A BRIEF
STUDY OF THE ANTICHRISTS
By Bob W. Lovelace
PLACES
WHERE "ANTICHRIST" APPEARS
You find the “anti-christs”
mentioned in the letters of the apostle John. Here are the passages: I Jo.
We’ll take these passages and see
what specific things we can identify and learn about those whom John called
antichrists.
I John
2:18
1 John 2:18, “Little
children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come,
even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”
The obvious thing one notices to
begin with is that when John wrote he said “even NOW are there MANY
antichrists.” That means that there were many antichrists WHEN John was alive
in the first century. People are simply mistaken when they get off track and
start talking as if the antichrists are yet to come! Do you know people who say
that? They are also mistaken when they have the idea that the word refers to
just One individual yet to come! Such need to be
taught what we are studying here.
“The
last time" explained
The
word "last" means "farthest, ends of" (»Strong’s Help eschatos,
Greek 2078, Strong’s eschatos, 
es'-khat-os; a superlative probably from Greek
2192 (echo) (in the sense of contiguity); farthest, final (of
place or time) :- ends of, last, latter end, lowest,
uttermost.) And the word for “time” here (hour, kjv) is “hora” - a time or
period (nasb def.)John is talking about events of the
last days, i.e. the time between Pentecost and the second Coming. The
first-century readers of 1 John lived in the last days, and so do we.
Compare what Peter says in his
sermon recorded on Pentecost, Acts 2. I have put some words in bold type to
emphasize the point that Peter said this was the last days when he preached on
the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter 2. In Acts 2:16-21 he says,
“But this is that which was spoken by
the prophet Joel; [17] And it shall come to pass
in the last days, saith God,I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams: [18] And on my servants and on my
handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy: [19] And I will shew wonders in heaven
above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour
of smoke: [20] The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before that great and notable day of the Lord come: [21] And it shall come to
pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Note that Peter said “this is that” with reference to
what would come to pass “in the last days.” Thus we have been “in the last
days” since the days of the first century church Christ built. For proof that
the last days (described above) are to be characterized by false teachers,
false prophets, and false doctrines read I Tim. 4:1-5.
“As Ye have heard that the antichrists shall come,”
From this we learn that christians to whom John wrote had
been warned about this heresy and how to deal with it before the antichrists
appeared.
“Even
now are there many antichrists”
The obvious thing once again is that John is not talking
about “one” person. Do you see the plural? Antichrists is
plural not singular.
Many
Overlook 1 John 2:19,
I John
“They” refers to the antichrists
mentioned in verse 18. The antichrists were in the church when this heresy
began. They left because their doctrine exposed them. They still worked to try
and seduce members of the church. There is an important point here. The
separation or division was to make it “manifest” or clear that they were not
the church. The New American Standard says, “that they all are not of us.”
I John
1 John
This teaches the following points about them:
1. The antichrists taught a lie.
2. They denied that Jesus is the
Christ.
The word “Christ” by definition
means, Christos, khris-tos', Greek Stg 5547; from Greek 5548 (chrio);
anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus :-
Christ. John 1:42; John 4:25, The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias
cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
a) To be the Christ He
had to be the Son of God, Matthew 16:16 “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
b)
John 11:27, “She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe
that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”
c)
John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his
name.”
d)
NOTE: This would be the same as teaching that Jesus was not the Messiah and so
the Messiah had not come into the world!
3. The antichrists deny the Father and the Son.
a)
You can’t deny Christ and have the Father on your side! I John
b) John
c)
Along with this, to acknowledge the Son is a prerequisite to being acknowledged
by Christ to the Father, see Matt. 10:32-32.
d)
NOTE: Many cults and world religions claim to have God but deny Christ is the
Son of God. This tells us where they stand with God! The antichrists must have
claimed to have “God” all the while denying that Jesus was the Christ, the Son
of God. Some claim belief in God but deny both Christ
and the scriptures as His revelation. Along with those just mentioned they are
without hope of salvation.
1 John
4:2-3
I John 4:2-3, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every
spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God: [3] And every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that
spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now
already is it in the world.”
1. In testing the spirits (teachers) they would know that
Christians believed Jesus came in the flesh. To recognize the antichrist, based
upon their denial that He was Christ, the Son of God, they knew the antichrists
would not confess that Jesus had come in the flesh.
2. Consider Galatians 4:4 where it teaches that Christ
was “made of a woman.” “Made” means “to become flesh” (Jo.
1:14). The “flesh” is that peculiar to man but of the Holy Ghost (Lk.
2 John
1:7
John 1:7, “For
many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
1. Progression of this heresy was such that John says now
many such deceivers have gone out into the world to spread this doctrine.
2. It is very plain that there are “many” now, i.e. when
John wrote and said so! Judaism we know denied Jesus had come; Gnosticism, a
heresy of John’s day, denied he could come in the flesh.
SUMMARY:
1.
Antichrists were many individuals and not just one. This was a heresy.
2.
They went out from the church.
3.
They denied Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.
4.
They denied both the Father and the Son.
5. They
do not confess Christ came in the flesh.
6.
The progression of this heresy was such that they entered into the world and
were trying to overthrow the faith of Christians everywhere.
NOTE: To read an article on "The Mark of the
Beast, Rev. 13:16-17" click: The mark
of the beast, 666, Rev. 13:16-17.