Part 1 Antichrist:
The Greek term has a twofold meaning. It refers to that which is
anti, or
opposed to, Christ. It may also refer to a false Christ, one
in the place of Christ. All people, organizations, or groups that falsely claim to represent Christ or claim to be the Messiah or that oppose Christ and his disciples can properly be called antichrists.(
1John 2:22)
The apostle John is the only Bible writer to use the word “antichrist.” In two of the letters bearing his name, the word appears five times, in both the singular and the plural. From these verses, we can see that the antichrist is a liar and a deceiver, bent on destroying a person’s relationship with Christ and with God. Accordingly, the apostle urged his fellow Christians: “Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.”(
1 John 4:1)
Did Jesus too warn against deceivers, or false prophets, when he said: “They come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits [or, works] you will recognize them.” (
Matthew 7:15, 16) So was Jesus warning his followers against the figurative antichrist?
In his prophecies on the conclusion of the system of things, Jesus Christ did warn his followers: “Look out that nobody misleads you; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. For false Christs (Gr.,
pseudokhristoi) and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.” (
Matthew 24:4, 5, 24) So isn't such wicked persons who falsely lay claim to the title and office of the Lord Jesus Christ included in the
antikhristos (Greek for “antichrist”) mentioned five times by the apostle John. (
1John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7)
The Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures uses the same Greek word
khristos(Christ )more than 40 times, frequently as a title of anointed priests, kings, and prophets. Aaron the high priest was “the anointed one,” commissioned and “appointed in behalf of men over the things pertaining to God.” (
Leviticus 4:3, 5, 16; 8:12; Hebrew 5:1) Expressing his judgment on the house of Eli, YHWH God promised to raise up a faithful priest who would walk before God’s anointed one (
khri·stosʹ) for all time.(
1 Samuel 2:35)
The kings shared this same honored title because of their relationship to YHWH God in their kingly office. So Samuel spoke of Saul as
khristos at
1 Samuel 12:3, in the Greek
Septuagint. “It is unthinkable, on my part,” exclaimed David, “to thrust my hand out against [Saul] the anointed (
LXX, khriston) of YHWH!” (
1 Samuel 26:11) And David would not allow his nephew Abishai to touch Saul. (
1 Samuel 26:8, 9) David also had the Amalekite slain because that one said he had killed Saul “the anointed (
LXX, khriston) of YHWH.” (
2 Samuel 1:13-16) This title and commission to be king was also bestowed on David, and thereafter he spoke of himself as YHWH God's “anointed one (
LXX, khristoi).” (
1 Samuel 16:12, 13; 2 Samuel 22:51) King Zedekiah, who sat on the throne as an heir of David, was also called “the anointed one (
khristos) of YHWH God.”(
Lamentations 4:20)
There are other instances where the Greek Septuagint uses
khristos prophetically. There are ten references to
khristos in the book of Psalms, the one in
Psalm 2:1, 2 being particularly noteworthy: Nations in tumult and kings of the earth massing together “against YHWH and against his anointed one.” The apostles quoted this prophecy and applied the title to the ‘holy servant Jesus, whom YHWH God had anointed.’ (
Acts 4:24-27) A more unusual example is where the term is applied to the Persian king Cyrus. Before his birth, the prophecy of
Isaiah (45:1-3) declared: “This is what YHWH has said to his anointed one (
LXX, khristoi), to Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of.” Cyrus was never literally anointed with holy oil as were the kings of Israel, but as in other instances in the Bible, the expression “anointed one” is a titled form of address given to him because of his commission and appointment from God.
So who is the Antichrist?
The antichrist is not merely one individual person or entity, for the Bible says that there are “many antichrists.” (
1 John 2:18) Rather, the term “antichrist,” which comes from a Greek word meaning “against (or instead of) Christ,” refers to anyone who does the following:
(1)Denies that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) or denies that he is the
Son of God. (
1 John 2:22)
(2)Opposes the Christ, God’s Anointed One.(
Psalm 2:1, 2; Luke 11:23)
(3)Pretends to be the Christ.(
Matthew 24:24)
(4)Persecutes the followers of Christ, since Jesus views what is done to them as being done to him.(
Acts 9:5)
(5)Falsely claims to be a Christian while practicing lawlessness or deception.(
Matthew 7:22, 23; 2 Corinthians 11:13)
Besides speaking of individuals who take such actions as being antichrists, the Bible also refers to them collectively as “the antichrist.” (
2 John 7) The antichrist first appeared in the time of the apostles and has been active ever since. Bible prophecy foretold just such a development.(
1 John 4:3)
How do we identify Antichrists?
(1)They promote false ideas related to Jesus. (
Matthew 24:9, 11) For example, those who teach that Jesus is Almighty God actually oppose the teachings of Jesus, like at John 14:28; and John 20:17.
(2)Antichrists reject what Jesus said about how God’s Kingdom operates. For instance, some religious leaders say that Christ works through human governments. Yet, this teaching contradicts Jesus, who said: “My Kingdom is no part of this world.”(
John 18:36)
(3)They say that Jesus is their Lord, but they do not obey his commands, including the one to preach the good news of the Kingdom.(
Matthew 28:19, 20; Luke 6:46; Acts 10:42)
