that it might be plain that they all were not of us.”

The deceivers working inside the Church are not pagan philosophers or the representatives of Caesar, but men who started their careers by working in the congregations of John. And the Apostle admonishes his churches to test all things since Satan floods the Church with deception and false prophets at every opportunity:

• “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” – (1 John 4:1).

• “Let no man seduce you in any way, for it will not be, except first the apostasy comes, and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the Son of Destruction, he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he seats himself in the Sanctuary of God, presenting himself as God” – (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

• “But the Spirit says expressly, that in latter times some men will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons” – (1 Timothy 4:1).

As John warned, the “Spirit of the Antichrist, of which you heard that it is coming, it is already in the world.” These “antichrists” are false teachers who disrupt the Church and deny that the man Christ Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God. They are not national, military, or political leaders of the larger world, but religious charlatans “masquerading as apostles of Christ” – (2 Corinthians 11:13):

• “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Anointed One? This is the Antichrist, even he who denies the Father and the Son” – (1 John 2:22).

• “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God” – (1 John 4:15).

• “For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist” - (2 John 7).

The Apostle Paul warned of the coming “Man of Lawlessness.” In 2 Thessalonians, he describes an individual who will deceive believers. This figure will use “signs and deceitful wonders” to cause many to abandon their faith. He will be revealed when he “seats himself in the Sanctuary of God,” a description more religious than political - (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Elsewhere, Paul uses the term “Sanctuary of God” or ‘naos theou’ (ναος θεου) metaphorically for the Church, and not for any stone building in Jerusalem. Like the “Spirit of the Antichrist,” the “Mystery is Lawlessness” is working even now to prepare the way for the arrival of this Master Deceiver and the final “great falling away” from the faith - (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, 1Timothy 4:1).

• “For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, they will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables” - (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Paul links this “Lawless Man” to the coming “Apostasy,” the “departure” from the Faith expected before the “Day of the Lord.”

WAR AGAINST THE CHURCH

In the Book of Revelation, after his failed attempt to destroy the Messianic “Son,” the “Great Red Dragon” departed to “wage war against those who have the Testimony of Jesus Christ,” namely, the followers of Jesus Christ - (Revelation 12:17).

Likewise, the “Beast from the Sea” is authorized to wage “war” against the “saints and to overcome them.” In both visions, Satan attacks the saints through his earthly vassals, the “Beast from the Sea” and the “False Prophet.” The goal is to destroy the Church, not to wage war on nation states, though one does not necessarily exclude the other - (Revelation 12:17, 13:7-10).

In the Seven Letters to the “Churches of Asia,” Satan attacks these congregations with persecution, but more so, he uses deceivers, the “false apostles,” the “Nicolaitans,” the “doctrines of Balaam,” and the “Prophetess, Jezebel” to cause believers to compromise their faith and “eat meat offered to idols” - (Revelation 2:10, 2:18-29).

Jesus began his 'Olivet Discourse' with a dire warning about coming deceivers, “false prophets,” and “false anointed one” hellbent on deceiving the “Elect of God,” and even using miraculous signs to achieve their malevolent purposes:

• “Beware lest anyone deceive you, for many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and deceive many <…> and many will fall away <…> and many false prophets will arise and deceive many <…> False anointed ones and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect” - (Matthew 24:4-23).

The stress in Christ’s warning is on the term “many.” Deceivers will come, and alas, they will succeed in deceiving many of God’s elect. Many such deceivers claim to be “anointed,” but their goal is to mislead and corrupt God’s elect, something the true “Anointed One” would never do.

Deceivers strive to hoodwink us, the disciples of Jesus. They are driven by the “Spirit of Antichrist” to fool us. The “Man of Lawlessness” will appear before the return of Jesus, but the “Mystery of Lawlessness” is working even now to ready things for this figure’s unveiling. So, also, the “Spirit of the Antichrist” is working busily to lay the groundwork for the final Antichrist to launch Satan’s final attempt to annihilate the People of God – (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9, Revelation 20:7-10).

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SEE ALSO:

• The Man of Lawlessness - (Many saints will apostatize when the Lawless Man, the Son of Destruction, seats himself in the Sanctuary of God)

• Antichrists in the Church - (Throughout the present age, the Church is being plagued by deceivers from within who are sent to destroy the Body of Christ)

• The Great Cosmic War - (At the end of the age, Satan and his minions will launch an all-out cosmic war against the saints, the followers of the Lamb)

• L'Antéchrist - (L'Esprit de l'Antéchrist travaille à détruire l'Église de l'intérieur avec des mensonges, de faux prophètes et des enseignants trompeurs)