Who is the Antichrist?
Introduction
Who is The Antichrist? That question seems to be on the minds of many Christians in every age going back to the beginning of the church.
Scriptures
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (ESV)
The Man of Lawlessness
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.1 John 2:18-27 (ESV)
Warning Concerning Antichrists
Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
1 John 4:1-6 (ESV)
Test the Spirits
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.2 John 1:4-11 (ESV)
Walking in Truth and Love
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.Interpretations
The Lawless One
Nero
Nero Caesar (Roman Emperor from 54-68) was an infamous persecutor of Christians in the period from the Great Fire of Rome in July 64 until his death by suicide in June 68. In identifying the Roman Empire as the beast out of the sea (Rev. 13)
Here is wisdom:, The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
Revelation 13:18
The transliteration of the Hebrew name for Nero is Nron Qsr (pronounced "Neron Kaiser"). Nron Qsr can be valued at 666, using the Hebrew numerology of gematria, a manner of speaking against the emperor without the Roman authorities knowing.
The beast, however, is an institution, not a man. The beasts are clearly allusions to the beasts from Daniel 7, which are a procession of conquering nations. The number of the beast is the number of a man, but the beast is not the man. The emperor merely personifies the empire.
Domitian
Domitian was also a persecutor of Christians, and his reign coincided with the later date accepted by the majority of scholars for the writing of Revelation. The conditions in Asia Minor also fit closely with the conditions described in the opening chapters.
A Future Antichrist
Many Christians throughout history have looked for a current world leader to rise to power and take on the role of antichrist. Those holding to Dispensationalism and a future seven year Great Tribulation expect The Antichrist to be a powerful world leader who rises to power after Christians are raptured.
Anyone who denies Jesus
John clearly identifies antichrist in his epistles with any person who denies that Jesus is the Christ is the antichrist (1 John 2:22-23, 2 John 1:7). Similarly, any spirit that does not confess Jesus is the spirit of the antichrist and is in the world already (1 John 4:2-3).
Conclusion
It is clear from the verses in the epistles of John that anyone who denies the divinity of Jesus denies the Father and is the antichrist. John never used the word "antichrist" in writing Revelation, even though he had plenty of opportunity, as he dealt with similar themes. There is not a singular God-like Antichrist figure in our future, although there may be antichrists in positions of power at any point in history.
Appendix
If you found this article helpful and thought-provoking, you may be interested in some of these other articles I've written on the topic of eschatology:
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