Who or What is Anti-Christ? | Berean Christadelphians

WHO OR WHAT

IS "ANTI-CHRIST"?

Is it a Bible word?

Yes

What does the word mean?

The word in the Greek antichristos, means an opponent of Christ (i.e. the Messiah)

How many References are there to this word in the Bible?

There are 5 references in four verses and they are all found in the New Testament, and they are listed below.

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 following points should be noted:

They had heard that antichrist would come (see Matthew 24:4,5,23,24)
There were already at that time many antichrists in existence i.e. in the Apostle John's day
The Apostle John lived in the first and the beginning of the second century
This was a sign that it was the last time - i.e. 1900 years ago!

1John 2:22

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son"

The following points should be noted:

Those who denied that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, or anointed one, were liars
The word liar comes from the Greek word 'pseustes' and means 'falsifier, liar'. It comes from a root word 'pseudomai' which means to utter an untruth or attempt to deceive by falsehood (falsely, lie)
He is antichrist that denies the Father and the |Son. The word 'denieth' comes from the Greek word 'arneomai' which means 'to contradict' - i.e. to disavow, reject, abnegate (deny, refuse)

1 John 4:3

"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world"

The following points should be noted:

Anyone who did not believe that Jesus was a man, of the same flesh as other men, were not sent by God
The teaching that Christ was not a flesh man was the spirit of antichrist
They had been warned that it should come (see Matthew 24:4,5,23,24)
The spirit of antichrist was already in existence in John's day (the first century - over 1900 years ago!)

The Greek word for flesh is 'sarx' (i.e. as stripped of skin - strictly the meat of an animal as food, or by extension the body)

2 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"

The following points should be noted:

There were many deceivers who had entered into the world in the Apostle John's day (1900 years ago).
The Greek word for 'deceivers' is 'planos' which has the idea of being an impostor or misleader (deceiver)
They would not accept that Jesus came as a human being

These people were not only deceivers, they were antichrists - against Christ !

Does the Bible give us much information about the Lord Jesus Christ?

Yes it does.

Consider the following teaching:

That He was the Son of God
- "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest" (Luke 1:32)
- "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17)
- Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54)
- "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? and again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son" (Hebrews 1:5)
That He was God manifest in the flesh
- "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Timothy 3:16)
That He was born of a woman
- "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law" (Galatians 4:4)
- And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou has found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS" (Luke 1:30,31)
- (See also Matthew 1:18,20,21 and Isaiah 7:14)
That He came in the same flesh and blood nature as those who he came to save
- Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne" (Acts 2:30)
- "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Romans 1:3)
- "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3)
- "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same: that through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14)
- "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared" (Hebrews 5:7)
- "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18)
- "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind" (1 Peter 4:1)
- "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God" (1 John 4:2)

What is the Conclusion?;

Using the Bible as our guide, which is the only authority we can rely on, we conclude that the following is the Scriptural teaching concerning antichrist:

That it is a person or group of people who were against the Apostolic teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ
That there were many antichrists in the first century
That they denied that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Messiah
That they denied that the Lord Jesus Christ came in same flesh as other men
That they were deceivers who would not accept that the Lord Jesus Christ came in the flesh

Does this agree with the modern teaching about antichrist?

No!

Back to Beliefs